Indochine

So I have started a weight loss plan.  Which does mean fewer posts on here, though I refuse to end this thing completely.  They just won't be quite so interesting.  Lots of "I had a salad with a side of steamed broccoli and a Diet Coke."  In fact, I'm not even posting those kind of things unless it's truly a unique experience.  That's what this was. 

The Critic and I had tickets to a comedy show.  Side note:  We joined this site called "Fill A Seat" that allows us to get tickets to see things like sports events or comedy shows at no cost.  We finally found a time we could use it... to see a hypnotist.  He was bad.  Really bad.  Really really bad.  Though not quite as bad as the warm-up act that was PAINFULLY bad.  I digress.....

The Critic really wanted to try Indochine, a swanky Thai restaurant we were going to that is in Tacoma across from the Washington State History Museum.  Side note:  We have decided that Tacoma's motto should be "Tacoma, Washington:  Home to oddly placed museums that seem like they belong elsewhere".  There is some "National" car museum we came across this time... so so weird.  Ah!  I digress again!

Okay.  Indochine.  I acknowledged that it would be difficult to stick to my meal plan at such a place so I went in, read the entire menu, and made what I hoped was an informed decision based on what little knowledge I have gained from this plan in the past 1.5 weeks.  I decided based on fat and calories listed that the spring rolls were a good choice.  Guess what?  SUPER tasty!!!!  Really fresh... LOVED the basil in them.  I had a small amount of chicken and shrimp in them.  Yum and happy Coach Foodie for sure.

Worried that wouldn't have been enough food (it totally would have) I also asked for some steamed veggies... said they could be lightly stir fried in no oil.  He asked if soy was okay and I said yes.  He asked if I wanted some chicken and I agreed if it was a small amount.  Pictured below is the chef's creation.  Um, DELICIOUS!  I was so happy both that I had been able to get good food on a diet plan and felt empowered about asking for what I want and getting something tasty.  So this episode is brought to you by WINNING!

 

For those interested or keeping track, these meals DID allow me to stay on the plan.  And in two weeks, I am down 6 pounds.  Several more to go....  

Barracuda Grill

Open Table is a GREAT site for finding fun, trendy, Foodie-friendly places.  It is not, however, a great place to find kid-friendly sites.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of our food.  This is because from the second we walked in to this place that someone was crazy enough to say was a good fit for "families" (sure, if your family is paying college tuitions), I was in full-on mom-defensive mode.  My favorite was when he said "We tried to scrounge up some crayons but could only find a ballpoint pen.  Feel free to let the kids write on the back of our menu".  Thank goodness for mom-preparedness.

Perhaps if it was just The Critic and I this would have been a good place for a quiet meal.  Unfortunately, we could only find faults.  I had pork loin with parsnip puree.  The puree was good but the pork was dry (he even asked how I wanted it cooked and my response was "correctly!"  We all got a laugh over that... still overcooked).  The Critic had some kind of fish that was SUPER dry as well.  And I actually had to send The Big Guy's plain pasta back because it came with butter, garlic, and TONS of Parmesan cheese (that he won't touch). 

So not our favorite spot in the San Diego area at all. 

Incidentally, the next night we did find a fun, family-friendly, foodie-fortunate neighborhood gem just steps from our hotel.  We all enjoyed a FABULOUS dinner there and, if I recall correctly, The Critic went back a couple of times after The Guys and I returned to Washington while he stayed around for a while.  Sadly, no pictures and I don't even recall its name... but the salad I had was delish and The Guys were big fans of their meals.  That's what I needed!  The rest of our San Diego excursion is sadly undocumented... but most of it was SeaWorld or Legoland food anyway.

Sea rocket bistro

We're in San Diego!  Went to the zoo today and used Open Table to find an intriguing sounding restaurant that would appeal to the kids.  We sort of decided that the lunches would be theme-park driven.  The dinners would be all ours!  But we do need to bring The Guys along.  Here's where we ended up.

Sea Rocket Bistro is a tiny little hole in the wall that takes rustic food and elevates it.  Which is great for a Coach Foodie and The Critic... but makes it a bit more challenging to eat as one of The Guys.  Not their favorite spot, but not the worst one in their minds either.

We started with this DELICIOUS honey garlic spread on a rather sour and quite dry baguette... I need to try and recreate that spread I think.

 

On the side we had a tasty gnocchi dish with some seasonal vegetables.  Very tasty!  The gnocchi were my favorite thing here.

 

For dinner The Critic and I shared the fish while The Big Guy got a burger (since it was in between two toasted baguette slices that were nicely charred, let's just say he wasn't impressed).  The Little Guy enjoyed the flat bread pizza.  Though I think I enjoyed it a bit more once I added that honey garlic spread.  Come to think of it, maybe that was my favorite thing here.  Sadly, the fish was just kind of lacking.

