Famous Dave's - Spring Valley

I am not the biggest fan of BBQ, but I do have a hankering from time to time. We were recently in the area and decided to give this place a try.

They have a number of lunch specials, as well as day of the week deals. My mom opted for the full rack of spare ribs for $18,99 that comes with two sides and a corn muffin. For sides we chose grilled pineapple and garlic mashed potatoes. While we waited our server brought out their freshly made BBQ chips so we could sample all their sauces. She went over all the flavors and we sampled them all.

Our meals arrived and the food was good. This is one of the better chains around and I would have no reservations about returning here for another meal if I'm in the mood for more BBQ, which is usually a rare occasion.

Mama Kat's

I was in town visiting a friend and we needed a new breakfast spot to try. I pulled out my faithful Yelp app and Mama Kat's popped to the top of my search list. It looked promising so we made our way over.

We arrived around 10 in the morning and the place was already pretty busy. There was a bit of a wait, but they have coffee and seating for those who are patient enough to wait. I noticed so many customers that came in and chatted with the staff and they all knew them by name. This is definitely a local spot where people become regulars. The servers greeted the customers by name, which I found impressive. After about 20 minutes we were taken to our table.

The menu is extensive and it took us a while to decide what to get, everything looked great. I opted for the college rule eggs benedict and my fella got the chicken fried steak. It took a while for the food to come out, but they were very busy and they made sure our drinks were always refilled. I had the iced tea, which was perfectly brewed. Strong, like a I like it and great flavor.

Once our food arrived we were in awe. The portions were extremely generous and the size of the plates was a little daunting. My benedict was delicious. Generous portions of shaved ham and avocado and the egg was cooked perfectly. The hollandaise was great as well. Even my fella who doesn't really like hollandaise was a fan. The chicken fried steak was moist and perfectly cooked. Both meals were great and I don't think I would have been able to finish without my fella eating half my meal. They have the option of ordering half benedicts for $2 less, so I'd recommend this for any person with a smaller appetite.

There is a cute little patio that is pet-friendly if you decide to dine here with your furry friends, as well. Service was extremely attentive and very nice. Every server we came across from friendly and seemed to truly care about being helpful. This is a great local breakfast spot in the area and I would love to stop in again when I'm in the area.

Society Cafe

Before my visit to Society Cafe, I can't say my expectations were too high for their food. The service was exceptional, however.

We started with the crab fritters which were tasty, albeit a little fishy. The flavors were definitely enhanced when masked by the dip on the plate. They also served warm pretzels with mustard. The pretzels were good, but I didn't love the mustard and I love mustard usually. I decided to stick with eating these pretzels dry. For our main entree I ordered the ribeye topped with bleu cheese and my fella ordered the shortrib with lobster mashed potatoes. I opted to replace my fries with mixed veggies instead. The steak was good, but I felt that the bleu cheese over powered it quite a bit so I would avoid this addition next time. The shortrib was a little on the dry side and I ended up trading dishes with my fella halfway through since he wasn't loving his meal. The veggies and steak were the winners of this dinner. The mashed potatoes were good but didn't have a lot of lobster or lobster flavor in them.

Overall, our meal was very enjoyable but I would likely explore other menu items on our next visit. There are better options for this price point to be found, for sure.

Taco Y Taco - Henderson

I was already in love with the food from Taco Y Taco, I didn't think it could get any better. With the addition if this new location, they proved me wrong. It's definitely better. Same great food, but add a bar and a snazzy interior and this location is a whole new experience.

The restaurant is the same set up as the original location. Ordering stations based on the type of meat you will be ordering. They have the same great salsa bar and menu items, so I'm excited. The al pastor is still my favorite but I have to branch out next time. Elote is also a must.

If only they would open a location on my side of town, but until then I will be making the drive to their Trop and Eastern locations in the time being.

Lamp Post Pizza (Post Pizza)

Nostalgia and a craving for pizza brought me here, but I was delighted to have found that the pizza was just as good as my memory had lead me to believe.

After arriving in town, we were a little shaken up after a minor earthquake had struck, so we decided comfort food was the way to go. My fella suggested pizza and I was excited for some Lamp Post Pizza. They have recently changed their name to The Post Pizza, but not much else has changed.

The interior is large and great for large groups, especially for groups with kids. They have games and video games as well as TVs all airing sports. You order at be counter, pick up your drinks and alcoholic beverages at the bar area and head to your table with a number when they bring the food out to you.

