Category: Food

Located in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in City Center, Holsteins (Shakes and Buns) touts it is the best burgers in Vegas.

Arrival and Service

Wanted to see if that claim was true.  Made a reservation for 7:45. We arrived a bit early, and were told to come back at 7:45, at which time we were promptly seated. Menu offered burgers, shakes, and appetizers in the American pub/burder joint genre of cuisine.  Waitress was friendly, took our orders, and brought out a small bucket of popcorn for us to nosh on while we waited for our food. We decided to try one shake, The Drunken Monkey  and for burgers – the Gold Standard Burger and “The Rising Sun” Burger

 

The Drunken Monkey –

A milkshake from their “Bam-Boozled Shake” section of the menu. It has Reese’s, Banana, Malt, Frangelico, and what I can assume is vanilla ice cream and milk. While, not cheap at $11, it’s not cheap, and I can only assume it is that price because of the booze in it.  It did come with a steel tumbler about third full in addition to the shake in the glass. The Frangelico added a nice nuttiness to the shake, but i would be surprised if there was more than a jigger of booze in the whole thing.  If you are looking for a rich rich meal, then order a shake, but I would suggest splitting it, like I did with Theresa.  The burgers, as we found out, were very rich and fatty (like a proper burger should be)

The Gold Standard–

Their description – Dry Aged Beef Sirloin Burger With Smoked Bacon, Aged Goat Cheddar Cheese, Tomato Confit, Baby Arugula & Garlic-Chive Aioli

Tasting Notes: Delicious.  The beef is a bit “chunky”, meaning the beef is not pulverized into little bits and formed into a patty. Mouth feel is great because the bits are loosely packed and melt in the mouth with just the right amount of marbled fattiness.  Goat Cheddar really punches through the other ingredients to give it a pleasantly pungent finish while the bacon gives is a nice saltiness, the aoili gives it just a little wee bit of extra fat to bring it all together. I could not really taste the argula, as it was tasted more like spinach next to all the wonderful fatty goodness.

The Rising Sun Burger

Their description -Kobe Beef, Teriyaki Glaze, Nori Furikake, Crispy Yam, Spicy Mayo & Tempura Avocado

Tasting Notes: Delicious as well. The teriyaki sauce was not overly sweet or overpowering on the burger. The “Kobe” beef was formed into a nice thick 8oz patty and had a melt in your mouth quality you would expect.  I was doubtful about the tempura avacado, especially given the size of it, lopped in the burger, but It did add even morerichness of the burger, but all in all well balanced amongst all the flavors. Warning, this is a pretty “sloppy” burger to eat. Cut it in half before consuming and be prepared to open wide.

Atmosphere – Pig That Wants to be a Cow?

Wall art consisted of several pictures depicting a pig with cow envy dressed in a cow suit doing some rather odd things. Both endearingly quirky and at the same time disturbing. We asked the waitress if this was the mascot, and she said no, the pink cow is the mascot.  Evidently the restaurant commissioned a local artist to draw them. Wonder what his inspiration was? Only in Vegas

Conclusion

We both concluded that these burgers were the best burgers we have had.  While the prices maybe high for burgers ($17.50/$17) it is still cheaper than some of the other Vegas resort restaurants. Also, the quality of the meat is pretty close to steakhouse quality and the burgers are 8oz portions.  If one opened near us or we went to Vegas again, would definitely consider revisits, although would not get a cholesterol check anytime too soon after dining here.

Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas

The much touted Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace definitely lives up to the moniker of the best buffet in Vegas. What differentiates this one from the other buffets besides just sheet number of dishes is presentation of the food, imaginative combinations of flavors, and authenticity in preparation (i.e for ethnic foods, it’s not “Americanized”).

Tips:  The buffets gets crowded for dinner and weekends.  The majority of the food is the same between lunch and dinner, and lunch is cheaper.

Tip #2: Go into the buffet at around 10am. That way you can sample breakfast, and you will most likely still be there when lunch comes out around 11am.  More food to sample.

Tip #3 – Walk the entire buffet before grabbing a plate and piling on food. The Asian section is kind of tucked away in the back corner. So unless you happen to be seated near there, you might miss it.

