Personally, I thought it smelled funny and was too sour. But my brother liked it.
Garlic Naan
Very yummy and crispy. I didn't like how the garlic sauce wasn't covered evenly across the naan.
Tikka Masala (UK curry)
There best seller. It was pretty tasty! My brother loved it!
Golden Curry (Indian)
Very different and unique flavors. The chicken was very tender and I loved how there were almonds in it.
Company: Chris
Time: Monday, August 22, 2:00pm
Location: Pacific Beach. Street parking (surprisingly plenty of parking spots)
Type of food: Curry from around the world
Ambiance: Casual, random decors
Service:
A table was just leaving when we were leaving. We were seated immediately and given water. The hostess/server/waitress was rude. She never smiled and rushed me to pay the bill.
Taste:
Unique, flavorful, great full-filling size
Price:
The total came to a reasonable price of $23 including tips.
Overall:
I liked the many options on the menu. The portions are large and very satisfying. I don't like the mosquitoes flying around, the dirty tables, and rude servers. I'll come back if I'm around the area.
Mr. Frostie (5 of 5 stars)
Perfect place for dessert because it is right across the street from World Curry.
Super fast service
Delicious and cheap
Great bench seating with umbrella shading right next store!
Twist of Vanilla and Chocolate
(Sorry for blurry). The twist was delicious. I enjoyed the Vanilla flavor the most because it tasted like vanilla bean. I love the texture- very creamy and smooth.
After a long and hard day of painting and working on our home, my family was extremely hungry. We wanted to go eat some Pho, however they closed at 9:00pm. Luckily, Sam Woo was opened till 12:00am on a Sunday evening.
Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant (3.5 of 5 stars)
Large portions, oily, tasty Chinese food opened late at night!
Chicken
Beef Noodles
Fish Porridge
Pork Porridge
Clams with XO sauce
Big, fat, meaty clams!
String Beans
So delicious. Crunchy, sweet, spicy--TASTY.
Veggie
Not fresh at all- PASS
Devoured within 15 minutes
Pretty busy at 10pm on a Sunday.
Service was slow.
Loved that the portions were huge.
About $60 including tips for 7 dishes feeding 5 people- WHAT A DEAL.
This date exemplifies why I dislike and love surprises. The picture qualities aren't the best. If I had known we were coming here, I would have brought my DSL.
This is probably the first time we have ever celebrated an important anniversary (we usually do not celebrate monthly anniversaries, but 50th anniversary just sounds so grand and important) on the actual day. So my boyfriend tells me to wear a casual dress because we were just going to a CASUAL restaurant.
I thought we were going to a nice casual dinner like Olive Garden or BJs or Cheesecake Factory, etc. So I had on a Forever21 floral dress with a pleather brown jacket, dark smokey eye makeup, and puffy hair-sprayed hair. Dang wore Dickies black jeans, Ecko button up shirt, and some suede kicks. I also thought we were going to PB Bar and Grill afterwards.
Bertrand At Mister A's (4 of 5 stars)
Right in front of Downtown city lights
Butter and Bread
Just bread and butter to start our night. No wine with our meal because we have a long day the next day.
Seared rare sashimi grade ahi tuna
Fresh and ruby red ahi tuna. Deliciously smoked and peppered. It was mouth watering, but I'm not sure if five pieces is worth $17
Prime brandt farm heart of the rib eye
I was expecting a large piece of steak. But I enjoyed the many little pieces that came with this plate. The sauce around the steak was tasty. Everything on this plate seems to work perfectly together.
Grilled wild copper river salmon
The most tender salmon ever. I especially enjoyed the crispy skin layered on top. However, Dang said that the salmon wasn't very flavorful at all. I agree that the salmon wasn't flavorful, but the tenderness just melts in your mouth. I wasn't particularly fond of the little bites around it. Overall it was a great piece of salmon, but definitely not worth the price.
Tahitian vanilla bean creme brulee with almond cookie
Wow, what a delicious dessert. The vanilla bean made the custard so creamy and delicious. The torched caramel on top tasted a little too burnt, but was good. The strawberry was too sour for me, but the rest of the fruit worked well. The almond cookie, tasted like a regular cookie. At $12, it was a pretty large portion.
a very Happy Anniversary to us!
I thought this was a very nice final touch. This complimentary dish came with a cream puff, a little cake, a ginger cookie, and one piece of strawberry. The cream puff was mouth watering-delicious. Unfortunately, I didn't really care for the rest of the desserts. Good thing Dang has a sweet tooth and finished everything.
Company: the one and only Dang
Time: Thursday, August 18, 8:00pm
Location: The 12th floor of a random financial building. Dang and I parked the car and we started walking down the streets. I had no idea where we were going until we entered the elevator.
