#traveltuesday Archives - Page 13 of 13 - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Las Vegas – Middle of the Las Vegas Strip aka a Fake Trip to Europe

February 17, 2015 by Pechluck 30 Comments

I consider the area with the Bellagio, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, Venetian and the Wynn to be the middle of the Las Vegas strip. In a previous post, I covered starting by Mandalay Bay and walking up to New York New York after a breakfast at Della’s Kitchen. That leaves us now walking past the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino where I always mention The Pub (“Food You Can’t Forget, Drinks You Can’t Remember” “Eat Like a King, Drink Like the Village Idiot”) as an option for visitors looking for a big beer menu.
Monte Carlo in Las Vegas The Pub in the shopping mall area by Monte Carlo- Food You Can't Forget, Drinks You Can't Remember

You can even get some beer tasting flights here at The Pub, particularly one of local beers from Sin City Brewing and Tenaya Creek Brewery. Sin City Brewing also has some small beer bars in a few locations on the Strip, or you can try it here with many other beers from other breweries. Of course in Las Vegas, I can come through with some local beer options for you! Their beers also show up on some of the beer menus at various places all over the Strip, so if you in the mood for a beer check out the list and see if a local beer might be available.
Tenaya Creek Brewery Calico Brown Ale

You can to walk through the Crystals, where there is a stop you can also make at Aria (or ride on through the monorail from Monte Carlo, through Crystals, to Bellagio). I happened to have spent quite a bit of time there in the Crystal Shops so I’m going to save that as a separate post. Instead, I’m going to point out that at this point, starting with Monte Carlo, and the rest of the casinos I’m about to cover, you are about to be transported from North America (as represented by MGM Grand and New York New York) or the faux historical themed Excalibur and Luxor. The trio of Bellagio. Paris, Caeser’s Palace and Venetian is essentially your fake trip to Europe you can go on while visiting Las Vegas. Let’s follow that theme… so onto from Monte Carlo and Monaco to the capital of France, that city of lights Paris!

I always enjoy visiting Paris Hotel and Casino. I’ve never actually been to France, so I can’t say how good it is as at representing France or Paris, but I’ll take what I can.
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
At Paris, the most obvious attraction is the Eiffel Tower. You can buy tickets to go up this half scale replica, but I like to recommend dining al fresco at Mon Ami Gabi (it’s the red awning you see in part of one of my photos). They are open from breakfast to dinner, including having a kids menu and gluten-free and vegetarian options so perfect for everyone at a better value than everyone going up the tower. Instead, pretend to be eating on the streets of Paris with a glass of French wine from their cart and pate or escargot, or a bananas foster crepe. My friend from Urban Bliss Life visited and had a great meal here – check out her photos as well as other recommendations here mid-strip!
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
If it’s too busy or too chilly for you to eat al fresco, go inside the casino as they have a few cafes in an area that mimics sidewalks in Paris and you can grab crepes from Le Creperie, or baguettes and croissants at JJ’s Boulangerie or Cafe Belle or Le Café Ile St Louis. If you feel like lounging and a drink, there’s a champagne bar with dueling pianos in the evening. Besides the obvious chance to gamble, these are the highlights I think of visiting Paris Casino, and visit both during the day to see the detail and at night to see the City of Lights effect.
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Ready to continue on to another part of Europe? How about the glamour of Caesar’s Palace and the height of the Greek and Roman empire time period just across the street?
Exterior of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Fountains just outside Caesars Palace

Some of the best shopping (well, for me, window shopping) is here in the Forum Shops and a huge 3 story H&M. At the end of the mall by where the Cheesecake Factory is, the statues at the fountain come to life telling the story of the Fall of Atlantis with animatronics and fire for a free 10 minute show (you should come early in order to find a good spot to stand) that plays every hour on the hour at 11 AM – 11 PM and is totally family-friendly. And free. There’s also a large aquarium here with feedings twice a day. If you have kids that are tweens or under, this could be a fun surprise. For more details on those activities fellow blogger Meagan as some info at her post Mommy Travels Caesers Palace Forum Shops
Caesar's Palace The Forum Shops area, Exterior fountain Inside Caeser's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas

Besides the various headliner concerts shows and other events that also are held at Caesar’s, you might also consider visiting the newly redesigned Bacchanal Buffet that features more than 500 items and is rumored to be one of the new best buffets at Vegas. I didn’t have the room during my short stay to eat there, but I was fascinated how they have kiosks by the entrance where you can input your party size and print out a ticket so you know when to return to queue up – a bit of a combination of a FastPass at theme parks, but for a buffet.

