I Love Burgers

One night while we were in Vegas, we went looking for a quick bite to eat before going to see the David Spade show at the Venetian.  Our first two restaurant choices were packed, so we found another restaurant nearby called I Love (Heart) Burgers.  It too was crowded, but at least there was not a wait here.

Fried Mac N' Cheese

We were served by a waitress that looked a lot like the singer Pink, glared at us like Beelzebub, and had a sense of humor like......oh wait, she had no sense of humor.  All the other tables around us had nice, friendly waitresses, but we had a waitress that looked like Mr. T (if he was a mean woman and was a little more masculine).  For starters we ordered fried pickles and fried mac n' cheese.  The mac n' cheese was okay, but the fried pickles were less than spectacular.  A couple of us ordered the BBQ Bacon Burger, another ordered the ultimate cheeseburger, while the other guy in our party ordered the I Love Bacon Burger.  The burgers were okay, but not near as good as some of the others I have had lately.  For a side, I ordered the parmesan garlic fries and they were less than impressive 

BBQ Bacon Burger

Parmesan Garlic Fries.

I was not impressed with this place, but it wasn't horrible either.  We didn't have to wait very long to get our food, but our waitress was scary and constantly glared at us like an anaconda eyes a capybara.  We were extremely hungry after a hard day of gambling and watching hoops, so the mediocre burgers were still devoured.  Overall, I would give this place a 1 on a 5-point scale.  I will probably not go back to eat here if I can help it.

Taco Villa in Benbrook

While growing up in West Texas, Taco Villa was my favorite fast food restaurant.  In fact, every time I would go back home to visit my mom in Lorenzo, we always went to Lubbock to eat at Taco Villa at least once a visit and sometimes twice in a weekend.  Recently, Taco Villa opened up their first Metroplex location in Benbrook, Texas.  Benbrook is still about an hour and fifteen minutes from McKinney, but we happened to pass through Benbrook on the way home from Granbury.  Since we were so close, we had to stop and grab some grub.

This isn't all mine.  I let my wife have one of the burritos and gave her a couple of fries.

This isn't so much a restaurant review, as it is a public service announcement to those living in the Metroplex.  You absolutely have to go eat here if you like fast food Mexican gut bombs that are very tasty.  I highly recommend this place.  My fellow West Texas refugees stuck in the Metroplex already know the merits of this place and we are anxiously awaiting the opening of other locations in the DFW area.

The wife eating a bean burrito, aka the "Baby Poop" burrito.

When I eat at Taco Villa, I don't play.  I order enough Mexican food to put a grizzly bear through an entire winter hibernation.  This trip, we ordered tacos, taco burgers, bean burritos, and mexi-curls (seasoned curly fries).  They have a pretty extensive menu, but these are my go-to favorites.  My favorite menu item is the taco burger, which is seasoned taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato served on a hamburger bun.

A happy fat kid.

I left our meal about five pounds heavier than when I went in, but it was worth it.  This Taco Villa had the same menu items as back home and the food tasted exactly the same.  This place is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to fast food Mexican.  Much better than Taco Bell, Taco Bueno, Del Taco, Taco Casa, etc.  Go eat here and enjoy!  Definitely a 4 out of 5 on the fast food scale.

Public House

While recently staying at The Venetian in Vegas, I discovered Public House by accident.  Three of the four in our group had just arrived in Vegas and we were looking for a place to watch March Madness while waiting on our other buddy to arrive.  We had just bet on our games for the day and happened to notice several TVs that had different games on, so we went into the Public House.

I really enjoyed sitting in this area with all the TVs.

We ate here in the late afternoon, so they were still serving the lunch menu.  I decided on the chicken sandwich with herb fries, buddy #2 went with the pub burger, and buddy #3 saw the large selection of beverages and decided to drink his lunch.  My sandwich had grilled chicken, ham, provolone, and spicy sour beer mustard served on a pretzel bun.  This was unquestionably the best grilled chicken sandwich I have had in some time.  The flavors blended perfectly and the pretzel bun was the icing on the cake.  The herb fries were pretty good too.  My buddy that had the pub burger said it was great as well.  The third member of our party who decided to drink his lunch did not complain about his meal either.

