SEABLUE by Michael Mina

Had a very nice romantic dinner here, it’s a bit pricey, but sooo worth it!

We had dinner here on a Friday night, starting at the bar to have some oysters and watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The oysters were outstanding, buttery and delicate.
For our meal, shared among three people, we also had:
Beef tartare — I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. Beef tartare can be kind of one note, but this had a citrusy taste which I really liked, and a chunkier texture than other beef tartares I have had.
Duck fat fries — Crispy and delicious. A very generous portion.
16 oz bone-​in ribeye — This was huge. The ribeye was juicy, perfectly cooked, and served in thick slices to make it appropriate for sharing.
Grilled jumbo prawns — Yum. The char on the shell was great, and the meat was flavorful and not dry.
Macaroni and cheese — Very rich and creamy, definitely meant for sharing.
The house bread was also special enough to be notable. It’s a garlic naan, crisp and buttery but not overly garlicy.
The service was very good and we enjoyed each of the dishes. There are so many great places to try in Vegas, but I would definitely go back there for the oysters alone.

Foodgasm!.. Also, the wait staff are all very good looking. They must have had them audition for the part. Good lookin out!
The opening act: Oysters on half shell with lemongrass mignonette. and fresh horseradish. They were small, sweet, briny and delicious.
Main act: I was able to pair two items from their menu, I chose a pair of Madagascar Fresh Water Prawns and the neolithic Roasted Marrow Bones. Makes me get butterflies again just thinking about it. The prawns were grilled to perfection and literally just as big as the half lobsters. The heads of the prawns were of course the best part but to marry that with the exquisite texture and flavour of the bone marrow was food enjoyment at its finest. I could have done with less of the carmelized onions that they topped off the marrow bones with, but hey you can’t have it all.
Closing act: to put an end to this extravagant, love laden meal, a glass of moscato and a bite of devine crème brûlée with a slight undertone of cardamom. sigh*

Finally got to visit this place at a recent stay at the MGM. We had a party of 6 and a reservation, and were seated @5:30. The music was quite loud, and the waiter had to repeat things as he could not be heard. I thought that the very dim lighting was not characteristic of such a loud place, maybe I’m the only one who thinks that.
We were near the kitchen, and could see all the fun going-​ons in there.
We ordered a few appetizers — beef tartare, the duck-​fat fries, and clams, all to share. They also brought around the house bread (naan), this was fantastic, loved that.
Beef tartare was pretty bland, did not even come close to what I enjoyed at McKendricks Steakhouse in Atlanta, GA (for about the same $$) — seemed like almost no seasoning at all. The duck-​fat fries crunchy. Clams, tasty in a white wine sauce.
I ordered the Halibut with an ‘add-​on’ of lobster, and side dish of mushrooms (all sides are a la carte, $ 12). As the appetizer plates were cleared away the waiter replaced our silverware with the correct setting for each meal ordered (neat!)
The halibut was perfectly cooked, still very moist inside, grilled, but nothing else to zing it up, maybe thats the intent. The half-​lobster tail was a bit of a workout, had to pry it away from the shell, and was about the size of an adult thumb :) My friend next to me had ordered the pork chop, and was practically launched out of his chair he was so excited by the flavor, and insisted on sharing — and he was right AWESOME, wished I had ordered it.
Loved the mushrooms, and I also got to munch on some grilled asparagus (perfect, still had crunch) and spinach.
So the 3 stars is mainly due to the value here (over $ 100 and thats with NO alcohol), except for my neighbors pork chop nothing stood out as extraordinary, and the ambience, to me, was unappealing.

My husband and I stayed at the MGM Grand this past week and decided to check out the happy hour menu at Seablue. Between the hours of 5:30−7:30 (I think), they have a little happy hour menu that you can get if you’re sitting at the bar or at one of the tables that are in front of the restaurant.
The happy hour consisted of oysters and shrimp for $ 2 for 2. I got a half-​dozen shrimp and my husband had the oysters. The shrimp were huge and delicious. I don’t like oysters, so I can’t vouch for them, but my husband seemed pleased. We also tried some sort of avocado salad (for her) and chicken skewers (for him). I wasn’t that impressed with the salad, but that’s just me being a picky salad eater.
Happy hour also had some decent drink specials. They had $ 3 Stellas or Newcastles, $ 5 sangrias and featured wines and $ 5 well drinks. Can’t beat that in Vegas, right?
The lobster corn dog that is all the rage in older reviews is not on the menu anymore. Sad.

