Philly in Vegas

We're visiting Mother of Food in Vegas for The Holidays. We are going to be driving a lot this holiday and we wanted to replace our weak battery before we headed to more remote parts, Since we are away from home and any socket wrenches, we decided to pay to have the battery professionally installed. We ended up at a Pep Boys. It was in an unfamiliar area and we were looking for a good sandwich place for lunch. After installing the new battery, the guys at Pep Boys pointed us in the direction of Geri's Olde Philidelphia.

What we found was a sparse no nonsense kind of place with pictures of Rocky on the wall and all kinds of authentic Philly treats. I split the chicken cheese steak pizza style with Mother of Food and Husband of Food got a steak and mushroom cheese steak. I was very happy with my pizza chicken steak sandwich, it was like chicken parm in the form of cheesesteak. We all shared sides of fries and onion rings, but after ordering, I noticed that we could have had corn nuggets, tater tots, or sweet potato fries. Mom cherrily ordered an egg cream in a wave of nostolgia.   The staff were all regular folks, happy to have egg cream drinking types in the joint.

Mom shared her egg cream with the uninitiated.

Later that night, we went out to try and see the Christmas lights at the Ethel M Chocolate factory, but the car didn't start. Turns out that the Guys at Pep Boys didn't tighten down the terminals. With a bit of work, Husband of food got the car started and had to take it back to Pep Boys to finish the job. They admitted to doing a sloppy job, not doing it right the first time. We would have been really mad, but they did recommend Geri's. So, my advice is do not go to Pep Boys for work on your car, but do take their recommendations on sandwich places.

Geri's Olde Philadelphia    

3430 East Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas, NV

Tropicana Plaza

(702) 456-0864

Raising Cane's for the Fourth!

If you are in the Las Vegas area, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers on Flamingo is doing something very special for the Fourth of July.  They are giving 100% of what they make today to support the troops, so go on in and order!  It's the patriotic thing to do.

The Family of Food had a great lunch of chicken fingers with Raising Cane's special sauce, crinkle fries, and texas toast.  They do catering too, so you can pick up a tailgate box for your Fourth of July picnics.

http://www.raisingcanes.com/

Raising Cane's 
Las Vegas, NV
1120 E. Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV, 89119

Visiting Family in Vegas

OK, there were the holidays, we went away, and Father of Food is in the hospital. The family apologizes for not posting. I know you just can't wait to hear what we may be eating these days. Both Daughter of Food and Son of Food spent some time in Vegas this past week visiting Father. We tried some new things. Here's the quick report....

Buffet at Asia is a busy Mixed Asian food buffet at the corner of Flamingo and Eastern. The selection includes Sushi, Dim Sum dishes, Crabs Legs, Shrimp, Mongolian Barbecue, Thai, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese fare. The food was decent, if you picked from the trays that were fresh. I liked the Crab Won Tons and the Shrimp tempura, but the Pad Thai was barely unrecognisable as Pad Thai. The meal cost $12.00 for dinner and the kids ate for free. I didn't flip over this place, but I would go back.
4090 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV‎ - (702) 650-0290‎

Another Buffet we had (it is Vegas after all), was the breakfast buffet at Boulder Station. Breakfast is breakfast, an amazing brunch this is not, however, and if you're hungry and your funds are limited, you should go. We took our family of four on Friday morning and ate all we could eat for under $12 including tip (3 and under eat free). It was a heck of a lot more satisfying than the Burger King meal we had the next day for $20. As far as breakfast buffets go, this one was fine, but I did not like the omelet I got, mainly due to low quality, stale cheese. The chunky applesauce was very tasty on my so-so potato pancake. The bacon was greasy. Did I mention the cost was less than $3.00 a person? In these economic times, it was fine, really.

The last place I'll mention was featured in a post last year and it's called Metro Pizza. We went to the Boulder Station location. The pepperoni didn't impress, but I would recommend the white pizza. We were not able to get the legendary salad Melissa mentioned in the comments of the earlier post. If you go on Friday night, you can "enjoy" the Kareoke at the bar across the way.

Boulder Station Buffet and
Metro Pizza at Boulder Station
4111 Boulder Hwy
Las Vegas, NV 89121

Free Pie in Vegas

This message was left in our comments from a previous post. I'll help this PR guy out, why? Because a Friend of Food likes the show and... you might get some pie.

