Pompei's Grotto - San Francisco

Looking for a quick spot on Fisherman's Wharf to grab a drink and some grub. We saw a sign for happy hour, so we couldn't resist. 

Decent prices on mixed drinks and beers on draft. Food was unimpressive and bland. There wasn't anything too memorable about this restaurant, but it does the trick if you have low expectations and feeling thirsty.

Items sampled: draft beer, fried zucchini, calamari fried shrimp and garlic fries

Location: 340 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Jason's Deli, Arroyo Crossing - Las Vegas

I've had Jason's Deli in the past during work events that were catered, but I'd never actually been inside one of their stores. 

I have to say, I wasn't entirely impressed, but it's a decent option for lunch. One of my major turn offs with this location was that the service was spotty at best. The girl who took our order was nice but there seemed to be quite a disconnect between the ordering, pick up and rest of the service. We stood around for a little too long with our receipts to pick up our salad plates, despite having several employees walk past us knowing we were waiting. I didn't entirely understand having to take our receipts hair a few feet down the line when it seemed easy enough for the cashier to hand us empty salad plates since she had already handed us empty drink cups. 

Once we were finally seated and had our food, I was happy enough with the meal. The soup was perfect to soothe my sore throat and the side of fruit was surprisingly fresh and delicious. The sandwich was decent too although I'd likely ask them not to toast my croissant next time. Just too crunchy and crumbly for my taste.

When my fella wanted a clean salad plate and tried to hand over his dirty one to an employee emptying the trash, he instead directed my guy to the front counter again. I think they could definitely work on their customer service and communication skills, but otherwise it's a good option for lunch. 

Items sampled: California club croissant, fruit and broccoli cheese soup

Location:7305 Arroyo Crossing Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89113

Gelato Messina - Las Vegas

Proximity to this place is a dangerous thing. I don't care for Downtown Summerlin, but Gelato Messina is enough in reason to venture over. 

When I visited they are more than happy to let you sample as many flavors as you like. I sampled a few and easily made my decision of a scoop of the salted coconut mango. 

The flavor was insanely good. I showed quite a bit of restraint and only ordered one scoop. I tried to make it all the way to my destination before enjoying my dessert but it was just too good to wait. 

I look forward to trying many more flavors now that it's so conveniently located. 

Items sampled: salted coconut mango

Location: 2010 Festival Park Dr, Ste 130, Las Vegas, NV 89135

Searsucker - Las Vegas

Dinner on a Friday evening just a few days after they opened and Searsucker already had a decent amount of people seated, enjoying their food.

We were seated in an awkward table in a walkway on the way to the restroom so my chair got kicked and bumped on a number of occasions. If I were to return I would ask for a more secluded table.

I had the pleasure of enjoying a meal with several dining companions which gave us a chance to order and sample a number of items from the menu.

For a new restaurant service already seemed on point, but that may just have been our good fortune to get the only server in the restaurant that came over from the Searsucker location in San Diego. He was knowledgable, friendly and very attentive. 

Our plates came out in a well-balanced manner. Never inundating us with too much food so we were able to sample at a leisurely pace.

My favorites from the evening were the mahi, pork butt, egg and pork belly and surprisingly the strawberry salad. Each of these dishes were well-cooked and the flavors were on point. 

The rest of the food was good, but didn't leave a lasting impression with me. I love brussel sprouts but these weren't as crispy as I like and seemed drowned in garlic, not really allowing me to enjoy the flavor of the vegetable. I was in the minority in my opinion of this dish, so it might just be a personal preference. 

Of the desserts we sampled, the smores dish came out as a table favorite. Even I, who am neither a huge fan of chocolate or smores, enjoyed it, though I couldn't take more than a bite since it was rich. This dish is best shared. The rest of the desserts didn't really do as much for me, but they were decent. Again, I was in the minority on this opinion, so it may be due to my lack of sweet tooth. 

Searsucker is already ahead of the game after opening so recently. Good service, excellent location and decent food to boot. With their eclectic menu and late night availability I see them being successful in catering to the pre-show and after clubbing crowd quite well.

Location: 3570 South Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Gyu Kaku - Las Vegas

Service was friendly, food was below average, but the biggest redeeming quality of this restaurant is the happy hour specials. 

The drinks we're tasty and cheap, so I give them three stars for that. I'd be back for that alone. 

As far as the food, I would skip most of the items we ordered including the ramen, crispy rice with tuna and even the pork belly. They were pretty stingy with the meat dishes and the flavor on the rest of the food was just disappointing overall. The only items I would order again on the food front was the kabli. 

Yes to the drinks, no to the food. 

Location: 3550 S Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89103

Jumping Rice & Rolls - Las Vegas

Jumping Rice & Rolls is a quick service Asian restaurant with decent food and service.

I arrived here on a Saturday afternoon and they were pretty empty. You order at the counter and they bring your food out to your table. 

They have a variety of fried rides and noodles as well as sushi rolls, salads and appetizers. I opted the kim chee fried noodles and tried the salmon roll.  

The entree serving size was generous for the price. I had plenty left over for a second meal to take home with me. The noodles we're decent and had a nice kick. The salmon roll was not memorable but I didn't expect too much. I would stick with the hot items from their menu and it's great for takeout too.

I'd be interested to check out more of their menu in the future.

Items sampled: kim chee fried noodles, salmon roll

Location: 9484 W Flamingo Rd, Ste 175, Las Vegas, NV 89147

Shave and Lather - North Las Vegas

Vegas is the perfect location to open a shave ice place and Lather and Shave have become another great contender.

I heard about this place via Instagram from fellow Yelper Amanda M and I was excited to try, despite their location all the way across town from me. Since I'm never in the area, I figured it's worth visiting as many places as I possibly could while I was in the area.

Lather and Shave was the first stop on our outing to North Las Vegas and I have to say it was great. The flavors are made of all-natural ingredeints and who doesn't love shave ice. I opted for the blackberry and pineapples flavors topped with vanilla lather, which is essentially their homemade whipped cream. I was tempted by added some spice, but wasnted to err on the side of caution and not try something too spicy during my first visit. 

The flavors were great. The pineapple overpowered the blackberry as I expected, so I'd likely only get the pineapple next time and try some razor rash on there for good measure. My friend tried the ginger spray and despite asking for more to be added after her first few tastes, she didn't get much of the ginger flavor. Since I'm not a huge fan of ginger, that didn't bother me, but she seemed disappointed, so that's something to keep in mind if you order. 

They are located at the Dinosaur Park at the Aliante Discovery Park. It's a great location where kids and families congregate regularly. There are even several ice cream trucks that park in the same area. I wouldn't drive all the way across town for them all on their own, but if they were located anywhere near where I live, I'd be a regular customer this summer. 

If you are in the area make this place a stop. The owners are really sweet and more than willing to talk to you about their vision for healthy shave ice. Grab a cup and sit by the lake to enjoy your all-natural dessert.

Item sampled: pineapple and blackberry shave ice with vanilla lather.

Location: 2627 Nature Park Dr, North Las Vegas, NV 89084