I’ve been in a rut lately… cooking, eating, blogging, reading and otherwise…

But I visited my friend Connie’s blog today and instantly I felt a little better.

mmmmm....cupcake....good....

CONNIE IS AMAZING – her mind constantly works in “creative overdrive” – it’s inspiring! I wish I had even just 1% of her creativity and drive.

I believe that we all have it in us to be creative in different aspects of our lives – be it in the way we dress, the books we read, the music we listen to, how we decorate our homes, how we think, how we do everyday tasks, how we cook, etc…. But most of us (ok… I’m talking about me here…) keep it internal, never letting our outward expressions showcase our inner genius.

But Connie – she does it all… She’s a wife, a mom to 3 beautiful girls and also has quite a successful career… and on top of all this, she can put together quite a wonderful cupcake birthday party for her oldest daughter.

Check out her latest post where she shows off some of her creative cooking/party planning genius, then check out some of her older posts where she shows off her Craft-Goddess-Ness.

In the meantime… I will look at that wonderfully decorated cupcake pictured above and smile = )

Thanks Connie!

*****

OK – this one’s for DJ YELLOWJACKET… who always seems to ask for my chili, even though he knows that I don’t really like chili – well, the truth is, I don’t really care for the beans… and who requested it in May… Sorry it took so long…

Happy Birthday, by the way…

It’s my throw-everything-in-a-pot-and-let-it-cook recipe. SUPER EASY – hardest part should be opening up the cans…

You’ll need:

Directions:

Using medium high heat, brown the ground sirloin in a pot with the vegetable oil.

LIGHTLY SEASON the beef with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.

Let the meat cook and try not to stir it around so much so that you get nice, big, chunky pieces of beef. When the beef is cooked, drain most of the fat from the pot, leaving just enough so that the beef does not stick to the pot.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and bell peppers to the meat mixture at this time. (You would also add the corn at this time too.) Mix all together.

Add the chili seasoning and continue to mix to evenly distribute the seasoning. Let it cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onions get a bit translucent and limp.

Next, mix add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and water.

And finally, gently fold in the beans and try not to crush them.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Turn off heat, then stir in the mayonnaise for “creamier” chili.

This recipe will make a pretty big pot, so call your friends over to help you finish it off.

I usually have a condiment bar or “add on” buffet on the side – shredded cheese, sour cream, HOT SAUCE, sliced hot dogs, tortilla chips, corn bread, toasted sourdough rolls, rice, etc. -so that everyone can customize and personalize their chili to their individual tastes.

Such is the case with my recent dining experience at White Chocolate Grill. And I really wanted to like this place since it’s in my neighborhood. I’m hoping it was just a “bad” night.  Maybe I just expected too much.

Looking over the menu, nothing really jumped out at me.  The server came by to get our orders about 20 minutes after we were seated and I still was not ready to place my order.  I asked our server what he likes to order from their menu and he mentioned their ribeye, which I would have ordered instantly, but I was not in the mood for steak – I know, shocker, huh?!?  Then he mentioned the special – sea bass – and I was ready to order.  Sea Bass, is one of my favorite fish, ever since I first tried the Chilean Sea Bass at Tao.  So now, whenever I see it on a menu, I’ll order it, in hopes of duplicating the Tao experience (which, by the way, can only be imitated – Tao is still up there on my list of favorite restaurants…).

So, I had the sea bass – and Chilean it was not – more like from the Santa Barbara region.  It was hardwood grilled with a citrus flavored rub/seasoning mix and served with a side of steamed broccoli (my favorite!) and some kind of dill sauce, which I thought was too thick and heavy for the fish.  All it needed was a touch of lemon juice.  This was good, don’t get me wrong.  I enjoyed it. I did.  But it wasn’t spectacular. I wasn’t expecting fireworks, but for the premium price of $25.99, I expected sparklers, at least.  Or at least a bigger hunk of fish and not just a snack-sized fillet.

The other dish that we ordered was their  is their Pork Tenderloin entree that is prepared with an apricot bbq glaze.  They give you about 6 medallions of pork loin and top it with the glaze.  This was served with a side of mashed potatoes, which was really nice and creamy.  This was $18.00.   It was tasty.

White Chocolate Grill has done what no other restaurant that I’ve been to has done – a pretty bold move at that.  On their menu, the first items that are listed are their desserts, where at other restaurants, the desserts are listed either at the end of the menu or on a separate menu altogether.

So this subliminally told me “our desserts are so good, that we had to list them first on the menu”. I wasn’t sure at that time if that’s the message that they intended to send, but that’s the message I got.

