Restaurant Week: Emeril's Fish House

On our fourth day of Restaurant Week, we dined at Emeril's Fish House. It's one of the few restaurants I've never experienced at MGM Grand. We had 6 o'clock reservations and we were seated promptly. All three of us chose the Restaurant Week menu for $50.13. We started with salads: the Heirloom Tomato Salad - Spanish Blue Cheese, Red Onion, Basil, Herb Vinaigrette and Aged Balsamic Vinegar and the Caesar Salad - Romaine Hearts, Parmesan Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grissini and Creamy House Made Dressing. The tomatoes weren't as hearty as we'd hope, but the blue cheese was high octane and really stellar. I had hoped the Caesar house dressing would be like what's offered at Delmonico. Unfortunately, it wasn't. This romaine was overdressed and the dressing was too sweet for my liking.





Our second course was Shrimp & Andouille Pork Sausage Gumbo - Okra & Long Grain Rice and Chef Emeril's Fall River Clam Chowder - Apple Smoked Bacon & Idaho Potatoes. I was torn between the two but went with the Gumbo since we were in Emeril's house. The chowder, however, was the better choice. It was velvety and the clams were perfectly tender. The Gumbo lacked "Bam!" it was really mild. Though, not overly salty like many I tried in New Orleans.





We sampled each of the options for the third course: Horseradish Grilled Blue Shrimp - Patty pan Squash, Zucchini & Pearl Couscous and Preserved Meyer Lemon, Chef Emeril's Sweet Barbecued Atlantic Salmon - Spicy Andouille Pork Sausage Hash, Crystal Fried Onion Crust and Emeril's House made Worcestershire and Grilled Double Cut Pork Chop - Chive Blossom & Yukon Gold Potato Puree, and Wilted Spinach.







The shrimp was the winning dish. It was well seasoned and not a bit overcooked. I wish I had ordered it, instead I had the BBQ Salmon. I ordered it since "fish house" is in the name and I've never had salmon barbequed. In short, I was very underwhelmed. It was underseasoned and lacked pizazz. The sweetness hid the natural salmon flavor. The hash was so overly salty I couldn't eat it. The double cut pork chop was prepared medium. It was cooked to order, but it was tough! And also terribly bland. Yet, the spinach was so salty it was inedible.

I welcomed dessert and when it was delivered our server said "and now, for the best part!" Sadly, it was the best part. The didn't have the Lemon & Angel Food Cake Trifle that was posted online. So, I decided to give Emeril's Banana Cream Pie another chance. I had it before at Delmonico and it was served frozen. Thankfully, this was one was ice crystal free. It seemed to have more cream than banana; it was nothing I'd rave about or even order again, but it was pretty good. The guys chose the butter and bread pudding. This was the highlight of the night. Tender, gooey bread, and slightly sweet.





Service was attentive. However, I found dinner service a bit odd. Each course was brought out on an enormous tray with each dish covered and then placed on a stand. The covers were removed and then the food would sit until a few servers could gather to serve all dishes at the same time. It looked like a parade of room service, then you see the food sitting there and you're left thinking "serve it to me or I'll serve it to myself." I don't know if it was amplified because we sat at the table next to their prepping area - we saw this process for every diner in our back corner of the room. I can't recall ever paying such attention to the manner in which food was served. I was annoyed with the distraction.

We were on such a roll with our Restaurant Week meals I knew it was too good to last. At least, we helped out Three Square. Emeril's Fish House is a one and done experience. Frankly, it is sad that this place remains but Seablue was replaced. They had stellar seafood. I miss it.

Restaurant Week: Table 34

Last night, Frank and I dined at Table 34. I've heard good things and Restaurant Week was the perfect excuse. It's tucked away in the corporate center near 215/Warm Springs. I made a reservation last week, but they didn't have it. Fortunately, they had seating available and we were seated right away. We both chose the Restaurant Week menu; three courses for $40.13.

We started with Duck Confit Quesadilla with Spicy-Blackberry Syrah Coulis, this was delicious and it came with a small salad and scrumptious grapes. I'd return for this alone (but everything was really good)! It bursts with flavor.



