Tag Archives: restaurants

Top 10 Recipes – One Year Blogiversary

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Ohmygosh you guys.

You know what I just realized? It’s been a year since I started this little blog.

A whole year! How time flys!

During the year, I had a lot of successes and just as many if not more failures.

I have spilled more flour on my counters than you can imagine, have become a professional dishwasher, burnt myself countless times and have become much more confident in the kitchen.

So what are my faves of the past year you might ask? Well that’s really hard to answer….

Here are my top 10 recipes of the year!

10. Cuban Pork Sliders: These are cute and totally fab, yet soo easy to make :) Thanks Lauren @Lauren’s Latest for the wonderful recipe!

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9. Lighter Surf and Turf Creole Pasta: I’m a meat and potato kind of girl so steak is one of my fave meals. And creole spice? Deelish! Over pasta- Yes, please :) Fancy and easy dinner, perfect for a stay-at-home date night :)

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8. No-Bake Dark Chocolate Biscoff Pie: Probably Mr. Picky’s favorite dessert :) Oh-soo-good! Dark chocolate and Biscoff – ahhmazing combination! And no-bake! Win-win!024a

7. Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs: Umm that says it all. Cheese. Meatballs. I’m done here.

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6. Chocolate Lover’s Cupcakes: So I think it’s a very well-known fact that I am a chocolate addict. So when I saw this recipe on my favorite food blog HowSweetEats I had to make it right away! These cupcakes totally satisfy all my chocolate cravings :) They are rich, decadent, a chocolate overdose and a party in my mouth all at the same time! Thanks Jessica for creating this fabulous recipe :) !

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5. The Best Lasagna Rolls: This is what got me into cooking! A long time ago, when me and the hubs were still dating there was an Italian girl in the picture too. Well he claimed that she made the best lasagna ever and so of course, challenge accepted, I had to beat it. So I did some research and came up with this recipe. I’ve made it in the old-fashioned layered way and in the rolls-form and although they’re equally tasty, I personally prefer the rolls better! I love how easy it is to serve and absolutely adore the individual servings :) And since I got the man, I think I won the lasagna war ;)

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4. BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes: In our house, we live, eat, breathe BBQ. Totally obsessed. Super easy and super yummy!

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3. Caramel Apple Stuffed French Toast: Not the prettiest picture, I know. But boy is this good! Once I discovered it, I made it every day for a week straight and it did not get old. My favorite fall breakfast by far! Easy, sumptuous and if you have guests for brunch they will be soo impressed I promise!

CARAMEL APPLE STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

2. Creamy Cheddar, Bacon Stuffed Chicken with Garlic and Lemon: To. Die. For. One of my first posts on this blog and definitely one of my faves. My go-to super quick and delicious dinner that totally satisfies. Cheese. Bacon. Garlic. Cream cheese. Lemon. What’s not to love???

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1. Chocoholics Cheesecake: Mind-shattering delicious! Heaven on Earth! Seriously! I couldn’t get enough of this! It was my first time venturing into the real baked cheesecake thing and I went in kind of terrified. And oh gosh how wonderful it turned out!!! Definitely would make over, and over, and over again! My favorite of the year! :)

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Restaurant Review: Nordstrom Marketplace Café

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So every Tuesday will be restaurant review day :)

This cafe is one of my absolute favorites! Every time I go to the Fashion Show Mall, I know I have to go there!

Here’s why!

Decor: The cafe is located inside Nordstrom on the 3rd floor. I love that when you go in you grab a tray and then they have a giant display of all the food they offer and descriptions to go with it. That way you know exactly what you’re going to get :) Once you select your food, you move on into the dining area and you sit yourself wherever you please. The booths are very comfortable and almost feel private and everything is very clean. Just a beautiful, cozy cafe where you can sit down and enjoy some ahhmazing food while talking for hours with your bff :)   My only complaint on the decor is that the restaurant has a lot of windows which face the breathtaking view of the Las Vegas Strip, but you can’t see any of it because of the heavy draperies.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     4 stars

Food: The food is divine! I have never had a bad experience there! They offer a large variety of selections including paninis, salads, personal pizzas, delicious pastas, even steak and lots of desserts!

