September 27, 2017

Julian Serrano Tapas – Las Vegas, NV

After arriving in Las Vegas on an early Saturday evening, we checked in to the Aria Sky Suites and then ventured out to find a meal worthy of the first meal in Vegas. This meal usually sets the tone for the rest of the trip, and Julian Serrano Tapas met the challenge, which I now present the review of Julian Serrano Tapas.

We tried to get a table at the two Asian-inspired restaurants just outside the Sky Suites entrance to the Casino floor, but each had over an hour wait without reservations. Discouraged, we decided to walk to the lobby area and try Sage or Julian Serrano. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately,) Sage was holding a private event, so we ventured into Julian Serrano Tapas. We were sat right away and the fun began!

Decor

The ambiance, decor, and atmosphere of Julian Serrano Tapas is vibrant, energetic, and filled with loud voices and music. It felt like the back floor of a Vegas club like Hakkasan or Omnia. (I’d plug Jewel as the Aria on-property club, but not having never been, I can’t say. The restaurant floor felt like we were now in Vegas!

Food

Julian Serrano Tapas is billed as a Classic Spanish Tapas restaurant with timeless classics such as paella and whole suckling pig- with a huge assortment of tapas to follow. In that it was only two of us, we decided to stick to tapas and drinks. For libations, we decided on sangria (of course) and a glass of Spanish red wine.

Our dinner consisted of six tapas: Yellowtail Tiradito, Pan Manchego, Calamari A La Plancha, Serrano Tender with Foie Gras, Seared Scallop Skewers, and Spanish Chicken Croquettes. Each dish was relatively small, as tapas are, but after sharing six between two of us, we were both stuffed.

There were some hits and near-misses (not terrible, just not amazing), but I’ll share our three favorites – which just happened to be the three seafood tapas!

The Yellowtail Tiradito was by far our favorite dish of the evening. It was a different take on yellowtail than I’ve ever had – a genius combination of flavors and textures presented by the crispy filo threads, offset by the fresh micro greens, the bite of horseradish, and the tang of ponzu. I thought my taste buds would be confused, but it just worked!

The Seared Scallop Skewers were the next in line for our favorite. Each perfectly grilled scallop was accompanied by the mild but flavorful piquillo pepper, apricot, and romesco. Yet another inventive, near-crazy combination that just worked so well.

Our final favorite of the evening was the Calamari A La Plancha, or Grilled Squid by translation. The calamari was tender and when you mixed the dish up in the citrus allioli and carmelized onion, it tasted even better.

Every dish was a creative blend of competing flavors that provided balance and excitement to the taste buds. I need to come again and have the paella!

Service

Not much can be said about the service other than it was spot on, attentive, and both the front and back of the house worked in perfect union. Dishes were spaced out perfectly, which was a necessity as our two-top probably wouldn’t have held more than two dishes at one time. Overall great service made for a great experience!