Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Here is my final post from my recent Vegas trips. Thanks to my friend and his AMEX travel card, we were able to have $150 to spend within a few restaurants in the Bellagio. Due to time constraints, this was our best option. While the line was long, it moved fairly quickly and we were able to squeeze in a lunch before heading off to the airport.  The food was as expected - good, but nothing amazing. But when something is free, it tends to taste just a bit better, right?  Tiger shrimp cocktail 10 oz. Boneless rib-eye steak NY Steak and Eggs - 6 oz New York Steak with three eggs and hash browns. Probably the best deal out of the three steaks we had. 8 oz Filet Mignon Chocolate Brownie with Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream Located inside the Bellagio Hotel 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109 Yelp Website

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...

I feel like every time I get caught up with my posts, I fall behind again. Well, except for the fact I am still trying to post all of the tasty restaurants from Taiwan. I supposed it's the delicious price to pay for going so often! With those, I definitely feel a sense of urgency as who knows when it will close for good? I know I am always disappointed when I hear about a restaurant and make the effort to go, only to find that it had shuttered already. In the case of Galatoire's, there is no urgency. It's one of those stalwart restaurants where it wouldn't matter. It was a change in pace for all of us since we had just eaten at  Compère Lapin  the night before. New New Orleans, and Old New Orleans. Since I was there with someone I believe I could fully trust with food in New Orleans, he ordered all of our appetizers, and suggested that I order the veal chops. While I can see Galatoire's being the kind of place that tourists will come to, I can see why locals come...

For my very brief visit to Scottsdale, I ended up going to Roka Akor. It is yet another selection based on Instagram. The boyfriend follows  Kai Torcuato , the executive chef at said restaurant, and said if it's in the area that I'll be staying I should pop by. Looking through his Instagram pictures I could not help but salivate. Wide varieties of fresh fish, incredible knife work - of course I had to give it a try! Located in what looks like a strip mall, the interior of the restaurant looked almost like a night club. The sushi bar is immense compared to what I'm used to. I took a seat in the middle of the bar, and Kai introduced himself. He asked if I had any questions with the menu. I told him I trust him and that I would like to get the omakase. Note to those who are used to more traditional Japanese restaurants - the omakase here is very different. Since Roka Akor is a restaurant that specializes in sushi and steak, you'll get a combination of the two. Had I...

I like celebrating the boyfriend's birthday all month long. He mentioned wanting to go to Hitachino Beer & Wagyu. They opened in March, but it was so limited you had to sign up for Owlie Mail and enter a lottery. It didn't work out for us during that time, so finally in May, when they full on opened and started taking reservations, I was able to get us in.  Parking is all street so get there early. If they are as strict as their email confirmation, you have 15 minutes after your reservation time before they give away your seat and charge your credit card. There was a ton of traffic on the way there that day, so plan accordingly if you are driving from further away! Since I got lucky with parking, we showed up about 20 minutes before our reservation. They told us we could stand and wait, or hang out at the bar.  At the bar, we hung around just relaxing and checking the place out. The decor is simple, which I like. On the wall are wooden boards that list their beers....