The tomato soup is slightly sweet, yet creamy and perfectly smooth – totally comforting!

Their paninis are all scrumptiuos served with a side of chips! My sister absolutely loved her Santa Fe Panini :)

Santa Fe Panini

The pasta with chicken in tomato alfredo sauce is to.die.for! Definitely one of my favorites :) The sauce is super creamy and I love the sweetness of the tomatoes. The chicken is moist and juicy and there’s a lot of it, there’s plenty of parmesan on top and some fresh basil – oh soo good!

The mushroom ravioli is fa-bu-lous :) The ravioli are stuffed with mushrooms and are swimming in a beautiful alfredo sauce with sautéed mushrooms, basil and parmesan cheese! All you mushroom lovers out there are gonna go crazy over this!

The creme brulee is creamy and dreamy and super tasty!

And the boston cream pie is exquisite! The cake is super moist, I love the custard filling and topped with chocolate ganache – definitely one of my favorite desserts! :)

The only little complaint on the food is that they go a little too heavy for my liking with the fresh basil. Yes, it does give the dish amazing flavor, but I don’t want it to completely overpower my palate so in my opinion a little goes a long way :)                                           4.5 stars

Drinks: They offers a variety of drinks including beer, wine, juices and soda. There’s something for everyone :)                                    5 stars

Noise: Pretty quiet I can’t even remember if there was music playing!                                      5 stars

Service: After you order and you sit yourself, a server comes and brings your food. Everyone is extremely nice and helpful and our server checked on us multiple times during our meal to refill our drinks and make sure we are ok. The food came out quickly and we didn’t feel rushed while ordering.                5 stars

Price: The entrees run between $9 and $12 which I though was very reasonable. Yes, maybe a little pricier then your average cafe, but the food tastes gourmet and the portions are generous definitely worth it! The desserts are between $4 and $6 but are also big portions! The slice of Boston Cream Pie was big enough for 2 to share!           4 stars

The Verdict: Will I return again? The answer is: OH YES!!! I have been there 3 times so far and just can’t get enough! Every time I’m there to shop I have to stop in and try something new:) If you are in Vegas and happen to be near the Fashion Show Mall it’s definitely worth a visit!                                           4.5 stars

Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe

Fashion Show Mall – inside Nordstrom on the 3rd floor

3200 Las Vegas Blvd S. Suite 710

Las Vegas NV 89109

(702) 784-1610

Memphis Championship BBQ Restaurant Review

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Alright so it’s been a while since I’ve done a restaurant review, so I think it’s time to do a lot more!

Today, I’ll be sharing my review on Memphis BBQ.

So Memphis BBQ has been around for a while now and are pretty much all over the country. They are affordable and have won a ton of awards.

I love all things BBQ – sweet and tangy yet slightly spicy sauce,mouth-watering brisket, delectable juicy chicken, melt-your-mouth ribs and all the good homey sides. Mac and cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes, I mean what’s not to love!? I always have to have a southern sweet tea, it’s very refreshing, the perfect amount of sweet and a great palate cleanser. And you know I love my dessert! Strawberry shortcake, bread pudding, pecan pie? I am all over that!

As I walked through the door, my mouth started to water. There is nothing that smells more enticing then slow cooked meat in a tangy bbq sauce! Unfortunately, I was left extremely unimpressed and disappointed!

Here’s my detailed review:

Decor: The restaurant was clean and the booths – comfortable. There is a lot of rock and wood involved in the decor, but overall nothing spectacular. Just you regular BBQ joint. 3 stars

Food: When you sit down, they bring out some warm rolls and some delicious whipped honey butter. I absolutely adore bread baskets and this one definitely did not disappoint. The bread was still warm, immensely soft and topped with some of the whipped butter, just absolutely heavenly!

We went in for a late lunch and since I wasn’t in the mood for something heavy, but still wanted to get my BBQ fix, I opted for their BBQ Chicken Salad.

I was hoping for a sumptuous salad with some juicy smothered with BBQ chicken, but it was very poorly executed. The salad itself consisted of mostly lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes, 3 slices of onions, a pinch of shredded cheddar, store-bought croutons and chicken that was fairly undercooked and tasteless. I was expecting more bbq flavors shining through, but it completely lacked any flavor. It was a generous portion, but since the majority of the chicken was inedible, I got my moneys worth by eating the bread basket. The only thing that saved this salad was the ranch dressing (which I ordered on the side) and the extra bottle of BBQ sauce on the table to add more flavor.

