Best Things I Ate in Vegas This Weekend

Kinmedai at Mizumi (at The Wynn Las Vegas)

If you’ve followed any of my posts from Japan – or frankly, anything I’ve written about Japanese food over the past year – you’ll notice I have a few soft spots: perfect tamago, well-seasoned and properly cooked sushi rice and of course, kinmedai. If it’s in season, and the sushi master behind the counter has gone to the trouble to get it from Japan, I’m all over it, as I was this weekend at The Wynn Las Vegas.

Sitting at the counter at Mizumi, where the kind sushi chef was thoroughly engaging and extremely knowledgeable, I had the brief pleasure of eating two pieces of kinmedai nigiri. This buttery, clean fish, with much of its skin removed, was a pure delight, and honestly, I could have just made a tasting from that, the tamago and the farm-raised bluefin otoro (along with a few more dishes from the kitchen).

Incidentally, I also went to the new Downtown Container Park, a little enclosed retail/concert/kiddie park on the edge of Fremont Street, consisting of recycled shipping containers. The project is a joint effort between the city and the founder of Zappos, which has its headquarters in the old City Hall. There were several great food options there, including Bin 702, where I had a magnificent lobster salad sandwich, as well as a place called Chill Spot, which featured frozen treats that have shaved ice in them: patbingsu from Korea, halo halo from the Philippines and shave ice from Hawaii. I had the most refreshing, delicious shave ice with fresh pineapple juice and coconut milk; the texture of the ice as soft as a pillow. If you happen to be near the old downtown, this is a must.