I have been to mesquite on one other occasion but never had the opportunity to do much other work related stuff. This past week was quite different and I had a rather enjoyable time while there. As expected, I experienced 4 nights and 3 days of golfing, gambling and drinking. In this time I did manage to eat a couple of times.
Crown and Anchor, Las Vegas Nevada.
I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and had lunch with my father in law and some of his cronies prior to picking up some of my buddies at the airport and heading to Mesquite. I have been to this establishment a couple of other times and enjoyed the experience then as well. The Crown and Anchor is a British Pub serving the traditional fare as well as the more Americanized. I of course had the fish and chips and enjoyed it rather well. The beer batter was crispy but not too oily and the fish flaky and moist. Another top seller with our group was the Cobb Salad which I have also had there before; piled high with all of the usual toppings and in a bowl that could double as a platter. Everything is reasonably priced and goes well with a pint of Guinness or three. TV’s surround the place with Soccer (football to the local Brits) on every set. Great place to be when they have a game on.
I was not that impressed with the dining in Mesquite however, this town is up and coming. Prior to now, the last time I was in Mesquite was a year or so ago. Much has changed here as I’m sure it will continue to change as more people inhabit this area.
Most of the restaurants are located in the Casinos but we did manage to grab some grub at Los Lupus. Between the eight of us that dined that afternoon we covered 8 separate things on the menu that each of us enjoyed very much. Not sure it was truly the quality of the food or that we hadn’t eaten all day but I plan to go back next year.
Other than that I was impressed with the Sports bar at the Oasis Casino but that was about it. The one good thing I did find is that most places we went are priced the way Las Vegas used to be. They would rather you spend your money gambling.
Golf course run down.
The Palms – Nice course to start on when you haven’t played in a while. Front 9 is more forgiving than the back but overall a nice course.
Oasis Palmer Course – Oasis have two courses both of which are challenging. We played the Palmer course and had a wonderful time but if you spray the ball of the tee box often, you may want to pass as this course is surrounded by houses.
Falcon Ridge – Last but certainly not least. WOW. This one is amazing. If you are planning to golf in Mesquite you must play this course. It really doesn’t play that long and is what some would call target golf. Leave your driver in the bag and you’ll save yourself a ton of strokes.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ever hear of Buck Owens?
Anyone who has listened to old country music or has seen “Hee Haw” certainly knows who Buck Owens was. What you may have not known is that he lived the majority of his life in Bakersfield, CA. For what reason I have no idea. Anyway, he has a restaurant in Bakersfield called the Crystal Palace. From talking with the locals, this place was his pride and joy. Yes, I am talking in past tense, he died a year or so ago.
Well, I got to tell you that tonight Buck is rolling over in his grave. Everyone that I’ve talked to about this place has nothing but good things to say about it. “It’s expensive buts it’s the best steak I’ve ever had”. There is no doubt it’s an expensive place to dine at an average of $27 per plate for a typical steak dinner but one of the things that surprised me the most was the lack of choices on the menu. Would you like steak or a hamburger? But getting back to the point I’m trying to make. The only thing that would get me back into this place is a free dinner on concert night. The one thing I will not tolerate at a restaurant is poor service. Especially when it takes place right after you’re seated. I couldn’t believe that the two of us sat there as long as we did. From the time the hostess sat us to the time we left was 15 minutes and in this time we were never once approached by the wait staff. Sorry Buck. Your “Palace” needs some help.
Well, I got to tell you that tonight Buck is rolling over in his grave. Everyone that I’ve talked to about this place has nothing but good things to say about it. “It’s expensive buts it’s the best steak I’ve ever had”. There is no doubt it’s an expensive place to dine at an average of $27 per plate for a typical steak dinner but one of the things that surprised me the most was the lack of choices on the menu. Would you like steak or a hamburger? But getting back to the point I’m trying to make. The only thing that would get me back into this place is a free dinner on concert night. The one thing I will not tolerate at a restaurant is poor service. Especially when it takes place right after you’re seated. I couldn’t believe that the two of us sat there as long as we did. From the time the hostess sat us to the time we left was 15 minutes and in this time we were never once approached by the wait staff. Sorry Buck. Your “Palace” needs some help.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Domo Arigato
I have heard of these kinds of travel days but not experienced one until today. My flight left Boise at 6am this morning for Sacramento by way of San Francisco. Due to fog in both California locations my flight is cancelled into Sac. I am put on the next flight but then it’s cancelled and so on. By this time it’s 1pm and doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere from San Francisco.
