Monthly Archives: August 2023

My Trip to Seafood City – North Las Vegas NV

Seafood City is a Filipino Supermarket Chain with locations in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, and Washington.They also have Canadian locations in Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba.

The North Las Vegas Location has a bakery inside called Red Ribbon Bakeshop.

They also have a Filipino BBQ called Grill City.

We decided to try Grill City.

There is a lot to see. Some of the pans are marked but with no explanation so some people have to use cell phone for google. Saw Balut here…….(undeveloped bird eggs).

They don’t sell skewers by the each and you have to buy five. My husband got a mix of pork and chicken skewers. He also got a longanisa sausage skewer.

He said that the meat on the skewers was tender but wasn’t a fan of the sweet sauce on them. He did like the sausage!

I saw 4 different fish dishes and picked the fish that I thought looked best and an ear of corn. We also shared a side order of rice.

This fish turned out to be grilled bangus. It’s also known as vinegar marinated milkfish served with spicy vinegar on the side.

This one is stuffed with onions, tomatoes, and peppers…..At first I didn’t like it but for some reason it did taste better when I added the spicy vinegar. The meat is a little dry but not hard and chewy like from the last Filipino restaurant I went to.

The corn is on the dried out side too.

We are done with lunch and are looking around some. There are lots of dry goods, baked goods, produce, and fish here. I saw prepared foods, live plants, and liquor too!

LOTS of fish here.

Surprisingly it doesn’t smell like fish here.

I’m going to buy halibut collars next time.

There is lots of milkfish here and lots of frozen milkfish here.

milkfish in citrus pepper

smoked milkfish

milkfish belly

Not all but some of the potato chips are very expensive.

$20.89 for an 8 oz bag of potato chips…My husband said he read duck eggs were an ingredient.

They also sell pig heads here.

We bought salmon here that seemed very fresh and my husband smoked it on aider wood and it came out really great! We also bought bok choy that was very good.

That was my first trip to Seafood City.

6435 N Decatur Blvd Las Vegas NV – 702-425-6973

www.SeafoodCity.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Smoke & Fire BBQ Las Vegas NV – Worth a Try!

Smoke & Fire BBQ is located in Las Vegas Nevada. One of their signature dishes might be a blueberry chicken sandwich or it might be the massive burger called, The Smoke Show.” They offer starters such as sliders, smoked chicken wings, and loaded bbq fries. They also offer a fire Caesar salad, smoked ribs, burgers, sandwiches, and meat plates.

It’s slightly casual. You seat yourself at the bar, patio, or dining room. You do need a cellphone to view the QR menu. Then someone takes your order.

I tried the Fire Caesar Salad with added chicken.

I received a large aluminum tin filled with crunchy romaine, shreds of nutty Italian type cheese, crunchy nicely flavored croutons, spicy but delicious chipotle Caesar dressing, and pulled chicken on the side. This all taste much better than I was expecting. It is actually very good. The dressing is so darn flavorful that you only want a little and this is just right. The cheese and the croutons are just delicious. The pulled chicken is moist, tender, and delicious. It is a really great salad! It’s also big I enjoyed it for lunch and dinner!

We also shared a side order of macaroni and cheese.

It’s pretty good…Lots of cheeses and doesn’t taste like Velveta.

My husband got the burger that they call Smoke Show………It’s a whole bunch of stuff!

1/2 pound Angus burger patty, bacon, 3oz. brisket, 2 oz. pulled chicken, 2 oz, pulled pork, American cheese, pepper jack cheese, crispy onions, fries, fire sauce, mustard bbq sauce, spicy bbq sauce, and bbq sauce on brioche bun with fries. He said that it was a very good burger. He asked for medium-rare and he thought it came out closer to medium but was still very good because it was juicy and moist. He thought all the separate meats were very good. This was also a very rare time when my husband had leftovers to bring home.

Smoke & Fire BBQ is for sure Worth a Try!

Smoke & Fire – 3315 E Russell Rd Las Vegas NV – 725-214-5398

www.SmokeandFireLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Those Guys Pies – North Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!

Those Guys Pies is a pizza and sandwich shop with three locations in Las Vegas Nevada. The North Las Vegas location looks pretty much like most pizza restaurants……..BUT if they look familiar to you it might be because this restaurant was on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Inns, and Dives TV Show.

You order and pay at the counter. Then you grab a beverage and seat yourself. I noticed something very unusual here…………

…………They have a dog biscuit vending machine here! I never saw one before. Dogs are allowed on the patio. I’ll bring my dogs here when the weather is better.

Anyway back to the food……

I tried the chicken steak hoagie (no cheese) with a side of cherry peppers.