My less-than-cooked chicken

My dad ordered their chicken wings with hot sauce and ranch dressing and he said he enjoyed them, but definitely not wowed by them.

My sister ordered their turkey dinner.It consisted of turkey breasts, gravy, french fries and baked beans. The turkey and gravy were tasty but awfully salty! The salt completely overpowered your palate and that is pretty much the only thing you could taste! She was greatly disappointed as well and didn’t finish her meal. The french fries were good, but were rather plain and desperately needed some more salt and spices. The baked beans were good, the brown sugar definitely came through and gave it some good flavor, but by any means were they fresh! There was a crust forming on top and they resembled canned baked beans.

Let’s talk about their BBQ sauce. I like my bbq sauce nice and thick, a little sweet from maple or brown sugar and with a little kick. Their BBQ sauce was completely runny and although the flavor was good, I don’t understand how they have won so many awards for it!? You can find a better BBQ sauce in your grocery store!

This is what you call sticky? A completely runny BBQ sauce?

For dessert, we ordered the strawberry shortcake to share and were quite happy with it. The cake was light and moist, the berries delicious and the whipped cream just tied everything together. It was a good dessert, but it definitely could not make up for the meal!                                                      2 stars

Drinks: We had their southern sweet tea and once again were terribly disappointed. Was it tea or water? There was barely any sweetness to it at all, the tea flavor was completely missing. We had to sweeten ours with plenty of splenda to be able to drink them.                                                 1 star

Noise: The restaurant was rather quiet with the only thing that gave it a little more aliveness was the train horn every now and then. Easy to hold conversation.            3 stars

Service: Our server was nice enough, but not by any means exceptional. When first seated, he greeted us awkwardly and then quite unentisuatically took our order. He at least checked on us a few times during our meal, but like I said he didn’t seem even a little bit excited to be there. I understand you are not entirely happy with your job, but at least try to fake it! Since I was taking pictures of everything, he asked me if I like to take pictures of food, and then I had to reveal that I am a food blogger. All of the sudden he got all nervous and asked “well how did we do?” I told him that he would just have to wait and see and left my card on the table.                                                                                                                                         2 stars

Price: Reasonably priced, they have a lot of lunch specials and deals. Also some locations offer military discounts.                                                                                              4 stars

Verdict: Bottom line is will I ever go back? The answer is definitely no. The one thing that completely turned me off was the undercooked chicken! Most food poisoning is in fact from poultry so you always need to make sure you cook chicken completely, that is the only way to destroy bacteria! I mean seriously you can get someone sick!                   Overall 2.5 stars

Well they are definitely not getting a trophy from me! Seriously, how did they win these?

Memphis Championship BBQ

2250 E Warm Springs

Las Vegas NV

(702) 260-6909

Restaurant Review: The Melting Pot

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For my birthday dinner Mr. Picky decided to take me to the Melting Pot, and what a great choice it was! It wasn’t just dinner it was a whole experiece! This is a chain restaurant all over the US, they even have locations in Mexico and Canada so if you have one nearby I definitely recommend! Here’s why:

Birthday dinner :)

Let’s start with the decor!

It’s a pretty romantic atmosphere, very dark with lights on each table so it’s a great place for a date! The booths are quite comfortable, but the tables were what really impressed me! It’s a granite table top with a build in burner in the middle that only gets hot in the middle so there’s no risk in burning yourself. So now you are probably wondering why you need a burner at your table? Well because in this restaurant, you are the chef!  4 stars

The food: This is a fondue restaurant! So the menu is pretty straight forward. You have your choice of different cheese fondue, normal salads, entrees for one, desserts and they also have The Big Night Out Menu which is a 4 course meal for two! So since we wanted to sample everything they’ve got we got that!    

