Author Archives: The Forking Truth

Poke Sushitto North Las Vegas NV Poke Bowls & Sushi Burritos Oh My! – Worth a Fork!

Poke Sushitto is a casual restaurant in North Las Vegas Nevada that offers Poke Bowls and burritos. You can order sushi bowls or sushi burritos “Chipotle Style.” For beverages they offer fountain drinks, bottled water, bubble tea, Asian Fruit Drinks, Asian Teas, and Pokka Coffee. Kids meals are also offered and there are a few additional side orders. If you can’t make up your mind there also are a few suggested bowls.

If you order your way then you can order 2 or three protein bowls. The proteins I noticed were raw or baked salmon, crab, sweet or tempura shrimp, regular tuna, spicy tuna, scallops, chicken, and tofu. If you ordered a bowl you pick rice or salad or half rice and half salad as your base. They offer all kinds of vegetables and sauces and a few toppings.

I tried baked salmon with spicy tuna.

I asked for 1/2 brown rice and half salad…….I guess the girl couldn’t hear me and gave me all salad. For added vegetables I got carrots, cabbage, and corn. I also got crunchy fried strips, some ginger, scallions, yuzu miso sauce and cilantro. On the side I got a sweet soy type sauce, and sriracha mayo. Somehow it turned out flavorful and tasty.

My husband tried a three meat bowl.

I think it was mostly similar to what I got but it had tuna, shrimp, and salmon, pickled, radishes, sushi rice, and jalapeƱos. I forgot what sauces he went with but he also was surprised that it came out delicious! He also thought that the price was very reasonable for what he got!

Since it was very tasty and the fish seemed fresher that from a lot of neighborhood sushi places I have to say Poke Sushitto is Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

Poke Sushitto – 702-522-9668

2520 E Craig Road North Las Vegas NV

Their website connects to Lotus of Siam……But you can find them on Facebook.

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Restaurant Week 2024 at Al Solito Posto – 3 Courses $50. Las Vegas NV – Very Good!

Al Solito Posto is a richly decorated high quality Italian Restaurant located in Tivoli Village in the Summerlin part of Las Vegas Nevada. They are participating in the 2024 Las Vegas Restaurant Week and offer a 3 course menu for $50. A Portion of the proceeds benefits Three Square Food Bank.

What to pick?

We ordered and they started us off with their focaccia and table side oil that is embellished with smashed beans, dry herbs, and cheese.

We started out with meatballs and squash blossoms.

main meals were rigatoni and chicken marsala (portions were very generous)

Desserts were Italian Lemon Cake and Bombolini

For the most part everything was great and this was a great Restaurant Week Choice.

Al Solito Posto

420 S Rampart Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-463-6781

www.AlSolito.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Forking Delicious Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

I actually never made spinach artichoke dip before. I read about 10 recipes on the internet for it. Then I knew what to do….There are two different ways to make spinach artichoke dip. One way is to make a white sauce as your base. The other way is to just mix a lot of stuff up. This dip can be served warmed up or room temperature. Most people do prefer it warmed up. This is great to serve with crostini or crackers (flat breads pictures are called crisp breads and recipe can be found in the search). Serving size is always difficult to determine. If you are just doing tasting portions then you will get about 20 servings. I’d say for people at home this is more like 12 portions. For best results make this the day before you need it so the dried chopped onions can rehydrate.

Ingredients for around 12 portions.

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon (heaping) garlic confit (blended)

10 oz fresh spinach chopped and heated for one minute in the microwave

10 oz marinated artichokes – chopped

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese – shredded

1 cup parmesan cheese – shredded

1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 Tablespoons dried chopped onion

1/2 cup scallions – sliced thin and chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or to taste some people might only want 1/4 t.)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg -or use fresh ground for better flavor

sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

optional – 2 Tablespoons – bottom of the jar giardiniera (mine was in tiny pieces like a very fine chop)

Directions

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, ranch, mayonnaise, garlic confit, spinach, artichokes, mozzarella, parmesan, granulated onion, granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, dried chopped onion, white pepper, nutmeg and scallions together. Add giardinera if using. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve either room temperature or warmed up from the oven.

Forking Delicious Spinach Artichoke Dip

Enjoy!!!

