Dumpling Galaxy

Dumpling lovers rejoice! Helen You, chef and owner of Dumpling Galaxy and Tianjin Dumpling House in Flushings, New York, has written her first cookbook filled with her famous dumpling recipes. As well as recipes, there's useful sections and tips on how to make dumplings. This book will appeal to beginner and advance cooks alike.

I received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. 

Celebrations

Celebrations is Danielle Walker's sophomore cookbook focusing on a gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyle. Holiday foods, which are often carb and dairy heavy, are given alternatives. For example, birthday cakes are made with coconut flour and coconut sugar, while menus are filled with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. Recipes are clear and well-written, accompanied by vivid photographs. This enticing book is a valuable resource for people with food allergies and regular grain-eater alike.

I received a complimentary copy of the book for an honest book review.

Cookbook Review - Far Afield

Far Afield - places or areas other than the nearest or most obvious one.
This is a book that crosses over cultural, ethnic and geographical borders. Far-away cultures are brought to life by the sharing of food. Shane Mitchell does a beautiful job of telling their stories. Stories are accompanied by vibrant photography. A very interesting read that will keep you mesmerized for hours.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Cookbook Review: The London Cookbook

The London Cookbook: Recipes from the Restaurants, Cafes, and Hole-in-the-Wall was not a typical recipe book. Rather it was a story, comprised of the people that make up the London food scene. Her vignettes of their lives are fascinating, if not moreso, than the recipes itself.
I loved it. The story about Ottolenghi's master thesis was hilarious. Who knew he was an academic? I loved getting a glimpse of the lives of London's chefs, many I look up to as role-models.
The book itself was exquisite, filled with scrumptious photos and mouth-watering recipes. Recipes were suprisingly do-able at home. I can't wait to try them!  

Note: I received a complimentary copy for a review via Blogging for Books, but the opinions expressed are mine. 

Cookbook Review for Lucky Peach Presents Power Vegetables: Turbocharged Recipes for Vegetables with Guts

This book was a fun read! Very kitschy and in-your-face, but in a good way. The book is not vegetarian. Yay! It does include fish and dairy. And fruits are considered vegetables (I told you it was kitschy). I appreciated the chapters dedicated to explaining more exotic ingredients, such as Kombu. Lots of exotic recipes I've never seen before, such as Leek Vinaigrette Terrine. I'm excited to test it.

Cookbook Review: Inspiralize Everything

Inspiralize Everything is a beautiful cookbook, filled with great, healthy recipes. The chapters are categorized by vegetables or fruit and they are clear and easy-to-follow. I love the layout, there is a guide at the top of each recipe that describes whether the recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, low-cal or saves well. So useful! I can't wait to try such recipes as Tahini Beet Noodle Bowl with Falafel, or Tandoori Chicken over Sweet Potato Rice.

Sichuan Cuisine Coming To Its Own in Las Vegas

** Unassuming Chinese restaurant serving great Sichuan food. Try their Lamb Pot or one of their tasty noodle dishes.**

No longer can native Chinese poo-poo at Las Vegas and their lack of good authentic Chinese food. Sichuan food is coming to its own in our humble valley. In just the last year we've seen three great start ups: Yunnan Tasty Garden ( self-serve hot pot), the famous Chengdu Taste (sister store in Alhambra) and Yunnan Cuisine.  

The Sichuan food explosion, unfortunately, is not being talked about amongst critics. Which is a shame, because Sichuan food is the most exciting, dangerous, and tantalizing food in the world (maybe only second to Indian). It mixes spicy, bitter, numb, sweet and salty to create a flavor explosion in the mouth. And, sometimes, later on the toilet. :-)  Well, no pain, no gain, that's how I see it. 

