Oh La La French Bistro – Las Vegas NV – 3 Course Lunch Special – Worth a Fork!

Oh La La French Bistro is located in the Summerlin part of Las Vegas Nevada. They bake breads in house and I was told that nearly everything is made by scratch. It’s a smaller restaurant with a wine bar and they offer a comfortable mix of tables. They are open for lunch, brunch, and dinner. For our first visit I thought we’d try the weekday 3 course lunch special ($32. subject to change) to try a variety of things.

They started us off with a crisp baguette that was lightly salted with quality salt and butter.

My husband tried the escargot.

They came in a very garlic-ee butter-ee sauce adorned with parsley.

I tried the beet salad.

It was very generous in size. The beets were dressed with French goat cheese, some orange, and a vinaigrette.

My husband tried the hachis parmentier (basically the French version of Shepard’s Pie). Ground beef, onions, tomatoes, carrots, topped with mashed potatoes and gruyere cheese.

He thought it was seasoned very nicely and thought it was good.

I tried the salmon croissant. The made in house croissant is impressive. This is the airiest one I’ve ever had anywhere…..It’s like biting into a crunchy cloud.

Inside the sandwich is smoked salmon, creme fraiche, dill, and lemon juice…..On the side is a pile of arugula with a few onion slices and some vinaigrette.

We share the two desserts.

First we dig into the lemon meringue tart.

The lemon curd is very good. It has a rich lemon taste and isn’t too sweet. The crust is good and thin. To me the meringue taste like a marshmallow………

Now for the chocolate mousse.

It taste like real cream on the top with a little caramel drizzle. The mousse is very chocolatey and extra rich with chunks of chocolate in it……….It’s really different but very good.

The 3 course lunch special at Oh La La French Bistro is –

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Oh La La French Bistro – 2120 N Rampart Blvd Las Vegas NV – 702-222-3522

www.OhLaLaFrenchBistro.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Italian Flavored Cheesy Bites Recipe

I recently made some everything crisps so I didn’t want to make something everything flavored so soon. I did come across “Chopped Champion” Palak Patel’s Everything Cheese Puffs recipe. Instead I did maybe a variation of them but a bit different. The cheese puffs are made similar to the way you make gougeres (French Cheese Puffs) But they come out more moist. I made 21 cheesy bites but they are very small so you will want to eat at least two a serving…maybe more?

Ingredients for around 8 servings

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs – slightly beaten

1 oz. aged cheddar cheese – grated

1 oz. fontina cheese – grated

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning or ( my blend a Tablespoon each of course sea salt, black pepper, dry basil, dry oregano, fennel seeds, 1/2 Tablespoon granulated garlic, 1/2 Tablespoon granulated onion, 1 small Calabrian chile crushed)

1 heaping teaspoon bomba calabrese – preferably Coluccio brand

Parmesan cheese – grated to taste

Directions.

Set oven to 400 degrees F

Cover sheet pan(s) with parchment paper.

Add butter, sugar, salt, and half a cup water to a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add the flour and mix and cook till it becomes a ball.

Mix in the eggs little by little.

Add the Italian seasoning, bomba, cheddar cheese, and fontina cheese.

This goes in a pastry bag (with or without star tip)

You squirt out small amounts of dough that are around an inch in diameter.

pinch a good amount of parm cheese and place on top of each dough ball.

This goes in the PREHEATED 400 degree F oven for ten minutes. Then you turn down heat to 350F and let it go another 25 minutes. Mine weren’t done yet so I turned the heat down to 300 for another 10 minutes………I thought they still needed more time so I shut off the oven and let them stay in for another hour.

They got crispier but are still moist and cheesy tasting in the middle. Nice bright Italian spices.

Italian Flavored Cheesy Bites

I have to Thank Chef Palak Patel for her Everything Bagel-Spiced Cheese Puff Recipe that was an inspiration for what I came up with today!

ENJOY!!!

The Forking Truth

Fat Free Indian Inspired Potatoes Recipe

I had a bag of fingerling potatoes that I had to use. On my mind I was thinking about the lack of Indian Restaurants in Las Vegas. There are a few Indian Restaurants in Las Vegas but not near the amount in even just North Phoenix Arizona. This came out mildly Indian-ish. Day one it’s the most flavorful. I guess the potatoes soak things up and I thought the next day it needed more salt and pepper. Serving will differ some because we all have different appetites. This will make around 4-6 servings.

Ingredients for around 5 servings

1 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes cut in half longways

2 cups tomato puree (preferably from Italy)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 onion sliced very thin on microplane

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon Chile powder

1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper + more to taste

non stick spray

optional – 1/4 cup cilantro for garnishing

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F

In a large bowl mix together the spices (ginger, garlic, cumin, mustard, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper), tomato puree and the onions.

