restaurants

Tacos El Gordo

The first of many reviews I hope and boy is it a good one!

Tacos el Gordo – Las Vegas Blvd

3049 S. Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89109

**Edit 1/21/15 – The Las Vegas Blvd Location has closed but Tacos el Gordo has two other locations in the Las Vegas valley to try!**

This a hole in the wall taco shop located in a strip mall next to the Wynn hotel and casino on the Vegas strip. I have been to this taco shop more than once because it is just so good. If you are looking for a place that you can get authentic Mexican street tacos than this is the place. I heard about them from one of my coworkers, who said that her and her sister love their tacos and I needed to try them. So luckily for me they were willing to take me on my first visit and navigate the menu and ordering process.

Because this is a small place how you order your tacos all depends on how busy the place is. I say this because the very first time I went here it was in the middle of the week and just around 5:30 pm and there was barely anyone there, so we were able to walk right up to anyone and order. Yet the second time that I went which was a Saturday smack dab in the middle of the day the place was packed, wall to wall with people. When it is like this there are separate lines for each of the meat types, so if you want more than one type of taco you have to stand in each line. This can be kind long depending on what you are ordering.

Now on to the food! First up here is a shot of the menu; they have one posted right outside of the entrance which I loved because I was waiting for my friends so I was able to peruse what was available.

As you can see each taco runs $2 – $2.25 depending on the meat. Then there are different types of fries and what I would consider a tostada, because it is a tortilla covered in meat the topped with another tortilla these run around $4.

For my first trip here I ordered taco de lengua (tongue), taco de tripa (tripe) & taco de adobada (spicy pork). This was the first time that I have ever eaten tongue or tripe, I figured if I am going to do this I am going to do it right! And my friend was telling me how the only thing she orders is the tongue and I wont be disappointed.

First up let’s talk about the tongue:

I ordered all of my tacos on flour tortillas, the default is corn. I just am not a fan of the consistency so I opted for flour which they graciously obliged. As we can see it is topped with onions, tomatillo green salsa and cilantro. Since this was my very first time eating tongue I have nothing to compare it to but to me it was cooked perfectly. It was nice and tender and great flavor, some bites did feel softer than others. But it wasn’t at all chewy or tough which I was kind of imagining because it is a muscle. Now there was a little too much onions on this taco for my tastes, so in some bites it was a bit over powering. The nice thing was that the salsa and cilantro worked really well with the tongue. Overall it had great balance and I would recommend this to anyone who likes tongue or wanted to give it a shot this is the way to go.

Next up is the tripe taco:

Again this is a first for me as well. I have had other people talk about eating tripe tacos and how good they are so I just had to try it at this place. I was not disappointed at all and actually this became my favorite of the night! The tripe had a nice salty crunch then with the salsa and cilantro it was a perfect blend. On my second trip I had three of these that is how impressed I was with them. Now the downside is I do not know exactly what kind of salsa this is but I would say it was along the lines of a tomatillo, it wasn’t spicy but it had a nice mellow flavor so it did not overpower the meat. This is defiantly one to try!

Last but not least we have the Adobada taco:

Adobada taco is a spicy pork taco. The meat is roasted on a large spicket so the outside gets all crispy but the inside parts stay nice and juicy. This taco is topped with a traditional salsa and then an avocado type sauce, cilantro and onions. This addition of the sauce created a creamy texture and everything melted together. They were not heavy handed with the onions on this one so for this particular taco it added to the flavor. Now on top of the meat there sits a piece of pineapple which they slice off and put on top of the taco on request. I missed this part my first time there and was a bit disappointed about it, so I made sure to ask the next time I went and that is the way to do it. The pineapple has the roasted sweet flavor that combines with the spicy pork that just works so well together. It is something that at first you wouldn’t think would be good but then once you bite in you realize you shouldn’t have doubted it!

Now for the last and final photo I wanted to be sure to show you what the fries look like when you order them, my friend got the Adobada & Asada fries; it was an half & half type deal and this is what she received.

I was pretty full off of my three tacos so only had a couple bites but this was pretty yummy and is certainly big enough to share with the whole table if you wanted. She was only able to eat about a third before she was too full to take another bite.

Now for the overall review, the food is great; there is no question on the fact that they know what they are doing. But the restaurant its self is very tiny, there is limited seating and the seating they do have is really small and cramped. So if you are looking for a relaxing place to sit and chit chat this is not it. It is all about the food, you suffer through the cramped seating and hard benches because you know the tacos are going to be worth it. I would like to see them in a bigger space so that they can provide more places to sit so that once you have stood in their massive line for tacos you can actually sit down and enjoy your food. This is the main ding on their review. The other thing I should mention is be sure to as for a fountain drink and not just say a soda. Because I made the mistake of asking for a soda and they gave me a can, it wasn’t until after I already paid and sat down did I realize I had an option for fountain drinks which I would have preferred. Even with the small amounts of seating and my can of soda I was completely satisfied and in all honesty within two days of my visit I was already craving their tacos. Now that the weather is warming up here it is the perfect time to go and enjoy their outdoor seating with some yummy tacos! Be sure to check them out you wont be disappointed.