Every wannabe-Jonathan-Gold fluky is going to flock to Chengdu Taste, while one little assuming restaurant is getting no press at all. And that is Yunnan Cuisine; a little mom and pop place off of Sahara, located in a small strip mall hidden behind a Chinese bank. But everyone should be flocking to it, because as Michael K points out in his review, they are doing the best version of Sichuan food in Las Vegas. 

Everything I've had here is good. Everything was balanced, perfectly seasoned, and not overpoweringly spicy, but not bland either. Some of my favorites were the STEAMED FISH WITH GREEN PEPPERS, delicate pieces of white fish (Tilapia or catfish?) in a delicate broth and topped with green peppers. The fish was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. 

I also enjoyed the LAMB POT, served hot pot style, but not immersed in soup as hot pot is. The lamb was tender and flavorful and the spices were just right, not too spicy or numbing. There were a good helping of vegetables underneath the flavorful lamb. 

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup that wasn't spicy

Their NOODLE DISHES are excellent too and fairly priced. I ordered their SPICY BEEF NOODLE SOUP, but there was a mix-up in the order and it came out zero spicy (I blame it on the gringo bf). However the zero spicy was delicious, with garlic (powder?) being the prominent flavor profile. 

Chongquin Noodle

Another dish we gobbled up was the CHONGQING NOODLE, a spicy, more-watery version of dan-dan mein. This dish was delicious, with lots of fragrant flavors such as chile, cilantro, mushroom, and chili oil, which complimented the flour noodles nicely. 

Fish Stock Soup

Lastly we got FISH STOCK SOUP, which was a rather large pot filled with tofu, fish and pickled greens. This was my least favorite dish even though it was very good. The soup base was slightly sour from the mustard greens. The fish was flaky and tender and the broth was great for sipping. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this restaurant and look forward to putting it into my rotation of regular places I eat. The prices are more than fair (especially with the groupon) and the decor is comfortable and unassuming. It's a winner all-around!

Vegas Burger Stop #2 - BurGR

**My favorite burger place in Las Vegas. Every burger I've tried has been fabulous. Fries and shake are awesome too.**

VEGAS BURGER STOP #2

Pub 1842 may be my favorite burger in town, but BurGR is my favorite burger place in town, simply put, everything here is OUTSTANDING! Not one bad thing on the menu.

Chanterelle Burger

Where do I start? So far I've tried four of the burgers and they've all hit it out of the park. My favorite is the FARM BURGER (duck breast + bacon + English sharp cheddar + fried egg). Delicious. I was hesitant at first because it was rare duck, but the duck breast comes out so tender and flavorful, it's the only way to eat it. Duck is so much better than beef or chicken.  
My second favorite is the CHANTERELLE BURGER (chanterelle mushrooms + arugula + figgy-onion jam).  t's one of the best mushroom burgers I've ever had, it is dripping with umami, 

I've also tried their American Burger burger and the Hell's Kitchen Burger burger and they were both great. I'm going to go on a limb and say that every burger here tastes fantastic. I can't wait to try them all.  

Truffle Parmesan Fries

Of course I have to rave about their thick cut fries. I'm in love with these fries, they're thick and they have a crisp outside and a nice soft inside. Chips (as they would call them in England) would be a better description than french fries, which are usually skinnier and more crispy. I had the Truffle Parmesan Fries, topped with Parmesan, truffle salt and truffle aioli and they were the best. A must have whenever I eat here.  

Shake #1

I've also tried their Shake #1 ( caramel pudding + chocolate shake+ toffee cookie). It was decadent and delicious. Great if you have a sweet tooth but it was a bit overkill for me, especially with the burger and fries.

Overall I was impressed with this place. Gordon Ramsey may be one mean, cranky bastard but he knows his burgers! Highly recommend!