So, instead of ordering appetizers or salads, we opted to save our appetites and make room for dessert.  At the end of our meal, we ordered 2 desserts…the first 2 desserts that they had listed on the menu.

White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie (with Graham Cracker Crust) $7.50

A mini banana cream pie of sorts. The base is a graham cracker and oatmeal crust that was light and crispy and pretty tasty.  The filling was a vanilla-ish pudding of sorts with banana slices, that was way too runny.  I also couldn’t tell if it should have been banana flavored or vanilla flavored because of the visible vanilla bean, as its flavor was difficult to decipher.  This was all topped with a dollop of whipped cream and white chocolate shavings (that had some funky aftertaste).  The caramel sauce, I want to say, was purely for aesthetic purposes as it did not add or take away from the taste (or lack of) of the dessert.  Also way too runny/diluted.

White chocolate Brownie (Callebaut Choclate and French Vanilla ice cream) $7.50

The White Chocolate Brownie was disaster.  It could have been saved had the brownie been a regular brownie brownie and not a blondie.  I get it… White Chocolate Grill… White Chocolate Brownie. But how about if they did say a regular brownie with white chocolate chunks in the brownie or maybe some sort of white chocolate topping.  This one was trying too hard to be good, and it wasn’t. The brownie was more like a chewy/doughy sugar cookie and the chocolate sauce was way too runny and all over the place.  The saving grace to this dessert was the vanilla ice cream and the whip cream, which, no matter how hard you try, you can’t mess up.  I know… OUCH! Bad blogger!  Sorry…

So I’m hoping they were just having a bad night, which was why we had to wait 20 minutes to place our order and get something to drink, then wait another 35 minutes or so to get our food (which we finished in 15 minutes), then wait another 20 minutes for dessert (which wasn’t all that), then wait another 15 minutes for our check.  We were seated at 6:15ish and didn’t get out till close to 9 pm.  And by this time, I so wanted to just get out of this place already.

I’ll give White Chocolate Grill another try, for sure… but not anytime soon.  The White Chocolate Grill aftertaste is still a turn -off.

Tread cautiously, if you want to give it a try.  You might have a different experience than what we had.  Maybe I should have tried the ribeye…  maybe….

*****

The southwest area of Las Vegas has recently blown up with some wonderful eateries popping up left and right within days and footsteps from each other. Cheeburger Cheeburger is one of those eateries that recently opened and has already earned a cult following in the Vegas Valley. So far, this is the only Las Vegas location, but I hope that we’ll be seeing more of them pop up in the valley soon.

A Wall of Fame greets you as soon as you open its doors. On this wall are dozens of pictures of burger lovers that have conquered their One Pounder and another set of pictures for younger burger lovers that have conquered the Half Pounder. The bubble gum pink walls, glass block, metal legged vinyl covered chairs and formica surfaced tables all add to the diner-esque feel of this burger joint. Definitely family friendly, Cheeburger Cheeburger makes you feel as if you were transformed back to the 50’s where small diners such as this one, was THE place to hang out with your friends or family and enjoy a wonderful meal and each other’s company.

Cheeburger Cheeburger is basically a “how-you-want-it-is-how-we-make-it” kinda place. From their burgers to their sandwiches to their shakes, you are in control.

Let’s start with their shake menu. You can either order a single flavor or combine a bunch of flavors to come up with your own personal flavor. As the sign says, there are 378,000 combinations. With all the different flavors that they offer, I don’t doubt it.

We kept it simple this time. Here’s a picture of 2 of the shakes that we ordered: Oreo Cheesecake Shake (left) and White Chocolate with Oreos Shake (right). All of their shakes start off using Dryer’s ice cream. SUPER YUMMY with chunks of oreos at the bottom. They even served it to us in the the metal cup that they made it in. Cute.

If you’d rather have a soda with your meal instead of a shake, they offer Pepsi and only Pepsi, that you can tweak with cherry syrup, chocolate syrup or vanilla syrup. So if Cherry Pepsi is your thing, they can make it. Chocolate Cola more your style, they can make that too.

On your table, in a plastic basket of other condiments and a set of trivia cards to keep you occupied as you wait for your food, is a bottle of their Zesty Seasoning. A mixture of salt, pepper, granulated garlic, use this sparingly over your burger and your fries and rings, if you want an extra dose of seasoning.

Now for the burgers.

First, you choose what size of a burger you want/need. They’ve got 5 different sizes: the Famous Pounder (actually 20 oz.), Delirious (3/4 lb.), Serious (1/2 lb.), Semi-Serious (1/3 lb.) and the Classic (5.5 oz.).

