Tag Archives: #LasVegas

A Little TASTE of USA Today Wine & Food – Las Vegas NV

The USA Today Wine & Food Festival was held Saturday October 28TH in Trivoli Village in the Summerlin part of Las Vegas Nevada. The tickets were general admission and VIP. The VIP tickets got you in one hour early (12:00), a few more tables to sit at and entitled you to more wines to pick from, and two additional tastings.

One tasting was

prosciutto wrapped grapes

and the other was

black Angus filet with squid ink risotto topped with shrimp from Harlo Steakhouse.

Everyone could try the following.

I thought among the best tastes today TWO came from Ichiza……One was an Asian beef dish with rice that was delicious and tender. The other was some sort of layered cracker with two kinds of fish (I think both were tuna) One layer was a fish with a curry sauce. The other was seasoned with rice.

To me the very best bite of the festival came from Anima By Edo.

It was all high quality and unusually delicious together. Wagyu pastrami, torrija, caciocavalla cheese, port balsamic glaze.

One thing was not edible…to me ….and also my husband………

This Angus beef from Kuta Nori almost made me sick from too much salt…….It seemed saltier than straight salt.

There were a few more things that were good or ok.

My husband ate something shrimp from The Crab Corner.

This swai from California Fish Grill wasn’t so good over uninspired rice.

Hussong’s Mexican Cantina made pretty good Margaritas. I didn’t try the Duck appetizers but I heard that they were pretty good.

Goufrais Southern Californian Chocolate taste like thick chocolate frosting to me.

My husband tried a tiny pulled pork slider. He said it was ok. I didn’t catch where it came from but I think it was from Project BBQ.

In The Black Cookie Company made a variety of cookies….With nuts, nut free, and gluten free varieties…….Tried a few that were ok.

Crossroads Kitchen offered plant based meat-like cigars that were tasty and a pastry with onion, almond, and a vegetarian egg.

If you are here at the right time you might catch some demos.

Crazy Pita arrived late. I tried part of a pita with hummus spread on it. They told me that they were preparing meat dishes that will be ready later.

Evel Pizza offered BBQ beef pizza

Soul Foo Young was a no show.

Refrigerator chilled pork sandwiches from Sr Frog. And something crab in the other cups.

Lots of sliced meats, cheeses, fruit, crackers and more at Boar’s Head.

And some of the cheese comes with rind.

That was a little Taste of USA Today Wine & Food 2023 Las Vegas

www.WineandFood.USAToday.com

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Public School 702 – Las Vegas NV

Public School 702 is a casual full service American Restaurant and Bar that is laced with a little bit of global inspirations type of Restaurant in the Downtown Summerlin Part of Las Vegas Nevada. This restaurant offers lunch, brunch, dinner, and recess ( a cute name for happy hour).

You ride up the escalator to the entrance.

Inside is spacious and is decorated with planets from science class.

There is also lots of books and encyclopedias all around (not pictured). Inside they offer a variety of different seating. They have traditional tables, community tables, and booths. There’s a bar area and an outdoor patio.

We started out by sharing the five onion and cheddar dip with house prepared potato chips.

The chips are shattering crisp and are very good! The dip is very creamy……today it taste more like cream cheese than cheddar cheese……. I also don’t taste five onions in it but it is mildly onion-ee and still tasty.

For my main I tried the bourbon & peach glazed salmon.

Today this one is slightly disappointing because the fish is overcooked and this dish also ran very sweet and lacked a bourbon taste. However the fish sits in a bed of quinoa that is embedded with tomatoes and peaches. I do have to say when I mentioned the overcooked fish to my server they did offer a remake…But I usually refuse re-fires (especially when I can’t look into the kitchen) Because I have worked in restaurants and have witnessed things that I don’t want to speak of that happen in the kitchen when customers send food back.

Anyways- The Shrimp and Grits are better than the salmon.

My husband tries the shrimp & white cheddar grits. This dish is a little different than what you get from other places. (bacon, tomato, corn, kale, in a creamy beer blanc sauce. Also the grits are pre-made and sliced and browned)

He said that the shrimp were cooked nicely.

Not perfect but some things are tasty……..You might do OK here…….

That was my trip to Public School 702

Public School 702

1850 Festival Plaza Drive – 702-997-0465

www.PSontap.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Lunch Specials at the Geisha House – North Las Vegas NV

Geisha House is the first Japanese Hibachi Restaurant of Las Vegas Nevada. They offer sushi, sushi rolls, Japanese cuisine Japanese Fusion cuisine, and Teppanyaki.

