Craft Kitchen - Henderson

Well, that is how breakfast is done. 

There isn't much that will get me to drive across town for but after hearing all the rave reviews of Craft Kitchen and seeing all the pictures of gorgeous food I had to give them a try for myself.

They were packed on the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving and my mom and I patiently waited for a seat while ogling the delicious looking pastries in the display case.

Finally seated it took me a minute to decide what I wanted to order. Everything sounded amazing and as I unabashedly stared at the food from neighboring tables the decision process became that much harder. I finally settled on the short rib hash, while my mom ordered the smoked salmon on a pretzel roll. I also ordered a pecan roll to share. 

The pastry came out first and it was perfection. I recommend having it heated to maximize the ooey gooey factor. We devoured this in about eight seconds flat. Next, our entrees arrived and they we're everything my heart was hoping for and more. The short rib hash was evenly flavored and the crispiness of the potatoes complemented the subtly sweet flavors of the meat. I loved every bite of this dish. The smoked salmon was excellent as well. The pretzel bread was soft and pillowy and enhanced the flavors of the salmon and cream cheese well. 

I can't rave about this place enough and I look forward to returning soon and often. 

Items sampled: pecan roll, short rib hash, smoked salmon on a pretzel bun

Location: 10940 S Eastern Ave, Ste 107, Henderson, NV 89052

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Zoozacrackers - Las Vegas

Zoozacrackers is one of the less expensive options inside Wynn Las Vegas. 

They offer deli counter service. Sandwiches, burgers, salads and soups. You order at the counter and they bring your food and drinks to your table. Free refills are offered and the food is decent. 

One of the better deals to be had in this otherwise upscale resort.

Location: Wynn Las Vegas 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Las Vegas Greek Festival

I don't love food festivals typically but the Las Vegas Greek Festival is one of the better organized events around town. 

Prices were high which is typical but the food was good, there was plenty of seating, lines moved quickly, entertainment was fun and they had booze. What's not to like.

I have had a good time on the few occasions I have been over the years. I would choose this festival over any other in town, for what it's worth.

Location: every September - 5300 S El Camino Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89118

Tusker House - Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World

This was probably the best meal we had during our most recent visit to Disney a World. That isn't saying much, but the addition of Disney characters for photo ops is always a plus.

We were checked in quickly and seated in a small room off the main buffer area. Our server took our drink orders quickly and off to the buffet line we were. There was a decent selection of options, both for kids and adults. The Mickey waffles were not particularly plentiful on the adult line so everyone was forced to crouch down to the kids area and grab as many as we could from those trays. Other than that one glitch the meal sailed along swimmingly.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Daisy all came around to each table for autographs and photographs. It was a lot of fun and Daisy was our favorite since she blew us a kiss and she was so darn adorable. 

Our server was friendly and attentive and made sure we all had a good amount of time with each of the characters. 

A nice option inside for breakfast or lunch inside the Animal Kingdom park.

Salted Malted Bakery - Las Vegas

There aren't many good reasons for me to venture all the way to North Las Vegas, but when I'm in the area I'm glad to have found Salted Malted. 

We didn't try any of their savory offerings, but we got a number of different cookies and bars to sample. The churro cookie, soft and amazing. My favorite of the offerings we chose. The rest of the flavors we tried were the carrot cake cookie was great. The heart breaker which is banana, chocolate and peanut butter tasted a little too overwhelmingly like banana for my taste but it was still good. The chipster had toffee and potato chips nestled in it. Amazing as well. Almost tied with the churro cookie as my favorite of the bunch. We rounded out our selections with a pumpkin bar and pumpkin latte cookie that were both excellent. 

Everything is freshly made and you can see they take a great amount of pride in their bakery goods so if I ever find myself in that part of town again, I will be back with a bigger appetite to try as much as I possibly can, including their Poutine and other baked goods.

Location: 6584 N Decatur Blvd, Ste 120, North Las Vegas, NV 89084

Items sampled: churro cookie, pumpkin bar, hear breaker, pumpkin latte, chipster, carrot cake cookie 

Joy of Tea - Walt Disney World, Epcot China Pavilion

Overheated and in need of a boba tea. We ordered and it was just ok. The texture of the boba was chewy and the tea was overt sweet. Lower expectations are the name of the food game at Walt Disney World.

Nine Dragons - Walt Disney World, China Pavilion at Epcot

Even walking in with extremely low expectations could not save this meal. 

My fella wanted Chinese, so I relented to trying this place despite the low reviews. We started with some pork belly bao which was absolutely disgusting. They were topped with a sauce that looked and tasted like thousand island dressing. Nothing else about this dish was memorable. The XLB were a mushy mess not even worth mentioning. I ordered garlic noodles as well and they were also bad. Chewy, with an unappetizing texture I just didn't like any part of this meal.

Service was friendly and attentive. Our server was so sweet but nothing could make up for the inedible mess that they serve here.

Items sampled: XLB, garlic noodles, pork belly bao

Location: Epcot - World Showcase, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Jaburritos - Las Vegas

Big ol' sushi rolls the size of your face? Yes, please. 

I came in during their first week and I opted for the select your own option. I chose salmon, soft shell crab, cucumber, yuzu guacamole and tobiko. The staff was new and just learning, but patience was key and they were really trying to learn.

They let you try any of the sauces and add anything on the side if you prefer. I was impressed by how friendly and accommodating everyone was and I look forward to giving them another try soon. If only they were closer to home.

