Nobu was easily the best dining experience of the entire honeymoon and so special, that it deserves its own entry to highlight all nine courses of the meal. I’m not sure how much writing I’m going to do beyond descriptions of the meals, because I really want the food to speak for itself. I do need to preface this entry by saying our experience at Nobu was unique in that the amazing server we had, Tyler, set up a custom tasting menu for us, and chose the meals based off our likes and how we interacted with the dish before it. So, while we do recommend you go to one of the Nobu locations and experience this place for yourself, your time there might be completely different from ours. We also have to mention that this was by far the most expensive meal of the trip, and the most expensive meal we’ve ever had, at $750 after tax and tip. There’s no way we would have done this if we weren’t on our honeymoon and if we didn’t have amazing patrons, like my new brother-in-law, CJ. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the meal.

After being in casual bowling shirts all day, we changed into our best outfits, and looked damn cool in all black. Gabby especially looked classy with her slicked back hair. Giving each other approving nods, we were ready for Nobu.

For drinks Gabby ordered a Sake, and with the help of Tyler, I believe she chose the Nobu made sakes, and I think it was the Ginjo Nigori sake, which is unfiltered, dry, and creamy. For a mocktail, Tyler made me up the Lychee Passion, which consists of lychee, pineapple, and passion fruit. This was my second time tasting lychee, and I gotta say, I’m a big fan. This mocktail was delicious and I made sure to sip it slowly so I could pair it with all of our courses.

We should have written down all the names to the dishes after we had them, because right now, we remember very little. So, I’m going off the Nobu menu for Las Vegas and writing what sounds familiar. Hopefully, I’m right.

Course one was the Salmon Belly Karashi Sumiso. I’m not going to lie, I struggled a little bit with my chopsticks right away, which was embarrassing, but soon enough my brain remembered what to do, and I grabbed ahold of a salmon piece. I was once again greeted with fresh wasabi relish first, then salmon that just melted afterwards, followed by a mustard miso sauce. To me, the star was the wasabi, because it played with the other flavors and textures so well. I’m getting spoiled with fresh wasabi and now only want sushi and sashimi with the real deal.

This was a great starter meal because all it did was get us both excited for the rest of our mysterious dinner line-up. I also have to say that I appreciate Tyler picking a fish we told him we always like, which is salmon. It prepped our palates for whatever was next.

For course two, we had Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing. The tuna had the perfect light sear on it that only added to the complexity of the flavors and textures. I personally enjoyed the crispy onions and sweet chili sauce that covered and surrounded our delectable tuna. While this didn’t have the wasabi I loved from course one, it still offered a nice amount of heat, which we let Tyler know we thoroughly enjoyed. I think the deliciousness of the sauce and the different texture combinations puts this course slightly above the first one for me. Plus, I think I like raw tuna more than raw salmon. Gabby, loving both, was in heaven.

Course 2: Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing

Next, Tyler surprised us with our first hot course of the evening, and what a surprise it was. For course number three, we had Wagyu Tacos. Oh man, was this incredible. I had a lot of steak on this trip, but this was some of the best, if not the best, and it was in an adorable two-bite taco. I’ve had Wagyu at restaurants back at home, but clearly, that was just overpriced, lower-quality steak, because between this Wagyu, and the Wagyu from Morimoto’s, I was treated with show-stopping beef. The steak in these little tacos was incredibly juicy and flavorful, and I wish I could have somehow taken smaller bites to make it last even a little bit longer. This, to me, was perfection.

For course number four, we had Yellowtail Jalapeño. Now, I could have sworn Tyler said it had a slice of serrano on it, not jalapeño, but the menu online says Yellowtail Jalapeño, so here we are. Either way, it was the perfect amount of spice and crunch that paired very well with the yuzu sauce and yellowtail tuna. It was a marriage of spicy and sour, soft and crunchy, and I quite enjoyed it. It had a hard act to follow, but that’s not the yellowtail’s fault. I will say, despite it having to follow the tacos, this dish did stand out to Gabby and me, and we would love to have it again.

For course five, we had Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna. This is a course we’re split on. Gabby really liked the spicy tuna part of the meal, but did not like the crispy rice. She said she disliked how it was sticky on her teeth and hard to chew while the tuna wanted to just dissolve—a confusing mash of textures. I for one, enjoy the texture of crispy rice and loved the flavor of the tuna, just like Gabby. So, we probably wouldn’t order this one again, but still, amazing flavors and Tyler was killing it with the spice.

