Industry Weekly

Libertine Social’s Fireside Chats strip the formality from the tasting menu

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Executive chef Jamaal Taherzadeh offers a completely different take on the traditional chef’s tasting menu at Libertine Social.
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Countless restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip offer variations of a tasting menu, highlighting signature creative cuisine while leading your palate on an adventure. But Libertine Social, opened last year at Mandalay Bay, does things a little differently than its neighbors, and its tasting menu follows suit.

Libertine’s Fireside Chats—served during one Saturday-night seating at the open kitchen counter (but also conveniently available throughout the restaurant)—offer five courses of unique cuisine. They’re served in a relatively quick and casual way, paired with special beers from a spotlighted brewery and accompanied by conversation and explanation from executive chef Jamaal Taherzadeh.

On a recent visit, the experience featured the flavorful creations from Quebec’s Unibroue brewery served with memorable plates like hamachi ceviche with pickled apple and chicharrón and a ridiculously rich and delicious crispy-skin porchetta with roasted apple, shaved fennel and citrus. The interaction in a comfortable, upbeat environment is loose and fun, far from the stuffy, formal tasting sessions found at many fine-dining rooms. The food finds the perfect line between edgy and familiar, exactly what you want when you faithfully put yourself in the hands of a great chef. Libertine Social at Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7200; daily 5-10:30 p.m.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

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