Food and Drink Archives - Page 101 of 214 - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Tasty and Alder Highlights

February 13, 2015 by Pechluck 10 Comments

Back in 2013, purchased a ticket to my very first Portland Food Adventures eating extravaganzas. What Chris puts together is a special dinner that includes the chef coming out to introduce/discuss the dish, each course comes with a pairing, and at the end we each receive an envelope of gift certificates to encourage us to continue our food adventures at picks for eats by the chef. I highly recommend each and every food experience he puts together both for the excellent food and the outstanding atmosphere of the great people you can meet at these gatherings.

That first one I attended was for right before the opening of Tasty N Alder with John Gorham. I loved my experience, and the fact that during that special dinner I got to try and realize I enjoyed so many options (rather than just an entree or so at a time) made me very confident that this restaurant worked for me.

Tasty n Alder restaurant area Tasty n Alder restaurant space, kitchen bar seating

Since then, I can’t even exactly recall how many times I’ve been to Tasty N Alder. I thought I would list my Tasty and Alder Highlight of some of my very favorite things since it’s now the 2 year anniversary of that first experience for me. Specifically, my top things that I insist you must order when you visit.

1. Bloody Marys. Any of them. Below you see the Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili, and then another offering called the Dockside with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp. Both were kickin! I’ve had many other delicious cocktails from the bar here, including three Grown Ass Milkshakes that are alcoholic ice cream dessert drinks, so don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to bloody marys.

The Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili at Tasty n Alder The Dockside Mary at Tasty n Alder with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp

2. As a dinner starter, if you are willing to get your fingers a little messy get the Blaze’s Smoked chicken wings. When I attended the Portland Food Adventures dinner, I got to hear from John Gorham the story about how he had these wings at a big get together and hired Blaze after eating these wings.
Tasty and Alder Blaze's Chicken Wings at dinner as a starter are messy but delicious

3. For a less messy start, the Radicchio with bacon lardons, manchego & six minute eggs is amazing, and you don’t often hear me praise salads. This is available on all their menus throughout the day, be it brunch, mid day, or dinner. It’s one of my top favorite salads in Portland.
Tasty and Alder famous salad, the Radicchio salad with bacon lardons. manchego. six minute eggs

4. Any steak or duck is good, a version is always on the menu at brunch or dinner. When friends are looking for steak but want an alternative to the plated Steakhouse entree experiences at Ringside, Laurelhurst Market or Urban Farmer, the meats of Ox and here at Tasty and Alder are always my recommendation. That’s because they are cut to be served family style so that everyone can feast on multiple cuts of meat family style.
Tasty and Alder offers lots of meat dishes at dinner that are steakhouse quality but in a format that is tapas style for sharing family style

This is the Duck Duck Steak available at Brunch, where it’s served medium rare with an egg and duck fried crispy potato wedges.
Tasty and Alder brunch dish of Duck Duck Steak

5. For a dinner side, get the Skillet Corn Cake at dinner.
Tasty and Alder's buttery skillet corn cake side at dinner

6. It is listed as a starter on the dinner menu, but I also like eating the Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata as a side with the meats here.
Tasty N Alder Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata

7. The best option to eat on the Mid Day Menu between 2-5:30 (aka brunch and dinner) besides the already raved about Radicchio salad, is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken
at Tasty and Alder, the best option to eat on the Mid Day Menu between 2-5:30 (aka brunch and dinner) besides the already raved about Radicchio salad, is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Last year, after surprising Portland residents with listing the Oregonion 2014 Restaurant of the Year as no restaurant at all but the concept of restaurant pop-ups, the next article of dining note was the list of five best new burgers in Portland. I guess they define “new” pretty broadly since the Number 1 burger from Tasty and Alder, has-been open and offering that burger for a year and a half almost at the time of the article.
Tasty N Alder burger, composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles. alt=

But, I can’t say the burger isn’t tasty. The Tasty N Alder burger is composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles.
Tasty N Alder burger, composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles

I don’t think it ascends to the height of the Toro Bravo burger, whose burger also boasts romesco and bacon, and I personally like the Manchego cheese better than the Chubut. Not sure how much it matters, as both are the creations of the Gorham empire of restaurants though. The Tasty and Alder burger is available at both brunch and dinner, but not mid-day – which is fine, because if you really want a sandwich get the Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish instead.
Tasty N Alder Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish

At just 2 years old, Tasty and Alder has settled into executing good dishes without the mad rush of people and lines that it had during its first few months. The only time I’ve seen a line now is on brunch on the weekends, but that’s easily avoidable since they serve that brunch menu everyday they are open.

