When and if I can ever drag my lazy ass out of bed in time to make it to brunch, I invariably have a good time.  Why not?  I like food.  But, let’s face it – most brunches adhere to a pretty straightforward concept.

So, when I stumble upon a new brunch concept, especially one that falls on my birthday – well, I’m willing to give it a shot.  And in the case of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ new “Bubbles & Brunch @ The Boulevard” I’m particularly glad that I did.

To be quite frank, prior to Saturday, I’d never been to the Boulevard Pool.  I’d seen a few concerts there, but always from the balcony of a hospitality suite, some 20 floors up.  So, I was taken with the charming and cheerful nautical décor with which Jacob and I were greeted, upon entering the Overlook Grill.

It should also be noted that I’m particularly lazy, by nature; and furthermore, ever since my double-knee surgery, getting up and down to partake of a buffet’s bounty just doesn’t have the appeal it once did.  As such, when I found-out that the format of “Bubbles & Brunch” consisted of a server (in our case, the cute-as-a-button Suni) who would bring us each of the dozen tapas-style small plates.  This was getting better and better, and I hadn’t even tasted the food, yet.

Now, as anyone who reads my musing on a quasi-regular basis can tell you, I only write about those things that please me, interest me, impress me, and that I find worth recommending.  This brunch is indubitably one of those things.  The food was not only well-made and flavorful, but consisted of a number of things that deviated from the norm – making them all the more fun.

There was a Mezze Plate (with hummus, whole wheat pita, Camembert cheese, Grana Padano, marinated olives, and sliced salumi), a Calamari Ceviche (with basil, mint, cilantro, bell peppers, green onions, celery, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and sambal), and Edamame (with sea salt, sichimi spice, red chili flakes, white sesame seeds, non-dried seaweed, dried Mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds and white poppy seeds).

The meat on the Barbequed Char Siu Pork Ribs wasn’t just tender, but it didn’t get stuck in my teeth (something that usually steers me clear of ribs).  Jacob absolutely raved about the Scotch Egg (a hard-cooked egg, wrapped in a breakfast sausage, then breaded in Corn Flakes, and deep-fried).  Since I’m not a fan of eggs, I popped the egg out of mine, and gobbled-up the crusted sausage.  And the Bistro Steak with Potato Purée (with bone marrow and red wine reduction) was cooked and seasoned wonderfully.

My two favorite items, though, were definitely the Diver Scallop with Spring Pea Risotto and the Blue-Claw Crab Cake Benedict.  How do I know?  Because I neither care for eggs nor scallops, and I loved both of these (although, admittedly, I gave Jacob the egg from the latter).  The Diver Scallop (with pea shoots and truffle vinaigrette) was perfect.  Never have I so enjoyed a scallop.  And with its Cajun hollandaise, that Blue-Claw Crab Cake was fa-bu-lous!

Dessert consisted of a tray of liquor-infused adult goodies, including one each of the following: Blue Moon Cupcake, Mimosa Jello Shot, Coffee Coolata Shot, El Diablo Lollicake, and (my fave) the Chocolate Guinness Lollicake.

And if what basically consists of a ball of moist flourless chocolate cake made with Guinness isn’t the ideal way to end a meal, I’m not sure I know what is.

Bubbles & Brunch at The Boulevard
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Saturdays and Sundays – 11am to 6pm
$40/person

Get into it!