Restaurants « eatingRD.com

August 15, 2009

food experience of all time

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Restaurants — Kristen :) @ 12:59 am

I think Marrakech is one of those places that you don’t go just to eat, but enjoy the incredible experience and ambiance that goes along with it.

The first time we went to Marrakech was with a Christmas gift card we received from Chris’ dad and step mom. Boy were we impressed! We practically giggled in amazement as each course came out and the belly dancers jiggled all over the room. The second time we came was last year for our 2nd anniversary. And of course they wowed us again! Last night we went back with Chris’ dad and step mom to celebrate their retirement and also their new cabin they will be retiring to in Colorado soon. While we are so happy for them, Chris and I are going to miss them terribly. They are so cool to hang out with for soon-to-be in-laws! They like wine, food and having a good time. They will be surely missed, but it will be fun to visit! We’re hoping we can make it up there for Thanksgiving.

I just wanted to share with you some of the experience. This place is terrible for pictures because the lighting is very dark, but it’s still pretty neat. If you have one in your area or ever get a chance to go I would highly recommend it!

Here is the 6 course menu as you enter:

There is Moroccan style shrimp scampi, lentil soup, marinated vegetables with hummus, kebabs of filet mignon, cous cous platter with vegetables and game hens, and of course pastilla for dessert!

There were four of us and we even took home some leftovers. This place is well worth the price tag because it is delicious! I would also recommend bringing a few extra dollar bills to tip the dancers 🙂

Here is a view from the inside. Everything is covered in gorgeous fabric with Moroccan flair, plates and antique type items adorn the walls, and you sit at short tables close to the ground. As you step into the curtains, it’s like your going to another realm. Wait, am I still in Vegas??

I love this picture, it looks like the light is enveloping the walls of fabric like fire. . .

Everything was lit by mostly candlelight . . . very romantic! but terrible for food pictures.

Tiny tables and chairs!

The waiter came and asked for our drinks, and then washed our hands in rosewater! This smells so floral and fragrant and made my hands feel so soft. It’s also a plus because most of the courses are eaten with your fingers.

We had a wonderful Moroccan wine with dinner called Amazigh. It’s a very easy red, like a merlot and very fruity. We can’t find this anywhere in Las Vegas! It was $35/bottle, dang restaurant mark-up, but it’s still cheaper than getting it by the glass. We ordered two bottles. Let me remind you that Chris’ dad and step mom really can hold their liquor! I had about 1.5 glasses throughout the two hour dinner 🙂 Oh yes, and plan at least 2 hours because there is much food, conversation and belly-dancing to be had!

First course was shrimp scampi in the most wonderful garlic, butter and parsley sauce, along with some great bread to dip! I had 4 shrimp and 1/2 slice of bread. I was trying to pace myself!

Second course was lentil soup that you drink and hold the bowl in your hands. This is so good, but I only had about 1/4 of it. I get sooo full on soup very easily.

Third course is my favorite!!!! Marinated vegetables with hummus! Oh my gosh I love how they makes this. The veggies are slightly crunchy, slightly blanched and enveloped in a wonderful sweet/ tangy vinaigrette. Yum! The marinated beets were so good. There were also carrots, cucumber, onions, maters, and olives. I had a good portion of this one 🙂

Fourth course was filet mignon kebobs in a giant pineapple! What a presentation, eh? It was weird I wasn’t feeling the meat at all. I actually felt the veggies all tasted better than the meat. Don’t get me wrong, all the big carnivores at the table were very happy 🙂

Fifth course was cornish game hens with veggies and cous cous. Yum! The meat was so tender, but I loved the carrots and butternut squash. There were also raisins in the cous cous which I love.

Next came the mint tea! They pour it from way up high and manage not to spill it everywhere. I love mint tea after dinner because it really helps to aid digestion, but this one is a bit sweet for my taste.

For dessert we had a pastilla they call it. It’s basically phyllo dough wrapped around warm apples, nuts and cinnamon and topped with a lot of powdered sugar and more cinnamon. This is not my kind of dessert, unless of course it came a la mode 🙂 But it was really good and not too sweet.

This was such a great experience and I’m sure Chris and I won’t be able to go back here for awhile. So yummy!

Do you have a favorite restaurant ‘experience’ that just blew you away? I’d love to hear!!

Comments (0)

August 14, 2009

happy camper take 2

Filed under: Blog,My Travels,Restaurants — Kristen :) @ 5:05 am

After getting home from Bryce, Chris happily went to making the fire while I got things ready for breakfast the next morning.

We bought some more fire wood on the way back, but it wouldn’t be enough for a night and a morning fire, so we decided to make breakfast that night and just have leftovers from the mondo chicken pot pie we made the night before. Leftovers are the best!