In addition to the standard buffet fare Here are some of the more unusual dishes we tried:

Breakfast Foods:

  

We went with Tip #2 and did both breakfast and lunch.  I liked the presentation and slight twist the chefs did on some classic breakfast dishes.  For instance, the Croque Madame and Corn Beef and Hash both used sunny side up quail eggs in lieu of chicken eggs. Nicely portioned and presented well (for buffet food, at least).  Definitely different than the “scoop food out of chafing dishes” found at typical buffets.  The Chicken Fried Steak below is in a mini cast iron skillet/roasting pan and the waffle fries are in mini fry baskets. food was fresh and well prepared.

A regular complement of freshly squeezed juices (orrange, tropical fruit, watermelon) were available, but what caught my eye was the cucumber juice.  Juicing is the latest thing, and i guess Caesar’s has caught onto it.  Tasted it, and it was definitely freshly juiced, but a bit bitter. Not sure if that is a normal thing or just because we are at the end of the cucumber season and the ones they used were more bitter than normal.

Seafood Bar:  

Oysters were freshly shucked and put on ice. In fact you can watch the shucker do his thing behind the raw bar. More reassuring than someone just taking a tray out from the back.  The other dishes on the plate on the left above are Salmon Poke Salad and cold Seafood Gazpacho.  The Poke was a bit too over spiced, as someone back there got too generous with the pepper powder.  Gazpacho was pretty good for buffet with chunks of seafood. Plate on the right includes Ceviche (not sure what fish, but was a firm white fish), Seafood Salad tossed with a light vinaigrette, “jumbo” boiled shrimp, and Mussels  Mariniere. Ceviche was clean with the right amount of acid/tang and correctly spiced.  Mussels were well cooked and not rubbery.

 

Kobe beef cheese burger slider with cheddar cheese.  Appropriately fatty and tender.  Definitely better than the typical ground beef burger.   Crab cake and corn chowder on the right. Great presentation, and while not bad, there were other better things to “spend your calories on”

 Desserts:

The dessert station here is amazing. Choco-holics rejoice, you will like this one.  Chocolate Creme Brulee, Chocolate Mousse with Crumbles, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce, and that thing on a stick is a Chocolate Decadence Lollipop (flourless chocolate cake piece with ganache pieces coated in chocolate with small chocolate spheres.

Chocolate souffle is also fresh baked. Its not put out, so you will have to ask for it. It’s probably because the ramikan it comes it is VERY hot and they don’t want to risk someone burning themselves.  And yes, I verified it is very hot when I lifted it to put the napkin in the picture above below the ramikan.

Tip: they keep a blowtorch at the dessert station, and if you ask, you can get the to “brulee” something for you on the spot. Just ask.

Over 12 varieties of gelato and sorbets that go beyond the normal “vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry”  Picture above are Mango Chile Lime Sorbet, Fig and Balsamic gelato, and Watermelon Mint Sorbet.   Flavors are very clean and definitely unique.  The sorbets were a bit icy, but that could be because they had been sitting out for a while and their freezer was on the fritz that day.

Conclusion:

Definitely worth a trip out, especially if you are a foodie who like to sample a little of everything rather than stuff yourself with the same dish over and over again.  The price is the highest on the Vegas Strip, but I would say it is justified. I have a feeling they change up things based on seasonal items, so it will remain fresh.  While the food will not wow you like ones from a 2 star Michellin restaurant, in aggregate it’s pretty impressive how they can maintain the level of quality given the quantity and variety of food they have to crank out.

After a few days of very rich Vegas food, Theresa and I were ready for something a bit “lighter”.  We were in the hankering for Pho, so Theresa researched some places and Pho Bosa came up.

The restaurant is located on Spring Mountain Road between I-15 and Chinatown. The restaurant occupies part of the ground floor of a motel with which it shares a bathroom. Translation, the surroundings are a  total dive.

Tip: The address is on Spring Mountain Road, but the store front faces Polaris.  Coming from I-15, try and turn left onto Polaris, and you can pull into the lot it shares with the motel

After being seated, we noticed  a sign stating they  don’t pre-cook anything and make everything as it’s ordered, so it’s not going to be fast. !0 minutes from time of order and maybe 20+ during busy times.  Good to know. In addition to pho, they have the usual rice plates, dry noodle bowls, and grilled meats that you can warp with rice paper or lettuce (kind of like a vietnamese version of Mexican Fajita platters).  I decided to try the Bún bò Huế, based on the Yelp reviews and Theresa got the regular Phở with beef balls and brisket.

