Chaiya Meditation Monastery Food Fair

How in the world did it take me so long to try the Chaiya Meditation Monastery Food Fair. Every month I have the best intention, but once the time rolls around the idea of waking up early on a Sunday for Thai food loses out to my laziness. This month, I finally made it, and it was pure awesomeness.

We arrived just before 9 and they were all set up and people were already there waiting. It's important to arrive early if you want to get your name on the list for pad thai or papaya salad, both made to order. I got my name on the list and then we perused the other foods while we waited. Everything is so cheap and tastes amazing. We ended up with so many delicious items to take home with us. It was all amazingly delicious. It took about an hour and we were on our way. For about $40 we had enough food for our family for a few days worth of meals and lots of variety.

My name is on the list for curry puffs for next month, so see you all there next time and hopefully I get my hands on some of that great-looking mango sticky rice.

Rita's Ice Custard Happiness - Spring Valley

I have tried Rita's on exactly two occasions before they opened one closer to my side of town. I was so excited that this location opened up and the cherry on top is that they have a drive thru, making my dessert runs that much more convenient.

I have only tried their Italian ices, but they have many rotating flavors, including some sugar free options. This is a great new location and I plan on making good use of it when the summer rolls around.

Tamale Hut

I'm the first to admit that I'm a bit of a tamale snob. I find it very hard to find a really good tamale and I have to say I still haven't been able to find a great place in town to get my tamale fix.

I saw the Living Social for Tamale Hut and just had to give them a chance since tamales are some of my favorite foods. We dropped by while we were in the area since I knew my deal was about to expire soon. I decided to get a dozen to go. They are $16.99 for a dozen pork, $19.99 for a dozen beef and since I was interested in trying quite a few flavors they quoted me $26.99. Seemed a little pricy, but I still gave them a shot.

The tamales were wrapped and traveled well, but when we got to our final destination I was sad to see how puny they were, strike one. My favorite tamale place in LA sells them for quite a lot cheaper and they are nearly triple the size. I decided to look beyond size and hope for the best in the taste department. Well, they lacked quite a bit there as well. The spices were good, but the filling was severely lacking, strike two. Mostly masa and just a little bit of stuffing. The flavors weren't particularly distinct ether, strike three. I tried a few of pretty much every flavor that offered and I couldn't really decipher what was what despite them labeling them well. The meats were dry, the cheeses weren't gooey and the masa was much more grainy than I like. We also tried one of their dessert tamales for good measure. It was ok and had a nice subtle flavor, but didn't excite me too much.

Maybe my expectations were just too high, but I was really looking forward to this trying the Tamale Hut and I was severely let down.

The Perfect Scoop & Boba Tea

I have driven by this place with the intention of stopping by on quite a few occasions, but after our date night dinner we had a bit of a sweet tooth and the perfect cure for that was The Perfect Scoop & Boba Tea.

While perusing the menu we were offered samples of any flavors we wanted to try. I tried the durian ice cream while my fella sampled a few of his favorites. The durian was really good, I'll probably be getting a scoop of this the next time I'm there. My fella combined flavors and ordered a red bean and black sesame milkshake and I went safe with a lavender milk tea. The wasn't my favorite, so I'll skip that next time. The milkshake was delicious. Perfectly thick and not overly sweet. You have the choice of milk or almond milk, which is a nice touch.

With three more Groupons to redeem I will be back and I can't wait to make it a regular dessert spot in Chinatown.
 

Bouchon Bakery

When at Bouchon Bakery, I'm usually here for one thing, macarons. I just can't resist those delicious giant cookies. These are the best in town. Expensive, but worth the price. Everything is done right here, I love the cookies, whoopie pies and yes, even cupcakes.

Pricy, yes, but worth every penny. Most recently I discovered the TKOs and that is precisely what they did, packing quite a punch on my taste buds.

Pin Kaow on Rainbow

This was my first visit back to Pin Kaow in several years and I still can't say that they are a favorite of mine. The restaurant is very nice looking. Large, clean and nicely decorated. We came in around noon and there were two other parties seated already. The restaurant was eerily quiet, I wish there was louder music playing to offset the awkward silence. My mom and I almost felt like we needed to whisper, it was that quiet.

We ordered a chicken fried rice and basil duck to share. The rice was tasty, but it's hard to screw up fried rice. The basil duck was pretty good as well. The sauce was good, but a little lacking in substance. The flavors are a lot more subtle than I would like. Overall, Pin Kaow is just an ok dining spot in the valley.

 

 

Burger Bar

I have been to Burger Bar on a number of occasions over the years and have never really been blown away by the burgers.

