Vegas Eats

This post is dedicated completely to eats in Vegas.


Whenever we make trips, friends and I rely heavily on Yelp to help find great places to grub. There never seems to be shortage of new places to try. 
Here are just a few of recommendations, from my non-definitive and ever evolving list of good Vegas grubbin. 

Grimaldi's  Pizzeria
I've said it once, I'll say it again--best New York style pizza this side of the coast. I've tried their different combinations, but my favorite is still the marinara pizza with pepperoni, onion, and garlic. Pizzas are cooked in a coal brick oven; they come out fresh and hot, never overly greasy or heavy. I especially like the fresh mozzarella cheese they use...it's all about the stretchy cheese.

If you're on their mailing list, and happen to be celebrating your birthday in Vegas, stop by and they'll give you a free pizza.

Lotus of Siam
Located off the Strip
953 E. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89104
P: 702.735.3033

Have I heard correctly that the Owner/head chef used to cook for the Thai King? I love that she still cooks at her restaurant and pops out to greet guests and make sure everything is tasting delicious. 
My two recommendations special to this restaurant are Garlic Prawns and Soft Shell Crab Drunken Noodles. Oh, and I heart Papaya Salad. (no dried shrimp, please.)

Burger Bar
Located inside Mandalay Bay
P: 702.632.9364
Choose a burger built by Hubert Keller, or build your own. Add on options are extensive--you can even get truffle mushrooms if you're willing to shell out the dough for it. I'm not as crafty with my choice; I usually get the sliders with sweet potato fries. Nom, NOm, NOM.
Salads and Veggie Options available.

Jean Phillipe Patisserie
Go here for indulgent desserts and a curious looking chocolate fountain. Crepes, French pastries (which I've yet to try), gelato and sorbets. They also have expensive packaged candies and chocolates if you need to pick up a gift.

Serendipity
Hot day + Frozen Hot Chocolate = Magical
This drink in particular comes out in a huge glass, topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The perfect indulgence for a hot day, that leaves me swinging my feet as I drink it. Note: it can get packed inside the restaurant, but they have a to-go window just outside that serves a limited menu, but most importantly serves their frozen hot chocolate.  

Bouchon
Located inside Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
P: 702.414.6203

I've yet to eat at the restaurant, although I've heard it's great. I make the trek wherever I'm staying to get a pistachio macaron everytime.

Hash House A Go Go
Something very Vegas about the place...nothing spectacular about the decor, but probably because the food is decadent, flashy and over the top. I had read good things about Andy's Sage Fried Chicken and Bacon Waffles (yup, none of this bacon bit business; those are huge strips of bacon in the waffles) so I shared that with Abe--I have no recollection of finishing it. It's presentation is impressive--it's served more like a towering sculpture, more than morning breakfast. It was tasty and rich, maybe too rich for my blood, but definitely worth a try.
Deals available via Restaurant.com 

Raku 
5030 Spring Mountain Rd, Suite 2 
Las Vegas, NV 89146 
P: 702.367.3511
This place came highly recommended by my friend, Brian (a sushi snob in his own right). The dishes are the opposite of Hash House--refined, clean, light. After many failed attempts, we finally scored a reservation and got to see what all the hype was about. They have a really unique menu that serves a combination of yakitori, fresh fish, and mixed specialities (things like poached egg with Uni and Salmon Roe, Kobe beef with garlic, a house-made agedashi tofu). It's worth the visit if you can get a table. Make sure to call early (they start taking reservations at 2pm), otherwise you could be eating late (they're open till 3a.m.), but hey, you're in Vegas afterall.

What are your favorite eateries/must haves in Vegas? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

P.S. Speaking of Yelp, check out these videos via Cup of Jo. So awesome.

places

Well before this started looking like a food blog, I originally started 3 letter words to share travels, photos, stories and eats with friends, explore different cultures and the like. Recipe posts will continue, but a little more focus never hurts. :)

 Creative decor/illuminated bottles | Seoul, Korea

 Sunrise | Chicago, IL

Monet's Gardens--like real life versions of his paintings | Giverny, France

 Neon transportation | Bangkok, Thailand --photo by James

Pretty glass flowers (?)/Ceilings at Bellagio Hotel | Las Vegas, NV

flower fields forever

The Flower Fields are open till May 13this year!
I had a bit of a Grand Canyon moment when I saw this in person. At some views, it just seemed to go on forever. They also have wagon rides, tulip fields, giant sunflowers, and different exhibits (succulents and orchids when I was there).  So if you're a gardening geek like me, are looking for a good photo op, or need somewhere to take your mom for Mother's Day, go here! It's gorgeous. We didn't make it out to the Strawberry Fields which are located right next to the flower fields, but they apparently have strawberry picking. 

5704 Paseo Del Norte
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-431-0352
www.theflowerfields.com


$11.00 for Adults, $10.00 for Seniors 60+, $6.00 for Children 3-10.
Children 2 and under are free.

You can purchase tickets on site or online here!

move.learn.eat.

These are amazing! I had to re-post after I saw them! (via Cup of J0!)

"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage...all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food...into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films = a trip of a lifetime."

Yowza. I'll now be researching plane tickets for the next few days. Have a nice weekend!

vegas

We celebrated a dear friend's birthday this weekend in Vegas. Though it wasn't a far trip, it was nice to get away for a few days in the company of good friends. Happy birthday J!

Feel: Vegas was HOT...and I loved it! I finally got my warm (read: hot) summer nights that seemed to escape me this summer (though not over yet). I loved stepping out at night with no need for a jacket, not even just in case. :)

See: The biggest H&M I've ever stepped foot in. 3 stories, collections I've never seen before, and disco balls!

Hear: The buzzing of different languages and accents all around. It's always interesting to meet and hear where people are visiting from. I always forget that Vegas is somewhat of an international destination...not just a party city for college students on school break.

Taste/Smell: My favorite meal in Vegas was at Grimaldi's Pizza. I'm going to make a lofty statement here and say it is the best New York style pizza on this side of the coast! (Disagree? What are your favorite pizza places? This pizza connoisseur would love to know!) We ordered a few kinds, but the best one by far was the marinara pizza with pepperoni, garlic, and onions. Sounds so simple right? Nope, the flavors are deep, the ingredients are fresh, and it's tossed and prepared right in front of you. (man, I could go for one right now). It's a ten minute drive from the strip, but definitely worth the trip.
And I'm strangely growing a taste for coffee more and more these days (though I never cared for it before). This affegato from Illy at the Venetian was delicious...I think it was more the gelato inside than it was the coffee though. :)

35,000 ft. in the air

Bye for now, Korea!


I love Korean Air.


Touching down in Japan (NRT) for a quick layover. The view outside was gorgeous.


Clouds somewhere over the Pacific

postcards from korea

I'll be wrapping up my Korea posts this week...2 months later. -_- (that's my Korean emoticon for a sheepish face)

Restaurants and bars line the streets in Seoul. I love all the little decorations, themes, and details each place had to set them apart from the place next door...

Korea's greenery is so lush, vibrant and colorful. My mom is always noticing and noting pretty flowers on walks at home; I found myself doing the same in Korea.

We had galbi-jim for our dinner in Seoul, courtesy of our friend James, who currently lives in Seoul and maintains a website of great eateries. Check it out here for the details of this restaurant and other tasty recommendations.

My favorite street food in Korea--Ddukbokki (rice cakes in a spicy sauce). The key to good ddukkbokki is the rice cakes. Good rice cakes should be chewy; not too hard, which means they are undercooked; and not overly soft and mushy. The ones I had in Korea never failed. I imagine this to be so satisfying on a cold winter day. You can find these served piping hot at the Pojangmachas that line the streets.

Shopping is everywhere in Seoul. Feels like each neighborhood has a unique style of shops and some sort of specialty. One of my favorite neighborhoods was Hongdae; had some great meals there, took some interesting walks, and purchased the most comfortable pair of hand crafted heels from this store called Piacere.

Variations on a theme.

More food. My goodness. Dessert waffles and brick honey toast (not pictured) are a must!

spicy beef salad

I love Thai food--papaya salad, chewy noodles, spicy, complex flavors, family style eating with lots of friends. (I think I just decided what's for dinner tomorrow).
I never ventured to cook Thai food at home--it always tasted to difficult to try. But after taking a cooking class on my last trip to Thailand, I was surprised to find that it's not as complicated as I expected.

For this Spicy Beef Salad, you'll need:

1/2 lb grilled beef filet
1-2 pieces of broccoli stalk
1-2 cucumbers

Sauce:
6 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp sugar
10 hot chilis or red chilis (use less if you'd like it less spicy)
4-5 cloves minced garlic
2 tspn coriander root (if you can't find coriander root, you can substitute with 4 tsp chopped cilantro stems)
8 tbsp lemon juice

1) Heat oil in a pan. Grill beef to your liking.
2) Blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender till it looks like above
3) Slice beef, broccoli, and cucumber and arrange on a serving dish
4) Top beef with sauce and garnish with cilantro. Light and satisfying. Enjoy!

carry on

BF just got this bag for travel and everyday. It's kind of genius for a carry-on. Going through security with a laptop can be inconvenient. But this particular bag has a separate laptop section that zips out for convenient security check. Comes in 3 sizes...check it out here!

Korean holidays

{variations of Pocky--the Japanese version of Pepero}

Something random I learned in Korea

February 14: Girls treat the boys

March 14: 'White Day' where boys treat the girls

April 15: 'Black Day'--the day when all the single folks (and all those who don't do anything on 2/14 and/or 3/14) go eat 자 장 면 (Jajangmyun), the black noodles mentioned here.

November 11 or 11/11: Pepero Day
People exchange boxes of Pepero, long, thin biscuits dipped in chocolate or yogurt flavoring, on this day. Why 11/11? Pepero's long, stick shape looks like the date--thus a holiday was born.

hello.

{Cheonggyecheon}

One of my favorite things about this Asia trip was learning more about my Korean roots/culture. I never ventured too deep into learning the ins, outs, whats and whys before--maybe it was too close or too familiar for me, or maybe I just identified more with the 'American side' of me. Regardless, being in the place my parents, grandparents, great grandparents grew up felt different this time around. I learned a few things about Korean people (my people!), the country's history (some really sad & painful things), the customs I never understood before--things I hope to be able to share here.

Anyways, I won't be traveling for a little while, so in an attempt to continue my cultural education, I will be practicing my Korean on my parents and random Korean strangers, learning some Korean recipes, and drinking more soju (jk)...I will also be enrolling myself in a djembe class and a French conversation class. Not Korean things, but hey, why not.

I heart Seoul: Reason #354

Delivery Korean style Chinese food--anytime, anywhere. Food is delivered fast and hot (those delivery guys drive with no fear and somehow seem to bypass all traffic laws). They even pick up the dirty dishes afterwards. So green and so efficient! If in the Sadang-dong area, this place is great:
자금성 (Ja Geum Sung)
525-2399
581-2199

It's apparently Korean tradition to have Jajang Myeon (thicker noodles with black soybean sauce, veggies, and usually meat, pictured on the top right corner) when you move to a new place. Fitting for today since we just moved in some new furniture to my sister's place...tasted extra delicious for that reason. If you do order from this place, make sure to get the 깐 자 장 면 (Ggan Jajang Myeon) which gives you the meat peices instead of ground. Yum.

sawatdeekah :)

greetings from ko samui in thailand! The beach has been the perfect way to end this part of our trip after 4 full days of meandering the streets of Bangkok. We took a kayak out yesterday (which was an adventure in itself--curious fishes, crazy reefs, and someone tell me how one capsizes a kayak...) and I wasn't able to snap any photos yesterday, but here is one from the hotel we are at on Chaweng Beach. In short, this place is beautiful. Thai people are amazing folks (more to come on this)...and I love papayas.

landed

Sorry for the lack of posts guys. After a 15 hour voyage across the Pacific, Little Fockers, and several airplane meals, we finally arrived in Seoul! Reuniting at the airport with my sister was sweet; Korean food (which I guess is just food here) is delicious, and there's a familar smell in the air that reminds me of previous visits when I was a kid. We're still getting somewhat adjusted, but there's so much I can't wait to share with you guys. I heart Seoul! Check back for pictures/updates soon!
xo anabel

summer plans

I'm making good on my resolutions and have officially completed booking my travels! Korea and Thailand, here I come! There's no better way to put it...I am GIDDY. So much so that I have been finding myself grinning at random moments without even realizing it (like when I'm driving...or when I'm testing out rolling luggage at the store. Yup, that's me). Very much looking forward to seeing my big sister, spending time with some of my favorite people, and eating a mangosteen on a perfect white sandy beach. ahoy! 

the window seat

While flying is not always the most pleasant of experiences, one of my favorite things (in general) are the views out the window. Here are some of my bests...

{Somewhere over the Atlantic. Dreamy, no?}

{Flying into Madrid (MAD)}

{LAX to ORD; I wonder what the inside looks like...}

{Swiss Alps}

A magic carpet or a pair of flying shoes would be nice.


P.S: This had me laughing out load! Your long flights in pictures here.