COMME CA – Gallic Confidence by way of California

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The most interesting thing about Comme Ça (pronounced kohm sah, meaning: “like that”) is that it isn’t afraid to challenge Bouchon and Mon Ami Gabi at their own game, i.e., classic French bistro food. That Comme Ça thinks it can do so within a stone’s throw of one (MAG) and just a half mile from the other (Bouchon) is a testament to the confidence of a baby faced, American/Californian chef named David Myers.

After contemplating all this Gallic competition, you’ll next notice CC’s classic menu — straight from the Rive Gauche in Paris: steak frites, omelets, soupe à l’oignon, steak tartare, that is a dead ringer for much of the same fare at the other two. The third thing you’ll notice is the more aggressive seasonings Myers brings to that highly similar fare, like his steak tartare, and finally, after noticing all of those things, you’ll see that everything seems to be being done on a slightly higher, and tastier plane than at Mon Ami Gabi (no small feat that), and can compete, tartare to tartare with anything Bouchon can throw at you.

After you’ve taken notice of all that, then swooned over your crispy skate wing Grenobloise — sharply accented by capers and lemon, and bathed in brown butter — and sat up and savored every last lardon in your salad frisee, you’ll get knocked out by how @#$% fantastic the burger and fries are.

Those fries are twice-fried in peanut oil, crisping them to a fare thee well, while allowing a strong potato flavor to burst from within. Dusted with some fleur de sel, they are as addictive as any fries in town….and our staff believes they could foil Bouchon’s in a french fry face-off. That burger is a flat out, mineral-rich, beefy, juicy delight, on a gorgeous lacquered bun, and dripping with good cheese. In a town now dripping with good ground meat, it is one of the best.

Equally arresting are the chicken diable and cheesy onion soup, along with a tarte flambée that even Hubert Keller would have to admire. When VEGAS magazine editor Abby Tegnelia ordered the chicken, we scoffed at her pedestrian choice. But two bites later, and we were converted. Its peppery crust might not pass muster in Gay*Paree (Parisians run away at the mere mention of a hot pepper), but provides a nice, multi-cultural kick to a superior piece of chicken meat. The basil and mustard sauces might also curl a Frenchman’s toes, but were carefully rendered and disappointing only in there not being more of them.

We at ELV admit to being a little biased towards bistro food — we’ve probably spent more time in Parisian bistros that most people spend in restaurants their entire lives — but we also know this cuisine about as well as an American can, so when we say this Myer kid knows his way around a properly made omelet, or can sauté like a son-of-a-bitch (and/or train his people to do so), you can take it to the Left Bank.

COMME ÇA

In The Ultimate Gourmet Food Court in The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino

3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702.698.7910

www.CommeCaRestaurant.com

* As in: sparkling, effervescent, and possessed of mirth and levity.

3 thoughts on “COMME CA – Gallic Confidence by way of California

  1. OMG, I’m SO EXCITED about Comme Ca opening in Vegas! I tried the original in WeHo last week (and sat about 3 tables away from a “celebrity chef” who I’m also hoping will bring some sabor aqui some time soon), and I was blown away by the great quality of the food and edgy flair added to these solid, tried-and-true bistro dishes. French and California cuisine go quite well together, and David Myers has blessed SoCal so much with Comme Ca & Sona (which I think will reopen next year) in LA and Pizzeria Ortica in OC, that I’m really hoping Comme Ca will find its place among my beloved Strip bistros and become a new favorite when I’m in the mood for a more “Frenchified” lunch. :-)

  2. Ate there Tuesday night. Very welcoming vibe, beautiful handcrafted cocktails, excellent service and a scrumptious bistro meal. Crab cake was bout as big as my head with a kick-ass sauce (maybe a lil on the dry side cause it was seriously loaded w/ all tasty meat). Huge appetizer portion of delish (and perfectly cooked) mushroom risotto. Very reasonable prices too. YUM.

  3. Was there last week. Great food, but your staff may have been a bit mistified by the new spark-ly digs to think the fries can stand up to TK’s versions over at Bouchon. I ate dinner the next night at STK and sat at the bar next to Dr. J (pumpkin pusher) and I found myself more star struck that I saw you standing at the Comme Ca bar than I was to have a conversation with a Hall of Famer. Weird? Maybe.

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