Cheer Up With Food

In the past few years there have been a rising popularity of tapas style restaurants in Las Vegas.   Forte European Tapas Bar & Bistro  has got to be one of the top tapas places in town!  Just upon entering I saw vibrant European art all over the bistro and the music selection was great - I really wanted to dance, but of course had to eat!  Forte serves a variety of tapas/comfort foods from regions all throughout Europe like Russia , Spain , and Bulgaria .   To see more of their menu, click here : A cocktail to start off the night.  To see what they make, click here :  Plov  ( Uzbeki style vegetarian pilaf )- the spices used to make this plov was pleasing to my palate!  Eating any type of rice is my weakness: Adjarski Khachapurri - this is a traditional Georgian boat-shaped bread filled with Georgian style pickled cheeses and a cracked egg.  Forget pizza, I could eat this all day: Their clay pot...

Rose. Rabbit. Lie  at The Cosmopolitan is one of the most interesting places I've been to on  The Strip .  I feel like I've fallen down the rabbit hole like Alice and somehow landed at this restaurant!  Rose. Rabbit. Lie. has multiple rooms that has a bar, speakeasy (separate drink menu from the bar), and has a show called Vegas Nocturne that plays at three different times throughout the night w/ different prices per time slot.  We opted to just dine in and will watch the show at another time.  Just eating at the dining room was great experience for me and my group! The lovely dining room- I love how detailed everything was from the silverware, menu, and to the art: Rose. Rabbit. Lie. has a creative drink menu.  The drinks on the top are  Chrysanthemum and   Mark Twain .  At the bottom is  Floradora Imperial  and Vivante Water - Earth friendly water: This restaurant serves tapa style dishes, I was impres...

After driving pass by  Herbs & Rye  for many years I finally went in to see what all the hype was about this place.  They serve classic cocktails that were popular during the Prohibition Era and before that time like the Gothic Age (unknown-1865) and Golden Age (1865-1900): Here's an example of of some of the drinks: I loved all the drinks they made, wasn't disappointed with any of them: Herbs & Rye also serves Italian food like  flatbreads , pasta, and  they're known for the steaks they cook, I'll try some next time!  I only had the appetite to drink: I really enjoyed my time here especially the atmosphere of a " speakeasy feel".  They get busy during the weekends so if you plan to dine in, make a reservation !

Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am-3pm,  Border Grill  has a brunch special of all-you-can-eat tapas for $35 and Bottomless Mimosas for $8.  This is a deal that's too hard to ignore!  Its so nice to sample a variety of Mexican style dishes all in one setting, they're all excelente!  From what I remember, some of the foods I had in this photo were Green Corn Tamales , Peruvian Shrimp and Grits, and  Biscuit and Sausage Gravy: I also like how Border Grill promotes sustainability .  They serve only sustainable seafood, use meats from animals who weren't raised on antibiotics, has developed a program called, " Good For The Planet, Good For You ", and uses a Natura Water purification system. P.S. Join their VIP Club to get 15% off ;)

  28GO The Restaurant  is an interesting Asian fusion restaurant.  You can tell just by looking at their menu .  Foods offered range from ramen (you have the choice of mixing broths together), tapas, stuffed waffles, and more: Yellow Fin Poke Stack- consists of fresh cubed tuna, tossed in sesame soy, seaweed salad, and crispy gyoza skin on a bed of romaine lettuce.  This was a big serving for a tapa! Stuffed Waffles - Sweet Curry Chicken with potatoes, carrots, served w/ two eggs, and their special ketchup.  This stuffed waffle was awesome... I'd never think of putting sweet curry in a waffle! If you have a serious sweet tooth I recommend trying a Waffle Ice Cream- Vanilla ice cream with warm butter syrup.  Our waiter, Xalan, who was also the general manager, was very kind and told us how some of the foods were made.  It was cool to hear how much work is put into making these foods.  PS:...

For a ladies' date with my friend, we went to  Julian Serrano  at the Aria  to try some Spanish Tapas : A lovely set up Saute Mushrooms - Hedge hog mushrooms, tomato confit, and garlic demi.  These mushrooms had a really meaty texture, can't believe they were mushrooms! Brava Potatoes- These crisp potatoes were quite addicting. Vegan  Gazpacho - A Spanish chilled tomato-based soup.  Before I ate the soup, I was instructed to eat that gazpacho ball on the spoon. Right when I ate that ball, it felt like a yolk exploded in my mouth... The reaction on my face amused my friend and our server haha. I liked it, I just didn't expect that explosion! Mediterranean Bass - with donostiarra sauce, tomato confit, arbol chili, and garlic.  Churros - To be honest I was a bit reluctant to try overpriced churros. I guess I'm just used to churros for $1 or $2 at a carnival or theme park. Our waiter convinced us to try it and ...

For my first  First Friday experience (finally!), I first went to  Bar + Bistro  for a birthday dinner: Everything on the menu were enticing to me!  My friend and I wanted to try the same exact items ( Grilled Fish Tacos,  Spiced Salmon Salad, and 4 Cheese Mac ), what a coincidence haha: Since we didn't want to order the same foods we made a compromise.  I got the  Grilled Fish Tacos ( tapas  style): Mahi mahi fish, jicama slaw, mango salsa, & tomatillo sauce And Reggie got the  Spiced Salmon Salad : Organic greens, tomatoes, pecans, cured ricotta , & citrus dressing The birthday lady got  Tempura Alcachofa (there were more pieces).  The tempura was perfectly puffy to me and the curry aioli had a strong curry taste.  So if you enjoy curry, this dish is for you: Long stemmed artichoke hearts in tempura and curry aioli  as a dip Cecilia got  Donut Churros   in substitution of a birthday...

I think FIREFLY* is the first place where I've had tapas , which are Spanish chilled or hot appetizers. Whenever I pass by the FIREFLY* along Paradise Road on the weekends, it is ALWAYS packed. The cars pretty much take up all the spaces. We went to their second location in the Plaza Casino instead. I'm so glad there was no long wait to get seated. Everything we had was delightful, I can't wait to come back! There's many tapas to choose from: Patatas Bravas - roasted red potatoes in spicy aioli : Camarones a la diabla - shrimp, spicy chile sauce, and grilled bread: Smoked Salmon Toasts - brioche toast, sour cream, pickled ginger , and capers :