It’s PRETTY GOOD! It might be better than an actual chicken steak from Philly (I’m originally from the Philadelphia area). Instead of shaved or foamed chicken like what many places serve here they chop up moist chicken breast. To my surprise they don’t slather the bread with mayo either. They use oil and vinegar seasoned with Italian seasoning and the cherry peppers are vinegar brined and HOT! The bread isn’t Amorosa’s but holds up to the filling and isn’t as squishy as what most places serve. This is also a very large sandwich to me so I ate half. My husband said that he wouldn’t mind eating the other half later so I guess he will.

He got rib eye pizza steak with cherry peppers and American cheese instead of mozzarella.

He enjoyed it and ate the whole thing!

On another visit we started out by sharing a large lake side salad (mixed greens, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions, smoked almonds, cranberries, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette)

It tasty and something a little different.

We also shared a regular sized (14 inch) Italian White Pie (with the sausage on the side). (ricotta, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, sausage, garlic, caramelized onion, roasted tomato, lemon oil)

WOW! This one is very delicious with all kinds of flavors and it taste like a good amount of quality ricotta was used too! This is a really great pizza!

Those Guys Pies is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Those Guys Pies

5585 Simmons Street North Las Vegas NV – 725-251-5826

www.ThoseGuysPies.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Miso Honey Butter Carrots & Cabbage with Ichimi Togarashi & Sesame Seeds Recipe

I was thinking about a recipe by James Beard winner and Top Chef finalist Shota Nakajima. It was his Watermelon Salad in Miso Honey Dressing Recipe. I did my twist on it and it came out FORKING DELICIOUS.

Watermelon Salad with Miso Honey Dressing

So I changed it up again and still came up with something delicious!

Serving size always varies. The vegetables are different in size and so are we with different appetites. This for me worked out to 6 side servings for dinner so I’ll say 6 servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings.

2 lbs carrots – remove skin if not organic cut however you like but that will change up the timing. I cut mine in a rough cut like this.

1/2 a cabbage – remove core and rough cut

1/2 onion – cut in slices and cut slices in half

2 Tablespoons butter – melted (doesn’t matter if sweet or salted because you adjust salt to your liking)

1/3 cup white miso

1/3 cup honey

1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground dry ginger

4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds – to finish

2 scallions – sliced thin or cut on diagonal – to finish

ichimi togarashi – a light sprinkle to finish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Depending on the size of your pan you need either one or two pans and all the carrots, cabbage and onions goes in the pan or pans.

Then in a small bow mix together the butter, miso, honey, ginger, and vinegar. Then pour it evenly over all the vegetables.

Cover pan(s) with foil. Roast until vegetables are cooked all the way threw. (timing will differ but in my oven this took 60 minutes.)

Then remove foil and place back in till lightly charred. about another 20-30 minutes.

Finish with scallions, sesame seeds and ichimi togarashi.

Miso Honey Butter Carrots & Cabbage with Ichimi Togarashi and Sesame Seeds

It’s DELICIOUS!

A Special THANKS!!! To chef Shota Nakajima who wrote a recipe to inspire me to create what I got here.

The Forking Truth

A Little Taste of Bravo “Top Chefs” in Las Vegas Nevada****UPDATES

I noticed that there are several Bravo Top Chefs in Las Vegas Nevada. So far I’ve been to four of them but hope to get to rest eventually.

The first one I tried was The Black Sheep by Top Chef contestant Jamie Tran. It’s a modern Vietnamese Eatery that is simply amazing! If you try this restaurant then you can taste why chef Jamie Tran made it to the Bravo show Top Chef.

Everything was FORKING AMAZING but I will cut them all down to a couple so this isn’t too long.

hamachi crudo

This hamachi crudo maybe was the best I ever had anywhere.

Boneless crispy trout

The boneless crispy trout is unique, delicious, and easy to eat. It sure is a top fish dish in Vegas by a Top Chef! We were lucky and got to see the chef Jamie Tran hard at work in her restaurant.

The Black Sheep – 8680 W Warm Springs Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-954-3998

www.BlackSheepVegas.com

We made it to Soulbelly BBQ in the arts district downtown. This restaurant is by chef Bruce Kalman. It’s casual but sort of refined BBQ with live music at certain times.

Caesar Salad with BBQ Turkey

My salad might look average but it doesn’t taste average. The turkey is moist, developed with delicious flavors. When I tried the salad I discovered that it sort of is deconstructed…..I was missing flavors from the dressing and then “BANG” the missing flavors and MORE are in the FORKING AMAZING black pepper corn bread croutons. This was an unexpected joy to eat.

