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TASTE OF THE TOWN BEYOND BENIHANA Two new teppanyaki restaurants offer high-end cuisine amid flames and knives. BY ROBERT HAYNES-PETERSON J apanese cuisine regularly employs a great deal of showmanship and precision. Where sushi is calm and methodical, teppanyaki—a method of tableside cooking over an iron griddle—is more physical, involving rapid knife work and frequent bursts of flame. More a drum ceremony than a tea ceremony, if you will. Of course, it's important that the flash be backed by substance, and teppan chefs at two hot spots are doing just that. Scarlet's Far & Away cocktail. Tetsu Nobu The famous sushi destination at Caesars Palace has installed three teppanyaki tables— the first Nobu in the country to do so. Diners have a choice of four prix fixe menus (ranging from $90 to $280) or they can order à la carte. A wide selection of seafood (Maine lobster, Chilean sea bass, abalone), steak, Jidori Teppanyaki foie gras at chicken, Colorado lamb Nobu. chops, and more is paired with Nobu's signature sashimi. For a truly indulgent evening, dive into the sevencourse Japanese 15 Wagyu Beef Banquet, at $688 per person (the more advance notice you give, the more uncommon the dishes). nobucaesarspalace.com 90 Asian Sensation FROM SAKE TO LEMONGRASS, ASIAN INGREDIENTS ARE SHOWING UP IN GLASSES ALL AROUND TOWN. T he opportunities for incredible Asian cuisine in Las Vegas have never been better, and the same holds true for cocktails employing Asian spirits, liqueurs, and other ingredients. "Most Asian-inspired cocktails are refreshing and sweet but with a kick of spice or herbs," says Yassine Lyoubi, executive general manager of restaurants for 9 Group, which includes the sophisticated new bar Scarlet at the newly renovated Palms Casino Resort (palms.com). The bar's Far & Away cocktail includes Bombay Sapphire East gin, lemongrass, and calamansi, a citrus fruit that's like a cross between a lime and a tangerine. The gin—a tweak on Sapphire's original recipe, adding lemongrass and black peppercorn to the other botanicals—was a popular choice at this fall's Asian culture – themed festival Luckyrice, according to Rodger Gillespie, a bartender at Cosmopolitan's Vesper Bar (cosmopolitanlasvegas.com). His team contributed quite a few cocktails, he says, including the Come Here Lassi, featuring Bombay Sapphire East, Bols Natural Yoghurt liqueur (you read that right), puréed mango, lime juice, a ginger/lemongrass/black pepper syrup, and Thai basil leaves. "I like to use food in cocktails, and Asian ingredients are ideal," says Gillespie. Ginger, cardamom, yuzu, shishito peppers, and even apples count, and you'll find examples all around town, like the Wasabi martini at Luxor's Rice & Company (luxor.com) and the God's Gift, featuring a jasmine green-tea simple syrup, at the trendy new Velveteen Rabbit (facebook.com/velveteenrabbitlv), a craft cocktail lounge downtown. Those seeking sipping spirits needn't feel left out. Japanese whiskies—which boast a heritage more than a century old—are hitting the US market in a big way. Also at Cosmopolitan, Scarpetta (cosmopolitanlasvegas.com) offers the light yet rich Yamazaki 18-year. And Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge (doublehelixwine.com), at Town Square, stocks Yamazaki 12-year single malt, Hibiki 12-year, and Hakushu 12-year, also a single malt. Co-owner Ray Nisi attests to the growing popularity of these spirits: "Only a year ago, there was only a little interest in Japanese whiskies here. Now we have a steady clientele enjoying them." —Robert Haynes-Peterson PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NOBU HOTEL CAESARS PALACE (FOIE GRAS); PALMS CASINO RESORT (COCKTAIL) The first teppan restaurant from Michelin three-starred chef Masa Takayama, Tetsu is an intimate dining experience, where five to 10 diners sit around six grill tables, each with its own skilled chef. A "produce table" in the center showcases ultrafresh veggies and proteins like live blue lobster, Scottish salmon, and the small-production Ohmi beef from Japan. Says Executive Chef Takahiro Sakaeda, "We're taking the idea from the sushi chef at a counter that you have nothing to hide. We want to bring that to teppan. In a sense, we're naked for all to see." arialasvegas.com VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 090_V_ST_Teppanyaki/Cocktails_Dec13.indd 90 11/19/13 12:35 PM