JoeyH's Profile
St. Louis: has anyone been to Al's (north of Laclede's Landing)
I was there last a couple of months ago. I like Al's a lot. But I like stepping into a 1960s style clubby dining room with tableside preparation and classic dishes like caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, crab stuffed filet, escargot, stuffed mushrooms, etc. Sometimes overlooked are the really great pasta dishes. There is some fraying around the edges of the classic surroundings, but the food and service is still excellent. If you like "old school" it's hard to do better,
Dinner with a view - Sunday night
If your idea of a great view can include street level, I recommend the patio at Mon Ami Gabi. It has a great view of the Bellagio fountains across the street. Very good food. Not stuffy at all.
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Mon Ami Gabi
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV
"Must Read" books for chowhounds?
Some good suggestions. I would add:
The Fourth Star: Dispatches from Inside Daniel Boulud's Celebrated New York Restaurant
It's about the obsessive attention to detail that's required for a restaurant to earn the NY Times four star review.
The end of Good Eats :(
With all due respect, I think Julia Child deserves that honor.
Lawry's The Prime Rib?
I was undecided what to order one night at Gibson's and the waiter suggested I try the prime rib. I had always gone with the steaks at Gibson's, but the waiter told me the owner was actually more fanatical about the prime rib than anything else. So, I ordered it. Excellent.
Milos $20.11 Lunch
Now that you mention it, they took my olive oil bottle away midstream, though not the bread itself. Still, that lavraki was stupendous.
Milos $20.11 Lunch
We had another lunch at Comme Ca right next door to Milos. Quite good, but not as much of a deal.
I've always liked The Palm Steakhouse's "business lunch" $24.95 special, especially sitting out on the "sidewalk" in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
http://www.thepalm.com/files/filesPalm/AprilLunchLasVegas.pdf
And, speaking of sidewalks, another favorite lunch place in this range is the actual outdoor sidewalk tables at Mon Ami Gabi.
http://www.leye.com/files/restaurants/Menus/MAGLV.Lunch.2.1.11.pdf
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Mon Ami Gabi
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Comme Ca
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Milos $20.11 Lunch
Char-grilled, then split and deboned. Just a touch of olive oil, I think. Very simple preparation but extremely fresh fish perfectly cooked.
Middle Eastern Grocery St. Louis
My two favorites:
The Vine Mediterranean Cafe and Market, 3171 South Grand
Taj Market, 3301 Humphrey
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Taj Restaurant
654 N 114th St, Omaha, NE 68154
Milos $20.11 Lunch
I had the lunch special this week at Estiatorio Milos in the Cosmopolitan. What a great deal!!!
You get three courses for $20.11, though there are a couple of upcharge options. My appetizer was one of those options, an extra ten dollars for char broiled octopus. My main was lavraki (sea bass) with horta (similar to spinach). For dessert, karidopita (walnut cake).
The lavraki, in particular, was outstanding...one of the best fishes I've had.
Service was excellent and the room is very attractive. I believe the lunch special is usually on the patio but there was a group out there so I was served at a banquette in the dining room.
I strongly suggest you take advantage of this deal.
Menu: http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/pdf/menu/MilosMenuNew.pdf
best las vegas salad
Not particularly healthful, but I like the Cobb Salad at Peppermill.
What are the best barbecue restaurants that ship nationally?
http://shop.17thstreetbarbecue.com/category.sc;jsessionid=C5DC0F7B46F81EDDD166C948D3A5452A.qscstrfrnt01?categoryId=7
Salon -- Weiner's Circle
http://www.salon.com/food/eating_and_talking/index.html?story=/food/francis_lam/2010/09/28/chicago_hot_dog_wieners_circle
the Best Canned Tuna?
Just tried two brands from the middle east...Galil and Sadaf. Nice and firmly packed..not mushy at all. Good flavor. Probably not as good as the Italian and Spanish imports, but way better than the mass market U.S. brands. Both under $3.00 6 oz at eFoodDepot.com
Las Vegas: Five Nights
One of my favorite lunch spots is Mon Ami Gabi. The food good and the atmosphere at the sidewalk tables is very nice.
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Mon Ami Gabi
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
best traditional lobster dinner
Haven't had enough lobster around town to say that it's the best, but The Palm restaurant in the Caesars Forum shopping mall does lobster very well. The menu identifies it as Nova Scotia in origin. And, it turns out they're running a summer special:
http://www.thepalm.com/promodetail.cfm?promo_id=118
Need Advice From Raku Fans
I agree on the half and half tofu. Just marvelous. I must say the pig ear was a surprise high point for me. It's only $2.50, I think, so it's not like you're risking much by trying it. I ate at the bar, which I really liked, since I could watch the sushi chef work.
Raw kibbee or "kibbe nye"
It's been a while since I've been there, but Sayat Nova has it.
http://www.sayatnovachicago.com/
My visit to Raku
It's been a month since I was there, but the great food memories are still with me.
