This most recent trip to Vegas I was there for almost an entire week. We were lucky enough to stay at the Mandalay. While we were there I went to an event at the Shark Tank.
My boss and I also made a quick getaway to downtown Las Vegas to the Freemont area. I took her to the casinos that every Hawaii person knows, the California and the Plaza!! As we stepped into the Cal, we were literally transformed back to Hawaii. Everywhere we looked we saw local looking couples! I took her upstairs to Aloha Specialties, which had all my local favorites! It was a tough choice, but I opted for the Korean Chicken plate with a side of haupia and my boss got the Teri Beef Bowl.
We had enjoyed our dinner at Hubert Keller’s Fluer so much, that we decided to try his other place at the Mandalay; the Burger Bar. I had planned on getting the sliders- which had three different types of burgers! (Traditional Cheeseburger, a buffalo burger with caramelized onions and an angus burger with bacon). My boss did order this though and they looked so cute! At the last minute I changed my mind and went with the Hubert Keller Burger, which was a buffalo burger on a ciabatta bun with caramelized onions, blue cheese, spinach and a red wine reduction sauce.
Look how cute the sliders are!
I got my burger with zucchini fries with a basil aioli dipping sauce. We also all go to try the mozzarella sticks and the onion rings as well.
In my earlier trip to Vegas we also had the chance to eat at Mario Battali’s Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. The meal was simple, delicious and excellently pre-pared!! We started by sharing one of Mario’s famous pizzas and an Octopus Salad. Both were amazing!!
Mmm we went with the pancetta and goat cheese pizza to share! So good, I want to try the eggplant pizza next time I go back.
This salad was so good! Simple fresh and expertly prepared. It had octopus, potato and celery with a light and fresh vinaigrette.
For my main I had a linguine with shrimp sauce that was super yummy. The thing I love about Mario Battali’s restaurants is that things are cooked expertly and simply so the ingredients are able to shine through expertly. The pasta was a perfect al dente and the portion was just right.
That wraps up my Vegas eats! We had stopped by at Bouchon for some pastries and also had a diner at Sushi Samba (which I didn’t take pictures of). Both were so good… PS- Nothing beats a Bouchon croissant on the plane ride back to Los Angeles.