Apparently I’m geographically challenged when it comes to California cities. I have been working with this one gate agent all morning when she says, “You didn’t check any bags, why don’t you just get a rental and drive”? Huh, now there’s a novel idea. In less than two hours I have a rental and am checking into my hotel in Sacramento. Learn something new every day. A little geography and common sense goes a long way sometimes.
Long day getting to Sacramento and just want to pick something up and go back to the hotel for the premiere of American Idle?
“Thank you very much” to Arigato Sushi on Howe Ave. In the absence of a useful recommendation from the hotel staff I decide to drive around looking for the busiest Sushi place in town. I figure, the busier the place is the better the chance of me not getting sick. Arigato’s is my third stop and I’m a little put off by the 50% off all rolls and sushi but this place is packed. Never been to a sushi sale before, but all the more reason to load yourself up at this place. Don’t judge Arigato’s by the pictures in the menu. Everything I had tonight was well worth the fuel and a perfect ending to a long day.
Apparently I’m geographically challenged when it comes to California cities. I have been working with this one gate agent all morning when she says, “You didn’t check any bags, why don’t you just get a rental and drive”? Huh, now there’s a novel idea. In less than two hours I have a rental and am checking into my hotel in Sacramento. Learn something new every day. A little geography and common sense goes a long way sometimes.
Long day getting to Sacramento and just want to pick something up and go back to the hotel for the premiere of American Idle?
“Thank you very much” to Arigato Sushi on Howe Ave. In the absence of a useful recommendation from the hotel staff I decide to drive around looking for the busiest Sushi place in town. I figure, the busier the place is the better the chance of me not getting sick. Arigato’s is my third stop and I’m a little put off by the 50% off all rolls and sushi but this place is packed. Never been to a sushi sale before, but all the more reason to load yourself up at this place. Don’t judge Arigato’s by the pictures in the menu. Everything I had tonight was well worth the fuel and a perfect ending to a long day.
Jealous Much!!!!
Last weekend just went way to fast. I didn’t end up leaving until Friday morning and had to make the return on Sunday late afternoon. With that being said it’s probably a good thing it worked out the way that it did. It’s not hard to be in New Orleans and over eat every meal. My wife tells me a proper portion size for most foods is the size of your fist. If this is truly the case, let’s put fists to the meals consumed while in New Orleans.
My wife is attending a board meeting for the RBMA and apparently they have more money than most because everyone is staying at the Ritz Carlton on Canal St. No complaints from me, it’s nice to be waited on every once in a while. The unfortunate part of this is my first meal in town is at Ritz with 40 members and spouses of the RBMA board. You would think since most of the people that stay in hotels are from out of town they would have some Cajun fair. Not he case but the food was decent and an open bar. Two fists of New York Steak with 3 fingers of asparagus, one fist of Caesar salad and a so so rendition of a one fist coffee Crème Brule’. It all kind of taste like it came from a hotel if you know what I mean. Oh, I almost forgot the 6 fists of Vodka Tonic.
After dinner (this is where the fun begins) a large group of us head down to Bourbon Street. We make a brief stop at Pat O’Brien’s and the House of Blues but finally find a “resting spot” at the 544 Club. A lot of the bars in N.O. have live bands but on this night, this is the happen’ place. This is a great place for dancing, drinking, people watching or just enjoying the music. Word of caution; don’t get suckered into doing Jaeger shots with the shot waitress!!! This is of course does not apply to those single males. You could be the one making out with her in the corner of the bar after some married guy and his wife buy her half a dozen. Thirty some fists of miscellaneous tonics later we staggered back to the Ritz for some much needed sleep and detox.