 

Not our favorite place but not the worst one we've ever been to.  There's always tomorrow night!

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

About a year and a half ago The Critic and I escaped for a business trip for him.  He landed himself in trainings in Thousand Oaks, CA, a suburb on the outside of Los Angeles.  I landed myself by the poolside, sleeping in, and seeking out fun places to get a bite to eat.  One of my favorite places was The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.  I loved the idea of this place... equal parts coffee shop and tea shop... a place for everyone.  Even though I'm not a tea drinker as much as a coffee drinker, I have friends who would love to "go for coffee" and skip the coffee. 

I guess Seattle truly is the coffee capital of the world because the idea just hasn't shown up here.  Surprisingly, it isn't the coffee I have missed.  Nor is it the tea (obviously).  What I've missed are these delicious cake-y waffles that they spread Nutella on... kind of sugary.  I have been trying to replicate them (see this post) without success to date. 

When I was on my return flight from my Las Vegas weekend away, I had a layover at LAX.  And there was The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf!  So excited, I actually ordered 4 of the waffles to go... one toasted and heated up and the other three just to go.  No Nutella needed for those three... we have that at home now.

What fun to be able to surprise The Critic and introduce The Guys to a favorite treat.  I will, however, admit that they are better when they are fresh out of the actual shops... but an airport pop-up is certainly better than nothing!

China Poblano

My last stop on my culinary "Best Thing I Ever Ate in Las Vegas" tour was to go to China Poblano and get Jose Andres' 20 vegetable fried rice. 

Incidentally, 2 months later I would find myself a mere 3 blocks from Jose Andres' minibar in Washington D.C. and be ridiculously jealous that I didn't eat there... until I learned that they are closed for the summer and will be taking reservations come September 1 for October 1 and beyond.  Oh and they seat like 6 people a night total.  That might be a once-in-a-lifetime that never happens in my lifetime.  Still, a girl can dream...

I believe it was Johnny Iuzzini who directed me toward this place.  At least in my mind it was him.  I was heading back from Fremont Street with the girls (zip lining... WHEEE!!!!) and everyone was hitting the hay.  And I realized I was hungry.  So I decided to give it one last, all out effort to find this place.  It's in the Cosmopolitan which in Vegas terms is practically next door and in real-world terms is about 4 cities away.  So I did what any other normal, sleep deprived woman in her 30s would do.  I called them, ordered ahead, and ran.  And ran, and ran and ran and ran and ran... you get the idea.

Guess what?  It was NOT worth all that.  Nope.  If I had eaten there, it would have been fine.  It was tasty enough... and definitely had some fresh flavors.  But seriously how did I not make a note that one of the 20 vegetables in a fried rice dish would be mushrooms???  I swear I need to watch the episode again because they tell you ALL 20... AND YOU WOULD THINK I WOULD REMEMBER MUSHROOMS!!!!  Okay, so I picked them out (sorry Mom... old habits die very slow deaths it seems).  And it was fine.  But at that point, I should have just stuck close to home and gone back to RM... I know for next time.  As much as I would like to try something else another time, I believe it won't be the 20 vegetable fried rice.

Border Grill

Another place I *really* wanted to visit was Border Grill.  Having already eaten at Susan Feniger Street with The Critic and seeing multiple recipes of hers on the Food Network... well, there was no way I'd miss.  And there was NO WAY I'd miss when I saw its location... right behind my little toes at the pool at Mandalay Bay.  Add in that we were there on Cinco de Mayo?  Um... yeah.  No brainer.

We went for lunch as we had plans to dine much more "sophisticatedly" at Picasso later that night (see post here).  I had  the Yucatan pork and a cucumber mojito and thought both were fine, but nothing worth flying to Las Vegas for.  I didn't quite have enough corn tortillas though and asked for "a couple more".  Instead I was brought out a warm, handmade flour tortilla.  THAT was worth flying to Vegas for.  Delicious.  Can't describe it any other way.

But the most intriguing thing was their "all you can eat Brunch tapas menu".  The Engineer and I decided that on her departure day (the next day) this was the best send-off we could possibly have.  We nearly missed out and trust me... we would have missed out.  In the city of buffets and all you can eat, this one is unique and worth arriving hungry.  And you will fill up too fast.  Sigh.

The Brunch Menu... from here, your guess is (almost) as good as mine.

Yuctatan pork
Cucumber mojito

Peruvian Shrimp and Grits

Yucatan Eggs Benedict

Oaxacan pancakes, Machaca Chilaquiles, Churro Tots

Green Corn Tamale

Something with an egg on it... breakfast enchilada? Mexican rice pudding parfait, biscuit and sausage gravy? Maybe?

Man I'm full... don't need to eat for a MONTH! 

