Thanks again to Catherine of Food Musings for tagging me for the Basic Juice food and wine meme. Also, thanks to Beau for allowing me to report on a marini-related meal, rather than wine. I feel honored and I’m so excited to participate in my first meme – even though I’ll admit that I barely understand what the word means!

So basically, the topic for my meme contribution is… The Best Martini-Enhanced Meal I’ve Eaten in the Last 30 Days.

One of the best meals of my life, much less in the last month, was at Todd English’s restaurant at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It’s called Olives and it is crazy-good.

It was our second night in Vegas, and we’d already enjoyed our traditional first night meal at Nobu the day before. So we didn’t expect to indulge in another top-notch meal. Little did I know, when we casually strolled into Olives on a whim, that I would later be hard-pressed to decide which meal impressed me more. The two meals – Asian fusion and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine – could not be more different. But both meals blew our minds and complicated our lives because now we can’t go to Vegas without eating at these restaurants, which limits our ability to try new places. Oh the troubles we have! Don’t you feel sorry for us?

The reason our evening at Olives stands out most in my mind is that my husband Daniel stumbled upon the best martini he’s ever had. I’m not much of a classic martini drinker, so in my mind I didn’t really see what could make one superior to another. But when Daniel tried one sip of his dirty martini garnished with green olives hand-stuffed with heaping blue cheese, I looked at his face and I knew he was having a special moment with this cocktail. The bartender there takes his cocktails seriously. He’s won awards for many of his creative concoctions. His classic martini is made with gin only, no vermouth. The drink set the stage for a fabulous meal

Anyway… here’s what we got at Olives:

Olives’ House Bread with Green and Black Olive Tapenades – Tart and buttery, then spread on olive-oily focaccia. Wow.

Greek Flatbread - Whipped hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, oregano vinaigrette feta cheese, marinated olives - A simple concept, expertly done.

Me: Butternut Squash Tortelli - Brown butter, sage, parmesan cheese hand-wrapped in large homemade sheets of pasta– One of the most unique , rich, and indulgent entrees I’ve ever had, this dish inspired me to buy a Todd English cookbook and try my hand making these at home. I’ll have to report on that adventure another day!

Daniel: “Best Scallops He’s Ever Had” – I don’t know the official name because it’s not on the web site, but they were cooked to ideal tenderness with a tad bit of crispiness on the outside. Perfect…

Dessert: Homemade cookies and ice cream - Simple and homey, the perfect finish to an exquisite meal we’ll never forget.

If you appreciate a good martini and enjoy well-done cuisine, give Olives a try. We walked in around 9 p.m. on a slow Vegas weekend without reservations and got a great table. Next time, I’d like to reserve a table on the patio, which overlooks the expansive Bellagio lake and fountain show. That’s the only thing I could think of that would make it a more memorable meal.

And to complete my meme responsibilities, I’d like to tag… Michele from Oswego Tea and Robyn from The Girl Who Ate Everything.