Meanwhile, I continue to jealously look at the recaps of other Portland Food Adventures that I don’t get to attend, even though I just went to one (and recapped) a few weeks ago featuring Chef Ben Bettinger at Simpatica. Chris is expanding his Portland Food Adventures to now go abroad with the Ataula Chef Jose Chesa. I love and fully support the idea of a food vacation I don’t have to plan! If you get a chance I highly recommend trying a PFA experience to see the fun of these food parties yourself, and the maybe new regular stops you may learn about from the food adventures.

Have you been to Tasty n Alder yet, or any o the Gorham restaurants? What are your favorite dishes at them?

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #foodiefriday, Blaze's Chicken Wings, Blaze's Smoked Wings, bloody mary, brunch, buttermilk fried chicken, cuate mary, Dockside Bloody Mary, Duck Duck Steak, Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata, Grown Ass Milkshakes, Portland brunch, radicchio salad, Skillet corn Cake, Steakhouse Sandwich, Tasty & Alder, Tasty and Alder, Tasty and Alder burger, tasty n alder

Breakfast at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano

February 10, 2015 by Pechluck 19 Comments

In my last Travel Tuesday post, I started taking you on my stroll on Las Vegas Boulevard on the South end of the strip. Before I started my multiple miles of strolling up and down the street gazing at the themes and decorative elements and the people in all the casinos, I fueled up of course.

My pick was in the Delano, which is attached to the Mandalay Bay, for a breakfast. Della’s Kitchen had only been open a few months when I visited, which was partially my motivation. The theme for the kitchen is to use farm to table and local ingredients, and includes an offering of all the classic breakfast standards as well as a handful of really good healthy options and some luxurious options. I have no idea what grows well locally in the heat and sand of Las Vegas, but I’m always happy to support highlighting and buying direct from farms (I am a Portland Oregon citizen now after all), and it was nice to see specific farm names called out on the menu.

Healthy options? Think a really good Granola with sun dried fruit, candied mixed nuts, strawberries, local honey and lemon yogurt. That and a Breakfast Burrito with vegetables, egg white scramble, wheat tortilla and California avocado are highlighted as the the lower calorie “Smart Plates” that promise to be 700 calories or less. Yeah, that’s Vegas for you.

Other “healthy” options include a Market Fruit options served with lemongrass-ginger syrup, or Fresh Berries from the Farm with vanilla bean whipped cream. F and I loved all their made to order hand crafted juices, particularly the one called Mojave Burn juice with orange, carrot, cucumber, lemon, ginger and cayenne.

Luxurious options? If you feel like splurging, how about, among their multiple Benedict options, a Blue Crab Benedict with artisan brie, spinach, roasted tomatoes and Mornay sauce? Sure, they have Chicken and Waffles, and Steak and Eggs, but what about a Lobster Scramble or a Portuguese Sausage and Pastrami Hash?

I woke up in a good mood when with my coffee I was able to enjoy a doughssant, a cross between doughnut and croissant. The server was great at keeping that mug filled, checking often and cheerful but without being intrusive or annoying to those of us (ME) who are not morning people and don’t like to talk very much the first two hours of being forced to leave a comfy bed and warm sheets and fluffy pillows.
A doughssant, a mashup between a donut and a croissant, from Della's Kitchen in the Delano, Las Vegas

Then while enjoying more coffee and some of that Mojave Burn juice I nibbled on Buttermilk Biscuits with local aged cheddar and smoked bacon served with regular and pumpkin whipped butter to settle my stomach from the cocktails I had after arriving the night before. I wish the biscuits had just been warmer, and more buttery soft and flaky.

F made me eat a few bites of his insanely large platter of the Pecan Raisin French Toast with Granello’s cinnamon raisin brioche, caramelized banana, and coconut butter.
Insanely large platters in Vegas! This is the Pecan Raisin French Toast with Granello's cinnamon raisin brioche, caramelized banana, and coconut butter, from Della's Kitchen in the Delano, Las Vegas

Della’s Kitchen is only open for breakfast and lunch, from 6:30 AM – 2 PM. What I liked the most was that the menu offers those fresh juices and you can get a small plate of a side if you are not a huge breakfast person/do not want those multiple servings on a plate like that French Toast (though really really good) right away in the morning. There are detailed touches, such as the seasonal pumpkin butter for my biscuits, the coconut butter with the French Toast, or the lemongrass ginger syrup with the fresh fruit, which make Della’s offerings stand out from a regular breakfast dish.