Entrees were brought over a short bit later, I had Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage-Brown Butter and Toasted Walnuts and Frank had the Grilled Pork Chop with Chipotle Potato Puree, Mixed Veggies and Hard Cider Glaze. Both were well executed and very good, but Frank chose the better dish. The chipotle mashed were hearty and smokey. And the chop was tender, juicy, and had a nice char.





And then for dessert, Frank chose the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie with Honeycomb Clusters and Lemon Cheesecake with Candied Lemon Zest. The peanuts with the honeycomb reminded me of Crunch-N-Munch, the chocolate peanut butter pie was creamy and decadent. The cheesecake tasted like summer, it was light and comforting with a nice blend of sweet and tart.





Service was quick and friendly. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere; even when full it wasn't too noisy. Table 34 is a real gem. It was nice to see them openly promote Restaurant Week. All too often restaurants hide the specials and they're only offered when asked.

Restaurant Week: Joe's Seafood, Steaks & Stone Crab

Our second Restaurant Week meal was at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steaks and Stone Crab. We went for Frank's birthday and we couldn't wait to go back. We had six o'clock reservations and we were seated right away. Service was attentive throughout the meal. Frank ordered off the menu, and our friend and I went with the restaurant week menu for $50.13 and we chose the same items: Bowl of Stone Crab Bisque, Chilean Sea Bass with Jennie's Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Broccolini and Joe's Signature Key Lime Pie.

We started with bisque and calamari ($14.95). Both were excellent! The bisque was smooth as silk and the veggies had a nice bite. It'd only be better with more crab. Because everything is better with MORE crab. The calamari was tender and lightly breaded, and the cocktail sauce had a satisfying kick from the horseradish.





After we gobbled that up, the real feast began. We dug into large crab claws ($59.95), seabass with bok choy, mushroom mac n cheese ($9.95), mashed potatoes and sauteed broccolini. It was all delicious! The claws are always out of this world. I generally prefer a hard sear on fish but this miso glaze was wonderful - a pleasant blend of sweet and salty.









We were already stuffed, but we still had dessert to come. Frank looked over the menu and chose the Peanut Butter Pie with hot fudge ($7.95). That thing was a monster! It was rich, decadent and positively sinful. He could not finish it. We tried to help, but the PB pie won. The key lime pie was light and refreshing. It hit the spot!





I think I can safely say that Joe's is my favorite chain. They do it right! The Restaurant Week menu provided an opportunity to try something other than crab and the fish was indeed was stellar. The RW three courses were offered at considerable savings too. You save about $25, and $5 goes to Three Square for each meal ordered.

Restaurant Week: Poppy Den

We officially kicked off Spring Restaurant Week last night at Poppy Den. It's an Asian gastro pub in Tivoli Village by Angelo Sosa. You might recognize the name from Top Chef Season 7 or All Stars. I was immediately intrigued when I heard of its opening, but we hadn't found time to check it out until now; Restaurant Week was the perfect excuse.

Our party of three had a seven o'clock reservations, we were seated in the center of the dining room. There were several tables filled but I thought it'd be busier. Service was attentive. We started with drinks: Asahi ($7), Big Dog Rebel Red ($7) and Pinot Grigio ($7). We each chose items from the Restaurant Week Menu, $30.13 for three courses.

The Crab Toast with Mango Mustard Grilled ciabatta and ripe mango got us started. This was delicious. It's a bit sweet and savory with a nice crunch from the ciabatta. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.



We sampled both entrees the Miso Salmon with Shishito Peppers Mint vinaigrette and soy sauce was nicely prepared and a bit sweet. The Roasted Duck Breast; with Poppy Honey Italian honey and cracked almonds is what lured me in and it was actually my least favorite. I found it a bit chewy since it was cooked a bit more than I like. The flavors were nice, though. I loved the grilled bok choy. I would have been thrilled with a big ole plate of that alone.





Dessert was Chips and Ice Cream or Strawberry Sake Shortcake, but they ran out of strawberries. So, we had our choice of raspberries or blueberries. Raspberries it was! The ice cream was strawberry sake. I loved it! On the other shortcake was whipped cream and cracked black pepper, I enjoyed the unusual twist. Speaking of unusual twists the chips and ice cream was literally housemade potato chips in scoops of lemon poppy and miso toffee ice cream. Sweet and salty, it's such a lovely combination.





