I was thrilled to be riding in a gold limo to the Joel Robuchon Restaurant in Las Vegas. After all, if you’re going to ride, you might as well ride in style, right? And why ride in a traditional black limo when you can create a scene with a gold one? As we headed towards the restaurant, I started thinking about the menu. After all, what kind of food would be served at a restaurant owned by the one and only Joel Robuchon?

Who is Joel Robuchon, you may ask? He is a world-renowned French chef and restaurateur. He was given the title of “Chef of the Century” and operates a dozen restaurants in various destinations such as Hong Kong, London, New York City, Paris, and of course, Las Vegas. So what would an experience be like dining at one of these restaurants? We were about to find out.

The limo pulled up to the MGM Grand Hotel, but rather than driving to the front, the limo pulled to the side. I thought this was a bit odd and figured this was the end of the glamour and now we’re back to being everyday people. I figured we would be shuttled in like cattle through the hotel towards a probably crowded and overrated restaurant. How wrong I was.

A woman dressed in an Asian-style Cheongsam dress greeted us at the door. She walked us through elaborate maze-like hallways to get to the restaurant. As we walked, she explained these hallways contain suites where the high rollers and VIP guests stayed. I was further fascinated by what these suites might look like when the woman admitted that she has never even seen the inside of these rooms!

We finally got to the restaurant and as I walked in, I was completely amazed at how beautiful it was. It didn’t even look like a restaurant. The walls were a gorgeous deep cobalt blue and the tables were surrounded by comfortable benches with soft purple and lilac-colored throw pillows everywhere. It was definitely not your typical eatery. But let us not forget why we’re here. My culinary mind got back to business as I picked up the menu.

The restaurant offers tasting menus as well as ala carte options. We decided on one of the tasting menus. While we were enjoying our wine, the server brought out our amuse-bouche. An amuse bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre, a “mouth amusement” intended to give the guests a glimpse into the cooking style of the chef. When the server brought our amuse, I almost fell over. Not only was it more than a “bite,” it was an entire tin of CAVIAR. And not only was it caviar, but it was Osetra caviar, considered to be one of the best that you can buy. The caviar was set on top of king crab, separated by a layer of gelée. I took my first bite and chewed slowly, savoring every single flavor and texture that bite had to offer. It was simply divine.

As we continued noshing on our food, we heard a group next to us start to get a little rambunctious. I figured they had just got done gambling and probably had more than their fair share of complimentary drinks at the casino. Refusing to be irritated by the interruption as well as being a bit curious, I looked over and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw…

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a “top” for something considered “over the top?” I mean, when is “over the top” just too much? I’m getting to a point in life where I just don’t like to waste. Whether it’s food or not, I just don’t want to become “that consumer” where I have complete disregard for our world’s resources. I do think at some point, we have to question ourselves on whether this or that is truly necessary.

Back in March, Tom and I took a business trip to Las Vegas. Whether or not you’ve been to Vegas, I’m sure you’ve heard or seen (or experienced…) all that Vegas has to offer. Las Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada (metro area is over 1.8 million as of 2008). It is a major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and…um…other things. Las Vegas is known for its bigger and better of everything. From the nightlife to the non-ending buffet lines to more slot machines than a bookkeeper has time to count, Las Vegas has it all.

While we were there, Tom and I enjoyed the scene. Oh, yes we did. That is, if you consider “the scene” as attending a 7:00 a.m. (CST) seminar on the business aspect of catering or watching a demo on how to make ice cream in under 30 seconds using liquid nitrogen.

In seriousness, though, we did truly enjoy what “Sin City’ had to offer.  Probably our most memorable experience was when we dined at the Joel Robuchon Restaurant at the MGM Grand Hotel. Our experience (and yes, it was) all started when I called to make reservations.

The receptionist on the other line took my general information of name, number and so forth. When she asked what hotel I was staying at in Las Vegas, I had to wonder why. She said that the restaurant will send a complimentary limo to pick us up at our hotel. Say what??? Apparently this was STANDARD. I thought she was joking. Apparently, she wasn’t.

As we were getting ready the night of our dinner reservation, I wondered what kind of limo would be picking us up. I figured since it was complimentary, it would probably be something small, cheap and probably driven by a college student who was trying to earn some extra money for school. Who cares? It was still a free ride, right? As we headed out the side entry of the hotel, I slowed in my tracks as I noticed this rather large (and GOLDEN) limo pull up to the door. The female driver stepped out of the limo and was professionally dressed in a black suit, complete with a black beret-like looking cap. I thought to myself this can’t be our ride, so I peered over the limo to look for the right one. The driver approached me and asked, “Are you Mrs. Moore?…”