GREEK VILLAGE CAFE

GREEK VILLAGE CAFE

Last weekend I went to Greek Village Cafe with my friend Emily.  It's never very crowded everytime my friends and I go, which is disappointing because in this economy I don't know how they will end up staying open much longer.  So if you live in Henderson and want some excellent Greek food, you should go!!  

My friend and I started with a hookah and the trio of dips.  We mixed mint and mixed fruit together and it was sweet and refreshing.  You pick any three dips you want.  We picked hummus, a spicy cheese dip and babaganoush (the eggplant spread).  They were all really good and served with warm, fresh tasting pita (unlimited).  My friend ordered the meat balls.  They are lamb and beef meatballs, I've had them before they are very good.  I had the gyro salad which was a Greek Salad topped with schwarma meat (lamb) and tzatziki sauce.  It was really good.  

9550 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123
(702) 463-7300

LINDO MICHOACAN

LINDO MICHOACAN

I went to Lindo Michoacan Sunday night with a friend.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect lazy sunday of frozen yogurt and movies.  I saw I LOVE YOU MAN.  It was so funny!  So then we went to Lindo Michoacan on Desert (there are 3 locations in Las Vegas and then Viva Michoacan which is awful in Henderson).  We both got margaritas.  I got mine with patron silver and grand marnier on the rocks with salt.  It was a huge serving!!!  Most authentic Mexican places servce a big margarita!!  They also serve warm chips with a salsa that is hot hot hot and a bean dip to neutralize the salsa. It was so great.  

We also started off with an order of the guacamole which they make fresh in front of you.  It's one of the best guacamoles I've ever eaten and they give you a large portion.

Our meal came with a traditional tomato soup with skinny noodles.  It was a really solid and delicious tomato soup.  Beats the hell out of campells!!!

My dinner date wanted to try something traditionally Mexican so we started with the grilled cactus appetizer topped with grilled meat.  It looks like green peppers but was a lot thicker and has a weird flavor.  I didn't like it at all.  My friend thought that it just tasted like green peppers. I disagreed.

Our served recommended our entree called pollo sarandeado estilo tia ester which is grilled chicken basted in a sarandeado sauce (tomato and spices) with dried chilis, Mexican spices and mayo.  It was really great.  It packed a ton of flavor and wasn't too spicy.  It was served with refreid pinto beans and Mexican rice, as is every entree.

They have a huge menu and a lot to choose from.  I would definitely go back!

www.lindomichoacan.com

KAIZEN SUSHI: FEATURED ROLL

AVOCADO TRAIN ROLL:

I don't need to write much about the places I've already been to, unless I have something really good and unique that I feel I just have to tell you about.  Which is why I am featuring the avocado train roll which had soft shell crab, lobster salad, white fish, crab and spicy mayo then drizzled with eel sauce and topped with avocado.  Then at the end of the roll is a little ball of avocado stufed with the same ingredients without any rice or seaweed.   It's a very cool presentation and and has great flavors and textures.

HASH HOUSE A GO GO

HASH HOUSE A GO GO

I went to Hash House a Go Go this weekend with a friend.  I had to try the famous fried chicken and waffles!!  We shared a farm scramble, the you pick 3 mix in options, so it was scrambled eggs, chicken, avocado and cheddar.  It was WAY too buttery and had a cheddar overload.  It came with a biscuit and home made strawberry jam that was fabulous and soooo yummy.  The potatoes were amazing, I don't even like plain potatoes and I thought these were SO GOOD!!!!

My favorite pick was the sage fried chicken and waffles platter, which is pictured above.  The fried chicken had an excellen taste, but wasn't really crispy enough for my taste.  It was served over a BACON waffles.  Yes, they bake the bacon right into the waffle, how brilliant is that?  It was served with fried leeks which were outstanding and then drizzled with a maple caramel reduction that had a little kick to it. I think the sauce would go well in one of my stir frys.  This was a unique and delicious meal.  I'm in no rush to go back though.  They give you portion overload and this isn't the kind of food I would typically recommend anyone eat more than a few times a year.  It's bikini season, I think I'll eat my waffles without bacon from now on.

http://www.hashhouseagogo.com

BOTERO

BOTERO

I went to Botero at the Encore (part of the Wynn in Las Vegas) for the second time this past weekend.  It wasn't as great as I remember, but my dinner date was also not as into the restaurant and food as I was so that could have ruined it slightly for me.  We both agreed that the service was PHENOMENAL!!  I started off with the Orange Blossom cocktail which was really light, refreshing and not too sweet.  I'm not exactly sure what was in it, but it did have a lychee.  I love those lil Asian pears.  

