For the Meat Lovers

Not often when I travel to Las Vegas do I get a chance to explore restaurants off the strip.  I am usually in Las Vegas for a trade show, an account visit or a crazy weekend filled with TOO many gin & tonics.  Having a laid back weekend to just shop, casually bet a few hands on the roulette table and truly enjoy the wonderful dining the city has to offer, gives me a different perspective on what Sin City has to offer.

After our romantic dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, we decided to search the city for more casual fares.  We stumbled upon this 24 Hours Korean BBQ spot.  I'm not exactly sure what the name of the restaurant was.  It was either 24 HR BBQ or Sushi  All You Can Eat or Korean BBQ Kimchi.  Hmmm...but there was a huge sign that we couldn't miss!

Typically, I'm not a huge fan of buffets and was feeling a little skeptical about an all you can eat Korean BBQ spot.  The thought of all that meat!  But since it was 11 AM and we were both craving Korean (there is NO Korean food in Santa Barbara), the glaring sign lured us in.  To my surprise this was not the typically buffet set up with chafing dishes lined up in a row and filled with massive amounts of food.  You sit down and a nice Korean waitress takes your order.  Once/if you finish your first huge platter of meat then she will bring out more.  She will bring out three different types of meats the first go around.  The meat was tender and fresh.  There were also a great variety of side dishes that really makes a good Korean BBQ joint.

As much as we enjoyed the food at this buffet joint, I doubt that we will go back to any Korean BBQ buffet anytime soon.  To be honest, it's just too much meat for my taste.  But I do recommend it to all you meat and Korean BBQ lovers out there to try it at least once.

Viva Las Vegas!

The month of June was a hectic one with house guests, work travel and a bachelorette trip to Puerto Vallarta!  With so many events scheduled on the calendar, the husband decided to plan a weekend trip to celebrate...yes...my belated 30th birthday over the 4th of July weekend.  We packed up a small weekend bag and took off in our little Prius.  But first we made a pit stop to Orange County to meet up with my Aunt and Uncle at Tan Cang Newport Seafood Restaurant for some the West Coast's finest lobster.

I remember coming to this restaurant many years ago with my parents on a road trip from Portland. Still until this day my family rants and RAVES about the way this restaurant cooks their lobster.  To my surprise after all these years, every bite remains the taste of pure perfection with intense flavors of garlic, scallions and possibly some crack (I'm just kidding)!   

                              

The next day we headed towards the desert to test out our luck with a little gambling and some culinary delights!  The husband surprised me with reservations to Mon Ami Gabi, a classic French Bistro, located in the Paris Hotel/Casino.  We had prime seating on the patio which was situated right on the stripe.  Typically, if I had walked past this restaurant on any other occasion, I would have thought that sitting so close to the stripe was a bit cheesy for my taste.  However, on that warm evening and in the company of my husband, I found enjoying the view of the Bellagio water show over wine to be romantic.

We started off with a fresh 1/2 dozen of oysters on the half shell.  The husband ordered the restaurant's speciality of steak - Filet Mignon with merlot butter and a red wine reduction.  It was cooked just the way we both like it - medium rare.

My dish was the Mussels Mariniere cooked in white wine and fresh herbs, served with a side of frites.  The mussels were huge and juicy!  The wine sauce was so sweet.  I just had to dip each and every one of those frites into it before every bite.  Yummm...  

I have to say though, my FAVORITE part of the meal besides the wine, oysters and mussels was the Banana Foster Crepe filled with vanilla ice cream, bananas and smothered in banana foster sauce!  It was so delicious that I forgot to take the photo until we were half way done with it.

I have to give it to the husband for planning the perfect belated 30th birthday dinner!  Je t'aime mon cheri!