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Cafe Saturdays (on Sunday) – Sambalatte

July 12, 2015Oyster Leave a Comment

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?

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.

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.

It’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

July 7, 2015Oyster 11 Comments

I 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!

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?

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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Indy

July 2, 2015Oyster 1 Comment

I’ve got a travel bucket list. My top five changes periodically though. A new movie, or maybe even eating a dish from a foreign country, divert my attention and shuffle my queue. Indy was never in my list. Like, never. I heard about Indy, but it never even occurred to me to visit. But I recently did, and it was awesome!

Don’t get me wrong, the moment I found out of the possibility to visit Indy I became surprisingly excited! It turned out to be a gem of a city. I went for a friend’s wedding, which was held in Bloomington, but we had to have our detour in Indianapolis. We only had a day and a half to check out the city, but I think we did it right, and I left room for a comeback!

For lunch we went to the City Market. It is located right across the street from the courthouse, and it looked like it was a place for locals to have a quick bite in the middle of a busy day. We opted for savory crepes at 3 Days in Paris, delicious!

While making small talk with the guys at 3 Days in Paris, we were told to try Milktooth. And it turns out that’s the place to be on a Saturday/Sunday brunch. It’s a cute place. We can file it under the Hipster Eatery folder, and it was good! The menu is seasonal, and the stuff I had was good. Sorry, too hungry to take pictures, but here’s the coffee I had:

For other good places to eat I suggest checking out Fountain Square, which is where Milktooth is (or nearby). There they had a few places I was dying to try but had no time. If you go to Bluebeard, let me know how you like it. In Broad Ripple we ate some Ice Cream at Nicey Treat. They had this really good chocolate with chili flavor that was sweet and spicy. And of course, I visited the classic St. Elmo’s and had their spectacular-nasal-clearing Shrimp Cocktail. Very good!

Bloomington is a beautiful college town! The wedding took place on-campus at IU. When I heard it was going to take place on-campus I was like what?!?! But as soon as I walked towards the ceremony and reception area it became very clear why. It was absolutely green and beautiful.

Nap-town was a great time! I hope to come back some time and take a bigger bite of the food scene. I leave you with this city collage:

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Cafe Saturdays – Sweets Raku

June 28, 2015Oyster Leave a Comment

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:

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

Ringo 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!

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!

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