They bread was warm and tasted fresh.  I like the olive loaf, my guest prefered the french bread.  We started off with two appetizers.  The first was the crudo tasting with tuna in avocado and soy, halibut in spicy tomato, salmon in a lemon sea salt, and hamachi in tangerine puree.  I really like the dish.  I love the fresh, slinly sliced raw fish in a light viniagrette.  My dining partner hated the leafy green stuff on top and thought everything just tasted bland and like it was in oil.  It doesn't pack a ton of flavor, but it is a nice contrast to the huge steak you will devour in your second or third course.

We both LOVED the other appetizer which was fried frog legs in a lemon butter with a fennel salad.  I thought the frog logs were delicious and the lemon butter was really great.  The fennel salad tasted like cole slaw gone bad.  My guest liked it, but not me!!  We had both never had frog legs before.  Yes, they do kind of taste like chicken.  They were really good.  I would order these again.

We both ordered steaks for dinner.  My friend got a New York Strip cooked medium rare with the peppercorn seasoning.  He didn't like that you had to dip the steak into the sauces.  I of course ordered the petite filet.  I'm too tiny to order a different cut of meat unless someone wants to share with me.  I ordered it chimmichurri style and rare.  It was served to me medium rare.  It was pretty disappointing.  Still a great cut of meat, but it wasn't what I ordered and I didn't feel like waiting for a new steak.  It was pretty surprising that for $38 for a steak and they couldn't seem to cook it properly.  I still kind of enjoyed it, but filets, in my opinion should ALWAYS be RARE.  

We skipped dessert. We were going out to some clubs that night and didn't want to make ourselves sickly full.

The thing I love most about Botero is the way it is cleverly decorated and designed around the artwork of Fernando Botero, who is famous for painting these adorable short fat people.

I've been to Botero twice now and I won't feel a need to go back for a while.  There are a lot of great restaurants in Las Vegas I still haven't tried yet and I am moving to Los Angeles.  Anyone have any recommendation in LA?

CARNE VINO

CARNE VINO

www.carnevino.com

Carne Vino, by Chef Mario Batali is the newest Italian restaurant in the Palazzo Hotel (Las Vegas Strip).  It is absolutely amazing!!  A PERFECT meal!!  I enjoyed (almost) every bite.  I went with a friend and we sat at that bar.  I had a really great drink with some kind of bourbon amd home made ginger ale off their cocktail list and then I had a dirty martini with three olives.  They used real olives.  None of that pimonto bullshit.  Why do other places do that?  It is SO GROSS.  They didn't give me a plate for the olives though.  We started with two appetizers and then we ordered two pasta dishes.  We ordered one dessert and were given another one on the house.  The bread was delicious and served with two kinds of butter.  I try not to eat it because I want to enjoy the other food, but I just couldn't help myself.

The first appetizer we ordered was the grilled octopus with with potatoes, puntarelle and chiles.  It had great flavors, was good perfectly and really delicious!!  It was rich, yet a little light at the same time.  This was our favorite appetizer.  The other one was the tuna crudo, it was sliced from the leanest to the fattiest tuna over a home made pesta sauce which was really light and flavorful and would be great on a pasta, but it didn't add too much excitement to the tuna. It was extremely fresh fish with a great flavor all on it's own though.  

Our favorite pasta dish and overall dish of the evening was the cannelloni with guinea hen and leeks.  Cannelloni is a delicate rolled pasta.  Some cheese was baked on top and it was in a really light sauce.  It was amazing!  We didn't enjoy the ravioli di stracotto.  It was basically a duck liver ravioli with acero balsamico.  The pasta tasted undercooked.  It was hard and had an grainy texture.  Since this was a fine dining Italian restaurant, we felt weird complaining because we weren't sure if that's how it was supposed to be served.  Most of the time Ravioli is soft and kind of breaks apart easily with a fork.  I also thought the sauce tasted a little bit like dirt.  It didn't have a nice flavor.

For dessert we ordered the honey glazed carrot cake.  OH MY GOD!!!!  The cake was served with walnut mascarpone gelato.  It was so dense, moist and had great flavors.  This was hands down the best carrot cake I've ever had.  It was drizzled with honey and was just simply fabulous.  The extra dessert they brought us was their most traditional Italian dessert, the chocolate bamboloni.  These are little balls of fried dough with candied pecans and bourbon caramel dipped in a rich chocolate sauce.  They were pretty good, but I liked the cake a lot more.

I would go back to this restautant again.  They also have a pre-theater menu that will get you in and out in time for Jersey Boys, which I saw on Broadway and is a terrific show (by the way)!!

COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH

COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH:

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the cocktail of the month is the

IRISH CARBOMB

a deadly mixture of Jameson and Guiness then you drop the shot of Baily's into the mixture and drink fast (before if curdles!!)

Please drink responsibly tonight and NEVER drink and drive.

I will be celebrating @ Fado's on Eastern tonight in Henderon.  See ya there!!!

DAILY GRILL

I went to Daily Grill with my cousins in Studio City.  We went around 6:00-6:30 on a Saturday and the place was packed!  The hostess was a little frazzled.  She gave me a children's menu.  I was offended.  We started off the meal with a shrimp cocktail and some bread.  The bread was really good and fresh and the shrimp were anything but.  They were giant!!  My two toddler cousins ordered the chicken pot pies off the children's menu.  I thought it was kind of a weird thing to have on the children's menu.  I never ate that as a child, but they really liked it.  I had a bite.  It was really creamy and had a lot of flavor, but I thought that the button mushrooms had NO PLACE being there and of course ate around it. EW!  I ordered the oven roasted garlic chicken.  It was a half roasted chicken marinated in garlic honey jus and it was really good, but the portion was HUGE.  I was able to pick my two sides.  I got steamed spinach which was bland and broccoli which was even blander.  It was more than enough food for me. There are multiple locations across the US.  The restaurant has a really varied menu which is good for picky eaters and large parties.

ttp://www.dailygrill.com

OVERLAND CAFE

OVERLAND CAFE

www.overlandcafe.com

I went to overland cafe for a nice Satuday Brunch with my friend.  I ordered the Norwegian Smoked Salmon platter off the cafe specialties menu aka THE ULTIMATE JEWISH BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.  The platter was around $11 and I got so much food!!  It was a very hungry hypoglacemic girls dream.  The platter came with sliced tomatoes, toasted bagel, cream cheese, red onion and scrambled eggs with smoked lox mixed it.  It was delicious!  I love bagel and lox and the eggs are always a great addition and a nice way to add protein to keep you fuller longer.  I'm not crazy abou the area though is there was nothing particularly special about this platter.  You can get it anywhere that has a decent breakfast/brunch menu to be perfectly honest.  However, if you are in the area and are hungry it is worth checking out.  The place was pretty crowded.  One thing I will say is that I was VERY disapointed that they didn't have wheat bagels.  Only onion and plain.  Wheat toast just would not have been the same so I got an onion one.  The cakes in the counter looked amazing.  I rarely order a slice and this day was no exception.  They looked awesome though so if you have a party to go to and are asked to bring dessert you may want to stop by and pick up the carrot cake.  Unless it decievingly looks great and is really dry on the inside.  Isn't that always soooo disappointing?  Has anyone gotten it?

SADDLE RANCH

SADDLE RANCH

I went to Saddle Ranch late on a Saturday night with a few friends.  Saddle Ranch in not your typical western bar, for starters it's in Los Angeles!  It was really fun and the food looked great, so I will have to go back and eat.  They have an extensive menu (brunch, lunch, dinner and COTTON CANDY!!).  Some nights they have line dancing, live music, and can be rented out for parties.  I went on a typical night with nothing going on.  The place is decorated in a western theme and is really cute.  It's not a cheesy theme restaurant.  Saddle Ranch even has a mechanical bull that you can ride (after you sign an insurance waiver of course) and of course I rode it and no you will not see pictures posted anywhere thank you!!  It's a fun place to go and I will definetly be going back to eat.  The brunch menu looks out of this world.

http://www.srrestaurants.com/

GODDESS SALAD

To make my

GODDESS SALAD

you will need:

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of finely chopped romaine lettuce

1 packet of white albacore tuna

1 half diced vine tomato

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablepoons of seeds of change brand seven grain mix

GODDESS dressing like Annie's or any generic brand

**goddess dressing is a tahini dressing (a bit sour) with lemon, herbs and spices)**

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy a quick and healthy lunch!!

