Specialty Cocktails Make Vegas Restaurant Shine

If you haven't figured it out by now, I love myself a good drink. Beers, cocktails, premixed margaritas out of plastic jug - You name it, I'll enjoy it.  

This weekend I was on a quest to find a new watering hole and I think I found it at Herbs & Rye on the corner of Sahara and Valley View.

There are three main reasons I love this place:

- The drinks were superb

- The bartender was fantastic

- It's close to work

Okay, so number three sounds like I need a quick alcohol fix on my lunch break. Nothing could be further from the truth. I need a looooong alcohol fix on my lunch break.

While the restaurant and bar serve pretty much everything, it's the specialty cocktails that make this place stand out. If your tired of the same crappy pear and raspberry martinis for $15, this is the place for you. The ingredients may seem unusual and unheard of... but the combinations were fantastic. Even the drinks based with scotch or gin, which I am not a fan of, tasted delicious.

The drinks are sepearted into eras.. like the "Old School Age of American Bartending" and "Prohabition". I started with a drink called the Clover Club, made with gin, lemon, raspberry Syrup and egg white. The menu says the drink was Created at the Bellvue-Statford Hotel in Philadelphia, and named after the men’s club in the city by the same name…… It was delish!

Later I tried the Aviation which is my new favorite drink, not that I'll ever be able to replicate it at home. The Aviation is made with gin, Maraschino liqueur, lemon, and creme de violette. It also came with a real Maraschino Cherry, not not those bright pink things soaked in food coloring.

The place is nice, but not stuck up, so you feel comfortable asking the bartender plenty of questions. Our bartender was great and explained each drink. He even showed us the bottles of liquor and mixes. It was certainly a learning experience.

If I remember correctly, the martinis were about $9, which considering you're actually getting a real drink and not some sugared down alcohol mix, it was totally worth it. And if you're local, it's a great place to take people from out of town - It's "away from the strip" but still close enough that people won't get bored on the drive there. And it truly feels like some hidden gem that only locals know about.

I will definitely be stopping by again, but after work of course. 

Sliders Were The Hit Of The BBQ

Yes, summers in Las Vegas are hot, but they're nice and dry. Which means the evenings are fantastic!

Last weekend we had about 20 people over for a backyard BBQ (yes, we were grilling but I think barbecue just sounds better).  Anyway we provided the main dishes and everyone else brought a side. On the menu were three types of sliders, grilled chicken wings, watermelon, pasta salad, zesty three bean salad, chicken sonoma salad, and plenty of desserts.

Everything was great, but people really loved the sliders. Originally we were going to do burgers and dogs, but thought sliders would be a nice touch. It turns out people liked the portion size. They could have one or two sliders and still try all the other side dishes. And they were great for the kids.

We used a recipe from Food Network's Alton Brown called Mini Man Burgers.

You basically roll out the ground beef in a baking sheet, season it, fold it up and then cut it into squares. I had a hard time rolling it in a baking sheet because my rolling pin was too long and I didn't have any baking sheets without edges. So I just put the parchment paper right on the countertop. At first it was little awkward, but after the third batch of patties I had it down. By the time I finished making all 64 patties I was a pro.

The burgers cook fast, like lightning. We had to turn off a part of the grill and move the burgers so the cheese would have time to melt.

We did three different toppings:
- American cheese
- Blue cheese and bacon
- Swiss with Pineapple and a drizzle of teriyaki

Everyone loved the choices and loved the sliders. I'll definitely make them again, although I'll probably limit them to two toppings unless I have lots of help. And sadly I didn't get to try any until later, so I don't know how they tasted right off the grill.

If you decide to try these sliders at your next party, here's my only advice:
- Make the patties in advance.
- Keep the meet cold until you're ready to roll it out. It was much easier working with cold beef.
- Don't underestimate how long it will take the burgers to cook. They're super fast.
- Depending on how many you make, forget toasting the buns. It's a nice touch, but no one will notice.
- And get creative with the toppings. People at our get together had a lot of fun trying the different burgers. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

Anaheim Chilies Stuffed With Cheese

When you grow a garden it's always nice if you can actually eat the food you're growing. In Las Vegas, that means peppers. My anaheim chili plant did great this spring and produced a bunch of peppers, so this week I whipped up some stuffed cheese pepper things, and they came out great. It was very easy and definitely something I'll make again. Here are my not so exact instructions.