Great chicken sandwich on a pretzel bun

Pub burger and fries

I really liked the food here and it was a great place to watch games.  It was crowded, but we were able to find seats in the lounge.  On top of the good food, Public House ended up being a great place to visit with friends while watching March Madness as well.  The service was great and the waitresses were easy on the eyes.  I would rate Public House a 3 on a 5-point scale.  The menu had several other items that looked great, so I look forward to going there again next year, watching some hoops, and trying some other menu items.

Carnevino

Last year, I had the best dining experience of my life at Carnevino .  My friends and I enjoyed this place so much, that we made sure we made reservations to go back while we were in Las Vegas this year.  Carnevino is an Italian Steakhouse owned and operated by Mario Batali.  This establishment is located in the Palazzo Hotel and Casino, but Batali recently opened up a second Carnevino restaurant in Hong Kong. During our visit in 2012, we had read some great reviews of this place and couldn’t wait to try it.  Last year, the service was spectacular, the food was amazing, and I was blissfully content when leaving the restaurant. 


Tough deceisions: How many bottles of the 1990 La Tache, Domaine Romanee Conti should we order for the table?

The food was so amazing during our visit in 2012, that I would have turned down a date with Kate Upton if I had to choose between her and Carnevino.  I am sure my wife would also be pleased with that hypothetical choice.  Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who agreed that Carnevino is the bomb.  Travel and Leisure rated it as one of the top 30 steakhouses in the U.S.  The Robb Report has chosen Carnevino as the best steakhouse in Vegas.  Men's Health even rated Carnevino's Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye (the same steak we ordered) as the best steak in America.  If you are a wine drinker, they have a rather extensive wine list as well.

This year, we sat down to dine with the anticipation of children on Christmas Eve.  We were right on time for our 8:45 reservation and were seated immediately.  While looking over the menu, the wait staff brings out bread, butter, and lard.  That is correct, lard.  If you are one of those people that think butter is just too low in cholesterol, you can spread lard on your bread too.  All kidding aside, the lard gave the bread a nice salty tasty and added to the flavor of the sweet butter.  They also give you complimentary Francine (fried cheese balls) while you await your appetizers.

Butter and lard

Francine, aka fried cheese ball

The menu had several appetizers that looked appealing.  The table could not decide on one choice, so we ordered two.  The fried calamari was very crispy and served on top of a spicy marinara sauce.  We also ordered the steamed clams, which were very flavorful and had a hint of garlic.

Calamari

Clams

For our main course and for the second year in a row, we chose the bone-in ribeye.  The menu claims it can feed two, but it easily fed three when ordered with another entrée to share.  We ordered this ribeye and requested it medium.  It was delicious once again, but the steak we had this time had a little too much marbling for my liking.  Still, the steak had a perfectly charred crust and melted in your mouth.  It was an absolutely fantastic steak that was bursting with flavor, but it still wasn’t as good as the one we had last year.  I have never had steaks as good as the ones I have had at Carnevino.  For a side, we ordered the Mascarpone and Guanciale Mashed Potatoes.  It was delicious and served with a poached egg and un-smoked pork cheek bacon on top.

Our bone-in ribeye before the waiter cut it into sections that would fit on a plate.

The steak right before we began to devour it.  Sadly this establishment frowns on patrons who gnaw on the bone.

Mashed Potatoes topped with egg and cheek bacon.

I couldn’t go to an Italian steakhouse without ordering some type of pasta, so two of us also shared an order of the “Spago” with lamb ragu.  If I had not liked anything else at Carnevino, this dish would have made the entire visit worthwhile.  Normally I am not a big fan of lamb, but the pieces of lamb were cooked perfectly and were extremely tender.  The fourth member of our party was happy with their choice of the Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare, which is a pasta dish with clams, shrimp, lobster, and calamari. 

Spago with lamb ragu

All four members of our party were very pleased with the meal and very full, but I ordered dessert anyway.  I chose the traditional Italian favorite of Tiramisu.  When it arrived, I was shocked to see it in a glass.  Although prepared differently from other Tiramisu I have had, it was still a very fine dessert.


Tiramisu?  Very different than any I have had before, but still delicious.

Our experience was so good last year that I was prepared to give this place a 20 on a 5-point scale.  Although the food was once again fantastic, the service was somewhat lacking this time around.  It wasn’t that the service was bad, but they just didn’t fawn over us like the wait staff did the last time we dined here.  I would still give this place a 5 on a 5-point scale.  I will definitely dine here again and it is still my favorite steakhouse.   My disappointment over the service this time should also serve as an example to all the single people out there.  Never set the expectations too high on the first date, because your date will expect the royal treatment every time after that!

SUSHISAMBA

During a recent trip to Las Vegas, some friends and I had the pleasure of eating at some great restaurants.  SUSHISAMBA was one of the places where we dined.  One of my friends had previously dined at the location in Miami and assured us it was phenomenal sushi. There just happened to be a Vegas establishment located in in The Palazzo, which adjoined our hotel, The Venetian. Normally I am not a big fan of sushi, but I thought I would give it a try.  After eating at SUSHISAMBA, I have a new appreciation for the cuisine.

The sushi bar

While perusing the menu, we started with the Edamame.  It was really good and perfectly salted.  We then ordered the Yellowtail Seviche Crispy Tacos and the Sea Bass Rabata served with Peruvian corn.  Both were absolutely fantastic, but I was particularly impressed with the sea bass.  The tacos were great too and much different than other fish tacos I have had because they were served cold. 

Edamame

Sea Bass Rabata

Crispy Fish Tacos

For our main course we ordered the Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef Gyoza, Main Lobster Crispy Tacos, Samba Strip,  Neo Tokyo,  Bobo Brazil,  Carnaval, California Rolls, and a side of the steamed Japanese rice.  It was all amazing, but the Samba Strip (main lobster tempura, mango, tomato, chive, crispy rice, soy paper, and peanut curry) was my favorite of these.  Even though I usually don’t care for items with raw fish, the Neo Tokyo (bigeye tuna, tempura flake, and aji panca) was great too.

A5 Wagyu Beef Gyoza 

Various roll items we ordered.  My favorite was the Samba Strip at the top of the photo.

Before eating at SAMBASUSHI, I normally associated sushi with bait I would use to catch fish that I planned on cooking.  This dining experience totally changed that.  I told my wife that I enjoyed it so much, I would even be willing to try a local sushi place with her (as long as it was highly rated by local publications of course).  I would rate SAMBASUSHI a solid 4 on a 5-point scale.  On top of having great food, the service was second to none. The hostess was extremely courteous and set us up at a great booth and the wait staff was very informative while giving us terrific service.  This establishment has restaurants in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Miami, and London.  I most definitely plan on eating here again.

March Madness and My Favorite City

View from room during the day

View from room at night

I just returned from my seventh trip to Las Vegas.  For the second straight year, some friends and I were lucky enough to get to meet up and have a guys weekend for the first weekend of March Madness.   This is the fourth time I have been in Sin City for my favorite sporting event and it never gets old.  Although our main reason for going was to bet on some hoops and watch games, we also enjoyed going to a show, playing some table games, and eating like kings!

Hallway in The Venetian

I took this picture for my daughter because she would love to see a pink tree.

Venetian Waterfall

For our trip this year, we stayed at The Venetian.  It is a beautiful hotel with very nice rooms, a spacious casino, a huge poker room, and several world-class restaurants.  I enjoy placing bets on the basketball games that I feel good about and then finding a restaurant or sports bar to watch games.  Although I enjoy playing poker, craps and blackjack, I usually don’t do much gambling until after the games are all finished for the night.