Type of food: American
Ambiance: Elegant, classy, romantic, breathtaking. Right when the elevator doors opened, we noticed that everyone was dressed very nicely. The waiters were all wearing clean and pressed suits. Dang said "the waiters are the best dressed here." The tables were covered with beautiful white linens. The lighting was dim and sparkling. We definitely felt under dressed. Luckily, a man came in wearing flip flops, khaki shorts, and a wrinkly dress shirt. That made us feel better.
Service:
Our reservation was at 8:15pm. However, we arrived early at 8:00pm. Our table wasn't ready yet so they told us that we could go in the patio and enjoy the city view. We were not seated until almost 8:30pm. Dang had said he would prefer a table near the window and I was pleased that they accommodated to that. I guess that is why our table took a little longer. But I am so impressed that they would accommodate to our request.
Our waiter was Javier. He was very courteous and gentlemanly. He offered his suggestion and always checked up on us. However, I wish we had the waiter who served the tables around us. He seemed to have a fun personality. When the food was served at the other tables, that waiter would go around explaining each item on their plates. I wish our waiter was a little more personable. The bussers and servers were extra polite as well. I found it humorous when a young man of about our age asked "how is your meal thus far". How eloquent. Our glass of water was never empty and our forks were changed two times. After our main course, Javier brought out a mini vacuum/sweeper to clean the crumbs on our table before placing our creme brulee on the table. Javier also offered to take pictures of us outside with the city view after dinner. Overall, it is obvious that they place service as their top priority. I also loved how everyone said "Happy Anniversary" to us. We felt special.
Taste:
There is a lot of attention to detail and everything was paired with thought. Details are under the pictures. As we were walking out, I noticed that some tables ordered the home made ice cream for dessert. I definitely wish I ordered the ice cream because it comes with macaroons (maybe next time).
Price:
Compared to other upscale restaurants, this is definitely more affordable.
Overall:
This was a very enjoyable evening. The service was impeccable because of the great attention to detail. I would love to come here for Happy Hour because the menu looks very affordable and you can watch the sunset. My final thought is, why are there no women as waitresses, servers, bussers? I guess prettier faces belong at the front to greet the guests. I hope they are not sexist.
beautiful view
Would have loved to sit outside if wasn't so cold. Watching the city lights twinkle before us- lovely!
Main menu
Dessert menu
the Tab
Under dressed. But at least we are under dressed together :]
The best boyfriend in the world who always tries his best to spoil and make me feel like a princess!
My brother just turned 16 years old. He even has his license already! I love how he drives me around everywhere. I also love how he LOVES to hangout with me.
Sorrento Valley Driving Range
A nice and small place to hit some balls. I love going to the driving range. It is so relaxing and helps me release stress.
$10 for 90 balls
He's really good. I wish he would try out for the school's golf team. I think golf is a great sport because it is all about individual skill and control. You don't have to rely on your team mates and your performance will solely affect yourself.
Amarin Thai Restaurant (3.5 of 5 stars)
Spicy&Sour Soup
Pad See Ew with Beef (Level 2 spicy)
Red Curry with Chicken (Level 3 spicy)
Company: Chris
Time: Tuesday, August 16, 2011- 2:00pm
Location: In a food court in a Sorrento Valley plaza
Type of food: Thai
Ambiance: Casual, authentic, nice. It is not a formal or elegant looking Thai restaurant. The restaurant isn't the cleanest and we eat over paper mats. But it is a great place to come casually for some great Thai food.
Service: When we arrived, there was only one other table being served. With three waitresses working, I still had to wave my hand to get there attention in order to place my order. They were all speaking Thai to each other and having a good time. After we placed our order, I watched as our server quickly and sloppily poured soup into our bowls and then serving it to us. I'm just glad the food came out quickly. The service overall was mediocre even though we were the only ones there.
Taste: We had a noodle dish and curry dish. The taste was excellent and very authentic. The spices blended so well together that you can smell and taste it! It was delicious. My curry was only a spicy level 3 and it was already quite spicy. The only complaint I had was the rice. I felt like the rice was a bit mushy and clumpy (too much water?). My curry dish was almost perfect. My brother really enjoyed his Pad See Ew.
Price: The total price came out to be $18 including tips. We went during lunch specials so our meals included soup, salad, 1 egg roll, and 1 orange wedge. The main entree was a little small, but I guess it is proportional to the lower prices.