Then you choose how you want it cooked – medium, medium well or well.

Then you choose a cheese if you want cheese on your burger.

Then you go crazy and pick whatever toppings you want on your burger. Whatever you want. Don’t be shy – if you wall all 25 or so toppings, go for it – it’s included in the burger price. There’s really no limit to your imagination here. They also offer 3 “premium” toppings (bacon, sauteed mushrooms and grilled onions) for about a buck a piece.

After you’ve ordered your burger to your liking, you wait – for a bit – while they create your special burger. (This is when you make use of those trivia cards that they place on your table.)

It’s definitely worth the wait, as what you get is a burger that’s so close to one you’d make at home. Served on a roll instead of your usual sesame seed hamburger bun, the hamburger patty looks as if it were hand shaped and cooked to perfection without the excess grease that you’d get at some random drive thru burger place. Good food is definitely worth the wait.

Serious, medium well, pepper jack, 2 onion rings, grilled garlic, bacon

Semi-Serious, medium well, cheddar, 2 onion rings, bacon

Semi-Serious, medium well, with Swiss Cheese, tomato, bacon, guacamole and mayo

Best of Both Basket

A sampler of all 5 sauces for the rings and fries:

Texas horseradish (top left), Chile Lime (top right),

Creamy Cheese (center), Habanero Jelly (bottom left) and Creamy Jalapeno (bottom right)

*****

Birthdays in my family are somewhat of a big thing… well, sort of. Almost all birthdays are spent at our favorite rib place, Tony Roma’s. Regardless of the many other fine dining establishments that we could choose from, it’s always Tony Roma’s – a standing tradition. After my brother and I moved to the mainland, we still continued the tradition… my parents would celebrate at the Tony Roma’s in Hawaii and my brother and sister-in-law at a rib place in Arizona (since the closest Tony Roma’s is 45 minutes away from their home) and I would celebrate here in Las Vegas with some friends. So it’s almost like we’re all celebrating together – yeah, corny, I know, but that’s how we roll.

Yesterday was no different… well, sort of. My parents had other plans, so they’ll make it out to Tony Roma’s sometime this week. My brother and sister-in-law were invited to a barbeque at a friends house in Arizona, and they had ribs there.

And I celebrated my birthday as I always love to do… with my bestest-friends-in-the-whole-wide-world-universe-and-galaxy-EVER.

But we decided to switch it up a bit this year. Instead of the usual Tony Roma’s, we went to Samba at The Mirage. (This is actually the second time we celebrated my birthday here – good times!) Sorry no pictures of the food were taken. I didn’t want to detract from experience and just wanted to enjoy the food and company.

Like the first time, we all order the ALL YOU CAN EAT RODIZIO EXPERIENCE and got treated to what carnivores dream of every night – meat, meat and more meat.

For those of you that has never experienced Brazilian BBQ, here’s a crash course. Think of rodizio or churrascaria as a seated buffet. The food comes to you instead of you going to the food. There’s usually a little wood thingie on your table. One side is painted red and the other side is painted green. By the end of your dining experience, this will either be your best friend or worst enemy. GREEN MEANS GO – it lets your server know, “Bring it on, buddy. What are you waiting for? We’re hungry and we smell meat!” RED MEANS STOP – “We’re tapping out. I forgot to use my fat jeans. You come my way with that sword and I just might use it on you.” Servers will come to your table with swords of different cuts of beef and pork, some poultry and sausage. The meat is usually sliced up at your table and everyone is served individually. They give everyone these mini tongs to grab the meat that has been sliced – be polite and use the tongs and not your fingers. Also, if it seems that your server is in a good mood, ask for a bigger slice or better yet, ask for what’s left on the sword and he just might oblige. A smile and a wink usually helps also.

*SMILE* *WINK* *LICK LIPS* *PLAYFULLY BITE BOTTOM LIP* and you just might get the whole sword of sirloin next time around. LOL!!!

Dinner started off with their Samba Salad that was tossed on the way to our table by our wonderful host/salad tosser. Once we were done with our salad, our server brought out some traditional side dishes: Brazilian cheese rolls, crackers, creamed spinach, sweet fried plantains, caramelized carrots and black beans and rice. (Dont’ load up on these fluff dishes… the best is yet to come. TRUST ME!) Also on our table were little ramekins of their awesome chimichurri sauce (a garlic and olive oil based sauce with herbs and stuff) and tomato and onion relish, to put on the meat.