Wonderful food and wonderful service! My husband and I shared the scallop fritters, which are bacon wrapped scallops that are deep fried and served w/​a butter lettuce wrap and lime crème fraîche. SO GOOD and not too heavy! Our server also ended up giving us a free appetizer of duck fat fries served w/​their homemade ketchup and baconniase. Oh my gosh, I’m salivating just thinking of them… AMAZING. Even the naan they served in the beginning of the meal was delicious! I LOVE naan and I think all restaurants should serve naan with dipping sauces rather than plain white or sourdough bread.
Entrees were the ahi tuna (very rare) and the European sea bass. We ordered a side of foie gras too. Everything was so incredibly indulgent and the seafood was so fresh! The foie gras was seared perfectly and melted in your mouth.
Last but not least we ordered profiteroles for dessert which are like mini rocky road ice cream cookie sandwiches, but much more refined. Perfect ending! We’d definitely come back again when we’re in Vegas!

Had no idea what to expect when going here and we walked away very impressed after a great meal. I had the Clam Chowder Fondue which was really quite amazing followed by the Angry Lobster which was both unique and tasty beyond my expectations.
Everyone else at the table also enjoyed their selections and we all thought the service was great too.

I stumbled on this place after walking a full day at CES. My dogs were barking so badly that I just wanted to eat at the first decent restaurant after stepping off the CES shuttle. Since this place carried the Michael Mina name and there was still an hour of happy hour left, why not?
I sat down at the bar and immediately ordered a drink and some oysters while trying to decide what to feast on. After much debate, I just decided on the seabass with a side of creamed spinach. $ 10 for spinach? Do you know how many guys you can beat up for $ 10 worth of Spinach?
Aint no fighting going on here tonight. I immediately befriended the guy next to me and 2 ladies at the corner. We were chatting it up about anything and everything. Before you know it, I also befriended the guy on my right, his wife, and another dude. We were all here for CES.
We all pretty much got our food around the same time. Since sharing is caring, we all decided to share our food. This gave me an opportunity to try the other stuff on the menu without committing to the entire plate. The deep fried oysters are a must-​try! They’re not puny little runts but big, plump multiple-​bite oysters. I got to try the seafood poptart and the lobster stuffed prawns from my new friends. The seabass was totally deboned and seared to perfection. The creamed spinach was a bit too salty but a huge portion to share with all your bar buddies. OMG what a fun night! It felt like I was sitting at the bar at Cheers with Sam and Norm. Food was delish, company was excellent, and happy hour deals were in full effect. Too bad my dogs were still barking :(

This is the second time I’ve been to Sea Blue. The first time was about a year ago and I fell in L O V E with the lobster corn dogs. I dreamt of them. I had to go back for them.
It was S O disappointing to hear they took this yumaliscious appetizer off the menu BUT there was no need to worry. Master Michael Mina never fails to impress the taste buds.
The service was right on. Freddy our waiter knows the dishes on the menu intimately and gave us great recommendations. The evening started with Mina’s scrumptious complimentary nan bread with spreads. It was a challenge to control ourselves and not devour the entire basket. The feta cheese with olive tampinade is my favorite spread.
We had the Louisiana prawns (gigantic) stuffed high with Alaskan king crab for our appetizer… WOW! It was tasty (with those two components how could it be anything but?) and cooked perfectly. The tomato and bacon chopped salad was next. This was good but a little too heavy on the dressing for me.
Freddy’s team then prepared a platter of sliced strip steak, pork, lobster, crab served grilled asparagus, potatos and a beautiful corn with peppers. A whole lot of delicious food for four people but the we did well.
All in all dinner was spectacular and a definety repeat!

Michael Mina does it again.
We came here for my friend’s bridal dinner. Since there were 7 of us girls we didn’t want to bother with the hassles of ordering so we asked the chef to put together whatever he thought we would like. I must say that they exceeded our expectations.
What came out was spectacular. We started off with some pita bread with a trio of dipping sauces. Then came the cold seafood appetizers: Oysters, Smoked Mussels, King Crab Legs, Tuna Kibbeh with pinenuts and Asian pear, Prawn Cocktail, and Seared Albacore. Soon after out came Lobster Fritters followed by the White Prawn Scampi. Save the best for last. We were presented with 2 entrées for our main course. First, a whole Spanish Sea Bass that was expertly de-​boned. The meat was mild, seasoned perfectly, and absolutely amazing. Then out came the HUGE Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, a Florentine Porterhouse that was perfectly medium rare, topped with sautéed mushrooms. It was so good even on a full stomach that it made my heart jump a beat. Whoa, I am salivating as I write this. For sides we had grilled asparagus and sautéed spinach, I guess those were good too.
We were given warm towels to wipe our hands before our array of desserts. Compared to the food, the desserts didn’t make as much of an impact but they were enjoyable along with my fresh mint tea.
The service was friendly and impeccable as always.
So how much did all this come out to? Oh, about $ 1200 or so… but we did have a lot of cocktails.

