Food Archives - Life is My Oyster

Eating My Little Heart Out in Vegas

June 25, 2016Oyster 9 Comments

Oh Vegas! You fill my belly with such joy! I eat my little heart out and there’s always more out there to try! What can a girl do? Keep eating? Perhaps.

La Cave at the Wynn Las Vegas. I went with some of my girlfriends to brunch a while back at La Cave, it’s a beautiful place with a balcony overlooking the outdoor grounds at Wynn Las Vegas. The concept is very interesting because you don’t quite order from a menu. Waiters come around with trays of food and you can take a dish if you like or pass if you don’t. Most of the dishes come in tiny cast iron pots and pans, so adorable! And the food was delicious! Pictured here are the Eggs Benedict, the Tater Tots, Pancakes, and Heirloom Tomato Salad. There was so much more, but the hunger was more powerful than the need for picture taking, you’ll just have to take my word for it, delicious!
Glutton. For some time now, I’d been wanting to try this restaurant. I’d heard great things! And a friend of mine pretty much guaranteed they have the best burger in town! I had to see for myself. Luckily, she joined me on this delicious date! It did not disappoint! The burger is juicy and soft, with all the usual flavors of a classic burger! Excuse me while I wipe the delicious juice running down the sides of my mouth! Located in Downtown Las Vegas, and I can safely say this is one of the better options out there. I vouch!
Japañeiro Asian Fusion. This restaurant was recommended by the Chef at Guy Savoy, so I had to try! Pictured below are the Rock Shrimp, the Bone Marrow, the Lamb Chops, the Scallops, and the Fried Rice. The Bone Marrow was perfectly buttery and full of flavor! The Rock Shrimp were tangy and delicious as well! I have to say that the rice was a bit underwhelming. But frankly, I’m more about the meat and the fish anyways, and I can say that I’ll definitely be coming back for more!

When it comes to food in Vegas, you’ve got your vacation planning cut out for you with these tasty recommendations!

Eat Vegas – Restaurant Rundown

June 12, 2016Oyster 11 Comments

Oh yummy and delicious food, come to me now! Vegas is always sprouting with new and exciting places to eat, and when one embarks on the journey to try it all, it becomes a never ending journey to bankruptcy, haha! I joke, I joke! I eat Vegas all day, every day!

But in all seriousness, on my way to bankruptcy court (for work) I did observe as a lady who emerged from a car with a foodie logo walking into court. I guess this vice, like any other, can be financially crippling. But at least we are well fed! Cheers to that!

But this post is not about finances, it’s about food! So let’s eat Vegas! Here are some delicious finds in the Vegas food scene:

Le Pho Vietnamese Kitchen. The menu is choc-full of Vietnamese staples. It’s got your pho (duh!), it’s got banh mi, it’s got the Vermicelli bowl, and so on. It’s a recent addition to the Vegas food scene, but the owners are seasoned pros, hailing from local favorite joints Le Thai and District One. I haven’t tried everything on their menu, but I can certainly vouch for the wings, the banh mi, the pho, and the vermicelli bowl! Delicious goodness that has had me coming back, sometimes numerous times in the same week!
Itsy Bitsy Ramen & Whisky. The first few minutes of being there, I was ready to jet. It was empty! And there was a bit of an awkward mood about it. But we decided to stick it out, and we were pleasantly surprised. I did not have the ramen and whisky, sorry! I was lured to their establishment with promises of a sushi burrito, and although their build-your-own-ramen menu was tempting, I stuck with the burrito! I was a bit skeptical at first, would it be wrapped in a tortilla? how is this going to work? is it just a sushi roll? It truly is just a beef sushi roll, but it’s good!
Harvest by Roy Ellamar. This place is delicious! The only way to describe my experience. I went for restaurant week, and I am certainly coming back for more! The menu for restaurant week was perfectly balanced. We were a party of four, so it was perfect for trying almost everything on the menu. And did I mention? Everything was delicious!!! The heirloom tomato salad was nice and light, and the spinach soup perfectly creamy with bursts of savory smoked ham hidden in every bite! But the pork belly! Oh my food gods, the pork belly! It was perfection! And check out the cute cocktail (first pic above)! Can’t go wrong. Note to self: must go back and try the snack cart, the smell of it was irresistible every time it rolled past our table (and from the looks of it, it has raving reviews)!

A Chicken Goes Skiing

February 1, 2016Oyster 8 Comments

I am a total chicken! Except, I’m the kind of chicken that ends up doing the things that she’s scared of! Every time! Let me explain:

I am afraid of heights and speed. Like every other mortal, I am also afraid of public speaking, and I’d much rather be in my comfort zone! But then I get easily bored, and then my choices make me a walking contradiction!

So afraid of heights and then I got tickets to a trapeze class! So afraid of speed and heights, and then I booked a trip to Orlando to visit the adventure parks (mostly for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter though)! So afraid of public speaking and then I signed up for an oral argument competition! So afraid of… well, you get the point.

It was my birthday on December, and my boyfriend gifted me a trip to Colorado. His plan? Well, what do you give someone who is afraid of speed and heights?!?! A ski trip, of course! Every time I thought about the upcoming trip my stomach flipped. I tried not to let my fear show, but I couldn’t help but get super quiet when the nerves set in.

I decided to throw caution to the wind (not really) once again, and flew up to Denver, Colorado. I love Denver! It’s got the cutest houses! And the food scene is definitely happening! Every place we visited left our taste buds happy and our tummies full.

And then there were the ski resorts. Beautiful of course! We visited Echo Mountain and Loveland Pass.

I’d never skied before, so the first day I opted for a class. Man, skiing is exhausting! In Echo Mountain they didn’t have a moving walkway for the bunny hill (it’s too short of a distance anyway), so I had to walk up the hill in the skis a million times for two hours. By the end of it I was ready to pass out in the snow!

The second day was the real adventure! I started off all wrong. We didn’t get there in time to book a lesson, and I immediately felt very grim about the whole thing. No way! I can’t hit the slopes like this! My guy wouldn’t take my pessimistic attitude for a no, and pushed me towards trying the bunny hill. Pretty persistent guy! I pulled all the stops: whined, got mad, whined some more, wouldn’t carry my own skis, couldn’t move with the skis on, but nope! He was determined to get me on that hill!

When I finally gave the Loveland Pass bunny hill a few tries, I got cocky! Oh yes, I got this! Turns out skiing is pretty cool! What I find to be the best part about it is that you can easily control your speed, and it’s not like your are raised up off the ground. I find that as long as I am close to the ground, I feel good.

Of course, my guy saw the glimmer of confidence in me and decided we should go on the lift to do an actual slope. Again I retreated to my silent panic. Ok, let’s do it. But it was great! I got on the lift, I got off the lift, and slid down the hill like a total pro (not!)! But we couldn’t just leave it with a win. Nope, we had to go for the second try, didn’t we??

We slid right back into the line, ready to get on the flying chairs again. Except this time, I became a pretzel, got my skis tangled and fell off the lift… and the chair flew right past me knocking me down on it’s way out. I was a mess! I had to crawl to safety, take off my skis and stand up to face the crowd. Of course there was no shortage of “wow, the lift is supposed to be the easy part” comments.

Well, nothing to do but try again. I was able to stay put on the chair, and off we went, and as we slid off the chair I slid to another downfall! No problem, I get back up, no biggie! We then start heading down the hill, when all of a sudden I keep picking up speed and can’t figure out how to slow down. I panic and repeat wedge, wedge, pizza, pizza. Nope! Down I went. I don’t even know how I fell, but I fell good. Maybe I flipped? I don’t even know.

Needless to say, I was done after that. But looking back I feel so awesomely proud that I did it! Can’t wait to do it again! I may get awkward and quiet, maybe a little whiny and annoying, but in the end I’ll love it!

Have you faced your fears? which ones? did you end up liking it? Do tell!

East Coast Versus West Coast

December 14, 2015Oyster 34 Comments

A feud that will never die! Whether it’s Biggie v. Tupac, NYC v. LA, or in this case Shake Shack v. In N Out Burger, you’ve got to pick sides and you gotta do it quick!

Not really.

But who doesn’t enjoy a good East Coast versus West Coast debate?!?!

So Shake Shack made it to the west. It has for some time now, but it has quite taken off in Vegas… I mean… there’s two locations! Yes, two! I finally had the best burgers of both worlds just a drive away and I couldn’t help but do my own side-by-side!

