Japanese Pub food in the Sin City

Following our Korean BBQ breakfast (What can I say?  You have to take advantage of what you can't get back home anytime you can get it) and hours of shopping, we decided we needed to re-energize with a snack.  I had been researching some local Japanese restaurants and came across Ichiza.  Ichiza specializes in Japanese pub-like dishes with a bit of a fusion flare.

One of our favorite dishes was the saute beef tongues on a sizzling hot plate.  This dish was so tender and tasty!  Just how beef tongue should be cooked.  It is best served with a nice cold glass of beer.

To be honest with you, we both were not even very hungry to begin with.  But we couldn't leave without trying their most popular Honey Toast Dessert.  It is nearly a half loaf of white bread served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the middle.  What really seals this dessert together so nicely is the scrumptious drizzle of honey on top!

Worth it?  I would say so.

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.