Between this restaurant and Stonehill Tavern in Orange County I think I’m finally able to forgive Michael Mina for a less than stellar meal at his namesake restaurant at the Bellagio.
We made reservations for a Thursday night before a long weekend expecting it to be packed. Though not dead either, noise was never an issue. Service was spot on.
We shared fresh raw oysters and the lobster fritters. Both dishes were amazing. I loved how many accompaniments came with the oysters. I don’t love lobster but these little gems were amazing!
For my entrée I had the grilled sea bass. Incredible piece of fish. Good sized portion. I loved the sauce it came with — good heat and full flavor.
On our waiter’s recommendation we shared the black truffle cavatelli as one of our sides (though it’s on the appy menu). Good flavor but the oils had separated. The grilled asparagus was super fresh.
We ordered wine a la carte.
We hardly ever eat dessert but couldn’t resist the toasted coconut cheesecake bites. Wow… delicious.
The whole meal came in around the $ 250 mark. Not bad for a) Vegas and b) an incredible meal with super fresh seafood.
I will definitely go to Seablue again. Highly recommend!

A Michael Mina Restaurant — seriously whats not to like?!
The place was pretty busy so we decided to sit at the lounge area and order from the Tapas selection.
I had a berry sangria which was amazingly refreshing! ~ 5 stars!
The complimentary Naan Bread with a trio of dips (Hummus, Crème Fraiche and red curry) was really tasty, the bread was warm and soft.
Lobster fritters ($ 16) — absolutely delicious! These yummies were wrapped in a smokey bacon and had a light breading like panko. The bacon wasnt overpowering and you could still taste the lobster, served with a citrus crème fraîche!
Tasting of Artisanal Hams ($ 18) — plate had some Jamon Iberico and Lomo — definitely good. I wished that they added some variety of cheese to this plate maybe a Manchego.
Service was fast and friendly! I’d love to eat here again :-)

We decided to use our 2^nd free seasonal tasting dinner for 2 here after having such a great dinner at American Fish. Both owned by Michael Mina and this one was really good too. Again thanks to our teammates for taking down the Unilocalmazing race once again and thanks to Misti and MGM for such an awesome hook up!
Assuming the tasting would be kinda like Fiamma where it would be a set thing… the server informed us that they didn’t have a seasonal menu anymore. So we could pick any 2 tapas, split a Seablue salad, filet mignon and sea bass for entrees and then we would figure out dessert later. Sounded a-​ok to us!
The naan that came with red pepper hummus, spicy hummus and a feta dip was a welcome surprise over the traditional bread/​butter bowl. It was really hard to tear ourselves away from it realizing we had to pace ourselves if we didn’t want to just box the entrees to go without taking a bite of it.
If they’re letting us choose the tapas… OFCOURSE we’re picking the most expensive ones! The prawn cocktail «a la minute» was 5 perfect shrimp poached in ocean water on a bed of seaweed and ice. The poaching gave it a real nice tenderness to the prawns you normally don’t get in a cocktail.
Next appetizer was the lobster fritter. 3 kinda corndoggy/​kaboby deep fried pieces of lobster with bacon and an upscale mayonnaise type sauce on lettuce. I could’ve eaten at least 10 more. That good. Really!
Seablue salad was nice and light. The serrano ham and radish gave it great flavor.
Entrees were great. To our surprise, we both preferred the filet mignon over the seabass. They also gave us 2 sides. crushed potatoes and steamed spinach. Totally unexpected!
So…much.food…what’s the smallest dessert you have? Profiteroles… rocky road ice cream in a chocolate crusted nut ball. WOW!
The seasonal menus were priced at $ 49 per person but we ended up getting almost $ 150 worth. The entrees still tasted great 2 days later :)
My only gripe is that this is listed as a «romantic» restaurant. I wholeheartedly disagree. Too loud, kinda cramped and the music fits group dining over couples.