As a disclaimer: I am in the middle. I grew up an east coaster. In New York city to be exact. I loved it there, and still do. But for the most part, I think I just like to visit now, not very interested in living there at the moment. In my last year of high school I moved to Vegas. It was pretty hard on me at first because I had to do all the senior activities without my friends. I hated the place! But Vegas has grown on me, and I must say I love it!

Of course, In N Out is not originally from Vegas, but it is a west coast thing. And while I lived in NYC, I never tried Shake Shack in New York. I only tried it for the first time at the beginning of this year, in Miami. Kinda late to the Shake Shack game, I know. And to top it all off, I am not a burgers kinda gal… or am I???

I’ve enjoyed In N Out for quite some time now. It is definitely my top choice when on a road trip from LV to LA. Their fresh ingredients, simple menu, and friendly atmosphere took all the negative out of the fast food joint. Their fries are so fresh, you may even catch them cutting the potatoes every once in a while (in a really cool contraption!). I like when menus are short and simple, it communicates to me that they know what they’re good at and that’s what I’ll be eating.

Shake Shack on the other hand, I’ve only tasted three times. It’s got less of a fast food vibe to it, maybe because it’s a fancier looking place? Maybe because it’s more expensive? Maybe because of it’s many choices… or is it that they sell beer??? You still stand in line to order, and then get your own order when it’s ready. And the ingredients seem just as fresh as those of In N Out… Maybe not the fries? I’m suspicious about their shape.

Both burgers are delicious, but side by side I’m gonna have to say that the Shack Stack takes the prize! That crispy Portobello mushroom with deliciously melted cheese inside makes my mouth water at the thought of it! When it comes to fries, my heart is with In N Out. They both have an assortment of shakes, but I do appreciate the simplicity of In N Out’s menu. I have found myself unable to take in all of Shake Shack’s menu even after visiting three times! That’s not a completely bad thing though.

All in all, I would say that my preference for In N Out and Shake Shack is much like my affection for NY v. LV. I love them both, but one is for regular visits and the other is for the special occasions. Now let me make this post a special occasion and grab me a delicious Shack Stack!

Which one is your favorite?

Cafe Saturdays (On Sunday) – PublicUs

September 20, 2015Oyster 1 Comment

You know a place is good when you can’t stop reading about it in your Facebook feed! Well, at least that’s been my experience. And PublicUs is a winner in my book.

It’s a cute place in Downtown Las Vegas, on the corner of Maryland and Freemont. It doesn’t have a huge sign to announce it’s presence, but if you find it, you may want to stop by!

They have an assortment of pastries that look mouth-watering good! Except, I haven’t tried them so don’t take my imaginary word for it (haha!). What I have tried are the savory items on the menu, and I like!

Pictured Above (starting from top left):

Shishito peppers. Delicious! Served with green onions, and a delicious Sambal Gastrique! That red glaze made it so tasty! We asked the server what the sauce contained but no luck, it’s a delicious mystery!
The Cu-Ban-Mi Sandwich. I really liked this sandwich! It had pickled veggies, which made it crispy and tasty all at the same time. It comes with a side of green salad and some potato chips.
The Fried Chicken. I was a bit hesitant about this one because I don’t usually do chicken, and I am not into kimchi (sorry!). But man the chicken was perfectly crisp on the outside and perfectly juicy and tender on the inside. I mixed the egg with the rice and included a piece of chicken in every mouthful, a delight! This was recommended by a staff member, and I am glad he did!
The Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich. This one was a bit of a disappointment. If you know me, you know I like my pork belly, but here I wasn’t very interested. It might’ve been the sweet potato? I couldn’t tell you.

At PublicUs, they have an eclectic beer selection. I’m going to say that sour beer is not for me, but I’m glad I tried it. Then there was the green tea with citrus, a blend of lime, green tea, and orange juice. It was tasty, and very different. It was still not a sweet drink, despite the juices, so I liked it.

And then they have this insane coffee machine that looks like a classic car. You know, the ones you see riding down the road, with black and platinum colors, and it probably cost a pretty penny. I had to try whatever concoction came out of that thing! What I thought was odd was that they sweeten the coffee for you. It was sweet enough for my taste, but I still found it weird. The coffee was good, and I loved the little cookies it came with. Nice touch!

I like this place! Have you been? Let me know what else is good!

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