Mochiko Chicken

Mochiko Chicken is a cute little spot for inexpensive chicken strips and chicken bowls. I arrived on the fourth day they were open and service was superb. The owners and staff really care and wanted genuine feedback to make their restaurant better.

My friend and I ordered the four piece chicken strip meal, the Ohana, and the Hawaiian Hen House, a grilled chicken bowl with rice. The strips are meaty and lightly battered. They are enormous, so a great value for the price. They aren't really mochiko style chicken, but are good. The chicken bowl wasn't very exciting. The chicken was good, but the flavors were on the bland side and I had to add some cole slaw to make it more interesting flavor-wise. The lychee lemonade was subtle, but a little sweeter than I would have liked. Still good, though.

The prices, portions and service were great, so I'm happy to come back again soon to try more menu items.

Items sampled: Hawaiian Hen House chicken bowl, The Ohana mochiko chicken strip combo with fries, cole slaw and a Hawaiian bread roll.

Location: 2101 S Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Juice n Go

I am no expert, but the acai bowl I had here was refreshing, filling and tasty. Driving around the area during lunch and looking for something a little out of the ordinary I decided to give Juice n Go a chance. 

I arrived around 1230 and they were not usually at all. I went through the drive thru and decided on the large acai bowl since there is only a $1.00 different between the regular size and the large. 

I was surprised by how large the serving was. Lots of fruit and very fresh and filling. I wasn't sure the acai bowl would be enough for lunch, but it was the perfect serving. 

I can clearly make something this simple at home on my own, but let's be honest, I will be back when I'm in the area again. Yes, I am that lazy.

Items sampled: acai bowl

Location: 1735 S Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146

Carson Kitchen

Carson Kitchen has been on my radar from the moment they opened and I was excited to give them a try for my good friend's birthday dinner. We arrived around 5:30, and they were just on the cusp of getting busy, so it was great timing. 

The entrance is a little obscure and there are two doors right next to each other, so it's a little difficult to figure out which one is the one you can enter through. We approached and tried the door and when it didn't open we walked around to the other side of the building and then had to walk back and realized there was another door right next to the one I had just tried. When we walked in, the hostess mentioned seeing us miss the door and walk around and I kind of wondered why didn't she didn't come out to let us know instead of just watching us wander around the building. I saw this same thing happen to a number of other customers as well, so they might need a sign or something. 

Once seated, our server was very attentive and friendly. We quickly ordered some cocktails and sodas and he let us peruse the menu for a while. There aren't a huge number of menu items to choose from, but almost all of them caught my eye, so we decided to share a number of items amongst the group. 

Items selected: 

-Cocoa espresso NY strip steak 

-Devil's eggs with caviar and crispy pancetta

-Crispy chicken skins with a smoked honey dipping sauce

-Beef Wellington empanadas

-Butter burger spicy tater tots 

Everything we tried was great. The strip steak was perfectly cooked and had a nice rich flavor. The deviled eggs were a highlight of the meal. They were rich and a great twist on the typical deviled egg. The chicken skins were very rich and I'd recommend sharing these with a larger group to save you a stomachache. The Beef Wellington empanadas were very tasty, although I did feel a little more sauce would have enhanced the dish quite a bit. The butter burger was very basic, so I probably wouldn't order this dish again. 

Service was attentive and their cocktails were solid. I look forward to trying out the rest of their menu soon.

Location: 124 S 6th St, Ste 100, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Tiabi Coffee & Waffle

I came here with some friends yesterday and we shared a number of items. As I walked in, I noticed how lovely it smelled and was excited to try their waffles.

 

We sat and perused the menu for a while and I was a little disappointed that no one really checked on us or even asked if we wanted waters or more menus than just the one for our group of three. We finally figured out what we wanted and went up to the counter to order.

The lady behind he counter kept interrupting my friend as he started to order by yelling behind to another person who worked there. I thought that was a little rude, so that definitely put me off.

Our food took a while to come, but it looked really pretty. 

What we ordered:

-red velvet wafflenut 

-Nutella and almond wafflenut 

-The Fat Elvis waffle

-Strawberry and chocolate waffle

-Vegas churro waffle with honey, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla ice cream

Everything was solid, but nothing that blew me away. The consensus was that the churro waffle was the favorite and I personally enjoyed the strawberry waffle, minus the chocolate sauce. 

Service needs work and the location is awkward, so I don't see myself making much effort to come back to this place in the future.

Festival Buffet at Fiesta Rancho

For someone who doesn't like buffets, I end up eating at a lot of buffets. We met here to try the Hawaiian buffet items that they carry on Tuesdays. The price is $12.99 with a player's card. 

The only things I would be interested in eating again were the roast pig and bbq pork. The rest of the food didn't do much for me. Most of the main dishes and sides I tried were over salted and the dessert options were just sad. The only thing I liked from the desserts were the little cream puffs that you can buy at the grocery store. 

Service was sufficient, but there were times that dirty plates and empty drink glasses sat a little longer than I would have liked. The sodas on the second round of drinks were all flat, so no one drank them and it was hard to find our server again to get them replaced. 

They have singers and a hula dancer that come around to entertain everyone on Tuesdays. It was pleasant, but I would have preferred they stuck to one corner of the buffet instead of moving around to each table, since we had to awkwardly sit through their set, afraid to be rude and walk up to get more food while they performed. 

I heard other patrons complaining about the price since it was a special menu that they weren't anticipating. 

They did have a good amount of Hawaiian items to choose from, if you're interested in checking it out and the price seems about right for it. Just make sure you sign up for their player's card to receive the discount, since it's about four dollars more if you don't have one. One player's card will get you the discount for up to two diners.

Items sampled: spam fried rice, roast pig, bbq pork, Haupia, cream puffs, Kahlua pork, poi, poke

Location: Fiesta Rancho, 2405 N Rancho Dr, North Las Vegas, NV 89130

Tonkatsu Kiyoshi

Meeting friends for dinner is always a good occasion to try a new restaurant. After throwing a few options out between us, we narrowed our dinner choice to Tonkatsu Kiyoshi. 

We arrived around 5pm for an early dinner. We opted for an earlier than normal dinner since we figured the restaurant wouldn't be too busy and they wouldn't mind us sitting and chatting for a little longer than usual. 

We were greeted warmly and we perused the menu for a while. We both opted for the katsu danburi and proceeded to chit chat while we waited for our entrees to arrived ground up our own dipping concoctions. 

The food came out quickly and everything was tasty. The pork was juicy and I enjoyed my meal. I wasn't a huge fan of the way my egg was cooked and would likely order the katsu curry next time. I wasn't in love with the dipping sauce, either. 

We topped off our meal with by sharing the melon soda float. It was refreshing and very tasty. This was a great way to end a satisfying meal. I look forward to trying this place again for their other options. The service was great and the food definitely has me interested in coming back to try more.

 

Items sampled: katsu danburi and melon float

Location: 7780 S Jones Blvd, Ste 103, Las Vegas, NV 89139