Thursday, April 26, 2012

Vegas Foodie Fest @ Silverton Lodge Casino, Las Vegas

Fat Daddy's Flaming Rear!!!!


Okay the Vegas Foodie Fest is this upcoming weekend (April 28th~29th), and in anticipation of this event, we're gonna write about some of the Foodtrucks that are gonna be there.  Now they had a pre-event, (mostly for photoshots and dry-runs) so we decided to go and get a heads up on what trucks would be participating. To clarify, this isn't all of the Foodtrucks that will be in attendance, (there's gonna a be a lot more) we're just reporting to you about some that we enjoyed and recommend.

The two day festival is at The Silverton Lodge and Casino out on Blue Diamond Rd, where there'll be around thirty-four Foodtrucks filled with food to stuff your face with and fill you up till you feel sick!!






Click below to read more...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Update: Bread & Butter @ Eastern, Henderson

Chocolate Croissant and Vanilla Doughnut
One of the few pleasures of the weekend, going to Bread & Butter in the morning and ordering some pastries and a Breakfast Sandwich!!  Today, we got a Chocolate Croissant and Vanilla Cream Filled Doughnut!  Sinful!

In addition, we shared a Breakfast Sandwich Eggs with Cheese and Bacon on a Challah Roll..


I love the Weekend!!

Inaba Japanese Soba Noodle Restaurant @ S. Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas

Nabeyaki Udon Noodles with Kakikomi Gohan


With a bourgeoning Japanese community thriving in Las Vegas, there's an emerging Japanese restaurant enclave that's exciting to observe and participate.  We're definitely coming into our own, rivaling that of LA and evolving into a Japanese foodie hub of the Southwest. And there's definitely demand, every Japanese hotspot is crowded, reviewed by every critic and blogger in town, and in the Top To Do Lists for Dining in Sin City.  Next stop, total world domination!  Muwahaaaaa!

And it's not just the fine establishments that are getting the attention, it's the casual restaurants that truly define a culture and represent the heart and soul of food....                                      

Inaba Japanese Soba Noodle is a small chain from LA which serves, as the name suggest, Soba and Udon Noodles... It's another Japanese staple cuisine, where noodles are the hallmark of everyday cuisine, with a variety of different executions from cold Soba Noodles with various accoutrements, to hot steaming bowls of Noodle Soup to warm up the body on a cold day....

Click below to read more....

Monday, April 23, 2012

Zona Rosa Caffe @ S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena



























It's awesome that this independent Cafe is alive and thriving amidst the proliferation of global chain-seeking-world-domination evil empires, (I'm talking to you, Big Green Mermaid)!  Zona Rosa Caffe is a great little shop that serves coffees from around the Latin America region; with it's proximity to the Pasadena Playhouse District, and promotes Latin culture with music and art by hosting live bands and exhibiting colorful art inside the two story structure.


Our first encounter with Zona Rosa was actually by accident; we had just finished watching a movie at the Laemmle Playhouse on Colorado Ave and when we exited the theater, the LudoTruck was hanging outside the Caffe with a throng of people and live music playing in the alley.  Fortuitously, we hadn't eaten and can I say, Ludotruck has the BEST CHICKEN WINGS on this PLANET!! (Honey glazed garlic wings....)  Since then, we have wanted to stop by and have coffee here.


Click below to read more....

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sen of Japan @ W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas

Not your Run-of-the-Mill SLUT Roll!!!

  There's only a handful of Sushi Restaurants & Bars that are worth going to for this second generation Japanese-American and it is a NIGHTMARE to traverse the minefield of, 'dead fish on bed of broken dreams' bilge  and 'what you call sushi,  I call a bad bowel movement' fusion rolls with sushi menu lists longer than the Bible (Roll over and get out of me already Roll)...I feel like we've reached the end of days when Sushi Mon (all you can eat sushi den of inequity)  is regarded as one of the, 'Fifty Must-Eat Las Vegas Meals' - I wanna cry....