"Hi , I apologize for leaving this in your comments section but I could not find a way to contact you directly! :) I’m working with ABC to spread the word about their Mobile Pie Hole – a truck that’s traveling the country this month, giving away free pie for to kick off the second season of Pushing Daisies. The Pie Hole will be in Las Vegas this Friday, September 12th, at Fashion Show Mall (3200 Las Vegas Blvd.). As an local Las Vegas foodie and blogger, I thought you and your readers might want to stop by for some free pie! You can read more about the Pie Hole tour at Pushingdaisiestour.com.If you have any questions or would like additional information, event photos, etc, from ABC, please let me know! All the best, Miguel C. mcancino@reprisemedia.com "

Send Miguel a thanks, too.

Daughter of Food

One is Pure Gold, The Other Not So Much

While in Las Vegas, The Family of Food loves to visit Lindo's Michoacan which we profiled before in the post entitled Ole.

Yesterday, we went back at an off hour for lunch with the twins. The meal was started with Lindo's tortilla chips, salsa, and bean dip. Then we were given soup which was quickly requisitioned by our toddlers for spoon in mouth practice. They need more work. The staff was kind and patient with our many spills and thrills. For our lunch, we had a combo platter with Chile Relleno, Chicken Enchilada, and Beef Taco and Fajitas de Gallina. I tried a small bite of the chicken enchilada, but for the most part the combo platter ended up in the the belly of my mate. He may have even licked the platter clean, which indicates it was probably pretty good. My fajitas were delicious. I shared them with the kids. The impressive thing about Lindo's is that the basic things are so good. The flour tortillas are some of the best I have ever had. The whole family was happy. The Lindo's experience is always golden.

Later we went to Planet Hollywood and grabbed some late night sandwiches at The Earl of Sandwich. The "Original" roast beef sandwich was decent for a fast food type of situation, but otherwise I was not impressed. My "All American" Turkey was below par. I wish I would have saved my appetite for the Lindo's leftovers.

Lindo's Michoacan
2655 East Desert Inn Rd.
Las vegas, Nv. 89121

Vintage Vegas

It was Mother of Food’s thirty-ninth birthday again and to celebrate we decided to try a restaurant we had never been to - De Stefano’s. We knew that owner Bobby Capozzoli had owned other successful restaurants, the very popular Capozzolis on Maryland Parkway and Tower of Pizza on the strip. I called to make a reservation and found out on Saturday nights they also have music (an unexpected bonus).









We entered the restaurant only to be greeted by the owner and host and seated immediately. De Stefano’s is a cozy spot seating maybe seventy-five to a hundred people. There is a small bandstand and a dance floor in the middle of the room with a bar at the back. For atmosphere there is an artificial tree and vines with tiny white lights. Within moments a basket of hot bread was on our table. There was a lovely song stress singing and four musicians backing her up; trumpet, keyboards, bass and drums. As the night went on other musicians and singers stopped in and joined the quartet and jammed. The music consisted of jazz, standards and show tunes. Terry James the headline singer was fantastic. After the set she would stop by the tables and ask for requests. By the end of the evening we had a new friend. I commented to MoF that many of the songs we were listening to were over fifty years old and still sounded fresh. I wonder how many of today’s hits will be around in fifty years? The crowd was a mixture of couples, people from the entertainment industry and customers who seemed to be regulars or as we used to say “from the old neighbor hood”

The food was a little slow coming out but we were enjoying the music so much we hardly noticed. The food is cooked to order and was worth waiting for. Mother had prawns wrapped in prosciutto and panko crumbs and topped with pomodoro sauce, a favorite of Steve and Eydie Gorme. I had the Chicken Française. Dinner comes with a choice of salad or soup and a side of pasta or vegetables. My complements to executive chef Timmy on the preparation of these meals. The menu consists of many of your favorite seafood, chicken, veal and steak dishes cooked in chef Timmy’s Italian style. There are of course all different types of pasta and pizza,

Mother’s birthday celebration was a terrific success. Bobby Capozzoli makes everyone feel like family, stopping by your table checking to see if you need anything and even danced with MoF. The night felt like old Vegas during the era of the supper club. As Bobby came over to say good-bye, I shook his hand and said book us for next Saturday.