BOTTLE POP AT BOTTLE ROCK

I went to Bottle Rock in Culver City with my friend for happy hour.  We enjoyed a reduced price cheese plate, caprese salad and a glass of the malbec and Cline red zinfindel off their happy hour menu.  We were served a selection of 3 cheese (chef's selection) with some bread.  It was really good.  I particularly enjoyed the brie.  The blue cheese we were given ( I am not sure of its variety) was a little dry but had a nice flavor.  The salad was amazing.  The mozzerella melted in your mouth.  My friend did not like this.  She said it was too soft.  She is probably used to less fresh and fine mozzeralla, but everyones taste buds are different. I would like to go back and try more substantial dishes next time!

www.bottlerock.net

MARRAKECH MORROCAN

MARRAKECH- LAS VEGAS

I went to Marrakech Morrocan restaurant in Las Vegas Nevada a couple of weeks ago with a group of 7.  It is located just off the strip in a shopping center on 3900 Paradise Road.  The alcohol is pretty cheap relative to other restaurants I've been to in the area, there is live belly dancing and a delicious 6 course family style meal.  They also provide substitutes for no extra charge if you are a vegetarian which is really nice!  It was a great meal and a really fun atmosphere.  We ate with our hands for most of the meal which was kind of weird at first.  They started off the meal by asking us to wash our hands tableside with this rose water stuff.  It smelled really fragrant and good.

For the first course we had shrimp scampi in lemon, wine and garlic sauce.  Our veggie friend had the same dish with mushrooms (EW).  It was really good.  They served it with "traditional Morrocan bread" which was just like the Traditional Jewish Challah bread.  

Our next course was a delicious lentil soup with rice, lemon and spices which we drank right of our of the bowl!!

After our soups, we enjoyed a hummus course that was accompanied by beets, olives, carrots, cucumbers...etc.  It was soooo good.  First of all I have never enjoyed beets so much, but the hummus was REALLY great as well.  I wish more places served a plate just like this.  I'm tired of the traditional pita and hummus pairing.

The next course we had was the beef kabob which was marinated in 7 Morrocan spices and it was poking out of a pineapple with a birthday candle one it.  It was cooked and seasond perfectly, but I don't understand why it came with a birthday candle in it.  My friends and I all thought that was soooo odd.  Oh well.  It was really tasty. 

The main course was a cous cous platter with cornish game hen in a raisin and vegetable sauce.  The hen was tender and juicy and the vegetable melted in your mouth.  It was just the right amount of sweet and it was really delicious.  I enjoyed this course a lot too!!  We were given forks for this course.  

The dessert was served with Morrocan mint sweet tea.  It was fabulous.  I loved it.  The dessert was just ok.  I was hoping for something a little more refreshing and light.  The dessert was a phyllo pastry dough stuffed with nuts, fruit and sugar.  It was topped with more powdered sugar than should ever be legal and cinnamon.  It was okay.  It would have been nice to get some fresh fruit with some home made whipped cream on the side or topped with honey and nuts.  The sugar was so over powering that it made me totally dehyrated. 

I really couldn't pick a favorite course but you can probably tell which one I liked the least.  I would definetly go back and I think it's a great place if you are going with a large party.  You shouldn't being a picky eater here because there will not be very many alterntives for them to choose from.  Below is the website for more information.  There is another location in Los Angeles and apparently a few across the US.  They must be owned by different families because they are not advertised on the Las Vegas location's website.

http://www.marrakechvegas.com

A VERY HAPPY HOUR AT RA SUSHI- FASHION SHOW MALL

A VERY HAPPY HOUR AT RA SUSHI- FASHION SHOW MALL

Last night I went to Ra Sushi at 6:30 for happy hour (which ends at 7).  They have a menu of speciality cocktails, sake, beer, appetizers and rolls that are all half off.  I ordered two cocktails so that I could get the special deal, one over rocks and a martini (I drank the one with ice that would melt first and then had the martini second, pretty good plan if you ask me).  I had a geisha punch with was vodka, soda, giner and grenedine.  The drinks were refreshing, but not strong.  By my second drink was the pamatini which was a mixture of  ketel citron, pama liquer, and grapefruit juice.  I added and extra shot and it was perfect!!!  haha.  For dinner I ordered a spicy tuna roll and a Las Vegas Roll.  The Las Vegas roll is one of their most popular rolls.  It is a deep fried tuna avocado roll with cream cheese topped with spicy crab mix and a taro root chip.  One of my friends ordered the Spinach Gyoza.  They were pan fried dumplings and really good and served with a garlic ponzu dipping sauce.  The meal was very inexpensive considering how much food and alcohol we ordered.  I was very impressed and would def go back for another happy hour.

