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The Maple Tree
6000 W. Spring Mountain Rd. (near Jones)
Las Vegas NV
(702) 362-5151
http://www.usmenuguide.com/mapletree.htm
Two words. Fried bread. I think that was the best thing to come out of The Maple Tree. The ooey gooey sweet syrup and the warm and chewy bread hit the spot.
The other stuff was pretty alright, too.
1. The New England Benny– (Two Crab Cakes, served on English muffin
halves, topped with two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, served
with country potatoes). Crab cakes for breakfast?! Hellz yea.
2. Country Fried Steak and Eggs-(Tenderized sirloin steak, hand breaded and pan fried, served with our country gravy), salty and crunchy with some nice grravy.
3. French toast with peanut butter and banana off menu – I actually didn’t try this fatty concoction, but my friend really enjoyed it. It’s off menu, so it must be pretty awesome. =)
4. Corned Beef Hash – Last but not least, I had the corned beef hash, extra crispy. It’s definitely not the best that I’ve had, but I enjoyed the gritty very finely chopped texture. Could be crispier.
Conclusion: I love fried bread. mmm mmm. 3/5 beeps!
[pics to come! darn flickr iphone uploader is acting krazy!]
Each steakhouse has it’s own shining star dish besides the steak of course…. what do you think?
Mastro’s Ocean Club – Butter Cake
Morton’s Steakhouse – Molten Chocolate Cake
Joe’s Primesteak, Seafood and Stonecrab – Oysters, Stone Crab Claws, Havana Dream Pie
N9NE – Caviar appetizer, Fries
Stripsteak – Truffle mac and cheese and Duck Fat Fries (a.k.a. my crack fries)
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse – bacon wedge salad. bacon!
Other Greats Yet To Try
Peter Lueger’s
Gary Danko
To give another chance….
Craftsteak … a.k.a crapsteak….
Never again
Flemings
(mostly limited to west coast because i haven’t had the fortune to dine well on the east coast yet *sniff)
Mastro’s Steakhouse
3720 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas NV 89109
(702) 798-7115
July 1st, 2010 [pre-post excitement]
My food fantasy has happened. Mastro’s is finally here in Vegas and I get to experience the scrumptious warm and buttery dream of a butter cake that they make so well. Of course, I will partake in their fantastic steaks and lobster mashed potatoes as well. Can’t Wait.
http://www.crystalsatcitycenter.com/restaurants/mastros.aspx
July 5th, 2010 [post disappointment]
I’m not sure if it was me expecting too much because all my other mastro’s experiences in california were Uh-Ma-Zing, but this experience at Mastro’s in Las Vegas was very much so a disappointment.
1. Kunomoto oysters were ordered off menu and pretty fresh and tasty, but I’ve had better.
2. By the time we finished our oysters, which was only a few minutes because we eat fast, we started our COLD crab cakes. I don’t know about other people’s experiences, but we’ve always had our crab cakes kind of toasty. Though it was crab-a-licious, I was put off by the temperature.
3. Our 22 oz bone-in ribeye was cooked rare plus and it was delicious! The extra sear with clarified butter is fantastic. However, I was not pleased with the amount of connective tissue in my half of the steak. I felt like I was prepping my own meal by having to cut through all that chewy stuff!
4. Here’s the moment of utmost disappointment. I was thinking about my fluffy, warm and tasty butter cake all night long, and it was a butter cake fail. It was not warm and fluffy as I remember. It was actually almost grainy and almost cold on the outside, save the inside was warm but almost soggy. The wonderful airy whipped cream was actually heavy and too sweet.
        