Prior to making the trip I had huge plans for Saturday starting first thing in the morning with a nice work out in the gym followed by a relaxing breakfast overlooking the Mississippi river with a cup of coffee and plate of Beignets’ (French Donuts).
So I roll out of bed about the crack of noon feeling nauseous with a splitting headache. Needless to say, I did not even come close the original fairytale plan but am surprisingly hungry and in desperate need of some grease and caffeine.
I saw on the food network, an episode of “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” that featured the “Muffeletta” at a deli named Serio’s. A turn out Serio’s is 2 blocks from the hotel and I thinking this huge historic sandwich will be the cure. Serio’s claims to make the best Muffeletta I town but I may never know because for some reason they aren’t open on the weekends. Yeh, I know, doesn’t make sense to me either.
Lazy River Café is located in the JAX brewery building. The have a fairly simplistic menu featuring the traditional Cajun fare and reasonably priced for the area. Yes, I found my sandwich and pared it with an order of crawfish cakes and a pitcher of diet coke. The crawfish cakes came out within minutes as two giant stuffed rolls (2 fists each) stuffed with a mixture of crawfish, veggies and Cajun seasoning. Hit them with some Tabasco and your off and runnin’. No disappointment on the Muffeletta either. This 2 fist sandwich is filled with Italian meats, cheeses and olive salad served warm in herbed focaccia bread.
A couple hours later after walking around the French Quarter I muster up enough desire to eat again and decide to dine at my original choice for first thing that morning.
Café du Monde’ located at Jackson Square and is known world wide for their coffee and Beignets. Good thing because this is all they have and for good reason, they don’t need anything else. You could visit this place from open to close and they are packed. There is patio dinning, to go line and inside dinning. You will see the to go line at no less that 20 people and the patio dinning is always full. Do what we did and go inside. For some reason, regardless of the lengthily lines outside we walked right in and sat down. What to get? What else, coffee and an order of Beignets per person. The Beignets come three fists per order, hot and covered in powdered sugar. This is a must for all visitors to this area.
Later this same evening the RBMA group is at it again. The lot of us board a bus headed for a Cajun cooking class at the Savvy Gourmet (savvygourmet.com) located on Magazine St. Hands down this was the best experience of the trip. Not only did they provide expert tips on cooking the local cuisine but it’s also a chef shop where you can pick up a few miscellaneous tools you need for your own kitchen. This was a four course meal of sorts that started with a salad that included crab and shrimp tossed in Creole mustard dressing and finished with Bananas Foster that was to die for. Gumbo was the traditional dark rue type but I would have put more of everything in it. Chances are you won’t be in town with enough people to justify booking a class but make sure to stop by the Savvy Gourmet for Sunday brunch from 10:30 to 2:00.
Last but certainly not least was our choice for Sunday brunch prior to leaving for home. We had already done Café du Monde’ this morning (four fists of Beignets for me) and I really wasn’t that hungry. In hind site we should have gone back to the Savvy Gourmet but decided to try the local tradition and dine at Dickey Brennen’s Palace Café. The menu is nicely proportioned and everything smells and looks wonderful. Had I not already eaten this morning it might have been a better experience. Service was great and the food was good but for a $70 breakfast, no thanks. This is the kind of place to sip mimosas and enjoy the white glove service. Next time I’ll find the place with the special on red beers and Muffeletta.
My wife is attending a board meeting for the RBMA and apparently they have more money than most because everyone is staying at the Ritz Carlton on Canal St. No complaints from me, it’s nice to be waited on every once in a while. The unfortunate part of this is my first meal in town is at Ritz with 40 members and spouses of the RBMA board. You would think since most of the people that stay in hotels are from out of town they would have some Cajun fair. Not he case but the food was decent and an open bar. Two fists of New York Steak with 3 fingers of asparagus, one fist of Caesar salad and a so so rendition of a one fist coffee Crème Brule’. It all kind of taste like it came from a hotel if you know what I mean. Oh, I almost forgot the 6 fists of Vodka Tonic.