When most people think of Las Vegas, they think of gambling.  As soon as you exit your plane, you can hear the sound of slot machines at McCarran International Airport.  Those huge casinos were built with the money that was brought in from gambling, but Vegas is a lot more than gambling.  It is also a major destination for shopping, shows, and fantastic food.

Front of The Venetian

Speaking of food, we ate at some great restaurants such as SUSHISAMBA,  Public House, and Carnevino.  I will blog about each of these and give my reviews in the near future.  If you like high-end dining, you can’t walk three steps without finding a restaurant owned by the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, etc.  Some people prefer quantity over quality when it comes to food and Vegas will not disappoint these people either.  Almost every hotel casino has its own buffet.  This trip we tried the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace and it was so good that it will get its own review later as well. 

Getting my eat on during our visit to Caesar's Palace!

If you have never been to Vegas, I would highly recommend taking in a show.  There are a wide variety of shows that a visitor can take in.  There are several Cirque du Soleil acts, musical acts, musicals, and comedians.  Comedian/Actor David Spade, aka Joe Dirt, was doing a show on one of the Friday and Saturday that we were there.  We talked it over as a group and decided it would be fun to go see David Spade.   Some tickets became available the day of the show and we were able to get tickets on the third row, directly in front of Kelsey Grammer.  Apparently we had better connections than he did since we were a row in front of him. 

Since he sat behind us, Kelsey Grammer obviously couldn't afford our tickets

Typical of a comedy show, it began with an opening act and then followed by Kevin Farley (Chris’s Brother).  Both the local guy and Kevin Farley were very funny.  Following Kevin Farley’s set, he introduced David Spade.  But it wasn’t David Spade that came out.  Instead, some little known actor/comedian named Chris Rock came out.  All four of us were shocked and excited that Chris Rock was on stage and we looked at each other with complete amazement.  He did about a 15-20 minute set and was absolutely hilarious.  If given the choice of seeing any comedian, Chris Rock would have been number one on my list and I got to basically see him for free since he was not advertised to be a part of David Spade’s show (at least it seemed free using Vegas logic).  David Spade followed Chris Rock, but although hilarious, he was no Chris Rock.  Getting to see Chris Rock and David Spade might have been the highlight of my trip.

Kevin Farley

Chris Rock

David Spade

Overall it was another amazing, fun, and sleep-deprived visit to my favorite city.  I ended up going 12-9-1 on basketball games and ended up making some decent money on March Madness.  Unfortunately, blackjack, craps, poker, and slots didn’t treat me so kindly.  I still left Las Vegas a happy man.  I got to watch some great basketball, hang out with some great friends, and ate some great food.  I was also smart enough to use some of the money I had left on a gift for my wife.  These gifts to the wife seem to help with met getting permission to go on guys trips.

Don't forget the gift to the wife so she will let you go back next year!

Torchy's Tacos

I stopped by Torchy's Tacos for breakfast a few days ago.  I was running errands in Allen, Texas and I was hungry for breakfast tacos.  I used my AroundMe app on my phone and it located a Torchy's Tacos just a few blocks from where I was.  I had never heard of Torchy's before, but I was ravenous and decided to give it a try.

The Devil Baby at Torchy's

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Torchy's was a huge devil baby with a fork hanging from the ceiling.  Did this mean the tacos were sinfully good?  I couldn't decide what kind of breakfast taco I wanted, so I ordered three (one bacon, egg, and cheese, one chorizo, egg, and cheese, and one potato, egg, and cheese).  They were surprisingly decent and the tortillas were very fresh.  My favorite was the chorizo, egg, and cheese, but the potato, egg, and cheese was a close second.  The thing I liked best about the breakfast tacos at Torchy's, was that the bacon, chorizo, and potatoes were cooked into the egg, rather than just being added after the eggs were cooked.  The salsa was not very hot, but it was flavorful.