Chris loves making fires! It’s like his manly duty or something. Me man, me make fire haha We also had some more s’mores of course!

The next morning we huddled in our tent until the sun started to peek out with its enveloping warmth since we didn’t have a fire. I just wrapped the breakfast burritos in foil with some mozzarella cheese and placed them on the propane stove (I know this is cheating, but shhh!) It was really great and easy since the eggs were already made!

After breakfast we packed up all our gear (not fun) and headed to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Another breathtaking view! Nature is just absolutely amazing to me, how something so beautiful can exist in this world.

Doesn’t it look like a fake background almost??

There were beautiful wild flowers everywhere, although one of the camp hosts told us that the best season for them is the first 3 weeks in July when they’re really in bloom. For lunch we went towards Brian Head and grabbed a quick turkey and avocado sandwich at a deli there, but the guy wasn’t very nice at all and the sandwich wasn’t anything special.

We drove up to a point called Brian Head Peak. Boy, this was amazing too! You could see everything from up there. It was really scary because there were sheer drop offs from all sides. Crazy!

Our last 2-mi hike was called Spectra Point. Again, more drop-offs! No pets are allowed on this one, and I can see why, yikes! Looking over heights like that makes my stomach drop.

Then it was off to the B&B! Woo-hoo! I can’t tell you how I was looking forward to getting a nice shower and being able to actually sleep through the night on a cushy bed.

It was just as we had remembered! We got the Oceanside room this time, and it was really nice. We had dinner reservations at a place right across the street called Garden House that we also went to last time.

They have a cute little gazebo in the back, and Chris and I were kind of thinking this would be great for a wedding? I think they can fit 100 people in the back too. On the right is the inside the dining room. Everything is mission style, very rustic and cozy.

When we were just about to head over another couple who was going to eat there said the restaurant had lost their liquor license or something and we couldn’t have wine with dinner . . . what?! Blasphemy!!

So they offered some of their La Crema Chard to share with us at the B&B before dinner. Wow! This is a good one, very balanced, buttery and not too oaky. I don’t like heavy, oaky chards that hide the fruit. I like the butta baby and this one was great! I was so sad to not have wine with dinner, but the company and food definitely made up for it 🙂

For an appetizer we had the baked brie with fruit and cranberry compote. Wow! Cranberries and brie is such a great combo!

We devoured this dish. I am going to have to try to recreate this one!

I decided on the mustard-dill glazed salmon and Chris had the Chicken Marsala. Oh I love salmon! I always try to get this at restaurants if I can because I can’t really buy it that often. It was absolute perfection! It also came with a side salad. The veggies on the side were good as well, but the salmon stole the show. I also had a few bites of Chris’ dish, but it was very rich with just a little heavy cream.

We decided to hold off on dessert because our pants were about to explode and Nan, the innkeeper, had some chocolate cake waiting for us hehe We just walked across the street after dinner and sat out on the back porch and watched the sun go down.

The temperature was absolutely perfect, not to hot and not too cold. The chocolate cake was not the absolute best I’ve had, but yummy. I could only eat about 3/4ths of mine, along with another small glass of chardonnay 🙂 As the temperature got a little cooler we had some decaf mint green tea and went back to the room and watched Hairspray. I just love that movie! Although I did fall asleep halfway through it. I can’t watch movies in bed because I just zonk out no matter what.

The next morning breakfast was ready for us at 8:30am. It was just like being at home, so quaint and cozy, although there are a bunch of people that you don’t know around 🙂 But very nice I might add. We started with yummy smoothies in a martini-type glass, along with fresh fruit (I had 1/2), a sausage patty (I had 1/2) and this amazing frittata type thing she called feather bed eggs. The egg thingie was my favorite. It was so moist with a thin layer of some kind of bread, eggs and sun-dried tomatoes mixed in with oregano on top. Yum! I also had a slice of a pumpkin cream cheese roll. Chris was in love with this from the last time so he had about 3 slices!

We didn’t want to leave! We just walked around Cedar City for a little while and perused the little shops. After checking out we packed up and headed home to reality. Such a wonderful trip all in all I must say 🙂 Where did the summer go?

What’s your favorite trip on a budget? Any frugal vacation ideas just to get away?