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Hotels at the South End of Strip: Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, and MGM Grand and what each offers in terms of feel
A look at some of the breakfast options at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano, including juice, Doughssant, bacon cheddar biscuits, and Pecan Raisin French Toast
Take a little trip to Europe with the offerings and recommendations for free stops in the Middle of the Las Vegas Strip like Paris, Caesar’s, and the Bellagio properties. Did I mention they are all free, and include the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain?
Photos recapping my lunch at Giada Las Vegas inside the Cromwell, including the G signature cocktail, flatbread with pesto, burrata, grilled cheese, gelato
Art Walking Tour at The Shops at Crystals and Aria, Las Vegas, including Gallery Row with Richard MacDonald and Dale Chihuly to the various art in Crystals and Aria
The garnishes of the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas are outrageous, ranging from bacon, onions rings, sliders and corn dogs to chicken wing!
My tour of The Wynn in Las Vegas, including details on The Lake of Dreams, Parasol Down, the Conservatory, Jeff Koons sculptures, and Le Reve The Dream show
Lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesar’s Las Vegas of Shanghai Wave cocktail, Sichuan Dan Dan Mein Spring Noodles, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and Lamb Pancakes
Steampunk restaurant of Rx Boiler Room by Mandalay Bay brings an opportunity for a cocktail from a crystal skull

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #traveltuesday, Breakfast in Las Vegas, Breakfast on the Strip, Delano, Della's Kitchen, Donut and Croissant mashup, Donut and Croissant mix, Doughssant, Fresh Juices Vegas, healthy breakfast Las Vegas, Pecan Raisin French Toast, The Delano

Portland Food Adventures Ben Bettinger at Simpatica

February 8, 2015 by Pechluck 3 Comments

If you have never heard of it, Portland Food Adventures is this amazing concept. The organizer of the events, Chris Angelus, founded PFA with the idea that for one price, you can have multiple food adventures.

The kickoff food adventure is a multiple course dinner at a restaurant in which every course is paired with a beverage, and the chef will come out to chat with the group about the menu, his restaurant, and possibly more. It is meant as a much more interactive experience to learn about the people and philosophy behind the food then just dining at the restaurant. Then, the food adventures continue when you are given an envelope of gift certificates to try some of that particular chef’s favorite and recommended places to eat and drink in Portland!

Last week on February 5 I attended the latest in the series, A Portland Food Adventures wiith Chef Ben Bettinger , who currently has the role of Executive Chef at Laurelhurst Market. Along with Chef Ben’s move (he was previously at Imperial) comes craft cocktail man Kevin Ludwig, who provided pairings for the food that included cocktails as well as wine for the evening’s PFA.

From left to right, Chef Ben Bettinger, cocktail man Kevin Ludwig, and Portland Food Adventure/PFA founder Chris Angelus

The move to Laurelhurst Market is a reunion for Ben and Kevin as they had worked together to found Beaker and Flask and earned Willamette Week’s 2009 Restaurant of the Year a mere few months after opening. Laurelhurst Market is actually also now a Paley’s reunion special because not only have Ben and Kevin done stints at Paley’s Place, but so has the recently announced Patrick McKee who has joined in as sous chef. The news of Kevin and Patrick joining Ben’s party have only come out in the past 2 months, so many guests of the PFA including myself were looking to see a preview and insight on where these gentlemen think they will go with Laurelhurst Market.
From left to right, cocktail man Kevin Ludwig, Chef Ben Bettinger

The PFA event was held at Simpatica Dining Hall, which is co-owned by Laurelhurst Market’s David Kreifels. The benefit of this is that we had a private space all to ourselves.
Simpatica Dining Hall, set up for the Portland Food Adventure February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig dinner

Chris very carefully sets the table seating chart and labors over making sure everyone will enjoy their tablemates’ company as if each of these PFA events was a Rehearsal Dinner for a wedding and you are a dear friend that he wants to make sure meets other cool people.