Location - 3430 East Tropicana
Phone# - 702-364-8424

Zoozacrackers

Zoozacrackers is a self-service New York style deli located in the Wynn resort and casino. It abuts the spots book. You enter and stand in line to order. While in line many of the menu items are displayed behind glass counters. They have deli sandwiches, salads, soup, burgers and desserts. Portions are large and food is good. I couldn’t decide between a cheeseburger and deli so I had a pastrami burger. A half-pound burger topped with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and strips of hot pastrami with lettuce, tomatoes and onions on the side. Mother of Food had chopped liver on rye bread (two huge scoops). I thought the burgers a little pricey at $10.95. If you want fries that’s another $4.00 and a medium soda in a plastic cup, also $4.00. My sandwich was $13.95 no bargain but probably fair. When your order is ready the staff brings it to your table. Remember in Las Vegas many of the local casinos offer burgers and fries for less than $5.00. But none look as nice as Wynn.

Location - Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nv, 89109

Telephone # - 702-770-3463

24/7 Venetian

It was the beginning of a new year and a new birthday for me when Mother of Food and I decided to take a look at the newest resort and casino in Las Vegas the Palazzo. It hadn’t officially opened and there were no guests staying there yet, but the casino and some shops were open. The Palazzo is beautiful and connected to the Venetian by an indoor walkway. So when we realized there were no restaurants open we decided to walk over to the Venetian and lunch at the GRAND LUX CAFÉ. GLC is owned by the same company as the Cheesecake Factory and is one of my favorite 24/7 cafes (refer to post 24/7 of 9/28/07). Before I could finish this post Son of Food, Daughter-in-Law of Food and Grandson Of Food came for a visit. Now it takes MoF and me a week to get ready for the visit, a week for the pleasure of the visit and a week to recover from the visit, I am just finishing this review.

GRAND LUX CAFÉ is huge, the menu is huge and the portions are huge. The food is always good, the service energetic and friendly and just a fun place to eat. The restaurant’s décor is somewhat eclectic with many different rooms and a patio that extends into the casino. You can order appetizers, eggs and omelets, oven baked pizzas, salads, burgers and sandwiches, pastas, steaks, fish, chicken and so much more (did I say huge menu) and what about desserts.Order a couple for the table and share.

Mother of Food had a large seafood salad (took us three days to finish) and I had a short rib sloppy Joe. For an appetizer we split an order of double stuffed potato spring rolls. I had this once before and wanted to see if they were as good as I remembered. - They were better!

When Son of Food and family were here we tried the new GLC at the Palazzo same good food but the tables are too close for my taste.

In a future post I will write about some of the dinners we had during the visit.

Location - The Venetian Resort
3355 Las Vegas Blvd.

Phone# - 702-414-3888

Patio dining on the Strip

October in Las Vegas is my favorite month. The sky is blue with lots of sun and the days are in the mid 70’s. It was such a day that I was running around town with Mother of Food doing errands and shopping. MoF suggested that when we stop for lunch, it should be outside to take advantage of the beautiful weather. Because we had some shopping to do at the Fashion Show Mall I suggested the restaurant Stripburger. Located on the northeast corner of the mall, we would have a view of the Frontier (soon to be imploded), Trump and Wynn plus people walking the strip. Stripburger is completely outside and very casual and can be entered from the strip. Since we were shopping inside we were told the easiest way might be to go thru Cafe Ba Ba Reba - same owners. The hostess at the cafe suggested it might be easier for us to eat on the patio at Cafe Ba Ba Reba (less walking) and she would bring us the Stripburger menu. This was a good suggestion because now I could look at two menus.

The Stipburger serves burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and fries and onion strings. It’s bar serves huge drinks (32-oz. raspberry mojito); beer and soda shop shakes to add shots of Kahlua. Cafe “B’’ is a tapas bar and restaurant with both indoor and outside seating. The patio is directly across from Wynn with great strip views. We looked at both menus and decided to order one item from each. A burger with blue cheese and those onion strings on top, and a Spanish pizza. The burger was good but the pizza was the highlight of the meal. At first I was a little hesitant about ordering a pizza that didn’t have pepperoni and sausage on it and since when does Spain make pizzas. This pizza had a thin crisp crust covered with baby spinach, raisins, pine nuts and a little Manchego cheese; and it was delicious! The menu has a great variety of big and little dishes, pitchers of Sangria and fabulous sounding desserts. I am going to stop now but look forward to returning to the Cafe Ba Ba Reeba and doing a more comprehensive review.