One chorizo, egg, and cheese and one potato, egg, and cheese breakfast taco.

I would rate Torchy's a 3 on my 5-point scale and will eat hear again.  While eating breakfast there, I noticed that their lunch/dinner menu of tacos looked good as well.  Since this place is close to my house, I can definitely see myself going back here.  These tacos aren't the best I have had, but they are very good!

Seasons 52

I have been eating very unhealthy this week, pigging out on burgers, BBQ, Southern Cooking, and desserts.  For a change of pace, my wife and I decided we would go on a date night and eat somewhere healthy for a change.  Seasons 52 is known for a seasonally inspired menu that prides itself on the fact that every item on the menu is less than 475 calories.  Although this chain has been in the Metroplex for a few years now, we have never had the pleasure of dining here.  We got a sitter and went on a date night to try this restaurant.

We had an early reservation and were seated immediately.  For starters, my wife ordered the Kalymnos Greek salad and I ordered a special that was on the menu for the night, Chicken and Rice gumbo.  My gumbo was great, but my wife said her Greek salad was fairly ordinary.  I ended up sharing some of my gumbo with her and she gave it her stamp of approval.

Greek Salad

Chicken and Rice Gumbo

For my entrée, I ordered the Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon, cooked medium rare.  It was covered in a red wine sauce and served with cremini mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes.  My wife ordered the Grilled Line-Caught Corvina Mayan, which was one of their specials served on a warm black bean vegetable salad.  When our entrees arrived, I realized how they are able to say that all of their items were under 475 calories.  I have had pieces of steak on kabobs that were bigger than my filet and I have seen minnows that were as big as my wife’s corvina.  My steak was bland and the wine sauce was so overpowering, that I could not taste the steak.  The mashed potatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms were very bland and left me less than impressed.  I tried some of my wife’s dish and it was very bland as well.

Miniature Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

Corvina Mayan

I would rate Seasons 52 a 2 on my 5-point scale.  The gumbo was the only reason I even ranked it as high as I did.  Since they change their menu seasonally, we might try this place again and give it another chance, but it would not be one of my first choices for places to dine.

Off-Site Kitchen

Off-Site Kitchen is another burger joint that has been on my list of restaurants that I wanted to try. Although it has been open for a few years now, I have never been there.  The restaurant is located at 2226 Irving Blvd. in Dallas.  In 2012, The Dallas Morning News had it on its Best in DFW: Hamburgers 2012 and the foodie website, Eater.com, recently ranked it as one of The 25 Hottest Hamburgers in America Right Now. 

Menu as you walk in to the restaurant

I talked my little brother into joining me on this culinary experience and we both had high hopes for this place.  I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and he ordered the double meat cheeseburger.  We both got orders of their Russet garlic fries. We ordered and found one of the ten bar stools available for inside seating.  We apparently got there at the right time, because shortly after we arrived a line began forming outside. 

Bacon Cheeseburger and Russet Garlic Fries

We waited about 15 minutes for our burgers and fries, but the meal was well worth the short wait. The burger was absolutely delicious.  One of the things I liked most was that the onions were finely chopped and actually mixed into the burger patty.  The chopped onions added tremendously to the flavor, but didn’t overpower the taste of burger. The Russet fries were fresh and lightly seasoned with garlic.  You could taste the garlic on the fries, but it was seasoned just enough to give it only a hint of garlic flavor.

My little brother enjoying his double meat cheeseburger.

This was the third great burger joint I have tried since the start of 2013.  The burger itself was even more flavorful than Liberty Burger and Maple and Motor, but the portions at Off-Site Kitchen were much smaller than the other two places.  Even though the burger was small, I would still rate Off-Site Kitchen an 5 on a 5-point scale.   I wished I had followed my brother’s lead and ordered the double meat burger.  Hindsight is 20-20, but I will be putting this restaurant in my restaurant rotation.