Demonstrating more organization then some dinner events I have attended in Portland, the PFA events always have a printed menu. It’s great as it is a listing of all the courses and pairings so you know everything you are about to enjoy and can look forward to for the evening, you can take the menu back as a keepsake so you can remember all the deliciousness you just had, and possibly look for certain items if you choose to dine again at the chef’s restaurant.
Menu for the Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

Thanks to our private dining room, we started out with a 30 minute cocktail hour where everyone got to mingle and meet other PFA dinner guests. Smoked Salmon Rillette with Fennel and Citrus on Crostini were passed as a welcoming first bite.
Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall, started off with a little cocktail mingling with Grounded For Life by Kevin Ludwig and a smoked salmon rillette on crostini

Kevin Ludwig served up the cocktail Grounded For Life composed of Crater Lake Pepper Vodka (this vodka is infused with 5 different sweet and hot peppers), Cointreau, Fresh Celery Juice, Lime in a glass with a salted rim. I thought this drink was incredibly refreshing – it’s not spicy, more a balance of sweet and sour. I’ll also pretend with all its vegetables that it’s healthy and I don’t want to hear anything to the contrary.
Kevin Ludwig served up Grounded For Life composed of Crater Lake Pepper Vodka (this vodka is infused with 5 different sweet and hot peppers), Cointreau, Fresh Celery Juice, Lime in a glass with a salted rim

Eventually, we sat down in our assigned places and were treated to a Coffee Rubbed Beef Carpaccio with Oregon truffles, Grana Padano, and Pickled Onions, which were paired with 2013 Schloss Gobelsbuerg Gruner Veltliner from Austria.
Portland Food Adventures dinner with Chef Ben Bettinger 2/05/2015, Coffee Rubbed Beef Carpaccio with Oregon truffles, Grana Padano, and pickled onions, which were paired with 2013 Schloss Gobelsbuerg Gruner Veltliner from Austria

Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig as well as Chris Angelus welcomed us with a little introduction to themselves, with how the menu we were reading came about as a demonstration of the celebration of meat they are doing with Laurelhurst Market as well as influences from the past Beaker and Flask. They promised to overwhelm us.
Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

We were then treated to the incredible dish of Pan-seared Veal Sweetbread, Creamed Kale, Pickled Yellow Foot Chanterelles, and Sweet Onion Agrodolce which were a fun study in really different flavors from each individual component on the dish and trying to combine them together. This was paired with Kevin’s Norwegian Negroni cocktail with Krogstad Aquavit, Cynar, Sweet Vermouth, and Orange Oil.
Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall Pan-seared Veal Sweetbread, creamed kale, pickled Yellow Foot Chanterelles, and Sweet Onion Agrodolce course at Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

You can see what good spirits everyone was in already as we were poured bubbly in the form of Cantinae Di Clari C Sparkling Rose from Italy. This was to be paired with Grilled Pork Cheeks with Pickled Octopus, Braised Peppers and Onions, and Grilled Bread and Aioli. We’re not even at the main course yet.
Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

The main course was humongous, and was both impressive and intimidating to many but we were excited for the challenge. We worked together to pass the giant family style platters of the vegetables of Grilled Romaine with Salsa Verde and Feta and the meat that had Smoked Eye of Rib, Grilled Spinella, Braised Rib Tip Marmalade, and Roasted Bone Marrow. We were all feeling like family and friends as a group at this point. The wine pairing of Vina Olabarri Rioja Reserva 2005 was outstanding.
Grilled Romaine with Salsa Verde and Feta vegetable side at the main course for Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall Smoked Eye of Rib, Grilled Spinella, Braised Rib Tip Marmalade, and Roasted Bone Marrow as part of main course at Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

One of the things that was pretty fun was seeing people try new meats that they never had. We were exploring and learning something new this evening. Some guests were trying carpaccio, or sweetbread, or pork cheeks, for the very first time. All of us wondered together what was Cynar in the Norwegian Negroni or what is Spinella on the meat platter. Ben and Kevin came and helped us out.
Kevin Ludwig explains Cynar at Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

Cynar it turns out is an Italian bitter liqueur which has artichoke as a key ingredient, but doesn’t just take like artichoke – in fact it has an herbal slightly bitter sweet taste that is often mixed with orange juice – which is why it’s not a far step to put it in a Negroni with fresh orange oil. Also, it’s pronounced “Chigh-nar”.

Meanwhile, spinella is part of a ribeye cap that is a rare cut as it’s not often butchered into that piece, and combines the best of the fat of a ribeye with the tenderness of the tenderloin… sooo good.
Smoked Eye of Rib, Grilled Spinella, Braised Rib Tip Marmalade, and Roasted Bone Marrow as part of main course at Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

We were all super full at this point, and some of us said we would just take a few bites of the dessert, an Olive Oil Pound Cake with Orange Marmalade, Creme Fraiche, and Toasted Almonds. Oops, it turns out most of us at the whole thing it was so good that a few spoonfuls was not enough. This was paired with Coltibuono Vin Santo from Italy for a sweet ending.