Items sampled: build your own sushi burrito with salmon, tobiko, soft shell crab, yuzu guacamole and cucumber

Location: 2600 W Sahara Ave, Ste 115, Las Vegas, NV 89102

World's Best Corndog - Las Vegas Food Truck

World's best corndog? I don't know about that but these are some pretty pretty delicious doggies.

We ordered the pineapple brat corndog to share and it was delicious. I was worried the batter wouldn't work well with the texture and flavor of the sausage, but I was wrong. The batter was a little grainy but was tasty. 

I won't go out of my way to find this food truck again but it's a solid choice when you come across them out on the road.

Location: all over 

Items sampled: pineapple brat corndog

T-Birds Lounge - Warm Springs, Las Vegas

A great local bar location with cheap food and nice servers. We arrived around 10 and they were empty in the dining area. The server was so friendly and greeted each patron like she new them, most of the rig upsets she most likely did. 

My mom and I ordered some breakfast and prices were beyond reasonable. My omelet was made to order and was good. 

Service with a smile and great prices while watching the games, we'll likely be back soon to partake in more of the bar area as well.

Items sampled: ham, mushroom and cheese omelet with potatoes and toast

Location: 6560 W Warm Springs Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89118

Rolling Fusion - Las Vegas Food Truck

While attending the All American Foodie Fest we had the opportunity to try Rolling Fusion. 

My fella and I tried the Thai fried chicken tacos. They were good. Small, but good. The chicken had good flavor. They were a little on the dry side and I had hoped for more of a coconut flavor. If I ever tried them again I'd likely ask for more sauce to use as a dip.

The service was friendly and we didn't have to wait long for our food like other food trucks we have tried in the past. 

Items sampled: Thai fried chicken tacos

Location: all over 

Mastrioni's - Las Vegas

Seafood is the name of the game here at Mastrioni's. We dined here for lunch during a work lunch and I made reservations ahead of time. We arrived early and there was no wait but ten restaurant filled up quickly. 

Despite arriving before the crowd we were a little disappointed to get very little attention there at first. Drinks, menus and bread were slow to come.  Once we got the attention of our waiter it was still slow to get appetizers and entrees ordered but we were happy to indulge in bread as we waited.

Our entire table ordered fish dishes. I went with the halibut piccata and we shared the bruschetta as an appetizer. The bruschetta had a huge amount of tomato. It was delicious. The fish was well prepared. I enjoyed everything about my meal. 

The service was lackluster but I am still excited to come back and try them again. 

Items sampled: bruschetta, halibut piccata 

Location: 3330 S Hualapai Way, Ste 160, Las Vegas, NV 89117

Chada Street - Las Vegas

A week after my visit to Chada Street, I'm still wavering between three and four stars. Looking back at all the food our group of seven was able to try, there were a couple of standouts but for the most part most of the dishes were just incredibly solid. 

We started our meal with the blue pea limenade which was refreshing and a fun novelty with the color-changing aspect of the drink. I highly recommend starting with this if you visit. My favorite dishes from the meal were the crab fried rice, northern style sausage, crab curry and the larb. The sausage was exceptional as it was incredibly spicy and flavorful. The crab curry had excellent flavor although it didn't come with many noodles to absorb all the sauce, so I'd recommend ordering extra or a side of rice to assist. I don't typically enjoy ground meat, but since we had all heard great things about Chada's larb, I admit I did really enjoy the flavors. 

We ordered a number of desserts as well and although they serve two different versions of one of my favorite desserts, my favorite was the warm bread cubes with pandan custard. We all noted it's resemblance to ectolasm, but it was tasty and unique. 

The rest of the dishes were all good, but didn't leave as memorable an impression on me. Service was friendly albeit a little forgetful. The pacing of the dishes was a little quicker than we would have preferred and actually had to ask the server to slow down the dishes to allow us time to eat the first rounds before the next arrived. 

The restaurant is very nice and I'm interested in trying more dishes on a future visit.

Location: 3839 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Chada Street - Las Vegas

A week after my visit to Chada Street, I'm still wavering between three and four stars. Looking back at all the food our group of seven was able to try, there were a couple of standouts but for the most part most of the dishes were just incredibly solid. 

We started our meal with the blue pea limenade which was refreshing and a fun novelty with the color-changing aspect of the drink. I highly recommend starting with this if you visit. My favorite dishes from the meal were the crab fried rice, northern style sausage, crab curry and the larb. The sausage was exceptional as it was incredibly spicy and flavorful. The crab curry had excellent flavor although it didn't come with many noodles to absorb all the sauce, so I'd recommend ordering extra or a side of rice to assist. I don't typically enjoy ground meat, but since we had all heard great things about Chada's larb, I admit I did really enjoy the flavors. 

We ordered a number of desserts as well and although they serve two different versions of one of my favorite desserts, my favorite was the warm bread cubes with pandan custard. We all noted it's resemblance to ectolasm, but it was tasty and unique. 

The rest of the dishes were all good, but didn't leave as memorable an impression on me. Service was friendly albeit a little forgetful. The pacing of the dishes was a little quicker than we would have preferred and actually had to ask the server to slow down the dishes to allow us time to eat the first rounds before the next arrived. 

The restaurant is very nice and I'm interested in trying more dishes on a future visit.

Location: 3839 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102