I love eating delicious food and different cuisines. This Food category has a collection of posts on my favorite restaurants and the unique food I tried.
Las Vegas has incredible restaurants — many are world-class. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I stayed at the Bellagio Hotel and ate dinner at their Prime Steakhouse restaurant.
The Prime is notable because it faces the large manmade lake in front of the hotel, and while dining you can watch the world famous Fountains of Bellagio water and light show.
I had an early reservation at 5:00 just at opening time. My friend and I had a table for two in a great location to see the water show. Before dinner I had a glass of red wine. It may sound silly, but many Las Vegas restaurants have amazing bread and butter before dinner. I forced myself to only eat a little bit of bread and butter because I knew the serving sizes at Las Vegas restaurants are huge.
My friend and I decided to share. We ordered a 28 oz. bone-in rib eye steak, medium rare, and Chilean sea bass. For side dishes we had Brussel sprouts with bacon and pear, and mashed potatoes.
Restaurant server cutting our Bone-in Rib Eye
Everything was amazing as I had expected for a famous restaurant. What surprised me a little bit was how good the Brussel sprouts were — I could have made an entire meal of just them and the mashed potatoes.
Brussels SproutBone-in Rib Eye and Chilean Sea Bass
We saw the water show several times during out meal. Even though I’ve seen the Bellagio Fountain Show many times, it was still amazing.
The view of the Fountains of Bellagio by our window seats.
For dessert, we ordered coconut soufflé, served with chocolate gelato. Just like everything else, dessert was incredibly good.
Our total bill was just over $300. Sure, that’s a lot of money, but in my mind the dinner and view and service were well worth the price. If you’re ever in Las Vegas, be sure to consider the Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio.
Chandelier inside of the Prime Steakhouse RestaurantSmashed PotatoesSauces: Peppercorn, Béarnaise, and Soy-rice Wine
Canlis is one of Seattle’s oldest restaurants. It was established in 1950 and has been popular ever since then. Canlis has an elegant but relaxed feel — not really traditional and not really modern. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Canlis is unique, at least for Seattle.
I went there with two of my friends on a Friday, for no special reason other than we all like food. None of us had ever been to Canlis before. My bottom line is that I liked Canlis a lot and I’d go back again for some special occasion.
I had a four course meal that started with scallops, seared with a vegetable presentation. Next, my friends and I shared an order of raw oysters. They were very fresh and tasty. Next came a mixed green salad. It was better than the average mixed green salad but it wasn’t amazing in any way. Then we all shared a pate foie gras. It was excellent and it came with really good toast — some of the best I’ve ever had.
My main course was duck, which I shared. The duck was whole roasted with a honey glaze. The entire duck was presented at the table, then taken to the back where it was carved and then retuened to our table for serving. I’ve had duck quite a few times, and this was probably the best duck I’ve had. I’ve had good duck at some Chinese restaurants too, but the preparation was so different I can’t really compare the Canlis duck to any of the Chinese duck dishes I’ve had.
We finished our evening with coffee and dessert. For dessert I had a vanilla souffle. It was good — maybe the second best souffle I’ve ever had (next to a souffle at Joel Rubicon in Las Vegas).
All in all, I was very happy with my Canlis dinner experience. It was quite pricey, but that was expected and I felt I got good value. If you’re ever in the Seattle area and are in the mood for dinner at an upscale restaurant, consider Canlis.
I live in the Seattle, Washington area. Seattle is home to several large companies, including Starbucks. Starbucks is constantly trying new products and new approaches. This weekend (as I write this post), Starbucks debuted a new upscale cafe called Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in downtown Seattle (the Capitol Hill area), not far from their original cafe.
On their first Sunday, I decided to visit. I went there about 3:00 in the afternoon. Parking anywhere near downtown Seattle is always a mess, but I was able to find a lot with an open stall not too far away.
The place was packed and there was a line out the door. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long and got inside soon. Once inside, I found myself in a waiting foyer area. A host explained the history of the building and the layout of the store. I waited in the foyer only a few minutes. Then I was allowed to enter the actual cafe. Inside, I first walked around a bit and checked out their merchandise; many items are available only at this one store.
