And to think I was so happy

So I think I posted too soon. See, it'd been a bit (December) since I'd been to Rebel Pizza when I wrote my review. Until now they were great. Let's just start from the basics..
They has an almost 50% increase in their cheese pizza prices. Now you have to wait for a $5 pizza, when you can walk into any Little Caesar's in town and get one hot and ready. Ok, I can deal with a wait, it's a better pizza and fresh. For this I am ok, though a little sad. So I call in my order before I leave work, like a good kid, get there a few minutes later (about 5, really) and pay. The guy on the phone said 15 minutes, so I'm cool. I chill, and I wait, and I watch. After the SECOND person that came in after me got their pizza, and by now it's almost 40 minutes since I called, with no "Hey dude, running behind, sorry" or a "Oh crap, sorry Mr. 6' 270lb hard to miss man, we forgot about you" I roll up to the counter. The lady looks at me, confused a second, and then remembers my name. She looks for the pizzas, and moves to two that have been sitting there for at least 10 minutes, both pepperoni. I called in a order for a cheese and a pepperoni, not a hard thing.

"Oh we're working on the cheese right now!" meaning, 'I'll give you this cold Pepperoni, and ha, oops.' Well, no, I have places to go. So I ask for my money back. She looks at me like I just slapped a midget. "Hold on a second," calls the next order up (I'm ok with this, dude's been waiting at least 20 minutes), and guess what?! His fries aren't ready! She runs out to put his fries in, and tells me, looks at me "You want just two pepperoni?" meaning 'Do you want these pepperoni pizza's that have been sitting here getting cold for now about 15 minutes?" I tell her no, I just want my money. "Well you'll have to wait. I need to get it signed for" what ever, I'll wait, more.

Interjecting: While I've been sitting here I've seen

• Cook wiping his mouth on the rag in his apron where he's wiping his hands off from the flour.
• Dude in the back scratching his nose and then putting food in boxes
• Old man in the back scratching his head and then handling food

Dude that was scratching his nose, during all this, asks if I needed help, girl interjects, says she's helping me. Finally old man comes, signs the note after she goes over the story in a condescending tone. I get my money and bail, 45 minutes after my initial call for an order I was told would take 15 minutes.

Now, these aren't the people I normally saw in there. We'd gone numerous nights of the week and saw the same people over and over, so maybe they've changed staff and what not, but as of now, I'm not going back. Between the bad hygiene habits and the crap-tastic service, why would I?

So, this is the first bad review of our loverly food blog, and I'm sad to say it's retracting a formally great review.

Hashing a Favorite

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Over all I think it was agreed that Hash House A Go Go would be something that needed multiple posts and opinions on, but after Rabbit's Rampages of Writing I think I need to play some catch up and express my undying love and adoration for this Urban Farm Food.

There is far too much food here. No, really. Every portion can pretty much feed two, if not a third. We've gone here, we being me, Rabbit, and my loverly girlfriend, at least three times, maybe more like four. The problem is eventually it all blurs into one big round of "OMFG I can't move, I eat too many."
Listing things off, I know we've tried

• HH Famous Meatloaf, roasted red peppers, fresh spinach and smoked mozzarella
• Andy's Sage Fried Chicken w/ maple reduction, 2 eggs, bacon mashed potatoes & biscuit
• Grilled portobello mushroom
• The Kokomo
• Hash House Quesadilla stuffed w/potatoes, jalapenos, eggs & tomato w/ chili cream

I wish I could remember everything, and I know I'm close. We've also had their breakfast drinks. They have a mimosa that is based of Aste' and Tangerine juice. Their bartenders mix a good drink. It's easy to get too much or not enough booze in a mimosa, especially first thing in the morning, but never has that happened yet. They hit it right on the money. I enjoy their Breakfast Martini, when I can get it. It's juices, and booze, and a cinnamon sugar rim. Ok it's a little foofy for my usual fare, but yeah first thing in the morning when you roll out of bed at 11:00am it's something that makes things better and right. It's sweet, and smooth, and has booze. what else is needed?! Good food.