Overall, the seamlessness of the multitude of flavors in each dish is stellar. We thought it was a great experience, we'd like to return and sample more of the menu. This Restaurant Week special is a great deal: the crab toast, bok choy and duck breast are regularly $43 and that's not even counting dessert. It's considerable savings, plus you're helping a great cause with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Three Square Food Bank. Poppy Den also started Meaningful Mondays where they donate 20% of total sales to a different charity each week. It's a nice touch that they give back regularly.

Mystery Meet's Find Dining Podcast

I was invited to be a guest on Mystery Meet's Find Dining Podcast with Seth Resler. In Episode 32, we discuss some of my favorite places to dine, new trends and what's in store for Fremont East. Check it out!



Seth is currently working on putting together a Food Tourism Conference called Taste Trekkers . Are you like me and plan vacations around food? Well, this is the event for you! If they reach their fundraising goals the conference will be in Providence, Rhode Island, this fall. Reserve tickets and more through their KickStarter campaign.

Restaurant Week All Sorted Out

For many Restaurant Week begins today. For us, it is still a more few days until we kick off our gluttonous feast, but we do have our week squared away:

Monday - Poppy Den; Crab Toast with Mango Mustard Grilled ciabatta, ripe mango, Roasted Duck Breast; with Poppy Honey Italian honey, cracked almonds, Strawberry Sake Shortcake

Tuesday - Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab; Bowl of Stone Crab Bisque, Chilean Sea Bass served with Jennie's Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Broccolini, Joe's Signature Key Lime Pie

Wednesday - Table 34; Duck Confit Quesadilla with Spicy-Blackberry Syrah Coulis, Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage-Brown Butter and Toasted Walnuts, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie with Honeycomb Clusters

Thursday - Emeril's New Orleans Fish House; Caesar Salad - Romaine Hearts, Parmesan Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grissini and Creamy House Made Dressing, Chicken, Shrimp & Andouille Pork Sausage Gumbo, Grilled Double Cut Pork Chop - Chive Blossom & Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Fresh Pea Tendrils & Romanita Tomatoes, Lemon & Angel Food Cake Trifle with Fresh Whipped Cream

Friday - The Pasta Shop; Fresh Mozzarella and Roma Tomato, Portofino with Fresh Shellfish in a Fra Diablo Sauce over Linguine, Tiramisu

And that's just a glimpse and what we have to look forward to... To say I am excited would be an understatement.

The Gift of Light

[Photo Credit:Flickr/David Yu]

Last night, thousands gathered to witness the debut of "The Bay Lights" it's a massive LED light display installed on the Bay Bridge which connects San Francisco to Oakland. It's known as the world's largest light sculpture. Get the full scoop in this LA Times article.

So, why am I sharing this? Well, my thoughtful husband bought me a piece of it as an early birthday gift. Light #80 will be burning bright on Tower 3, Cable 25 in my honor until March 2015. The website has an interactive portion that allows you to view all the lights purchased. Finding mine will reveal a photo of me in San Francisco enjoying Cioppino at Sotto Mare. With a message that reads "To the greatest woman to walk the earth, Happy Birthday!" It's no wonder I love him so. We'll be visiting next month, I can't wait to see it!

A Taste of the Upper Crust

La Jolla is a true gem it is no wonder that it is known as the jewel of San Diego. We've visited a number of times, but we recently had our first taste of rubbing elbows with the upper crust. Travelzoo ran a deal on Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa that I couldn't resist. We booked two nights and got away from it all. We had a fabulous stay, but it's doubtful we'll return to the Estancia. Customer service was top notch and the grounds are lovely, but the accomodations failed to wow us. I guess living in Vegas with some of the best resorts in the world at rock bottom prices has spoiled us a bit.

Photos from this trip aren't up to standards, my new camera hadn't arrived before the trip, and while I had my Nikon along; I was a dimwit and forgot to charge it beforehand. Of course, I didn't pack the charger either. So, most photos are from our camera phones.