You can also actually get into Rao’s here, unlike the Italian original iconic outpost in New York, and there are also restaurants by famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Guy Savoy, Bobby Flay, and there’s a Nobu here too. Similar to my previous post on the South end of the strip where I highlighted a lot of food options at Mandalay Bay, when it comes to the middle of the strip if you are a foodie there are a lot of options at Caesar’s.

Now that you’ve seen all the gold and marble of the ostentatious Caesar’s, let’s up the luxury with a trip to Italy via the Bellagio. Let’s get this out of the way – the famous fountain shows play every 15 minutes starting at 8 PM to midnight everyday, but also during the day every 30 minutes starting at 3 PM on weekdays and at noon on weekends and holidays. There’s more than 2 dozen songs with routines that the fountains might play, and you never know what they will run. I’ve already seen them at night so I didn’t take any photos this visit, but you can see even during the daytime the fountains can be mesmerizing to watch.
The fountains of the Bellagio

The other famous attraction at the Bellagio are the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which are updated with new themes every few months. The website has the various seasonal themes and dates for when they change the themes.Similar to the fountains, they are free to visit, and probably take about 10-15 minutes to walk through. The gardens are open 24 hours every day of the week. Here are some examples of how the garden appeared for the Autumn Harvest theme in Fall 2014.
Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme.

The last photos are showing the floral arrangement modeled after Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork Red Tree, Yellow Sky of 1952.

Another reason to go inside the Bellagio? There’s also the obligatory admiration and selfie with the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby. You can also see some great sculptures of the human form in the gallery of The Art of Richard MacDonald by the O theater lobby
obligatory admiration of the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby in Las Vegas

Mee!
obligatory admiration and selfie with the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby

But, that’s not the only reason you should visit. Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio happens to also be the home of the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). The fountain of liquid chocolate includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, over 500 feet of stainless steel piping, with 2 tons of chocolate at a rate of 120 quarters per minute rising up 27 vertical feet. And it’s free to see!
Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas

To complete your trip to Italy, go back across the street and walk inside the Venetian with its “canals of Venice” inside. The wandering and window shopping and people watching are free – the food, drinks, and buying things of course are priced individually. 🙂
Exterior of the Venetian at the Las Vegas

Have you ever done a “trip to Europe” in Vegas, and if so which “European casino stop” is your favorite? If you haven’t been, which one do you think interests you the most?

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: Beer Review, Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: #traveltuesday, Animatronic Show Caesar's, Bellagio Autumn Harvest, Bellagio Autumn Harvest 2014, Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Bellagio Fountains, Bellagio Gardens, Caesar's Forum Shops, Caesar's Palace, Caeser's Palace, Fall of Atlantis at Caesar's Palace Forum Shops, Fiori di Como, free guide Las Vegas, Free show, Jean Philippe Patisserie, Las Vegas, liquid chocolate, Mon Ami Gabi Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Paris Hotel and Casino, sights in Vegas, The Pub, walking tour vegas, World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

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

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

Beer on Rainey Street in Austin, Texas

January 27, 2015 by Pechluck 4 Comments

I’ve decided to once in a while try and participate in #TravelTuesday, where on Tuesdays I will try to share some travel tips of places I’ve visited. I’m sure you won’t be surprised if a lot of the travel tips comprise of deliciousness in the form of food and drink.

