Last weekend Andrew and I took off for a desert road trip to Las Vegas. We had a lot of memorable meals, and here were a few of our stops:
Yellowtail. On our way to see Mystère at Treasure Island, we wandered through the Bellagio and stopped at Yellowtail for some sushi, at a little place where their signature roll has "strawberry" in the title. Yum. Thinly sliced berries were placed on top of the roll, adding a nice sweetness at the end of your tempura-battered bite. If you're in the mood for something light and perfectly bite-sized, this is your place.
Mesa Grill. I’m a big fan of Bobby Flay and secretly hoped I’d spot him in the kitchen when we dined at Mesa, his restaurant in Caesar’s Palace. Sadly, Bobby was nowhere to be found (except on the back of his cookbook’s being sold at the front), but his Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido" was spectacular. Just try to imagine it in your mouth: four cheeses baked until hot and bubbly, topped with marinated peppers, served with crisp blue corn tortilla chips. We couldn’t stop eating it. (As a side note, Andrew’s pork sandwich was also a home run.)
Burger Bar. Yes, yes, the burgers are good, but what stole the show was dessert — The Chocolate Burger! It combined some of my favorite dessert flavors, and things aren’t what they seem.
Here’s the breakdown:
Bun = Glazed donut
Patty = Flourless Chocolate Cake
Cheese = Passion Fruit
Lettuce = Mint
Tomato = Strawberry
Plus a little whipped cream on the side for good measure. It was really fun to eat!
Casa Don Juan. World’s. Best. Margarita. Ok, maybe I haven’t tried enough to be truly bias, but they were a hit. Blended with the good stuff (Don Julio), let’s just say I would have been in trouble if I had more than one. This place is downtown, off the strip, and less saturated with tourists, making it a worthwhile stop for a relaxing, tequila-filled evening. The live guitarist was also a nice touch.
Emma Jean’s Hollandburger Café. On the way home we pulled off in Victorville to try a dive featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dive’s. I’ll admit, this was more of a stop for Andrew, who, incidentally, loved his pastrami sandwich. The regulars are really regulars – one woman walked behind the counter to fill up her friend’s coffee cup, and then proceeded to rummage through the small refrigerator for a beer. We had a great view from the counter stools, and laughed to ourselves while we watched everything unfold. I’m not sure if I’d stop here again, but it was fun to try a place we saw on TV.