I noticed that they offer weekend lunch specials so we thought we’d give them a try. One of the specials is called the hibachi lunch special. This one includes a 4 ounce New York Steak, 5 shrimp, 3 ounces of chicken, strawberry rice, vegetables, salad, soup and sauces.

It’s a ton of food for around $25. and it includes a soft beverage.

We also shared the Sushi Lunch Special. This one is one or two sushi rolls and choice of salad. (the prices differ depending on the rolls you pick from around $11-$20)

I picked the salmon and asparagus salad.

It was made with crispy rolls of salmon and tempura asparagus and covered with drizzles of the teppanyaki sauces.

The regular spicy tuna roll was very good.

For our second roll I picked the spicy tuna tempura because it was one of the only rolls that didn’t contain crab mix.

Those are the lunch specials at Geisha House.

Geisha House

6572 N. Decatur Blvd North Las Vegas NV – 702-399-3329

www.GeishaRestaurants.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

MRKT Sea & Land Restaurant North Las Vegas NV – Couples Special – Worth a Fork!

MRKET Sea & Land is a quality steakhouse and seafood restaurant located in the Aliante Casino Hotel in North Las Vegas Nevada. They have a lounge and bar.

But it’s in the main dining areas where you can try a couple’s special.

Every month the couple’s special changes. We hit them when they were offering the chateaubriand (filet of tenderloin) with salad, two side dishes and dessert for $125. subject to change)

First we were greeted with a bread basket with a sourdough loaf of bread, some baked pretzels and some pink salted butter.

The next course were Caesar salads…..

Next was the main event.

We got chateaubriand with an herbed sauce, grilled asparagus, and macaroni and cheese. To my surprise everything was delicious.

The filet tenderloin was also a very generous portion (20 ounces before cooking) so we had leftovers for another meal.

This even came with a choice of dessert. We went for the special dessert. It was a mixed fruit chocolate tart with banana ice cream.

I have to say-

MRKT Sea & Land’s Couple’s Special is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

MRKT Sea & Land Restaurant at Aliante Hotel Casino

7301 Aliante Pkwy North Las Vegas NV

702-692-7777

www.AlianteGaming.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Casa Don Juan – Las Vegas NV

Casa Don Juan is a full service Mexican Restaurant in Las Vegas Nevada with three locations. The Main Street location in the Arts District has an out side patio. Inside this location has a Frida Kahlo theme with many pictures of her on their wall. Incase you don’t know Frida Kahlo is considered to be Mexico’s most important artist and is part of Mexico’s culture.

Whatever you order they start you off with complimentary chips, salsa, and bean dip.

To me the chips don’t taste freshly made. The salsa is spicy but taste mostly like oregano. I didn’t try the beans.

I tried a chicken fajita salad (with the jack cheese on the side) that is called ensalada de fajitas here.

The chicken breast is tender and sautéed with onions and bell pepper that are saturated with soy sauce over warm soft uninspired salad. This plate is topped with some guacamole. For my taste this is way too much soy sauce but maybe other people enjoy this?

My husband tried the #31 combo (Chile relleno, enchilada, taco with rice and refried beans)

I’ll be nice as possible and just say that this isn’t our favorite combo plate that we’ve tried.

That was my trip to Casa Don Juan – 1204 S. Main Street Las Vegas NV – 702-384-8070

www.CasaDonJuanMainSt.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Soulbelly BBQ – Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!

Soulbelly BBQ is an artisanal central Texas inspired kind of BBQ restaurant by seasoned chef (James Beard Nominated, Food Network Chopped Champion, and Bravo Top Chef) Bruce Kalman. The Las Vegas Arts District location offers outdoor seating by the smokers.

Indoor seating in the bar and take out area.

And main dining area where the live music happens.

The tables are set up with carriers of sauces that include the house made Jiggly Meat BBQ sauces.

I wanted to try the tri tip pastrami but they were sold out of that today……so I went with Caesar Salad with their BBQ Smoked Turkey.

The turkey is tender, moist, and delicious………The salad taste far different than it looks…….It’s kind of deconstructed……..The black pepper cornbread croutons in there are really amazing and contain some of the flavors of Caesar….It’s different…but all together delicious. But might be even more delicious with a few drops of house BBQ sauce….. The vinegar sauce only a few drops kicks it up a level.

