Tucked in a corner of the grand casino at Aria, the heart of MGM Mirage's brand new CityCenter project, is Julian Serrano. Yes, it's Spanish. Yes, it's tapas. And yes, the food here is fantastic!
Start off with something like the stuffed piquillo peppers. The goat cheese inside is creamy and tangy. The pepper outside is cooked just right. And oh my, the savory tomato sauce pulls it all together and makes it extra delicious!
And if that isn't amazing enough, order the mushroom and manchego risotto. Maybe you've had good risotto dishes before, but this takes risotto to another level with tasty mild mushrooms and tangy manchego cheese. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that the risotto is cooked to al dente perfection... Perfect to absorb that lovely sauce.
Go ahead, order a sangria. It's quite refreshing... And fruity, too!
And while we're talking sweet stuff, it's time to talk about flan. Honestly, the flan itself doesn't really have a strong flavor profile... But thankfully, the strawberry compote on top and light caramel sauce on bottom enliven this plate! And when all three combine, that's when the magic happens on this plate.
And just days after Cafe Ba Ba Reeba closed further up The Strip, it was truly heartwarming to go to Aria today and find all these fabulous tapas dishes at Julian Serrano. Maybe it didn't work out at first, but it ultimately looks like good Spanish cuisine is back on The Strip and will be here to stay.
And by the way, don't hesitate to come and enjoy this place! MGM Mirage did something truly revolutionary on The Strip in taking CityCenter in such a green direction, and the rest of Las Vegas really is following. All of the CityCenter hotels (Aria, Vdara, and Mandarin Oriental) have achieved LEED Gold Certification in sustainable design, as well as the adjacent Crystals shopping mall.
So if that isn't enough to bring you here, I don't know what is. ;-)
And by the way, you always find more of my food reviews at my Urbanspoon page.
Serrano will be my first stop when I come out this spring.
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