No more that 5 minutes after we were done with our salad, the PARADE OF MEATS began.

Bearing swords of meat, servers came to our table to slice up the goods. First to our table was the sirloin. This was then followed by the sausage and sweet peppers, the turkey breast wrapped in bacon, the huli huli chicken, the garlic chicken drumsticks, the flank steak, the roasted pork and roasted pineapple and then the baby back pork ribs.

Then it started all over again.

Then we tapped out.

All of the meats were simply seasoned (salt and pepper). Use the chimichurri sauce to kick up the flavor. You’ll never want steak sauce for your steaks again. The chimichurri’s so rustic, so simple, yet so complex, all at the same time. FANTASTICAL!!! The meats are cooked on a rotisserie, so the natural juices are kept in and constantly “bastes” the meat as it cooks, making for a juicy cut every time.

Missing was their fish course. But the sirloin and the turkey breast wrapped in bacon, more than made up for it.

The Rodizio Experience is on the pricey side, however, very comparable to what you’d pay at a premium steakhouse. Dinner runs at about $40.00 per person, but worth it.

Samba also has individual entrees on their menu if the thought of the meat parade scares you.

Don’t forget to try some of their house cocktails – a bit on the strong side, but yummy just the same. The caipirinha maracuja (traditional caipirinha with a splash of passion fruit juice) and the Brazilian punch (kinda like Jungle Juice that we used to make in college) are standouts.

*****

I’m taking a break from writing about food to tell you about my new favorite adult beverage – FRUITY BEER. My new favorite being Lindeman’s Framboise. (It’s the one on the right in the picture below.)

Delirium Tremens & Framboise

I’m not a real big fan of beer, but I’ll drink it if 1) it’s icy cold or 2) it’s an icy cold Corona with Red Bull. But being that I was at the Yard House and they have a gazillion beers on tap, I just had to try something other than what readily available at any supermarket. So I decided to try the Framboise at the suggestion of a semi-beer-connoisseur friend that was with me.

The Framboise, served in a goblet at Yard House, embodies every essence of raspberries - its color, aroma and flavor. A light red, not quite pink, in color, it had the sweet-tartness of raspberries and at first seemed like cabonated raspberry juice. Kinda like a wine cooler, but without the cheap-wine-cooler-headache-after-effect. It is light, crisp and clean. Definitely refreshing! Perfect for summers in the desert!

This beer is sooooo addicting that I picked up a couple of bottles at BevMo! in Arizona when I was there (and I gladly shared – this time) and I also picked up a couple more bottles the other day at my neighborhood Lee’s Discount Liquor here in Las Vegas. At Yard House the Framboise costs $9.00 per goblet (half price during Happy Hour which is Monday through Friday from 4pm to 6pm). At BevMo! and Lee’s Discount Liquor it costs about $9.00 for a 750ml bottle or $6.00 for a 12 oz. bottle. The bottle that it comes in looks like a bottle of wine – it even has a cork!

I wonder how Framboise would taste like if it were FROZEN - like a granita…. or ice pops… Looks like I’ll be doing some experimenting….

*****

The Korean’s are taking over my life! Literally. First with the opening of a couple of Korean BBQ takeout places within minutes from home… Then with all of those Korean dramas that take up way too much of my time and emotional energy… And now with the ever increasing amount of frozen yogurt shops popping up all over Las Vegas and Southern California.

Pinkberry, one of the most popular frozen yogurt shops to have hit the US by storm and made even more popular with their appearance in an American Express commercial, is the phenomenal brain child of two Korean-Americans. The mere mention of Pinkberry and their promise of “swirly goodness” just makes me want to SMILE. But then again, anything close to being a “frozen novelty” makes me smile – I *HEART* FROZEN NOVELTIES.

I had my first cup of Pinkberry the other weekend at their location at Irvine Spectrum in Southern California. (They’ve got a ton of locations in Southern California and a handful in New York, but none in Las Vegas – yet…)

Pinkberry has 3 basic flavors (original, green tea and coffee) and about 20 or so toppings that you can choose from. The toppings range from fresh fruit to cereal to carob and yogurt chips to mini mochi balls (my personal favorite). The yogurt is offered in 3 sizes (Small (5 oz.), Medium (8 oz.) and Large (13 oz.)).

I ordered a medium sized original with 3 toppings (oreos, mochi and Coco Pebbles). The yogurt, while on the tart side, was a perfect complement to the sweet toppings that I chose. The yogurt was far from being beneficial to my health, but it was good. I enjoyed it to the very last spoonful.

*****