Location - Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip

The Deli Experience Continued

It's fitting that the first Cleveland restaurant to make the Family of Food Map is Corky and Lenny's. Our whole family relied heavily upon the arts of this deli and restaurant when we lived on the East side of Cleveland and I'm sure those that still live in town still do. Whenever my grandfather would take me to Corky's he would buy a bar of Halavah for us to split on the way out. I don't love Halavah as a Candy, but sometimes when I go to Canter's in Los Angeles, I see Halavah on the counter on the way out and want to buy it for my Grandpa.

Canter's Los Angeles is also now on the map. As you can see from the previous post, my Dad loves this place. Many a late night Husband of Food and I would grab a Reuben and some Blintzes or Kugel in this Fairfax Deli. So close to Hollywood, we would often see a star or two. Now we live in the San Fernando Valley and we rarely get over the hill for a sandwich. Maybe we'll take the trip. It's worth it.


Corky & Lenny's

27091 Chagrin Blvd
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 464-3838


Canter's Fairfax Restaurant

419 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 651-2030

The Deli Experience

In recent years I have cut back on deli foods (corn beef, pastrami, chopped liver, knishes with gravy and even brisket) for health reasons. So when I break down and decide to have some deli, I want the whole megellah (full experience). All of my senses should be engaged. I love the enticing aroma of garlic dill pickles, smell the hanging salamis as I walk past the meat counter. I check out all the pastries for dessert or to take home after the meal. A good deli has a hostess to seat you. She will tell you to wait whether the dining room is empty or full. No matter how busy the restaurant is, you will hear chatter. Noise is part of the deli atmosphere and so are the waiters and waitresses. My favorite waitress was named Goldie, she was like my mother , telling me what to eat and scolding me if I didn't finish it. Of course the food is paramount, it's why we're there in the first place. Great delicatessens have huge menus with everything from breakfast to dinner and dessert. Sandwiches are overstuffed served on freshly baked rye bread, pumpernickel or kaiser roles. G-d forbid you should order corn beef or pastrami on white bread with mayo from Goldie. She probably would throw you out! Deli's are not romantic settings, but sharing a Reuben sandwich and a peace of cheesecake is real love.

Canter's in L.A. on Fairfax delivers the real deli experience. So when they opened a branch here
in Las Vegas at Treasure Island I was excited. Major disappointment!!! The design is somewhere between an airport lobby and a doctor's waiting room. The whole operation is efficient and almost maintenance free. You stand in line to order from a limited menu and they give you a number. They do bring your food to you. It is served on plastic disposable plates with plastic tableware. The tables are stainless steel and some of the ceiling fixtures look like they came from a Starwars movie. The room is cold (no global warmth here). The good news is the sandwiches are good but I miss the full deli experience.

True Confessions

They call me Father, but I wear no white collar or have a halo over my head. However when I lived in Miami, Florida during the mid seventies I was introduced to two lovely dishes. One was cool and sweet named stone crabs and the other tart and tasty called key lime pie. This romance began on Miami Beach at the legendary restaurant Joe's Stone Crabs and grew stronger through the years. After I moved away from Florida, stone crab claws were not easy to come by and the key lime pie I tasted was a weak imitation of Joe's recipe made with real key limes. In recent years thanks to Fedex overnight delivery, people could order directly key lime pie and stone crab claws from Joe's. A few years ago Joe's formed a partnership with the "Lettuce Entertain You" group and "Icon". Restaurants were opened in "the windy city' Chicago and "sin city" Las Vegas.

The restaurants are called Joe's Seafood, Prime Steaks and Stone Crabs. The Las Vegas location is in the Forum Shops at Caesers where there is convenient valet parking. The main dining room has a club like atmosphere where you will be expertly served by a tuxedo clad waitstaff. There is also a bar/lounge and counter to eat at. They are open for lunch and dinner and reservations are recommended. Everything is ala carte and sides are served family style to be shared.