Spray you baking dish and lid with non stick spray.

Place the potatoes cut side down.

Dump and spread evenly the spiced tomato onion mixture.

Cover pan with sprayed lid and cook on a middle rack in oven until the potatoes are very tender. (90 minutes or slightly less depending on size of potatoes. To finish add the optional fresh cilantro.

Fat Free Indian Inspired Potatoes

The potatoes came out creamy, flavorful, and fat free! They are delicious and slightly Indian style. I do note you might want to add more salt and more pepper.

Enjoy!!!

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Delucia’s Pizzeria North Las Vegas NV

Delucia’s Pizzeria is a small average Pizzeria located in a shopping center in North Las Vegas Nevada. This isn’t a fancy place but it seems clean. They offer the usual pizzeria type foods like chicken wings, garlic knots, salads, sandwiches, hoagies, pasta, 5 sizes of pizza, calzones and more. They offer bottled and canned soft beverages and bottle beer.

It’s very casual. You order and pay at the counter and seat yourself. They run the food to you when it’s ready.

On a previous visit we did take out a plain pizza.

It taste the way it looks. It’s your typical neighborhood pizza that can use some seasoning.

We eventually came back to have the real experience.

We started out by sharing a large Caesar salad. It came with buttery toasted bread.

the salad is typical of what you should expect from a little casual place like this. The dressing and croutons don’t taste house made and the cheese is powdered but they get points for serving fresh crisp lettuce.

We also shared a 14 inch Italian White pizza (ricotta, basil, tomato)

The generous amount of fresh basil is the highlight here. The restaurant is just an average neighborhood pizza. They don’t have any seasonings here today to enhance it.

That was my trip to Delucia’s Pizzeria

2345 E Centennial Pkwy North Las Vegas NV – 702-658-7111

www.DeluciasPizzeriaLasVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Ada’s Food & Wine Las Vegas NV

Ada’s Food & Wine is a wine bar that also serves interesting global inspired lighter plates. This restaurant is located in Tivoli Village that is in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas Nevada.

It was nice outside so we decided to be seated on the patio.

We started out by sharing the heirloom tomato salad. On the menu it’s described as sour dough croutons, feta cheese, opal basil, and Lambrusco vinaigrette……

It had a good taste to it but would have been a lot better if a ripe tomato was used. I didn’t taste any feta cheese here. Maybe it was forgotten? We asked our server about it and he never came back with any type of answer.

Both entrees were VERY GOOD but were on the petite side.

The pan roasted chicken thigh had a nice flavor to it and it sat on top of creamed corn studded with crab apple mustarda. This came with two small wedges of blueberry corn bread.

My husband had the garlic and chile shrimp.

The shrimp were prepared with garlic, Aleppo pepper, and lemon and are served over sourdough toast. The things near the bottom end of the plate are crispy roasted garlic cloves that I was told were very good.

It’s easy to fit in dessert here because the one we tried was very tiny. (it’s about the size of my thumb)

The passionfruit has a nice strong passionfruit flavor but the texture is on the thick side.

I think that this place is worth a try for ladies who lunch or others that don’t mind lighter portions.

That was my trip to Ada’s Food & Wine.

410 S. Rampart Blvd Las Vegas NV – 702-462-2795

www.AdasLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Carve Prime Rib at The Cannery – North Las Vegas NV – 10 OZ PRIME RIB BURGERS – Certainly Worth a Try!

Carve Prime Rib is the steakhouse at The Cannery Casino Hotel in North Las Vegas. I read that they offer a 10 ounce ground in house Prime Rib Burger so I wanted to give that a try. We sat at the bar.

My husband got the burger mostly the way it comes……with sautéed mushrooms and onions. It comes with Swiss cheese but he substituted cheddar cheese. The plate came garnished with pickle slices, tomato, and lettuce. A piping hot bowl of skinny fries were served on the side.

I got the same burger but without cheese.

For $20. This is a VERY GOOD burger and I got two meals out of it. I usually don’t care for the skinny fries but they were prepared nicely and stayed hot because of the heated bowl. The portion of fries was also extra generous and I brought a bunch home.

The 10 oz Prime Rib Burger from Carve Prime Rib is certainly Worth a Try!

