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Monday, June 25, 2012

Not on a diet?? Good! Try an Arepa!

What is it: Arepa (Cornmeal Flatbread stuffed with various fillings)

Countries of Origin: Andean Mountains of Venezuela and Colombia

Where: Viva Las Arepas (Website)

Cost: $4.00 each Arepa

Textures: Crunchy, Soft, Moist and Greasy

Expected Flavors: Salty, Spicy, Beefy, Cheesy, Refreshing, Slight Sweetness in the Arepa Bread

Learn how to make your own Arepas (here)

Learn more about Arepas (here)

















Hello folks, this week I want to share a popular street food found in Venezuela called Arepa. Essentially, an Arepa is a type of Cornmeal Flatbread stuffed with a variety of hot and or cold filling made to order.

 Many Arepa's seemed to be stuffed with some type of cheese, meat and vegetable combination, but it's such a versatile food item, that it may be stuffed with anything you can put between 2 slices of bread.

My first experience with an Arepa was at the "Viva Las Arepas" food stall on Oakey and Las Vegas Blvd. I ended up ordering four different varieties of arepa, but only tried the one pictured above. My friends ate the rest of them! The above item is a ground beef and cheese mixture, fried together in a smooth mash of gooey goodness. The flavors of the beef and cheese, went together really well with the crunchy yet soft texture of the cornmeal arepa, and surprisingly it held together quite nicely despite the amount of moisture it retained after frying.

The Arepa's served at "Viva Las Arepa's" are small in size, but make it's presence felt after a few minutes of devouring. Make no mistake about Arepa's, they are heavy, greasy and not for the calorie conscious. They are however, delicious and highly recommended after a nice night of boozing.
















Pictured Above: Left Top is the Ground Beef w/ Cheese, Left Bottom is the Pork Butt, Right Top is the Beef Tongue and Bottom Right is the Shredded Chicken Arepa.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Cheap and Greasy: 3 tasty Vegas Burgers that wont break your wallet.
















1. The Bratzel@Draft House (menu here)

Cost: $12 


Expected Flavors: Smoky, Salty, Slightly Sweet


Textures:  Meaty, Chewy, Juicy, Crunchy and Moist


Do it yourself Bratzel Burger (video link)


This mammoth shrine to gluttony, combines two midwest bar food staples into one awesome and heavy burger. Take a bratwurst, slice it in half and spread it atop a hefty all beef patty, smother it in cheese and  top it with bacon, squeeze it inside of a modest sized pretzel roll, and you have the Bratzel. The version served at the Draft House, will make even the snobbiest of Burger experts turn a smile. The smoky flavors of the bacon and bratwurst compliment the juicy burger and the bun is soft, chewy and holds the burger together surprisingly well.
  
                                                                                                                                                                 















2. Kinoko Burger- Fuku Burger Truck Wagon (menu here)

Cost: $7

Expected Flavors: Sweet, Pickly, Slightly Spicy, Hearty

Expected Textures: Meaty, Squishy, Moist and Oozy

Make your own Teriyaki Burger (Here)

The praises of Fuku Burger in Las Vegas have been earned by the amount of love they put into creating their food. I've tried everything on the menu at least a few times and have never walked away disappointed. That being said, The Kinoko Burger is probably the most unique and flavor packed burger on the menu. The Kinoko is a teriyaki burger topped with shitake mushrooms, pickled ginger and wasabi mayo. Heat from the wasabi and ginger seem to mellow and blend well with the sweet flavor of the glaze and bun. While the mushrooms give a feeling and texture of a much fuller burger than it really is. For those with a big appetite, I recommend getting an order of the gravy covered Jazz Fries as well (pictured above).

















3. Hangover Breakfast Burger- Binion's Cafe inside Binion's Casino (menu here)

Cost: $9.75

Expected Flavors: Salty, Slightly Sweet, A bit of Smokiness

Textures: Crunchy, Gooey, Juicy and Soft.

Killer Bacon Egg and Cheese Burger recipe (here)

The burger patties at this best kept secret are made to order from an on premise butcher shop. Usually when a place has one of these, you can expect a fresh and quality patty. The hangover burger delivers in every way. The patty is large, moist, packed with flavor, and topped with egg, sauteed onions, bacon and cheese. Cooked to perfection.





Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Simple Tips to being a better customer

Being in the hospitality industry, I have always wished I could tell a Hotel guest if you do this, this, and this, you will have a much better experience. Well now I can and shall. Here are just a few tips to make you, the customer better at being a customer.

1. Know where you are

Don't just wander into a place with no concept of what they offer, the prices, or entertainment if available. We live in a world where information is easily at your disposal at all times. Do you have a phone with internet capabilities? Use it! If not, ask any of the hotel staff where you can find a local guide to events and places to checkout in the town. This will give you an idea on the lay of the land and you will save you a lot of time and aggravation in finding places that suit your taste.

2. Be nice to the wait staff

This one is simple. Don't be a Dick! No one likes Dicks, unless you're a pornstar in which case you love Dicks, but I digress. Whatever your problem may be, I am sorry, but don't take it out on me. I just want to feed you and get you out as fast as possible (Rinse and repeat) until my shift is over.

3. Trying something new

Hey I love new experiences, but sometimes they don't work out. When this happens I deal with it, lesson learned. Remember this when you get adventurous enough to order something you never had and discovering you don't like it.

4. Recommendation

Okay listen, 9 times out of 10 I have tried everything on the menu a million times and no longer have a favorite. Please don't ask me what I like because at this point, I will recommend anything that will be easy to serve, tastes good and will make me money. In other words Im going to tell you that it's all good!! I may also  recommend things that are expensive because, I want my check totals to be higher to get a bigger tip. I'm being completely candid here and this is how waiters think.

5. Verbal tips

These don't pay the bills, I'm sorry they don't. If you go to McDonald's, a "great job" will probably be the highlight of their day. If you go to a resort, "you were a wonderful waiter" and a shitty tip (say 10% or less) is an insult. True you can tip nothing, but karma is a bitch and always gives you back what you gave plus ++.

6. Dumb Questįons

Excuse me sir, "are your burgers made with 100% grade AAA USDA American born beef?" "Where does your wine come from?" Do you have (insert your own locally brewed beer here) _ _ _ _ _ _ on tap? These are the questions I hate. Just eat, drink, and be merry. Everyone knows absolutely all wine comes from California anyhow....right?? :-/

So there we have it my tips for you. Hopefully you found these helpful, and if not there is a comment box below that you can leave blank cause your reading my blog and can keep your negativity to yourself.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

6 Unique places in Las Vegas

1. Zombie Apocalypse Store (info)















Itching to get your Bruce Campbell on? The Zombie Apocalypse has got you covered! From specialized ammo, to stun guns, to exploding (blood filled) targets and clever zombie t shirts, the Zombie Apocalypse is a tongue in cheek survival store, that sells a range of items that would be useful in an apocalyptic or survival situation. The place is located in the outer reaches of Chinatown, so if you happen to be around the area, I highly recommend killing (pun intended) a few minutes to checkout all of the unique survival items on display there. More than likely you will not walk out empty handed.

Cost: Free to visit, prices of merchandise vary.

A video tour of the store


2. Erotic Heritage Museum (info)



















 The Erotic Heritage Museum is a 26,000 square foot warehouse of art work, books, videos and sculptures, dedicated to sexual exploration and education. Opened by famed Strip Club owner Harry Mahoney, the museum is constantly rotating items from Harry's personal collection of sexual memorabilia ranging from a giant penis sculpture made out of pennies to a moving picture slideshow of sex films dating back to 1913.

Cost: $10-15

Video Tour of the Museum


3. Aces and Ales (info)














This bar located south of the strip is a hidden gem for lovers of craft beer and fine bar food. They boast 22 rotating taps of micro brews such as Stone, Uinta, Sierra Nevada and St. Bernardus and always have a stock of hard to find bottled beers on hand. Aces and Ales also offers a huge selection of food that compliments the beer very well. Of special note, are the 8 varieties of Macaroni and Cheese, an excellent BBQ Chicken Pizza and a generous serving of  Cheese Fries smothered in an delicious Beer Battered Chili using Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ales as it's highlight flavor component.

Cost: $10-20 per person


4.Pinball Hall of Fame Museum (info)












Pinball Hall of Fame houses one of the largest collections of Coin Operated Pinball Machines in one area. Here you will find machines from the 1950's- 1990's, all playable and in great working condition. This is a great place to liquidate your built up collection of coinage while trying to beat your high score on Ms. Pacman from youth.

Cost: $2-5 per person


5.Pahrump Winery (info)














Southern Nevada's sole winery, is a short hour's drive from the neon madness of Las Vegas. The Pahrump winery bottles a small variety of Red's, White's and One Dessert Wine on premises, but  because of the lack of constant water supply, the grapes are shipped in from neighboring states. The winery offers free tours of the premises detailing the history of the place as well as information about the wine making process. The winery also boasts an excellent cozy little restaurant called Symphony. The menu at symphony pairs really well with the selection of wines on hand and for under a $100, four people can dine quite nicely. My recommendations include the Pulled Pork Sandwich paired with the Red Zinfandel and the Lobster Bisque Soup paired with the Symphony White.

Cost: Dinner is $25 per person including free wine tastings of up to 7 different glasses. $5 additional tasting.


6.Lake Pahranagat (info)













North of city limits is the tiny wildlife refuge of Lake Pahranagat. This is the perfect place to chill out and camp for a night during the end of summer and beginning of fall as temperatures tend to be 10-15 degrees cooler than Las Vegas. The lake offers up some fishing and camp sites as well as a few hiking trails and springs nearby. Here you will find may types of birds such as Red Tail Hawks, Blue Herons and Several Species of Ducks, and desert dwellers such as Coyotes and the occasional Desert Fox.

Cost: Rental Car is $13-29 a day.





Monday, June 11, 2012

10 Foods that are easy on your wallet and soft on your hangover.

What to Eat:

Burek (recipe): is typically a feta cheese and sour cream filled phyllo dough concoction (native to the Balkan region of Europe) offering the perfect amount of grease and tangy cheese flavor to get you through those wobbly and queasy moments of drinking activity, without making a fool out of yourself.



Pho (recipe): This zesty and savory Rice Noodle soup is traditionally served for breakfast in Vietnam. Which makes it perfect for a hangover since most hangovers occur in the wee hours of the morning right?? Right?



Cheese Burger Sliders (recipe): Mini Cheeseburgers are the perfect food to eat when knocking back a few drinks. It's a near guilt free option because of the size of the burgers. You can (if you have amazing self control) eat as little or as many as you want without getting stuffed to save room for what matters most. Drinking!

Saganaki (recipe): This pan fried Greek cheese dish is traditionally served with copious amounts of Ouzo (Anise Flavored Liquor) and drunken debauchery. You have been for warned:)

Sisig (recipe): One of my favorite Filipino dishes, Sisig is like the Filipino version of Pork Hash. Take the tender parts of a pig's head, combine it with onions, peppers, egg and squirt some Calamansi juice on top (a type of sweet lime-esque fruit native to the Philippine Islands) and you've got something that will coat your stomach for quite sometime. Some people have even sworn that it prevents hangovers.



Carne Asada French Fries (recipe): French fries will appear twice on this list for 2 reasons. One, its a flexible food item that you can top with almost anything west of sugar and it will taste good. Two, its cheap and very easy to make. That being said, I have always had a place in my heart (and room in my stomach) for carne asada fries because it includes amongst it's toppings, 4 of my favorite condiments, guacamole, cheese, jalapenos and Salsa. Then there is the meat and lime juice. Which you can never have enough of.



Buffalo Wings (recipe): Invented at the Anchor Bar in (the often frigid environment of) Buffalo, New York, the hot or Buffalo wing has become something of an institution amongst fast food and bar frequenters around the world. When cooked right, and seasoned properly, you get the perfect amount of crunch and butter flavor combined with the jolt of cayenne pepper that for a hot minute (or several) seems to warm you up all over. The perfect contrast to a nice cold pint of beer.

Poutine (recipe): The second french fry related item on this list is a product of Montreal, Canada. Fries smothered in brown gravy and cheese. It's cheap, easy to make and taste's fu**ing fantastic! What's not to like?



Birria Tacos (recipe): The next entry on this list may take a while to prepare but, thats only because it involves waiting for the meat to be cooked. Perfect time to grab a drink and chat amongst friends then right? Birria is a Mexican dish that involves stewing the leg or shank portion of a goat in various chillies and spices. Here we take it down to a less intimidating level by putting it in between some corn tortilla's and adding various types of condiments on top. Best tacos ever! Try subbing Kim-Chee instead of cabbage to really bring out the spicy flavors.

Poke (recipe): is a raw Tuna fish salad native to my homeland of Hawaii. Although it is generally expensive because of the rise of Tuna prices worldwide, this dish can be done decently with any fish, that is similar in texture (I recommend Swordfish or Frozen then thawed Yellow or Black Fin Tuna as great alternatives) and mellow in flavor. Poke is a combination of slightly salted raw cubes of Tuna (or sometimes Octopus is used which is then known as Taco) combined with soy sauce, sesame seeds, onions, tomatoes, seaweed and sometimes kukui or macadamia nut oil all mixed together, then eaten with a spoon. This may be the healthiest and priciest dish on the list, but it's packed with a lot of flavor, easy to make and is very much one of those foods that is passed around like a campfire marshmallow. In other words a perfect food to share with some drinking buddies.










Thursday, June 7, 2012

A place every traveler should experience.

Where to go:

Angkor National Park (info)

Location:

Siem Reap, Cambodia (map)

Cost to Experience:

$30-150 USD per person, this includes Taxi (Tuk-Tuk) service into the park and to all the sites. (accommodation link)

Recommended Lodging and Tour Booking:

http://www.agoda.com/asia/cambodia/siem_reap/steung_siem_reap_hotel.html (hotel info)

Useful links and how to get there:

http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-overland.htm

http://www.vietnam720.com/travel-tips/how-to-get-to-cambodia-from-vietnam/
                                 
http://www.myangkorguide.com/angkor-transport/getting-around-angkor/

http://www.theangkorguide.com/
                                                        http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Cambodia/Khett_Siem_Reab/Angkor_Wat-       1202517/TravelGuide-Angkor_Wat.html

My Experience:

A few weeks ago I took a 3 week trip to South East Asia and had the opportunity to visit the eastern region of Cambodia. Like most people who visit Cambodia for the first time, my main reason was to check out the Ancient Khmer Kingdom of Angkor Wat . I had for some time, a curiosity to see if I would be as impressed with seeing Angkor in person as I had been seeing it on TV and in Films. Anybody see Tomb Raider? Yup, much of the action in that movie was filmed in Angkor.




















There is a popular saying about seeing it for the first time. It goes "See Angkor and Die" and although I wasn't quite cramping up with chest pains after first sight, I can tell you that I was definitely moved and a bit in awe when I walked into the temples for the first time.

I've been to Ruins and temple areas before in my travels and I think what makes Angkor so memorable is that unlike most heritage sites, you can actually climb on top and inside of the ruins and really explore it from the inside. You get to really take in all the various plant life and trees that seem to coexist inside of the crumbling ruins, many of them clinging to the actual structure of several temples like it was part of the original design!












Like many Ancient flourished societies, the Khmer people carved many glyphs on top of and inside of the temples which are referred to as "Bas-Reliefs" These pictorials all tell some kind of story of the daily activities and important events that unfolded, during the reign of the Khmer Empire.












The precise detailing of the architecture will amaze you, the ancient technology of carving sandstone and assembling it into something that has lasted for centuries is still something that modern day man is trying to replicate! You will see many shrines (many of which are actually carved into the temples themselves, including faces on the exterior) and figure heads, where monks pay their respects to the Hindu and Buddhist deities and royalty.















Along many of the jungled paths you will encounter musicians playing ceremonial Khmer music, adding to the ambience of this ethereal Kingdom. You will also see many wild monkeys and elephants walking about! Even for the outdoor enthusiast who enjoys a nice hike, climbing through the Temples in sweltering temperatures, (sometimes upward into 98F!) will challenge you in ways you never thought. Please make sure to bring plenty of water, an open mind and dress in light clothing. You will not be disappointed!












The region of Angkor Wat (which comprises some 400+ Kilometers of ruins and temples) generally takes 2-5 days to thoroughly explore. There is a required entry fee for Non-Cambodians of $20 USD a day and you can also purchase 3-5 day passes at a slightly discounted rate.

For more information on the Angkor Wat temple area and how to get there, I provided a few links above to some of my favorite websites and guide books. Happy Exploring!  







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