Sunday, November 20, 2011

CHAPALAS MEXICAN RESTAURANT #5

http://www.chapalasmexicanrestaurant.com/

Don Rolled the die.   A 4.   He was once again craving Mexican food and we decided  to return again to Chapalas.  This time we were greeted by a young Waiter and we asked about the older woman but it was her day off.   Maybe she switched and now has Wenesdays off?   It didnt matter, the Young man (sorry I dont recall his name)  was VERY friendly and gave us the same service as we had come to expect from our favorite restaurant.

I even made it a point to reveal to the Hostess when we left that this was our favorite restaurant, that we had always had consistant service and food and mentioned my Food Blog-Paradize Found, You know it, youre reading it right now!

So, I rolled the die to see what Item I should be ordering and it was a 1.   I decided I wanted a combo meal as usual and I rolled to see how many Items I would have to get?   A 4.   Yum.   and what items do I have to try?   I rolled a 5.  The die would choose all 4 Items again, I wasnt worried since it had done so last time and the choices were all wonderful, though I give credit where credit is due, not to the die but to the wonderful chef.

The die chose...   2 Cheese Burritos (They were so Good) and 2 Chicken Tamales which of course they are always Perfect, Later on I ordered some Fried Ice Cream and ended up taking most of that home, though Don did share a little bit with me, of course this meal came with the sizeable portion of beans and rice and the chips and dip that are brought out at the start of the meal, I also had a Long Island Iced Tea in front of me and Don had a Bud Light.

I rolled to see about what Don had to try and got a 1.   I chose for him-combo Meal.   Then how many Items?   4  His choice, he chose 3.   Then which items? 1   Me.  ;)    I chose 2 Ground Beef Burritos because thats his favorite thing to order here and I also had him get some Nachos with cheese, sour cream, Avocado and More on it and he loved it except for the Avocado which he gave to me after taking the mandatory one bite.

All In All, It was a great visit!

Restaurant Atmosphere:     10
Menu Variety:   10
Comfort/Intimacy Level:  10
Service:  10
Food:  10

Top 3?    YES for BOTH of us!

CHAPALAS MEXICAN RESTAURANT #4

http://www.chapalasmexicanrestaurant.com/

Don rolled the Big Green die and it landed on a 1.

I was craving Mexican food after our horrible experience at the India Oven the week before and I wanted somewhere comfortable and that we had been before so I chose Chapalas.

We were seated in the same booth as always which we always find a bit funny and by the same older Waitress.  They brought us out our chips and dip and we ordered our drinks, I had a Tequilla Sunrise and Don ordered a Peach Margarita.

I rolled the die and a 2 came up which means I would get to choose from the menu and decide on which section I was willing to try a food item so I chose combo Dinners.   Another roll revealed that I would let the die decide how many Items I was going to be ordering, It chose 4 (Ok so leftovers for sure)   :)

Then which combo meal?   I rolled a 6.  The die chooses.   The die chose 1 Chicken Tamale (YUM), 1 Ground Beef Taquito (Very delicious), A Stuffed Poblano Pepper (Good but I couldnt chew the actual pepper) and A Ground Beef Tostada (soooo Good)   The Ground beef here is always seasoned just right and the service is always fast and friendly!    It also came with beans and rice.

I rolled for Don.   5   The die would choose a section for him and it chose Booze.  Well, he gave me his drink and ordered (after another roll of a 1) I picked the Peach Margarita he had already ordered so he wouldnt get sick and then we both had Peach Magaritas.   :)   Im so nice, I know  :)

The dinner as usual was PERFECT.

The Prices are always a surprise, around $40 or so, its insane!    Insanely Good of course, who knew you could get so much good food for such a great price?   

Restaurant Atmosphere:     10
Menu Variety:   10
Comfort/Intimacy Level:  10
Service:  10
Food:  10

Top 3?    YES for BOTH of us!

Friday, November 18, 2011

INDIA OVEN

http://www.usmenuguide.com/indiaoven.htm

Cabo Wabo stands as my least favorite restaurant.   India Oven is Don's.   I would almost agree with him if it werent for 2 of the food items that I had while we were there, while the food at Cabo Wabo didnt impress me at all!

Don rolled the Big Green Die and a 6 came up.   The die would choose the restaurant from the site listed above.  It chose Cuisine and eventually Indian came up and from there the die chose India Oven but this took a few rolls of the die.

We called ahead to make sure that we didnt need reservations or that they didnt have a dress code and the nice man on the Phone said that we could come right when they opened at 5pm and we wouldnt need to RSVP.

Upon arriving we sat down at a corner table and both of us ordered soda.  They do offer wine but no cocktails so tonight would be a night that I would have to just skip getting a buzz  :D

Our Waiter was an Indian man named Petria.  

I rolled a 1 which meant that I get to choose the section from which I have to try something and I chose appetizer.   I rolled again and a 2 meant I would get to choose which Appetizer I should try.  I looked at the list and decided on: Paneer Pakora.  Cheese dipped into a Garbanzo Bean Batter and deep fried.

Don and I Both tried it.   The cheese had ZERO flavor and we became curious at what kind of cheese could have no flavor so we called Petria over and asked him what kind of cheese it was and his answer?  Cheese.   Well Yes, we know that its cheese, what kind is it?   Cheese.   Yeah, Ok.  That went well.

I also ended up ordering the Sampler Platter for $26 which was Chicken Marsala, Chicken Tikka, Ground Lamb, Chopped Lamb and Tandoori Chicken.  We were expecting a HUGE Plate of Sampler Meats but we got a small plate with just a few pieces of each which Don helped me sample.  The Chicken Tikka and The Ground Lamb were wonderful which is why this restaurant didnt hit the bottom of my list!

The rest of the food wasnt good at all.  weird that I like ground lamb but cant stand chopped lamb?  

I rolled to see what section Don would have to try something and rolled a 1 so I chose for him to try an Appetizer.   Then I rolled a 3 which meant he would get to choose his own and he decided on Vegetable Samosa-Potatoes and Peas deep fried.  It also had no real flavor.   Don hated the whole meal.  He is now so afraid of Indian food that when its the die's choice when we go dicing, he Prays and chants that no Indian restaurant will be chosen!

Restaurant Atmosphere:     6
Menu Variety:   4
Comfort/Intimacy Level:   2
Service:  0
Food:  3

Top 3?    No.   In Fact, Unless The Die says we have to return, we Probably wont!

CHAPALAS MEXICAN RESTAURANT #3

http://www.chapalasmexicanrestaurant.com/

We are Mexican food freaks!
Seriously, I love the culture, the music, the people.  

Don rolled the Die in the Kitchen and it landed on a 4.   His choice.

He chose Chapalas!

Now.  We had been here 2 times previously and had a wonderful experience with the staff, the food and of course we just think its a very intimate place and I was thinking that it couldnt possibly give us a 3rd Great experience, call me a pessimist but Ive never been anywhere that was always consistant, have you?

I was wrong!

This has got to be the best restaurant in Vegas, I mean sure we havent been to all of them yet and we are a LONG ways off but were working on it, I will let you know!

Upon arriving, I ordered a Peach Margarita which was delicious and they are HUGE by the way, You definately get what you pay for here and Don ordered a soda.

I rolled the die while our older server came out as usual and was smiling as she always is-Her name of course is never on my mind, she tells me and then I forget.  :*(   Im so sorry!    she deserves some serious praise on these reviews!

She gave us chips and dips which are always on the House.

I rolled for me first and the die was a 5.   So after a few more rolls I learned that I would be trying a Dessert and another roll, a 1 meant that I got to choose, I wanted to try their Fried Ice cream and see if it was any different than The Cantina and I decided at the end of the meal that I would find out.

I then rolled for Don-a 2
I get to choose a section from the menu.   I decided on Cocktails and I rolled again to see who would choose the drink for Don to try and it was a 6.  The die.  After Just one more roll the die picked Strawberry Margarita for him and he loved it.

We ordered as usual fare.  Him a 3 Item combo meal which was Beef (Ground) Burritos and me-a Chicken Tamale and 2 Ground Beef Tacos, always so good, The Rice and Beans as well!   The Only difference that I see between here and say the cantina is that here the chips and dip in the start dont include bean dip but the refried beans you get on your plate later more than make up for that! 