And of course, don’t forget the promise of more food adventures with the gift certificates envelope! This PFA, guests were encouraged to try out Reverend’s BBQ, Raven and Rose, and Lardo. Ben raved about the Reverend’s BBQ burger, and the atmosphere and great drinks by David Shenaut at Raven and Rose.
The adventures continue with gift certificates to chef recommended spots at Portland Food Adventures February 5, 2015 featuring Chef Ben Bettinger and Kevin Ludwig at Simpatica Dining Hall

You can check here for upcoming events with Portland Food Adventures, and you can also get some insight into people and events in the Portland Food Scene by listening to the Portland’s Right at the Fork podcast which he helps host. You can also follow PFA at the Portland Food Adventures Facebook, or the Twitter handle @PortlandFoodAdv or Instagram @PortlandFoodAdv

The price of the tickets to a PFA dinner experience always include all food, drink, gratuity, and are inclusive of the value of the gift certificates you will receive to continue your adventures. The ability to interact with the chefs, as well as to meet and enjoy a meal with many other fellow food adventurers and all the fun conversations you have throughout dinner – completely unique and priceless.

Filed Under: Cocktails, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: Braised Rib Tip Marmalade, Chef Ben Bettinger, Coffee Rubbed Beef Carpaccio with Oregon truffles, creamed kale, Grana Padano, Grilled Pork Cheeks with pickled octopus, Grilled Romaine with Salsa Verde and Feta, Grilled Spinella, Grounded for Life Cocktail, Kevin Ludwig, Norwegian Negroni, Olive Oil Pound Cake with orange marmalade creme fraiche and toasted almonds, Pan-seared Veal Sweetbread, pickled Yellow Foot Chanterelles, portland food adventures, Right at the Fork podcast, Roasted Bone Marrow, Smoked Eye of Rib, Smoked Salmon Rillette with fennel and citrus on crostini, Sweet Onion Agrodolce, Vina Olabarri Rioja Reserva 2005

Dumpling Week 2015 Recap

February 5, 2015 by Pechluck 22 Comments

The Oregonian declared February 1-7 2015 to be dumpling week, and who am I to disagree? It’s been so full of food porn photos and articles, ranging from dumpling recipes you can make at home to how to eat around the world with 14 dumplings at various restaurants in Portland to even Gluten Free Dumplings.

And of course, there are also for this one special week, a Dumpling Passport you can fill out, collecting stickers from various restaurants in Portland who are offering dumpling specials for this week. Besides the eating of the dumplings themselves of course, some of the fun of Dumpling Week has also been running into other dumpling questers, as we compare notes on the dumplings we have eaten and our routes of dumpling eatings. Here is the list of the 19 Portland Restaurants and their Dumpling Dish.

And here’s my Dumpling Week Recap so far of where I’ve been:

Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint for $13. So melt in your mouth, I tried to savor each and every buttery dumpling and not inhale these all like Russian dumpling addict. I already love the normal dumplings on their menu (of all dumplings from around the world, I would pick Eastern European ones as my favorite- pierogi, varenky, pelmeni-, even over Asian dumplings) and these were the first ones I had to make sure I get because I knew they would be excellent.
Dumpling Week - Kachka offered a Lamb Pelmeni with adjika butter, smetana, cilantro and mint

Boxer Ramen‘s $5 dumpling week dish was Potstickers boiled in their mushroom broth and they are filled with pork, ginger and chives served with sprouts and pulverized kimchee and a garlic ponzu sauce. I went on Day 2 of these and more recent photos on social media swap the sprouts for pickled carrots. Be aware that Boxer is cash only and only the SW Stark location downtown, not the Alberta branch, is participating in Dumpling Week.
Boxer Ramen's $5 dumpling week dish was Potstickers boiled in their mushroom broth and they are filled with pork, ginger and chives served with sprouts and pulverized kimchee and a garlic ponzu sauce.