Carve Prime Rib (at The Cannery Casino Hotel)

2121 E. Craig Rd North Las Vegas Nevada. – 702-507-5777

www.Cannery.BoydGaming.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Maple Bourbon Butter Broccoli with Apples and Onions Recipe

I got a nice two pound bag of broccoli florets on sale today so this is what I did to it. Half the broccoli I blanched and froze and the other half was used for this recipe. I saw someone on TV do a recipe for maple bourbon sweet potato pie so those flavors were on my mind and was the inspiration.

I’ll tell you that this recipe is easier than it sounds because I used Watkins Maple Bourbon Rub. It’s not too sweet and it also is spicy, smoky and salty. Believe me there is not much to it.

Just one tablespoon and only a few other ingredients makes something impressive. My idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size. For me this made around 6 side servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 pound broccoli florets

a palmful of salt to boil water for the broccoli

6 apples peeled, cored, cut into thick slices

1 red onion – peeled, cut in half, sliced very thin on a mandolin

1 Tablespoon Watkins Maple Bourbon Rub (I found mine at Walmart Grocery)

5 Tablespoons of sweet butter cut into thin slices

4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

sea salt – to taste

black pepper – to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

The apples, onions, Watkins Maple Bourbon Rub, butter slices, and apple cider vinegar go on a covered dish or pan in the preheated oven for an hour.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Add a palmful of either kosher salt or sea salt to the boiling water. Add the broccoli florets. Boil only 2 1/2- 3 minutes. Pull them out with a strainer or slotted spoon. Keep to the side.

After an hour the apples and onions will look like this.

Remove half the apple onion mixture and blend it smooth so it can be the base of your broccoli dish. Mix the other half of the apple onion mixture with the broccoli.

Maple Bourbon Butter Broccoli with Apples and Onions

Finish with a little bit of fresh grated sea salt and black pepper. You have something delicious that is not too heavy that will go well with a Holiday meal or a roasted chicken or turkey dish.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

The Forking Truth

NEW WeIRD diffERENT Limited and Special Edition Foods Out There November 2023

There is ALWAYS something new, weird, different, limited edition, and special edition in the wonderful world of food. These days we never know WTFork we will come across when we shop for food.

Up above is –

WEIRD – Kellogg’s NEW SHAPE Fruity Rainbow Krispies with natural and OTHER? natural flavors. I don’t know WTFORK to think about this….They don’t resemble the normal Rice Krispies in anyway or flavor. But with all them colors I’m sure they can make you FART a rainbow.

NEW – Kellogg’s Special K Strawberry Cheesecake flavored flakes and dipped flakes……What are the dipped flakes? This one just doesn’t seem right…..

NEW or LIMITED EDITION – Kellogg’s Fruit Loops that turns milk berry-licious. I was hoping that this would be Snozberry flavored……..Oh well no snozberries here or chocolate from the chocolate factory..

DIFFERENT – Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal straws…looks fun for children!

WEIRD – General Mills Hot Wheels Cereal…..Well why didn’t they make the cereal look like the wheels? or cars? Bet this cereal gives you GAS if you eat it.

NEW – POP-tarts naturally and artificially flavored Banana Bread tarts……..Maybe some people will go bananas for it?

NEW and WEIRD – POP-tarts naturally and artificially flavored frosted apple cinnamon Apple Jacks flavored tarts. ???? hard-core weird.

picture from www.todayshow.com

WEIRD – French’s Yellow Mustard Skittles – NoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooope!

DIFFERENT – Emperador Pecan Flavored Sandwich Cookies. Sounds a little nutty but tasty if good.

LIMITED EDITION – Hershey;s Popping Candy Bars These look like leftovers from the 4th of July? Looks like they might make you explosive farts. Be careful where you eat them.

This one you have to buy on-line only.

WEIRD – Digiorno Thanksgiving pie…..Gobble Gobble lol

DIFFERENT – Taco Bell Hot taco shells….?????

DIFFERENT & maybe WEIRD & maybe LIMITED EDITION? Paqui Haunted Ghost Pepper Chips……..Maybe they get haunted ghost peppers for Halloween?

LIMITED EDITION – Lay’s Cheetoes Cheese flavored Chips……I don’t know? Could go either way?

NEW – Pringles Harvest Blends that are potatoes and other stuff blended with sweet potato…Sounds good but don’t know yet?

DIFFERENT and maybe Limited Edition….Pringles Enchilada Adobada Chips…..Now that’s different!

DIFFERENT – Brad’s Vampire Killer Crunchy Kale……..I tried them…….They are very different…..Not partially garlic-ee or spicy……More citrus-ee, nutty, and sort of raisin-like in taste.

NEW – Cheese Bites Mozzamini Pearls in original and wasabi….Did I see that right? Yes…wasabi…That’s FORKING strange…..

