I had made reservations a month ahead for the general dining room since my friends didn't feel like trying out RM upstairs (mostly due to fears of still being hungry after the pre-fixe). We were greeted warmly and promptly seated at a table when we arrived.
I loved the overall ambiance, it was modern without feeling pretentiousness. There was a gently rolling stream of water over head near the bar, which I thought was pretty nice and soothing. Again, I enjoyed the fact that the kitchen was open so you could watch your food being made. =)
So we started with an order of the Rhode Island style calamari w/ sweet and spicy cherry peppers ($15). While it was cooked and seasoned well, I wouldn't say it was anything out of the ordinary for me. Maybe it's because I live in Florida and always have seafood when I'm home. My friend from Kansas said it was the best made calamari he had ever had though. This dish was neither a hit or a miss for me, it was done well but unremarkable.
My boyfriend loves BBQ, so we ordered a side of the Mac N' Cheese BBQ style ($12). We asked for it without jalapeños since my boyfriend detests the taste of them. Sadly the first one that came out had jalapeños in them. =( The waiter apologized profusely and then took it back to have another made sans jalapeños. The second order came and it was cold in the center. Usually I wouldn't care...but it was a $12 side, so again I asked them if they could rectify the problem, to which they politely obliged. So it came out a third time, but this time Rick Moonen's son brought the dish over to our table to make sure it was made correctly and that we were satisfied, which I thought was very thoughtful of them and showed that they cared about quality and customer service. Third time is a charm, it was hot and without any peppers. =)
However, despite coming out without jalapeños and freshly made, it didn't titillate our palettes. X_x It's been almost a year, so I don't remember what about it we didn't like, but it really didn't resonate well with us as a harmonious dish. Yes, it was mac n' cheese with BBQ in it...but it just didn't really work. I totally give them an A for effort and customer service though on this one! Thanks for trying guys, it just wasn't for us.
We also shared the "Moon" Doggies which was shrimp corn dogs, cabbage slow, and cilantro mayo ($14). I think I over hyped the dish after seeing it on Top Chef Masters. I mean, what's not to love with shrimp in corn dog form? As much as I loved the novelty, I wasn't blown away by the dish at all. Again, it wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't blow my socks off either. It's a corn dog, just with shrimp! XD
What did blow me away at RM Seafood was the Oyster Sampler ($3.75 each). Though I'm totally not surprised that it blew me away, since they emphasize fresh and sustainable seafood. The oyster sampler exemplifies what RM Seafood does the best: fresh, simply cooked (or in this case raw) seafood. Again sadly I've misplaced the descriptions of the oysters which I was served (see that little slip of paper in the picture? I lost that ;_; ), but they all had unique flavors which stood out from your regular run of the mill oysters.
For an entrée I had the handmade cavatelli with morel mushrooms, blue crab, and a meyer lemon foam ($25). Apparently this was taken off the menu at RM Seafood because I can't find the description on the site anymore. Everything was made well, it's just the flavors were "oh-so-subtle" beyond belief. I mean, I love subtle flavors, but this was bordering on bland. =( My boyfriend told me I should complain, but at this point I felt sooo bad for bugging anyone especially after the Mac N' Cheese fiasco! Eventually I relented, voiced my opinion (I'm sure I did it very apologetically, I don't like sending food back), and they let me choose something else from the menu.
I decided just to have something light, so I ordered some sushi: the RM style garlic tuna with big eye tuna, pickled spring garlic, and ponzu and also an order of the RM style red king crab with plum wine gelatin, and shiso leaf. The fish were extremely fresh, probably one of the best pieces of sushi grade tuna I've had honestly as well as king crab. I'm not sure the plum wine gelatin did much for me, although the flavor was interesting. I was pretty satisfied with the sushi overall.
But with all the ups and downs of the night, the huge highlight of the evening was Rick's tasting game, 16 flavors of icecream and sorbet served blind ($18). That was all types of fun, trying to figure out what flavors were served just by taste. There were some eye opening flavors in our mix, specifically I remember guinness, garlic, key lime, and milk (couldn't figure out plain milk for the life of us, lol). Honestly, it was totally a blast testing out our palettes and arguing amongst ourselves what flavors they could be. They give you little sheets so you can write down your guesses and when you're done they give you an answer sheet. =)
The service at RM seafood was great, the food was hit/miss/middling, and the ambiance was lovely. Would I return here again to eat? I probably would, but only for the raw bar and the icecream/sorbet tasting game. Guinness icecream...how silly. =)
RM Seafood
3930 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV, 89119
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