I Died and Went to Heaven in Las Vegas...

This final post coming from Las Vegas
are just some pictures from the strip,

the girls waiting for their big hit,



I think the two Feiner girls are the finer
things in life myself



The Wynn Hotel
where else would you find a Ferrari dealership
in the hotel lobby



ZooZa Crackers - a deli at the Wynn



and the new hotel The Encore that just opened,

transition carpet between Wynn and Encore
Wynn's theme is flowers,
Encore's is butterflies


Encore



Gorgeous Swarovski Crystal Dragon at
Wazzu Restaurant in Encore


ending with some pictures from Planet Hollywood's Sur La Table.


What else would cause a Foodfanataholic to die and go to Heaven...

A trip through a kitchen themed store, stocked to the brim...
We had gone to a show at Planet Hollywood and then of course,
could I resist a stop in Sur La Table located in the hotel...
I don't think so!


As much as I have enjoyed life in upstate New York,
there are some things (aside from the weather)
that just don't cut it.
We don't have a really decent upscale kitchen store.
Yes, we have Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and we even have a small
Williams Sonoma in Syracuse,
but we are a third tier store area, and it shows.

Nothing can compare to one of these stores
located in a big city,





















to a true Foodfanataholic this is heaven!
I never wanted to leave!!!!!


Viva Las Vegas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Happens In Vegas, Comes from New Hartford, New York

The third in our series of eating in Las Vegas, off the strip, happens at Mezzo's
located in the Northwest section of Las Vegas in a strip mall.
It is a small neighborhood restaurant which we had heard
about through a friend who owns a restaurant locally.
Marc Ritz, the chef/owner used to have a restaurant here in our home community,
Marc's Seneca Inn, where the food was always very delicious.
Our friend Judy Gorea, who own's Georgio's (a great Italian Restaurant - one of the best) said she went when she was in Vegas and that the Osso Buco was the fabulous.
We went midweek and on an off night.
Unfortunately, Marc was not in the restaurant,
they said he is only there on the weekends.

We ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer,


and it was very good, not greasy, and served with a
marinara sauce, which could have been a little warmer.

I ordered the eggplant parmigiana


which I thought was delicious, in fact I ate more than half of it,
which for me is an accomplishment

Marc, Lauren, and our cousin David had the Veal Parmigiana,


which they said was good, but they wished the veal had been a little thinner.
We are used to having the veal pounded very thin here at home.
The sauce was tasty though

Our cousin Madeleine had the Baked Ziti,
and she said it was delicious


She also ordered a salad that she said was good as well.


My criticisms of the restaurant were that the wait staff seemed a little off that night. They kept coming back and forth, but never seemed to have a purpose. I think that the side dish of pasta needs to be served on the plates as the dinners appear a little small and empty on the plate by themselves. The tomato sauce was good and I am really picky about that. This was a well made sauce, no puree added. I think that perhaps Marc needs to make his presence known not only on the weekends but on the weekdays as well. You know the old saying, "when the cat's away..."

However, I have found that Italian Restaurants in general are not Vegas' forte, so this restaurant was very good by those standards. I would certainly give them a try, go on a weekend, make a reservation, and hope they have the Osso Boco. The prices are not cheap, but not over the top like the restaurants on the strip are.

The atmosphere is tasteful,


the restaurant very clean, small in size so it is intimate,


all in all, I would eat there again...

Mezzo's is located at 4275 North Rancho Drive,
in the Northwest of Vegas. The phone is

(702) 944-8880

What Happens In Vegas, Happens off the Strip!

Today is the second posting in our short Vegas series, eating off the strip...

After a long day of checking out the various hotels


cruising the casinos and

and of course, losing money, we
(the girls and I) decided to go for Mexican Food


Lauren and I had eaten at a wonderful Mexican Restaurant
the last time I was in Las Vegas and she told me they
just opened another restaurant closer to her house
We decided to try the new one out, and
we were not disappointed...it was wonderful!!!!

Lindo Michoacan is where we headed

The restaurants have been voted The Best of Las Vegas
in 2004-8 and with good reason


The food is very good (quite different from the
Mexican Restaurants on the East Coast), atmosphere homey,

the staff personable, and the prices reasonable.
The restaurant makes their own tortillas, in fact, in the one we were at the last time,
you could see them being made right from your table,
there is live music in some of the restaurants, and the food is good.
There are three Lindo Michoacans,
I will put the addresses and phone numbers at the bottom of this posting.
We were lucky, and just walked in and got a table,
but I suggest making a reservation...

The girls ordered Mango Margaritas

My niece Abby and I decided

to split the Chicken Fajitas, and there was
more than enough for the two of us

The meals all come with a bowl of fideo soup,
which is a tomato broth base I believe,
with some vermicelli like noodles.

You get a complimentary bowl of tortilla chips served
with salsa and bean dip placed on the table.
You can choose from corn or flour tortillas if you have a preference.
The guacamole is great, they will make it table side if you like.
You can pick and choose what you want in it,
for example, I am not a fan of cilantro, so they eliminated it.
We asked to have a few things omitted
and the waiter brought us a sample of what they had pre-made
and it was perfect so we just ordered that instead
of having the table side version
(the girls were starving and didn't want to wait).

Lauren had the carne asada tacos

The Fajitas arrived at the tables sizzling,
the steaming and aroma engulfing the room


they were served with rice, guacamole, and
the fixings for the fajitas


Abby


constructing her fajita



The menu

is extensive over 15 appetizer choices,
Huevos (eggs) served with rice and beans - 7 choices there,
Lingua de Ternera - 5 choices of tongue entrees,
Ensaladas -8 different salad choices,
Especialidas de Cochinito - 6 pork specialities, including Carnitas a la Coca Cola,
Especialidas de Carne - 14 beef entrees,
Recommended by Javier - 3 lobster entrees,
Especialidas de Pollo - 16 chicken entrees,
Pescados - 4 fish entrees,
Especialidas de Mar - 16 seafood specialities,
Pescados Enteros Frescos - 2 whole fish entrees,
Mas Antojitos Mexicanos -4 festive Mexican Dishes,
A la Carte, Burritos, Side Dishes, Tortas, Vegetarian Specials, Tacos,
Combinaciones (combination platters) and desserts round off the menu.
The average prices of the entrees was between $14.95 - 18.95,
excluding the lobster dishes which average 38.95

The guacamole was excellent and I love the homemade tortilla chips,
nice and thick, so they don't break when you dip them

They were kind enough to take me into the
kitchen which was immaculate


where I got to see the tortillas being made


The staff was wonderful,


the manager was especially accommodating...

All in all this was a great evening!

Lindo Michoacan
Desert Inn
2655 East Desert Inn Road
702 735-6828

Lindo Michiacan
Centennial
7870 West Tropical Parkway
702 38-LINDO

Lindo Michoacan
West Flamingo
10082 West Flamingo Road
702 838-9990