Weiss Deli & Bakery

2744 N. Green Valley Parkway

Henderson, NV 89014

702-454-0565

While at work the other day we were trying to decide on some place to go for lunch, because of course where you are going for lunch is something you discuss instead of actually working. We wanted something different from our normal go to places; not that they aren’t good, they just get a little old after awhile. So while searching that very popular review site that rhymes with help for places near my address I found Weiss Deli & Bakery. This deli is located in a strip mall on the corner of Green Valley Parkway and Sunset, near Trader Joes. Honestly I have been over here and have never noticed this place before. We got there around 11:30 am and there were two other parties seated so we had our choice of seats; at first this made me weary because it is always weird to eat in a place that is empty. A waitress at the end of the restaurant waved us to the back to take a seat in her section; because this is a seat yourself kind of place. Even though I had been a bit skeptical with the lack of patrons that all shortly changed through our lunch as every booth and table except for the one behind us began to fill up as it got closer to noon.

They did have a wide range of deli favorites from corn beef sandwiches to matzo ball soup; this soup was very popular I would say because I saw about 5 bowls travel past our table to the ones around us. I decided to go with something I have never had before which was called “Ceily’s Stack”.

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The Ceily’s Stack is two potato latkes stuffed with braised brisket topped with Muenster & Provolone cheeses and then drizzled with brown gravy sauce and sour cream. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised on how good this actually was. I mean it certainly isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but everything worked really well together. The braised brisket was really the shining star, it was perfectly tender and juicy with a great beef flavor. I would come and just have brisket and the brown sauce if it is on the menu. The brown gravy sauce was exactly what you would expect from a good brown gravy it had great beef flavor and it really worked well on this dish. They put a good amount of cheese on this dish which as a cheese lover is fabulous and it was melted perfectly. Now the description says that this dish comes with sour cream which I did not receive and I do think that this would have added something to the dish, because after a few bites it needed either more gravy or something else to dip each bite into, and sour cream has that tangy bite already and if it was paired with the brisket and latkes it would have added another layer of flavor. Now I am not sure if I am just not a potato latke person; because I have never had them before, but to me they were a little too soft and flavorless. To me they got lost in each bite, I think I would have liked them more if they were a bit crunchy to give this dish some texture. Towards the end of the dish I just pushed the latkes to the side and ate the brisket, cheese & gravy. I would say that if you want something different and are a fan of the latke then give this one a shot, just be sure to ask for extra gravy.

Next up was the Veggie Melt:

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The veggie melt is served open faced or closed and is a roasted portabello mushroom, sauteed spinach, roasted peppers, tomato, caramelized onions and cheddar-jack cheese on top of grilled rye bread, this also came with a choice of fries, cold slaw, potato salad or fresh fruit. My mother ordered it with the side of fruit and received two wedges of cantaloupe, a strawberry and two orange slices. This was a lot better than most sides of fruits where you get a couple cubes of melon and some grapes. I had a couple bites of this sandwich and it was also really good, granted at first look it looks like it was put in the oven just a little too long to melt the cheese, but it worked out. Again they were not shy with the cheese so for the cheese lover this is a good place to eat. The veggies were cooked well and the portabello was nice and meaty, not over roasted so it still maintained all the goodness of a protabello. But for me I really enjoyed the spinach it wasn’t over cooked and melded really well with the flavors of of the rye bread, then you got the creamy texture of melted cheese.

As you can see the portions are surely on the large side, and what is shown above is nothing compared to some of the items I saw go past our table. The sandwiches are piled high with meat, definitely not for the faint of heart. I know that I will be back to try other things on the menu because the food was worth it. I do think the service was ok, not really slow or fast either. My soda was only refilled once and that was at the end of the meal while my mother’s ice tea was filled up a few times throughout lunch. But in all honestly this is what I kind of expect when I go to a diner/deli the home town feel where they run on a different time than everything else around. Our waitress was chatting with all her tables, a few of which I think might be regulars, which is a good sign, because obviously they are doing something right when they have regulars they actually recognize. On the decor side of things it isn’t the nicest place, it is in an older building and it shows. On the walls are artwork that if I am not mistaken were for sale by local artists, I take this as a nod to the art supply store right next door. I do think in some way the fact that it isn’t all gussied up is what makes it feel like a true deli, something you would find on the corner in New York or Jersey a place that locals flock to because they know that the food and people are what it is truly all about.

Hash House A Go Go

Hash House A Go Go at the Imperial Palace

I happened to be going to the Imperial Palace to see a show the other night and before hand we decided that we should get some dinner at the Hash House. I have been to their other locations in the valley so I knew what I was in for. The reason I say know what I was in for is because they serve giant plates of food. You will see what I mean below in the photos. I am going to dive into the food and then after talk about the restaurant itself.