On this particular occasion we were here for happy hour. Service was great from start to finish. Pleasant and extremely attentive by several different servers and bartenders. The drinks were good as well. Prices were right and I stuck with the strawberry mojito on special while my fella got a beer as well as a mai tai that he enjoyed for the most part. The happy hour food was les than stellar. The wings were probably the highlight, but they were a little dry and lacking in any real spice. The chicken tenders were sad and were similar to ones we could get at Denny's. The sliders were the least appetizing of everything we ordered. Lacking in flavor and after one bite I wasn't interested in eating any more.

I have had some good burgers here in the past but nothing particularly noteworthy. I do remember enjoying their sides quite a bit and after a relatively lackluster happy hour we ended our meal with the cheesecake burger that ended up salvaging our whole dining experience. Not the best donut I've ever had but the combination of cheesecake and fruit nestled inside a glazed donut bun was the perfect ending to our meal.

Novecento Pizza - Henderson Location

I have wanted to try this place since they opened this Novecento location in Henderson and was so excited to get the opportunity to check it out as a going away lunch with my team. We arrived around noon and they had saved a table for our group, which was nice. We stood in the line and I knew what I wanted before I even ordered based on pictures and reviews I has read from fellow Yelpers. I like the concept. Very similar to other pizza places around that allow you to pick what you want on your pizza a la Subway but with higher quality ingredients.

I tried the Roma with egg. Cooked for 90 seconds our food was all ready by the time we filled our drinks and took our seats. Stellar. The pizza was solid. Not the best I've had but definitely tasty. I am looking forward to trying many of their other topping combinations. A few of my coworkers has ordered strombolis and calzones, which looked tasty as well.

While here, we couldn't resist having some Art of Flavors gelato as well. I love when local businesses work together to cross promote their products and what better combination than pizza and gelato.

While not the best pizza I have had in town, it is solid for the price point and look forward to giving them another try soon, if not only to get a scoop of gelato as well.

 

 

Fat Dumpling

I was driving down Spring Mountain on my way home and decided to stop by Lee's for a quick milk tea, when I saw the sign for Fat Dumpling. I had never noticed this place pop up, so stopped in for a quick to go order.

They have a small dining area, but they can fit a sizable amount of tables for dine in guests. All the servers were really friendly and I was greeted quickly and politely by two when I walked in. One server told me they had only been open two days, so I was pleasantly surprised by how big a crowd of diners they had attracted.

Their menu is extensive. I noticed soup dumplings and got excited, but since I was doing takeout I knew that was a no-go. Next time for sure. I ended up with the pork and cabbage dumplings and a taro slush with boba. My dumplings came out first and were packaged well to go. I had hoped for some sauces or something, but I just used some stuff I had at home to dip them in. My taro slush wasn't amazing. It was a little on the thick side and too sweet. Not my favorite in town, but they have quite a few flavors, so I'd be interested in trying some of their less conventional flavors.

I tried some dumplings as soon as I got home and they were good. Lots of meat and pretty flavorful. Not the best I've ever had, but solid and a huge portion for the price. They're a new spot, so I give them the benefit of the doubt and I look forward to trying a few more of their menu items in the future.

 

Buddy V's Ristorante

I had a surprisingly solid lunch at Buddy V's the other day. First of all, the view is a big selling point. They have lunch specials and they are relatively reasonable in price for a restaurant on the strip.

I ordered the Italian hero with Caesar salad and my friend ordered the meatball appetizer. The sandwich was really good. Perfectly cooked bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The meat was flavorful and has a nice kick. The tomato tapenade added a nice spiciness as well. I tried some of my friend's meatballs and they were great. Moist and well-seasoned. Some of the better meatballs I've tried in town.

We couldn't stop by without trying some dessert, so we gave in and ordered a tiramisu as well as a Nutella cake with salted caramel gelato. The tiramisu was enormous, large enough it for four people to share. The Nutella cake was not overly chocolatey and well wonderfully with the caramel gelato. I'm not typically a fan of Nutella or cake but this was the perfect combination.

They are opening a Carlo's Bakery across from Buddy V's, which will be a great addition to accompany this restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

Suzuya Pastries & Crepes

It was love at first bite. I was in the neighborhood and finally got the chance to check Suzuya out. The place was pretty busy, but luckily that gave me ample time to peruse the display case and figure out what I wanted to order. I couldn't resist the strawberry crepe cake and a red bean cream puff for my fella.

The ordering and payment process is very convenient and I was out the door in minimal time with my adorable little box of desserts. I made it as far as my car before I was compelled to take a bite of the crepe cake. Holy cow! It was absolutely amazing. The flavors were so subtle and yet explosive. The flavors were right on and I can't believe it took me as long as it did to give them a try. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but this place truly blew my mind. Not overly sweet and the all-natural flavors really shown.

I heard after the fact that the crepe cake is hard to come by, only making me wish I had bought more than one when I had the chance. Have no fear, I will be back... and soon.