Look above at those selections. I wish I could describe them all in their mouth watering evil fullness, but I can't, because I'm not verbose enough to give them adequate praise. The Quesadilla is a great breakfast treat. It's starch with a side of starch, and some eggs for good measure. It's well seasoned and FREAKING HUGE. If I haven't mentioned it yet (I think this is only the fourth time) their portions will make you ache. And it's worth it.

The Kokomo is a meatloaf sammich with mozzarella on milk bread. It's this monstrous sammich that comes on a large plate and stares at you, taunting you. The Portobello Mushroom burger is equally large, and almost good for you. These are both wonderful selections if you're not quite ready for breakfast, because it's lunch time when you get there like us.

The Chicken, eggs, and potatoes is a wonderful meal. The chicken breast had to be the Dolly Parton of Chicken's because it's ginormous. And there's this maple reduction that's drizzled along the plate that makes me gyrate my hips in anticipation. Ok for those of you that don't know (aka most of you at this point) I am a sucker for maple. It is my weakness. It's an addiction I keep in check by living in the Southwest so it's too expensive to live off of.

The meatloaf had to be a pound of meat. It's not like Mama cooked it, because Mama never cooked meatloaf this good. It's huge, and tasty, and goes really well between two slices of bread the next day at lunch because like everything else, I had left overs.

There is a downside to this now-chain of off the chain Twisted Tractor Treats. The service is always a bit slow. In their defense it's because we're always there when there are people eagerly and happily waiting upwards of an hour for a table in a town where you can walk five feet and probably find more food, but still, I get cranky waiting for drinks. At least the bar is fast. That makes a lot of things tolerable.

I haven't had a chance to do their dinner menu yet, but it's on my list of noms to try.

Something New

Kobold has been asking for us to try something new; Indian food. I'm not well-acquainted with such things and despite being fairly adventurous, I'm not the type of girl who will eat anything (ie: Kobold is excited about the prospect of trying some Norwegian/Icelandic rotting shark something-or-other.. aka: Hákarl ). Indian food is one of those things that I was sort of on the fence about. I say "was" because he convinced me to go to India Palace (menu/info here for you lovely readers)

It's once more Zagat rated and wonderful. At this point, I really ought to stop questioning him. We went with Ghryc on a Saturday evening and were pleasantly surprised, the place was quasi-busy but seated us right away. The service was impeccable and the prices are reasonable.

They do offer many appetizers, including a staggering assortment of Naan - but we skipped this in order to save room for the meal. They did bring us some complimentary naan (kind of like whole-grain water crackers.. funny-shaped) along with 3 different 'standard' sauces.... red, green and poo-colored. I can't tell you what they were, but the poo-colored was my favorite. It was sweet-ish, the green was more mild and the red was hot-sweet.

Kobold had the KEEMA Lamb, which doesn't necessarily LOOK super-appetizing but I assure you, as I did take a taste, it is amazing. A bit of a kick but not enough spice to deter my Midwestern tastebuds. Kobold decimated this meal in under 15 minutes but stated that he was happily full. The portions look small but added in with the Naan they bring at beginning, plus rice, it was a goodly amount of food.

Ghryc had the goat curry and, per usual, ordered it in "kill me please" hot. Even the waiter asked at least twice to make sure he wasn't just being boastful. He wasn't, and he was pleased with the outcome. It too looked a little...interesting in presentation, but also came in a portion that filled him up and he said it had good flavor and wasn't just "American hot" (ie: hot without any kind of good taste). Special note: the Goat does not come de-boned, so be careful.

I had the chicken Kabab, which comes on a chili's-esque cast iron skillet-dealie, in cahoots with onions, peppers, lemon wedges and an orange slice. It was very good -tasty like.. spicy (but not too spicy) chicken... "molded" FYI, means "squished around the stick so it looks like a sausage." Again, not something I had known about the presentation, but it was quite yum-tastic.

We were intrepid enough to try dessert, too. I initially wanted GAJJAR HALWA, but the waiter said they were out. Sad panda. I settled for KHEER, as I am a gigantic fan of saffron (ok, maybe an addict - it's hard to get saffron anywhere). It was very good, huge portion and came in a banana split boat. Hooray! Kobold had the RAS MALAI and I have to admit, it was good too, though I am generally not a fan of cheese in my deserts.

Are you a Mexican, or a Mexican't!?