First up was the chicken and biscuits; it is seared chicken breasts on top of biscuits & mashed potatoes all topped with a veggie cream.

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Now on the menu description it says chicken breasts, which to me means a plural; so I thought there would be two on my plate, but it only came with one. Now in reality one is plenty as you can see because it is a mountain of food as is, but if you are going to describe two there should be two. Now the chicken was cooked well and had a mild flavor, the mashed potatoes that it sat upon were kinda dry and could have used some seasonings because to me it was a bit bland. The biscuits were either a bit over baked or they have been sitting out because the crust was a bit hard and stale and on top of all of this the veggie cream sauce that was poured on top was cold. So this was weird when you have warm potatoes, chicken & biscuits then cold sauce it was very unappealing. So I would definitely skip eating this dish.

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This is one of their stuffed burgers it is cheddar cheese, bacon & avocado stuffed in between two beef patties. Well as you can see it certainly is a sight to be seen. The burger is too big for the bun as you can tell, my friend had to eat the burger off the sides before she could really begin actually eating dinner. While it is a lot of burger that’s really all it was, a lot of beef, she said that the stuffing ingredients were lost inside with everything that was going on beef wise. She mentioned that it was a little undercooked and not seasoned as well as it could’ve been.

Overall I feel like they are trying too hard to maintain this image of having super huge food that they are cutting corners when it comes to quality. Just because they have been featured on a couple TV shows and they know that this alone is why most people will go out of their way to go here. Maybe they feel like they can slack on the details, but this is no way to gain followers and return guests, by letting things like cold and bland food hit the tables. I will be honest and say that I am making this statement based off my last encounter with this restaurant in the M Resort as well as this experience above; because I had a similar experience during this trip as the one before at the M, bland & cold food. While I understand that some quality can be lost when you have a busy service, but this was not the case for my trip that night, there was plenty of empty tables in the whole restaurant and plenty of people running around and even gathered together chit chatting. Our waitress seemed very uninterested in us, I asked for lemons for my water and never got them, it just seemed like she had some place better to be the entire evening. I think the only time she seemed halfway interested in us was when she dropped the bill at our table. So honestly I would say this is a place to skip if you are looking for the details, but if you have friends or family in town and they really want to try this place because they saw it on the Food Network or the Travel Channel then I would say OK but go to the one on Sahara, I had a better experience there than the other two locations. Just be aware that you could get cold and bland food.

Settebello Pizzeria

140 Green Valley Pkwy
Henderson, NV 89012

702-222-3556

http://www.settebello.net

I had a friend recommend this pizza place to me a few months back, but it seemed like we just were never in the mood for pizza when we got together or in the area to swing by. So last week I had a craving for pizza and since their location is close to my office I headed over there for my lunch break.

They state that their pizzas are the traditional Napoli style pizzas, using only specific ingredients based off of tradition and baked in a brick oven only fueled by wood. If you would like to read the full history about the ingredients & technique click here to go to their website, sorry there was no direct link to their about us page.

Settebello is located in The District in the southwest part of the valley, you can’t see it from the street because it is located on the inside of the shopping center, so it could easily be missed if you didn’t already know where you are going. Upon entering we were quickly seated and for a Thursday afternoon it wasn’t too busy. Despite the fact that they were not busy it did take awhile for someone to come over and take our drink order. But once our waitress did show up she was very friendly and quickly went over how their pizzas differ from what we are use to since it was our first visit here. The pizzas are only cooked for a few minutes in the hot brick oven and they tend to be a lot softer and cannot hold up to a lot of toppings so she advised us against altering their pizzas by too much. Each pizza is approximately 12 inches around and could easily serve two if you have a small appetite or got one of their antipastos to share before hand. The waitress also informed us that they do not slice your pizza unless you ask them to, since this is the traditional way to be served. I can honestly say that I have never encountered pizza not being sliced before being served but I also haven’t been to Napoli.

I apologize up front for the half eaten pictures even though I had been taking notes before we got the food once it showed up we just dived right in before I realized I didn’t snap a picture, guess that is one downside to good company you get engulfed in the conversation and forget that you are doing a food review blog. Oh well I did manage to remember before more than half was enjoyed.

First up my pizza:

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I ordered the emelia pizza it was a white pizza so it does not come with their crushed tomato sauce, instead it is going to have a cream sauce. This pizza has prosciutto cotto, panna (Italian cream), mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, basil & extra virgin olive oil. The crust has a nice chewy bite with a nice charcoal flavor from the wood burning oven. Because it is cooked at high temperature it allows the exterior of the crust to get a nice crunch while staying soft and chewy on the inside. The center of the pizza was a lot less sturdy than what most people are use to, so I can see why they would shy you away from putting too many toppings on your pizza. I decided to go with a pizza without red sauce so I was trying something out of my normal pizza box. I was very glad that I did, the panna had this wonderful sour note that blended perfectly with the sweetness of the prosciutto and the smoothness of the mozzarella. I did ask for a side of their balsamic vinaigrette that came with the insalata to dip my pizza in, this added another lovely level of flavor. Even though I only dipped the whole pizza in the vinaigrette a couple times it was a perfect addition to dip the crust in, almost like having bread before the meal. If you come here and you want something a little different I would recommend this one.