Our meal came with the fresh sprouts for the Phở and cabbage for the Bún bò Huế, limes, and basil

Large bowl of Bún bò Huế

Phở with beef balls and brisket

The Food

The Bún bò Huế, was nice and spicy, with spicy oils floating on top of simmered beef broth with lemongrass flavors. Pulling the noodles through provided a nice coating of spice and the blood cubes, sliced ham hocks, and beef shank complemented the soup nicely.  It was a bit on the spicier side, so if you can not handle spice food, I would suggest you not get this. It’s not a long lasting burn though, so you will be able to taste things throughout the meal.  Theresa’s pho was well prepared, but a little heavy on the anise for her taste.  i tend to agree.  Broth was  not overly salty and MSG laden like some of the pho places here in the Bay Area. The prices are a little higher than your typical pho place charges for a large bowl ($9), but the food seemed fresher as well.

Conclusion

If you need your Pho fix in Vegas, then Pho Bosa is pretty good.  Would I seek it out as a must goto place everytime I come to Vegas? Probably not. Unless I really wanted authentic Pho.

On our last day in Vegas, we had the car and went to a couple of places off the Strip. We were close to a Raising Cane’s and I convinced Theresa to try it for lunch, as I have always been curious about it.

Raising Cane’s is a fast food restaurant that features chicken fingers as its center piece. We split the Caniac box, which came with 6 chicken fingers, fries, cole sole, 2 sauces, Texas Toast, and a large drink.   About what you would expect in terms of quality. It’s fast food after all. Nothing remarkable, and we would not go back again. We both agreed that Chick Fil-a has much better food.  Oh well, at least now we know.

If you are ever in need of a decent hot sandwich along the Vegas Strip, look no farther than the Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood Casino.  It’s fast food, so it will definitely be a step down from the celebrity chef restaurants on the Strip, but hey sometimes you need a break from all that. And it’s affordable, especially if just you lost all but your last $10 at the craps tables.  And it beats Subway by a mile.  Best of all it’s open 24 hours, so you can go after that all night poker session or if you close the club and are hankering for some grub.

The Original

The Earl’s Club

Tip: Unless you are dining at why the heck am I still up o’clock, best to get your drinks and chips at the ABC convenience store located in the Miracle Mile shops. They have a better selection of drinks and will save you some $$ so you can play those penny slots after your meal.

Some random food pictures from my various conference meals and the Wynn Buffet

 

 

First dinner in Vegas, and rather than venture into a buffet immediately, we decided to walk around and just pick a restaurant. The Capital Grille in the Fashion Show Mall seemed to be a good choice.  Did not realize it was a chain restaurant, but eh.. worth a try.

Service is what you would expect out of a steakhouse type restaurant. No complaints there. My steak au poivre was a NY strip was a bit overcooked to my liking, but not that bad considering the thickness and being a leaner cut than a sirloin or filet.  Theresa had the Filet Oscar, which added crabmeat and bernaise sauce.  Was cooked well. We ordered a side of grilled mushrooms, which were not really all that great. Under seasoned and a bit on the dry side.  Probably would have skipped ordering it if we would have known it was gonna be that way.  All in all, a passable, average steakhouse meal.  Nothing outstanding, but nothing terrible either. With all the nice steak places in Vegas, I would say you could skip this one.

Rented a car and went to Hash House a GoGo, which is located in the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown/old town Vegas.  The Plaza is the typical downtown Vegas casino. Not as flashy or nice as the ones on the Strip, but it had a nostalgic charm to it.

Touted as “Twisted Farm Food and known for their huge portions (made famous by the Travel Channel show Man vs Food), we wanted to try it for brunch.

We order the signature Chicken & Waffles and the “Crispy Hand Hammered Pork Benedict”

Yes, those are steak knives stuck into the stacks of food to keep them together on the plate. The fried chicken was two huge fried breasts and comes with waffles embedded with whole strips of bacon, all topped with a creamy sauce and comes with maple syrup on the side. The hammered pork tenderloin is 18 ounces, battered and fried, and served over a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with BBQ cream sauce.  Needless to say, neither of us came anywhere close to finishing. In fact we took the food with us on our flight home later that day and had enough for 2 more meals worth of food. The scary part is, the waiter told us the dinner portions were even larger than the brunch portion. Yikes!  Next time we are sharing one dish.  If you go in a large group, plan on about 1 plate per 2 or even 3 people.