2 words: Happy Hour!
I had the wonderful opportunity to dine here on my trip to Vegas in ’08. There were 2 memorable dishes from that dinner 2 years ago: The Chilean sea bass AND… wait for it… the lobster corn dogs!
Yeah I know it sounds unusual, but they are so tremendously GOOD! So, of course, going back to savor the lobster corn dogs was on my «to do» list. Thankfully they were part of the discounted food items on the happy hour menu.
Oh yes, regarding happy hour: Happy hour is Sunday through Friday 530−700pm. You have the option of sitting in the lounge area just beyond the check-​in desk, or you can sit at the bar as well. My friend and I were lucky there were seats at the bar on this visit since the lounge are was totally packed. Since there weren’t very many drink specials, we both ordered wine and were helped by one of them most friendly, outgoing, and happy bartenders we’ve ever met! Besides the lobster corn dogs, the other item we tried was the salt and pepper calamari, which was very good as well.
Bottom Line: I’ll be coming back for more happy at Happy Hour!

Funny how you can overlook reviewing a favorite… I thought I posted ages ago — this is long overdue.
I’ve dined at Seablue at least a dozen times. Their happy hour is a great deal shrimp and oysters for a buck each. The regular menu is also fresh I’ve had excellent halibut and seabass. Even lamb and beef have been well prepared. I also appreciate that olive oil is the fat of choice, here. I never leave feeling stuffed and icky. Everytime, I’m pleasantly full even when I help myself to too much naan.
Seasonal menus and locals specials make Seablue a great value. Not too mention, meals here have been superior to those at Aquaknox and RM Seafood.

People really aren’t kidding about the happy hour here. Not only is it competitively priced, the quality of the food is expectational. There are no cheap substitutes or gimmicks.
While the $ 1 oysters and shrimps are extremely tempting, do NOT come here just for them. Get their lobster corn dogs, chicken skewers and the calamari. Actually, just order everything on their HH menu! Trust me you won’t be disappointed.
The oysters were fresh but rather small. The sauce were quite amazing though. What really stood out were the other cooked dishes. The lobster corn dogs, chicken skewers and the calamari were out of this world. I didn’t think corn dog could taste this good. Had I not had a show to catch I would be happy to spend another hour or two to try out their regular dinner menu.
The service was excellent. Waitstaff really went out of their way to make us feel like valued customers.
Seablue restored some of my faith in Michael Mina Restaurants after that disappointing visit to Arcadia in San Jose. Maybe I will check out other of their restaurants in San Francisco.

This was my first Michael Mina restaurant and let me just say that I have fallen absolutely in love. Michael Mina and Stephen Hopcraft (Bravo’s Top Chef) have something amazing going on here so I suggest that you make it a priority to dine here on your next Vegas trip. Now I’m going to make sure I give XIV a try, another Michael Mina creation.
My friend and I were planning a surprise birthday dinner for a good friend of ours and we were trying to decide between Bouchon and Seablue. The birthday girl loves steak and the rest of us loves seafood so we were looking for a happy medium that would please us all. We were also trying to go for a trendier feel so of course Seablue came out on top. I made reservations online and commented that we were coming for my friend’s birthday.
Their hostesses were probably the friendliest hostesses I have ever had to deal with and this is coming from a person that eats out in LA and OC where most places probably pay their hostesses to be super b! tchy. We first called to change the number of people in our party. Our second call was to push our reservations back by a half hour and our third call was to confirm we were coming late. Throughout all this they were very patient, friendly, and accommodating.
Once we were led to our private table (it probably wasn’t really private but no one was in our area) there was a birthday card waiting there in the middle of the table. The hostess politely pushed out our chairs for us while we swooned over the restaurant and the birthday card the restaurant staff wrote. We started off with the lobster corn dogs and garlic pita bread which was accompanied with 3 types of dipping sauces. The lobster corn dogs were amazingly juicy and the soft breading complemented the lobster perfectly. The quality was most excellent. Make sure to dip it in their mustard dipping sauce to give it a little kick.
I got the Alaskan Halibut which was served with chickpea and lentil rice and jumbo asparagus. It was a super thick halibut and it was cooked just right. It wasn’t overcooked and dry. The pairing with the sweet lentil rice gave the halibut that extra umph which made the dish enjoyable. The birthday girl ordered the filet mignon and I kid you not, she finished everything that was served on that plate. It looked like the girl licked it dry. My other friend ordered the bacon-​wrapped chilean sea bass and she kept raving about it throughout dinner and said it was the best prepared chilean sea bass she has ever had.
We finished up our dining experience with the crème brûlée which was highly suggested by our lovely waitress. There were slices of bananas in them sprinkled with cinnamon. They also wrote out «Happy Birthday» on the plate. Super sweet touch that just made the birthday girl’s night.
The service is top notch here. You can’t beat it. I’m excited to come back with more people. And let me just say that I was beyond nauseous and hungover while I was here but I was still able to walk out of this restaurant overly satisfied. You’ll have to shell out a large amount of change here but you get what you pay for. Trust me, they truly deserve it.