Next up my folk’s pizza:

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My parents ordered the settebello pizza it has crushed tomatoes, pancetta, roasted fennel sausage, pine nuts, mozzarella, basil & extra virgin olive oil. This pizza normally comes with mushrooms but they ordered it without them. This was also another lovely pizza, the red sauce had a nice tangy bite of a good red sauce and the crust was exactly the same as the white pizza above. My step-dad quickly devoured this pizza and said that it was good, even though he would’ve liked a little more meat. I preferred the flavors of my white pizza, but for a more traditional pizza I would go for this one.

My mother ordered the insalata (not pictured) to have in addition to splitting the pizza with my step-dad, she was very unimpressed with it. It was field greens with 3 large shavings of parmigiano reggiano, pepper & the balsamic vinaigrette. She said that for $5 there should’ve been at least some tomatoes, she would advise against spending the money on this particular menu item. The vinaigrette was the only good part and it is what made me ask for it on the side for my pizza crust.

For our lunch our bill came to right under $50 including tip; we got 2 pizzas, 1 salad & 3 sodas which comes to around $16 a person, this may not fit in to a lot of people’s lunch budgets but I would say that I don’t feel like I wasted my money. I was satisfied when I left, and for most of us this is big thing you want to feel like you got your monies worth when eating out.

Overall I wasn’t overly impressed with Settebello, the service was a bit spotty it seemed to me there was a lot of running around but not a lot of people helping those that are seated. But when you did get their attention and let them know you needed something they were quick to get it out to you, so to me that part was very good. Also while there are plenty of food options it was just ok. Even though I enjoyed the flavors of my pizza and the crust, I don’t think I am going to be sitting at home and have a sudden craving for their pizza specifically. That being said if I was nearby shopping and was craving pizza I wouldn’t hesitate to stop here.

Spicy Tuna Sushi

10345 S. Eastern Ave. #190

Las Vegas, NV 89102

702-722-2424

Spicy Tuna Sushi is located in the southeast side of the valley just past St. Rose Parkway and has quickly become one of my favorites in Las Vegas, they have a wide range of sushi rolls, shashimi & entrees that would please anyone. They are located in a strip mall right next to a Trader Joes. If my friend hadn’t taken me here I don’t think I would’ve known the place existed. When you walk in right in the center of the room is the sushi bar with the chefs working away behind it. Along the sides of the restaurants are these tiny private booths, which I love because it is a lot more private and you can really just focus on your friends or family. It is a little dark inside because the floors are black and so is the ceiling but each of the booths do have their own light.

I went here with my friend over the weekend she suggested a few days before that if I need a sushi fix this was the place to go, and we just happened to be on this side of town that day.

We were seated quickly in one of the side booths, the waitress took our drink order and before she could get two steps away another server brought us each a small cucumber salad with a spicy dressing as well as a bowl of edamame to share. After our day out in the sun we were starving so we ordered five rolls! Well really I ordered the 5th roll because I just couldn’t help myself, they all sounded so good. We got the Aloha roll, Double D Special, Monkey Special, Sun Devil Roll & Tempura Roll.

First up the Aloha Roll: (I apologize for the glarey photo there was no way to get a good picture in the light of the restaurant with red tuna on a red plate)

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The Aloha roll is crab, cucumber, avocado & fresh tuna. This was a very simplistic and delicious roll, the tuna was very fresh and really made this roll. I did have to add wasabi and soy to really make it pop and if you are like me who prefers pieces of tuna over minced up spicy tuna this is one I would suggest.

Next up we have the Double D special:

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The Double D special roll is shrimp tempura, crab, cucumber, spicy salmon & avocado on top served with orgasm sauce. This was also really good, the spicy salmon on top was just the right amount of spicy, but you loose the salmon flavor with it being minced up. The avocado did cool down the spicy and blend well with the shrimp and crab that are rolled up inside. The orgasm sauce isn’t pretty to look at it but it has great flavor and I ended up keeping it on the side to dip the aloha roll in instead of soy sauce.

The next one we had was the Monkey Special:

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Now the monkey roll was the most interesting of the night it is a fried banana, topped with a crab mixture and then there is a slice of tuna and it is all topped off with a drizzle of eel sauce. I was surprised on how much I liked this one. I mean really it sounds strange with fried banana, but it really works. The sweetness of the banana counteracts the sour of the crab mixture and the sauces on top. Really I could’ve just eaten a bowl of the crab mixture that was inside this roll, it was so light and refreshing. The biggest problem with this is that it is hard to eat, especially with chop sticks it will easily fall apart and you have to eat it in sections. I would certainly order this one on my next trip here, and I would suggest that you take the chance on the weird banana roll and go for it.