My husband tried the sandwich called, The Belly of The Soul (smoked brisket, fried egg, cheese sauce, pickled onions, spicy BBQ sauce, and crispy BBQ onions).

He said that this was really great. I tried a small bite of the BBQ Brisket and I have to say it was really perfect today.

On a second visit my husband had to have the Belly Of Soul sandwich again but with beans this time. He said it was just as good as from last time.

This time I got to try the tri tip pastrami sandwich – topped with slaw with a side of watermelon-cucumber salad.

It’s pretty good but isn’t cured with nitrates……the special dangerous pink salt that turns the meat pink…… resulting in a different taste. It’s beefier and less corned……..Well it’s healthier than what I’m used to and is pretty good. It seems like you won’t go wrong with the brisket, and the turkey. I want to try the fresh ground in house smoked brisket burger next time.

So we went back.

We started out by sharing their fried macaroni and cheese balls special.

Ummmm! and the pepper puree dipping sauce is unique and delicious too!

This time we both had their amazing smoked ground in house brisket burgers that are finished on the grill. They suggest to get them medium rare so we both did.

My husband got his with extra American Cheese and Soul Belly made Bacon with a side of potato salad.

The burger is really great. For my taste the potato salad is too smooth and has too much mustard in it….I can’t eat it but I do admit that I am sensitive to mustard.

I had my burger without cheese but with with slaw, pickles and special sauce with their cornbread on the side.

WOW! this is a really great burger! Juicy, smoky, flavorful. It really doesn’t need anything else. It is large. I thought it might be 8 ounces but our server said it’s a 7 ounce burger. The cornbread also is very good and really doesn’t need the honey butter since it is so rich, moist and with crunchy ends. It’s not too sweet or too savory. It’s just right!

On another visit we had some repeats that were just as good as before. We also relied the BBQ mushrooms with chimichurri.

They might be the meatiest mushrooms ever….but…they are very strong with the smoke today.

I also noticed that the menu has changed a little bit. The pastrami sandwich and the watermelon salad are no longer on the menu. Also the macaroni and cheese balls are on the menu now.

I have to say Soulbelly BBQ is Worth a Fork!

Worth aFork!

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

www.SoulbellyBBQ.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Victory’s Cafe at the Cannery Casino North Las Vegas

Victory’s Cafe is an American casual restaurant located in the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas. They offer starters, breakfast, hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, sandwiches, and some entrees from 7am-11pm and after that they offer a late night menu.

Inside is a mix of traditional tables and booths. The walls are decorated with can labels. I asked if the can labels pictured on the walls came from this cannery but nobody knew. (later I found out that this was never an actual cannery)

They started us off with warmed up rolls with soft butter.

The buns got hard and chewy like maybe they were over microwaved?

In reasonable time my Chinese Chicken Salad arrives. (romaine, carrots, mandarins, crisp noodles, red bell pepper, and cashews…..

For my taste the Asian dressing is too sweet so I doctor it up with some vinegar-ee hot sauce. The chicken breast is very tender but at the same time it is also very dry….I wouldn’t get this again.

My husband thought the meatloaf was ok.

The meatloaf and mashed potatoes were covered with gravy and it came with boiled vegetables.

That was my trip to Victory’s Cafe at The Cannery Casino

2121 E. Craig Road North Las Vegas NV – 866-999-4899

www.CanneryCasino.com

Every THING is subject to change

The Forking Truth

Secret of Siam – Las Vegas NV – The Secret is……..

Secret of Siam is a Thai Restaurant located in the Centennial Area of Las Vegas Nevada. They offer most of your usual Thai Dishes, a good amount of sharing plates, seafood dishes, beer, and wine.

Most of the seating are booths.

The crispy spinach is an interesting starter.

The spinach is shattering crisp and seems free of oil. The dipping sauce on the side is on the sweet side and is adorned with red onion and cashews.

I tried the basil eggplant with chicken.

The heat level (3 out of 5) is good to me. The chicken was moist, tender, and developed with flavors. The eggplant is creamy and sweet and doesn’t seem oily.

My husband tried the drunken noodles with beef (heat level 4 out of 5)

Today the #4 heat might be running more like a #3 but everything else is good….Good flavors, tender beef.

