curiouscook's Profile
Ann Arbor Dining
I'm taking a straw poll. We have one night to go to dinner in Ann Arbor. I haven't been to any of the restaurants but based on their menus I am looking at Logan, Pacific Rim by Kana or West End Grill. I would love opinions of those who have eaten at any of them. (Right now I am leaning towards Logan)
Cincinnati Dining Dilemna
I'm gonna be in CIncy for a few days the end of this month. The wife and I will probably leave the kids with grandma and duck out for a nice dinner one night. I'm looking for somewhere with good/fun food, we like everything. So far I am considering Local 127 and Abigail St. (downtown), Honey (Northside) and Banana Leaf (Mason). Any input would be welcome
Good Food near Reliant Arena
I'm going to be in Houston for my first time next week. I'll be downtown working at Reliant Arena and will not have a car so I would prefer some where in walking distance. I don't mind walking three miles one way though.
Also, I'll be on my own so I am looking for casual places. Nothing real romantic or expensive, unless its an absolute must try spot.
Thanks
Looking for Pork Belly (on the Eastside)
I am trying to find Pork Belly. Any suggestions where I can get some, preferably on the East Side. I have tried the Green Valley Whole Foods. I was told that what they get they use for their house made bacon. I also tried Village Meat and Wine and they don't carry it.
Any help would be appreciated.
Under $100 for two on the strip...best picks??
I think you could eat at Border Grill for about that, not sure. It is one of the most underated restaurants around in my opinion. Also, any of the Wolfgang Puck family of restaurants are probably in this price range: Postrio, Spago, Lupo, etc. The food is not groundbreaking but always solid in my opinion.
Crown Pork Roast Question
Here's the situation: My boss ordered a Crown Pork Roast online. The roast was misdelivered and showed up today no longer frozen. When he called the company they said 1. Do not refreeze it and 2. It cannot sit in the refrigerator for nine days until Christmas.
They are going to ship him a new pork roast and he wants to give me the "old" (already thawed) one. It is in the refrigerator right now and felt cool when it arrived. What I need to know is: Is it safe to cook and eat this thing and if so, how many days do I have before I need to cook it. I really don't want to make anyone sick but it seems a shame to waste it. It was $190 bucks online! Also, the earliset I would be able to cook it is in two days.
Cooking with Fu - need recipes
A friend of mine was just in Okinawa and she brought me back some Fu. I don't know much about it. I can tell you the kind she brought me is dry and it looks like old/stale bread (it is my understanding that it comes in several forms). Can anyone provide me with some relatively simple ways of preparing it? She told me how her mom would stir fry it: soak the fu, then drain it, use an egg wash, etc. I would love to try stir frying it but need a little more direction than what she gave me. Thanks in advance.
Best bar/dive to watch a UFC fight
I was at Blondies (inside Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood) and they were showing the fight this past week. I didn't hang around for the fight but I believe it was $40 to get in and watch the fight wich included all you can drink well drinks and some of there draft beers as well as free food as well. Blondies is in a nice location if you are staying on the Strip and has a ton of televisions. As I said, didn't stay and watch but you might want to check out their website.
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Planet Hollywood
3667 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
New Mexico green chilis in Las Vegas?
I found them at Sunflower Market. They have the fresh chilis and they also sell them already roasted. Sunflower has locations on both the east side (Trop. and Pecos) and West side (Rainbow and Flamingo).
Which Whole Foods is better?
As an East sider I always go to the one in Green Valley which is great. The added bonus is that right next to it is Settebello pizza. Arguably the best pizza joint in town.
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Settebello
140 S Green Valley Pkwy Ste 172, Henderson, NV 89012
Rendang in Las Vegas
Thanks for the info guys! It looks like Satay is out for now. The wife isn't as adventurous an eater as I am. She will let me take her anywhere with the stipulation that there is alcohol. If she doesn't like any of the food she can at least drink. Since Satay appears to be alcohol free I will wait until I am dining solo to try it.
Rendang in Las Vegas
Thanks QAW! I've driven by Satay but never eaten there. Would you reccommend eating there?
Rendang in Las Vegas
I must admit I have become very curious about Rendang. I'd heard of it, but watching the Top Chef Masters finale the other night kind of got me fixated on it. Anyone know where you can good Rendang here in town? I imagine somewhere in Chinatown, but I believe it is a Malaysian dish and no Malay restaurants come to mind. Thanks
Project Dinner Table
Has anyone been to, or heard about the Project Dinner Table events? I guess it is an outdoor dinner held once a month with locally sourced ingredients and different local chefs. I think it is about $150 for dinner. It sounds like a great idea, I would love to get some feedback on it before I put down $300 for the wife and I.
Vegas with 20 yr olds
At Mandalay Bay I would really recommend Border Grille. They have really solid Mexican food that has not been Americanized, the prices aren't bad and they offer outdoor seating which is perfect for this time of year. Also at Mandalay Bay is Burger Bar which is solid, but it tends to get really crowded and I don't think the food is as good as Border Grille.
Shuseki - Good food. . . NO service
A friend and I had dinner at Shuseki last night. I had been to Ichiza a few times and wanted to try a new spot and had heard decent things about the food. When we got there around 8pm there were not many people in the restaurant, maybe a four top and a couple of twos. It never did get busy.