The menu features fresh seafood flown in daily, prime steaks, chicken and veal.
Some recommendations are:
appetizers - crab and artichoke gratin, oysters Rockefeller
soups and salads - stone crab bisque
entrees - halibut, salmon, grouper
entrees - hand cut steaks, lobster, liver
sides - any potato dish, creamed spinach. fried asparagus
desserts - banana cream pie with foster sauce
And of course stone crabs and key lime pie.
Stone crabs can be eaten hot with melted butter but most people eat them chilled with Joe's signature mustard sauce. (so very, very good)

The last time I bit into their key lime pie I closed my eyes and swore I felt an ocean breeze right here in the middle of the desert. What started as a romance years ago has become a life long affair.

location - Forum Shops at Caesers
telephone - 702-792-9222

this ain't your big mac

The cover of the menu reads:

" From "le bouef", "le poulet", "l'agneou', "le saumon","legumes" .
The combinations are endless.

Are we talking beef wellington , chicken kiev, rack of lamb, grilled salmon or a vegetable terrine? No we're talking burgers! These gourmet burgers can be found at LE BURGER BRASSERIE located in Paris Hotel on the promenade next to the entrance to Bally's.The restaurant is a comfortable sports grille with one of the largest TV screens I have ever seen. Some nights there is a DJ or karaoke.

You will find fun appetizers, salads,imaginative deserts and good selection of beers and wine.

But I want to concentrate on the burgers. There is a choice of fresh baked buns along with dozens of toppings to design your own burger.

These are some of the combos suggested on the menu.

Le Paris - a beef burger with brie cheese, grilled onions and smoked bacon on a caramelized bun.
Le Bleu - a beef burger with blue cheese, avocado and bacon on a Parmesan bun
Lamb, chicken, salmon or a veggie burger can can be substituted for beef. Try the lemon aoli sauce on a salmon burger. What is a burger without fries? Choose from shoe string, steak or waffle. The potato orders are meant to be split.

Burger bars are popping up all over the country and many chefs have added a signature burger to their menus. At LE BURGER BRASSERIE the signature burger is called the $777.

$777 Burger - Kobe beef, lobster, brie cheese, crispy prociutto and 100 year old balsemic vinegar. This burger feast is served with a bottle of Rose Dom Pergnon champagne. Why the unusual name - guess.

My Pick for Mandalay

Hi, Daughter of Food here.

I wanted to make my Mandalay Bay restaurant pick known, since this restaurant is actually one of the reasons I started this blog. It's been a long time coming, and I really have to tell you about it, because if you miss this when going to Vegas, you have truly missed out. Great food in Vegas is not hard to find, if you are willing to pay the price, after all, every celebrity chef has a home in this town of gluttony. The thing is that these restaurants are often overpriced and underperforming. There is a notable exception... a place where the chefs are thoughtful about the food, loving even. For years I let this gem pass me by, but no more...

I now know the joy that is Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's Border Grill. The food I have had there was so fresh, so nourishing for both my body and soul that I was inspired to start this blog. It made me hunger to evangelize food that transcends normality. I may be building this up so much that it could never reach the expectation; I am not even sure they could satisfy the memory of my last experience if I went to the Border Grill again.

In my memory, my chicken al carbon, was incredibly tender and perfectly cooked with onions and vegetables. The tortilla was different than other I have had, lighter, more flavorful. As a whole, the dish was like an ideal plate of fajitas. My drink, I forget exactly what it was, but it was one of their signature beverages, with pomegranate. The meal was just delightful. I could not ask for more. My one regret, I have yet to try the Border Grill, right here in town, down in Santa Monica. I've eaten at it's sister restaurant, Ciudad, several times, but not Border. I should flog myself, well, not eating there is probably punishment enough.

24/7 Mandalay Bay

When family and friends are staying on the strip, they usually ask me where to eat? They've done the buffets and some of the high end restaurants and now just want to eat in a more normal way. Since you never know what time you might want to eat and everyone wants something different, I recommend one of the 24/7 cafes in the top hotels. So in the coming weeks I will discuss four of my favorites. The hotels will be Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Venetian and Wynn.

Raffles in Mandalay Bay is a lovely series of rooms with a South Pacific feel. The rooms have marble topped tables and booths, large comfortable chairs, high beamed ceilings and walls of glass looking out at palm trees and and gardens. The service is efficient and friendly.