The Fried Ice Cream?   OMG.   SOOOO  Good and so much different than the Cantina which puts Coconuts on Top, Here its just cinnamon and a cherry and whipped cream of course!

Restaurant Atmosphere:     10
Menu Variety:  10
Comfort/Intimacy Level:   10
Service:  10
Food:  10

Top 3?    YES!

THE CANTINA

http://www.tuscanylv.com/dining

Inside The Tuscany Casino over on West Flamingo sits an unassuming Mexican Restaurant that isnt half bad!   Normally casino cuisine doesnt do much for me.

Don rolled The Big Green die.    A 4

We didnt really have much money to go dicing and I was like, we can throw it on the credit card and worry about it later but after the previous weeks fiasco wth Cabo Wabo, Don was worried about me paying the card and since he had comps at this location since he and his mom Gamble at this casino almost exclusively, he chose it and then chose the Mexican restaurant inside, the other 2 choices consist of an Italian restaurant and a cafe.

Once inside I ordered a Spicy Bloody Mary and he ordered a raspberry Iced Tea and I rolled the die.

For the section of the menu that I would have to try an Item I rolled a 5.  The die gets to choose!
6 more rolls later and I learn I have to try a Quesadilla.   4 told me that Don would get to choose the type and he chose cheese.   It was OK.   I also ordered another drink and a 4 Item combo meal, a chicken Tamale which was VERY Good, VERY Tender and 2 Ground Beef Tacos which were VERY well seasoned and Just delicious!   I was very happy.

Don's Turn!   I rolled a 2.   I decided that he would have to try a combo meal as well and then I rolled a 3 which meant that he would choose how many Items he was getting, he wasnt that hungry and chose 3, one more roll revealed that he had to let the die choose all 3 Items, he wasnt happy about that and it was probably the first time that the die had treated him this way, he has been very lucky!

The die chose 1 shredded Beef Taco which he said was good but he liked ground beef much better.
1 Chicken Taquito which he said was OK and 1 Ground Beef Taco which he loved but prefers Burritos.

We couldnt resist trying Fried Ice Cream.  I had never had it before and had always wanted to and he was right, It was delicious!    Oh, Our Waiter is always the same cute guy, dont know his name, Don probably does  ;)

Restaurant Atmosphere:     10
Menu Variety:   10
Comfort/Intimacy Level:   10
Service:  10
Food:  6

Top 3?    No.  Chapalas is STILL BOTH of our Favorite Mexican Restaurants BUT we liked Cantina so much that later we brought my family (Cory, Amber, Jamie and Tammy) and treated them to dinner and they seemed to really like it so we will be back!

CABO WABO CANTINA

http://www.usmenuguide.com/cabowabolv.html

I had heard good things about this place from several people including my sister, I also knew that this place was connected to Sammy Hagar, either he had a special booze here or maybe he had parties here, I couldnt remember but I knew the place was in the back of my mind from something connected to him.

Don rolled the Big Green die and 6 came up, This means the die gets to choose from the above site, conventiantly if you look at the front Page of the site (under Las Vegas) there are 6 sections from Cuisine to the Best of Vegas, so Don rolled again and 5 came up, New additions, one more roll revealed we were going to the first place on the list-Cabo Wabo Cantina.

Located in The Miracle Mile shops inside Planet Hollywood, we called ahead to make sure they didnt have a dress code ans we didnt need to RSVP, once we found out that we could come as are we headed in that direction.

From the moment we arrived the Greeter at the front desk gave us a strange look, like we were dressed well enough to be there or maybe it was that I looked young, maybe it was that she noticed I dont have teeth, who knows-It was disturbing but I ignored that, knowing we wouldnt have to deal with her for the rest of the night anyways as she pointed out there are Waiter was to be a nice man named Eric.

I knew I wanted a cocktail but they didnt list the prices-I should have asked, something I would come to regret later.

I rolled the die to see what Item I had to try an Item from and It said 4, Don gets to choose.   Don chose for me to have a Cocktail which made me happy since I was going to do that anyways!    I rolled again and it said 4  Don chooes my cocktail.   Don looked over the list and chose: Coconut Margarita.

It was Delicious but came in a small Plastic Glass, one that you could take with you when you left so I thought I would order my second drink on the way out as we were planning to walk around the Miracle Mile shops to let dinner settle before we headed for home and I have a 2-3 drink limit when Don and I head out to eat.

