Las Vegas - Jean Philippe Patisserie

One of my absolute favorite foods. Sweet crepes! And only at the best place in the world - Jean Philippe - located in both the Aria and Bellagio. I have tried a variety of their crepes and opted for something new this time. Pictured above is their berries crepe, which contains marinated berries with fresh raspberries and whipped cream over their sweet crepe. This is a refreshing "light" crepe, but I don't really like my strawberries cooked. I think next time I will ask for their berries crepe with raw berries instead. The crepe batter yields a slightly chewy, flavorful, and thin crepe.

I ordered the passion crepe for my mom with marinated exotic fruit which includes mango and I think pineapple. This one does not come with whipped cream and instead comes with coconut sorbet. Their coconut sorbet is really good - not too sweet and has little pieces of dessicated coconut. I've yet to try any of their other gelato flavors but plan to the next time I'm there.

In the past I've ordered their chocolate crepe which includes brownie pieces, chocolate shavings, and chocolate syrup. I was absolutely obsessed with this variation for the longest time! It really is decadent. Their apple and pecan crepe is also a favorite too, but it's just too sweet. In the past, we've ordered their bananas foster and it's the one crepe I would not recommend. The bananas are way too mushy and overcooked. If you like bananas foster, head over to Mon Ami Gabi at Paris and order it there. You can see a picture of it and read the review here. They also offer any of their crepes as a souffle crepe, which is really just a crepe with pastry cream folded inside. It's really rich and I would recommend sharing it if you opt for the souffle crepe.

If you try their candies here, you must try their nougat. Especially their chocolate nougat. It's surprisingly not too sweet and is loaded with hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios. I've tried their plain vanilla, but it's not nearly as chewy as their chocolate. It's light on the chocolate flavor but adds another dimension to the nougat overall. It's addictive. I brought some back for my friends at the gym and they thought it was amazing. I have bought a lot of nougat brands in search for something comparable to Jean Philippe's nougat and nothing comes close.

This year, I noticed another nougat flavor. They had a raspberry one which I did not get, but I'm a sucker for pistachio anything. Especially when the ingredients contain pistachio paste. It's a bit more expensive than the bar, but I just had to try it! Oh and it's better portion control I guess (I can eat the whole bar in one sitting, really). It definitely has a good pistachio aroma and Jean Philippe is always generous with the nuts in any of his candies that contain it. I found that I preferred the chewiness of the chocolate nougat bar over this. Now if he can get the texture of the chocolate nougat bar and the pistachio flavor in one, that would be like a dream come true.

Since I stopped being vegetarian, I tried some gourmet marshmallows! I never bought them before because of the gelatin, but I was happy to try them now. I tried all of the flavors, which were vanilla, lemon, tangerine, and raspberry. My favorite is the raspberry. The vanilla tastes like those valentine heart candies for some reason. Not really vanilla-y. I like how the powdered sugar outside of the marshmallow creates a crust. When you bite into it, it's a lot softer than commercially-made marshmallows and moist. It's a lot more airy too. As good as it tasted, I think I prefer my vegetarian marshmallows over this. But now that I'm allowing myself gelatin, I'll have to try making a traditional marshmallow - I'm thinking coffee flavor.

Jean Philippe Patisserie has more than just sweets. Besides their dessert case and baked goods, they offer sandwiches. I also noticed that they offer omelettes now, cooked on their crepe machine. I always order the smoked salmon sandwich here. It is soooooo good. It comes on a dill infused bread and some kind of dill mayo with sprouts, onion, boiled egg, and of course smoked salmon. Their bread is so fresh and the dill really stands out. I wouldn't get it if you're not a fan of dill. The onions are pickled it seemed, or at least marinated in some kind of vinegar mixture. I always get this sandwich to go to eat at the airport on the flight home, although just keep in mind the onions in this sandwich. I don't know about eating it on the plane and make sure you have some gum handy. He doesn't skimp on the onions, but the amount in this sandwich pairs well with everything else going on.

You can find Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Aria - as you walk in from main entrance near the check-in counter, walk down on the right towards the back across from their gift shop - and in the Bellagio - as you walk in from front entrance, go past the check-in area and garden area, stay on the left and go down the hall, it is across from the gift shop.