Ingredients: 
Cream cheese
Cotija cheese (In the southwest you can usually find cotija cheese in the refrigerated section next to the fresh salsa and chorizo)
Salt
Pepper
Whole fresh anaheim chilies
Tomatoes for garnish if you like

Mash equal parts of cream cheese and cotija cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cut chilies in half and  remove stem and seeds. I like to toss the chilies in a hot skillet for a few minutes to give them some blackened edges. Stuff the peppers with the cheese as best you can. Bake on 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until the top of the cheese browns. Top with diced tomato for a little color.

Southwestern Corn Pudding

Sometimes I try a new dish because I just hate to see food go to waste.

This weekend we hosted a fabulous potluck, but the corn never made it to the table. The woman who was supposed to bring it ended up coming late, and the next morning I had 12 cobs of corn sitting in my kitchen.

I love corn on the cob, but there was no way my husband and I were going to eat it all by ourselves. So I decided to sift through the recipe books and found an easy recipe for corn pudding. Imagine cream of corn, but stiff, like bread pudding. I had all the ingredients on hand and I even added some green chilies to spice things up. It was delicious! Especially if you like corn.

So, if you have a bunch of leftover corn this summer, here's an easy side dish from the Texas Cowboy Cooking cookbook:

4 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups of corn, cut from the cob (about 4 cobs, depending on the size)
1 1/2 tbs of canned diced green chilies. Add or subtract chilies as you like.
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until thickened (3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the beaten eggs, stirring with a wire whisk. Stir in the corn, sugar, salt and pepper, and pour into a small buttered baking dish. Place the dish in a shallow pan half filled with warm water (I used to bottom half of a small roasting pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until pudding is set.

Pizza Dough: What A Pain In My ***

Do you ever have one of those moments in the kitchen, where you say to yourself... This is not going well. I had about seven of those this week.

I was on a mission to learn how to grill pizza. Everyone told me to just buy the dough from the store, but that's not my style.

I started with a pizza recipe that I found online. I mixed the flour and yeast in my stand mixer like the recipe called for. Then I added the warm water and... wait a second, a dough hook? I don't have one of those.

So much for reading the entire recipe first.

Hoping to salvage my dough and water mess, I "hooked" the dough by hand. The recipe said it should take about 10 minutes in the mixer and the dough should look smooth and elastic. My method went on for about 15 minutes and ended when my arms were tired.  I put the dough in the bowl, covered it and put it in the fridge. The recipe said it should double overnight.

First of all, this was taking way too long! I had to wait until the next day to enjoy my grilled pizza? This better be the best homemade grilled pizza ever!

The next morning, nothing. The dough was the same as I left it. Some blob that had been kneaded by hand and hadn't risen an inch.

In the trash it went.

I needed a new recipe. One that wasn't going to take 24 hours. I was getting hungry!

The second recipe was a little better. Put the yeast and water together. Add some flour. Put it on a floured surface and start kneading. Except the dough kept sticking to my hands. I mean, really sticky, like I just put my hands in a pot of honey.

I'm sure it needed more flour, but that's when everything went downhill.

With my hands covered in gooey dough, my toddler decides to open a container of bubble solution and spill it on the floor. Before I could even roll my eyes, my husband arrives home and the dog starts going crazy. My daughter tries to walk to the garage door, but keeps stepping in the bubble solution and falling on her butt - It was like watching an episode of The Three Stooges.  My husband walks in to find me covered in goop and the kid covered in slippery bubble solution and crying on the floor. Welcome home honey!

The good news was this batch of dough did what it was supposed to and doubled in size. A few hours later I was able to put in on the grill and topped it with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. The dough was a little thick and needed some salt or garlic oil or something, but it wasn't bad.

I'm going to attempt to make another batch soon, but I may also check out the stuff at the supermarket. I know it's not my style, but making that dough was... well, you know.

California, Mexico and Rattlesnake Tequila

I've been on the road the past couple of weekends, vacationing and visiting friends. It's great to get away, but it's also great to try new food along the way. There's nothing worse than checking into a hotel and realizing the only restaurant they have is an Applebee's.

Over Memorial Day weekend we stayed with friends at the beach in Ventura County, California. We literally did nothing but drink and eat. There were at least three cookouts while we were there - A neighbor made elk burgers stuffed with American cheese and cilantro, I cooked up fresh rock fish and zuchinni from the local farmers market, and friends gathered down the street to share fish tacos with parmesan fried tortilla shells.