Conclusion: For being open for 6 months, should I expect it to be where its other Mastro counterparts are in amazing-ness, or should I expect it to be working out its kinks and be amazing 6 more months down the line? Regardless of kinks or not, I’m a sad puppy because other than the yummy steak mixed with connective tissue bits, everything else was just average compared to my other Mastro’s experiences. Mastro’s did not rise to the occasion to it’s reputation. Will I go back? For the love of butter cake, I will after more time has passed for this particular establishment.
[side note: If you do try this particular Mastro's, do asked to be sit in the nice atrium with the mollusk looking wooden structure and not right outside of it. I think you will get better service. It seems as if the table we were sitting at is a "blind spot". The servers liked to walk over an peer over the railing next to you and chat about the stores and patrons below as if you weren't there.]
Bosa 1
3400 S Jones Blvd, Ste 2A
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 418-1931
With such a wonderfully fobby name, I just had to try it. We were first disappointed by the slightly higher price point as compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in the area, but most of the time, as long as it tastes extra good, price can be overlooked in my book.
What we shared for lunch
1. Nem Nuong Cuon – Spring rolls with a vietnamese sausage. I enjoyed the flavor of the nem nuong + the extra BONUS of the crispy deep fried dough in there. The dipping sauce that came with was reminiscent of Brodard’s in Westminster. It was definitely not hoisin sauce heavy, but it had its own refreshing sweet appeal.
2. Bun Bo Hue – This was in LARGE print right as you opened the menu, so we figured that it was a sign to try it. We were not disappointed. I would have to say one of the better bun bo hue’s in town and we were very impressed with the appropriate accompaniments of veggies – finely shredded various cabbages and herbs like freshly chopped rau ram (Vietnamese coriander)
   
Conclusion: Minus puntos for being more expensive than other Vietnamese restaurants in the area. Minus puntos for being slightly stuffy and hot for a Las Vegas summer. (Sorry for the next person who has to sit in my sweatiness….ew…sorry bad imagery.) Plus puntos for having very tasty Bun Bo Hue with the fragrant veggie accompaniments and crunchy bonus in our nem nuong cuon. Also, it can’t hurt to have a fob-a-licious clever restaurant name. Overall, I will return when I need my Bun Bo Hue fix. 3/5 beeperoos.
Well Being in the Box
2555 S Jones Blvd #3
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 253-5222
What a surprising location for a Korean/Sushi restaurant, and we were pleasantly surprised. Tucked behind popeyes and a gas station, you would’ve never guessed that a mom/pop Korean restaurant would be located there.
We came here for dinner and here’s what we tried
1. Spicy seafood noodles (naeng myun) *supposed to come with free sake – Refreshing and spicy chewy cold noodles. Just what we needed for a hot summer night. We were slightly disappointed that we didn’t get our free sake, but at the same time, we didn’t bother asking, again.
2. Bulgogi box – Unique set up in a Japanese Bento box. It had macaroni salad, salad, california roll and white rice to accompany the bulgogi on the side on a sizzling platter. The bulgogi was pretty tasty and I did not mind the extra peppery taste at all.
3. Deep fried soft shell crab – crunchy and tasty with a drizzle of Japanese mayo?
4. Pan chan - actually kind of disappointed with the quality of pan chan. The pickled radish was too soy-sauced and tangy. The onion/omelette triangles were bland. The so-called kimchi was just iceberg lettuce tossed in korean chili paste (kochujang).
   
Conclusion: It’s a very cute hole-in-the wall for quick Korean food without having to go all the way to Chinatown. The down side is that there are no ji gaes and the pan chan is mediocre at best. 3/5 beeps
Joe’s Prime Steak, Seafood and Stone Crab
www.joes.net
3500 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109-8949
(702) 792-9222
Just had the most amazing steak experience ever Monday night. Believe it or not, it tops N9NE. It tops Del Frisco’s. Tops Morton’s and even Mastro’s. It tops all my other Joe’s experiences, also. All the stars were aligned and EVERYTHING was perfectly cooked and tasted like a dream.
1. Kushi Oysters on a half shell – These are my favorite type of oysters. Slightly sweet with a firm meaty texture. They were on the smaller side size wise, but the flavor was great.
2. Select Stone Crabs with Joe’s Mustard Sauce – Stone crabs are always awesome. They’re already cracked for you and you dip it in their rich and creamy mustard sauce. With it being so creamy and rich, it’s almost as if they whipped it with butter and cream.
3. Bone-in Filet Mignon – We ordered this “rare plus.” It was eye rolling fantastic. Super tender and cooked to perfection.
4. Sweet Corn (Pan Roasted) – the sweet corn just barely charred and tossed in oh so fabulous butter. buttaaahhhhh
5. Havana Dream Pie – This is not regular pie. This is pie on crack. It consisted of white cake soaked in sweet milk, topped with freshly whipped cream and drizzled with butterscotch syrup.
   