I didn't have reservations and just dropped in, taking a chance i might get a seat at the bar. When I arrived there were many empty seats in the front dining area and two open seats at the bar, but the hostess told me, "sorry", everything was reserved. I asked what the earliest opening might be and before she could answer an older Japanese lady came up and had a brief conversation with her in Japanese. At that point I was told that, yes, I could have one of the spots at the bar. Fantastic! (The empty seats all filled quickly).
When I was shown to my seat I was asked if I had ever been there before. When I said no, an obvious "regular" at the corner of the bar told me I had to try the "half and half" tofu. Raku makes it's own tofu and the "half and half" starts with a cold half-moon of fresh tofu. It came with green onions and dried onions sprinkled on top. The helpful waitress showed me the green tea salt to sprinkle on top. Wow. I never truly appreciated the taste of tofu until now. The second part of the order was hot deep fried in a dashi broth and topped with some roe. This was also fantastic.
By the way, on the other side of me were two older Japanese businessmen who had arrived in a huge limo. They were being cared for with great deference.
When I sat down, the waitress had showed me a small chalkboard of nightly specials, written in Japanese. She explained what each one was. I ordered baby octopi from this list. This sashimi-like presentation was a completely different taste than grilled octopus that I have had.. The octopus had that slightly briny taste you get from a good fresh shucked oyster.
I then ordered several skewers from the robata "charcoal grill" menu...enoki mushroom wrapped with bacon...pork ear...kobe beef outside skirt...and a lamb chop. These are all very inexpensive, so you can try several. The pork ear was the surprise....chewy, gelatinous, and crunchy all at once. The waitress suggested some chili oil for the top, which was a great combo.
I had a couple of glasses of Sapporo on tap to go with all this. The food was first rate, the three waitresses who fussed over me were wonderful, and the bill was insanely cheap for this level of dining.
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Aburiya Raku
5030 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
i hate rachel ray. . . uh, a lot less, after reading this.
http://www.kimseverson.com/index.php/site/people/rachael_ray/
Casual Dress, Family Friendly Restaurants on the Strip?
http://www.usmenuguide.com/peppermill.html
Steakhouse reco in southern IL/St. Louis metro area
If you want to stay on the east side, Tony's Restaurant in Alton would be a good choice. Great Pepperloin. http://www.tonysrestaurant.com/
Porter's Steakhouse in Collinsville might also be a choice, though it's been a long time since I've been there so I can't say how it is now. It used to be quite good, though.
http://www.porterssteakhouse.com/
Just across the river there are several good choices. I think Mike Shannon's might best fit your "casual" description. http://www.shannonsteak.com/
Finalizing Vegas --- Need Duck!
Might be different than what you are looking for, but I had some really yummy duck at Lotus of Siam. From their website:
CRISPY DUCK....................................................................................................
A: with CHILI MINT LEAVES....................................................กะเพราเป็ดกรอบ 19.95
Crispy duck topped with homemade fresh chili and Thai basil.
B: with PANANG..........................................................................แพนงเป็ดกรอบ 19.95
Crispy duck topped with Thai style red cream curry sauce with cognag.
C: with CHU-CHEE.........................................................................ฉู่ฉี่เป็ดกรอบ 19.95
Crispy duck topped with Thai red curry base sauce.
D: on DRUNKEN NOODLE..........................................ก๋วยเตี๋ยวขี้เมาเป็ดกรอบ 20.95
Crispy duck topped with homemade fresh chili and Thai basil. Serve on
the top of pan fried flat rice noodle
What's your favorite crystal light flavor?
Ocean Spray Cranberry Pomegranate and Cranberry Grape
http://www.lowcalorieoceanspray.com/
Throwdown -- Father Leo
That guy was great. What a showman!. The Food Network should sign him up.
Watch this episode if you haven't.
Eating Single in Vegas
Virtually every restaurant in Las Vegas is solo diner friendly. In the area you're staying in, I would recommend Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel, especially if the weather is nice and you can snag an outdoor table. The people watching is great in the afternoon and the view of the Bellagio fountains is nice at night.
http://www.monamigabi.com/vegas
Good chow in southern Illinois?
Some suggestions:
Marion exit: 17th Street Bar and Grill. Mike Mills is a 3 time winner of the Memphis in May BBQ cook off. His original location in Murphysboro has more character but the food at the Marion restaurant is good too.
Also at Marion exit, head west to Herrin. Louie's P & R. Italian deli. All kinds of sandwiches and salads.
West Frankfort exit: Mike's Drive In. Car hops and all. A throwback to the old A&W type drive ins. I like the pork tenderloin sandwich here...also the onion rings. And, of course, root beer in a mug.
Benton exit: Go west on Illinois 14 a few miles to Christopher to the Maid Rite Cafe. "Loose meat" sandwiches and good pie.
Ina exit. Uncle Joe's BBQ.
Pizza delivery at midnight downtown?
We'll be arriving late at the Ritz-Battery Park. Would love to be able to have a NY style pizza delivered. But most of the online places I've found close by 10:30 or 11:00. Any suggestions for pizza delivery at midnight?