Although they have seemed to trim the menu in the last year, there is still a good variety of dishes to order. Some breakfast ideas might be Eggs Benedict ( try it with smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon), Lobster Omelet or build your own omelet. Maybe your in the mood for a salad. How about a Southwestern or Champagne Chicken Salad. Add a soup and two people can share and be full. My favorite is the the Baked Potato Soup ( topped with bacon, chives, cheddar cheese and sour cream). There is a good selection of sandwiches, wraps and burgers.
Pastas and Italian favorites, steaks, ribs, fish and other interesting entrees are available. Finish your meal with some carrot cake or maybe a vanilla creme brulee,then take a walk upstairs at the shops of Mandalay Place or outside in the gardens.

small plates --- big taste

Do you ever have this dilemma? The menu has so many interesting and appealing dishes you can't make up your mind. You wish you could order several just to taste. Well then a tapas bar or restaurant is the answer to your prayers. Tapas are appetizers, canapes, snacks usually finger food served on small plates. History says this custom was started in Spanish taverns centuries ago and is still going on. Today all over the USA tapas dining is becoming the rage.

My favorite here in Las Vegas is FIREFLY. The restaurant is open for lunch and continues on till the wee small hours of the night. The crowd is mainly groups of singles under the age of thirty five. The tempo really starts to pick up about four in the afternoon as people get off of work. It gets very busy at dinner and lines start to form. There is music in the evenings (Salsa dancing) is Tuesday night and the energy level is very high. There are different rooms including one with very comfortable leather couches and chairs,a bar and also outside patio seating. So why does an alta cocker (senior citizen) like me and my lovely and much younger mother of food come to FIREFLY? The answer is simple... we love it!

The wait staff is excellent; friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. However the real star of the show is the food. These miniature entrees will excite your tastebuds and you will experience each layer or component of every dish. There are over fifty dishes to pick from. You will find chilled, hot, seafood, and meat & poultry tapas. There are great desserts and large or big bowl entrees also.Enjoy dinner with a pitcher of sangria or fine Spanish wine. Let me describe some of my favorite tapas.

Gazpacho (with avocado garnish).
Stuffed dates (bacon-wrapped, smoked almond, red wine reduction, blue cheese).
Firefly fries (parmesan, herbs, aioli).
Spicv beef salad (seared beef, warm dressing, romaine, tomato, cucumber, ginger) think thai
Mushroom tart (puff pastry, borsin cheese).
Firefly fish sticks (fillets of grouper, Japanese breadcrumbs, spicy tartar sauce).
Ahi tuna skewer (mango, basil, mustard-ginger glaze).
Filet mignon sliders ( mini burgers with Serrano ham. cabrales cheese, caramelized onions).
Crispy duck rolls (cherry hoisin sauce).
Empanadas (pastry stuffed w/roast pork, red pepper, w/salad, aioli).
Chocolate cherry bread pudding.

This is only a sampling of the many exciting tapas you will find at FIREFLY. They also offer herb-roasted chicken, paella and steak frites. I would recommend this restaurant for a first date, lots to talk about and nothing more intimate than sharing good food from the same plate.

FIREFLY is located in a small strip on Paradise road that has many other fine restaurants, so parking can be tight. If coming from the strip take a cab - no problem after dinner many cabs waiting. Next door is their sister restaurant Dragonfly " an asian joint". Maybe someday they will open a soul-food restaurant and call it Superfly.

FIREFLY - tapas kitchen and bar
3000 Paradise Rd. Suite A
Las vegas, NV 89109

ole

There are many good Mexican restaurants in Las Vegas but LINDO MICHOACAN is my favorite. This family owned (Javier Barajas) colorfully decorated eatery always makes me happy when I dine there. Of course starting with complimentary bean dip and chips and one of their tasty margaritas helps. Pick from a nice selection of botanas (appetizers), all dinners come with soup. The menu is extensive with numerous seafood, steak and chicken dishes. Michoacan is a state in central Mexico and is especially known for its carnitas (a pork specialty). Many of the dishes are family recipes. Corn and flour tortillas are continuously made fresh daily and for a treat have guacamole made table side. For dessert try the Lindo's Flameado... fresh bananas, vanilla ice cream and served on fire. Topped with homemade caramel. LINDO MICHOACAN is open for lunch and dinner and has a Sunday brunch. The restaurant is family friendly, has very good service and does catering. At night there is music.

