Splurge: Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man

For the most part, I want to focus my posts on hidden gems in Vegas that people may have never heard of before or have never had the courage to try them for themselves.  Usually these places are small joints that have great food for a small price.  However, Vegas also has some world-class restaurants that can compete with some of the best places in New York and L.A.  Every now and then, you've gotta splurge and spend a few extra bucks for something magnificent. 

Last weekend my wife and I ventured down to the Forum Shops at Caesars and stopped in at this restaurant: Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man.  I had seen it before on The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pizza where they highlighted this restaurant's chocolate dessert pizza.  I'm not gonna lie, the pizza itself looked just OK to me as I watched--they use a real pizza dough and it looks a little too bready for my liking.  However, in the short clip they called this guy the modern Willy Wonka, and being not only a chocolate lover but also a huge Roald Dahl fan, I knew that I had to go.

Landon went down for bed, and we were out (Thanks grandma and grandpa B. for babysitting...although really we make it pretty easy on them.  We usually only leave once he is down for the night and our only instructions are "Make sure and grab him if the house is on fire."  Is that bad?  I mean, when a baby is sleeping, there isn't much more to it than that.)  I didn't tell Lauren where we were going.  She loves surprises.  We wandered around the shops for a while, and then made our way to the restaurant.  I think that Lauren knew my plan as soon as she saw the store.

As soon as you step in, you feel like eating.  The warm lighting, dark--dare I say chocolatey--wood, and cozy tables all help set the mood for a good dining experience.  We told our hostess that we were only there for dessert, so she handed us two thick dessert menus and also a normal menu "in case we changed our minds."  I have no experience with the savory foods they have to offer, but they were reasonably priced ($12-$20 per entree) and the fish tacos belonging to the guy at the table next to me were calling my name.  I would definitely consider going back to try some of their main dishes. 

We probably looked at the dessert menu for 10 minutes straight before we made our decisions.  What a sweet, chocolatey nightmare that was trying to decide between so many delicious options.  In the end, we decided to go with The Spectacular Melting Chocolate S'mores Sundae.  Here is the description straight from the menu:  "decadent dark chocolate gelato, pure vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate fondue, pure chocolate chunks, marshmallow fluff, and whipped cream. garnished with a toasted marshmallow. served with crispy crepe flakes & white chocolate cream."  It is not listed in the ingredients list, but there is also a homemade peanut butter sauce lightly drizzled in between the scoops of ice cream.  Top it off with two chocolate covered graham crackers and you have this:

It was great.  Pure chocolate indulgence.  A sundae with these components couldn't be bad, but the quality of each ingredient--especially the chocolate--made the dish spectacular.  One of our favorite parts was the white chocolate cream that was served on the side.  I am not a big white chocolate guy, but that stuff was so good it made me re-think my stance; so creamy and light it was wonderful.  Also, the whipped cream was fresh and hardly sweet--a nice touch, too sweet on the cream would have been overkill.  In fact, I was shocked that the sundae was not just a sugar overload, but each element added something different that made it all work together perfectly.

My overall assessment:  This seems like a nice place to go for a nice night out.  The food that I saw looked good and was not too overpriced for being on the strip.  Our waitress was very nice and very helpful, in fact we decided on our sundae based on her recommendation.  Our water glasses were always full, and we did not feel rushed out of the place when we were done.  Make sure you get a dessert when you go.  They are not cheap, but every now and then you've gotta pay a little extra for an unforgettable chocolate fantasy.  You'll be glad you did.

Click HERE for Brenner's complete website.  Go to the MENU section to see what you've been missing out on your whole life.

Cheers!