The Forking Truth

Asian Style Avocado Dip Recipe

I was thinking guacamole and basically did guacamole with some Asian ingredients. This makes 4-8 servings. 8 serving if you only eat 1/2 an avocado but up to 4 servings if you eat a whole avocado. I do need to note that this is far more flavorful on the day that you make it but the good news is that it is always tasty. Some people eat more and some people eat less….So I will say 6 servings

Ingredients for around 6 servings

4 avocados – opened up, pit removed, and flesh scraped out

1 lime – just the fresh juice

1 shallot – fine chopped

3-4 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (I did 3 and at the end decided I wanted a splash more)

1 Tablespoon – yuzu kosho – or to taste (this is a hot pepper/citrus/garlic condiment that is delicious)

1/2 oz. cilantro – chopped

1/2 oz. scallions – chopped

1 teaspoon – dried mint (or use some fresh mint if you have it)

0.16 oz package nori seaweed – fine chopped

1/2 apple – peeled, cored, – fine chopped or thick grated

optional sea salt to taste

optional black pepper to taste

optional more cilantro and or scallions to finish

optional a few pomegranate seeds to finish

Directions

Gently mix all the ingredients together and try not to break up the avocado all the way. You want it to be lumpy.

Asian Style Avocado Dip

This is delicious Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Brunch at the NEW Esther’s Kitchen Las Vegas NV

Esther’s Kitchen is a locally sourced Italian Cuisine Restaurant located in downtown Las Vegas Nevada in the Arts District. They made their own sourdough, breads, pastas, pizzas, and more. This restaurant recently moved from a smaller location next door. The restaurant is named after the chef’s aunt.

WOW! It’s at least triple the size of the old Esther’s.

Past the hostess desk are dining tables and a large bar with more tables. To the left of the hostess desk is part of the open kitchen where I can see they are making pasta.

This is the dining area and open kitchen by the entrance. You can’t see it in my photo but there is a smaller dining area to the left of this area. Wow it is really loud in here…not music either…just a lot of people in conversation.

We started out by sharing a smoked ocean trout toast.

The made-in-house toasted sourdough is very good and so is the creamy thick cream cheese. Silky fresh smoked Ocean Trout, sweet heirloom tomatoes, onion, and fresh herbs complete the toast.

I tried the Cauliflower Alla Romana because it sounded interesting and not too heavy (anchovy, chili, garlic, fried capers, parsley).

It’s different……..The cauliflower has a starchy coating but the cauliflower is almost raw. The pieces on the top are just hard and starchy. The bottom pieces have a lot of anchovy and maybe capers and some are too salty. This is far more filling than it looks. I brought a bunch home.

My husband ordered one of the dishes that they do best……They called it rigatoni (house. made) Carbonara (egg yolk, house made guanciale & peas….((not sure if it had peas in it?)))

Well whatever this pasta is my husband said that it was very good.

That was Brunch at the NEW Esther’s Kitchen.

Esther’s Kitchen

1131 Main St. Las Vegas NV – 702-570-7864

www.EsthersLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

FORKING GREAT Fudgy Brownies Recipe

This is an easy and delicious rich fudgy brownie recipe that I came up with that you can embellish however you like. This will make around 18 regular sized brownies (using a pan that is around 12 inches by 8 inches) or around over 30 smaller sized brownies Depending on how big or small you slice them.

Ingredients for around 18-30 servings

4 oz unsalted butter

10 oz 60% bittersweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

3 eggs – lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilia extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

non-stick spray

Turbinado sugar – heavy sprinkle for a crunchy finish

more chocolate chips for finishing (a mix of milk and dark or broken chocolate bars)

Some nuts – I do 1/2 walnuts on one side….Some people prefer with walnuts…… some people prefer without nuts….Pecans might be good….Sometimes I do hatch chile, peaches, and pumpkin seeds. Got other ideas too!

Optional – Melted chocolate for a drizzle

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a pan that is about 12 X 8 with non stick spray.

Melt in either a sauce pan or in a Medium – Larger bowl in your microwave a stick (4oz.) of butter.

Add the 10oz of bittersweet chocolate chips…….about 1/2 will melt and 1/2 will stay hard…..

On top of that add the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa.

Stir till mixed with a fork. (The batter will be very thick)

Spread this batter as evenly as you can in your pan.