My husband tried a sandwich called “The Belly of Soul.” (brisket, pickled onions, crispy onions, cheese sauce, fried egg, spicy BBQ sauce)

I tried a tiny bite of the brisket and is was really great! My husband said that all the flavors went really well together and said that he’d like to eat this sandwich again!

Soulbelly BBQ – 1327 S. Main St Las Vegas NV – 702-483- 4404

www.SoulbellyBBQ.com

********UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*******138 Degrees Craft Chophouse, Killer Burgers, Bourbon, & Brunch is a chef crafted quality brunch, bar, and steakhouse by chef Matt Meyer with consulting chef and managing partner Alex Resnik (Bravo Top Chef). This is a place where they dry age their own meats and do their own smoking. They even culture their own sour cream.

We tried brunch shared the very best tacos (so far that I’ve tasted in Nevada. Smoked King Salmon Tacos. The fish was fish house quality, prepared to perfection, and these tacos were complex with flavors. The in-house made tortillas were also extra delicious. I also enjoyed an avocado toast.

My husband enjoyed a Salvadorian style pancake called a pupusa.

soft egg, brisket, cheese with fried bananas on the side. I was told that it was very good!

138 degrees Bar, Bourbon, Killer Burgers, Steakhouse – 1450 W Horizon Ridge PKWY Henderson NV – 702-272-0839 *****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*****

www.138Restaurant.com

Ai Pono Cafe is expected to open November 20th 2023 at the soon-to-open Durango Resort in Las Vegas around 8 miles from the Strip. It’s a chef crafted Hawaiian Plate Lunch Type of restaurant by (Bravo Top Chef) chef Gene Villatra. This past June I we were lucky to try a “Pop Up” of Ai Pono Cafe at The Red Rock Casino. The (Bravo Top Chef) Gene Villatra was there hard at work too!

Everything was good. However I couldn’t try every dish that was on the menu but out what I tried the favorite was the sandwich called, Da Side Chick. It was a guava chile breaded chicken sandwich.

I remember that the sandwich was big and tasty. It also only cost slightly more than fast food. ($10.) and this tasty delicious sandwich was a whole bunch better than anything fast food.

I hope to try-

Retro By Voltaggio by Bravo Top Chefs Michael & Bryan Voltaggio

Limoncello Fresh Italian by Bravo Top Chef Carla Pellegrino****UPDATE Top chef Carla Pellegrino is no longer with this restaurant**********

Boom Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails by Bravo Top Chef Elia Aboumrad

STK Steakhouse (Cosmopolitan) Bravo Top Chef Stephen Hopcraft

That was a little taste of Bravo Top Chefs in Las Vegas NV.

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

HAPPIEST Happy Hour (so far) at The Pepper Club Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!****UPDATE Menu and prices have changed

The Pepper Club is an Artsy Type of restaurant by James Beard Award Wining Chef Todd English. The restaurant is located in downtown Las Vegas in the arts district.

The restaurant is named after the chef’s dog Pepper.

The restaurant offers a full bar with cocktails and a fresh seafood and sushi heavy menu that’s laced with Asian inspiration.

There are many choices to suit most people’s tastes. The majority of the food and drink choices are $8.00 each.******UPDATE MENU and PRICES HAVE CHANGED

Over a few visits we tried –

Lets taco about it – spicy tuna tacos with garlic aioli, fried garlic, and scallions – YUM!

Taco Belle – Pulled Teriyaki short ribs, serrano rings, spicy citrus slaw, micro cilantro – really delicious!

Crispy Rice – Coconut rice, spicy tuna, avocado, microgreens – just tasty

Salmon Spring Rolls – avocado, Philly cream cheese, honey mustard miso – just tasty

(2) yuzu hama – yellowtail hand rolls with yuzu kosho -YUM! the yuzu kosho (Japanese condiment of hot pepper, garlic, and yuzu) adds something so special to sushi. It should be offered everywhere that offers sushi.

Spicy Tuna Roll – As fresh as can be! Today not very spicy but today I noticed how truly FORKING AMAZING that this was. This had to be the best wasabi that there is anywhere. It really elevated the whole thing.

oishi shrimp – I didn’t eat the shrimp but I tasted the Japanese cocktail sauce and OMG! YUM! it’s the best cocktail sauce that I have ever tasted……IDK but I think it was made with yuzu kosho and rice vinegar? (I’m going to have to try making this myself.)

super smashed taters – with kizam chimichurri – Just delicious with creamy textured potatoes.

Toga Onions – Tempura battered onion rings that are seasoned just so…….and comes with shish ranch and gochujang cream…YUM!

