Christmas Dinner 2012

Cooked Christmas dinner with Theresa and my Mom. Braised spicy beef shank with braised eggs, Thousand Year old egg with tofu, braised daikon, steamed striped black bass with ginger and green onion, black bean and garlic spare ribs with taro, spicy cucumber salad, sweet and sour cucumber salad, napa cabbaga stir fried with dried shrimp. …

Rediscovering That Random Photo You Took a While Ago

Funny how you look at photos differently after your step away from them for a few weeks. I happen to take this photo and did not think much of it the first time around. Normally a photo of a plain brick courtyard is not very exciting, but somehow the reflection off the skylight made for …

Review – Raku Restaurant Las Vegas

My friend Jessica suggested Raku as a place to go off the strip in Vegas. Raku is a very authentic Japanese yakitori located on Spring Mountain Road in the “Chinatown” area of Vegas.  The restaurant itself  is pretty small, consisting of two small rooms with perhaps 10 tables and 40 diners max, so reservations are …

Review: Holstein’s – Shakes and Buns Las Vegas

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 …

Review: Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace

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 …

Pho Bosa – Las Vegas

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 …

Dish and Dash, Sunnyvale

Grabbed some to go food from Dish n Dash in Sunnyvale. Pictured are Chicken Swarma lavash wrap, fries, and baba ganoush. You can choose from several sauces to complement their food. Pictured are three: Tahini, chipotle tahini, and mint cilantro. The meal above was in the $9-$10 range, but the food is a step above the …

GMC Acadia AWD

We reserved a mid size/intermediate car with Hertz on our recent trip to Vegas and when I went to go pick it up at the counter in Caesar’s, all they had were 2 SUVs, both GMC Acadias .  While it’s was a nice “upgrade”, we really did not need the extra passenger room, but swapping …

Multi-Action Poker Table @ Aria

  Ever on the lookout for more innovation and a differentiation among all the poker rooms in Vegas, Aria introduced Muli-Action Poker. The idea is that you have 2 dealers and are dealt two hands at the same time. Each seat has 2 areas to put chips. Your chips must be segregated and can not be moved …

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers

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 …