SEABLUE

Within the halls of the MGM Grand’s Studio Walk shopping and dining promenade, a soft blue neon glow pulsates and beckons. In contrast to MGM’s familiar green neon signage, this glow adorns the entrance and interior elements of SEABLUE, the resort’s “sea-centric”-themed Mediterranean-Moroccan restaurant. The creation of James Beard award-winning chef and Egyptian restaurateur Michael Mina, SEABLUE boasts a concept inspired by the bustling ports and markets of the Mediterranean. A look inside one of SEABLUE’s energy-infused kitchen areas exposes delectably unique meat and seafood dishes, painstakingly prepared on a daily basis by Executive Chef Stephen Hopcraft. Embellished with impressive accolades, SEABLUE has been featured on the cover of Wine Spectator Magazine, winning the magazine’s distinctive Award of Excellence for 2008, as well as the AAA Four Diamond Award.

In an age when most modern dining establishments tend to lean toward traditionally popular cuisines such as Italian, Chinese or Mexican, SEABLUE’s foray into the delicacies of the Mediterranean is a refreshing break from the norm. Chef Hopcraft’s unique tweaks on what is traditionally known as “Greek” cuisine come courtesy of his own talents, coupled with the centerpieces of this lovely eatery: Two open kitchens and the mesquite and apricot wood-fired grill. Viewable from the dining area, these two kitchens are complemented by the wood-fired grill which claims responsibility for the smoky, robust and delicious flavors infused into SEABLUE’s specialties.

The restaurant boasts a glass-enclosed private room capable of entertaining 50 to 75 patrons, depending on seating preferences or standing demands for a cocktail-style reception. Unbelievably, this luxurious room is not the most impressive visual draw of Michael Mina’s SEABLUE. This status is reserved for the “aqua-esque” theme of the restaurant, which incorporates elements such as jaw-dropping rippled stone walls with running cascades of water. In keeping with the ocean blue ambiance, a restrained neon blue glow of light emanates from within these structures. Much like MGM’s other distinguished luxury dining locales, SEABLUE exudes an air of modernity through its décor pieces while remaining chic, trendy and sophisticated. Polished red brick flooring is the bedrock foundation for the remaining design elements, which include dark wood trim on furniture and high ceilings, booth backs with blue velvet cushioning, parlor-like chairs accompanying the restaurant’s traditional tables and a rather seductive dim lighting approach. This atmospheric setting seems suited to the pulse emanating from SEABLUE’s business-casual crowd.

My dining guest and I began our SEABLUE experience with an interesting take on the “salad bar” concept. On each of the restaurant’s tables is a special checklist in which patrons choose ingredients to create their own custom salad. The selections for ingredients are broken down into categories such as Proteins, Vegetables, Cheeses, Greens and Dressings. The customer is asked to check off which ingredients he or she specifically wants in their salad.

In our case, Executive Chef Hopcraft specially prepared a salad for us to sample, which included a mixture of arugula, watercress, cherry heirloom tomatoes, roasted baby beets, shaved radish and sourdough garlic croutons. The moniker “garden-fresh” hardly does justice to the flavors, textures and aromas exhibited by the greens and accompaniments of our salad, all topped off with a light drizzle of a delightful Cabernet Vinaigrette dressing.

Next, Chef Hopcraft created for us a visually-stunning appetizer sampler. Served in a large bowl filled with crushed ice, this sampler consisted of Giant King Crab Legs, Lobster Salad covered in an olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and lemon zest dressing and a variety of oysters served on the half-shell. The flavor of the succulent lobster salad was revealed and simultaneously enhanced by the zesty dressing it was tossed in; similarly, the crab meat inside the giant legs was so thoroughly satisfying and thick that it could have easily made for a main course. The varying oyster selections were a testament to SEABLUE’s daily seafood shipment philosophy – ice cold, richly flavorful, smoothly textured and unbelievably fresh. 

Overtly proud of the appetizer creations, Chef Hopcraft and the SEABLUE staff brought to our table a signature Dungeness Crab to sample. Expertly breaded and fried with no greasy aftertaste, the crab was served with a delightfully creamy basil mayo seasoned with piquillo pepper. What really made this appetizer unique was the sweetness of the pepper, which seamlessly fused with the refreshing flavor of the basil mayo. In our humble opinion, this dish truly took crab to an entirely new level in terms of finesse, character and raw taste. 