Comments (0)

July 17, 2009

Nawlins recap and lots of pictures

Filed under: Blog,Fitness/Health,My Travels,Restaurants — Kristen :) @ 12:19 am

I can’t keep track of the days lately and my trip to New Orleans just flew by! The summer in general is just slipping from my grasp it seems, moving closer and closer to the start of school once again. I really had a wonderful trip and met some great people. The conference was really interesting and gave me a new insight into nutrition education that I had never quite thought about before. Here are all the sessions that I attended:

Using Technology to Engage Captive and Fleeting Audiences
Convenience vs. Conviction
Teaching the World to Fish: Strategies to Create Global Food Security
Deconstructing a Possible Hunger-Obesity Paradox
Communicating Healthy Options Down the Street and Around the World
How to Write a Grant and Get Results
USDA Demonstration Project and Local Wellness Policies

I had never looked in-depth to global food insecurity issues before, so it was pretty interesting. There were so many great professionals there and it was nice to network and meet some of them. Here is the poster that we presented at the conference.

A little Mardi Gras Fun!

One morning session we got to try samples from Kashi, yum!

I really liked that cocoa beach flavor on the left.

And of course, while a good portion of the time was spent in the conference sessions, there was still some time for play and savoring the amazing food of New Orleans. I loved all the fresh seafood! It was to die for. I think I had more seafood in that week that I’ve had in a long time! lol

This was at a place called Deannie’s . . . crabcake stuffed flounder

This was at a place called Snug Harbor, which is also where we saw some great jazz . . . salmon with a multigrain pilaf and sauvingon blanc

A local favorite . . .

I had a shrimp po boy at Mother’s . . . still wanted to try that ham.

Had to go to Cafe du Monde to get a beignet with mounds of powdered sugar!

Had to try one of Nawlin’s famous Hurricanes, but it’s really sweet!

Also had some crab cakes, but the remoulade sauce was a bit too rich for me. I also had gumbo (oh man!), BBQ shrimp (so good!) and good ol’ pralines. Their food is just phenomenal, a little spicy for my tongue, but so good. I love trying local cuisine, and there was so much more I could have tried!

I didn’t get to see any of the areas that were hard hit by Katrina, but mostly spent time along Decatur St. and Bourbon St. in the French Quarter. We went to a couple jazz clubs too, which was so much fun. I really enjoy jazz music. We went dancing and bar hopping on Bourbon the last night there. I LOVE dancing, just love it. I think I could dance all night long. Well, 3 am came and I was pooped and had a bit too much to drink! Now I am working on correcting my sleep deprivation for the past 5 days lol

A view from the hotel . . .

Sunny and muggy, but nothing like the Vegas heat. I actually don’t mind humidity, it makes my skin soft and hair curly 🙂

Jackson Square on the left and famous bourbon st. on the right. Wow, even being from Vegas, I was surprised by things on this street lol.

And this is my new favorite word 🙂

I had such a great time! Now I have to get back to reality and get cookin’. I’ve missed you all while I’ve been gone. I’ll be sure to get caught up on all your great blogs asap.

What is one of your most memorable or most fun trips?

Comments (8)

March 27, 2009

unexpected treat

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Restaurants — Tags: wine, yogurt — Kristen :) @ 4:07 am

Today was a pretty uneventful day. I didn’t have class, or any other pressing obligations, so it was the usual work schedule for me. I was planning on going home and making some din din when Chris called me and told me that his dad and step mom wanted to take us out to dinner! Going out is such a treat for us, especially since we almost always eat in and make our own creations. They had planned on taking a flight today out to Colorado to visit their cabin being built, but because of the bad weather there, they spent a good part of the day in the airport trying to catch flights. So they finally decided to wait till tomorrow (fingers crossed), and decided to have a nice dinner.

We went to a place called Casa di Amore (House of Love if I had to guess?). It’s an American Italian eatery that has a neat ambiance . . . low lights, candles, and even a crooner named George Bugati that sings all kinds of lounge/jazz type songs. It’s a really great place to hang out, relax and enjoy some yummy food and music. It’s a bit on the pricey side for us, so it’s more of a special occasion type place.

I decided on the Chicken Caprese, complete with grilled chicken (I’m sure it had a light breading on it), buffalo mozzarella, thick tomatoes and a sprinkling of fragrant basil. It also came with a side of broccoli, roasted red peppers and pasta. Entirely too much of course! But, I took home about half to have for lunch tomorrow, leftovers yay! I also had a glass of chianti (pictured above). It was such a nice wine, and I believe pretty reasonable too. It was fruity, and although the body wasn’t too full, it had a very nice finish. I think this may be my go-to wine for awhile 🙂

Gotta love that candlelight setting . . .

Afterwards, we tried a place called Yofrutto near UNLV, where they pile any kind of toppings you like on top of plain frozen yogurt. I love the slight twang this stuff has! This wasn’t as good as Red Mango, and the kiwi weren’t quite ripe, but it was very refreshing and light. A perfect ending to an unexpected treat! Sooo glad it’s Friday tomorrow!

