Wok off... Stir it up

The battles of the Chinese food cook offs continue... From the desert to the wetlands.. Lol SD... We have some contenders.

Enter Zine, tucked behind the casino floor in the Palazoo hotel in las Vegas, red interior lighting, dark wood tables and an airy open space transfer you from the chaotic casino floor to a secluded space for gastronomic pleasures...

The dish candidate, a wok stirred Taiwanese chicken clay pot:


Roasted peppers, basil and glazed chicken cooked to a pipping hotness with Chinese broccoli:


Lightly stir fried, crisp and sesame oil coated... Let's hear it for contender number one... Zine:



Helicopter back to the once dry san Diego, turned wetlands overnight... And Sichuan chicken in allied gardens is contender number 2:



-kung pao chicken with a mild peppery was a bit subdued but still tasty.

Sichuan beef with onions and peppers was definitely juicy:



But the surprise of it all.. Chinese burritos! These oversized eggrolls were a monstrous feast to enjoy:



The judges vote is in... The crowd deliberates and goes wild with anticipation.. And the verdict is.... Drumroll please....

Master geisha says: you must go to convoy street or back to SF for erik's 5 spice chicken...


Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Wynn country club..

The county club at the Wynn has all the usual amenities a desert born golf club has to offer: luscious greens, a man made waterfall and endless Arnold palmers, crab legs and mimosas to go around the room.

The breakfast brunches are no exception. Mountains of seafood to pick from; king crab legs, miyagi oysters, gulf shrimp.. Delicious


Sauteed shrimp, BBQ stations with beef tenderloin, pepper rubbed turkey and roasted chicken make for an exceptional start of a day:



Take your jockey off and enjoy a mimosa :)

- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Lemongrass - aria las Vegas

The city center project in Vegas has fully opened... 4million square feet of hotels, casinos, retail and convention space... And of course food space..One of the largest privately funded projects, to the tune of 11billion, has all the amenities of a modern casino, Tapas and asian influenced restaurants, patisserie and various euro inspired eateries.

Tonight'a calling was Lemongrass, a Thai inspired restaurant that had walls and ceiling covered in a spindle rope to create a unique netted environment.

The crabcakes with sweet and tangy sauce, the prawns with a honey like tang and the chicken wings with a chili sweet sauce had the crowds chopsticks busy:


Crabcakes..



Wrapped prawns


The duck red curry was fantastic. Rich coconut based red curry with roasted duck, peppers and basil leaves:


The pho soup with the mountings of toppings was a light broth with noodles and meat strips:



The evening had a special post meal Celebration. Twin Cher cakes in honor of two special birthdays... Jean Phillippe rich and moist cream filled cakes ... Superb:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Sensi -Bellagio hotel las Vegas

A zen like atmosphere greets you when you walk into sensi-- dark granite walls, rippling water features all around the bar and back drop, glass enclosed kitchen allows for you to observe all the action.

A duo of birthday celebrations, champagne flowing, laughs abound, the starter dishes came out.

Yellotail sashimi in a miso based sauce with capers and peppers adding a mild punch and kick:




The crabcakes looked fabulous:


The main course was a 1.5lb lobster, beautifully presented with Ginger, allspice and garlic.. Delicious:



The halibut in a spicy peppery broth was also well prepared:



The short rib with a potatoe crisp definitely s consumed with tasty bites:


The dessert trays were fantastic. Towers of chocolate tarts, gelato and sorbets, purple Jammy macaroons, tapioca with mango topping, rice crispy bars, panacotta with raspberries and blackberries... Decadent:








With a harmony of flavors and sounds, defiantly a happy crowd:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Cannetto-- Vegas

Amongst the recreated venetian canal and the faux outdoor feelings, the Vegas scene has gradually increased its offering of tasty bites over the last ten years.

Cannetto is a modern Italian restaurant with outdoor seating (well in the inside san Marcos recreated space) and often lively characters singing opera classics around you.