I always seek out local when I travel. That’s certainly true of food, and the next thing I look for tends to be beer. When I was on a brief couple day stay in Austin, Texas for work, I picked out a hotel that was walkable to Rainey Street on purpose. I was fortunate in that my co-worker let me pick where to go, and we were off to two specific places I had in mind, and we knew and agreed that the goal was local beer.
Twisted X Senor Viejo, a beer I enjoyed at Craft Pride Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, Texas: Brewdog Paradox Smokehead, where Smokehead Whisky is infused into the beer to add atlantic smoke, peat, and oak to the flavors of roasted toffee of the Imperial Stout. 10 % ABV, from Fraserburgh, Scotland

The first stop was called Craft Pride. It’s very casual – they only serve food if you count going to the back patio and going to the pizza truck there as “food service”. You may see a little sandwich board with a beer joke out on what barely qualifies as the sidewalk of Rainey street, so don’t bother wearing heels on this street.
Craft Pride, serving all and only beer crafted in Texas A beer joke at Craft Pride

The main attraction here is the beer chalkboard above the bar, which boast all and only local beers. You go up to the bar to order, and you can feel free to ask them for recommendations which may result in getting a little taste or two before investing in a full glass.
Almost 50 beers up on the board at Craft Pride beer bar, serving all beer and only beer crafted in Texas

A closeup of the menu options categorized as Outside the Box at Craft Pride:

You can also get small pours to make your own beer flight.
Taster tray at Craft Pride, Austin

It definitely does have a very local feel, which I loved, down to the granola-y tattooed bartenders during my two visits (I couldn’t try all those beers, even sharing with my co-worker, in one visit) and chatting at the bar with other beer drinkers about Portland and Austin and in general craft beers. Although they are very Texas proud, there is no beer douchery or snobbery here – it’s all a friendly community – unless you come in here trying to ask for cocktails and shots. Go down the street to another place bros.

We got hungry and needed to eat, and wanted something besides just pizza. So the next stop I had was only a few minutes walk down further on Rainey street to Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden. The size of Banger’s is probably twice the size of Craft Pride on the inside, and four times as big of an outside patio, including a little doggie-care gated area and an actual stage for the live music they host.
Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, Texas

If you love beer, you will probably be like me where these two places are enough of a stop already and you will be unable to visit anymore. That’s because both stops of Craft and Banger’s have a HUMONGO beer selection – in truth you could just stay at one beer bar if you wanted. To give you an idea, Banger’s has 100 beers to choose from, and Craft’s board had almost 50 beers. In particular, Banger’s Seasonal and Limited Beers impressed me with beers I had never seen in Portland or other cities and I cursed a little bit that I was nearing my liver limit for the day (particularly after I ordered the Brewdog Paradox Smokehead, where Smokehead Whisky is infused into the beer to add atlantic smoke, peat, and oak to the flavors of roasted toffee of the Imperial Stout at 10 % ABV, from Fraserburgh, Scotland).
Example of some of the Banger's Seasonal and Limited Beers

But when it comes down to the menu, I really loved the options at Banger’s, which also happens to, as they advertise at least, have the largest sausage selection in Austin. I wish we had come to Banger’s for a second time during my trip (we went to another beer place that I was not as impressed with and will not mention here) because there is more on the menu I wanted to try, and I definitely plan to come back here again. To give you an idea, during our visit we ordered the

Dak Bulgogi (Bulgogi Chicken Sausage topped with sriracha, kimchi, oyster sauce, cilantro, carrots, and jalapenos on a kolache bun with a side of soy caramel lime and house made kimchi salad and sun dried shrimp chips),
Drunk Chicken (sausage with beer, Serrano peppers, red pepper flakes, cilanto, and more beer),
Jalapeno Mac and Cheese with Cheddar, manchego, jalapeños, bread crumbs, and bacon lardons, and
Fried Cheese Curds (Wisconsin cheese curds breaded & fried, served with a side of Olaf Sauce).

