Jaleo

Jaleo Restaurant Review:

Culinary celebrity José Andrés continues to spread the gospel of Spanish cuisine at Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. One of the best seats at Jaleo positions you within arm’s reach of the tapas bar, where you have a bird’s eye view of the teamwork involved in melding the myriad ingredients in the small plates. The show carries on at the centerpiece Paella Grill, the first specialized paella kitchen in the U.S., which cooks the traditional dish over olive and orange wood and grapevines.

Read our feature on chef José Andrés, GAYOT’s 2017 Best Restaurateur

We like the paella de verduras de temporada, with eggplant and cauliflower. Every dish is a portrait of Spain. Pan con tomate (rustic bread brushed with fresh tomato) is a good beginning. Another option is the sopa de ajo con cangrejo, chilled almond and garlic soup with crab meat and grapes. A unique salad is the cebolla asada con Valdeón y naranjas with its roasted onions, pine nuts, Valdeón blue cheese and Clementines. To finish the meal, we recommend the helado de aceite de olive (olive oil ice cream with grapefruit and grapefruit candy). An extensive wine menu lists 350 bottles, the majority of which are value-driven varietals from Spain.