Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

Having been to Handel's on a number of occasions, I was looking forward to the new location opening in the area.

I arrived around noon on their opening day. There are so many great flavors to choose from I decided to get a more conventional flavor, the chocolate raspberry truffle in a cake cone. 

Flavors were solid and I'm happy to have another dessert option on the Southwest side of town. I think adding some outdoor seating might be a nice next step for this location, to mirror others I have visited.

Items sampled: chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream

Location: 101710 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103

Pho Sing Sing

Looking to try a something new in the area when the pho craving struck. I came here with a friend who was in the mood for some bo kho. 

I ordered the rare steak and brisket pho and the order came out quickly. I enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere was nice. The broth was flavorful. 

The service was a little spotty but since we were chatting it wasn't to frustrating. If we were in a rush, I can see it getting on my nerves, overall I enjoyed my meal. My friend wasn't a fan of her stew and i would probably stick to their pho and vermicelli bowls in the future.

Items sampled: rare steak and brisket pho

Location: 3409 S Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146

Jacques Cafe

We were in the neighborhood around 8pm on a Wednesday looking for a spot to get a quick bite and a drink. Seeing as everything seems to close early in the area (even the Stsrbucks we tried first), this was no easy feat.

I finally noticed Cafe Jacques, so we decided to give them a try. They have s number of items on their menu that look tasty. Everything from sandwiches and burgers to soups, salads and small plates. 

We each decided on a different burger. I went with the turkey burger with a side salad instead of fries. 

You order at the counter and they bring your food to the table when it's ready. We ordered and it wasn't long before our food was ready. My fella opted for the fries with his burger so I got to sampled a few of them along with my meal. The turkey burger was fantastic. Flavorful and well-balanced ingredients. The salad was really good as well. Most side salads are a bit of an afterthought, but the dressing was incredible and the greens were really fresh and crunchy. The fries were great as well. They had the perfect balance and were thin, crispy and well-seasoned. The perfect fry to complement our meal.

Service was incredibly friendly and everyone was very patient with us since we walked in about an hour before they closed and ended up staying til a few minutes after they were scheduled to closed. We made sure they didn't mind and apologized for the inconvenience, which they were very gracious about.

I have to say I wasn't expecting much based on the mixed Yelp reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised by this little shop and looking forward to giving them another visit in the near future.

Items sampled: turkey burger, fries and side salad

Location: Trails Village, 1910 Village Center Cir, Las Vegas, NV 89134

Fuddruckers - Grand Canyon Blvd

This is a decent Fuddrucker's location with plenty of seating a nice topping bar with plenty of fresh vegetables. 

The service was friendly and efficient and all our burgers were cooked perfectly to order. I enjoyed my burger and it we especially good once I added pickles, lettuce and tomatoes from the self-service topping bar.

They have TV's as well, so it's convenient if you're trying to grab a quick bite and also watch the game.

Items sampled: green chile burger and sweet potato fries

Location: 4195 South Grand Canyon Dr, Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89147

Honey Salt

I have had Honey Salt on my peripheral radar for some time, but always felt rather lackluster about actually trying them. I finally got the opportunity to give them a try for lunch and without keeping you in suspense, the food and service was as lackluster as I had anticipated.

They were pretty busy during lunch time but we were seated immediately. It took a while for our server to acknowledge us and throughout our meal this remained an issue. He would ebe attentive for a minute and then he'd disappear, promising refills and spare utensils and then not delivering on these requests. I resorted to flag several waiters and busboys down for a spoon to be able to eat my soup which was cooling off quickly and get refills on tea and water.

On to the food. I decided on the fried chicken sandwich since it seemed to have universally positive reviews. This came with fries and I opted for a cup of soup and bread pudding for dessert, which me and my dining companion shared.

The sandwich was nothing to write home about, it lacked any originality and didn't have much flavor. The fries were hard and under seasoned and even the soup was dull. None of the flavors did anything for me. The bread pudding was fine, but it was not memorable in any way. 

All the food just seems overly pretentious and lacking any sort of excitement in the flavor department. Even now, over a week later, I can barely remember anything about the food. 

I don't see myself coming back any time soon.

Items sampled: chicken sandwich, fries, but thur squash soup, bread pudding, shrimp tacos

Location: 1031 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145

Lola's on Charleston

I've had Lola's on my radar for a while, but I've never been a huge fan of Cajun food. I decided to give in and come here for a post Christmas celebration with my OG.

We walked in and we were seated quickly. Everything looked pretty good but I decided on the bronzed shrimp and grits and my friend ordered the jambalaya with added shrimp.

My dish was great. The grits were nice and cheesy and the shrimp had a great kick. Very spicy. My friend enjoyed his dish quite a bit and said his was incredibly spicy too, in a positive way.

Service was attentive and friendly. Luckily they were very good about keeping the refills coming, it was definitely appreciated with the spice levels they serve.

Items sampled: shrimp and grits, jambalaya

Location: 241 W Charleston Blvd, Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Bachanal Buffet at Caesars Palace

If you're going to do a buffet, you might as well do the best one there is in town. Bacchanal is the best, but it comes with a pretty hefty price tag and a usually long wait in line.

All the stations are decent and I end up roaming around from food area to good area for far too long trying to narrow down my choices. I like to think of it as a little exercise before filling up on crab legs, steak and gelato.

Be sure you factor in wait times before coming here. Obviously they are usually busier during weekends and holidays.