After dinner (this is where the fun begins) a large group of us head down to Bourbon Street. We make a brief stop at Pat O’Brien’s and the House of Blues but finally find a “resting spot” at the 544 Club. A lot of the bars in N.O. have live bands but on this night, this is the happen’ place. This is a great place for dancing, drinking, people watching or just enjoying the music. Word of caution; don’t get suckered into doing Jaeger shots with the shot waitress!!! This is of course does not apply to those single males. You could be the one making out with her in the corner of the bar after some married guy and his wife buy her half a dozen. Thirty some fists of miscellaneous tonics later we staggered back to the Ritz for some much needed sleep and detox.
Prior to making the trip I had huge plans for Saturday starting first thing in the morning with a nice work out in the gym followed by a relaxing breakfast overlooking the Mississippi river with a cup of coffee and plate of Beignets’ (French Donuts).
So I roll out of bed about the crack of noon feeling nauseous with a splitting headache. Needless to say, I did not even come close the original fairytale plan but am surprisingly hungry and in desperate need of some grease and caffeine.
I saw on the food network, an episode of “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” that featured the “Muffeletta” at a deli named Serio’s. A turn out Serio’s is 2 blocks from the hotel and I thinking this huge historic sandwich will be the cure. Serio’s claims to make the best Muffeletta I town but I may never know because for some reason they aren’t open on the weekends. Yeh, I know, doesn’t make sense to me either.
Lazy River Café is located in the JAX brewery building. The have a fairly simplistic menu featuring the traditional Cajun fare and reasonably priced for the area. Yes, I found my sandwich and pared it with an order of crawfish cakes and a pitcher of diet coke. The crawfish cakes came out within minutes as two giant stuffed rolls (2 fists each) stuffed with a mixture of crawfish, veggies and Cajun seasoning. Hit them with some Tabasco and your off and runnin’. No disappointment on the Muffeletta either. This 2 fist sandwich is filled with Italian meats, cheeses and olive salad served warm in herbed focaccia bread.
A couple hours later after walking around the French Quarter I muster up enough desire to eat again and decide to dine at my original choice for first thing that morning.
Café du Monde’ located at Jackson Square and is known world wide for their coffee and Beignets. Good thing because this is all they have and for good reason, they don’t need anything else. You could visit this place from open to close and they are packed. There is patio dinning, to go line and inside dinning. You will see the to go line at no less that 20 people and the patio dinning is always full. Do what we did and go inside. For some reason, regardless of the lengthily lines outside we walked right in and sat down. What to get? What else, coffee and an order of Beignets per person. The Beignets come three fists per order, hot and covered in powdered sugar. This is a must for all visitors to this area.
Later this same evening the RBMA group is at it again. The lot of us board a bus headed for a Cajun cooking class at the Savvy Gourmet (savvygourmet.com) located on Magazine St. Hands down this was the best experience of the trip. Not only did they provide expert tips on cooking the local cuisine but it’s also a chef shop where you can pick up a few miscellaneous tools you need for your own kitchen. This was a four course meal of sorts that started with a salad that included crab and shrimp tossed in Creole mustard dressing and finished with Bananas Foster that was to die for. Gumbo was the traditional dark rue type but I would have put more of everything in it. Chances are you won’t be in town with enough people to justify booking a class but make sure to stop by the Savvy Gourmet for Sunday brunch from 10:30 to 2:00.
Last but certainly not least was our choice for Sunday brunch prior to leaving for home. We had already done Café du Monde’ this morning (four fists of Beignets for me) and I really wasn’t that hungry. In hind site we should have gone back to the Savvy Gourmet but decided to try the local tradition and dine at Dickey Brennen’s Palace Café. The menu is nicely proportioned and everything smells and looks wonderful. Had I not already eaten this morning it might have been a better experience. Service was great and the food was good but for a $70 breakfast, no thanks. This is the kind of place to sip mimosas and enjoy the white glove service. Next time I’ll find the place with the special on red beers and Muffeletta.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Yes…..it’s a Buffet
On the eve of visiting one of the best cities in the nation for cuisine I chose today to slum it. Yes, I know. I have sworn off Chinese’s Buffets every since a buddy of mine (health inspector) told me I should, but when a place calls themselves a “Gourmet Buffet” it peaks my interest enough to at least try it out. Consider me to be the guy who tastes things for the king, you know, to see if it’s poisoned.