As we continued our seemingly endless deluge into SEABLUE’s appetizer variations, the absolutely scrumptious, Shrimp “BLT” Lettuce Cups arrived next. Incorporating juicy, tender, bacon-wrapped shrimp, heirloom tomatoes and basil mayo, this dish went way beyond what’s normally served as “lettuce cups” on many menus. An intoxicating smoky flavor and aroma was exuded by the bacon-wrapped shrimp, as they were prepared on the restaurant’s mesquite and apricot wood grill, plated to be wrapped up in butter lettuce leaves.

Just prior to arriving at Chef Hopcraft’s chosen main entrée selections, we were served ocean-fresh mussels in their shells. The shellfish were prepared in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce with Vidalia onions and served with large smoky-flavored slices of toast. The mussels, like all of SEABLUE’s other seafood selections, were beyond reproach in terms of freshness. The zesty Dijon mustard sauce complemented not only the mussels, but the smoky slices of toasted bread, another flavor-infused product of SEABLUE’s wood-fired grill.

As a prelude to our main course, Chef Hopcraft presented us with a look at the fish selection he would prepare – a whole Turbot, a deep-water species from the waters off Spain that sports a flat, lozenge-shaped body. This was not an approach unique to our visit; for each fish selection made by SEABLUE patrons, Chef Hopcraft first displays the whole fish tableside before returning it to the kitchen to be de-boned/filleted and prepared for service.

With a plethora of entrees running the gamut on SEABLUE’s menu, Chef Hopcraft proceeded to create a main course sampler for us. On an appropriately large, square-shaped plate, we were served the Turbot in a lemon, olive oil and caper marinade. The Turbot was served in one piece, with its head removed to the side of the dish for presentation. Accompanying the Turbot was an expertly cooked, juicy New York Strip Steak. While the New York Strip was initially cooked with its bone in, Chef Hopcraft carefully removed the bone before slicing and serving. Both the Turbot and New York Strip were done on SEABLUE’s wood-fired grill, encapsulating its absolutely seductive smoky characteristics. The texture of the marinated Turbot fish was so exquisitely tender, the pieces nearly melted in our mouths. It was personally one of the most flavorful fishes I have ever had the pleasure to sample. The flavors from the grill were so powerfully infused in the New York Strip Steak, one could almost taste the mesquite wood chips.

The Turbot and New York Strip were served with fork-tender, wood-grilled Massachusetts Day Boat Scallops, which shared the same robust, smoky flavor as its companions. A selection of side dishes included olive oil mashed potatoes, rice with lentils and chick peas, ratatouille, wild mushrooms, broccoli with sun dried tomatoes and grilled asparagus spears. Each side complemented one another in a unique fashion; the satisfyingly staple rice and chick pea starches made for a nice counterbalance to the vegetable selections.

By the time we arrived at dessert, we knew everything we needed to about SEABLUE and its deliciously tempting twist on Mediterranean-Moroccan cuisine. Of course, there’s always room to satisfy that sweet tooth…isn’t there? Chef Hopcraft designed us a dessert sampler, which included a delightful Coconut Lime Sorbet, a decadent Chocolate Truffles, a rich Molten Chocolate Cake served with Black Peppermint Ice Cream and a creamy Vanilla Cinnamon Crème Brule with berries. We sampled each of the desserts with what little room we had left but agreed any one of them would provide a heavenly end to a dynamic meal. SEABLUE also offers a full complement of dessert wines, by the bottle or by the glass, ranging from a Chateau Raymond-Lafon from Sauternes, France to a Dolce from Napa Valley, California.

The city of Las Vegas – and the Strip restaurant circuit in particular – is indeed fortunate to play host to such a fine Mediterranean dining establishment as Michael Mina’s SEABLUE, which takes the concept of Greek-inspired cuisine to an entirely new level. With Chef Stephen Hopcraft at the helm, this is a rare opportunity to be transported to the sunny coasts of the Mediterranean – without ever leaving Vegas.