Next up was the Sun Devil Roll:

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The Sun Devil roll is smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, ebi & spicy crap all fried and served with yum yum sauce. This was one of my favorites of the night, it was just the right amount of spicy and the yum yum sauce was the perfect match to this roll. You got a nice kick of spice and then the flavor of the smoked salmon, it wasn’t too prominent just enough to know it is there and honestly it could’ve used more for my taste. If you want something that is spicy I would suggest this roll, it isn’t overly spicy so don’t expect it to burn your mouth it is just the perfect balance.

Last up is the Tempura Roll:

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The tempura roll is eel, crab, avocado & cream cheese deep fried then it is drizzled with eel sauce. This was my other favorite roll of the evening. The eel sauce was perfectly sweet and really help elevate the flavor of the eel and crab inside. If you like fried rolls this is one to be sure to get, you won’t be disappointed.

They do have over 80 rolls on their menu so it may take you awhile to pick what you want, but to start with look to any one of these and you won’t be disappointed. The only reason they are not getting a five star rating is that at the start of the meal we waited a long time to get our order placed. Our waitress was busy up front talking to the hostess to notice that we had decided and wanted to order. Another server that came to the table next to us ended up taking our order. After this though they were quick to clear our plates through out the meal and refill our waters. The one nice thing about most sushi places is that their entire wait staff seems to help with food deliver and plate clearing the same goes for Spicy Tuna. The rolls did come out to our table quickly, one at a time with to me just the right amount of time in between. Definitely put this place on your to try list for sushi in the valley.

Yard House

Town Square

6593 Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89119

(702) 734-9273

Website: http://www.yardhouse.com/NV/las-vegas-restaurant-town-square/

I should preface this review with the fact that this isn’t my first time here but it is the first time in a long time that I have been here and didn’t order a beer. Because this is the one place where you want to come to order a beer. They have over 100 beers on tap in the center bar (I say 100 because there is truly too many to count), and you can see the kegs in the glass enclosed room right by the main entrance, so the beer flows over head to be served up at the bar. This really is a beer lovers paradise, they have such a wide range of beers that you are bound to find at least one that you enjoy. And if you would like to take a look at their massive beer listing you can click here. My friend is big on ciders so she ordered the pear cider in the traditional yard glass that started it all.

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If you would like to read about how it all got started click here and it will take you to their website’s about page.

We got to the yard house at the end of happy hour which runs 3pm – 6pm Monday – Friday & 10pm – close Sunday – Wednesday; during happy hour their drinks range in price from $2.25 – 10.00 depending on the size of the glass and on if you order beer, wine or cocktails. They also have select appetizers and sliders that are half off. This is a really good time to come here, their sliders are really good and I will tell you about some of the happy house appetizers that we got, since we took advantage of getting there 10 mins before the end.

But I want to start off with the one item that was not part of the happy hour and that was my dinner. Coming in I knew that I was craving carbs so I went straight for the (Mac+Cheese)².

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This pasta is a mixture of chicken breast, applewood bacon, wild mushrooms, cheddar, parmesan, pasta and truffle oil; I apologize for the messy looking plate, I stirred it up right as it got me without thinking about taking a picture. Oh well you can see all the cheesy glory just as well in the above picture. I really enjoyed this dish, it is the perfect balance of cheese, pasta and chicken, everything just melts together and makes for one delicious bite and hey there is bacon in there and who doesn’t love bacon? I will admit that the truffle oil is not very prevalent in this dish, truthfully I actually forgot it was in there until I double checked the ingredients. Luckily for me this does not change the way that I feel about this pasta dish, it is one of my favorites to get here. Because there is something to be said for the simple dishes, things do not need to be overly complicated to be good, and the fact that this can be accomplished in a busy restaurant is even better.

Next up we have the appetizers, one thing we noted that the appetizers were bigger than we expected, so my friend ordered a total of 3 and her eyes were definitely bigger than her stomach. First up is the Seared Ahi Tuna appetizer:

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This time the mess was not me, the waiter almost lost the sauce on the table as he delivered the food, I blame carrying 4 plates of food to our table all on his arms to be the problem. The Ahi Tuna is seared rare, and served with soy vinaigrette, wasabi and pickled ginger. The tuna was cooked perfectly, often times I have seen tuna ordered and it comes out over cooked, which really takes away the integrity of the tuna, but they got it just right. I only had one bite of this as this was my friend’s dish and truthfully I was sick the week before and didn’t want to risk anything by eating raw fish. But I really enjoyed the subtle tuna flavor and the soy vinaigrette was a nice compliment. I know that it states it comes with wasabi but I didn’t put any on my bite which I wish I did because I think that level of flavor would elevate the vinaigrette up. I have already mentioned to my mother that she should give this dish a try next time she heads to the Yard House since she is a big Ahi Tuna fan, I think she would really enjoy this dish. My friend did be sure to tell me that she really enjoyed this and would have this again without question.

Next up are the boneless wings:

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You can get the wings in buffalo, jerk or firecracker and come boneless or bone-in. We got them plain and they came with a honey barbeque sauce and ranch for dipping. While I normally am a big fan of chicken wings of all kinds these are definitely a dish to skip. They were over fried (that isn’t a dark photo they really were that dark) which made them really crunchy and I couldn’t taste any chicken just batter. The dipping sauces were both really good and had the chicken been up to par this could’ve been a really good dish. I would tell you to skip right over this one, not one of their bests that’s for sure.

Next and final dish of the night is the California Roll:

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The California roll is not your average sushi roll as you can see; they use as described on their menu, a sushi rice cake with cucumber, snow crab, tobiko, avocado fan and wasabi soy sauce. This has actually become one of my new favorite dishes from the Yard House, I never ordered it before because I always just assumed it was going to be a traditional California roll that you get everywhere, but I was delightfully surprised when it came to the table and honestly I actually am kind of craving it as I write this. I really enjoyed the way that it was put together and you got this nice blend of rice, crab & avocado then on the back end there was the wasabi kicker, which I really liked. It gives the whole bite a level up in flavor and it was not over powering so you still got to taste all the other ingredients on the plate. My friend wasn’t a big fan of this because of the wasabi flavor, so she barely touched the dish.

Even with the over cooked chicken dish; which truthfully is the first thing I have had that really was under par, I would highly recommend you check them out if you are looking for a place to kick back and sample some beers and get great food to go along. With over a 100 beers to choose from you certainly won’t be out of choices. I say give the Big Sky Moose Drool a shot if you like brown ales; the first time I ordered it, it was strictly because it was fun to order after a couple already and then it turned out to be one of my go to beers. They do have two locations here in Las Vegas the one at Town Square and the second one in Red Rock casino, you won’t be disappointed at either location. The service we experienced was pretty good our waitress was very attentive at the beginning but towards the end it seemed like it took a long time to actually get our bill, I assume this is because she hoped that maybe we would order more drinks or food while my friend finished her large beer. The service is the only reason I took off a half star.

Bob’s Eastside Deli

2900 E. Patrick Ln. #9

Las Vegas, NV 89120

702-739-5860

http://bobseastsidedeli.com

I have been going to Bob’s Deli for quite some time; I was first introduced to this place about 10 yrs ago when I worked right down the street. We often would go here on our lunches because it was quick, great prices & delicious food. And about 3 yrs ago my current job moved into this area of town and we have been using them for in office lunches for the whole team or just for a needed break away and they have never let me down with their quality and service.

They are a family run business and that really shows in their service and food. They know their customers by name and always make people feel welcome. It is a small place inside of an industrial business park off the beaten path, and truthfully you could easily miss it if you aren’t looking for it. Since I have been eating here for years there are too many items that I can talk about but I am only going to focus on my last visit here and what we got.

I went here on my lunch break because I was craving their cabo pockets, which is of course what I ordered.

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The cabo pockets have got to be the most basic thing but are just crazy good, they only make a select amount a day so when they sell out they sell out, and honestly there are some days where they just don’t make them at all. I often have to make sure I have a backup just in case, because of course I have gotten there just a little too late and could not get my fix.

The cabo pockets are 3 tortillas that are stuffed with cheese and a piece of chicken, it isn’t shredded or cubed like most places an actual piece of chicken breast. I assume this is marinated in some kind of lime and seasoning, but I do not know for sure, but the chicken often has this fresh lime taste to it. The tortillas are then put on the flat griddle and toasted up a bit to melt the cheese. But the crowning jewel to this meal is the cabo sauce; which comes on the side. And I have found out recently is a mix of mayo and chipotle sauce; I love this sauce so much I was trying to make it at home and I can not come close to getting the same sauce. Also with each order you get a side a fries, and you get all of this for $7.

There is something to be said for a dish that is so simple but has all these components that meld so well together, the melted cheese, perfectly cooked tender chicken & then you add the cabo sauce it is just one perfect bite. To me this is one of the best things on their menu and if you go there you need to get it at least once.

My mother ordered her favorite thing on the menu which is their veggie sub and added American cheese.

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The veggie sub comes with a mixture of cucumbers, red bell peppers, lettuce, olives, tomatoes & onions on a sub roll. You can add cheese if you prefer which she does. We always joke that it is a salad with some bread, because you end up needing a fork to finish it off. As you can see from the picture they are quite generous with their portions, so you are truly getting your monies worth when eating here, this sandwich is $6.79. The ingredients are always fresh and just work so well together.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a great local lunch spot, like I said this is just a snippet of what you can get here. The bob’s favorite & toll’s creation are two of my favorite sandwiches, they have such a large menu that you really can’t go wrong with anything. My mother likes the egg salad sandwich and the grilled ham & cheese. Oh and their soda sizes are not for wimps when they say large it is large which is great if you want to take a soda back to the office that will last you through the afternoon. Be sure to check them out if your in their neck of the woods you won’t be disappointed.

Coconuts Beach Bar & Mexican Grill

Town Square

6605 Las Vegas Blvd South

Las Vegas, NV 89119

702-675-6000

I was at Town Square the other night and we were looking for something to eat that was on the lighter side and if possible something different, when I saw the sign for Coconuts Beach Bar & Mexican Grill. Before making our decision to eat here we decided to check out the menu first before going in just to be sure there was something on the menu that sounded appetizing. The prices didn’t seem too bad ranging from $8 – $16 depending on the the entree. I will fess up that I am not a huge fan of mexican food; I have a few items that I really like and I can almost find at every restaurant, tacos or tortas, doesn’t get much simpler than that. They had a couple taco plates that looked good so we decided to give this place a shot.

We were greeted quickly and seated immediately; which I can see why there was only 4 parties excluding us in the main dining area, and this was around 6pm I would say on a Wednesday. I guess the emptiness should’ve been a sign. The dress code was certainly on the casual side which fits with the beach theme, the girls were in short shorts wearing tank tops & bikini tops this dress code showed off the hostess’s lower back piercing so they obviously go for the fun & casual dress at work. The male waiters were wearing life guard themed outfits white tanks that said coconuts and red swim trunks. The decor was cheesy beach cabana. The place felt like a dive bar to be honest, but maybe that is what they want it to feel like, considering at night this place turns into a club with dancing, drinking and partying.

On to the food we pretty much knew what we wanted when we walked in since we had been debating the menu outside. The waiter came over shortly after we had been seated took our drink order and then came back for our food order. We went with the grilled fish tacos and the al pastor tacos. While we were waiting for our food we wondered if we got chips and salsa with our meals like most mexican restaurants and that would be no, you have to order this as an appetizer which I found out was $5, on the menu it does not say unlimited and the basket was about average from what I could tell at the neighboring table.

First up the fish tacos:

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To our surprise both of our dishes came with rice and beans, since the menu didn’t list that they came with anything so we were only expecting the tacos. The grilled fish tacos are grilled mahi-mahi with baja slaw topped with cabo sauce & their 3 cheese blend on a flour tortilla. This was a really nice taco, not greasy and the fish was cooked perfectly. The spicy cabo sauce was a nice element and really blended well. I wasn’t sure what the difference between baja slaw and normal slaw because it tasted like normal slaw to me nothing special. Over all I liked this taco it wasn’t the best fish taco I ever ate but it wasn’t the worst either.

Next up the al pastor tacos:

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The al pastor tacos is roasted pork with a Achiote marinade on corn tortillas, since I am not a fan of corn tortillas I asked for them to be made with flour which they did for me. I did not expect pineapple on top since it wasn’t listed but due to a conversation with a friend she had mentioned to me a couple days beforehand that al pastor comes with pineapple normally. You can see from the photo that they were a little greasy from what I can assume was the marinade. I am on the fence with this taco dish, first off my food was luke warm it really could’ve been a lot hotter so this was a disappointment. These are not a spicy pork despite their orange coloring, most of the time this eludes to spicy. There wasn’t a lot of flavor actually to the taco most of what flavor I recognized was from the pineapple. Which you wouldn’t think would be good; kind of like pineapple on pizza, but it did work well with the pork. Overall it was just a taco not bad but not fantastic either kind of right down the middle, if someone gave me a free one I would still eat it but I wouldn’t crave it. I didn’t care for the rice & beans that came with my dish, the rice was bland and the beans were a weird texture almost like they had started to mash them up to make refried beans but changed their mind, and actually they were on the watery side.

I would say that being in town square there are a lot of other choices which I think you would enjoy more than this. I would not go out of my way to come here again, even though together our total bill was $23 without tip; the waiter did not add our drinks on to the bill which was just a soda & ice tea. I am not sure if it was an oversight or he was just being nice. The service was so so we waited a bit for our food but the waiter did check on us a couple times throughout the meal which is good. So for the price it was fine especially since we had the surprise rice and beans, but I know the next time I am in Town Square this place will be last on my list for food. Especially when as we walked around we both said that we should’ve gone to Tommy Bahama or Brio instead as we walked past them. Also afterwords I mentioned to a friend I went there and the first thing she asked me was why? I guess that sums up this place, and since this use to be a place called Lolitas I can honestly say it wouldn’t shock me if it became something else in the future.

B.A.R

7260 South Cimarron Road

Las Vegas, NV 89113

(702) 685-2058

If you are looking for a good local place to kick back and have a drink with some friends this is the place to go, you wont be disappointed. I have had the pleasure to eat here at B.A.R = Born And Raised on a couple different occasions, and I know I will be back. This is a lovely place owned by locals and for locals and when you walk it you know this is a bar for locals and the food is delicious.

On my last trip here we had the Chicken Parm (left) sliders & Monte Cristo Sliders (right).

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My friend and I gave each other one of ours so that we could taste them and both slider orders came with french fries, you can get onion rings or sweet potato tots for an upcharge. I’ll start with the Chicken Parm that she gave me to try, this was really good it was a parmesan encrusted chicken breast smothered in tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese & basil. This was the perfect combination and I would go back and order this as my meal. The flavors melded really well together into a perfect little bite.

I ordered the Monte Cristo which is turkey, ham & swiss cheese on texas toast dipped into batter and pan fried. It is then drizzled with maple syrup & powdered sugar. It was like having lunch and breakfast all in the same meal. I will definitely have this one again and I will take them up on their offer of some maple syrup on the side to dip it into. Because i will admit that it needed that extra bite of sweetness. Also I will say that I didn’t taste the cheese that much I think it was lost in everything else, but it didn’t hurt the overall appeal and taste of the dish.

I can’t talk about a bar and not show you at least one picture of a cocktail. I ordered a gin & tonic, which I have to say is one of the best ones I have had in the valley. It was the perfect balance so the bartender knows how to pour. My friend had a vodka water and she said the same thing that it was a perfect mix and a great way to end our day of moving.

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The do have a happy hour which I have not attended but it runs Monday – Friday 4pm – 7pm & 3am – 6am; they have drink specials and food specials ranging from $1 beer to $5 appetizers.

My only critique about this place was during this visit our waitress was a little aloof, I am not sure if it was because we were getting more food than drinks but it did put me off. But luckily my first visit there the waitress was on point so I am going to chop it up to just a busy day for them.

Bread and Butter

10940 S. Eastern Ave.
Henderson, NV 89057

(702) 675-3000

Website: http://www.breadandbutterlv.com

I have to admit from the outside I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we pulled into the small, cramped older shopping center. It really wasn’t much from the outside and if you aren’t paying attention you could easily miss it. The interior decor was a little bland with a creamy tan paint all over. They did have little nick knacks around the place to kinda break up the paint but over all it was just ok, it needed something and I am not sure what that something was.

They had a few tables set up outside which was great especially on our nice spring days here in the valley and because the inside was crowded so it allowed there to be enough seating for everyone. I would definitely suggest going early if you are going for lunch, we got there a little before 11:30 and the line was almost out the door. It did move quickly so that says something about the service, the staff was friendly and they were moving through the guests in line seeing if anyone needed help with just pastries or bread to keep the line moving.

Now on to the food I had the egg, ham & cheese waffle sandwich with a rosemary béchamel sauce on top.

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This was so yummy and very rich, the eggs and ham paired very well with the waffles and béchamel. This rosemary béchamel sauce was absolutely the star of the show on the plate. The only downside was the sauce could’ve been hotter. It was luke warm once it got to me, so it quickly became cold which I didn’t really like but truthfully powered through because the flavors were all there. I think this would be a great dish to share with someone, because it has two giant waffles a hearty helping of eggs, ham and cheese. Then after sharing you could get one of their delicious pastries. The sharing of course takes away calories so the pastries will be less guilty. I unfortunately did not have any of them even though they looked just divine. I was just so full on this sandwich and I didn’t even finish all of it.

My mother had the BLT grilled cheese with a side salad. I unfortunately did not try this sandwich because of the tomatoes (I am allergic), but my mother said it was delicious, the fresh tomatoes, sun dried red peppers and fresh greens all combined with melted cheese. She was pleasantly surprised that she got a side salad with her sandwich, because originally she debated on getting a salad. But she did say that side salad was a little heavy on the oil, next time she would order the dressing on the side. The table next to us did have a table full of salads and they all looked delicious.

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The downside to this place being so busy when we got there it did make the wait for our food was a bit long. Especially for a lunch break from work. I think it is possibly the reason my sauce wasn’t hotter when it got to me maybe it could have been sitting waiting to be delivered. I am not sure if this is the reason or if it just wanted heated up all the way. As much as I dislike slow service I can understand that there is only so much they can do when they have a restaurant full of hungry people.

I would definitely say if you are in the neighborhood or just looking for a change to make the trek to Anthem and give this place a try. Just don’t be shocked if you you walk in and are greeted with a line, it will move quickly and it will be worth the wait.

Blurred Lines of Sanity

A Blog About Life, Love, Food & Everything Else

restaurants

Tacos El Gordo

Weiss Deli & Bakery

Hash House A Go Go

Settebello Pizzeria

Spicy Tuna Sushi

Yard House

Bob’s Eastside Deli

Coconuts Beach Bar & Mexican Grill

B.A.R

Bread and Butter