We spent time at all our favorite places and stuffed ourselves silly with our favorite eats. We also parked in the cove the morning we tried Cody's for brunch. We watched the sea lions and we went down into the La Jolla Cove Cave. We've been dozens of times before, but never knew it existed. I love that we continue to find new stuff to explore despite our many visits to the area. I can't say the Cave was anything spectacular it's small and you can experience it in 15 minutes or less - walking the stairs takes up much of the time - it's just one of those things to do once. The moisture that collects on the spider webs in the cave was particularly neat.











We caught one sunset. Usually the marine layer prevents us from doing so, but we had gorgeous weather and no marine layer, just beautiful sunshine!! Temps were in the 70's. It's what California dreams are made of.



When we weren't seeing the sights we were feeding our bellies. And they were WELL fed. We tried two new places: Carnitas Snack Shack in North Park and Cody's in La Jolla. Delicious. Plus all of our old favorites: Con Pane, El Indio, and Whisknladle. La Puerta, though, has slipped. I don't see us making it a must do in the future.

Check out these eats! We ate at the Carnitas Shack twice. On our first visit we came for lunch; we had the carnitas tacos and the pork belly banh mì which was on special. We took the order to go because we weren't properly parked. We dug in while in the car, such wonderful porkiness! The pork belly was nicely tender and bursting with flavor. The pork pate was likely the best I've tasted. Fresh veggies and bread made this one great sandwich. The carnitas were awesome! Melt in your mouth goodness. I wasn't in love with the tortillas so I'll try the torta next time.





Our second visit was for dinner. This time parking was a far easier find. We ordered the pork and steak sandwiches, side of fries and a couple local brews. We grabbed a table on the patio. Both sandwiches looked delicious when they arrived. We were eager to dig in. The pork sandwich sounds positively sinful with schnitzel, pulled pork, bacon, pepperoncini relish and shack aoli. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat. It was very dry, the bun crumbled into a dozen pieces. The bacon was undercooked, the schnitzel was overcooked and the pulled pork seemed like it sat out too long. The relish lacked crunch and heat. The aoli seemed not existent. I wanted to love this sandwich, but I did not. It has such high praises... Perhaps, I got a bad one? It seemed odd to order steak in a shack of pork, but it was wonderful. The ribeye was juicy, the jalapeno cheddar bread was tender but strong enough to hold all the goodies and the kick from the serrano chile relish was awesome. This was an outstanding sandwich. The seasoned fries come crisp and very WELL seasoned. We gobbled those up.





I can't wait for our next jaunt to SD to sample more pork goodness.



Cody's was another winner! When we checked in with the host we were asked "shade or sun?" That's the kind of welcome I enjoy. First available was shade, but it was a quick three minute wait and it had a lovely view of the cove.

We wanted to try everything. We narrowed down a real breakfast of champions: the crab cakes, biscuits and gravy, the bacon and cheddar omelet and the awesome french toast.









The crab cakes were a bit small, but what they lacked in size they made up for in flavor. The were very crabby which I highly enjoy.

I was skeptical over the Awesome French Toast. How awesome could it be? Well, truth be told, it is indeed awesome. I cannot recall devouring a better version. The marscapone butter left me on cloud nine.

The bacon and cheese omelet was prepared nicely, but it lacked any spark. We'll skip it in the future.

The biscuits and gravy, however, were absolutely dreamy. You must understand, I don't often like B & G. But these biscuits were tender and fluffy. Even on the third day I doubt they'd be dry. The gravy was smooth as silk. I don't know if it was the chopped onion that wooed me, but woo me, it did.



Needless to say, the weekend was wonderfully relaxing!

Le Burger Brasserie

Frank loves the lamb burger at Le Burger Brasserie. He enjoys it often. It was time I saw what the fuss was about. We met for for a late lunch on a Saturday. The restaurant wasn't too busy, I'd say it was a lull in the day. Service was quick. I enjoyed the l'americain with American cheese, onion rings and mushrooms. The lamb burger did not disappoint either. He likes his medium rare served on the ovendried tomato bun. I chose this bun too and while it's not something I traditionally order it was quite good; I recommend it. Don't miss the waffle fries. They are crisp, nicely seasoned and simply delicious!