Do you like things to be unexpected or are you a more planning oriented person with your day mapped out by the minute?

Comments (0)

February 22, 2009

a day of friendship and pampering

Filed under: Blog,Fitness/Health,Restaurants — Tags: sandwich, tea — Kristen :) @ 12:57 am

Sometimes it’s nice to just have part of the day for taking care of one’s self and catching up with a great friend. This week proved to be overwhelming for both of us in many ways, and getting a pedicure and grabbing some lunch was just the thing we both needed to relax, feel good about ourselves and just have a good laugh and some conversation.

There is a great salon called Signature Nails on Horizon Ridge, where a pedicure is only $20 (without gratuity, of course). This time I also tried the paraffin wax hand treatment ($6) and it was divine! It made my skin feel like a baby’s bum!

Kristen also decided to get a manicure as well. This place rocks, and they massage your feet for what seems like an eternity. Most places just slather on the lotion and that’s it. I went for a spring color since it’s warming up here, yay sunshine! (at least for a few days)

After our pampering session, we decided to go to this cute little place called Espresso on Eastern and 2-15. This place has such a great vibe with that small town feel you would never usually find in Vegas, even though it is a chain. And look at that mural! Wow, I want that in my place 🙂 It’s a great place to hang out, chat with friends, use the free Wi-Fi and even play some board games! They feature many great and simple menu items for breakfast and lunch, not to mention the best Illy coffee concoctions.

My personal favorite hot drink is the kyoto tea. Hello reflection! It comes in a cute little tea pot and it has the most wonderful flavor. It tastes like nutty, buttery popcorn . . . yep, that’s right! And look at the surprise we got when we lifted the cups! So delish and comforting.

We decided to split the chicken panini. It was amazing! Inside there is thinly grilled chicken breast, pesto, sundried tomatoes and gooey mozzarella all pressed between heavenly rosemary focaccia. On the side they also gave us some sunchips and a balsamic-olive oil combo, but we didn’t eat too much of those. It was the perfect lunch to enjoy with a great friend. What I love about this place is that after we finished eating we just sat around and talked and didn’t have to worry about being rushed like a normal restaurant. It was great!

Do you have a favorite local place that is always great to go to and is like no other?

Comments (0)

January 31, 2009

pasta shop

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Restaurants — Tags: pasta, wine — Kristen :) @ 7:01 am

I’ve been wanting to eat at the pasta shop for ages now, because they supply a lot of the fresh pasta for the casinos and restaurants in Vegas. Talk about going to the source! If you are ever near Tropicana and Eastern in Vegas, you HAVE to give this restaurante a try. It’s seating area is not very big, so it would be advisable to make reservations in advance. Dishes are in the price range from 12.95-23.95, but are worth every penny. Wow, the depth and dynamic flavors of their dishes are out of this world. It’s your traditional pasta comfort food, but soooo much better and authentic.

For an appetizer we decided to try their artichoke special. This is very traditional Italian food. I usually wouldn’t order this, but the artichoke was sweet yet tangy and flavored the olive oil balsamic mixture that we dipped our garlic bread in.

For the main course, I had the chicken davita, which was a mix of lightly breaded chicken, fried eggplant, mixed vegetables, pasta and fresh mozzarella. What really amazed me about this dish was the pasta sauce that gently coated the fresh, spongy pasta. There is just something about fresh pasta that is like no other. It’s delicate and spongy, and very different from dried pasta. The sauce had to be made with sweet bell peppers because it tasted like it was simmered and reduced down for hours. So sweet and full of rich tomato flavor. I couldn’t stop eating it!

Chris had the baked rigatoni, which was your traditional pasta, sauce and cheese, but it was different, not generic and definitely not non-fat! You could tell it was home-made, full of love. Our friends, Mike and Melissa, had the chicken marsala, which we had a bite of. I usually don’t ever get chicken marsala, but this is something I would want to get again. It was rich, yet sweet with the marsala wine and caramelized onions.

Paired along with all of these dishes, we brought a Fireblock Grenache ($15 corking fee), which worked perfectly. It was fruity and mellow to blend with all the different flavors, but still had a nice oaky bite to it, but not too powerful. I would say this is a great beginner red wine, but very enjoyable. If anyone can find this wine in Vegas, I’ll personally buy you and me a bottle because we can’t find it anywhere! My mom has to truck it from North Carolina because we did find it there. For dessert we had the traditional tiramisu. And while it could have been stronger on the espresso flavor, it was creamy rich, yet light and satisfying all in one. The Pasta Shop is definitely a place I would love to go back to. The service was great, the waiter sarcastic and friendly, the ambience eclectic and the food . . . amazing.