Cafe Saturdays – La Belle Terre

La Belle Terre - Sweets!

Ah, C’est le weekend!

Vegas is a great place to play pretend. On the strip you will find yourself in Paris, Venice, New York, etc. But off the strip, there are plenty of diverse cuisines just a short drive away. Though I do enjoy a nice day at the strip, for the most part I play pretend with other locals off-strip.

Today, I’m in France, chillin’ at La Belle Terre. It’s a super cute place, and don’t be surprised if you overhear a bit of french, the chefs are from St. Tropez (making my French brunch feel all the more realistic).

I’ve got a sweet tooth. Although lately it’s been dormant, I still enjoy a good bakery. And I have to say that this one wins the prize for best croissants in town! They are perfectly flaky, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I know, makes my mouth water too. I’ve been known to spoil my co-workers with these croissants to my wallet’s discontent.

 La Belle Terre - Ciabatta Breakfast Sandwich La Belle Terre - Breakfast Sandwich

Today, I went for the savory. Pictured above is the Breakfast Sandwich, a Ciabatta with ham, swiss cheese and egg omelet. The breads are freshly made here, and did I mention they are delicious?! The breakfast came with potatoes and a green salad on the side. My taste buds were pleased, and most importantly my tummy was filled with goodness.

La Belle Terre - Outdoor

Now excuse me, while I sit back, relax, and enjoy the weekend! Bon Appétit!

How are you enjoying the weekend?

Follow me on:
Follow

Brunchin’ in Las Vegas

If you’ve been to Vegas, you know there are endless possibilities for brunch. But when it comes to Brunchin’ in Las Vegas, this local has a favorite! I’ve tried most of the usual spots. But there’s one that keeps me coming back for more. DW Bistro! Sure they’ve got their pros and cons, but in my book the pros outweigh the cons by a long shot!

Shots for everyone! Bottomless Mimosas! Staying 'til closing time.

Shots for everyone! Bottomless Mimosas! Staying ’til closing time.

The con for me is that I am not the only local who seems to love this place… well, duh! So the wait times are crazy long! But that just reinforces how freakin’ good it is! Everyone wants to eat here, so much so, that many times I will bump into a friendly face! Another con is how crowded and loud it is, but I guess that comes with the territory when you are eating at the brunch place.

But enough about waiting to eat! Let’s talk about the food!

When it comes to breakfast, I am always torn between sweet and savory. Do I want the Pastry Basket or the Eggs Benedict? Luckily, on this particular visit my friend had a sweet tooth and I opted for a savory dish… and then we ended up eating each others dishes 😉 So I had the best of both worlds.

DW Bistro - Chilaquiles

DW Bistro – Chilaquiles

Savory: Chilaquiles. Hands down my favorite dish on the brunch menu! It’s made up of white corn tortilla, chicken, cheddar cheese, two eggs, lime infused sour cream, queso fresco, and other good stuff. It. Is. Good.

DW Bistro - Challah French Toast

DW Bistro – Challah French Toast

Sweet: Challah French Toast. You can get this one with strawberries or bananas. It comes drizzled in syrup. It is heaven on Challah!

And then there’s the bottomless mimosas (for those who prefer savory, I hear their Bloody Mary is delicious). They do not skimp on the bottomless part! My glass was never empty, and it wasn’t from a lack of drinking.

On this particular day, a fellow diner was in a celebratory mood and decided to buy shots for the entire restaurant. Two shots for each and every patron, to be exact. On retrospect, I probably should have declined this patron’s generosity… but then again, cheers!

Great brunch! And if you’re ever there for lunch, try the DW Spanish Chorizo with Shrimp, so good!

Follow me on:
Follow

National Hot Dog Month!

There seems to be a national day for just about everything! And there’s a national hot dog month/day, and it’s in July. I’m not a fan of hot dogs, but ain’t nothing wrong with celebrating a day that recognizes food! Here in Vegas we have a few restaurants with unique hot dog recipes, and I decided to try the three most popular ones so you don’t have to 😉

IMG_2826First we have Street Dogs! Street Dogs is a Venezuelan food truck that serves a variety of Venezuelan fare. They have ultra-delicious arepas, burgers, and other delicious things, in addition to the hot dog. The hot dog is topped with an assortment of yummy things, including your choice of beef, chicken, or pork. One thing you will quickly learn about me is that among all delicious choices of meat, I gravitate towards delicious-finger-licking pork. So here I am with my porky street dog. I can say it was pretty good, but this one won’t turn me to the dark side (that’s the side of hot-dog lovers).