Starbucks Reserve Merchandise
Next, I looked at the roasting area, where coffee beans are actually roasted. Then I got in line to order some coffee and pastries. Many of the drinks are unique to this store. I ordered an unusual iced coffee drink. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’d order it again. Instead, I’ll probably order a standard coffee item.
I also ordered a potato scone and a macaroon cookie to eat. After ordering, I found a seat. My drink and food order was delivered to me. I was a bit surprised that they found me — I’m not sure how they did that.
Starbucks Reserve Drinks and Pastry
My bottom line is that the new Starbucks Reserve is a great place for friends to meet and get together. My guess is that the “Reserve” concept will be a success and you might see these establishments where live, in the no-too-distant future.
For the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to cook a homemade meal (well, almost entirely homemade). I somewhat cheated on the turkey by buying a pre-cooked turkey breast with stuffing. But I made almost everything else from scratch.
For mashed potatoes, I got a recipe from Williams-Sonoma, online. I bought raw potatoes from the supermarket. The recipe called for sour cream instead of milk, spices, and butter. The mashed potatoes turned out really well; exactly the way I hoped.
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
In addition to mashed potatoes, I baked sweet potatoes. I like diced mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows and brown sugar, but this year I aimed for a little bit healthier option.
Cranberry sauce is one of my must-haves for Thanksgiving. I usually buy canned cranberry sauce (but not the jellied type), which I like, but this year I made cranberry sauce from scratch. I used a recipe for “cranberry chutney”, from Williams-Sonoma. I boiled raw cranberries, added sugar and water and orange juice, and a cinnamon stick, with orange and lemon zest. The recipe called for port wine, but I left that out. The result was super good!
Homemade Cranberry Chutney with Lemon & Orange Zest
Now, I’m mildly embarrassed to admit that I heated up canned corn and added lots of butter. Canned corn is a guilty pleasure for me, and to be honest, I prefer good canned corn to fresh!
For green vegetables, I did not go with the traditional American green bean casserole. Instead I made a classic asparagus side dish.
All things considered, I think my 2014 Thanksgiving meal was a great success. I intend to follow up with a homemade Christmas meal!
Recently, my friend and I decided to take a quick, impromptu weekend trip to Whistler, Canada. Whistler is a fantastic ski resort area about two hours north of the Washington (state) border. On our first evening in Whistler, we decided to eat at the Bearfoot Bistro restaurant, Unlike most upscale restaurants in Whistler, the Bearfoot Bistro is not located inside a hotel; it is a standalone establishment.
Overall, I’d give our experience a rating of 8 out of 10. Both the service and the food were very good but not amazing.
I’d describe the Bearfoot Bistro as a modern restaurant with no particular emphasis. To cut to the chase, out total bill, including wine, was about $115 per person — certainly a bit pricey, but not crazy expensive.
My friend and I both had a five-course meal. My meal started with albacore tuna tartar, garnished with spicy octopus/calamari. This was followed by foie gras and chicken liver parfait. It was good but not exceptional. Next was wild mushroom risotto with parmesan cheese; I added scallops and it was excellent! My fourth course was braised lamb with Brussel sprouts and squash puree. It was light and not gamey and I liked it a lot. My fifth and final course was my dessert; I had the pecan and bourbon ice cream tart. It was very good.
Albacore Tuna Tartar – w. Octopus
If you’re ever in Whistler, Canada, I recommend that you give some consideration to the Bearfoot Bistro. It’s a bit pricey, but overall, well worth the experience.
Foie Gras & Chicken Liver Parfait – with Fig PureeWild Mushroom Risotto with ScallopsPraised Peace Country LambPecan & Bourbon Tart – w. Pear & Bourbon Tart
Las Vegas has some of the best hotels and restaurants in the world. But I’ve always been sort of surprised that there aren’t too many super nice places to eat breakfast in Las Vegas. Las Vegas isn’t really much of an early-morning city.