Check out my last RA SUSHI Post for even more information

http://chefstaceybeth.blogspot.com/2008/12/tonight-i-ate-at-121.html

TOP CHEF FINALE

TOP CHEF FINALE

Congratulations to Hosea.  Carla, Stefan and Hosea were partered up with runner ups from season’s past to cook a three course meal that defines who they are as a chef and generally to cook the best meal they’ve ever cooked in their life.  Hosea chooses Richard who I live and really thought should have won last season.  Stefan picks Marcel and then calls him a “twat”.  Haha. HOW NICE!  Actually, Marcel is my favorite contestant on this show ever.  He deserved to win and he should really be back on every season, if he hasn’t already been because I can’t get enough of him.  He is so talented, funny and really doesn’t care if you like him because he knows he’s badass.  Carla was paired up with Casey.  After deciding on their menus, the chefs are of course thrown a curve ball.  Since they are in New Orleans, they each get a slice of king cake and whoever has the piece with the baby gets to pick their protein of choice to make an appetizer.  Hosea gets the baby and chooses red fish, he gives Carla crab (and it bites her) and gives Stefan alligator.  What an asshole. He could have give him something a little easier to work with.  He’s a dirty player and he whines a lot.

Hosea’s first appetizer is a blackened red fish on a corn cake with creole remoulade and micro cilantro.  It looks and sounds awesome, which I hate to admit because I really don’t want him to win.  The judges liked the dish.  Stefan made an alligator soup which the judges loved it.  Fabio was brought back as a judge; that was nice of them to bring him back.  He really doesn’t have the credentials of any of the other judges, but whatever.  Carla’s appetizer was a shiso soup with blue crab and chayote thai salsa.  It looked really good and refreshing.  Stefan’s first course was a smoked salmon and halibut carpaccio with micro green, citrus vinaigrette and caviar.  It was a gorgeous presentation and looked amazing.  Carla’s dish really made me hungry.  She seared a red snapper over saffron aioli, braised fennel and grilled clam.  Hosea’s was my least favorite and not because he has the kind of face that makes you want to punch him but because it honestly didn’t look as nice as the other ones but it still sounded incredible and I’m sure it tasted really great.  He prepared a tuna, hamachi and black bass (which I love) sashimi with fennel oil, citrus and fried tempura bits.  Carla’s dish seemed to be the favorite.  Tom felt that Stefan’s salmon was overpowering and halibut and everyone felt that Hosea’s dish was a bit bland.  Stefan prepared pan seared a squab (a lot of this used this season), braised cabbage, schupfnudeln, foie gras and grape jus for his second course.  Carla made a sous vide New York strip steak with seared potato rod and merlot sauce.  Hosea served seared scallop with foie gras on pain perdu, apple preserves and foie gras foam.  I’m allergic to apples…and Hosea.  The judges loved Carla’s sauce, but felt her meat was tough.  They thought Stefan’s dish was really good and cooked amazing. Gail really liked Hosea’s dish.  I love foie gras and scallops.  Carla ends up overcooking her soufflé.  She still has a dessert, but doesn’t feel it is complete.  Stefan chose to do a dessert for the third course; he made stracciatella ice cream, chocolate mousse with vanilla syrup and a banana lollipop.  It looks amazing.  Carla’s dessert was an apple tartlet coin with blue cheese and walnut crumble.  I like the idea of savory and sweet here.  Hosea did not make a dessert.  Which is fine since the judges have two other sweet treats to enjoy after their meal.  Hosea’s venison looks really good.  He pan seared it with a chestnut and celery root puree with wild mushrooms.  Take away the mushrooms and I’d eat it!!  They didn’t love Stefan’s dessert or Carla’s.  Hosea won it with his venison.  I really think Stefan should have won.  Oh well.  I wonder who will get fan favorite.  Any guesses????

CHAI TOWN!

When the weather gets cold, I like to warm up with a steamy, foamy chai tea latte.  So which is best, Starbucks or Coffee bean and Tea Leaf?  What I really want to find out is..

WHICH CHAI?

The Starbucks Chai has got a lot of spice to it.  It's more punchy than sweet, but still creamy and delicious.  A 12oz non fat Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks is 150 calories, has no fat, 6 grams of protein, and a whopping 32 grams of sugar and 33 carbs!!  They don't offer a reduced sugar or sugar free version which is a shame.

The Vanilla Chai Tea Latte from The Coffee Bean is smoother and creamier than the Starbucks version.  It is the perfect sweet afternoon pick me up.  I order mine with the NSA (no sugar added) vanilla powder and skim milk.  The 12oz version of this has 100 calories and 10 grams of sugar.  

This is the clear winner on both taste and for your waisteline.  The excess sugar of the Starbucks version is proven unnecessary because this one is sweeter and has less sugar!

Go out and get one today!  With the calories and sugar you save, treat yourself to a biscotti while you're at it.  YOU DESERVE IT :-)

KAIZEN SUSHI

KAIZEN SUSHI

Located across from the Hard Rock Hotel at 4480 S Paradise Road, Suite 900, Las Vegas, NV 89119. 