Warm fresh bread basket with hearty olive oil are brought out as you sit:






Carpaccio and arugula was draped in capers, lemon juice and Parmesan sheets...


The baked seabass, a whole fish baked in a salt crust then prepared in front of you:


As it's brought out and sliced in half,



It's busily separated from the bones to give you the best of the meat:



With butter soaked Yukon potatoes and baby carrots, grilled asparagus with lemon and olive oil added the finishing touches:


Great energizing bites to take in the craze that lies ahead. The busy kitchen behind the scenes is fully open for viewing:



With upstairs dining options an wood fired pizzas, all night access can be a bit dangerous:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Pumpkin spice and all that's nice

October is in full effect, the seasons changing, the jack o lanterns making their debut and the aromatic smell of cinnamon, cardamon and allspice are filling the air.

On this joyous occasion, had the pleasure of celebrating with some good friends. And a celebration it was, frommage and vino started the night:


Double cream Brie, Spanish iberico cheese, pungent blue, capers, hearty olives, Croatian figs and a chicken liver pâté that was divine.

Here's a closeup:



Prosciutto e melone, delectable and fruity with a hint of smokiness... Superb:


A spinach speckled ricotta cheese ravioli was transformed with a special Brazilian preparation. Jumbo shrimp Cooked to tender perfection with pumpkin meat and creme, all baked inside a masterful pumpkin...







The shrimp oozing and basting on the flavors. Here's the ravioli before:



And after:


Fabulous combination of sea and land. Creamy and mildly pumpkin sweet caressed the crevettes with a seductive lightness. The combination of cheese filled ravioli, pumpkin and shrimp was an improv on a classic brazillian dish... Some could even say as the result of a brazilitaliano marriage ..lol

For desserts, celebration abound with Dom perignon and a raspberry and blackberry decorated cheesecake:





Delicioso...

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Kiss your farmer

Where are the farmers these days... The organic growing, flavorful veggie bounty Bringers and the herb specialists?

Good ones are hard to find and green thumbs don't come a dime a dozen, so with your farmer markets and TJs and whole food, the demand for freshness needs to be heard.

The farmers basket, the weeks bounty hunt for the seasonal hits, vegetal varieties or that random vegetable you decide to get crazy with on the range.. Brought us baby heirloom tomatoes, green onions, chantilly mushrooms, broccoli and Italian squash:


In a garlic oregano sage me up kind a flavor mix, the caramelization and flavors delivered the farmer's bounty with full force.

Mix in there a curry paprika texan bbq chicken with some organic broccoli and the party invited the ranger:


Bold, delicious and organic.. Who would of thought natural could be so special

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Splish splash.. Fall into the seasons..

While being delighted by the sounds of splish splashing going on, the aroma of tender chicken marinaded in oregano and paprika was calling.

Theses little chickens had no idea what was coming. Sizzled to a high tender cooking range, roasted paprika and oregano danced the night away.

Accompanied with an avocado oil drizzled spinach salad with a fig balsamic vinaigrette, the flavors were seductively playing a game of twister with the fellow taste buds:





With summer Italian squash meeting the flavors of fall.. Roasted cinnamon, cumin, pepper and caramelized onions, seasonal harmony danced away With the fellow buds:


The brujo was pleased :)

- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Lotus Thai- Hillcrest

Tonight'a adventure brought us to celebrate a birthday event at Lotus Thai.

Tom yum soup with chicken had a mild spice and lemongrass kick:


The chicken was essentially boiled as well as the mushrooms being thrown in last minute into the broth.

The coconut milk seafood version was tasty, scallops, calamari and mussels in a mild coconut mill based soup with peppers and mushrooms:


The beef salad of thinly sliced beef with cucumbers and spicy peppers was tangy and sweet:


The take home dish was a basil spinach curry flavored chicken dish, potent flavor, great balance of pepper and spice:


Red curries were also spicy and delicious:


Drunken noodles were large noodles with shrimp, in a semi sweet tasting sauce:


The birthday celebration ended with a cream topped vanilla bean scoop:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)