LINDO MICHOACAN is located at:
2655 East Desert Inn Rd.
Las vegas, Nv. 89121
702-735-6828

Oh my - What a pie!

Last night I hit a big hand at video poker and decided to take the money and run. I then concluded the best use of some of the casino's dough would be to stop by Metro Pizza (previous blog 7/12/07) and pick up some fresh dough and go home and make a pizza for dinner. On the way from Metro to home we pass a MARIE CALLENDER'S. Mother of Food suggested we have some pie for dessert. Mother is a great sales person and i am an easy sale (mooch)-so we stopped. I then said surprise me. There are no bad pies at MARIE CALLENDER'S. After the pizza MoF brought in the pie.It was a srawberrrrry pie.The reason so many rs is to start to describe the enormous size of the strawberries. These were the largest strawberries I have ever seen. Piled high in a very fresh flaky crust, then covered with a sweet glaze. Oh my - what a pie! I hope you have a MARIE CALLENDER'S near you. We have several in Las Vegas.

I usually stop at : MARIE CALLENDER'S
4800 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-458-2127 FAX 702-458-0795

Special Hint

A great way to experience special (pricey) restaurants is to find out if they serve lunch. The ambiance will be the same, the service just as good and the quality of the food can be tested and tasted. The lunch menu will normally be lighter both in fare and price. This summer one of our local favorites for over 20 years opened for lunch. The TILLERMAN located about 5 minutes east of the strip on Flamingo is probably the best lunch value in town. Some of the starters available are baby back ribs Asian style (father's fave) and jumbo coconut crunchy shrimp (mother's #1).

There is a nice selection of salads and sandwiches priced from ($7.50 to $12.00)
Sandwiches are served with a huge order of hand cut, freshly fried steak fries-so good! Other entrees range from ($9,50 - three egg cheese omelet to $22.00 - 180z. bone in New York steak).In between you will find pasta and seafood dishes. Now get this - during this summer lunch entrees are 2 for 1.


The TILLERMAN in the evening is known as one of the premier fresh fish and steak houses in Las Vegas. It is a very attractive and comfortable restaurant made up of several rooms plus a mezzanine area. We sat in the garden room, soaring ceilings, live trees and high backed chairs. I definitely felt I was going back to a more civilized and elegant time in dining. No rush-rush here.

The TILLERMAN is located:
2245 East Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV. 89119
702-731-4036

Dining Sicilian Style

We were driving, trying to figure out where to go for dinner when we passed THE SICILIAN CAFFE. It had opened about eight months earlier and mother of food and I had been meaning to try it out but hadn't made it yet. The sign outside read good Italian food with a Sicilian Flair. It should have read great not good. As we walked in Peter (Pietro) the owner greeted us. We walked by a table of antipasti . The welcome couldn't be warmer and the dishes looked very appetising. As we were seated hot bread was brought to our table. We started with an appetizer of Italian rice balls (arancini) served with a very special meat sauce. Then an order of fried mozzarella dipped in egg and bread crumbs served with marinara sauce. Nothing frozen or from a bottle here. The arancini were almost as big as a soft ball. We could have stopped here as these dishes were not only delish but also very satisfying. We decided to order more food with plans to take some home. Mother ordered the chicken francese (chicken breast dipped in egg and sauteed in a garlic, lemon white wine butter sauce.) I decided to try the personal pizza (enough for two). The dough was very good and the cheeses melted perfectly topped with pepperoni and sauteed mushrooms. With the dinner entrees you have a choice of soup or salad and either a vegetable or a side of pasta. Mother of Food chose salad (served nice and chilled with a house creamy Italian dressing) and the pasta.

We thought we were finished , when the table next to us sent us a platter of lobster parmigiana, veal milanese and batter fried veggies. We said we couldn't eat any more but they said taste a little and take the rest home. We already had two boxes of leftovers for later in the week. However not wanting to insult our new friends, mother and I accepted graciously and loved the few bites we had and look forward to the rest. Las Vegas has some very good Italian restaurants and I feel THE SICILIAN CAFFE is right up there with the best.

Thank you Peter for making us feel like family.

THE SICILIAN CAFFE is located at: 3520 Tropicana Ave. Ste#A
Las Vegas, Nv 89121
702-458-2004