Tao

Another step on the culinary tour of Las Vegas.  Pretty sure Chis Santos is the one who recommended this place and this gem.

Let's be clear... I loved this place.  I mean LOVED it.  My absolute favorite stop on my culinary tour... hands down, no contest.  I've heard it gets ridiculously busy and that likely would deter me from enjoying it after hours, but in the late afternoon, this is one of my happy places and would definitely make my "Best Thing I Ever Ate In Las Vegas" list.  Might not even need to add the last three words there.

Tao.  A swanky, dark, lounge chair laden, feel like you belong and don't all at the same time kind of place.

The Engineer and I were interested in having a snack before a super nice dinner and I was interested in knocking one more "must-do" place off my list, so Tao it was.  We sat at the bar where they brought wasabi peas over.

I have never had wasabi peas.  I have a love-hate relationship with these things.  I don't like hot for the sake of hot... and these are hot.  But MAN that crunch with that flavor... it is SO good.  Until the heat kicks in.  But as soon as the heat dissipates, I absolutely NEED another one... or six.  Thanks, Engineer, for introducing me to these addictive little devils.  Or "thanks" (as in sarcastic)?  Still not sure which.

It helps to cut that pain with a drink (duh... why do you think they serve them?) and this delighful little pomegranate and blueberry something or other certainly did the trick.  

But the REAL star of the show... the reason for coming... was the Chilean sea bass satay.  I've loved Chilean sea bass ever since a trip to El Gaucho in 2010 with The Guys had them licking MY plate of it without even giving a thought to how ridiculously lucky they were to even get to taste it.  You would have thought it was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Still, it is a delicious fish and, well, if you put it on a skewer and call it a satay it is going to be good.  And it was.  Perfect little snack... easily could have had 4 and called it dinner.  Thanks, Chris Santos!  You did not steer me wrong, my friend!

Picasso

Menu

Place holder

Many thanks and sincere gratitute offered to The Photographer's Bestie... and her husband.  Such a beautiful meal and such lovely company to enjoy it with.  A night to remember!

Amuse Bouche of some sort another... that was delicious!

Warm quail salad

Sauteed ruby red shrimp

Braised Idaho Wagyu Short Rib on mashed sunchokes and celery root

Amazing compilation of delicious chocolates

The Engineer's BEAUTIFUL dessert -- very citrus-y

Rick Moonen RM Seafood

Next up in the Foodie Across Las Vegas tour was dinner at RM Seafood.  We opted to dine upstairs which made me super happy.  Pretty much couldn't have been happier unless Rick Moonen himself had stopped by.  Of course then I would be completely star struck and look like a ridiculous fan.  Oh who am I kidding???

Started off with this delicious amuse bouche of crab with relish.  Teeny tiny yum!

Bread was served with this caviar spread rather than butter... salty and unusual.  Bread wasn't outstanding, though.

My main course:  An assortment of scallops along with some polenta nuggets and some confit sausage.  I was happy. 

Last up... complementary trio of desserts.  Really liked that salted caramel pecan pie on the left.

Mesa Grill

I have never done anything like this before... I think I will again!  I left on a girl's only weekend away from my Critic and Guys and enjoyed 3 1/2 luxurious days alone at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas!  Here's the first thing I have learned... Vegas is not the cheap vacation that it once was.  Still, I managed not to break the bank too much (if you don't count my airfare and hotel price of course).  The other thing I learned is that as much as I say "I'm not Vegas material" I am in one very clear way... the FOOD!  Every single chef I could ever hope to ogle over has a restaurant in Vegas.  Before going I even saw a Food Network show called "Best Thing I Ever Ate in Las Vegas"!  Using that as a virtual guide map and adding in some dreams realized of my own I set out to eat as much and yet as little as possible to experience a food tour of Las Vegas.  I could easily have spent a month just experiencing the restaurants.  The next few posts will highlight a few of my stops.

First up, Mesa Grill.  A restaurant of Bobby Flay's this was a first for me... I have never actually eaten his food.  It was a proud Foodie moment for sure and needless to say I was ecstatic when I found the place for lunch.  Thanks to my "good buddy" Michael Symon's suggestion, I opted for the tiger shrimp with roasted garlic corn tamale.

Before it arrived I received the bread.  There was a raisin one I didn't even bother with, a cheddar jalapeno one, and a blue corn muffin I have heard about and could not WAIT to try.  Perhaps it's a personal opinion, but that blue corn muffin was not my favorite... way to dry and crumbly.  The cheddar jalapeno one was REALLY tasty, though.





Next up, the shrimp and tamale.  This was pretty tasty, but definitely had those under salted components and too salty other parts.  But seriously, it didn't matter to me because all I kept thinking was "I'm eating food that Michael Symon likes!!!"  So the entire experience was a win in my book.  Excellent start to a Vegas weekend!!!