“Hopstick, a Gourmet Buffet” is located on the corner of 23rd and Main close to down town Boise. If you’re a local you may remember this location as a Denny’s about 10 years ago when those of us in our now early to mid thirties were known to “party it up” down town. Wow, does anyone even say that anymore? Did they ever? I better reserve my walker and cane for the next kegger.
Walking in the door it appears to look as most other buffet places would. Other than the patrons are not as large as those at “Chuck o Rama” and a bit younger than those at the “Golden Corral”. But how would I know, I’ve never even been to Golden Corral. Anyway, it’s a clean place (surprised?), reasonably priced, friendly staff and very diverse crowd.
The crowd is made up of a broad financial spectrum of people from the homeless to the politician. If you do find yourself next to the politician, just make sure it’s not Larry Craig and his happy feet trying to tap dance his way into your pants.
Buffets and certainly Chinese buffets are not for everyone but if you like Chinese food you need to try this place. There are more choices on the buffet than any one person can try in a single meal so I would suggest looking at the selections prior to loading your plate. Everything I had from the egg foo young to the sushi was very good. I would say this place could rival any of the Chinese restaurants I have been in from coast to coast. It would also be safe to say you won’t be hungry in an hour.
“Hopstick, a Gourmet Buffet” is located on the corner of 23rd and Main close to down town Boise. If you’re a local you may remember this location as a Denny’s about 10 years ago when those of us in our now early to mid thirties were known to “party it up” down town. Wow, does anyone even say that anymore? Did they ever? I better reserve my walker and cane for the next kegger.
Walking in the door it appears to look as most other buffet places would. Other than the patrons are not as large as those at “Chuck o Rama” and a bit younger than those at the “Golden Corral”. But how would I know, I’ve never even been to Golden Corral. Anyway, it’s a clean place (surprised?), reasonably priced, friendly staff and very diverse crowd.
The crowd is made up of a broad financial spectrum of people from the homeless to the politician. If you do find yourself next to the politician, just make sure it’s not Larry Craig and his happy feet trying to tap dance his way into your pants.
Buffets and certainly Chinese buffets are not for everyone but if you like Chinese food you need to try this place. There are more choices on the buffet than any one person can try in a single meal so I would suggest looking at the selections prior to loading your plate. Everything I had from the egg foo young to the sushi was very good. I would say this place could rival any of the Chinese restaurants I have been in from coast to coast. It would also be safe to say you won’t be hungry in an hour.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Las Vegas for Christmas
After being gone for 10 days I sit here watching football on New Years Day reminiscing about the food I over indulged in while being on vacation in Las Vegas. We stayed at the in laws house and ate most of our meals there. These meals where better than most of the meals we ate out but in this blog I will do my best to cover the off strip locations we dined at.
Lucille’s BBQ is located near the Green Valley Ranch Casino in Henderson, NV. It’s the first Sunday of the vacation and we have 9 adults and three children under 5 that are looking for some good BBQ. Two hundred dollars and two hours latter we have enough food at the house to feed half the neighborhood. The left overs seriously lasted all week. All of the sides where eatable but none other than the coleslaw would I order again. The list of meats included Chicken, Ribs, spicy sausage links and pulled pork. These were all good with the sausage and pulled pork topping the list. Ribs were overcooked and too smoky flavored for some of the family. My daughter tells me the ones I make her are better and I would have to agree with her. She may have to be a judge at the 2008 Rib Throwdown.