We opted for a medium pepperoni and mushroom pizza and some drinks. The food came out quickly and we settled in for an indulgent meal. The pizza had a perfect texture. Not too doughy and not too thin, it had a perfect crispy outside and soft dough center. The dough also had a sweetness that complemented the sauce and toppings nicely. The pizza isn't fancy or gourmet, but perfect in its simplicity.

Great prices and lots of items to choose from m, this is a great place for kids of all ages.

 

 

Peking Restaurant

After a long day at Disneyland we were starving and my fella was craving Chinese food. We searched around and I finally decided to try Peking.

The restaurant was packed when we arrived, but were seated in the last available table immediately. We started with the pan-fried dumplings, which were enormous and came in a very large portion. these were the highlight of our meal. Juicy and they had extraordinary flavor. We also ordered the string beans, combination noodles and salt & pepper pork chops. Everything was really great. The pork chops were really moist and flavorful and despite the bland look of the noodles, they were actually really tasty. The string beans were solid as well.

The portions are huge for everything we ordered and we definitely over ordered. We barely put a dent in all the food and had leftovers for days. This place is best enjoyed with friends. There were no chopsticks on the table, so if you want them you'll have to request them from the server. Service was standard. They made sure refills were quick and the food came out the kitchen quickly. Everything we ordered came out at about the same time, which was great.

Cathay House - Dim Sum

This was only the second time I have been to Cathay House. I came for dim sum years ago and didn't have much of a desire to return but I couldn't resist giving them another chance recently.

We arrived around noon and they weren't too busy. I felt rushed to order, even though we kept telling them we wanted to wait for our entire party to be seated. We ordered hot tea and waters all around and then proceeded to order from the carts that came around.

They pushed the ginger scallion lobster with pasta on us and although a good value at $15.99, it had to be reheated before they served it to us. The lobster was good, but the noodles felt like total filler, didn't have much flavor and were overcooked. The highlights from our meal were the custard buns, duck, crab balls and spare ribs. The ribs also had to be reheated for us before serving, which was also a bit of a turn off.

The rest of the items we ordered weren't very memorable and I wouldn't recommend most, if any, of it. The coconut bun, egg custard, bbq pork buns and smelt were all completely forgettable.

Service was ok, although refills were a little hard to come by for our waters and tea. There are other dim sum places in town I prefer, with fresher items, so I don't see myself coming back any time soon.

Elements Kitchen & Martini Bar

I have wanted to check out Elements for a while now and finally got the opportunity to visit for nice leisurely happy hour on the patio.

We arrived around 5pm on a Sunday and the place was empty. We decided to sit out on the patio to enjoy the nice weather and extended daylight due to the time change. We opted to stick to the tapas and discounted martinis they had on special, $5 for any martini. Seemed like a great deal and they have over 500 to choose from. We also ordered some messy fries, stuffed olives and a pizza to share. The stuffed olives were nice. Wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese. The pizza was ok. A little undercooked and came out a little on the lukewarm side, which wasn't very appetizing. The fig added a nice flavor but a little more time in the oven would have helped the texture and flavor. The messy fries were the highlight of the meal. The fries slathered were in buffalo sauce and tossed with chunks of bleu cheese. They were spicy and dripping with sauce and yet maintained a nice crunchy texture. The martinis were ok. I ordered the blackberry and my fella got the strawberry shortcake. There were so many options I found it difficult to narrow down what I wanted. I'll definitely have to take more time to research next time I come.

Overall our meal was nice but nothing was amazing and since we didn't order meals I can't speak too much to the regular menu.

Our server was extremely attentive, almost too much at times, but we appreciated his effort since we were outside and he didn't want us to think he forgot about us at any point.

More people trickled in around 6pm, so hopefully they do get more people than we saw during our meal. I would be interested in coming back for happy hour again. $5 martinis are a great deal and I'd likely come back for that alone.

Kailyn's Kitchen

I have been excited to try Kailyn's Kitchen after reading a glowing review from a friend of mine. We arrived around 11 on Saturday and most of the seats were taken already. We were seated at the last available table and given a moment to peruse the menu.

It took a while to decide since they have an extensive menu. We decided on the truffle tots with kalbi, a full stack of pancakes and a basic breakfast combo. The food came out quickly. I also ordered an iced tea. Definitely not my favorite iced tea, but I added sugar and that helped even out the flavor a bit.