JFC (Japanese fried chicken) sliders – with Nippon coleslaw and pickles……SUPER delicious but ask for extra pickles next time….The pickles are really amazing and make the sandwich BURST into a party in your mouth. They put enough pickles on the full size JFC sandwich but the sliders do need a second pickle so you can get the full experience.

I do have to say that the Happiest Hour menu from The Pepper Club is certainly Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

The Pepper Club

921 S. Main Street Las Vegas NV – 725-228-2393

www.ThePepperClub.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

FORKING Great Deviled Eggs Recipe

This is how I make my basic Deviled Eggs. If you eat two halves as a serving then this will make 9 servings with a few extra whites that you can snack on.

Ingredients for around 9 servings.

12 eggs – boiled till hard (10 minutes) soaked in ice bath till cold, then peeled, cut in halves. Rice the yolks.

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon piment d’ espelette + plus extra to sprinkle the cooked whites

2 Tablespoons Dijon but preferably Amora Brand

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

smoked sea salt – to taste

9 small celery leaves

Directions

Lightly sprinkle the egg whites on both sides with smoked sea salt and piment d’ espelette.

In a medium bowl the riced yolks, mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon piment d’ espelette, Dijon, dry mustard, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce together.

This mixture gets spooned or piped into the egg whites. Finish with a piece of celery leaf.

Everybody loves them. You will be a hit!

FORKING Great Deviled Eggs

ENJOY!!!!!!!

The Forking Truth

Goodby to Sir Kensington’s Ketchup and Thanks for the Condiments

Sadly I just found out that both varieties (classic and spicy) of Sir Kensington’s have been discontinued. I’m on my last bottle that happens to be spicy. I liked both flavors the classic and the spicy and used to switch between them. But no more…..not a bottle to be found on any shelf. But this ketchup is for sale on the black market…I mean Amazon.

I can buy it there for a little over $20. a bottle.

Now I will have to buy the less expensive most popular ketchup again that doesn’t taste as good.

Bah!

Oh well tomato is another day!

Goodbye Sir Kensington’s Ketchup and THANKS!!! for the condiments.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Lulu Hawaiian BBQ – Las Vegas NV

Lulu Hawaiian BBQ is a casual Hawaiian Restaurant with three locations in Las Vegas. The Decatur Road location is very casual. You order and pay at the counter and seat yourself. They make the food fresh to order so you must wait for it to be prepared. There are many Hawaiian restaurants in Las Vegas. Someone from Hawaii told me, “Didn’t you know that Las Vegas is the 9th Hawaiian Island? ….anyways…..Not all but some of the other Hawaiian BBQ restaurants in the area are more “Chipotle Style” as the food is already prepared like a buffet behind glass.

We tried a variety of things.

Side order of bbq beef.

It’s a generous size and is infused with flavors and is very tender.

Here’s a combo of seafood and bbq chicken.

The chicken is tender, and the shrimp are fried nice. The fried fish is very thin and isn’t the freshest. This all is on a bed of finely shredded cabbage and also comes with a soy-like condiment, tarter sauce, and a side cup of creamy macaroni salad.

We also tried the spicy chicken.

The dark meat chicken is wonderfully tender but some of it is covered in soft chicken skin. Although it has many flavors to it but it runs a bit oily today. It isn’t very spicy but does have some heat to it. It also sits over finely shredded cabbage and comes with a soy-like condiment and a side cup of creamy macaroni salad.

Portions were extra large. Prices were low. We were checked on and the cashier around me a bag on her own to bring home the leftovers.

That was my trip to Lulu Hawaiian BBQ.

6512 N Decatur BLVD Las Vegas NV – 702-784-0318

www.NVLuluHawaiianBBQ.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My First Trip to The Sundry Food Hall Las Vegas NV

The Sundry Food Hall is located in the $850 Million Dollar Uncommon Mixed Development around eight miles away from the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. This is a higher end food court where all the ordering is done by QR codes on your cell phone.

You can order food from multiple James Beard nominated chef and other prominent chefs from over a dozen choices.

What to pick????

We tried Kowbird –

We got a very large Nashville Style Chicken Sandwich with creamy slaw.

We also got to try Easy Slider –

We tried a ground in-house burger with American cheese (not much cheese) and sweet onion. We also tried a maitake mushroom with gochujang glaze and kimchi slaw and chicken fried onions.

We were also able to fit in smoked amberjack dip with trout roe and pickled onions from Bar Oystetette.

That’s just a small sampling of what you might find at The Sundry. All was good but people kept trying to clear our plates several times before we were finished….Maybe an opening hiccup?

6840 Helen Toland St Las Vegas NV – 725-231-0399

www.TheSundryLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth