Bizack!!!!

So we're back and I feel a little crazy so this is going to be a short post. 

We had SO much fun on our trip and have SO many great pics. I hope tomorrow I can get around to showing some. 

We have the day off so it's a big possibility.

Quickly though...three things...two great, one scary,

One great..

The nutella crepe from the chocolatire in our hotel John Philippe.



Yumm!!!!SO good no wonder the line was 10 miles long but worth it.

Two the view from our dinner at Yellowtail in our hotel the Bellagio.



Unfortunately the food was hot garbage. (really it wasn't very good)

But the view was Spectacular!!

We got to see all of the Bellagio fountain shows and it was actually quite romantic.

Three...



The decor in Jack in the Box...

Scary!!! The whole place was!!

And the food was so bad we couldn't even eat it.

In-and-Out and Carl's were ten time better.

But that's for tomorrow's post. Till then...

Vegas Day Two and some more

Okay I already gave a quick rundown of some Vegas stuff so I'm going to skip over Day One since we really didn't do much and basically just felt crazy from the whole trip getting there. We basically checked in, did some gambling in the hotel and just grabbed some food there. 

The next morning we woke up ready for a day of relaxation and fun.

We started out by heading to the hotel pool where we meet up with my friend from college, Catfish. (Not his real name and the story is way too long to tell but we'll be calling him Catfish)



The hotel pool was absolutely stunning. 

There were actually 5 pools situated in the large courtyard. One large and four smaller pools that had beautiful fountains in the middle.



We grabbed some chairs and hung out by the pool for a few hours.

I was on vacation so I felt the need to have a strawberry daiquiri that probably filled my calorie quota for the day but hey...its vacation.



The daiquiri was awesome! One of the best I have ever had- super fruity. Although everything jut taste better on vacation :)

It was a scorching hot day and after about 2 hours, we were done with the sun and needing some good food.

We decided to walk across the street to Cesar's and get some seafood at Joe's Seafood Prime Steak and Stone Crab.

Okay..the thing about Vegas is that everything is HUGE! 

It seriously took us almost an hour of walking around Cesar's to finally find Joe's. We were starving when we showed up and decided to order a big lunch.

Mr T and I split the Blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich, lyonnaise potatoes and 5 large stone Crab Claws.

Look at these huge claws! 



There was so much meat inside we were barely able to finish it all. 

The claws came with Joe's famous mustard sauce for dipping. I enjoyed the mustard sauce but honestly just a little butter is really all you need with the sweet meat of the crabs.

The lyonnaise potatoes were perfectly crisped and the Mahi Mahi sandwich was full of flavor without being too spicy. 

It was an excellent lunch and we basically rolled out of the restaurant we were so full.

We walked around a little bit more and then decided to head back to the Bellagio to do some gambling and relax.

We ended up meeting Catfish at our hotel and decided we had done enough of the Strip for one day and wanted some more action.

It's kind of rare to know someone who lives in Vegas and can take you to some non-touristy stuff.

So off the strip we went and down to a couple of bars.

Now I'm not going to talk to much about the night because..well I'm not sure how much of it I can actually explain. It was a little crazy!

At the Bellagio we had been paying about $12 a drink for a beer or cocktail(when we weren't gambling)

You're standard overpriced hotel stuff.

The first bar we went to we ordered 3 beers and 2 shots of whisky (no whisky for me but the men felt like going a little nuts). 

Total bill for that round? $9.00.

You better believe we took full advantage of this! 

After probably too many rounds we decided to head to another bar, which may be one of the shadiest bars I have ever been to in my life.

I can't even get into describing the place but it was definitely the underbelly of Las Vegas. It was great! We definitely saw lots of things they don't tell you about in Tripadvisor!

Well suffice it to say I woke up Friday morning and felt like a truck was slamming into my head repeatedly.

$9.00 rounds hurts the next day.

We had such a big lunch at Joe's we never ate any dinner, which in retrospect, was a very bad idea when you're drinking like a fish.

Neither Mr. T and I could make it out of bed. So we did the only thing we could do when staying in a five star hotel.

Order room service!

Room service to me is the absolutely epitome of decadence. Growing up, my family traveled a lot and never once did we indulge in this treat.

So even though my skull felt like it was about to split in half I was super excited for our meal.

Here's the gorgeous layout.



Fresh Flowers on the table, butter engraved with the Bellagio logo, juice freshly squeezed. 

I was in heaven!

I ordered the two egg breakfast with bacon and home fries.



The bacon and eggs were the much needed greasy food my body required to recover from a night of drinking cheap beer and liquor.

Mr. T ordered the sirloin burger.



The burger was okay but had a little bit too much spice. It tasted like they put some Worcester sauce into the meat and maybe a little too much onion powder.

However, it did the job.

The best part about the whole meal? 

Mini condiments!



I have no idea why mini things make me laugh so much. I think it's a girl thing.

Give me something and make it miniature and I'll love it no matter what.

After the meal I felt a TON better and was able to actually have a productive day.

More on that later.

Joes Prime Seafood

Back to Buffalo...Again!

I'm going back to Buffalo this weekend to watch the Bills take on the Chargers in what I imagine to be a very, very tough game. 

I'm beyond psyched to see the game up close and personal for the first time this season.

Last time I was home I talked a little about the food I had enjoyed although I never got around to talking about Tempo in downtown Buffalo, where I had a delicious Arugula and Prosciutto salad that was surprisingly accompanied by Feta cheese. 



It came with a light lemon mint vinaigrette. The acid from this dressing really helped balance the strong taste of the Feta and it was delicious.

My main course that night was also phenomanal the whole Branzino.



Yum!!! This came glazed in a Pesto sauce with a salad of sweet peppers and potatoes on the side.

It was fabulous! I have had a lot of whole fish here in NYC and I would put this one up against the best here in the city.

It was delicate, moist and simply bursting with flavor.

Tempo was a beautiful place as well.

It was located in a beautiful old building with shiny wooden floors and huge ceilings.

We got the best seat of the house as well, the large table in front of the windows which really made it special.

Well anyway...I am not sure what food adventures await me this time.

It's more about hanging with family, friends and watching the Bills. And that's the most exciting part :)

See You Soon!!

Sweets at Chocolate Bar in Buffalo

Friday night I went out to dinner with my family at Papaya, an asian fusion place in Buffalo. 

The food was pretty good and the atmosphere was fun. 

But the best part, in my opinion, is that it's next door to a dessert place called the Chocolate Bar!

I had always heard good reviews about this place so I was psyched.

Walking inside I immediately liked the decor.

It was dark, sleek and a little sexy I guess. 

A good place for a date...Or with your entire immediate family..whichever you prefer.

They have a surprisingly large selection of wine and spirits, for a dessert place, so I ordered up a bottle of Pinot Noir and we put in our dessert order.

Now since I'm on vacation and have SO much trouble choosing between desserts, I did the only thing one can do in these situations.

I ordered two.

The first one was the special of the month the pumpkin gelato.



This dessert was certainly quite stunning to look at and really got me in the Halloween spirit.

Unfortunately it wasn't that great.

I think they made the pumpkin gelato desserts earlier in the day and then threw them in the freezer.

As a result, I couldn't even cut into my gelato when it first arrived.

It was covered in ice crystals.

When it finally thawed there was some decent gelato but that took about 15 minutes and the freezer burn gave it a slightly strange taste.

The winner of the night was the dessert my brother ordered. 



The Bananas Foster Crepe.

Wow!!! The crepe was moist and doughy with sweet brown sugar bananas rolled up and served with a side of cinnamon ice cream.

This scored on all levels. The bananas had a nice char without becoming squishy and the sauce has a salty, sweet flavor that was simply excellent.

We had a ton of desserts and I tried them all. 

The cakes and crepes were what really shined for me.

The ice cream sundaes weren't as cold as the gelato, but they were still colder than I would have liked and the hot fudge sauce was a little too thick.

Maybe they had an issue with their freezer.

Everything else was so good I am definitely going to give them another chance next time I go back.

The best part of the whole evening though?

Getting to spend some quality time with my family.

We are about to have another member enter soon...My brother and his wife are about to have a baby!! So it was an exciting dinner but I was also feeling a little sentimental and sappy the whole weekend. (All the wine didn't exactly help :)

All I know is this kid better have a pretty big sweet tooth.

