We had really been enjoying our meal at Raku, but I sensed an upcoming lull waiting for the item the Missus was looking forward to having. So I decided to just kind of go for it, ordering some sashimi from the specials board. Having really enjoyed the Shima Aji (striped jack) during my lunch at Mitch's, I wanted the Missus to have a taste.
Along with the pristine slices of fish was a small bit of nice tartar featuring avocado, cilantro, along with the shima aji. The fish was quite good, firm, with a mild sweetness. The Missus just loved the fresh grated wasabi and was actually eating the stuff straight up! I really didn't think much of the sashimi and fish dishes at Raku on our previous visit, but this changed my opinion.
I then decided to take a bathroom break……now why would I mention this……a "TMI" moment. But if you recall, I thought the restroom set-up was quite unique the last time we were here. The faux grass and stone path to the potty are now gone…..but the greenery on the ceiling of the restroom and tweeting bird sounds are still there. I also enjoyed the photo collage of various dishes on the wall.
And of course there are still flower petals lining the floor…….
As I returned, one of the dishes I'd been waiting for arrived……the foie gras with tare. With the ban on foie gras going full steam in California, I needed my fix. The Missus thought I was insane ordering a $16 skewer of foie gras, but what arrived was pretty impressive.
I was surprised at how good this was…….it was really ready to melt. The look on the Missus's face when She had Her first bite was just priceless. So luxurious……I told the Missus that this was so good I wanted "to kick myself". We took our time on this, enjoying every single morsel. When the server came to take the plate away, I thought the Missus was going to do bodily harm on the very efficient guy. The empty plate remained on the table….I actually thought the Missus was going to lick all the rendered fat off the plate!
The final dish of the night was the sake kamameshi, the salmon and ikura iron pot rice. It was a chalkboard special the last time we ordered this and at $35 was probably the most expensive rice dish I can recall ordering. Now you can order it by the cup….well, the Missus ordered 3 cups! That's three cups of uncooked rice……which came to $30 bucks anyway!
This was just as wonderful as on our previous visit. The Missus had the extra bonus of pouring off all the rendered foie gras fat on Her bowl of rice. This was way too much for us to finish of course, but like last time, they made us onigiri with the leftover rice. Which I had as a snack over the next two nights.
The service was reserved but nice. The one male server was pretty amazing in his efficiency. He would pick up on every tiny drop of spilled sauce and get things cleaned up and plates changed and removed with great speed.
It could be that we understand what we enjoy at Raku, making this visit more enjoyable than our last……but I honestly think Raku has improved over the last four years. I can't wait for our next visit!
Aburiya Raku Restaurant
5030 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-3511
Hours: Mon-Sat 600pm – 300am
Oh my gosh that foie gras looks delicious! Peter and I need to visit Las Vegas.
Onigiri with salmon skin, ikura, and foie fat? It’s hard to imagine that could get any better.
Thanks for sharing!
Great posts. Glad you and the missus had a good time!
Hi Ange – Yeah, you need to get over there and not only eat on the strip.
Hey Roddy – This is probably our favorite place in Vegas.
Hi Ed – We sure had a nice meal here!
Oh that foie gras looks amazing. One of the reasons I’ve been giving DH for why we need a trip to Vegas is so we can eat foie gras. haha.
wow foie gras is something you don’t see on skewers here, that looks good!
Hi Kirbie – I know…….there are palces with multiple foie gras dishes on the menu which is reallt tempting.
Hi Kat – It really was great.
I’m going to have to try this sake kamameshi now that it’s available in cups. Husband wouldn’t touch it I don’t think but I think Kidlet and I would love it. And onigiri!!!
Also, foie gras. CANNOT WAIT to eat foie gras again.
Hi Rosa – I know we were excited to get in our Foie Gras fix.
Finally stopped by Raku after planning to there for 3 years & was totally blown away. It is now my favorite restaurant in Vegas. Foie gras was silky, some of the best around. Thanks for great posts.
Hi Sharol – I’m glad you enjoyed Raku, it really is one of our favorite restaurants in Vegas. Thanks for taking the time to comment and the kind words!
To echo Sharol: finally made it to Raku (and LoS) after 4 years. I really enjoyed it, although I had the same issue with the duck being tough, and they were out of the foie gras skewer!
I also stopped by Monta ramen in the same strip mall for lunch another time and enjoyed the broth, although I thought the chashu was a bit tough and had a strange sour note (too much mirin/sake?).
Glad you enjoyed Raku Hao! Too bad they didn’t have foie gras……it was really great. Saw Monta on our last visit, they were packed. Will check them out next time! Thanks for letting me know how you enjoyed Raku.