Overall: Delicious Thai food.
ps. I hope my sister is jealous of our little hangout. She needs to finish working and hangout with us! We missed you :]
Lunch at 12pm Sushi Mon (4.5 of 5 stars)
Location: Off the strips
This place is deliciously amazing. Everything is made to order. There are prices listed for those who want to order dishes individually. We opted for the lunch buffet which includes everything on the menu. I appreciate that you can order rolls in halves because we would definitely not have been able to try the many other dishes. The down part is, if you don't finish everything you have to pay for it. Thus, half orders are a great way to prevent waste. The lunch buffet is about $24.99 and the dinner buffet (with the same options) is $26.99.
2 orders of Baked Mussels
WOW WOW. I don't even like mussels but these were so amazing! Make sure you are careful though, I grabbed the shell right when the waiter brought it out (because I'm an impatient pig) and boy did I burn my thumb, it was red for the rest of the day.
White Tuna and Uni (sea urchin) Sashimi
Expensive sashimi, unlimited? WHAT A DEAL! The only negative part is that every slice of sashimi is over rice. And you have to eat all the rice or else you will get charged.
Edamame
Baked Volcano
One of the tables favorite sushi rolls.
Spider Roll
Spider Roll up CLOSE
Monster Roll
They make it sound like it was a ginormous roll. The size and taste definitely did not meet my expectations. Definitely a PASS. Don't even bother or think that this is a challenge. It is full of rice and does not taste good.
Lychee, Red Bean, Green Tea, and Tempera Ice Cream
The lychee ice cream was a bit sweet for me. The red bean ice cream was delicious. It was also my first time trying fried tempera- it was good.
The menu
Caked (5 of 5 stars) Location: Next door to Sushi Mon
The owner Carolyn Portuondo was so nice and welcoming. You might recognize her if you've seen Fabulous Cakes on TLC. She was the one who replicated the 4 feet sushi boat, it was quite amazing.
As seen on TLC
Mini cupcakes
She was so generous and gave us a dozen mini cupcakes as a welcoming to Las Vegas. Thank you so much!
Beautiful and delicious
Cutie with Passion-fruit Cupcake
Dang has a sweet tooth and just couldn't help but buy a cupcake.
late night snacking
Ellis Island (4 of 5 stars)
Location: Ellis Hotel and Casino
The perfect place to go to after a club or late at night because it is 24 hours. It's tacky looking and definitely doesn't look nice. The service wasn't amazing, but they did pay attention to us. However, where else can you get decent steak in the middle of the night?
One star for being open late, one star for being cheap, one star for quick service, and one star for decent food. You seriously get what you paid for. The food that we ordered were not on the menu, but they definitely do serve it.
At Ellis hotel- the dining room
Decisions, decisions
$3.99- Scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast with butter, and medium well steak
I didn't want to eat too much so I opted for the steak and egg. It was definitely not of best quality. Next time, I will definitely pay $2 more for the better version.
$7.99- Mash potatoes, string beans, much better medium steak
This was the best deal! You get the mash potatoes, string beans, steak, a beer (or root beer), and a side salad (or soup). What a fantastic deal! The steak is definitely better than the $3.99 steak. I was literally in love with the steamed string beans (from frozen packages). It was just so juicy (but we all know that it is just the melted ice).
you know it is good when Dang makes this face
Sunday, August 14
Lunch
Earl's Sandwich (5 of 5 stars)
Location: Planet Hollywood
So many raving reviews that we just had to check it out. We arrived at around lunch time (12:30 pm) and the line was super long. We waited about 15 minutes in line to place our orders. They had a decent size menu with a variety of choices. The price was very affordable at $5.99 for a hot sandwich or wrap. Their service can be improved because the cashier was definitely not helpful. But at least the food came out fast and fresh.
Earl's at work
Cute little bag with our sandwiches
Hawaiian BBQ
Grilled chicken, roasted ham, Swiss cheese, fresh pineapple, and Hawaiian BBQ sauce
Hawaiian BBQ
mmm Hawaiian BBQ
If you like ham and pineapple this is definitely a top choice. The bread was perfectly toasted like a panini and the BBQ flavor was sweet and flavorful.
The Full Montagu
Roasted beef, turkey, Swiss and cheddar cheese, lettuce, Roma tomato, and Earl's mustard
The Full Montagu
mmmm The Full Montagu
I wish I tried this sandwich first before the Hawaiian BBQ. This one tasted like a classic sandwich. It was hot, fresh, and of great quality. It wasn't greasy, but delicious. However, it doesn't have the unique flavors of the Hawaiian BBQ.
All done with lunch, POOL TIME!