And love football..because it case you didn't hear the Bills beat the Chargers and are now 5 and 1!!!!! It gets no better.

A beautiful fall weekend in Buffalo with an amazing family and great games.

Chocolate Bar

Momofuku Noodle Bar

It was a FREEEZING day Wednesday and I was not prepared to handle the weather.

My thin black work pants were no match for the sharp wind and I dashed home after work to get some warmth.

I walked inside my apartment and instead of feeling the rush of heat I felt nothing. I went back out into the hallway and saw a sign up that said "Sorry for the inconvenience the boiler is broken".

Inconvenience!! It's fricken freezing!!

So I called Mr. T and told him the situation.

We decided to do what any normal American would and use it as an excuse to go out for some beers and dinner!

We met up at McSorleys and over a couple of darks and lights we decided to go to Momofuku Noodle bar for some warm comfort food.

We got to Momofuku right before 8:00 and only had to wait about 2 minutes for a seat.

Both of us knew exactly what we wanted so we placed our order and got our appetizer within minutes.

Of course we had to start with the pork buns.



Okay...SO much has been written about these things it’s a little ridiculous but oh my goodness ..they are amazing.

Just big juicy slabs of pork belly sandwiched inside some steamed buns with Hosin sauce and pickled cucumbers.

It is fatty fatty goodness!!!

Sometimes I swing by late afternoon when they're not busy and pick some up to go.

They are a little pricey at $9 for 2 buns but they are addictively delicious.

For our mains Mr. T got a big bowl of ramen to warm his belly. The Momofuku Ramen.

Look at this beautiful bowl!



I took a couple bites and it was delicious!!!

I was really surprised how tasty the broth itself was until I found out that David Chang makes it with roasted pork bones, mushrooms and bacon.

I think that would make anything taste wonderful.

Besides the wonderful noodles inside there was also some more pieces of pork , some bamboo shoots and a poached egg.

This dish will warm you up and make you as happy as a clam on a cold day!!

For my dish I got the Smoked Chicken Wings.



When they first came out I was a little bit worried. They looked small and soggy.

Thank goodness looks can be deceiving! 

I don't know how they got these wings so crispy without having a char all over the wing!

The chicken had a wonderful aroma and when I bit in, the crispy exterior gave away to the taste of chili, garlic and scallions.

These wings were wonderful!!! 

I literally fell in love. I wanted to seduce these wings, take them down to the courthouse and marry them. 

I just love wings.

So once again Momofuku really hit the spot.

Mr T and I are seriously thinking of moving downtown a little bit to be closer to all of these great places.

Could you imagine if I could have Momofuku as my neighborhood joint!! It’s only about 12 blocks away right now but what if it was only 2!!!

Our lease is up next month...we will see...

McSorleys

Momofuku

Emporio

I always walk by this cute rustic place so when a friend asked to meet up for dinner in SOHO I thought it was a perfect oppotunity to try it out.  It happened to be Happy Hour when I stopped in.

There was quite a nice spread out on the bar of various little snacks.

One could make a meal out of apertivo treats alone but we were here for dinner so I skipped the snacks and ordered appetizers instead.

The Chicken Liver Pate was wonderful and quite a large portion as well.  A nice layer of Bacon Marmalade sat atop the pate which really helped cut the fat and smooth out the flavor.  Unfortunately the Crab and Avocado special didn't fare as well.

This sounded great on paper but suffered horribly from hard unripened avocado and over-salted crab.  It was so bad we both had one bite and pushed it away.  Entrees fared a bit better, my friend loved her Whole Wheat Orecchiette with Lamb and Mushroom.

I went with the waitress recommendation and ordered Taglierini- saffron-flavored pasta, Florida rock shrimp, roasted tomato, marjoram and hot pepper.

I was honestly surprised at how bland this dish was.  I was expecting lots of spice and herbs but I only tasted  a little heat and barely any saffron at all.  It wasn't terrible but it wasn't that great either.

Overall Emporio was hit or miss.  If I found myself in SOHO again craving Italian I would certainly check out Rubiroso or Parm first.

Emporio