There are plenty of places to eat breakfast in Vegas but most of them are either buffets or very casual cafe-style restaurants. Probably my favorite restaurant to eat breakfast at is the Tableau restaurant in the Wynn hotel. Tableau has a great menu, great service, and great ambience.
The menu has the basic breakfast items such as eggs with bacon or sausage, and pancakes. But Tableau also has some special items. I love Tableau’s orange and chocolate French toast. And the special Tableau breakfast potatoes are like little potato pancakes.
Breakfast at Tableau, Las Vegas
The presentation at Tableau is always just right. The jams come in elegant little ceramic containers, and there are cute little salt and pepper dispensers. The service at Tableau is a perfect balance of semi-formal and casual.
If you are a breakfast person, the next time you are in Las Vegas, consider making a reservation at the Tableau restaurant in the Wynn hotel.
One of the reasons why I like going to Las Vegas is the incredible number of great restaurants there. One problem with this is that on any given trip to Vegas, there’s only time to eat at two or three of these amazing restaurants.
This summer I was in Las Vegas and had some great restaurant experiences. One afternoon, I was in the mood for good food, but wasn’t quite hungry enough for a full meal. I decided to go to the Julian Serrano tapas restaurant in the Aria hotel.
Tapas restaurants became very popular about four years ago. Instead of a traditional menu, tapas restaurants typically serve several appetizer-style dishes instead of one large meal. The Julian Serrano is one of the best tapas-style restaurants anywhere.
For my late-lunch / early-dinner meal, I had two different kinds of “albondigas” (meatballs in Spanish). One was more or less normal, but very tasty, and the other (“Bomba”) was non-traditional and quite spicy.
I also had “Brava Potatoes”. These are hard to describe; sort of cubed, broiled, and accompanied by a nice tomato-based sauce. I also tried “Pintxo de Chorizos”. This was spicy sausage, along with a flavorful Spanish sauce and pureed potatoes.
I ate at Julian Serrano before going to see the Cirque du Soleil “O” show, a couple of hotels away at the Bellagio. My meal was absolutely a perfect pre-show meal — not too much and not too little.
The next time you’re in Las Vegas, if you’re anywhere near the middle of the Strip in the late afternoon, and you’re hungry, but not too hungry, consider the Julian Serrano tapas restaurant in the Aria hotel.
A few weeks ago I stayed at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the middle of summer time and the weather was hot. Very hot — about 95 degrees F. I decided I’d rent a poolside cabana for the day.
A Cabana at the Aria Hotel
I know it sounds kind of snobbish, but when I go to a pool at a Las Vegas hotel, I really don’t enjoy having to compete with other hotel guests for lounge chairs, towels, and good positions (meaning not too sunny or not too shady). Renting a pool cabana eases those minor annoyances.
View of Pool from Cabana
The price of Vegas pool cabanas varies daily, according to supply and demand. My cabana at the Aria was $200 for the day. That’s quite a bit of money, but, for me at least, it was a good value. I checked in at the cabana reception at 10:00 in the morning. My attendant, Sarah, had just graduated from Boise State.
The cabana had a TV, a refrigerator stocked with fruit, vegetables, soda pop, and bottled water, and chips, and licorice on the table — all included in the price of the cabana. I had a wonderful relaxing day at the Aria pool. The next time you visit Las Vegas, you might want to consider renting a poolside cabana.
During the past weekend I visited my family in California. We went to St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point for Sunday brunch. Dana Point is known for its beautiful beach view and the St. Regis is always a nice hotel to visit (regardless of location). The opportunity of eating at the St. Regis at Dana Point was too good to pass up.
The restaurant we went to in the St. Regis Monarch Beach hotel is called Motif. It was named the best brunch place in Orange County, California. I booked the reservation a few weeks before my trip. Being a Seattle person, I got tired of the rain and cold. I was longing for the Sunday brunch in the sunny Dana Point.