Snacks
Serendipity 3 (1 of 5 stars)
Location: Caesar's Palace
We wanted to go the restaurant, but the wait was 30 minutes and all we wanted to do was to try the infamous Frozen Hot Chocolate. So I appreciate that they had a "Fun on the run menu" which is basically a way to grab something quick. The service was definitely faster, our drink was ready right after we paid!
Half star because the place was pink and cute. Half star because it tasted good. Minus four stars because the price was ridiculous and this place is seriously over-rated!
Would you pay $12 (after tax) for a regular size (16 oz. maybe) of iced hot chocolate topped with whipped cream? Why do you call it Frozen hot chocolate when it wasn't even frozen or icy?
Cute ambiance
On the run menu
$10- Frozen Hot Chocolate
For taste, I thought this was chocolate goodness. However, Phil says it tasted like his protein powder mixture.
$11- Mochacino Coffee Frozen Hot Chocolate
This was pretty tasty. The mocha was rich in flavor and blended well with the chocolate. I liked the espresso chocolate on top. Although it was delicious, the Costco's version of Mocha Latte comes pretty close.
waiting for our drinks under the scorching heat
Mr. Sweet Tooth ended up finishing both drinks
cute!
Bacardi Lemonade Bar (4 of 5 stars)
Location: Caesar's Palace
I'm not sure if this is what it is called (I can't find it on Yelp), but it is a stand located outside of Caesar's Palace. Too much chocolate prevented Dang and I to try this one out. Thank you Phil for letting us try your yummy drink.
Phil and Lois ordered the "Black Dragon" mojito. It was made with Bicardi Dragon Berry Rum and fresh blackberries. There was a long line, but that is because the bartender makes the drink right in front of you when you order. We watched as he crushed fresh mint leaves and blackberries at the bottom of the cup. Then pour mixtures to create this fancy drink.
This lovely mojito cocktail was $9. It was a bargain compared to the Frozen Hot Chocolate we had minutes earlier.
Mojito Menu
Lois modeling the drink
Ice Pan (5 of 5 stars)
Location: Harrah's Casino
This is a must MUST see when you are in Vegas. Some fancy new technology magically turns liquid into frozen/creamy ice cream in less than 1 minute. Unfortunately, being located at Harrah's does not give it justice. The modern/stylish look and unique idea definitely belongs somewhere else.
It is Korean own and the ice cream makers are so cute and funny.
Ice Pan
Watch as liquid becomes ice cream
tahdah! delicious.
Dinner
Burger Bar (4 of 5 stars)
Location: Mandalay Bay Shops
The burgers are beautifully made and full of flavor. Phil, Lois, and Dang all enjoyed their burgers too much. The waitress was helpful and the orders came out promptly. The price was a little high, but its Vegas! I'm still thinking about the juicy hamburger in my hands. Delicious.
There's a Chef Special burger called "Wagyu". One day, when I think $60 for a hamburger is super affordable, I will indulge. (Too bad I didn't get a picture of it)
Welcome to Burger Bar
$8.99- Black Angus Burger (with grilled onions)
$14.99- American Burger
$13.99- Blackjack Burger
$17.99- Wagyu Burger
Wagyu meat is a high quality beef used in burgers. It is comparable to Kobe beef in that Kobe Beef is from a Wagyu cattle but it is raised in special conditions. My google-ling taught me that Wagyu cattle "produces a higher percentage of oleaginous, unsaturated fat than any other breed of cattle known in the world". Anyways, I got a Medium Wagyu Burger and it was juicy, tender, flavorful, and simply delicious. Maybe I should have added some grilled onions or avocado to intensify the flavors, but I like plain.
Must try Beer Floats next time!
Loving it!
Late night
Pho Kim Long (3 of 5 stars)
Location: Off the strip, Asian Town
Another perfect 24 hour restaurant for late night munchies. I love pho at any time of the day! We were so thrilled to have found this place. The price is a little high compared to other pho places. The menu was full of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai dishes. The bowl was pretty good size, very tasty, VERY FULL OF MSG. I was thirsty for days. They definitely need to cut back on MSG.
Pho Kim Long
$9.99- Shrimp Fried Rice
$7.99- Pho Ga (Chicken)
$6.99- Pho with Rare Steak
Monday, August 15
Brunch
Wicked Spoon Buffet (4 of 5 stars)
Location: Cosmopolitan Hotel
Weekday lunch buffet for $22? WHAT A DEAL! One star for being in an amazing hotel, one star for great service, one star for excellent quality in food, one star for just a very enjoyable meal.
Unfortunately, I did not feel the amazing variety that people have been raving about. Next time, I definitely need to go on a weekend and for dinner. I am super upset that I didn't get to try their praised macaroons. I definitely need to come back and see what the hype is all about. I need my crab legs and prime rib too!