Mama Chow’s Kitchen, a food cart, is only open Monday – Friday for lunch and even arriving when they first opened there was a line 12 deep. Everyone was ordering dumplings, so try to get there early for the $7 pan seared version of the wontons that are usually in their wonton soup. Jeff Chow is thinking of keeping it as a regular offering on the menu though, if you want those chubby meaty dumplings but don’t want to deal with the extra crowd right now because of Dumpling Week. The wontons are Chicken and Taiwan Cabbage dumplings on a bed of baby green bok choy served with a spicy dipping sauce. This was one of the few dumpling offerings that came with vegetables, and combined with me also ordering their garlic noodles was a really satisfying lunch worth waiting for it to be made fresh right when I ordered it!
For dumpling week $7 Mama Chow Kitchen offered a pan seared version of their wontons from their standard wonton soup, these are Chicken and Taiwan Cabbage dumplings on a bed of baby green bok choy served with a spicy dipping sauce

Here’s the Dumpling week entry by Grassa for $12 of Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Porcinis, Mint, and House Pancetta. I’m glad that Grassa was concerned I may not be getting enough vegetables with Dumpling Week going on, so seemingly supplied a complimentary salad to go with these dumplings. They make them throughout the day, so even if they may run out during the lunch rush, go back during dinner because they may have made more by then.
Dumpling week entry by Grassa for $12 of Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Porcinis, Mint, and House Pancetta

Jenn Louis at Lincoln Restaurant went very upscale with her offering of Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon at $18. Malloreddus is a Sardinian word for gnocchi, and these dumplings are a cross between gnocchi and cavatelli pasta, but made with semolina that’s been steeped in saffron water, thus the color you see. While I was here I also had this INSANE dessert special of a Popcorn Panna Cotta with layers of popcorn panna cotta, creme fraiche, and caramel that just freaking incredible. I know some people are filling out their Dumpling Passports by doing a progressive meal with multiple dumpling restaurants (I certainly did that myself), but if you go to Lincoln you should just make it a one stop night because this is so rich that you won’t want to muddle the experience with other stops.
For dumpling week at $18 Lincoln Restaurant offered Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon.

For dumpling week Bollywood Theater‘s two locations offered a chicken/pork version or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. What you see below are the vegetarian momos because I needed a meat break – they are not vegan because they do have paneer in them with the veggies. Either choice is $8 and is served with radish slaw and spicy tomato chili sauce.
For dumpling week Bollywood Theater's two locations offered a chicken or vegetarian momos, steamed Nepalese dumplings found in Northern India. These are the vegetarian momos

Imperial went back to Chef Paley’s roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt. They are served with a little bowl so you can put a dollop of the yogurt in there and make sure to catch the drippings from this soupy meaty dumpling when you bite into/drink from it and eat that with a spoon so nothing is wasted. I turned them upside down in my hand to eat them so they were like a little cup and spooned the yogurt onto my bites as well. Messy but so homey and delicious.
Imperial went back to Chef Paley's roots in offering Khinkali for Dumpling Week. The $8 dish were 2 palm sized Georgian pork and beef dumplings with herb yogurt

Chef Gregory Gourdet’s winning shrimp dumplings from Top Chef are now at Departure for Dumpling Week, steamed and made with palm sugar, ginger and crispy shallot and those spicy Thai chilis were 3 for $11
Chef Gregory Gourdet's winning shrimp dumplings from Top Chef now at Departure for Dumpling Week, steamed and made with palm sugar, ginger and crispy shallot and those Spicy Thai chilis at $11

Next on my list (Updated 2/6/2015) is Kenny and Zuke’s to try dumplings from a different part of the world: Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of pastrami beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. Between the meat or vegetarian ones, I would recommend the vegetarian ones as the filling has more flavors. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price, and remember Kenny and Zuke’s is open from breakfast to dinner, unlike some of the other locations which are dinner only.
From Kenny and Zuke's for Dumpling Week are Fried kreplach, a traditional Jewish dumpling, filled with choice of beef or wild mushroom-leeks. They are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. You get six dumplings for the $8.75 price

You can go fancy with the Little Bird Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, lamb tongue, pea tendrils and fresh Oregon truffles. You can make it vegetarian by asking to hold the lamb tongue if you really need to. A little stingy with the truffles on my plate, but I’ve seen pics that have had twice or three times as many truffle shavings. They have this on their lunch as well as dinner menu, and it is priced at $17.
You can go fancy with the Little Bird Dumpling Week dish of Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, lamb tongue, pea tendrils and fresh Oregon truffles

Where have you eaten for Dumpling Week so far, if you have participated, and what has been your favorite dumpling? In general what are your favorite type of dumplings?

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Boxer Ramen, Chicken and Taiwan Cabbage dumplings, Crispy Semolina dumplings with Dungeness Crab, Departure, dumpling, Dumpling Week, dumplings, First Annual Dumpling Week PDX, Fried kreplach, Goat cheese gnocchi with mashed English peas, grassa, Imperial, Kachka, Kenny and Zuke's, Khinkali, lamb pelmeni, lamb tongue, Lincoln Restaurant, little bird, Mama Chow's Kitchen, momos, oregonian, pan seared wontons, pea tendrils and Oregon truffles, Popcorn Panna Cotta, potstickers, steamed shrimp dumplings

Las Vegas – South End of Strip

February 3, 2015 by Pechluck 8 Comments

For Travel Tuesday, I wanted to start a short series highlighting some Las Vegas hotels and casino resorts and what they have to offer. If you’ve never been to Vegas before, I hope to provide an overview of the personalities of each of the famous names you will see glittering at you on the famous Las Vegas strips.