Panera Bread Co. is located not more than a few hundred feet from Lucille’s. I have been to Panera for coffee and a bagel in locations from Denver to the California coast and have mostly been please with their products. I really enjoy the Multi Grain Bagel with the veggie cream cheese and get this every time I’m there for breakfast. They also have a good choice of salads and sandwiches for lunch. Every Panera I have been to is the same which is a good and bad thing. It’s sometimes comforting to walk into a place an know what your getting into regardless of what town your in. I do have a gripe that they don’t have soy milk which is a great addition to coffee or a Chi Latte but their biggest problem is the lack of service. Apparently Panera’s employees are part of some kind of union and are only allowed to perform one function while in the work place. Most of the wait staff will be performing their daily duties around the store while the one person at the register helps the patrons in line no matter how long the line. Sometimes I’ve waited as many as five minutes just to order and other times (Denver, CO) have walked out of the store with out getting to place my order.
Claim Jumper, Henderson, NV. - This establishment is esthetically pleasing and I found the wait staff to be friendly and helpful. If you have never been to a Claim Jumper before be prepared for big food. The portions are the largest of any mainstream restaurants I have been to and lacking flavor as are most of these same type restaurants. How else do you cook the same thing for thousands of people nation wide? I did a lunch sized Cobb Salad and had no problem getting full. Salad was crisp and fresh with lots of the traditional type toppings. Too mush blue cheese but nice balsamic vinaigrette.
Spicy Pickle, Henderson, NV. – If you find yourself at the Emergency Care Facility located in the Lowe’s plaza area in Henderson for 3 hours waiting to see a doctor to see if your youngest daughter has an ear infection or not, look down the plaza a ways and you’ll see the Spicy Pickle. This was a great choice to help pass the time and feed the hunger. Had we known we had a three hour wait we most likely would have not eaten so fast. That can cause gas you know!!!! Anyway, this place was laid out nicely and had a simple menu the all looked very good. I had the wise guy sandwich that was your not so typical Italian sandwich. Perfect use of topping served on ciabatta bread (a little tough for my taste). The seven bean soup was salty but the kids’ cheese pizza was perfect for a 1 year old that hasn’t slept much, eaten much, being treated for pink eye, enough snot to keep Kleenex in business through 2008 and oh yeah, has an ear infection.
Firefly on Paradise, Las Vegas, NV. The wife and I finally get a night out for dinner and a show, with hotel (Hilton Honors Points), thanks to the Grandparents. First time in an over a year, yes…….we need to get out more!! The Firefly is a Tapas restaurant located in a strip mall, as is everything these days. For me Tapas is the perfect type of dining. I am the self proclaimed appetizer king and Tapas is basically nothing but appetizers. There are five of us for dinner on this night and they suggest 2-3 choices per person. This would mean you could almost try everything on the menu. Good menu selection all the way around from the stuffed dates to the not so traditional sliders. Watch out for the pricing, it’s easy to get carried away with dishes ranging from $4 to $12 per Tapas plate usually containing 2-5 pieces per plate. For the five of us with drinks came to $140. All of us left completely satisfied and remained presently full the rest of the night. With the exception of the wife and I that decided midnight would be the perfect time to eat a small pepperoni pizza and a pint of Haagen-Dazs while watching Southpark. Told you we didn’t get out much!!!
Ok, so I lied. This next one could be considered "on strip".
California Pizza Kitchen is located inside the Fashion Show Mall. I needed clothes and wasn’t quite ready to give up my alone time with the wife!! I was reluctant to make the stop but as any husband who would like to get some in 2008, I caved. I have been to the CPK more than once but usually in an airport to get something quick. I had no idea they had such an extensive menu. The wife didn’t care for the avocado egg rolls (more for me) but we both really enjoyed our BBQ chicken salads. Would I go back………you bet. More things to try. Too bad the airports don’t carry the full menu.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!! Looking forward to another wonderful year of food in 2008.
Lucille’s BBQ is located near the Green Valley Ranch Casino in Henderson, NV. It’s the first Sunday of the vacation and we have 9 adults and three children under 5 that are looking for some good BBQ. Two hundred dollars and two hours latter we have enough food at the house to feed half the neighborhood. The left overs seriously lasted all week. All of the sides where eatable but none other than the coleslaw would I order again. The list of meats included Chicken, Ribs, spicy sausage links and pulled pork. These were all good with the sausage and pulled pork topping the list. Ribs were overcooked and too smoky flavored for some of the family. My daughter tells me the ones I make her are better and I would have to agree with her. She may have to be a judge at the 2008 Rib Throwdown.
Panera Bread Co. is located not more than a few hundred feet from Lucille’s. I have been to Panera for coffee and a bagel in locations from Denver to the California coast and have mostly been please with their products. I really enjoy the Multi Grain Bagel with the veggie cream cheese and get this every time I’m there for breakfast. They also have a good choice of salads and sandwiches for lunch. Every Panera I have been to is the same which is a good and bad thing. It’s sometimes comforting to walk into a place an know what your getting into regardless of what town your in. I do have a gripe that they don’t have soy milk which is a great addition to coffee or a Chi Latte but their biggest problem is the lack of service. Apparently Panera’s employees are part of some kind of union and are only allowed to perform one function while in the work place. Most of the wait staff will be performing their daily duties around the store while the one person at the register helps the patrons in line no matter how long the line. Sometimes I’ve waited as many as five minutes just to order and other times (Denver, CO) have walked out of the store with out getting to place my order.
Claim Jumper, Henderson, NV. - This establishment is esthetically pleasing and I found the wait staff to be friendly and helpful. If you have never been to a Claim Jumper before be prepared for big food. The portions are the largest of any mainstream restaurants I have been to and lacking flavor as are most of these same type restaurants. How else do you cook the same thing for thousands of people nation wide? I did a lunch sized Cobb Salad and had no problem getting full. Salad was crisp and fresh with lots of the traditional type toppings. Too mush blue cheese but nice balsamic vinaigrette.
Spicy Pickle, Henderson, NV. – If you find yourself at the Emergency Care Facility located in the Lowe’s plaza area in Henderson for 3 hours waiting to see a doctor to see if your youngest daughter has an ear infection or not, look down the plaza a ways and you’ll see the Spicy Pickle. This was a great choice to help pass the time and feed the hunger. Had we known we had a three hour wait we most likely would have not eaten so fast. That can cause gas you know!!!! Anyway, this place was laid out nicely and had a simple menu the all looked very good. I had the wise guy sandwich that was your not so typical Italian sandwich. Perfect use of topping served on ciabatta bread (a little tough for my taste). The seven bean soup was salty but the kids’ cheese pizza was perfect for a 1 year old that hasn’t slept much, eaten much, being treated for pink eye, enough snot to keep Kleenex in business through 2008 and oh yeah, has an ear infection.
Firefly on Paradise, Las Vegas, NV. The wife and I finally get a night out for dinner and a show, with hotel (Hilton Honors Points), thanks to the Grandparents. First time in an over a year, yes…….we need to get out more!! The Firefly is a Tapas restaurant located in a strip mall, as is everything these days. For me Tapas is the perfect type of dining. I am the self proclaimed appetizer king and Tapas is basically nothing but appetizers. There are five of us for dinner on this night and they suggest 2-3 choices per person. This would mean you could almost try everything on the menu. Good menu selection all the way around from the stuffed dates to the not so traditional sliders. Watch out for the pricing, it’s easy to get carried away with dishes ranging from $4 to $12 per Tapas plate usually containing 2-5 pieces per plate. For the five of us with drinks came to $140. All of us left completely satisfied and remained presently full the rest of the night. With the exception of the wife and I that decided midnight would be the perfect time to eat a small pepperoni pizza and a pint of Haagen-Dazs while watching Southpark. Told you we didn’t get out much!!!
Ok, so I lied. This next one could be considered "on strip".
California Pizza Kitchen is located inside the Fashion Show Mall. I needed clothes and wasn’t quite ready to give up my alone time with the wife!! I was reluctant to make the stop but as any husband who would like to get some in 2008, I caved. I have been to the CPK more than once but usually in an airport to get something quick. I had no idea they had such an extensive menu. The wife didn’t care for the avocado egg rolls (more for me) but we both really enjoyed our BBQ chicken salads. Would I go back………you bet. More things to try. Too bad the airports don’t carry the full menu.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!! Looking forward to another wonderful year of food in 2008.
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