Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Eggslut. Los Angeles Famous, now available in Las Vegas. Super hyped and widely talked about - it had a lot to live up to.  Located in the Cosmopolitan hotel with a ton of other great restaurants, Eggslut is easy to find. Just follow the long line of people. I got there in the afternoon, maybe around 1:00pm. The line wrapped around the corner past the bathroom. As I waited, I could hear people get discouraged and walk away to eat somewhere else. If you hate lines, go later in the afternoon around dinner time when it dies down. If you want a normal breakfast, lunch, or brunch time meal here, be prepared for a wait.  Here is my "gaucho" - a seared wagyu tri-tip steak, cage-free over medium egg, chimichurri, red onions, with arugula on a brioche bun. The meat could stand to be thinner (to make it easier to bite without chunks falling out - the quantity is perfect), and cooked a bit more rare for my taste. The egg, arugula, and chimichurri were a great combination. L...

One of the big names in the Seattle food scene is Tom Douglas . He is the man behind some of the big names in Seattle like Lola, The Carlile Room, Serious Biscuit, and Dahlia Lounge. And, as a restaurant in the Tom Douglas family, they add a 20% service charge to all checks. Yes, they have mandatory tipping that goes toward employee health benefits and such. There was some hullabaloo about "well, what if I receive bad service?" You have the option of not going, but really, I think they are overall pretty good and haven't received bad service at any of his restaurants.  I've been to Brave Horse before to kill time before I went for some dollar oysters and was pleasantly surprised at just how good the beer selection and food was. Since then, I have gone back a few times. This was my first time for brunch, and now I can't wait to go back and try something else on the menu! While trying to figure out what to order, I started with Dave's Bloody Mary. It is a d...

This past February, I went down to San Diego for a quick weekend. We stayed in La Jolla, so there were a ton of options. It turned into a what's open now that we've woken up super late on a Saturday that still has brunch and mimosas? If you know me, you'll know I'm not into the hipster places, or the places that try to make something simple fancier than it needs to be. On the surface, Shorehouse Kitchen looks like the kind of place I wouldn't go to. It has a puppy menu, which is pretty hipster, but truth be told, it just means that my chances of encountering a puppy is high! So, no judgement until I actually try it. I'm glad I did! The food was fantastic. Loved the laid back feel and how airy and sunny it was inside. They have a wide variety of mimosas and coffees (the Kyoto coffee was really good). I highly recommend swinging by for brunch if you're in the area. It's probably one of the best brunches I've had. And, you aren't too far from the...