Conclusion: Joe’s out did themselves last night, and I am floored. Eye rolling good. Usually they’re already fantastic, but last night was exceptional. Hope the future experiences keep up with this one. 5/5 beeps
Monta Ramen
5030 Spring Mountain Rd, Ste 6
Las Vegas, NV 89146
Who reins supreme in ramen in Vegas? Monta Ramen! I’ve been dreaming about a fantastic ramen-ya in Vegas for years ever since trying greats like Daikokuya in LA. Finally, the time has come and we can have a legit ramen-ya in Las Vegas.
The place is in a small suite that is simply and tastefully decorated, and I think that is reflected in its menu where it is also simple. They only concentrate on a ramen and a few side dishes. To me, I think that is a sign of a great restaurant.
Breaking it down =)
1. Tonkotsu Ramen – True to its description, the soup was hearty, full flavored porky fatty goodness! The chashu was not for the fatty-faint of heart. These fatty bad boys had a flavorful full fat ring around the slice. I also think the takenoko (bamboo shoots) and kikurage (black fungus) added a nice contrast of crunch and earthy flavors. I agree with other yelpers that the noodle is good, but I would prefer a more al dente touch. Regardless, I slurped up the entire bowl of noodles like a professional Japanese business man. The. Entire. Bowl. Slurp!
2. Gyoza – Nothing too fantastic. I think half of them lacked the critical yummy juice factor because the skin had popped when frying them.
  
Conclusion: Bomb-tastic hole in the wall ramen-ya in Vegas. Just based on ramen alone = 5 beeperoos!
07/24/2010 – we have tried the miso ramen, tonkotsu ramen and the shoyu ramen. all are tasty, but i absolutely love the thicker ramen that they put in the miso and shoyu ramen instead of the thinner stuff in the tonkostu. tasty!
Phoenix
220 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91804
(626) 299-1918
Tonight we needed a late night snack or Siu Yeh in Cantonese, so we decided to head to Phoenix because they are open late. We decided to have something savory tonight, which lead me to conclude that I mainly love Phoenix for its dessert menu. They have so many locations, so it made it easy to just drop by of them because we’re always hanging around alhambra area anyway.
Among my favorites are -
1. deep fried man tou with condensed milk – Love this stuff! Crispy bun with creamy condensed milk dip!
2. taro tapioca desserts
3. super caffeinated milk teas and milk tea combinations. They make me so jazzed up that I crash into a super anxious depressed slump but it’s so worth it.
4. Grass jelly tapioca drink – the grass jelly is always fun to bite into
5. Mixed fruit tapioca drinks – sweet and refreshing
Could use more work-
1. All of their savory dishes come out just average. The house fried noodle that we tried lacked that special x-factor from the wok.
2. The mochi’s – mochi too soft and not chewy enough
3. The egg tarts – the crust both cookie or flaky never made well
Conclusion: Overall, fantastic for a hang out for yummy dessert and drinks. The savory foods are not at the top of my yummy list. 3/5 beeps
Echigo
12217 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 201
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 820-9787
Chef Toshi never disappoints with Omakase. Albeit, we’ve eaten pretty much the same variety of fish for the last few years here like the usual butter fish, Kanpachi and toro, but I can still appreciate it each and every single time because the quality fish and the fluffy pillows of warm rice are so eye rolling good. Lastly, how can you not fall in love with Echigo after having that first bite into your freshly rolled crab hand roll. Heaven in a sheet of nori. *dreamy food coma look*
Yes yes, Nozawa with sushi Nazi is great Sasabune is fun and yummy. It ain’t no Nobu. However, Echigo is my go to Omakase in LA for the fresh fish, the price and unassuming atmosphere. Don’t make it your first date place if you’re looking for ambience. However, if you want melt-in-your-mouth sushi for a reasonable price, Echigo is the way to go.
          
I’m with Laosy L (on yelp). I heart Echigo forever. 5/5 beepz
Vosges Chocolate
Forum Shoppes
Maybe I’m not as much of a chocolate snob as I thought? I didn’t find Vosges chocolate particularly amazing but then I did not have the actual artisan chocolates. All I had was their espresso and icecream concoction and I didn’t find the icecream extra creamy. Nor did I find the espresso especially manificent. However, I will note that the service was very courteous and non-pushy, which I did not expect in a fancy schmancy chocolate shop.
Conclusion: No comment on beeps until I go back to have the real stuff.
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