Ok I wouldn't use that joke if it wasn't something we've heard in real life. The first time I heard about it a good friend was recounting one of his favorite bus rides ever. A few months back, I heard a father say it to his son. It makes me laugh. Every time. A lot.

La Costa is a small place off Sierra Vista and Swenson. It's tucked into this shady looking strip mall that has like 2 or 3 things still open. The first time I went was with a coworker who kept telling me it was fine, the place had great food. I was worried. I was hungry. I was intrigued.
So far I've had their tacos, burritos and tortas. I love a good sammich, and their tortas make me happy every time. Their burritos, though, are why I go there for lunch. For $3.99 you get an all meat burrito. No onion or cheese or rice filler. Just this wonderfully seasoned meat that falls apart in your mouth. It's not often that I will brag about meat being in my mouth, it makes me feel dirty to say like that, but this stuff? Yeah it's fine to talk about like that. I'm good with it. Give me your big meaty burrito!

Ahem, enough of that.

I've eaten at Roberto's and their many clones, and for those of you that have, the serving sizes are about the same, if not a little bigger. The main difference is where Roberto's is "Yeah that was good.." this place is more of "Nom.. Mmm yeah Nom nom nom nom good.

It's a small joint, I think I've seen three workers total, and it's fine by me. It's open early, and late until 11:00pm. I think the longest I've waited for food was about 10 minutes. It's worth the jaunt over any time, and they always seem happy to have people coming in.

Thai me to the moon...

I couldn't resist the awful pun. I apologize profusely but it couldn't be helped, especially since we're becoming such good friends.

Ahem.



The subject today is Thai food and aside from the fact that I know I'm going to get crap for this, I've currently got two favorites in town: Royal Thai and Thai BBQ (the Original).

First up, Royal Thai. It's on Sahara just West of the Strip (can you tell this is our general neighborhood area? Yeah.. deal with it) and it's neatly situated in a strip mall filled with other cuisines that we've been meaning to try but have yet to venture toward because, well... Royal Thai is amazing. Menu and info for you here

The staff is O.M.G awesome and despite the fact that we're usually the only ..er... white people in the place (isn't this a good measure of the cuisine? If other people of that ethnicity love to eat there?), we've never been treated with anything less that excellence.

Not only this, but the food? The food makes me squee in my pants. Almost literally. I'm a big fan of Pad Thai in particular and this place makes me quite happy about it. Portions are huge and prices are absolutely affordable. I always start out with the appetizer - tempura vegetables (because despite the fact that I'm a fatty and don't generally eat a lot of veggies, I can't pass up deep fried eggplant, zucchini, broccoli and carrots with sweet sauce for dipping!) and then move on to the Pad Thai. I have also tried the eggplant main dish as well as the orange chicken. Everything to date has been absolutely delicious. Not a single complaint from me or any of the poor intrepid souls that have ventured here with me.

The best thing about Royal Thai is the dessert. Seriously. I'd punch babies for this dessert. I believe they call it sweet rice... I'm not sure how to say it in Thai, so I fake it and tell the server that I want the green rice (yeah, it's green, but totally worth the shock value) with ice cream. And by ice cream, I mean coconut ice cream which is not too sweet - actually, not as sweet as the rice - and still has bits of coconut in it. It comes in a little dish and you may want to share it, but not.. if you know what I mean. It's incredibly rich and it may be too much for you to think about eating, but you'll want to anyway. Also, the rice is served warmish and of course the ice cream is not. Great combination. NOM NOM NOM!

The other favorite thusfar was attempted just this week: Thai BBQ on Jones and Flamingo. Menu and location details here Whilst waiting for our showtime for Sherlock Holmes (which, BTW, was quite good indeed), my friend Ghryc (that's pronounced Freak... don't ask) and I ventured to the intersection of Jones and Flamingo for a bit of food before we sat around on our rears for 2+ hours.