702-641-7772

open Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm-4:00am and Friday and Saturday 5:30pm-6:00am

Sunday-Thursday after midnight enjoy two for one drink specials!

I went to dinner at Kaizen with my friend, her dad and his business partner.  I don't remember exactly what we ordered.  We all ordered a bunch of rolls and shared, which is really fun and I tried eel for the first time.  I loved it.  I will definitely not be afraid to order rolls with eel from now on, which really expands the menu options for me.

We started off with an order of edamame, it was a huge portion.  It was very impressed with how generous the serving was.  We had an order of the rainbow roll which was good.  It is the same at every sushi restaurant, but for those of you who don't know it is a california roll with fresh slices of fish on top.  My personal pick was the ROCK AND ROLL which is tuna, salmon, white fish, avocado and crab rolled inside cucumber.  There was no rice.  It was hard to eat, but really light and a bit citusy, not heavy like some of the other rolls, so it was a nice contrast.  The SPICY TUNA ROLL was just that, spicy!  No vegetables, just tuna and siracha sauce with a little bit of mayo to balance out the heat.

I didn't taste this roll because I was too full, but the table ordered a BAKED SALMON ROLL it looked really good and the other guests really enjoyed it.  It was baked salmon on top of a roll filled with cream cheese and avocado.  I really enjoyed the FRIED SCALLOP ROLL.  It was really good, I just wasn't expecting it to be orange!

My favorite roll of the night had to be the LAS VEGAS ROLL

which is deep fried eel, tuna, avocado and cream cheese it was really good! 

I would go back to Kaizen again and recommend it to out of town friends, because it is just off the strip and isn't an expensive cab ride to get there.

www.kaizen-sushi.com

COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH:

COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH:

ALMOND JOY

Available at Blue Martini

This sweet treat is a mixture of three olives vanilla vodka, bacardi COCO rum and chocolate liqueur, served with a chocolate and coconut rim.  Be careful this may seem like a sweet and innocent cocktail but it will knock you on your ass!  Enjoy, slowly and with caution.

Blue Martini is a cool local spot in Las Vegas's Town Square area, with tons of shops and other restaurants.  The flat breads and spinach dip are amazing, but my favorite dish to order when I'm looking for something a little more substantial is the whiskey chicken, which is now served on skewers next to dirty rice and two dipping sauces.  The food is reasonably priced, but martini's start at $12.00.

Runner up for cocktail of the month is the Mexican City Mule from DOS CAMINOS at the Palazzo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.  This mixture of absolut ruby red, ginger and lime is refreshing and just the right hint of sweetness.   It is definitely meant be be drank on a warm summer day around 4:00pm.  It also is really easy to make.  I think it will be a hit at your next BBQ.  UGH!! Is it summer yet?!!!

DO IT YOURSELF POPCORN

MAKE YOUR OWN POPCORN

Hello popcorn lovers!   Last night my friend taught me how to make my own popcorn instead of using the prepackaged bags.  The advantages are undeniable.  First of you all can control the amount of salt and butter used, second it is A LOT cheaper and fresher and finally, no added chemicals (to preserve the popcorn or to add color).  It's so simple to make!

1.  take 1/4 a cup of kernals and pour them into a brown paper lunch bag

2. spray with olive oil spray or butter spray (like a pam)

3. roll bag closed at the top, don't go too far down and put in microwave for 2 minutes

4. you will know the popcorn is ready when it takes about 2 seconds between pops, so pay attention!

Shara likes to add butter spray and salt, which is the basic way to eat it, but I like to get creative.  Here are some more topping ideas....

1. butter and salt

2. parmesean cheese

3. melt 30 choc chips in microwaves for a minute then add in some caramel sauce, mix together and pour over popcorn

4. add some mini reese's pieces and shake them up in the bag so that they melt over the popcorn pieces.

How do you like your popcorn?  Write me a comment and tell me the creative way you enjoy this salty snack!!