  And going to the Strip can be a disparaging experience if you're a local;  first of all, the transient slag can be obnoxious and utterly annoying-leaving all manners behind the minute they step off that plane.  And to top it all off, the looks of abject ennui and annoyance from the entire staff, either giving you condescending looks because they think you're an ignorant tourist, or trying to buddy up with you and being totally unprofessional, (I'm still trying to figure out if all that chummy conversation's for a better tip, if they're just high or completely incoherent)...

  So I've just about given up on trying to eat Sushi on even an occasional basis, but when I really feel like having it-Sen of Japan is always an enjoyable experience.

  Being an independently run business in Vegas can be terribly rough; firstly, you have to compete with the Casinos, (who have unlimited resources and budgets to produce the most mundane mediocrity at exorbitant prices) and then the local environment can be pretty desolate.  As is the case with Sen, it's located in a commercial center, which in its definition, reeks of banal modularity.  As you can see, the front facade won't be on the cover of Restaurant Victim's Quarterly, nor will the inside win any interior design awards anytime soon.  But it's dark and moody in a semi-Japanese minimalist way, which is better than an over worked, over designed, venus fly trap of laser cut metal panels and lucite curved walls.....


Click below to read more...

Friday, April 20, 2012

Archi's Thai Bistro @ S. Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas



In Vegas, we have a inordinate amount of delicious Thai Cuisine at our fingertips, which is awesome because it's such an accessible food and we could have it everyday, (although I'm not a spicy kind of guy, I can't get enough of Thai food).... I could go on and on about Thai food and the other restaurants that we love, but then we wouldn't have anything for our future posts, so I'll keep it short; in terms of geographic convenience, Archi's Thai Bistro is a really great place to feed your Thai addiction!


Pad See Ew

Click below to read more...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Five Guys Burgers & Fries @ Eastern Ave, Las Vegas

It's rare that we review or post a venue that we think is subpar (this blog isn't a tool for ranting)....but WTF? (Seriously?)  We just had to talk about this place....



Okay, so this is one of the fastest growing fast food chains in the country, and with a cult-like following comparable to In-N-Out, it has been at the top of the list for Best Burger in America.  Originally from Virginia, this chain has spread across the country like a brushfire.  Having heard a lot about Five Guys, as soon as it opened in Vegas, we went to try it......

And just as a note, we have eaten here three times, all ending in the same result.  Usually I give the benefit of the doubt when it comes to food, it's not always consistent.... but in the case of Five Guys...it is...

Click below to read more...


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Arclight Theaters & Cinerama Dome @ Sunset Hollywood, LA

An ode to 60's architecture


An ode.....to crappy architecture
Right in the Arclight complex is the Cinerama Dome, a geodesic dome built for running films in a three strip cinema format. Built in 1963, it was reopened in 2002 and shows only the blockbuster Hollywood hits and serves as an experience unto itself. (We saw, 'Hunger Games' and 'Drive' here with a full house-pseudo film critics and all....)

The Arclight theaters are pretty much the go-to theater for the films we want to see, (the other would be the Laemmle Playhouse) the seats here are fantastic and they're reserved in advance, so there's no rush to get to the theatre.

Click below to read more...

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Amoeba Music Store @ Sunset Blvd Hollywood, LA



Right by the Arclight Theater is Amoeba Music, an awesome music store chain that sells old and unique Vinyl, CD's, DVD's and Videos that you just can't find anymore, (or records stores for that matter)....

When you walk inside, you realize something....It's become a strange, bizarre world; a world where almost all music purchases are done on the internet, no more bustling crowds around long, elongated rows filling the room with the clanging sound of plastic, CD anti-theft protection cases, (for those who are older - the clanging of plastic tape cases, for those even older than that - the soft swift breeze of air coming from flipping vinyl jackets, and those older than that - the echoes that emanate from pressing a metal horn to your ear, you geezer-Your're OLD)!

I'm just reminiscing about the days I would spend afternoons in the record store, pining over which album I would buy (which was sometimes a BIG gamble, cuz you couldn't samples the tracks like now-hey I guess buying on iTunes does have its advantages) and then running back home popping it into the tape deck and listen to it for hours on end.....