Simply put the service was atrocious. We waited probably ten minutes before someone came and took our drink orders. I will say the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. However, we ordered 7 or 8 different dishes and no one cleared the plates that we had finished. We were NEVER asked if we wanted refills on our beer or tea. When someone did check up on us I said that we were fine and didn't want to order anymore food, expecting for the check to come. TWENTY minutes later I had to go over and ask for our check.
The food was good but not worth the hassle. Fortunately I was catching up with an old friend and we had lots to talk about otherwise I would have been furious. Is the service there always that bad? It looks like in the future I'll stick with Ichiza.
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Ichiza
4355 Spring Mountain Rd Ste 205, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Las Vegas StrEATS Fest, #2
Was anybody at the first one? If so how was it? I'd like to go down but don't want to fight for parking or stand in line forever to get some grub. Just wondering if they have all the logistics worked out.
Ronald's Donuts
Thanks for this post. I made the trip from the east side over there this Sunday with my 1 and 3 year old boys while mom slept in. We all loved our donuts and I took a box home. Definitely worth the 20 min drive over there. I'll be going back for sure. Dave you are right the buttermilk bars are great!
Best places to eat by Tuscany Suites
If you head west (away from the Strip) you can walk to Roy's Hawaiian restaurant. While not a big fan of chain restaurants I have found Roy's to be pretty reliable and mid-range price wise. Also, there is Mint Bistro in that direction. They do pretty good Indian/Himalayan cuisine. Not as good as Origin India but still solid. Hamada is almost across the street from you and they do Japanese steak and sushi. Haven't been there in years but it was good
I would say it is safe to walk down to the Strip.
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Origin India
4480 Paradise Road, Suite 1200, Las Vegas, NV 89169
MOZEN Bistro - anyone been?
I am thinking of going here for dinner. Has anyone been? I've heard good stuff and the menu looks good. Also, there are no prices on the menu. Wondering what a dinner for two would run. If it is gonna be as much as say, Sage, I might prefer to go there. Thanks in advance.
TV's "Bitchinest" Chef Shows?
I too am a big fan of the original Iron Chef. The Foodnetwork's sister channel The Cooking Channel is now airing it. Not sure where that chanell is or is not available though
Looking for weird or exotic or different foods.
By "things you normally don't eat", I am assuming you are talking about the averager American. In which case I think you'll have a hard time finding a lot of that on The Strip. Most places look to cater to the average Joe, i.e. get them to spend there money.
That being said, if you truly are adventurous, take the 6 minute cab ride to Chinatown. There are lots of restaurants all within walking distance of one another and you can find everything from stir fried intestines to cold kidney and everything in between. You'll also spend much less money over there. For specific Chinatown restaurants to try there are many old posts you can look at. Ichiza, Raku, Yunanan Garden are just a few that come to mind.
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Ichiza
4355 Spring Mountain Rd Ste 205, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Indian cookbook recommendations ?
660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer is a great cookbook. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book. There are simple recipes as well as intricate and he tells you how to make everything from homemade curry pastes to paneer to Indian fusion dishes. There is a great guide in the back that tells you all about ingredients you might need and where to get them.
Latest pre-fixe deals?
Aureole (Mandalay Bay) has two tasting menus (I believe $65 and $85). They also now have a small plates menu which has some nice things on it, house made pate, oysters, I can't remember what else. Similarly, right next door Fleur de Lys now has a tapas menu with some reasonably priced items. I think you can get the whole tapas menu (10-12 items) for $99.
Looking For Shiner Bock [moved from Texas]
On the south end of the Strip (about a mile south of Mandalay Bay) is a shopping district called Towne Square, although it is off the Strip there are some decent bars and restaurants. The Yard House carries something like a hundred beers on tap. I haven't been there but would guess that would be your best chance of finding it. You could also grab a cab and go to a Lee's Discount Liquor, I've seen it there and they have several locations around town.
Innovative Food in Vegas
I haven't been to Bar Charlie although I am sure it is great. I can reccomend Sage. The menu is definitely New American, and although I only ate at the bar the service was top notch. They have a nice craft beer selection and offer an absynthe tasting experience if your looking for something really different. Finally, unlike some of the other Celebrity restaurants, I believe Chef McClain has relocated out here to Vegas, he hasn't just put his name on the window.
Vdara resort credit
I'm not sure about where you can use the credit but I would try Silk Road, which is the only restaurant at Vdara. It is run by the same chef who owns Sensi at the Bellagio. I haven't been to Silk Road but I have eaten at Sensi and the food was very good. He draws on a lot of Asian and Middle Eastern flavors.
Of course if it is good at all of CityCenter you have a ton of choices but I would reccomend Sage. Had appetizers there last night, Both food and service were spot on.
Szechuan Pepper Oil
Yeah I meant the peppercorns. The recipe posted is probably exactly what I want, thanks for the replys. Although there is something solid floating in this oil. Maybe they don't strain the peppercorns out. At any rate, can't wait to try it.
Szechuan Pepper Oil
I am addicted to the szechuan pepper oil at my new Chinese take out place. It's spicy and numbing and very delicious. The dish is simple: noodles, green onions and sprouts tossed with this szechuan pepper oil. Also the steamed dumplings are good with the oil as a dipping sauce. I'd love to make this at home, especially since the other ingredients are so easy to prepare. Any ideas where I can find a recipe for this wonderful oil? Or is it an already prepared product that I should look for at an Asian grocer?