Other options that tempted me included Turducken (sausage with Turkey Duck and Chicken), they even had TWO veggie sausage options alone (one of which was a Beet and Goat cheese veggie sausage) with the 4 traditional and 6 exotic/wild game sausage options (including a Duck Bacon and Fig, or a South Texas Antelope and Venison Merguez), and that was not all the menu offerings either like Fried Chicken, Jalapeno Cream Corn with Onion Gratin, a Housemade Snickers Ice Cream Jar…
Sausage options at Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, Texas Example chicken sausage options at Banger's, Austin Texas

I highly highly recommend both these places if you are in Austin and looking to try some local beer. I know I can’t wait to go back to these two places whenever I’m back in Austin next! The hotel we stayed at was the simple but comfortable Holiday Inn Austin-Town Lake Austin, which was very conveniently walkable to Rainey Street but affordable, and close to highways for our other business. Other hotels nearby include the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown, and Radisson Downtown among others in the walkable vicinity.

Have you ever been to Austin, and if so did you try any local Texas beer there?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Travel Tagged With: #traveltuesday, Austin, Austin Beer, Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden, beer, Bulgogi Chicken Sausage, Craft Beer, Craft Pride beer bar, Dak Bulgogi, Drunk Chicken, Fried Cheese Curds, Jalapeno Mac and Cheese, local beer, Rainey Street, support local, Texas, Texas beer

Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Asukasa, Harajuku, Shibuya

March 18, 2012 by Pechluck 1 Comment

The next morning I waded through the crowds cheering on the Tokyo Marathon to go to an area of the city called Asukasa. There, my goal was to see Kaminarimon Gate- bright red colored gate with its 100 kg (220 lb) lantern in the middle- as well as what was past its gate, Sensoji temple. The path to the temple from the gate is Nakamise Dori- a temple market pedestrian walkway lined on both sides with tiny stall after tiny stall, many owned by the same family for generations.

On my way to the main temple, I was drawn in by the bunnies and the cuteness of this one pink stall. They are selling some sort of treat on a stick…skewered sticky round balls rolled in some sort of powder that you had to eat all three at the same time because they were sorta glutinous. When I took my first bite I tried to just eat one ball and it stretched and popped some of the powder into the air onto my coat… and in the air and slight breeze towards other people. Oops. That’s when I noticed how everyone else was eating by putting the whole thing in their mouth. For an additional 100 yen have some warm sweet sake too to wash down the powder.

More treats for sale on Nakamise dori, a pedestrian lane leading to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Lots of local snacks and little things to buy. I wanted to try ningyo-yaki (red bean-filled buns moulded into various shapes using iron pans over a fire) but they came in too many pieces for me to buy and then find out I didn’t like it. I did like watching them make it though- there were two stalls that I found showcasing the man pouring in the dough, adding the bean, and then pouring more dough on top and then placing on the small flames- he was super fast!

I did get what you see below, a bean paste filled sesame bun thing I ate… I guess it is called manju?

I’m a bit of a lemming when I’m exploring- there was a long line at one stall when I passed by, and then on the way back there still was a long line… so I got in line too for whatever treat this was. Famous meatball place apparently- and the fried meatball patty thing was very juicy and tasty. It was so juicy it dripped on my scarf a little bit as I was eating it nom nom nom nom nom

After visiting the temple, and then off to the Meiji shrine, I headed to Takeshita Dori, the teenage fashion street of Harajuku. After seeing several girls walking by me with crepes, and then a long line of crepe waiting peeps… yes, I got in line. I decided to go with the one in the first row third over- strawberry strawberry. I found out what it was called because someone else ordered it and the crepe guy called it out, fortunately… their plastic displays and posters had no discernible numbers to order with. I did do a double take on one type of offering though. Uh what, you put a whole cheesecake slice in there and then surround it with whipped cream!?

You would think after this that I would be sick of being in crowds, but I had another stop after a quick nap (and to rest my feet). When it got dark, I headed on the train to Shibuya Crossing, the nicknamed Times Square of Tokyo for both its busy traffic of commuters day and night and multiple bright screens flashing to advertise to them. After walking through the crosswalk in the herds a few times, I then spent 30 minutes wandering lost but admiring the many neon signage everywhere until I found my goal. I went to Coco Curry House for dinner where I got level 4 heat curry with chicken katsu and mushroom. Thanks for your tips baby J!