Being that the co-author, Kobold has this silly allergy-to-shellfish thing, I often try to avoid eating things with .. you know, animals that could kill him while we're out and about, but my company tonight would not be spared the tragedy of killing small crustaceans. We ordered the appetizer called "Wings of Angel"... which is a little disturbing if you're super-religious, but we're not so we were all about cherubic cannibalism. The order comes with 2 boneless chicken wings which are stuffed with shrimp, pork, chicken (of course) and clear noodles, also served with a side of sweet and sour cucumber sauce. Y.O.M! Not just yum, but YOM. Whilst my companion was given to eating the sauce all by itself, it did indeed lend to the taste of the shri-por-ken (like tur-duck-en, get it?) and sort of helped cut the very minimal greasy edge of the deep fried goodness.

I, being that I have decided this is my standard fare at Thai places, had the Pad Thai, which was an enormous helping (hello, lunch for 2 days afterward) and though there were no substitutions on the shrimp on the menu - as I would have preferred chickens - I was quite pleased with the overall taste. Very well done indeed.

My companion is of the opinion that you can't go to a Thai place and not have curry - I'm not entirely sure what he ordered, but he ordered it in the "please hurt me with the level of spice" area and was pleasantly surprised that not only did it "eviscerate" him as he had wanted, but it still had excellent flavor. All I remember is dabbing my finger in a bit of the sauce, putting it on my tongue and being incredibly sorry afterward. Please keep in mind, I'm from the Midwest, which means spicy things aren't really my specialty.

We were remiss and didn't order desert, as we did have a flick to catch, but we were both heartily satisfied with our meals and we left without too much of a dent in our pocketbooks.

Mmm Pizza makes me fatter

Ahh the joys of Pizza Joints in Vegas. There are of course the mandatory chains, you know, the Pizza Huts and the Papa Johns and the Little Caesars, but there is at least one place in this town that makes me happy.

Rebels Pizza.
It should come as no surprise at this point that it is, of course, by the college. What can I say, most people die within 20 miles of home, I eat within 5 if I can. Here they have a cheese pizza for under four bucks ($3.50). It's gooey and yummy, but not overly greasy. That's my biggest beef (Hahaha beef) when talking about a cheese pizza: Normally it's cheese and grease. While I'm a fan of using grease to get the job done, when you eat a pizza and have to wash your shirt afterwords, it's not nearly as fun as it should have been.

Their peperoni isn't as great, in my none too humble opinion, but it's pretty awesome in it's own right. They smother these things in meat. It's marvelous.

There are college specials, sammiches I've yet to try, and random sides (such as decent mozzarella sticks) . I'm a pizza fan, and need to break this habit and try more, but for now that's where I'm at. Though I have one negative: their cheesy garlic bread. It's kind of blah. It's the one thing this little joint failed on, that I can tell. It's open quite late, is decked out in Red and Grey (Go Rebels), and is definitely worth traveling to this part of town for.

I eat many noodles.

I am a fan of Asian food.
Then again, being a tried and true fatty, I really am a fan of any food. But for now, a triple decker for everyone.

1: Noodle House in the GoldCoast.
This was a good little place to come upon inside one of the classics of Las Vegas. It's off the strip just a tad, has good prices, and me and Rabbit both nommed hard. The food took a minute to get to us (it's all prepared nice and fresh) so the nice manager brought us an extra appetizer. Now, it was a few weeks back, so hopefully Rabbit will come through with remembering what we ate.
Update: Rabbit came through for me. She had Sweet and Sour chicken, that was good. I had Chicken Chow Mein and was impressed. Our appetizer that was ordered was crispy duck (mmm duck), and the freebie was orange chicken, that was really good too.

2: Thanh Huong
This is a place not far from UNLV. I've eaten there probably far too often in the last year. I've eaten many of their wonderful sammiches, their noodle plates, and of course, pho. This place definitely rocks up there as one of my favorite places to get lunch. It's quick, clean, and close to work. Me and a coworker eat here normally for under $15 total, but have yet to spend more than $20.

3: Chow King
This is another joint near the college. It's essentially fast food. They have sio pao, noodle plates, and the thing I go there for the most: Spicy chicken. They have a schezwan style powder they coat the fried chicken in, and it's just good. It's not overly greasy, it's cheap (2 pieces and a side for around $5), and it's good. The side is rice and a mushroom gravy. I'm not sure, over all, what the deal with the mushroom gravy is, but I'm not knocking it.

These are three quick and easy picks for the day. Definitely make me nom.