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?

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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!

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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?

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Cafe Saturdays (on Sunday) – Sambalatte

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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?

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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.

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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!

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My Travel Personality

MapsI call it “Putting it All in Perspective.” What does that mean? Map it!

I usually start off with the place I will visit. It’s weird. My destination almost always just falls on my lap. Either I have to go there for work, a destination family/friend’s event, or plain old my-friend-wants-to-go-there. I don’t mind it one bit though! I get to travel!

I’ve got a decent been-there-done-that list. But no matter how much I travel, being able to know where I am when I get there always seems to be my main concern. So I study the map closely for weeks before my take-off. I like to know how far I will be from my points of interest, and that I will know how to get back to my hotel. It’s funny though, I still get lost, but getting lost is part of the fun. But I never leave without my map!

Dominican Food @ Beach in Samana

Next, it’s food! I love to eat, and being able to try foreign cuisines is one of my priorities when I travel. I always make a mental list of the food that I need to find in each place I visit. In Rio? Feijoada; Argentina? Asado; Spain? Paella. Sometimes the countries in my bucket list are there primarily for the food experience!

Then there’s obviously the sightseeing! One down-side from my travel personality is my eagerness to see everything. I get in this mindset that I have to leave this place feeling like I don’t have to come back. It backfires because I end up exhausted in the first hours of arriving. Then I spend the rest of the vacation with a sore body, grouchy, and tired. But it’s worth it! It was only recently, during my trip to Indy, was when I finally relaxed and reminded myself that I can (and should) leave room for a comeback. How do you deal with the anxiety of seeing everything?

Salzburg

Finally, there are certain rules I seem to travel-by: 1) Don’t eat food I can find anywhere else (like food chains); 2) Don’t shop at stores you can find back home; and, 3) Walk! I don’t really go for tours. I prefer to discover the city by walking and taking public transportation. Every once in a while I’ll buy a tour if it seems worth it.

So far it’s been fun, and I hope to see more of the world and continue putting it all in perspective!

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