DENVER RESTAURANT WEEK

DON'T MISS DENVER RESTAURANT WEEK GOING ON NOW UNTIL MARCH 6TH.

http://www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/default.aspx

PINK TACO OTRA VEZ (again)

PINK TACO OTRA VEZ

Last night I went to Pink Taco with about 11 of my girlfriends.  It was really fun, but you could tell the server was not happy to have us and I felt she had a bad attitude.  If I were a server I would be happy with a table that size who ordered shots, pitchers or mararitas and sangria.  It took forever to get our order in, the server wasn't friendly, and paying the bill was an absolute disaster, but besides that it was a really fun night.  It's all in the company you keep, right?  When we went to pay our bill, the waitress refused to accept 9 cards, even though we just wanted to split it evenly.  She got the manager, who told us that they usually only accept 5 cards, but that he would do it (they had no other choice, I wasn't going to spend $8 at the most expensive atm in Las Vegas to take out money to pay for a meal when I have a credit card).  What annoyed me most is that when we were seated it was pretty obvious we were all going to be paying seperate (because we were a group of 11 girls, not like couples or anything where maybe the guy could be paying and we weren't all young girls with one older look parent type person) so if you only accept 5 cards, is it really that difficult to say at the beginning of the meal, we only accept 5 cards at a time, or write it on the menu?  They write that they will add 18% gratuity on the menu, and that consuming raw or uncooked foods in unhealthy, so why can't they also add, LIMIT FIVE CREDIT CARDS?  This is 2009, everyone is going paperless, even cabs accept credit cards now a day, its perfectly reasonably to expect people to prefer to pay this way.

I ordered the PINK TACO PLATTER.  The taco platters cmes with refried beans, rice and three tacos.  The pink tacos are corn tortillas with pinto beans, arbol salso (which is kind of pink in color), grilled chicken, pickled onions (so that they end up being dyed pink) and avocado.  They were so good.  I also ordered the su casa margarita, which was about the size of my head.  It didn't taste very good, I had a hard time drinking it, and it wasn't the same as the one I had ordered last time, so it means they gave it to me wrong this time or last time.  I am going to guess this time, since the server was really not paying attention to us at all.

One of my friends ordered the chicken quesadillas.  SHE HATED THEM.  She took a few bites and couldn't eat anymore.  She said she didn't like the flavor at all.  They looked pretty good, but I trust her opinion.  I'm not really a quesadilla person, so I probably wouldn't have ordered this anyway.

Two of my friends split the PINK TACO PLATTER.  I am going to have to get this next time I with someone else who is in a sharing mood.  It was a lot of food and gave you great variety which is good.  The platter has two chicken skewers, two carne asada skewers, cheese quesadillas, guacamole, two corn tamales, rock shrimp and ribs all for under $25.00

Check out PINK TACO next time you are in Vegas or Los Angeles

www.pinktaco.com

It's time for ANNAPOLIS RESTAURANT WEEK

February 16-20 2009, so if you didn't take your honey out on Valentine's day, there's still time to redeem yourself!! Head to Greystone Grille for a juicy steak and nice glass of wine or to Lemon Grass for some excellent thai food and the can't miss fried stringbeans.  If you like fondue check out Melting Pot; the dessert and cheese are never disappointing and most chains like this never offer discounted prices.  I hear O'Leary's has some of the best seafood in town and Ruth Chris is always consistent if steak is what you're after.  Annapolis is an adorable waterside town with lots to do and tons of cute shops, so if you have time to walk around you 

should. 

http://annapolisrestaurantweek.com/

Get some famous fish and chips at FADO's IRISH PUB which is a chain, because I have eaten at the one in Vegas where it is trivia night on Wednessdays!  Grab some friends and get some great food and beers and have a fun night.  Don't miss the corn beef rolls (appetizers).  They are delicious little finger sandwichs.  Log on to find a location near you http://www.fadoirishpub.com/annapolis/menu/food/dinner

Check out THE ROCKFISH RESTAURANT for seafood and marini's.  They have a really large menu so there is something for everyone and they are a green restaurant.  Way to be socially responsible guys!!  They are the only EPA certified green restaurant in the area.  They operate by wind power and they recycle.

WHAT I'M LOVING NOW

WHAT I'M LOVING NOW:

SOY JOY BARS

I am loving the berry Soy Joy energy bars I get from Whole Foods.  It's a sham I can't find the strawberry flavor anywhere.  I hve go to try the raisin almond and mango coconut one of these days as well.  I can't eat apple since I am allergic and they use all natual ingredients.  I also don't eat any chocolate flavored health food.  When I want chocolate or dessert- I WANT THE REAL THING.  I don't want some healthy treat with chocolate flavoring that are never as good as just a nice hunk of rich dark chocolate.  Am I right or am I right?  Plus chocolate would NOT be right for the texture of these bars.  These bars are a great before or after the gym snack or 4:00pm pick me up.  I wish they were a tad bigger, I usually eat a handful of almonds with them too so that I can stay satisfied and stop snacking until dinner time.  One bar is 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 17 carbs, 12 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protien.  They are also gluten free which is great for those of you who can't eat wheat.  They are delicious and all natural.  http://www.soyjoy.com/ you should also log on and print a 1 dollar off coupon when you purchase 5, and why wouldn't you purchase 5?  The good news about these bars is they are already the most inexpensive protien bars of their kind on the market right now. Most retail for $1.50-$3.00 (sometimes MORE) but these are just .99 cents!  Good for your tummy and your wallet.

BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE

BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE

I spent a lovely Valentines day with a few friends at Brio Tuscan Grille in Town Square Las Vegas.  It was an 80 minute wait, but my friend got there to put his name in and we walked around the shops to kill time.  We started off the meal with 4 bread baskets and tons of olive oil and basalmic.  We all could not STOP eating it.  It was so good  I also had a cocktail, I forget the name but it was citron vodka, grand marnier, lemonade and muddled raspberries.  It was freshing, but weak.  It was really tasty because it wasn't too sweet and bitter.  I would have had about 5 more if I wasn't driving!!  For dinner I ordered the roasted chicken and butternut squash risotto.  It was good for what it was and I didn't expect it to be any different.  I was hungry and I enjoyed every since thousand calorie of that meal.  The chicken was tender, the sauce was creamy, maybe a little too much butter and cream (my stomach hurt for 15 minutes afterwards).  There was just the right amount of garlic, a lot, just the way I like it.  The crispy bacon tasted like way to salty bacon bits, the basil was good, but not that fresh and there was a ton of parmesean cheese in it.  It was a great dish for a chain Italian restautant and I enjoyed the meal. Our waiter was a little spastic, but pretty attentive and good with filling up the water glasses.  I'd go back, but wouldn't go out of my way.  I also wouldn't order the risotto again.  It

 was good, I'm just not sure my stomach can handle that much cream and butter.  

http://www.brioitalian.com

COMPANY AMERICAN BISTRO

COMPANY AMERICAN BISTRO

The last time I ate at Company American Bistro I was supremely disappointed!!!  I was looking forward to eating at this place since the celeb packed grand opening and when I finally went the meal was so AWFUL and the service was even worse our 6 person multi course meal ended up getting comped!!!  It was probably one of the worst dining out experiences I'd ever had.  When I talked to others, they all seemed to love it, so I had to give it another chance, not to mention this week I was already at the Luxor for the SI Swim Magazine release party, so why not give it another shot?  I ordered a hangar one lime on the rocks, my drink of choice and always impressed when restaurants carry this deliciously smooth lime vodka!  I also decided on two small plates over one regular sized entree.  I ordered the yellowtail sashimi with sweet chili soy,blood oranges and cilantro.  It was fresh and refreshing.  An excellent combination of flavors and textures.  I also ordered the miso glazed japanese eggplant which were out of the world delicious, should have ordered two orders.  Even though this dish came out about 20 minutes after the rest of the food (which was annoying, maybe this restaurant really needs to work on timing) it was one of the best vegetable dishes I've ever had.  My friend ordered the sliders which they said tasted good, but were a bit smaller than expected.  We also had an order of the Shichimi Fries which were thin, crispy and spicy.  I only like potatoes with a lot of flavor, so these were pretty good.  If you love fries then you will think they are GREAT.  We sat at the bar tables/couches.  The staff was friendly and attentive, perhaps a little two attention we had three people who made the rounds to check on us and it was a little over whelming.  Next time figure out where my eggplant is instead of asking me how my empty plate of yellowtail is.  The redeemed themselves with this trip and I would go back again.  Maybe on of these days I'll get around to trying dessert.

OSAKA IN HENDERSON TAKE 2

OSAKA TAKE 2

I went to Osaka last Monday with some of my girl friends. All Las Vegas Athletic Club members recieve 50% off the bill when they present their gym cards.  For 4 hungry girls to eat tons and tons of sushi the entire bill ended up coming to $52.  NOT BAD!!!!  :-)  I ordered the 777 roll (pictured above) which is shrimp, scallop, tobiko, and cream cheese topped with avocado, albacore and a galic "yum yum sauce".  I felt that there was way too much sauce, but that once I transferred it to a separate plate I was able to enjoy it a lot more.  I also had the white tiger roll which is shrimp, avocado, and cucumber topped with seared white tuna and a spicy mayo sauce.  It was spicy and delicious.  I loved it.  I also ordered the cucumber salad in a vinegar vinniagrette with cucumber, seaweed and crab mixed together.  This was not on the menu, but something that all sushi restaurants apparently offer.  Thanks for that tip Emily!  The second time was just as good as the last.  I think I like this place better than I LOVE SUSHI (another great Henderson sushi spot).