Chefini'sNext, Cheffini’s. This one is located inside the Container Park. It has a big selection of interesting hot dog recipes. You can get it with bacon, caramelized onions, quail egg, potato chips, pork belly, jalapeños, spicy mayo…. wait… did you say pork belly???? Sold! Yup, I gravitate towards pork! And when there’s pork belly involved, the pull is even greater! So I decided to get The Grand Father dog, because? you guessed it: it has pork belly. Sadly, the pork belly pieces were scarce and not nearly as flavorful as I prefer them to be. This was not a winner in my book. I believe I’ve tried their namesake dog before, and liked it. Not a fan of The Grand Father. My pork belly has led me astray 🙁

But if there is a hot dog that can turn me, it’s probably this one:

BuldoggisBuldogis! Yummy! This restaurant also has an assortment of toppings to meet your ultimate hot dog needs. And of course, I had to order me one with pork belly! This one is called the Banh Mi Dog. Now, it wasn’t just the pork belly that made me turn to this one, it was also my desire to re-live a delicious Banh Mi with pork belly I enjoyed on a recent trip to D.C. Whatever it was that led me to order this dog, I am glad it did. This was by far the most delicious hot dog I’ve had! It came with pork belly, banh mi slaw, cilantro, and sriracha mayo. So good! With this one I felt I commemorated the hot dog deliciously on this most important hot dog day!

What do you like on your hot dog?

Follow

Cafe Saturdays (on Sunday) – Sambalatte

     thumb_FullSizeRender 7_1024

Much like the rest of the world, I love Nutella. Unlike much of the rest of the world, I am not a fan of coffee. Maybe I’m more on the tea side of things. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. But when you tell me there’s a Nutella option, I’m all in! And what’s not to like about sitting in a cute coffeehouse enjoying a nice warm drink, and getting some work done?

thumb_FullSizeRender 8_1024

There a few locations of Sambalatte here in Vegas. One in Boca Park, another on Jones and 215, and a third location in the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. I would say the each have their charms. In Boca Park it feels more conducive to work because it has lots of tables and places where you can spread your things. The Monte Carlo location has an outdoor seating area looking towards the strip, perfect for people watching or just taking a coffee break from touristy activities.

thumb_FullSizeRender 4_1024

The food is a bit on the pricey side, most sandwiches are about $10. I have been meaning to try the prosciutto sandwich, but I haven’t heard good things. Their plain and chocolate croissants are not my favorites either. But I can tell you the ham and cheese croissant is delicious! The macaroons are also pretty good too! I always get a chocolate and a raspberry, because they truly are a match made in heaven.

thumb_FullSizeRender 3_1024It’s a cute place, and I am happy to see coffee shops like this sprouting up in the city. Although I do like my Starbucks, a little variety is always good.

P.S. Why on Sunday? Because I had a spectacular meal on Saturday that called for an empty stomach! I shall fill you in soon enough!

Follow

Cafe Saturdays – Sweets Raku

IMG_2013FullSizeRender 2FullSizeRender 6FullSizeRender 7

Ok ok, this is not a Cafe, but they do serve lunch!

Raku and Sweets Raku definitely hold their individual spots in my Vegas top ten (I’ll let you know my top ten in due time)! Sweets Raku started out (and still is for the most part) as a dessert restaurant. I always love to hear the first words after greeting those coming in “are you ready for dessert?”

Why, yes, yes I am! Some would say I was born ready!

Nowadays, Sweets Raku serves lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and a few other appetizer-like dishes consisting of Prosciutto, Liver Pate, Burrata Cheese, Caviar, etc.

Today was my first time trying any of their savory dishes, and man it was yummy! I decided to go with the sandwich and two course dessert prix fixe. I went with the Grilled Salmon sandwich with Tomato Basil soup, and the Ringo dessert. And I got myself a white wine sangria, because why not?

The tomato basil soup was delicious! Very creamy! The grilled salmon came with ikura (Roe) and some greens in a warm croissant. It was good! Every bite was bursting with salty ocean flavors and deliciousness! Then came dessert:

FullSizeRender

First some raspberry sorbet with mint jello. Then came Ringo:

IMG_2012Ringo is an apple pie with caramel ice cream. The blown sugar apple is filled with whipped cream and caramel sauce in the center. It. Is. Delicious. Needless to say.

I’ve been going to Sweets Raku since it’s debut. Their menu is seasonal. I get the idea behind seasonal menus, but man it’s so heartbreaking when you fall in love with an item and then it’s no longer in the menu a few months later. My favorite dessert by far was last season’s Red Rock. It was a raspberry souffle with ice cream. Hopefully it comes back, in the meantime we’ve got Ringo.

Throughout the years this place has become more and more popular. If you come in during dinner time, you are sure to find a full house. But I guess you can have the place all to yourself during lunch time (more like 3-5pm)! Love it!

FullSizeRender 3

FullSizeRender 4

P.S. If you find yourself at Sweets Raku, make sure to check out the restroom (not pictured here). I know, weird. But it’s really nice!

Follow