Bacchanal Buffet

We heard that Bacchanal was supposed to be the best buffet in Vegas. We also heard it was a long wait to get in.

Lunch is served from 11 am to 3 pm and we thought we would get there at 2 pm on a Sunday so that we could see both the lunch and dinner menus. When we got there at 2 pm, we registered in the computer which indicated that it would be over an hour before we could get in. We gave our contact information and actually within 30 minutes, we were notified that we could return.

There was a whole section of raw oysters. Unfortunately, they had been shucked in advance and were a little dried out.

There was a sushi section, which included some nigiri (fish on rice) and some sushi rolls.

Asian section with a variety of fried noodles, fried rice, sautéed shrimp, stir-fry clams and a very delicious tofu in a seaweed sauce.

Street taco bar--you could get pollo, carnitas or carne asada. This was actually one of my favorites.

Juice bar--pineapple, mango, cranberry, horchata in adorable little jars.

Grilled meat section. My favorite was the grilled lamb chops.

Seafood bar with peel-your-own shrimp (small size), stone crabs, Alaskan crab legs (there was also hot Alaskan crab legs in the Italian section--ask for it). Nearby was the cooked seafood with lobster bisque, fish filets and mussels.

Dessert section with tarts and creme brûlée.

There was a crepe section.

Cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Macarons and cake pops.

Cupcakes.

Gelato.

I was disappointed that the quality wasn't very impressive. You would have to eat a lot to justify the $52.96 (tax included but tip is extra) price tag for lunch.

2015 10 18

Snowflake Shavery

In the same strip mall as Raku is Snowflake Shavery, located at 5020 Spring Mountain Road. As if we hadn't had enough after Big Wong's and Raku, we stopped to have dessert.

Medium shaved snow--$5.33 + $0.50 for each topping. I like mochi and red bean toppings.

2015 10 17

Raku

We had dinner at Raku. Turns out, the kids loved the tofu so we didn't need the pre-dinner snack at Big Wong's.

Housemade Tofu--$5.50. This is the best I've ever had. The tofu is so soft, silky and flavorful. We had 3 portions for the 5 of us.

Sashimi Salad--$14. This was loaded with fresh fish and the soy dressing was delicious.

Pig's Ears--$3. My favorite of the grilled items.

Kurobuta Pork Cheek--$4.25.

Duck with Balsamic Soy Sauce--$4.50, Kobe Beef Tendon--$3.50, Direct Flamed Eggplant--$4.50. I loved the eggplant. It was so tender.

Butter Sauteed Scallop with Soy Sauce--$7. This was the worst value of the entire dinner. It was just 1 scallop for $7. It wasn't even that tasty.

2015 10 17

Big Wong Restaurant

Big Wong Restaurant is located at 5040 Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas. It's a cheap Chinese place. We had 2 kids with us and were afraid they wouldn't like what we were going to have for dinner so we took them here.

Beef Ramen--$5.95. They loved the noodles.

Fish Balls with Noodle Soup--$4.95. They weren't big fans of the fish balls but the adults loved this dish.

Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings--$4.95. This was the best. Crispy skin, juicy on the inside, and well flavored.

2015 10 17

Bellagio

In my opinion, Bellagio has the best free things to do in Las Vegas.

There is a seaside village in front of the hotel.

You can have lunch or dinner at one of the seaside restaurants and watch the fountain show.

Fountain shows:

Mon-Fri: every 1/2 hour from 3-8 pm; every 15 min from 8 pm-midnight

Sat & Holidays: every 1/2 hour from noon-8 pm; every 15 min from 8 pm-midnight

Sun: every 1/2 hour from 11 am-7 pm; every 15 min from 7 pm-midnight

Inside, there are floral displays that change seasonally in the Conservatory.

Then, you can visit the chocolate fountain at Jean Philippe Patisserie.

Chihuly glass ceiling in the lobby.

2015 10 17

Mendocino UNcrab, Beer & Wine Festival

In late January, Mendocino has an annual Crab, Beer & Wine Festival. This year, the crab season hasn't opened because of high levels of domoic acid (a neurotoxin produced by algae) in crab meat and viscera. The California Department of Public Health advisory warned people not to consume crab caught between the Oregon border and Santa Barbara county line. Sooooo...this year, Mendocino has the UNcrab, beer & wine festival. It started Jan 22 and runs through Jan 31.

Many of the wineries in Anderson Valley have "crab" bites to pair with their wine. Look for the festival sign. We visited a couple.

Lula Cellars is located at 2800 Guntley Road in Philo. It's a relatively new winery that opened in 2010. They boast award-winning Pinots and Zinfandels but I liked their Gewurtztraminer. For the UNcrab festival, they had NO crab bites.

Husch Vineyards is located at 4400 CA-128 in Philo. They did have a crab dip that was delicious. It was made with blue crab and not dungeness crab.

2016 01 24

Pinches Tacos

Pinches Tacos is located in the Container Park. They advertise Real Mexican Food by Real Mexicans. I don't know where their Real Mexicans come from but I've had better Real Mexican Food.

Guacamole--meh. Chips & salsa--meh.

Nachos--cheese was not melted. 

Fish Taco--$3.15 each. Rubio's makes a better fish taco.

Lengua--$3.15. The tongue was tender but again nothing special.

Side of rice. This came out cold.

2015 10 17