DIFFERENT – Tabasco Sriracha..???? Is it made of tabasco peppers? Is it sriracha? I’m confused.

DIFFERENT – Cholula in chipotle and sweet habanero…UMMM might be good!

NEW – Cholula in tequila and lime flavor…That sound good for fish or chicken to me…..and

DIFFERENT – Cholula in a green pepper variety….Might be tasty?

This next one is FORKING WEIRD

FORKING WEIRD
FFFFFFOOORRRKKKINNNG WWWWWWWWWWWWWEIRD

WEIRD – Bubble Lick in natural bacon flavor. Bacon flavored bubbles for dogs and kids. This will make your dog and kids farts smell like bacon. Watch Out!

And there is usually something OREO.

maybe WEIRD? – YoCrunch – yogurt with Oreo Crumbs in it……(Ick!)

Well that was the New! Weird! Different, Limited & Special Edition Foods Out There for November 2023. Who know WTFork we’ll come across next month!

The Forking Truth

Dining Out With DOGS in North Las Vegas NV – November 2023

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

We went to Hawaiian Barbecue in North Las Vegas Nevada. They serve Hawaiian Lunch Plates……It’s usually an enormous amount of food served in a Styrofoam container usually served with rice and macaroni salad. They don’t have their own patio but a community patio is only a few doors down.

Today I went for the MINI Machiko Chicken……

.This “MINI” meal is not so mini and also came with a side cup of macaroni salad.t’s a lot of tender flavorful dark meat chicken that might be marinated and it’s coated in a slightly sticky crunchy coating. This really is an enormous amount of food and it only cost $8.99.

The dogs are thrilled with it.

The dogs also enjoyed my husband’s Bento Box. (BBQ beef, BBQ chicken, fried fish, and Spam, with double rice and macaroni salad.

The dogs and us enjoyed dining out at Hawaiian Barbecue #1.

#1 Hawaiian Barbecue – 5870 N Losee Rd North Las Vegas NV – 702-642-4600

www.HawaiianBBQLV.com

The next weekend it was too cold to dine out so we did take out from SNS Diner BBQ.

My husband and dog are very found of the gumbo there.

My husband (and dog) also enjoy the hot link and macaroni and cheese.

I like (and the dogs like) the bbq pastrami from SNS Diner BBQ but I do note that the pastrami I tried here in June was spiced and smoked and hand cut a little better than today’s…..Don’t get me wrong todays is still good but what I tried in June was phenomenal.

Picture of June Pastrami.

June Pastrami

It taste different than the thin sliced pastrami.

Both dogs are interested in the pastrami and the macaroni and cheese.

The dogs always enjoy SNS Diner BBQ

3229 Losee Rd North Las Vegas NV – 702-269-9696

www.SNSDiner.com

The next day during the day we thought it was warm enough to treat the dogs to an In-And-Out-Burger. So we did that real fast.

The dogs never complain about In-And-Out-Burgers……There are close to 400 locations of In and Out Burgers out there and this chain is growing too so one might be near you soon.

That was Dining Out With DOGS in North Las Vegas. We Hope you’ve enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.

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

Taverna Costera Las Vegas NV – Restaurant, Bar, Art Gallery, Music Venue

Taverna Costera is a restaurant, bar, art gallery, and music venue located in the arts district of downtown Las Vegas Nevada. They call themselves a Mediterranean Restaurant but they offer an artsy type of food menu that is pretty much fusion everything and or non-traditional. For appetizers they offer things like hibachi ribeye fries, gyro fries, and pork adobo fries, kalua pig nachos, Japanese corn, and minestrone couscous soup. You can also find things like various pita sandwiches, Hawaiian plate lunches, and Taverna/Dragon bowls and plates.

For seating they have indoor seating, bar seating, patio seating and rooftop seating.

We decided to share the (non-traditional) arancini (here they are fried rice balls made with pretzels and topped with pesto).

They do differ from traditional arancini but still are kind of tasty.

For my main I tried the ahi salad.

It’s furikake coated tuna, mixed greens, mango, onion, tomato, wonton crisp noodles, and miso ginger dressing. It’s reasonably good……..Not bad but can use a punch of something……maybe a drizzle of wasabi? or more ginger?

My husband tried the Hawaii meets Philly steak pita with Swiss cheese, peppers, and onions with wasabi mayo on the side and fries.

It’s reasonably good. The beef is tender and has some developed flavor. The cheese is nice and melted. The fries are fresh and hot.

Or for something different they also offer weekend brunch things like………

That was my trip to Taverna Costera – 1031 South Main Street Las Vegas NV

702-749-0091

www.TavernaCostera.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth