Address: 1 Casino Drive West (inside The Cove at the Atlantis)
Type of Meal: Dinner
During our last visit to Atlantis, a conference was taking place and snapping up reservations at many restaurants across the resort. Mesa Grill was one of those spots that was booked solid for dinner. It was a bit disappointing I wouldn’t be able to eat at Bobby Flay’s 6th restaurant in his budding empire. I enjoy the Food Network – not as a learning mechanism, but rather to salivate at the dishes being displayed. Chef Flay’s creations, to me, had always seemed down-to-earth but promised to be packed of flavours.
Five years later, during a brief return visit, my chance to
dine at Mesa Grill was fulfilled. Moreover, this time we were staying at the
Cove (one of the many buildings at Atlantis), so dining there was even easier since it was but steps from the elevator bank. The stars couldn’t align
any better.
The restaurant is spacious with tables everywhere – which made
it that much more surprising we weren’t able to secure reservations last time.
Perhaps they saw me shivering from their over air conditioned lounge/waiting
area or they knew I’d appreciate seeing action, but we ended up being seated at
the table directly in front of kitchen. People were bustling and the stone
pizza oven was ablaze adding some much needed warmth to the chilly restaurant.
On the advice of a friend, my husband and I both started
with the crab and corn chowder ($12). He raved about it and warned it would be
a dish that we wouldn’t want to share. Since we didn’t try other appetizers, it’d
be hard to confirm it’s indeed the best starter. But, we both thoroughly
enjoyed the soup and it was my favourite dish of the meal.
The corn puree base was sweet, thick and had just the right touch
of creaminess to it. Clumps of crab meat were dotted throughout along with chives
and tortilla chips to add crunch. But, it’s the drizzle of chilli oil atop
everything that’s the most surprising, adding that kick that Chef Flay is known
for. The complementary jalapeno corn bread and doughy bread knots were great
for wiping up chowder remnants from the shallow dish.
After such a strong start our mains were disappointing in
comparison. The sixteen spice chicken ($39), although tender, was much too tame
for something promising sixteen spices. The dry rub really didn’t add much so
most of the flavour came from the much too tangy tamarind barbecue sauce on the
plate. As a saving grace, the bits of red cabbage and jicama slaw topping the
chicken was delicious and could easily be made into a side dish for purchase.
The pan roasted shrimp ($45) would be a better choice with
three huge prawns cooked nicely. The sweet corn puree on the bottom was also
delicious but became overwhelmed by the smoked chile butter and cotija sauce. There
was simply too much of this rich oversalted sauce that it
covered the subtle sweetness of the shrimp and corn. In my opinion, the sauce
would be better suited for the leaner chicken instead.
For sides, we shared the Southwestern fries ($9.50) and a
sweet potato tamale ($9.50). The fries, although crispy and fresh, lacked
anything special to classify them as “Southwestern” or warrant the price.
The sweet potato tamale ($9.50), albeit much too sweet for
my liking, at least showed some creativity and skill. The tamale was smooth and
flavourful, infused with corn kernels and topped with a crushed pecan butter
sauce. You could even consider ordering this as a dessert as it was certainly
sweet enough and satisfying.
Instead, my husband and I had the churros ($13) to share. It’s
hard to go wrong with freshly deep fried dough dusted with sugar and spices. These
were enjoyable by themselves or dipped into the chocolate sauce on the side. Thankfully,
the star anise was only subtly added so the licorice flavour wasn’t too
pronounced and went well with the sauce.
The service was efficient and friendly, but lacked the flair
you’d expect for a restaurant classified as “fine dining”. If you were only
going to have one nicer meal at Atlantis, I’d suggest Café Martinique instead.
Prices are a touch higher but the dishes better executed (the duck was
delicious) and the atmosphere more refined.
In the end, I’m happy I had the chance to try Mesa Grill and
Chef Flay’s menu. But, as with most celebrity chef restaurants, too often you’re
paying for the name rather than substance.
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
