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...

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 :