China Poblano

When star chef José Andrés partnered with the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas to open three restaurants – Jaleo, é inside Jaleo, and China Poblano – the latter was the greatest departure from his previous ventures. Half of the menu came from Oyamel, his beloved Washington DC Mexican restaurant, which has won universal acclaim for its authentic and elevated takes on Mexican cuisine. The other half was entirely new, the product of R&D trips to China and Asia, including the guarantee of hand-made dumplings at one station and hand-made tortillas at another. Unlike other chefs, Andrés generally wouldn’t try to awkwardly mix and match ingredients to create Frankensteined ChiMex dishes; the apparent goal was to establish China Poblano as good enough at authentic Chinese to open the door to future Asian endeavors, as Jaleo and Oyamel had done with Spanish and Mexican food.

We’ve been visiting China Poblano since it opened, and though it has had a few hiccups over the years, it has generally only gotten better with time and menu refinement. On the Mexican side, the ceviches and tacos started out diverse and have remained top-notch in quality: In addition to the expected chicken, fish, carnitas pork and vegetarian options, the menu now features quesabirria tacos, and in limited non-Mexican crossovers, the chance to try Spanish octopus or Chinese beef tendon tacos. Black shrimp Aguachile Negro and a distinctively amaranth-dusted Tuna Ceviche remain spectacular, as well.

By contrast, the Chinese side of the menu has a lot of interesting but expensive dumplings, including siu mai, har gow, and steamed pork buns that are priced like they are, in fact, being handmade on the premises rather than trucked in and defrosted. Unlike many Andrés offerings, they suffer for their authenticity, as they’re hard to distinguish from much cheaper versions widely available elsewhere. Twenty-vegetable fried rice remains a more complex and fun draw, while glass, wheat, and oat noodles all get opportunities to shine across dishes such as the spicy, nutty Dan Dan Mien. Chinese Rou Jia Mo pork street sandwiches remain a highlight, along with Korean-style Gan Pung Ji chicken wings.