Click below to read more...

Friday, April 13, 2012

Downtown3rd Farmer's Market, Las Vegas

An abundance, a cornucopia, a smorgasbord of produce!!


Old Bus Station Downtown
Upon Hearing that Las Vegas was going to have another Farmers Market in the Downtown area got us really excited!  We have an outdoor one on Eastern Avenue that's relatively near us, but it never hurts to have more.  And this one is really different in that it's located in the old Bus Station near the Mob Museum.  It's a little unusual, but hey, isn't that Vegas?  The Farmers Market runs on Friday, so it's a good time to run over and have lunch from the foodtrucks and then buy some fresh produce for the weekend...


Click to read more...

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Fukuburger Truck, Las Vegas

Happiness is a burger done right!!!


Decal central; wonder if I can stick one on it too?
THE FAVORITE BURGER JOINT IN LAS VEGAS IS FUKUBURGER!!!  Had to type that in all caps, it's that true!!!  We came across this foodtruck a little over a year ago, and after eating every burger in town, this is still the reigning champion of meaty deliciousness!  'Fuku', meaning happiness (I know, it looks a lot like something else-my family is from Fukuoka) we follow their whereabouts in Vegas and make our way over to them when they're in somewhat close proximity!

Definitely a younger, hip, skateboarder cum LA following, the owners have created a Japanesque twist that elevates the All American Classic to new heights...


Click below to read more....

Monday, April 9, 2012

Loteria! Grill, Singapore's Banana Leaf & Bob's Doughnuts @ The Farmers Market, The Grove LA

Take Shelter??


When the weather is beautiful, (as it most usually is in LA) we love to bebop over to 3rd and Fairfax to frequent our favorite stalls and consume a plethora of delectable goodies.  The Farmers Market is a permanent enclave of stalls that serve great food as well as market items like fruits & vegetables, meats, poultry and fish as well as other gourmet products such as candies and culinary goods.  We find something new every time we're there and it makes for a great afternoon in the sun.

You know, this market has a definite throwback feel to it; part European with the Bancarellas filled with fruits and produce to temp your culinary imaginations.  It would be a dream to purchase your family meals everyday at a market like this.  But it's also quintessentially Los Angeles from an era gone by - food stalls serving the humblest yet most imaginative of international, 'fast food'.  Touristy? Maybe, but who wouldn't want to spend good time and money to the independent businesses who provide fresh, quality goods in a time where drive-thrus dominate our self-induced hectic lifestyles and saturate our laziness for instant gratification...

Click below to read more...

UMAMIcatessen Downtown LA



It's like....Culinary Mecca........


Interior is way cool....
Can I just say how excited we were to go to UMAMIcatessen!! Since reading about its opening about a month ago, we have been DYING to go, like kids wanting the newest video game, we were totally upset about not being able to go during its opening weeks. But, the heavens opened up and gave us the opportunity to shuttle our butts back to LA and get to devour this buffet of decadence, without guilt, without shame in full gluttonous abandon!
The Back Bar - Liquid Lunch Anyone?





Notice the stanchions and velvet ropes; they scream, 'You CAN'T come in!  We're TOO SPECIAL'!!! (JK, we know that it's open late at night and so it's for crowd control), luckily we arrive around noon on a Saturday when it was POURING, so we had no trouble getting in!







Click below to read more...

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Starbucks Bearista Photo 2



                                                      It's the 2008 Easter Bunny Bearista!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Bacon Food Porn: A Short Film

The Benevolent Butcher: Bacon 
by Armstrong Pitts Studios



I'm hungry....thinking of changing Easter Dinner plans for this!!!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Monta Noodle House @ Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas


As comfort food goes, Ramen can be such a go-to meal when it's cold outside (We both sweat WAY TOO MUCH to be slurping noodles in mega hot molten lava broth in the summer)! So during the colder months, we make our way as much as possible to Monta for Ramen....

Click below to read more...