Finally, we had arrived at course six. While it wouldn’t be the last one, it would be the one that would stick with Gabby the most. This was our sushi course. Tyler gave us a mix of things we said we liked, things we said wanted to try, and things we didn’t know we needed to try. The nigiri consisted of Seared Fresh Water Eel, Scallop, and Yellowtail Belly. Finally, we also had an Uni (Sea Urchin) Handroll. Wow, this was incredible. For me, there were two stellar standouts and two very very good sushi pieces. Same for Gabby, but we differed on which was which. For me, the two very very good pieces were the Scallop and Sea Urchin, and I felt the stellar standouts were the Seared Fresh Water Eel and the Yellowtail Belly. For Gabby it was the opposite. So, as a communal experience, it was perfect. I felt each piece offered something different and all together, every flavor or texture we were looking for, was reached. This truly was an incredible array of sushi, and we could have stopped there and been very happy. But Tyler came by and let us know it was time for the main hot courses. My God, what was next?

For our seventh course, we had an old Nobu classic, Black Cod with Miso. For garnish there was a fresh ginger root. The cod was perfectly cooked and had a deliciously crispy char on the edges. The meat flaked perfectly and melted in my mouth. I can see why this became one of their staple dishes in the beginning. I’d always seen cod as a cheap fish, used for frying, and not a star of a meal, but I was wrong. This was incredible and showed that quality and cooking technique can drastically change a meal. Gabby enjoyed it, but it paled compared to the sushi before it. Though she was hopeful our next hot course would blow her away.

For our eighth and final hot course, we had a new Nobu classic, Beef Tenderloin with Yuzu Truffle Butter. Oh man, this steak was incredible! So juicy, tender, and flavorful. Every bite was a symphony of flavor, from the savoriness of the beef and bitter sweetness of the yuzu truffle butter, and a symphony of textures with the inclusion of the crispy, fried scallops atop the delicately tender beef. This was the perfect way to close out the savory courses and was yet another reminder of how much I love steak. I never had steak much growing up, maybe a handful of times, and because of that I wasn’t a fan. Every time I did have it, it was always too tough for me, or to plain, but when I got older, and learned the proper techniques for cooking streak, I found out how special it can be. Now, it’s a go-to for Gabby and me when we want to celebrate or just have a fancy meal. I take a moment to pause and reflect on my life, and how I’m at a place finally where I can have steak when I want it and can even go out to eat a famous restaurant and wear a suit. With the flavor of steak still on my tongue, I just take a moment and appreciate how blessed I am. How could life get any sweeter?

Course 8: Beef Tenderloin with Yuzu Truffle Butter

Tyler came by and asked if we were ready for a tempura course, and we regretfully had to let him know we were too full, but that we had just the tiniest room left for dessert. So, for our ninth and final course, we were greeted with a heart-warming congratulations, as well as their old signature dessert, The Bento Box, which consisted of matcha green tea ice cream and a flourless chocolate lava cake. I’m not a huge fan of matcha ice cream, but paired with the cake it was nice. I can totally see why this was a hit in the 90s, but it didn’t blow me away. Now, their new signature dessert did blow us away. It was the Vanilla Miso Tart, which consists of a shortbread crust, whisky mascarpone cheesecake, vanilla ganache, white chocolate glaze, red miso dulce de leche, and a sugar glass shard. Now this was a dessert. And if it wasn’t for Hell’s Kitchen, the vanilla miso tart would have gotten the title for best dessert of the trip, but instead, it’ll sit accomplished with the silver medal. Gabby was so full that she could only have a couple of bites of both, and thank God, because I wanted the vanilla miso tart all for myself. It was the perfect amount of richness, creaminess, and a hint of salty savory from the red miso dulce de leche. It was exceptional. That mascarpone was incredible. I wish I could go back to Nobu right now just for the sushi, wagyu tacos, and this dessert. With each bite of that dessert I could feel myself getting fuller, and I welcomed it. I ate every bit of it, because I knew I’d probably never have it again, and I wanted to savor it for as long as possible. With that, the meal was over.

Course 9: Dessert - Something Old, Something New

It’s been weeks since the honeymoon and Gabby and I still talk about this meal and say how lucky we were to experience it. Thinking about it gets me excited, because with her, I know we’re going to continue to work hard and have a life where we can treat ourselves with food, company, and love. It probably won’t be at this level for a while, but who knows. At the very least, we’re positive our retirement will be spent enjoying each other’s company, laughing, and eating meals with the person we love most. I’m still so grateful for this life I’ve built and can’t wait for what’s next. And if you have the means to, go to a nice restaurant with your loved one, and have an amazing meal.

Day Four And A Half: Nobu

Day Five: Hell Of A Dinner

Day Four: You Are Now Entering, The Flavortown