My only regret is that I didn’t order dessert (kicking self).
The whole experience was fantastic. Every single item we ordered was delectable! The pre-​dinner naan was buttery, the perfect level of salty, and got our appetites roaring. My spanish bass was meaty and perfectly paired with asparagus and rice. I ordered a side of ratatouille, and that was fresh and had the perfect balance of flavors. It didn’t look anything like the dish from the movie though… maybe because a rat didn’t make it?
My friends ordered chilean sea bass and cod tagines, and those were served steaming hot. We noticed they have a happy hour special, but that only applies at the bar.
Highly recommend Seablue!

I’m slowly converting myself from a seafood hater to a seafood lover (no more shaming my heritage)!!
Seablue was my pick for Vegas weekend this time. I love the restaurants in the MGM, and Michael Mina is a culinary genius. Seemed like a no-​brainer.
The décor is lovely. The lights look like huge lampshades and our table next to the bar had those lit indoor waterfalls. Service was only ok — they kind of just threw down flatware and plates, and our waitress wasn’t too amicable.
Between the three of us, we split the fresh/​raw appetizer sampler. Three plates of raw fish (well, a tartare, a crudo and a ceviche if you want to get technical…) definitely appealed to the burgeoning fish-​lover in me. The tuna tartare has a nice citrus touch to it, and is delightful when mounded over the crostini. The yellowtail crudo was also excellent. I usually hate ponzu since it tends to be too citrusy, but theirs had a nice mellowness to it. It also paired wonderfully with the shiitake on top. Finally, the scallop ceviche was probably my favorite of the bunch. Very interesting texture, and I used the flatbreads to scoop up all the juice.
Decided on the bacon-​wrapped sea bass and paella as our mains. The fish was so flaky and tender, and come on, who doesn’t love bacon? The beans I could have done without, not a big bean girl. The surrounding clams were pretty huge (heh heh) and I did get a bit of grit when I chewed into one. In my eyes, the paella was the winner. It’s jam-​packed with all sorts of shellfish and chorizo, but the quail really shone through. I didn’t catch where the rabbit was, though I didn’t miss it at all. The calamari was SO tender that I tried to fish as much of it out as I possibly could.
The final round of desserts was the crème brûlée and the chocolate cake. I would seriously come just for the desserts — cinnamon crème brûlée = genius! I liked the giant palmier on the side too. The chocolate cake was just moist enough, and though I was incredibly full, I couldn’t stop eating.
The food was outstanding. I have hit my seafood quota for the next week or two.

Happy Hour has arrived at Seablue and this is their very first week! From Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 pm to 7 pm, and at the bar only — here’s you chance to gorge on oysters on the half shell and sample a couple of their appetizers.
Their happy hour menu is very limited unfortunately. $ 2 draft beers, which included Stella Artois and Flat Tire; $ 1 oysters on the half shell (west coast only); $ 1 gulf shrimp; ½ price lobster corn dogs, and ½ price calamari.
Yesterday we indulged in:
* 4 dozen oysters on the half shell (HH $ 1 /​reg $ 2) — They were only offering west coast oysters for the happy hour special, but they were nice to chuck in half a dozen east coast oysters too. They were big oysters, if that can give you an idea of how it might taste. I did prefer the east coast ones myself. Served with lemon, horseradish, and two hot sauces from the bottle. The bartender also gave us this other sauce that worked nicely with the oysters.
* 1 dozen gulf shrimp (HH $ 3 /​reg $ 2) — These were big buggers, chunky and cooked perfectly. Came with lemon, cocktail sauce, and green goddess sauce. The green goddess sauce worked perfectly with the shrimp!
* 4 orders Lobster Corn Dogs «whole grain mustard aioli» (HH $ 7.50 /​reg $ 15) — Four mini corn dogs come in one order. They are tasty little things, and aren’t your average corn dogs at all. The mustard sauce was just okay though.
* 1 order Salt & Pepper Calamari «hot & sour dipping sauce» (HH $ 5 /​reg $ 10) — Lightly fried where the tentacles still hang with a nice tasting sauce.
Service was fine, we sat at the bar and it was not busy when we arrived around 6 pm. One thing I appreciate about Michael Mina restaurants is their use of teamwork. It’s not just one person taking our orders, but everyone else helping out with bringing the food out and clearing it too.
We didn’t get any of the complimentary naan bread that other people talked about, not sure if it was because we sat at the bar or what. But I did see another couple at the bar eating it and now I wish I asked for some.
I did look over their menu for an order of mussels, as all the Seablue advertisements around MGM have a picture of them. Unfortunately, they just changed to their summer menu and mussels are not included on it! Bummer!