Burger Stop #1: Pub 1842 @ the MGM Grand

 ** Gastropub in its purest form, Pub 1842 is a casual dining option serving up gourmet pub fare. Decent beer selection. Food was great but prices are inflated due to being inside the MGM hotel.**

1842 Burger served with side of fries

1842 Burger ($17): caramelized onions, mushrooms, truffle aioli. I don't know if my brain went into overload from all the tofu cakes I've been feeding it,  but damn, this was the best burger I've ever had. Bun was buttery, patty was juicy, plenty of mushrooms and onions. It was great. It was served with BBQ flavored fries, which I thought was overkill, next time I'll ask for fries without the BBQ seasoning. You need the fries to cut the salt and grease of the burger.  

Cross section of 1842 Burger

Brian got the DOUBLE SMOKED BACON ($18): smoked gouda, American cheese, lettuce, secret sauce, bacon & bacon. It was really greasy. It tasted good but it was not for me. The double bacon and double cheese was too much and the delicious patty got lost in all the grease. I can't imagine the salt content of this dish with the fries, yuck.

17.5 glass of Guinness cost $10. Ouch.

Overall, I really liked this place, it's a creative menu and my favorite burger in Las Vegas. I want to come back and try all their burgers, such as the Peanut Butter burger and their Korean Salmon burger. Being on the Strip makes it a drag for locals but it could be a convenient stop before a show.

Being Bored-dain: Vila Algarve, My Doorway to Portuguese Cuisine

It's been a while since I've done anything for my being bored-dain series. Bored-dain is a pun on Anthony Bourdain, a writer and eater I occasionally despise but envy as well. He gets to travel all over the world and eat. What a life! Well, I don't have the resources to travel but I do sit around and eat. A lot. Although I no longer live in Los Angeles, the melting pot of the world, Las Vegas has culinary adventures too.

My latest culinary discovery has been Portuguese food. Some background info on Portugal, the Portuguese Empire was the longest-lived of the modern European colonial empires, spanning almost 600 years. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula, and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the West and Spain on the West and North. (from wikipedia)

I have never tried, or even heard of Portuguese food. So when a new Portuguese restaurant opened up (the ONLY Portuguese restaurant in Las Vegas) the four of us decided to give it a try.

Haloumi Cheese Appetizer

We left all the ordering to Mike, as the rest of the party was befuddled about Portuguese food as I was. We started with several appetizers: the Chorizo, which beared little resemblance to its Mexican cousin, was served flaming tableside. It tasted a lot like kielbasa. Next, we had grilled Haloumi cheese (pictured above), Haloumi cheese is a cheese made from sheep's milk. It was very mild in flavor with a slight rubbery texture.

Snails in Thick Garlic Cream

My favorite appetizer of the meal was the Snails in Thick Garlic Cream. I love this dish. You can't go wrong with cream sauce, melted cheese and garlic. The snails added a meaty umami flavor to it. Of course, you can find this dish in French restaurants around town but Vila's Algarve's was decent, if not unique.

Chicken Trinchado

Our last appetizer was the Chicken Trinchado made with red wine, cream sauce, olives and served with toasted bread. It tasted a lot like a mild curry.

The main dish was the Bacalao (pronounced bak-a-lau). Bacalao means dried cod fish and is a staple of the Portuguese diet. There are many recipes and versions of it. This version had the bacalao mixed in with potatoes, onions and garlic and served with a salad. The owner gave us a short history on bacalao, it used to be poor people food and salting the cod was a way to preserve it. Now, it's a delicacy because of the amount of work needed to make the cod edible. The salted cod is soaked in fresh milk for a week and every day the milk has to be changed. The soaking makes the fish pliable and gets rid of the salt. The result is a very soft and mild tasting fish, which was served shredded. 

For dessert we had house-made tiramisu that was light and delicious. In conclusion, Vila Algarve was a culinary experience, worthy of being bored-dained. I don't know if I'd go back, but I'm glad that I got to get out of my comfort zone and try Portuguese food.  If Portugese doesn't excite you, the place has conventional pizza, burgers and pasta dishes too. And they're working on their liquor license and what looks to be a nightclub/dance floor.