During the daytime, I like having a decadent breakfast in Vegas and then taking a walk outside in the sunshine down the strip. Even though I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times already, I still like gazing at all the ostentatious architecture outside and admiring the ornate decor inside the casinos. Also, it’s a great way to exercise for all the eating I inevitably partake in here, and it’s fun people watching (I don’t particularly like gambling that much). For this particular trip that I’m writing about, I happened to have been staying at the south end of the strip, where the golden buildings of Mandalay Bay and the Delano are located.
Shiny gold of the Mandalay Bay and Delano A look at Luxor and Mandalay Bay from the Convention Center

Mandalay Bay is famously known for their beach. That’s right – sand, wave pools, cabanas, even beach concerts. If you come from late spring to mid autumn, and are a guest at Mandalay Bay, you should definitely visit the acres of sand and water here that are reminiscent of being in the Caribbean. Since I came in November, the Mandalay Beach was closed, but I had other options to choose from. Along with the water theme there is the Mandalay Shark Reef Aquarium to visit.

Inside Mandalay Bay is also the home to House of Blues offering a range of live music every day. In the evenings, you should consider checking out The Foundation Room, which used to be a members only club but now is open to the public as a steakhouse and a lounge with quite a view from the deck up at at the top of Mandalay Bay.
Selfie with the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas View from the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Inside the connecting hotel The Delano is the Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson One, and you can take a gander at some Michael Jackson memorabilia even if you don’t have a ticket to the show. In the restaurant row between the Mandalay Bay and The Delano you can find restaurants such as Aureole with its 4 story wine tower with “wine angels” that ascend and descend with ropes to retrieve wine bottles for all to see, Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar that has a huge burger menu that satisfies all diets (even vegan and vegetarian), and the Red Square Restaurant and Lounge with its literally cool Ice Bar with lots of vodka and caviar and other Russian bites and sips (check out their happy hour and Siberian nachos with caviar).
Selfie with The Delano in the background in Las Vegas Michael Jackson memorabilia inside the Delano

You can walk easily outside, take the complimentary monorail, or walk through a covered walkway/mall area between Mandalay Bay and that famous black pyramid of a casino, The Luxor. During the daytime, check out the Pharaoh in front of the pyramid and the Luxor Obelisk – it’s said that the shape of the pyramid and the obelisk are probably inspired by sunrise and sunset phenomenon. And, at night, when the beam of light from the top of the pyramid to the sky is unmistakable, think about it symbolizes zodiacal light or the sun pillar.
A bit of the Mandalay Bay, Delano, and Luxor whiel walking on the Las Vegas strip A look at the Delano and Luxor from the Convention Center Admiring the daytime view of the pyramid casino of the Luxor on the Las Vegas strip The Luxor and me in Las Vegas Admiring the daytime view of Luxor on the Las Vegas strip

A little bit of the inside of the Luxor
Inside the lobby inside the Luxor What is the lighted message telling me on this obelisk inside the Luxor? I have no idea

If you like dance choreography and modern music, and/or Backstreet Boys and N’Sync/boy bands but without the singing and more dancing, you might enjoy the Jaberwockeez show here. Also here at Luxor is magician Criss Angel. On the more museum front, there are exhibits on Bodies and Titanic.
Not enough time to see the Jaberwockeez, but I enjoyed watching their promotional video dance choreography

The last stop on the covered walkway and monorail connections between Mandalay Bay and the Luxor is to Excalibur. Similar to Luxor, Excalibur seems more family and value oriented than many casinos on the strip. In particular, Excalibur has a games section (Fun Dungeon) with arcade games, midway games, etc. and there’s a dinner show with royalty and jousting at Tournament of Kings. The other draw here is the fact that you may see a lot of groups of women here, especially bachelorette parties, because Excalibur is also the host to The Thunder From Down Under male revue show.
The outside of Excalibur in Las Vegas.

A bridge connects Excalibur to visit New York New York Casino. The best way to admire the little New York they’ve captured here is to walk along the outside, and then go inside and take the roller coaster! Their food court area mimics the streets of New York neighborhoods. Of course they have New York style pizza, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, a Shake Shack, all the ultimate American food.