The truffle tots smelled amazing and were delicious. The truffle was a little overpowering, but I love truffle so I enjoyed this dish quite a bit. I'd order this again in a heartbeat. The pancakes were good. Huge portion and homemade. I wish they were a little more cooked, as the texture seemed a bit on the doughy side, but that's more of a personal preference. The basic breakfast is the best deal. For only $3.25 we got two eggs any style, hash browns, toast and some sausage mixture with onions.

The food was all solid and for the price we will definitely be back. They had very interesting omelets and burgers I'm excited to try on our next visit. I love innovative menus and for that alone I would return. Doesn't hurt that everything was delicious as well.

Everyone was very nice and I am happy to support small businesses here in Vegas. Definitely worth a visit. I highly recommend Kailyn's Kitchen.

Chilly Jillyz

Chilly Jilly'z is a great little spot in Boulder City that I would never have heard about without Yelp. After spending some quality outdoor time doing some hiking near Lake Mead, we decided to stop by Chilly Jilly'z on our way back to the city.

We arrived around 1:30 and the place was really busy. There was a line, but that allowed us to figure out what we wanted off the menu, which is extensive. I was more thirsty than anything so opted for a pineapple Italian soda and my fella got a Frappuccino. My friends ordered the Dole Whip float, chocolate malt and some of their famous broasted chicken. The food came out quickly and we sat down to enjoy our food. Everything was really great and we even decided to get some dole whip for dessert. I liked everything I tried and although I didn't try the chicken, it smelled amazing and my friends raved about how moist and flavorful it was, so I'll definitely have to give it a try next time.

The atmosphere at Chilly Jilly'z is very welcoming and there is a hometown feel that makes you feel very comfortable here. Watching the kitchen prepare all the food, you can tell they take special care and everything is made from scratch and portions are generous. I will definitely stop by this place again next time I'm in the area.

District One

I had pork belly on my mind when I tried this place for lunch, but was a little disappointed to find out that they didn't have any since it was still cooking and it wouldn't be ready until dinner.

Since I had my heart set on pork belly, it took me a little bit to recoup and figure out what to order. I finally decided on the combination rice plate with shortrib and my dining companion opted for the steak and eggs. The food came out pretty quickly, although my dish came out a few minutes before my friends, which was a little annoying. The lobster pho looked amazing as they were serving it to a neighboring table, so that definitely piqued my interest for my next visit.

I enjoyed my shortribs and everything I tried was solid. Service was good and refills were plentiful. I especially enjoyed the kim chee which was on the spicy side and was very flavorful. I still couldn't get the pork belly out of my head, so I'll likely have to come back for that, but I've learned my lesson and will call in advance to make sure that they have it ready before coming in.

Al's Donuts

My mom wanted to try the infamous croissant/donut and so I went on the hunt. They were out at the two places I tried before Al's, so third times a charm. We arrived around noon and there weren't any in the display case, but the lady behind the counter let me know that they had some in the back that she was busy dressing so we had free reign on what flavors we could have. By free reign, I mean we were able to choose from the three flavors they have: chocolate, maple and vanilla. I opted to try the chocolate and maple. We didn't order any regular donuts.

This donut shop is right across from UNLV, on the corner or Harmon and Maryland. It's small and not particularly noteworthy and a little on the dingy side. The pastries were large and a little overly sweet for my taste. I love powdered sugar, but they were covered in them, so it was a bit of overkill. For the most part, the pastry was moist and had good texture, but I don't see myself going out of my way to try them again soon. Al's is a good option for students or those who live in the area.

Mr. Mama's

Having passed by Mr. Mama's on numerous occasions over the years, I was finally able to stop by to try them out.

We were greeted warmly by Mr. Mama himself and were seated quickly. As we perused our menus, our drink orders were take and Mr. Mama chatted with us a while. He told us they have been open for two years now and 80% of their business was tourists, which I found pretty surprising seeing as they are in a relatively industrial and local area.

The place was packed but service was hospitable and quick. Refills were on point and the food came out quickly. My ham and cheese omelet was solid and so was the albacore tuna melt. Very tasty and reasonably priced. Everything we had was fresh as well. Definitely sad that it took me so long to give Mr. Mama's a chance.

With service and food as fabulous as it was, I anticipate returning to Mr. Mama's often.