On a second visit my husband tried the spicy basil #4 heat with combination (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp) that was reasonably good like everything else so far………..

I tried a dish I never noticed on a Thai Menu before. The Green apple pompano (green apple salad green apples, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, cashews, lime sauce) over crispy fried fish).

I have to say that the slaw is delicious……..but

The fish is not edible. It’s like it was fried in glue. You can’t dig the flesh out and when you manage to get a little morsel it’s fishy.

The Secret of Siam is not to order the Green Apple Pompano……..I wouldn’t take a chance with the red snapper or salmon either because of the taste of the morsel I tried.

Secret of Siam ….The Secret might be………….. (not to get the fish)

Secret of Siam

5705 Centennial Center Blvd Las Vegas NV – 702-331-4406

www.SecretofSiamThaiCuisine.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Happy Hour at El Dorado Cantina – Las Vegas NV – Worth a Try!*****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

*********UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******El Dorado Cantina is a Mexican Restaurant with Three Locations in Las Vegas Nevada. The Tivoli Village location in Summerlin is adorned with amazing light fixtures indoors and outdoors.

Very detailed cut glass chandeliers of flowers and parrots accent the patio and also look amazing from indoors.

Inside are red star light fixtures and hanging light fixtures with butterflies.

Eater Las Vegas wrote that the chips and salsas are the best from this restaurant so we gave them a try.

I should note that the chips and salsas are not on the Happy hour menu (3-6 Monday-Friday & 12am-3 daily) but they were only $3.75 and they are good. My Golden Cadillac Margarita was 1/2 price and it’s good for $11.00 but if I paid $22. for it I might feel different?

They offer EIGHT different tacos on the happy hour menu, a quesadilla, nachos, Mexican seared tuna, and a few other things.

I tried a roasted corn and poblano taco, a pulled chicken taco, and a carne Asda taco.

They are smaller sized tacos but are double shelled and well stuffed.

The carne asada is infused with good flavors and is tender today.

The chicken taste fresh made and is mildly seasoned and is as tender as tender can be…..

The roasted corn and poblano taco is maybe the tastiest but also is almost free of corn.

I see two corn kernels….It’s mostly caramelized onions with poblanos and lots of rich sour cream. It’s extra tasty from the cheese that was grilled on the tortilla.

My husband tried four tacos.

Fried shrimp, carnitas, mole chicken, cauliflower.

He liked the carnitas best out of the meat tacos. He liked the shrimp but didn’t like the generous amount of guacamole on them. The chicken mole tacos seemed similar to the regular chicken tacos……just with a dab of thin mole on them. Cauliflower taco was tasty.

*********UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS**************

That was Happy Hour at El Dorado Cantina – Tivoli Village Las Vegas NV – Worth a Try!

702-333-1112

www.ElDoradoCantina.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

A Little Taste of Pizza Rock Las Vegas NV

Pizza Rock will soon have three locations in Las Vegas Nevada. This pizza restaurant is like no other. The chef and co-owner is a 13 time world pizza champion. This restaurant serves a variety of pizzas (Neapolitan, classic Italian, classic American, Sicilian, Roman, and gluten free) from four different ovens. They also offer 23 rotating drafts, craft cocktails, and 60 bottled and canned beers.

This isn’t your grandpa’s pizza shop.

Interesting “Rock” music fills the air.

We started out by sharing the gorgonzola and apple salad.

It’s a good size for two people and contains mixed greens, spicy candied walnuts, gorgonzola, apples, dried cherries, balsamic vinaigrette.

We tried an Italian Style Artichoke Joe.

This one is mozzarella, marinated artichokes, spinach, garlic, provolone, ground pepper, and a squirt of fresh lemon. It’s a nice sturdy pizza that doesn’t seem too heavy. It’s actually on the thin side but sturdy with a crisp chewy crust.

We also tried the WORLD CUP WINNER OF NAPLES ITALY Pizza Napoletana Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella fior di latte, basil, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt)

It does differ in every way from other Neapolitan pizzas I’ve tried. The crust is not wet in the center like some and is an all over moist, thin, and foldable. The sauce is rich and much heavier applied than others I’ve tried. The cheese isn’t melted as much and is in thicker chunks instead of a thin layer across the surface.

That was just a little taste of Pizza Rock.

201 N. 3rd Street Las Vegas NV – 702-385-0838

www.PizzaRockLasVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth