Flashback Friday: PUBLICUS

Healthy and delicious food is sometimes contradictory.  So many places promote wellness and health and actually don't know how to make whole foods taste good.  Publicus in downtown Las Vegas is one of those places that gets healthy and delicious right.  Their daily changing specials and whatever they have on the counter (it could be a quinoa and roasted vegetable salad or an open faced toasted sourdough with cherry tomatoes cheese) is always fresh and flavorful.  It has become a regular weekend place for us in Vegas that when we do go, the manager already knows what the kids want to eat.  I've had a delicious spicy black rice and poached egg bowl with pickled ginger, a simple sourdough and avocado toast and filling brunch plates on the weekends.

Coffee is fantastic (none of those cappuccinos being served in gigantic cups that then makes the ratio of espresso and milk all wrong).  Plus, Publicus is a really nice place to hang out and get a bite or a coffee during the day, be surrounded by mostly locals and feel so far away from the lights, bling and tourists of the Strip.  When you're done, head over to the newish Downtown Container Park - a complex of restaurants and shops made of colorfully painted shipping containers with a large playground deck in the middle for the kids to run around in.

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Publicus

1126 Fremont Street, Las Vegas Nevada 89101

Tel: +1 702 331 5500

Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WENDY'S NOODLE CAFE

In every trip we've made to Las Vegas over the last ten years, we always end up satisfying our cravings for authentic Asian cuisine while we lived in Marbella, Bali and now Puerto Rico.  This trip was no different and we ate several times at the brightly-lit Wendy's Noodle Cafe.  With it's not-too-Chinese interiors and modern take on classic Chinese dishes, Wendy's is often packed and since it's open all-day everyday, one can walk in at noon on a weekday and get a fresh-cooked Chinese meal quickly.

For dinner, we had some of the Asian tapas ($4.95) - salt and pepper shrimp and grilled chicken wings followed by clams in chili black bean sauce from the daily specials, half roast duck and oyster omelet from the chef's specials, stir-fried needle noodles with shrimp from the extensive noodle menu and a spicy Tom Yum prawn fried rice.  For an early lunch another day, we had the golden fried oysters and two rice plates - hammered chicken and beef short rib which both came with steamed rice, plus a stir-fried Chinese broccoli.  Both times, the food was fresh, hot and flavorful and the prices are so reasonable that there's no reason not to come back.

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Wendy's Noodle Cafe

3401 South Jones Boulevard

Las Vegas 89146

Telephone: +1 702 889 3288

*Open daily all-day from 11:00 to late

BACHI BURGER

Another Vegas discovery from over the Christmas holidays was bachi burger.  Although open for quite some time now, it was only on our last visit that I was able to try the Asian-inspired menu at bachi burger.  We went for dinner on a weekday night and the place was packed with a half hour wait so we sat patiently with everyone else and were seated under 30 minutes.  The menu has Asian-inspired appetizers (bachi pickles, chili fried chicken, crispy onion rings and flavored organic edamame: steamed with sea salt, stir-fried with garlic and chili, sauteed with garlic butter and truffle oil) followed by a couple of Steamed Bao Sandwiches (duck or pork belly), some standard salads and finally, more than a dozen beef burgers plus several non-beef burgers along with lots of sides (flavored french fries - garlic, truffle or Parmesan, shrimp chips and sweet potato fries).

What makes bachi burgers different?  Well, all bachi burgers are 100% all-natural Angus chuck or Wagyu from Morgan Ranch or Washugyu Beef, buns are fresh baked Taiwanese style sweet bread and sauces and aioli are original recipes (aioli, pineapple ketchup, Porcini cream sauce).  They also have an extensive selection of milkshakes and Asian style iced teas and Boba milk teas.

We all shared some crispy onion rings to start along with Jalapeno flavored french fries.  J had the kid's bachi burger ($9) which came with fruit and fries.  C had the signature Kiki's Burger ($10) which was an Angus beef patty with several types of mushrooms,  caramelized bacon and sweet onion marmalade, Gruyere and aioli and I had Miyagi-San's grass fed Wagyu burger ($13) which came with chili mayo, fried egg, furikake, caramelized bacon and crispy onion rings.  R shared with both C and myself as the burgers are quite big.  The burgers lived up to their char grilled reputation (the word bachi comes from hibachi which is the traditional Japanese coal-fried grill which gives the burgers that special smoky flavor) and the sides were hot and crispy.  For dessert, we all shared the Portuguese donuts - deep fried cinnamon sugar coated munchkins which were okay but would have been better with something tart (like a lemon curd) to eat them with instead of the coffee gelato and the service could have been better.  Coffee was a mug of dark Organic free trade Sumatra (available Vietnamese-style hot or iced as well).  A nice end to a tasty dinner.

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bachi burger

9410 W Sahara Ave, Ste 150

Las Vegas, NV 89117

Telephone: +1 702 255 3055

*Open daily from 12 noon to 11:00 p.m. 

*Another branch at 470 E Windmill Lane, #100, Las Vegas - Tel: (702) 242 2244 

HONEY SALT

It's taken a while for me to post one of my best meals in Las Vegas over Christmas.  Honey Salt  opened in late 2012 and is owned by an impressive bunch of people who have worked in the Vegas food industry for many years.  It's location in bourgeois Summerlin is perfect - lots of parking, a sunny outdoor seating and a large airy indoor space that totally fits with the local residents casual chic style.

We went for lunch on a Thursday (booked via Open Table) and walked into a full restaurant filled mostly with Vegas locals including food aficionado John Curtas of Eating Las Vegas and Luis who owns nearby coffee hot spot Sambalatte in Boca Park.  We were seated immediately and given menus.  Before we ordered, I looked around and admired the touches that only real professionals knew how to create - the brown paper place mats stamped with the Honey Salt logo, the kitchen towel extra large linen napkin, salt and pepper grinders and a basket of crispy lavash with a spicy dip that was served as soon as we sat down.  The lunch menus have quite a selection: some starters, half a dozen salads, a few family favorites, several sandwiches and pizzas. We all chose something different from the menu so we could all taste each other's food.  One sister had the Tuscan Cannelini bean soup ($7) - a large bowl of chunky soup filled with beans, tomatoes and kale and served with a cheesy Parmesan baguette.  Another sister had the Backyard Favorite Burger ($13) with tomato jam, a butter pickle and french fries.  I went for a starter the calamari and shisito New England Fry-Up ($14) which they now do with clams as well, which was hot and crispy and served with a tangy lemon aioli.  J, the only child in the group, opted for the biggest main course - the 12oz. Cedar River Farm NY Strip ($31) (which is no longer on the lunch menu but only on the dinner one), which was a perfectly seared pepper crusted hunk of meat which came with yogurt creamed spinach, crispy hot fries and a perfectly tart Bearnaise, which he polished off on his own.  Service was seamless and it was a joy to see the waitstaff and managers all working together as a team and walking the floor often to check that all was well with all the tables.

We were pretty full already but as the food was so good, we couldn't resist sharing two desserts (all $9): the triple layer cake - a humongous wedge of alternating layers of caramel swirled vanilla, chocolate fudge and a chocolate ganache in between topped with a vanilla butter cream frosting and the warm bread pudding with bourbon toffee sauce and and the signature honey & salt whipped cream.  I had two bites of each then proceeded to down my excellent espresso.  It was a superb lunch in an off-strip restaurant that knew what it was doing.  Honey Salt is the way to go for Vegas.  Finally, there are restaurants off-strip offering good food, great service and creating a local vibe. Honey Salt also serves brunch  on weekends, an extended menu for dinner, an afternoon menu and even a kid's menu.  Didn't I tell you they knew what they were doing?
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Honey Salt
Rampart Commons
1031 S. Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas NV 89145
Telephone: +1 702 445 6100
*Bookings via Open Table
*Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Brunch menu on weekends.

LE THAI

Another addition to the downtown Las Vegas scene is the small restaurant, Le Thai.  Don't expect Thai food like what you get at Vegas' famous Lotus of Siam, but what Le Thai lacks in spice, it makes up for in style. The restaurant is small with a glassed-in kitchen to the left, a bar to the right and a few tables in the main room.  Further out back are several more tables and a long counter which is where we had our lunch.

There is an $8.95 set lunch menu served Monday to Saturday with a selection of dishes from the main menu mostly curries and stir-fries which come with soda.  From the main menu, there are several more dishes from appetizers, soups, salads and noodle dishes that are also larger in portion than the lunch menu and can be shared family-style.

My sisters opted for the lunch menu - the pork Pad Prik (spicy red curry based dry stir-fry) for one and the minced chicken Ga Pow (basil, chili, garlic stir fry) for the other.  My mom and my sister's MIL shared the lunch bowl of vegetable stir-fry with shrimp.  I opted for a non-lunch menu dish - Thai pork jerky for all of us to share plus the Thai beef fried rice and aside order of cucumber salad.  Spice levels are from 1-5,  my sisters chose 2 and so did I.

The food came quickly - large steaming bowls of goodness.  The fried rice had that smoky wok flavor complemented by the fresh cilantro and the pork jerky was hot and crispy and came with the standard sticky rice to make bites with the pork and fish sauce dip.  The food was good but I wish I had asked for a notch up in spice level as my fried rice was more sweet than spicy.  Next time I'm going for level 4.  Hopefully, the next time I'm in Vegas, there'll be a few more additions to the downtown dining scene but for now, Le Thai is where to go for a quick satisfying bowl of Thai goodness.

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Le Thai

523 Fremont Street

Las Vegas NV 89101

Telephone: +1 702 777 0888

email: info@lethaivegas.com

*Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11:30 straight till midnight.  Closed on Sundays.

EAT.

Downtown Las Vegas is experiencing a renaissance with the investments of Zappos.com founder Tony Hsieh who has started to buy up property all over downtown and turn it into a hip area of Las Vegas.  One of those he helped out was the restaurant eat. and ex-casino-chef Natalie Young.

Located on the corner of Carson and 7th in a nondescript building, eat opened in late 2012 and is now a bustling restaurant serving breakfast and lunch every day and closing in the early afternoon.  The place is simply decorated with red Navy chairs, a polished concrete floor, a communal counter table and colorful pieces of wood taken from food crates to make a low wall near the entry way.

We went for Sunday brunch on the last weekend of 2012 and walked into a packed restaurant with a live jazz band and singer helping make eat. extra cozy.  The breakfast menu is printed on one sheet of paper and changes over to the lunch menu at 11:00 a.m.  We started out with mugs of freshly-brewed coffee then ordered four different breakfasts - eggs benedict for me, steel cut oats for R, shrimp and grits for J and the chicken fried steak for C.  My eggs Benedict came on whole wheat bread with ham and crispy breakfast potatoes, the shrimp and grits was a large bowl of eggs, bacon and shrimp over grits, the chicken fried steak was a large piece of battered steak covered in gravy with fried eggs and the steel cut oats was served with cinnamon, roasted apples and sugared pecans.  Portions were hefty and the food was comfort on a plate.  eat is what Las Vegas has been missing and might be what will soon end up to be a hipster area in a town dominated by the bright lights of the Strip.  With the development of downtown and the opening of several other small cafes, bars and restaurants in the are, this will soon make Las Vegas a real city with a proper hipster neighborhood for the locals.

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eat.
707 Carson St. (at 7th avenue)
Las Vegas NV 89101
Telephone: +1 702 534 1515
email: info@eatdowntownlv.com
twitter: @eatDTLV
*Open Mondays to Fridays from 7 to 3 and Weekends from 8 to 2.  Serves breakfast and lunch daily.

THE BEST OF 2012

It's taken a few weeks to get this blog post together but it's finally here - my annual best of 2012.  The first two were unique and fantastic in every way.  The next three are the best of Puerto Rico followed by the three best in Las Vegas and finally, the two best casual eats, one from a food truck here in Dorado and another from a beach shack in Anguilla.  All in all, 10 of my most memorable meals of the year.  Enjoy and I look forward to more new restaurant discoveries in 2013!

BEST OF THE BEST

Pubbelly (Miami)

A mid-year find on a long weekend mini-break to Miami.  Pubbelly is a gastronomic casual restaurant created by three partners - two Puerto Ricans and one Spanish, which has taken Miami by storm.  After this first foray, they have created four other successful casual eateries - Pubbelly Sushi for modern sushi, Barceloneta for Spanish tapas, Macchialina, an Italian salumeria and trattoria and about a week ago, PB Steak.  These boys have got their concepts down and manage to create a casual atmosphere loved by locals and still serve amazing food.  The menu at Pubbelly is mostly Asian-inspired but there were a few Spanish-influenced tapas as well.  Here's what we had in July.

ABC Kitchen (New York)

Another memorable summer meal was at ABC Kitchen located in the fantastic ABC Carpet & Home. Just over a year old and promoting local and organic ingredients, this was pared down comfort food that was all about the ingredients - assorted lukewarm roasted beets tossed in yoghurt, slices of heirloom tomato with just a sprinkling of salt on crusty bread, just-picked tiny radishes with cold sweet butter and bread - everything was delicious!  The service was friendly, the place casual and the menu so enticing that I can't wait to go back. 

BEST IN PUERTO RICO

Santaella

This was our first dinner out in San Juan, right after we moved to Puerto Rico in March and has remained a favorite since.  Santaella manages to serve a modern take on Puerto Rican cuisine in an unfussy location near the Plaza del Mercado.  Food is good, service is friendly and the place is always packed with locals - what more can one ask for?

Blonda

A recent addition to the Condado scene, Blonda is another casual restaurant that knows what it's doing - simple food in great location with probably, the best brunch in San Juan.  There's valet parking, bookings taken on Open Table and good food in a light-filled space.

Compostela

For classic Spanish fare, there is no place better than Compostela - the interiors are modern but nothing special, come here for the food and the excellent selection of wines.  Every meal we've had here has been exceptional - the menu authentic, the ingredients fresh, the presentation simple, the service efficient and the experience always delicious.   

BEST IN LAS VEGAS

Sambalatte

The best coffee in Las Vegas.  Ever since they opened in 2011, they have been the only place in Las Vegas for proper coffee in all forms and shapes, from espresso to flat white, from cappuccino to mocha, from pour over brewed coffee to Aero Pres,  from granita to affogato - they have proper coffee making and presentation figured out.  I never skip my Sambalatte morning cappuccino when I'm in Vegas and always stop by to say hello to the friendly owner, Luis.

Kabuto

Located in the same nondescript mall as other cult Japanese restaurants, Raku and Monta, Kabuto is a tiny restaurant with just three tables and an adequate sushi counter where the edomae sushi (Tokyo style super fresh sushi) is presented nightly using only the freshest fish and seafood and served slowly, one by one to be enjoyed.  This is the way sushi and sashimi should always be - no tricks, no mayonnaise, no fancy rolls - just fresh fish, perfectly seasoned vinegar rice, crisp seaweed, a tiny dot of wasabi and a dash of premium soy sauce.

Honey Salt

In the same area as Sambalatte, Honey Salt is so new that I haven't even blogged about my lunch there yet (post coming soon) but, believe me, this is the restaurant future for Las Vegas - trained chefs and experienced food and beverage operators band together to create their own restaurant concept.  Honey Salt is homey and the farm to table food is very good, but best of all, the minute one walks in, one can sense that the people behind the scenes know what they're doing from the logos, table settings, decor, menus and seamless service that there really is no longer a need to dine well just in a fancy Vegas hotel. Here's to a burgeoning trendy off-strip restaurant scene in Las Vegas!

BEST STREET/BEACH FOOD

Blanchards Beach Shack
If ever I open another restaurant, this is what I want it to be - simple food, a great outdoor setting and casual atmosphere.  Blanchards on the beautiful Mead's Bay beach in Anguilla is probably the best beach shack restaurant concept I've ever eaten in and for someone who's lived on several islands, that's the highest compliment ever.  Food is simple, containers are recycled, service is quick, prices and reasonable.  Blanchards Beach Shack gives fast food a great reputation.

NanoBox
Last but not least, is this Dorado food truck run by two brothers passionate about food and serving their modern version of Puerto Rican street food.  It's a great way to taste what the island has to offer and although their menu is limited, what they serve is pretty good so it's worth it to stop by for a snack on the weekend when this shiny white brand new food truck is parked just behind the Walgreen's in Dorado.
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Listed by location, in alphabetical order:

Anguilla - Blanchards Beach Shack

Las Vegas -
Honey Salt
Kabuto
Sambalatte

Miami - Pubbelly

New York - ABC Kitchen

Puerto Rico -
Blonda
Compostela
NanoBox
Santaella

KABUTO

Every year I visit Las Vegas, a new tiny off-the-strip Japanese restaurant opens in the same nondescript Chinatown mall.  First was Raku - robatayaki (grilled skewers) and classic Japanese cuisine, then came Monta - classic ramen (noodles) and now, Kabuto - omakase (Japanese for "I'll leave it to you") which basically means it's a surprise meal created by the chef right then and there.  It's a Japanese culinary adventure and one that I highly recommend to lovers of Japanese food.

Kabuto is small with just ten seats at the bar, two tables of four and only two set menus to choose from: the $48 nigiri menu (10 pieces of sushi) or the $80 omakase menu (sashimi, miso soup, six pieces of nigiri and a grilled item).  It is Japanese minimalism at its' best.  Interiors are blond wood with the only color coming from the numerous chunks of fresh fish displayed in a glass-topped box ready to be sliced and served. There is no sushi refrigerator case on top of the bar to destroy the aesthetic and further proof that this meal is all about fresh fish, straight from the box, placed on top of warm vinegared rice and set in front of you like a piece of jewelry meant to be admired for a second then eaten immediately.

The three of us (my brother-in-law C, my ten-year old son J and myself) settled into our highly-coveted bar seats and chose - omakase for C & I and the nigiri for J, his first all-sushi surprise meal.  All they asked was if we were allergic to anything and just like that one of the best meals I have ever eaten began .  First up was a tiny shot glass of cold mango-flavored sake served with a tiny salad of sliced cucumbers, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms and clams.  This was followed by the sashimi course, two types of expertly-sliced fresh fish and slice giant clams with a tiny bit of fresh wasabi and some of their aged artisan shoyu on the side.  Next came the grilled course: vegetables wrapped in a thin-slice of beef tataki (raw beef seared on the edges), miso-topped white fish and salmon.  Assorted nigiri came next, individually prepared and set on a granite plate one by one: masaba (Japanese mackerel), katsuo (bonito) and suzuki (sea bass).  Then came a tiny portion of rice topped with ikura (salmon roe), a freshly-made warm rectangle of branded tamago (a Japanese puffy omelet traditionally served plain or over rice) and a freshly-grilled anago (sea eel).  Before our next course of a hand-roll was served, we were asked by the chef if we wanted some more nigiri a la carte.  How could we refuse?  We each had the uni (sea urchin), freshly-flown in from Hokkaido and coming in a lined wooden box like chocolate truffles - four petals of orange sea urchin over a dollop of rice and a tiny dot of wasabi - heaven!  We also each had the suzuki (sea bass), the kamashita toro (fatty tuna), the harasu (trout belly) and my favorite, the o-toro (premium fatty tuna).  (No guilt as it was all good cholesterol)  The hand-roll came next - chu-toro (medium fatty tuna) rolled with rice in a crisp square of nori (dried paper-thin seaweed) just like a cigar and not in the usual cone-shape.  Fresh miso soup was offered next, either with fish bones or with tofu and seaweed and finally dessert: house-made mango sorbet topped with gold leaf for me, the multi-layered strawberry crepe cake for J and the mochi trio for C along with some piping hot green tea and it was all over.  It was one of those dinners that leaves one both sated and craving for more, the way gastronomic meals are meant to be.  Kabuto definitely goes straight onto my list of Las Vegas musts.

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Kabuto, Edomae Sushi

5040 W. Spring Mountain Road, #4

Las Vegas, Nevada

Tel: +1 702 676 1044

*Open Mondays to Saturdays for dinner from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.

D.O.C.G. ENOTECA

D.O.C.G. comes from Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, a label for the highest level of Italian wine origin and the name of Scott Conant's casual Las Vegas restaurant.  The restaurant is casual yet modern with exposed brick walls and a long bar on one side of the room.  The menu is classic trattoria fare with antipasti, salads, pizza, fresh pasta, share plates and mostly meat on the grill and an assortment of side dishes.  We were four for dinner on a weeknight and arrived early before the place filled up.

For starters, we ordered two to share: grilled octopus with chickpeas, tomatoes and basil plus the pork croquette, pig's feet stuffed in mashed potatoes and deep-fried.  The pork croquette was crispy and gooey but a bit bland and could have done with a spicy sauce but the octopus was delicious - grilled firm but not chewy octopus over warm seasoned chickpeas.  Our next course was their signature D.O.C.G. pizza of Fonduta, egg and truffles which was a disappointment.  What could have been a fantastic pizza with the classic combination of egg and truffle was a letdown because it was served lukewarm. so when they cracked the raw egg over the pizza, it didn't really cook and just made the pizza less warm.

Things got way better though with the fresh pastas.  We had the maccheroni with polpettine and home-style sugo and the cavatelli with sausage and Porcini mushrooms.  The maccheroni was al dente.  The sugo, a fantastic simple tomato sauce with meaty meatballs.  The cavatelli was also al dente and the rich and chunky sausage mushroom mix was rustic and delicious.  We also shared a salad of arugula with thinly sliced pears, Gorgonzola and pine nuts in a classic Balsamic vinaigrette along with a grilled rib-eye which was also a hit - perfectly seared and seasoned, charred on the outside, yet rare in the center that came with a towering side dish of hot crispy Tuscan fries tossed in Parmigiano and garlic.  Pastas and meat on the grill is what you should go for at D.O.C.G.

To end the meal, we shared one dessert - three scoops of gelato with four spoons so we could each have a bite. There was chocolate, hazelnut and pistachio and all three were a real letdown - creamy but with not enough flavor to differentiate one from the other.  Good thing that the espresso was a perfect shot of bitter coffee to finish the dinner. All in all a good experience and I would definitely go back for a bowl of fresh pasta and a glass of wine any day.

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D.O.C.G. Enoteca

at the Cosmopolitan Resort

3078 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, Nevada

Tel: +1 702 698 7920

*Open daily for dinner from 5:30 to 10:30p.m.

LAS VEGAS EATS

Here are several restaurants in Las Vegas which give you bang for your buck.  Some are great for breakfast or brunch, while others are best for lunch and most are good for a simple dinner.  Keep in mind that these restaurants are off-the-strip and won't be flashy, over-designed or expensive.  What they will have is friendly service, a local following and good food.  I've arranged them below in alphabetical order and not in order of preference.

Food Express

I had already written about Food Express in 2007 in a blog post on Restaurants off-the-strip but I thought I'd include it once again on my list as the place has undergone a slight renovation, not fancier but cleaner, and reopened recently after shutting down in early 2009 for several months.  It used to be our go-to Chinese takeaway as it was so close to my sister's house that we could order food, pick it up and get it home and it would still be piping hot.  The food hasn't changed and the menu is still varied with soups, starters, seafood and fresh from the tank fish, poultry, pork and beef, noodles and rice and even clay pot and sizzling plate dishes.

We always order the same things but this time we had a Peking duck, served two ways: first with the skin rolled in pancakes (they usually serve them in steamed buns but we asked for it Beijing/Hong Kong style with pancakes that they also use for the moo-shu pork) and the second way with the duck meat shredded into fried rice.  We also had a fresh whole flounder steamed with ginger and spring onion, two vegetables: spicy green beans with ground pork and the stir-fried ong choy (water spinach) with garlic, the spicy kung-pao chicken with dried chilies and peanuts, and creamy chicken and corn soup.  Service was friendly, food came quickly and was very good and best of all, we spent about $15 per person (we were five adults and four kids under 11) and still had leftovers to take home.

Grimaldi's

Founded in Brooklyn over a hundred years ago and well-known for its' traditional NY-style thin-crust pizza makes Grimaldi's good reputation.  From the water they use for the dough, to the standard coal-brick ovens they use, Grimaldi's has standardized and perfected pizza making to a fine art.  It had been a while since I had a really good pizza so I was looking forward to our pizza lunch.   The pizzas come in three sizes: personal, small and large and in three versions: classic tomato sauce and mozzarella, white (meaning no tomato sauce) with garlic, and a pesto version.

We ordered three personal pizzas (as it's the crispiest of the three crusts since it's the smallest size) - a pizza margherita with just mozzarella and tomato sauce, another topped with pepperoni  and a third white pizza and garlic topped with ham.  Unfortunately, it wasn't our day as the trainee waiter had bungled up our orders and given us three small-sized pizzas and also got our white pizza order wrong since he gave us a regular tomato sauce and mozzarella pizza with ham.  The kids were hungry so we accepted the plain margherita and the pepperoni pizzas but we asked them to exchange the ham pizza to the original white pizza with ham we had ordered.  The manager was kind enough to do all the changes and bring us a new white pizza while allowing us to take home the wrong pizza along with all the leftovers we had because of the wrong sizes.  We chalked it up to a Friday the 13th lunch fiasco.  Despite it all, the pizza was as promised - thin crust crispy and not overloaded and soggy with ingredients.  Several days later, we ordered from the Grimaldi's Summerlin branch which got our takeaway order right.

Honey Pig

We usually sneak in a Korean barbecue dinner when we're in Vegas and we usually end up at our favorite, Korean Garden.  This time around, we went to Honey Pig which was listed in Saveur magazine's March issue as being the favorite of chef Rick Moonen. We were skeptical about a restaurant suggestion from a chef known for his fish but decided to give it a try anyway and good thing we did.  Honey Pig is a no-frills Korean barbecue joint with a round grill in the middle of the table where several types of thinly-sliced meat - beef and pork - are slammed on the grill surrounded by a mound of spicy bean sprouts and kimchi.  We had beef short-ribs, beef bulgogi and paper-thin slices of pork belly sizzling on the super-hot grill one at a time along with several small dishes of traditional Korean banchan -pickled vegetables to accompany the different grilled meats.  A great new discovery and fun for a family-style meal.  Just be ready to smell smoked from head-to-toe afterwards.

Jamms

On every trip to Las Vegas over the years, I make my sisters take me to a "new" breakfast place - sometimes they're actually brand-spanking new but usually, they're just new because none of us have been there.  This time around, that place was Jamms.  We walked in on a not-so-busy Saturday morning just after the early breakfast rush and went straight to the counter for a quick meal.  We each had a classic breakfast - sunny-side up eggs, hash browns and sausages for my sister and the waffle with a side of crispy bacon for me. Amazingly, their coffee is fresh-brewed illy (a first for this type of diner restaurant) or French-press illy which already puts this in my good books.  Service is quick and efficient and tables turn quickly so get ready to eat and go, even if they don't rush you, as you will see the line snaking out the door.  On another morning, we went back and I had the bacon and eggs with crispy hash browns while my sister had the buttermilk pancakes.  Breakfast is as you expect and the portions are good but not over-the-top.  Their specialty is fresh-baked pot of bread which comes either plain (sort of like a brioche) or in the daily fruit flavor like cinnamon raisin or peach. They also have sandwiches, salads, paninis and burgers for the lunch crowd but breakfast is served all-day long so it's perfect for brunch as well.

Lotus of Siam

Lotus of Siam isn't a new addition but an old favorite as it was listed as the best Thai restaurant in the U.S.  I've been several times but thought I'd include it anyway since it's a great place for lunch.  They have a daily lunch buffet which is a bargain and a good way to sample Thai food if it;s your first time.  I prefer the a la carte lunch as I get to have my favorites all in one meal: mee krob (sweet and spicy crispy fried noodles with prawns), something in red curry - duck or beef, Thai fried rice and the crispy deep-fried garlic prawns.   They also have fantastic Northern-Thai specialty dishes and Thai-style barbecued meats.  There's something for everyone at Lotus of Siam and the good thing is if you want to veer away from the typical Pad Thai then you'll be spoilt for choice plus I love to go there for lunch when it's less crowded, service is not rushed and the lunch specials are a bargain.

smashburger

Last but not least in my off-the-strip list is smashburger with its' compact menu of fun burgers in two sizes - smash and big smash.  You can create your own burger and choose everything from the bread (classic egg, multi-grain or spicy chipotle) or just a lettuce for those Atkins dieters to the cheese (American, aged Swiss, blue, goat, pepper jack and sharp Cheddar) and to a whole load of sauces and toppings.  Alternatively, you can order one of their specialty burgers (they even have veggie black-bean burgers).  In Las Vegas, they have the Sin City burger with a fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, grilled onions, haystack onions and their signature smash sauce on an egg bun. They also have all-white meat grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches, salad and an assortment of sides: french fries (classic shoestrings), smash fries (shoestrings tossed in rosemary, olive oil and garlic), sweet potato fries, sweet potato smash fries and chili cheese fries.  Shakes are made using Haagen-Dazs ice cream and there are also bottled soda floats and malts made to order.

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Food Express

2003 South Decatur Blvd.

Las Vegas NV 89102

Tel: +1 702 870 1595

*Open daily from 11:00 a.m. to midnight

Grimaldi's (several locations in Las Vegas)

7155 S Rainbow Blvd, Suite #125
Las Vegas, NV 89118
Tel: +1 702 207 6757

*Open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eat-in and takeaway

Honey Pig

4725 Spring Mountain Road

Site K (beside Big Lots)

Las Vegas, NV 89102

Tel: +1 702 876 8308

*Open 24 hours daily.

Jamms

1029 South Rainbow Boulevard

Las Vegas, NV 89145

Tel: +1 702 877 0749

*Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. serving breakfast all-day, lunch and brunch

Lotus of Siam

953 E. Sahara Ave., Suite A5

Las Vegas NV 89104

Tel: +1 702 735 3033

*Open for buffet and a la carte lunch Mondays to Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

*Open for a la carte dinner on Mondays to Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on Fridays to Sundays from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

smashburger (several locations in Las Vegas)

9101 W Sahara Ave., Ste 109

Las Vegas, NV 89117

Tel: +1 702 462 5500

*Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eat-in and takeaway

Summer holidays

It's 91F (31C) in the shade and i n a few days it'll already be July.  Those first seven months of 2012 went quickly!  It's also the start of our summer family holiday.  The kids and I are off to Miami for the weekend then two weeks in Las Vegas with a side trip to Laguna Beach to watch the legendary Fourth of July fireworks with a traditional barbeque dinner.  It'll be a busy couple of weeks then it's back to beautiful Dorado beach and getting the kids ready for school.  Have a fantastic summer and come back in a few weeks to read about my summer restaurant discoveries!

THE BEST OF 2011

My Best of the Year post takes time to complete.  I go through all the meals of the past year and make a short list of the places that really impressed me with an unforgettable meal.  It doesn't have to be a fancy restaurant, it's all about the food and the experience.

Since 2011 was a year of travel for me, there were many restaurants to choose from.  New places were discovered - Bangkok and Beijing, some revisited - Sydney and San Francisco, along with the usuals - Singapore, Las Vegas and Manila and of course I explored my island home - Bali - as well.  After much deliberation and elimination, and in no particular order, here are my best gourmet experiences of 2011.

BEST BREAKFAST

No questions about it, my best breakfast this year was at bills in Sydney's Darlinghurst.  From the fantastic flat whites to the amazing ricotta hot-cakes, the delicious sweet corn cake to the homemade oatmeal, the breakfast was amazing and the service friendly.  How I wish there was a bills near me!

BEST IN THE PHILIPPINES

Since I'm from Manila, I had to include two restaurants that really impressed me back home: Antonio's and Cafe Juanita.  Antonio's is a no-brainer and on most foodies best list.  It made the drive up to Tagaytay worth it and their fine dining and Colonial atmosphere is just the right mix of fancy and simple.  Cafe Juanita is a bit off the beaten track but also worth the drive to Pasig for home-cooked Filipino food.  This is the kind of food I crave while living abroad.  It felt like I was back at my lola's (grandmother's) house having one of those long leisurely Sunday lunches.

BEST IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Here in Bali, a restaurant that that's a favorite for local food is Cafe Degan for classic Javanese cuisine in a classic wooden joglo (wooden house).  Simple food and friendly service.  They also have half their menu dedicated to Thai dishes as the chef used to work in Thailand.  Whether you order from the Thai side of the menu or the Javanese side, you won't be disappointed.

In Singapore, where I was almost every six weeks, my cousin took me to Ippudo where we had a fantastic noodle lunch - flavorful broth, al dente ramen, chunky pork belly - everything was good.

Two new places we visited this year were Bangkok and Beijing.  In Bangkok, I had my first taste of the real flavors of Thai cuisine.  I tried many types of Thai food and enjoyed most of them but it was chef David Thompson's fine dining take on classic Thai street food at Nahm that left me with a clear idea of how sophisticated Thai food is.

In Beijing, we had the best Beijing duck (aka Peking duck) I've ever tasted at Made in China  - extra crispy non-fatty skin with either sugar for dipping (a novelty!) or the traditional Hoisin-pancake-scallion-cucumber roll.  And it wasn't just the duck, the other dishes were also outstanding and it was the best Chinese meal I'd had all year.

BEST IN THE AMERICAS

In the Americas, we start down South where we made our usual pilgrimage to Buenos Aires and where surprisingly, we didn't eat at our favorite El Mirasol as often as we usually do.  Instead, we rediscovered a Recoleta classic - Munich (or as the locals call it - "el munitch") where we had dinner almost every night and never got tired of their repertoire of classic dishes - a perfectly grilled matambre (pork steak), crispy papas paille (shoestring fries), a simple green salad, the retro Chicken Maryland and Chicken Kiev plus lots of other home-style dishes from the past and the impeccable service from the white-jacketed old-timers just added to the atmosphere.

Finally to North America, first at our usual stop in Las Vegas where we had a superb tapas meal at Jaleo where it felt like we were back in Spain.  It was great to see the quality of Spanish food so lovingly recreated at chef Jose Andres' hip and happening tapas restaurant.  We also revisited our favorite city - San Francisco - so many lovely memories from past visits and so long since our last encounter in 2004.  Dinner at RN74 was impressive - cool concept, fantastic Burgundy wines, packed with a mixed crowd and best of all, the food was really good - simple classic dishes made of incredible ingredients which is what San Francisco is all about.

Last but not least, we go back to breakfast where I just have to mention the best coffee I've had all year (lots of close seconds - Sambalatte in Las Vegas, bills in Sydney and Liberica in Jakarta) but this one topped my list and made my mornings better - Blue Bottle Coffee.  The coffee was prepared with so much love and they took their time getting it right which just goes to show that after all these years, San Francisco's foodie ways haven't changed, it's only gotten better.  And with that I look forward to another year of eating and traveling.  I hope that 2012 will be as food-filled as 2011 was.  Happy Gourmet Travels!

SUSHI ROKU

Sushi Roku at the top floor of the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace, is a good place to go for untraditional sushi.  Part of a southern California restaurant group that has several dining concepts in Hollywood and Santa Monica, Suhi Roku is a modern Californian take on Japanese food.  It's a copy of Nobu but not as well-executed.  having said that, the food is okay - stick to the raw and the rolls as the cooked dishes don't really impress.

We had some interesting appetizers - the edamame hummus with wonton chips and the Kumamoto oyster with three sauces.  There was also a perfectly executed sashimi platter - maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), toro (tuna belly) and uni (sea urchin).  The shrimp-wrapped spicy tuna roll was fine and the toro temaki (hand-rolled tuna belly sushi) was as good as it gets.  The cooked dishes were not as interesting - a Jidori free-range chicken teriyaki was a grilled chicken breast (not Japanese at all as the breast meat is often dry) which should have been made with chicken thighs, the baked cod in sweet miso was just that nothing more, nothing less, and the John Dory was just sauteed fish on roasted vegetables.  On the other hand, the Jidori chicken kara-age was delicious - crispy battered chicken thigh chunks which would have been perfect had they served it with the traditional soy dip instead of the wasabi mayonnaise.  We were all done with dinner when the management offered us a couple of desserts which was an unexpected surprise.  If you're at the Forum shops, then by all means drop by Sushi Roku but remember to stick to the raw fish menu and you won't go wrong.

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Sushi Roku

at the Forum Shops, Caesars

3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas NV

Telephone: +1 702 733 7373

*Open daily for lunch and dinner

MILOS

One of the best meal deals in Las Vegas is the $20.11 prix-fixe lunch at Milos in the Cosmopolitan.  I knew Milos from when we lived in Montreal and wanted to try their new Vegas outpost and for just $20.11, how could we resist?  Milos is a fine dining Greek restaurant which specializes in simply prepared fish and seafood.  The interiors are modern and the tabletops classic - white tablecloths and thick linen napkins, simple white plates and the tables arranged around large columns.  There is also a lovely covered terrace for al fresco dining.

My mom, sister and I booked a table for 12:30 and arrived to a semi-empty restaurant.  We  had a quick look at the lunch menu and made our choices quickly.  There were a few appetizers unavailable on the menu that day (the scallops and the smoked salmon) which was disappointing as that left us with just four dishes to choose from, two of which had a supplementary charge of $10 which sort of defeats the bargain $20.11 price.  We finally settled on our three choices each.

The MILOS 2011 Lunch Menu

$20.11

Appetizer

 your choice of

Greek Meze Plate

Tarama, Tzatziki, Htipiti,

manouri cheese, olives & cherry tomatoes

-

Cambridge House Scottish Smoked Salmon

with Santorini capers

-

Scallops

with citrus and mint salad

-

Tomato Salad

Feta cheese, seasoned with Greek herbs & extra virgin olive oil

-

Grilled Octopus

Sashimi quality Mediterranean octopus, charcoal-broiled.

($10 supplementary)

-

Fresh Maryland Lump Crab Cake

with marinated gigantes beans & mustard emulsion

($10 supplementary)

Main Course

 your choice of

Lavraki

grilled Mediterranean Bass

-

Honjake Salmon

with steamed vegetables

-

Fresh Gulf Wild Shrimp Saganaki

with tomato & feta

-

Chicken Brochette

organic chicken breast on a skewer with

grilled mushrooms and onions, served over pita

-

Colorado USDA Prime Lamb Chop

french fries & asparagus

Dessert

 your choice of

Walnut Pie

with Kaimaki ice cream

-

Yogurt Martini

-

Fresh Fruits of the Season

 Absolutely no substitutions. Minimum $20.11 per person

After we ordered, a bread basket and olive oil was set down on the table.  Our appetizers were served quickly - the tomato and Feta salad for my mom, the Greek mezze plate for me and the grilled octopus for my sister.  The first two appetizers were fine but it was the grilled octopus that stood out and was well worth the extra $10 charge - simply grilled succulent octopus slices tossed in olive oil.  

By the time our main courses were served, the restaurant was already almost full.  My mom had the grilled Lavraki (Mediterranean bass) which came whole but sliced open with just lemon and olive oil, again simply grilled with the freshness of the fish making the dish special.  My sister had the tuna burger (not listed on the menu above) and was pleasantly surprised at the meatiness of the patty.  Tuna chunks mashed together and topped with shredded onions and served with crispy zucchini fries.  I chose the lamb chop (a classic Greek dish) which came with a few asparagus spears and some fat fries. The meat was deliciously charred on the outside yet tender on the inside.  I could have eaten a few more chops as one really wasn't enough.  Finally, we had one of each of the desserts (they should make at least four choices) - fresh fruit, a refreshing yogurt and berry martini and the walnut pie with Saganaki ice cream.   The food was very good and well-worth the price and a taste of what Milos has to offer.  Next time, we'll definitely do dinner.

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Estiatorio Milos

At the Cosmoplitan Hotel

3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas NV 89109

Telephone: +1 702 698 7930

*Open daily for lunch and dinner