Las Vegas: Tapas and Paella at Julian Serrano

 

It was easily the quickest decision a group of five people made for dinner. We wanted to get out of our hotel and see what else was out there. We ended up at Julian Serrano for tapas and paella. I was very tempted to get a drink at Sage before dinner but our wait was only 20 minutes or so.

We decided to a few small plates and share a small paella.

 

The bacon-wrapped dates were great with thick pieces of bacon and large dates. These are unbelievably simple and yet so many places give you skimpy bacon wrapped dates that seem like nothing because of paper thin bacon.

 

I’m prone to ordering peppers whenever I see them. Whether they’re shishito or padron, you’ll see me asking for a plate. These were great relying on simple seasoning and grilling to bring out the naturally sweet flavor of padrons. And I do love to play the game which one will be the spicy one.

 

Sometimes you need salad. Especially after heavy meals in Vegas.

 

Some might be surprised I wasn’t the one who ordered the wings. I was glad they were ordered though! The boneless wings were so tender and we considered ordering another round. The black garlic sauce really made these wings.

The yellowtail tiradiot with sweet potato stacks was another dish we loved and considered getting more of. The ponzu sauce was piquant and went so well with the raw fish and crispy sweet potatoes.

 

I was hoping for really good Spanish octopus. My dining companions weren’t into the octopus I ordered. They felt it was over-sauced. I agree it probably had too much paprika but I didn’t think it was that bad.

 

My favorite presentation of the night came from the eggplant. Split down the middle, it was topped with Marcona almonds.

 

After our many veg and fish friendly dishes, we got down and dirty on the lamb skewer. The meat was cooked all the way through yet not tough or stringy. I liked the light dusting of spices.

I enjoyed my meal at Julian Serrano more than Jaleo at nearby Cosmopolitan. I didn’t feel rushed or crowded and the quality was excellent. I’d be interested in trying the paella at Coqueta and LA’s Smoke.Oil.Salt just to have a proper comparison but I really enjoyed the version at Julian Serrano. We got the mixed that came with lobster, chicken, chorizo, shrimp and mussels. It was everything we loved in a pan with rice.

Julian Serrano

at the Aria 

3733 Las Vegas Blvd S., Las Vegas, NV 89109  —  (877) 230-2742

 

© The Minty  2014