I rolled to see what section of the menu Don would have to order from and the die roll was a 5, The die would choose a section from the menu, a few more rolls revealed that he would have to try an Appetizer.   I rolled again to see who would choose one for him and it said 1  Me.   I chose for him to try the cheese Quesadillas.

He liked them.

I ordered Chipotle Shrimp Appetizer and because the menu was so limited in what I would be able to chew, Almost every Beef Item in every part of the menu was shredded Beef-No Ground Beef whatsoever and we asked Eric since they clearly had Hamburgers on the menu if someone could just put Ground Beef into one of the Tacos for me and he said he would ask, he came back a few minutes later with a NO.

So I ordered the shrimp Tacos, he assured me that the Chipotle Shrimp was going to be spicy and the Tacos would compliment and cool my mouth down.

Don didnt order as that was his choice because he had already tried the Cheese Quesadillas and that was all he was obligated to try but he wanted a cocktail and ended up getting a Mango Margarita, I went ahead and told Eric that I wanted the Pomegranite Margarita to Go when we were done eating and he said he would get it for me.

My Chipotle Shrimp wasnt spicy whatsoever.   The Tacos were OK, Nothing special, The seats were uncomfortable, No one was really there at this time of night but it wasnt intimate whatsoever and while Don enjoyed the meal, I really didnt, They had big screen Tv's with some sport on and thats probably why he liked it so much, at the end when the bill came I was shocked-$77!

why?  The Little drinks in the Little to go plastic cups were $12 each, so 3 drinks were $36!

Clearly should The die choose for us to return here or should someone we are dicing with in the future say, Lets to Cabo Wabo Cantina then I will have to abide by the rules of the die and go back but if its ever my choice?  No way!

Restaurant Atmosphere:     5
Menu Variety:   1
Comfort/Intimacy Level:   0
Service:  5
Food:  1

Top 3?    No, In Fact, My least favorite Place.   Don though lists a different restaurant as his least favorite, we will get to that one soon.

BIG DOG'S BREWING COMPANY #2

http://www.usmenuguide.com/bigdogsbrewing.html

Here we go with that consistancy thing!

Don rolled The Big Green die for dinner.   4

His choice.   I dont know about you guys but does it seem like he gets to choose where we eat more than I do?    LOL

He wanted to go back to Big Dog's and I was indeed hungry for something spicy so I thought I could get the Fiesta Taco Salad unless the die or Don had other ideas that is.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a Waitress named Jennifer who had as GREAT Personality and we ordered our sodas.

We were seated in a different location this time right below a Big screen Tv and that was perfect for Don who hates to miss a game or a score rather.  Then a big family with kids came in and that ruined the Intimacy/Comfort score!

I rolled for me.   5   The die wanted to choose from the menu.    After a few rolls we determined that I had to try an Appetizer.   I rolled again to see who would choose one for me to try and it said YUP a 4-Don.   He chose The Wisconsin Cheese Curds again because he had liked them before and I had said I did and I did, I just didnt think they were that original, The Horseradish sauce makes them or breaks them in my Opinion.

I decided I was going to also order the Fiesta Taco Salad as I had planne but I asked them to drench it in the spicy Chipotle sauce this time and Im glad I did, every bite had Heat, not so much heat that I had to have a glass of water by my side the entire time but enough that I was pleased as a foodie.   :)

I rolled for Don.   6   The die gets to choose a section for him.   After a few Rolls?    A Cup of Soup-Today was chef's choice and Lucky for Don who hates Onions and all sorts of other delicious foods, the choice of the day was Chicken Soup.

Don ordered a Build Your own Burger after that!   Cheese, Medium well (I like mine a little more red than that) and I dont think he had any other Toppings since he hates everything.   :P

The Experience wasnt consistant except in the food which was wonderful of course and Yes we would suggest you get off your butt and head there, drag your husbands, They wont miss a score, They will get to score twice-Maybe 3 times if they are well behaved.   :)

Restaurant Atmosphere:     No Change from our Last Visit
Menu Variety:   No Change from our last Visit
Comfort/Intimacy Level:   9
Service:  7
Food:  9

Top 3?    No.