Julian Serrano

Julian Serrano's Restaurant was our first stop in Las Vegas located at the Aria Hotel in the City Center.  We thought that tapas would be the way to go for lunch.

I left the task of ordering to my brother Gary as he has more experience in Spanish food than me, Sandi or my mom.

Our first course were the Cheese Lollipops.  These were herbed bread crumbs with Manchego cheese and red wine poached pears. I could eat these lollipops anytime. They were crunchy outside and creamy inside; the cheese and the pear were a perfect match.  The second plate were the Pintxo de Chorizos.  Cute mini Spanish pork chorizos served on top of garlic mashed potatoes with garlic sauce. Again, a perfect combination...salty chorizos engulfed with the fluffy potatoes.

The third plate, Fried Calamari with Aioli sauce were very good but I must say, were no better than the ones served at Hinoki and the Bird. The next plate was my least favorite, Spanish Tortilla made with potatoes, eggs and onions. Don't get me wrong, it was good but nothing special. Alas, the next course were the Gambas; sauteed shrimps cooked in garlic and Arbol chilis which were absolutely delicious. The last plate was the Black Rice with fresh calamari, lobster meat, sofrito and squid ink. That too was delicious along with its very nice presentation.

All these little plates were enough to satisfy our hunger so everyone decided not to have dessert but instead just get some gelato from the nearby Jean Philippe.

Julian Serrano, a native of Madrid was the former executive chef at Picasso at Bellagio. He has gone back to his roots of Spanish cuisine and has done a fine job. Definitely a restaurant to revisit as there are many other interesting tapas to be tried.