Those shells were fantastic! The guy who made them takes corn tortillas and fries them in a pan. When they're nearly ready, he shapes them into a taco shell and then dips them into a mixture of parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and garlic powder. They were definitely the hit of the party. I've tried making them a couple of times at home, but so far they're not quite the same.

We recently got back from Baja Mexico, where once again, all we did was drink and eat (I'm seeing a pattern here). My three favorites were the roadside fish tacos, the fresh calamari steak and the tequila soaked in rattlesnake.

The fish tacos were perfect - A woman who barely spoke english served them with hot sauces, radishes, shredded cabbage and white onions that had been marinating in vinegar, salt and oregano. Of course, maybe I loved the tacos because were were allowed to bring our own beer!

The calamari was served at a place called Los Gordo's Bar. If you're ever in Ensenada, check it out. It's at a great location and the food was good and cheap. The night we were there, they were serving fresh calamari steak dinners for $6. It was fantastic! There's nothing like fresh fish!

As for the rattlesnake tequila, that was also at Los Gordo's. Yep, that's me! Take a drink, get your picture with the snake and they'll post it on Facebook for the whole world to see. You can't beat that deal. And as much as I dreaded it, the tequila was pretty good. Good enough to do a second shot later that night. Ouch.

Frozen Yogurt is all the Rave in Las Vegas

In the last couple of months, two new frozen yogurt shops have opened in my neighborhood. I'm sure it's the same all around the valley. Yougurtland, U Swirl, Golden Spoon, Menchie's.. you name it, we got it.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised - It's the desert, it's hot as hell, and yogurt is pretty cheap. But still, it's surprising to see new businesses open when the economy is such crap in Las Vegas. Surprising in a good way I should say.

I checked out the new Menchie's by my house yesterday. It's hidden in a neighborhood near Russell Rd. and Hualapai Way. I have to admit, I didn't know it was a yogurt place. What does Menchie mean anyway?

I guess it doesn't matter because their yogurt is pretty good. They had all the basic flavors and some fun ones too: Angel Food Cake, Hawaiian Delight Sorbet, Red Velvet Cake, Watermelon Tart. They also have a big toppings bar. Like most places, it's self serve and they charge you by weight.

I had a Cake Batter with strawberries, crushed graham crackers and marshmallow creme. Yum.

For me, when it comes to yogurt, it's pretty much all the same. But two things made this place stand out - They have a kids party room with a giant chalkboard wall, and their large patio has misters and fans! Just another way to stay cool in the desert.

Food Failure: Veggie Burger with Marinated Onion

I was feeling pretty creative this afternoon so I decide to make a high class veggie burger. I toasted an english muffin and broiled some cotija cheese over thinly sliced tomatoes. I topped it with a Boca Burger and some wonderful marinated red onions that were leftover from chicken tacos.

It looked like something out of a magazine. Too bad it was the article on recipes that needed makeovers.

This is a classic example of one of my biggest flaws - I take food that is great separately and think it will take great together. The sandwich wasn't awful, but the marinated onions gave it a weird tangy taste. Something that you probably wouldn't expect from a high class veggie burger.

Oh well, I'll keep coming up with my masterpieces and one of these days something will hit the mark.

A quick note on those marinated red onions - They're awesome and I can't stop eating them. Here's the recipe from Cooking Light.


1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 medium red onion, sliced vertically

Mix first four ingredients in medium bowl.

Place sliced onion in sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then immediately drain and place in bowl of ice water. Drain again and place onions in juice mixture. Chill.

Grocery Shopping in Las Vegas: An Insomniac's Dream

I just finished a trip to the grocery store at midnight. Yes, midnight. It's one of the many perks of living in a city that considers itself open for business 24 hours a day.

While the drunks on the strip aren't stopping by Albertsons to pick up some fresh arugula, there are plenty of people like me who don't want to wake up to an empty fridge.

No, not every store is open 24 hours and the ones that are have very little staff. Don't expect the butcher to be around. Or anyone to be around for that matter. I once showed up at the cashier stand only to find a note explaining how to use the paging system to get someone. Hello? I'm ready for checkout on aisle four. Is anyone there?

Okay, so maybe customer service isn't the number one priority at 2 a.m., but it's still great having full size grocery stores open 24 hours a day. No crowds, no lines, no clean ups on aisle nine. And imagine the parking!!

Oh, and did I mention those same supermarkets sell beer and liquor? Ahhhh... an evening of grocery shopping and I can relax with a fresh beer knowing that tomorrow morning the fridge is stocked and the grocery shopping is done.  Now that's living the life in Las Vegas.