Nosh - International Smoke

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Any new restaurant by Michael Mina is a cause for celebration. The internationally known James Beard Award-winner has found great success in Las Vegas alone, including StripSteak at Mandalay Bay and his eponymous, seafood-focused restaurant at Bellagio. His newest venture at MGM Grand, International Smoke, benefits from the contributions of restaurateur and television personality Ayesha Curry. Their combined star power and culinary expertise have already made International Smoke one of the must-visit destinations in San Diego, Miami and San Francisco, and you’ll understand why as soon as you dine at the Las Vegas outpost.

Taking the spot previously occupied by Mina’s Pub 1842 (lots of comfy booth seating with a large bar situated in the middle), International Smoke is a celebration of fire—the start of all cooking. That allows Mina and Curry to cover a lot of gastronomic ground, and so the menu has something for every taste. Whether you’re a pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan or red meat fan, you’ll find plenty of flavors to satisfy cravings.

The smoke theme begins with the cocktails—specifically the cold smoked Old-Fashioned, arriving in a smoked-filled, sealed glass box. The presentation alone is reason to order this flavorful classic, made with bourbon, cardamom syrup and Corazon bitters. Another quirky and fantastic presentation is the Lilikoi Mai Tai, prepared with SelvaRey rum, Goslings, lilikoi, pineapple and lime and served in a Spam can.

Appetizer choices all sound amazing here, but pay special attention to a few in particular: citrus beets, packing a flavor punch when accompanied by whipped ricotta, ruby grapefruit, Cara Cara navel orange and toasted pistachio; shaking beef, cooked up at your table and served on gem lettuce with pickled daikon and carrots, black pepper and nuoc cham; jerk duck spring rolls, impossibly light in texture and served with mango chutney and green sauce; and Mama Mina falafel with hummus and tomato jam.

Main courses will give you whiplash as you go back and forth between seafood (including Mina’s stellar versions of Verlasso salmon, served on horseradish whipped potatoes with mustard butter, and whole Mediterranean branzino with lemon potatoes, rainbow swiss chard and warm tomato vinaigrette) and meat (Curry’s braised Jamaican oxtail served with red beans, coconut-jasmine rice and Scotch bonnet peppers, smoked Korean style bone-in short ribs, served with steamed rice, kimchi and toasted sesame, and fall-off-the-bone tender St. Louis cut pork ribs, available in three styles or as a combo rack). To make you extra confused, there’s also a tasty lineup of filet mignons, ribeyes, New York Strips and flatiron steaks. Sides are almost as decadent as main course counterparts. Sweet and sour Brussels sprouts pop with flavor and texture, while the crab fried rice and rib tip mac and cheese are beyond addictive.

You know you want dessert at a restaurant this good, and it’s all comforting goodness, from a key lime pie to homemade warm cookies. Curry and Mina have hit a massive home run with International Smoke, and the culinary world waits anxiously to see what they will do next.

MGM Grand, 5-10 p.m. daily. 702.891.3922