Similar to Excalibur, New York New York also provides games for those with kids thanks to their arcade in addition to their roller coaster. There is a Hershey’s Chocolate World that includes some interactive experiences as well as of course selling all the Hersheys candy you can think of.
New York New York and that roller coaster that gives you the better tour than walking around! The city inside a casino at New York New York Casino in Las Vegas Replica of the famous Brooklyn Bridge on the boardwalk of New York New York casino New York New York skyline Lady Liberty at New York New York in Las Vegas Outside of New York New York Hershey's Chocolate World at New York New York Casino

Just across the street from New York New York and that Hershey’s Chocolate World is M&Ms World, if you can believe it, inside the Showcase Mall! So much chocolate and candy literally across the street from each other! At the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino next door to Showcase Mall, competing with the previously mentioned magician show of Criss Angel is a show by David Copperfield. The Cirque do Soleil show here is the show Ka as is the famous Garden Arena for championship boxing and other events. Vaguely educational is their CSI Experience that is interactive to have visitors 12+ solve crimes and earn a CSI Diplomat certificate.

For families visiting Vegas with tweens and teens, New York New York and MGM Grand might be a good fit.
MGM Grand in Las Vegas - lion MGM Grand in Las Vegas - Ka Dragon from the Ka Cirque du Soleil show

The last big highlight of the South Strip is that about a mile south of the Mandalay Bay is where you can visit the iconic Las Vegas sign. There is a small parking lot in the middle of the street for cars to park in order to get your photo op. There is sometimes a photographer here who might offer to take your photo with your camera – whoever they are is unofficial and looking for a tip. I arrived just moments before a huge tour bus pulled up, where each small group in the bus was taking a few photos so I snuck across the street for my selfie. Don’t forget to check out the back of the sign!
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign located on the South end of the Strip Back of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign located on the South end of the Strip

So far, all the hotels I’ve listed so far are all part of the M Life program. So if you are the type who also likes to gamble, and are thinking of visiting these casinos, you should consider joining M Life to earn rewards at all the participating casinos, which include these and 8 more!

Next week for Travel Tuesday, I’ll share the breakfast I had before this walk, and then continue highlighting Las Vegas casinos and some eats as well on the strip as I continued my strolling on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Have you been to any of these casino resorts that I’ve mentioned so far? Do you have a favorite or preferred of this list?

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Hotels at the South End of Strip: Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, and MGM Grand and what each offers in terms of feel
A look at some of the breakfast options at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano, including juice, Doughssant, bacon cheddar biscuits, and Pecan Raisin French Toast
Take a little trip to Europe with the offerings and recommendations for free stops in the Middle of the Las Vegas Strip like Paris, Caesar’s, and the Bellagio properties. Did I mention they are all free, and include the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain?
Photos recapping my lunch at Giada Las Vegas inside the Cromwell, including the G signature cocktail, flatbread with pesto, burrata, grilled cheese, gelato
Art Walking Tour at The Shops at Crystals and Aria, Las Vegas, including Gallery Row with Richard MacDonald and Dale Chihuly to the various art in Crystals and Aria
The garnishes of the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas are outrageous, ranging from bacon, onions rings, sliders and corn dogs to chicken wing!
My tour of The Wynn in Las Vegas, including details on The Lake of Dreams, Parasol Down, the Conservatory, Jeff Koons sculptures, and Le Reve The Dream show
Lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesar’s Las Vegas of Shanghai Wave cocktail, Sichuan Dan Dan Mein Spring Noodles, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and Lamb Pancakes
Steampunk restaurant of Rx Boiler Room by Mandalay Bay brings an opportunity for a cocktail from a crystal skull

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: #lasvegas, #traveltuesday, Foundation Room Las Vegas, Free guide vegas, Free Vegas, Hershey's Chocolate World at New York New York Casino, Las Vegas, Las Vegas children, Las Vegas hotels, Las Vegas sign, Las Vegas teens, Las Vegas tweens, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, New York New York Casino, south strip Las Vegas, South Strip vegas, The Delano, Travel Tuesday, walking tour vegas, Walking Vegas

Tasty and Alder Highlights

Breakfast at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano

Portland Food Adventures Ben Bettinger at Simpatica

Dumpling Week 2015 Recap

Las Vegas – South End of Strip

Recent Posts

About Pech

Sponsored Ad

Categories

Archives

Legalese

More Content!

Meta