Top the batter with whatever chips and nuts that you are using.

Finish with a good sprinkle of Turbinado sugar.

This goes in your preheated oven on a middle rack till it seems baked.

ovens do differ….In my old oven this would take 25 minutes and in my current oven this took about 30 minutes. Today the way I cut them I got 33 brownies. Some I’m bringing to a gathering and some I’m freezing for another time.

When they cooled down a bit I drizzled them with melted chocolate.

FORKING GREAT Fudgy Brownies

ENJOY!!!

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in Las Vegas NV May 2024

Dining Out With Dogs is just a “FLUFF” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my late dog Louie. He always enjoyed going out to eat. When he got elderly he came down with aggressive cancer. We were told that he probably only had 3 months to live or maybe up to 6 months. I took Louie out as often as I could and he made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can and when the weather is right.

We got to go to Those Guys Pies in North Las Vegas. They specialize in cheesesteaks and pizza. If they sound familiar then you might have caught them on Food Network’s Diners Drive Inns and Dives TV show.

They are very dog friendly and actually have a craft dog biscuit Vending machine inside. Today they got the beef craft dog biscuits.

We started out by sharing a Caesar Salad with fried chicken for the dogs.

The dogs enjoyed craft beef dog biscuits and fried chicken fingers.

Those Guys Pies

5585 Simmons St N Las Vegas NV

725-251-5826

www.ThoseGuysPies.com

The following week it was cold again and extra windy so we just took the dogs to the In-N-Out Burger Drive Thru and brought the burger home for them.

They enjoyed the Cheeseburger

Bad luck again……The day I planned to take the dogs out was another cold (for here) and super windy day. 50MPH…..so we took the dogs to In-N-Out again.

The Giant Aussie loves looking into the drive thru. She just whacked the Beagle/Chihuahua out of his seat and took it so she can look in the window.

The dogs got to eat the burger at home.

They always enjoy a cheeseburger.

The weather was nice so we got to go to SNS Diner BBQ. If this place sounds familiar it might be because you saw this restaurant on Food Network’s Diners Drive Ins and Dives. They offer BBQ and also offer some breakfast foods. My husband had a three meat platter with bbq beef ribs, hot links, pulled pork, beans, corn bread, and a cup of gumbo.

I …I mean “We” had a two meat plate with 1/4 dark chicken, brisket, slaw, and cornbread……..I really enjoyed the dark chicken here and treated the pups to the brisket.

They always enjoy SNS Diner BBQ.

3229 Losee Rd North Las Vegas NV

702-269-9696

www.SNSDiner.com

That was dining out with dogs for most of May 2024….It’s starting to warm up here fast but we still hope to see you next month.

The Forking Truth
In Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

Big Dog’s Draft House – Las Vegas NV – LOTS of Craft Beer on Tap! Neighborhood Pub & Casino

Big Dog’s Draft House is a 24/7 neighborhood pub & casino & more in North/West Las Vegas Nevada. The building is barn shaped and inside is a Midwest sort of theme. The specialties of the house are award wining home crafted micro brews with over 50 on tap. Food specialties include cheese curds and bratwurst. A few of the other things that you can find here are a dog friendly patio and slot machines.

Here’s the patio.

When you enter there is a large bar to the left.

To the right is a main dining area with high top bar tables and traditional family friendly tables.

Behind this main dining area there is a small room with some video games.

I’m not a beer person but I tried a Blood Orange Gose.

It’s fruit forward but not sweet. I don’t taste the hops so it’s good for me. My husband tried a brew that taste like coffee to me.

My husband started out with a tasty cup of Wisconsin beer soup.

I tried the Friday-Saturday Walleye Dinner Special. It comes cornmeal breaded, garlic herb broiled, or pecan crusted with two sides. I picked garlic herb broiled with todays vegetable (squash) and cheesy potato cakes.

The vegetables medley is very good but the rest I wouldn’t recommend…..Don’t take this the wrong way…..Everything is edible but it just isn’t good (low quality slightly over cooked fish ((it’s not meaty and sweet like the way Walleye normally is…)), bland tarter sauce, mushy potato cakes). I would come back but I wouldn’t get this again.

My husband tried the Bratzel (cheeseburger, smoked brat, bacon, lettuce, tomato, fried onion, pretzel bun).