The first course was their Boston Lager Cheddar Cheese Fondue. Oh my gosh! It was magnificent! So the server comes to your table and first sets up the pot so it gets nice and hot and then he starts to build your fondue and the cool thing is that you see everything that goes into it. So first thing, he pours the beer. Samuel Adams. Then into the pool goes a ton of delicious cheddar cheese, then some Applewood-Smoked bacon - yum, some onions, Dijon, tabasco for heat and scallions to make everything pretty. Doesn’t that just sound fabulous? Then you need something to dip in that absolutely ahhmazing cheesy fondue so they bring out some bread, green apples and vegetables. My favorite was actually the simplest - bread that way the cheese is the star, but the green apples were also quite interesting. So first course was definitely a winner!                  5    stars          

Second course was salad. I was actually excited for a lighter course since the first was pretty rich and heavy, so something light was definitely appreciated. So we ordered the Wisconsin Wedge Salad. So basically iceberg lettuce, some tomatoes, Applewood-Smoked bacon, gorgonzola and peppercorn ranch dressing. I have to admit it was one of the best salads I’ve had in a long time. The dressing was wonderful with a nice tang and they definitely didn’t skimp on the bacon :)                                                                                                 5 stars  

Third course: Now this is where you really get to cooking! First you choose your entree from 3 different options. We stuck with the base option which included shrimp, sirloin, wild mushroom sacchetti (it’s kind of like ravioli), buffalo chicken and bbq pork tenderloin. The other two options were pretty much the same thing they just included lobster tail which I’m not a fan of at all, so this was the best choice for us. Then you choose the style of cooking which basically means you get to choose in what kind of broth you will be cooking the meats, whether you want to go with a classic bourgonion or coq au vin or something more exotic like mojo (Caribbean spiced) it’s up to you! Since I love coq au vin, we chose that! The broth is burgundy wine, infused with fresh herbs and mushrooms, just delicious. So the server assembles the broth in your pot and brings a plate with vegetables and all the meat which is by the way completely raw and quickly gives you a run down. So first step, you need to wait for the broth to comes to boil, simple enough. Then you start preparing your food. The vegetables (potatoes, mushrooms and broccoli) take about 10mins to prepare, the shrimp about 1 min, the steak anywhere from 1 – 2 mins (well done), the pork and chicken about 2 mins as well and the pasta 1 min. So little by little you start preparing your food and sampling it. The server also brings out 6 different sauces to try out of which I liked the best their most popular one (don’t remember the name) which almost reminded me of tzaziki, I also enjoyed their blue cheese one and their bbq. Least favorite has to be their cocktail sauce and sweet and sour.I definitely enjoyed mixing and matching the sauces and trying them out with different meats. The steak was great, the mushroom sacchettes - phenomenal and the pork and chicken had great flavors. Least favorite has to be the shrimp, it lacked seasonings for me, but overall everything was really good.                              4.5 stars

Our plate of raw meats just waiting to be cooked! :)

 

Pot of yummy coq au vin broth!

Cooking some shrimp :)

Fourth course: Dessert! My favorite part, by far! So we ordered the Flaming Turtle Fondue which was a combination of milk chocolate, gooye caramel, candied pecans served flambee style at your table! Blue flame and all! That is served with a plate of brownies, red velvet cake bites, cheesecake, strawberries, bananas, rice krispie treats and marshmallows. Can I just say this was beyond ahhmazing! I felt like I was in chocolate heaven! I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content! Just outstanding!    5 stars

Flaming Turtle Fondue!

All the goodies :)

Drinks: I ordered their Smores martini, which was pretty good, but to be honest not the best Smores martini I’ve ever had. So at $10 it was alright, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.                                                3 stars

Smores Martini. The cookie crumb marshmallows on top were the best part! Soo good!

Noise: The noise level was very low and it’s a great restaurant for conversation :)                                  5 stars

Service: Our server was great when he was around he was attentive and funny but he wasn’t around as much as I would have liked. He seemed like he was covering a pretty large area, but like I said when he was around he was great!                                                                                                                                          4 stars

Price: For the amount of food we good, I thought the price was very reasonable. Our 4 meal course for two was $82 + $6 for cooking style and then of course we have drinks and tip so our bill ended up being including all $130 for two. But our dinner did last almost 2 and half hours! So I think with it being a whole experience and a special occasion it was worth the money :)                                                                      Overall: 4.5 stars