We arrived at the St. Regis Monarch Beach a bit early before our brunch reservation. We walked around the hotel and enjoyed the stunning view as well as the hotel’s interior and exterior designs. I’ve stayed in the St. Regis in San Francisco before, but the hotel design completely different from the St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point.
The Sunday brunch at Motif was great. There was a variety of food options, including international dishes, and a dedicated dessert bar. In addition to the typical brunch items, such as made-to-order omelets, pancakes, classic eggs benedict, and French toast, Motif also offers sushi, Korean beef BBQ, dim sum, salad, fresh seafood, desserts, etc.
One especially nice thing about Motif’s omelet and pancakes/French toast bar was that they offer about sixty toppings. My three-year old niece was excited to order her ideal pancakes with chocolate M&Ms and sprinkles, with fresh berries on the side. I even added Macaroons to her plate from the dessert bar. I ordered French toast with Grand Manier and fresh berries. The combination was perfect for me.
Another thing I like about having Sunday brunch at Motif is its intimacy. Unlike typical brunch buffet places where they were too crowded with too many tables, Motif is just about the right size. I didn’t have to worry about running into people while I was getting food.
Motif Sunday brunch is more about quality than quantity. They might not offer as many items as other brunch buffet places, but their dishes are freshly made in small quantity. They replenish their items continuously.
The service at the Motif was excellent. I have to say no matter how delicious the food a restaurant offers, the dining experience wouldn’t be as memorable without great service. I really enjoyed my Motif Sunday brunch at the St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dona Point. When I return to CA to visit my family in a few months, we will definitely visit Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach again!
Some people said that Motif offers the most extravagant Sunday brunch in Orange County. After my first-hand experience, I can’t agree more. The beach scenery, the quality of the food and the services made Motif stand out!
The price for an adult is $69 ($79 with unlimited Champagne) and $39 per child (age 5-12).
St Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point, CASt. Regis Monrach Beach at Dana Point, CASunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch BeachSunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch BeachSushi Boat at MotifOversized Omelet and Korean BBQ at MotifDesserts at MotifDesserts at MotifPastry at MotifPancakes with fresh berries and macarosFrench toast with Grand Manier and fresh berriesFresh Berry Crepe with Coconut & Berry Sorbet
Joel Robuchon is one of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas. It is located inside the MGM Grand Hotel. The last time I was there I had one of their preconfigured four-course meals. The food was very good and the experience was great!
Before my meal began, the server pulled up a cart full of freshly baked bread for us to pick. There were about twenty options and each of them looked very tasty. I wished I could just sit there and sample the bread the entire night. I had to stop myself from eating the bread, so I could leave some room for my meal.
Each part of my four-course meal was delicious, but especially the grilled spiny lobster wrapped in buckwheat frill. The dish was cooked perfectly; the lobster was tender and full of taste. So was my beef cheeks braised with red miso and ginger.
My last course was Joel Robuchon’s famous Le Soufflé. It was a freshly baked chocolate soufflé. The server put it right in front of me and placed the ice cream on it. Although I was already beyond being full, the anticipation of watching the ice cream been absorbed by the hot soufflé raised my appetite again!
Just when I though I was done with my meal for the night, the server pulled up another cart. This time, instead of variety of baked bread, it was chocolates and sweets. I am a weak person when it comes to desserts and chocolates. It was hard for me to limit my option to five treats, but I had to.
After my first time eating at the Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, I highly recommended it to anyone who is into food. Joel Robuchon is an upscale fancy restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was great. Although it was pricy (the four-course meal was $190 per person), the experience is priceless. After all, you are in Vegas, why not indulge yourself!
Joel Robuchon – Fresh Butter
Joel Robuchon – Bread from the top of the cartJoel Robuchon – BreadJoel Robuchon – La Langouste (grilled spiny lobsters)Joel Robuchon – SoupJoel Robuchon – Le Bceuf (beef cheeks braised with red miso and ginger)Joel Robuchon – Le Black Cod – semi smoked black code with eggplant pureeJoel Robuchon – Le Souffle – Chocolate Hot SouffleJoel Robuchon – Chocolate and Sweets