Parts of it were very good! The brat, onion rings, and horseradish mustard were very good and delicious. Burger was slightly over done and the bacon and pretzel roll were served refrigerated cold.

Maybe service is usually better but tonight our waiter was too busy to check on us. Someone that might have been a manager asked how things were as my husband was finishing.

I might not have hit them on their best night?

In the future I’ll try them again.

Big Dog’s Draft House

4543 N Rancho Dr Las Vegas NV – 702-645-1404

www.BigDogsBrews.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Shawarma Vegas – Las Vegas NV – OUTSTANDING Casual Glatt Kosher Mediterranean Restaurant – Worth a Fork!

********Shawarma Vegas is a casual Glatt Kosher Mediterranean order at the counter or take type restaurant with two locations in Las Vegas (Summerlin & near Strip). The Summerlin location has a few outside tables and a few tables inside.

They offer stuffed pitas, laffa wraps, baguette sandwiches, platters, and plenty of side dishes……YOU SHOULD GET THE PLATE HERE.

The plate is one, two, or three proteins….and comes with TONS OF SIDES!

We shared two – two protein platters and everything was amazing!

This starter plates came out first (and tahini sauce and spicy green shrug sauce came out right afterwards)

Hot fluffy pita bread, pickles, cabbage salad, baba ganoush, not sure but I think the red stuff might be muhammara (spicy red pepper walnut dip ….but this one had a lot of tomatoes in it so I’m not sure), and this creamy hummus with the best caramelized onions ever.

Then we get another plate.

Here are a few different slaws, pickled onions, and Israeli salad.

The mains are next with another hot fluffy pita bread.

Above is the shawarma and kabob with fries.

OMG! The shawarma here is turkey and it’s amazing…….It’s the best shawarma that I have ever tried anywhere. It’s very developed with flavor and just melts in the mouth…..

OMG AGAIN – the beef kabob…….not what I was exspecting but also amazing…….It’s more like the most amazing meatball ever…….It’s like a sponge of juice. It’s really great!

We also shared the pargiot (Israeli marinated grilled chicken thigh and falafel plate with sweet potato fries.

The sweet potato fries are fried nicely and aren’t soggy. The falafels have crispy exteriors and are moist and herby inside.

OMG again! The chicken is amazing! Really tender, flavorful, and juicy….This is really great chicken!

I thought pricing was very reasonable for Kosher….Each platter was $28.99 and came with so many sides. We had enough leftovers to get a second meals out of this.

In case you don’t know Kosher Meats on average cost three times the price of non-kosher meats so considering that these meals were very reasonable.

Service was also over the top.

I have to say Shawarma Vegas is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Shawarma Vegas

2521 S Fort Apache Rd Las Vegas NV (Moved to new location on Flamingo Rd)

702-273-7837

www.ShawarmaVegasGrill.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Reduced Fat Version of Malabar Cauliflower based on Chef Rohit Ghai’s Recipe

This is a delicious cauliflower recipe that is a reduced fat recipe based on Michelin Stared Chef Rohit Ghai’s Recipe. It’s pretty much the same recipe except that this is oven roasted instead of fried. I also omitted curry leaves because I didn’t have any but it still came out delicious anyway. Depending on the size of your cauliflower and appetite will determine the amount of servings that you will get. On average one cauliflower makes around 4 servings.

Ingredients for around 4 servings.

1 cauliflower – break down to florets

Optional – 2 sprigs curry leaves

2 teaspoons mild chili powder

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoons rice flour

3 Tablespoons corn starch

2 green chilies – fine chopped

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

3/4 teaspoon grated ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper -or to taste

sea salt – to taste

1/4 cup loose – fresh cilantro chopped or torn

handful coconut chips

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the cauliflower and spray well with oil. Add (if using curry leaves), chili powder, lime juice rice flour, corn starch, green chilies, warm masala, ginger, garlic, black pepper, salt. Mix Well.

Lay out in even layer on sheet pan(s)

This goes in preheated 400 F degree oven for around 30 minutes or cooked to your liking.

Finish with cilantro and and coconut chips.

Malabar Cauliflower

THIS CAME OUT FORKING DELICIOUS!!!!

A Special THANKS!!!!!!! to Chef Rohit Ghai so I could do what I got here!!!!

The Forking Truth