Week 4: Florida Cafe Cuban Bar and Grill

What Teray Says...

Hi Everyone :) Again, let me just thank all of our new followers and readers as well as our devoted followers and readers for your feedback each week. We really are enjoying this experience so much!

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

First let me start by of course thanking Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with the cutest outfit this week! This summer dress is perfect not only for a romantic dinner, but as something to throw on in a hurry and you will still look fabulous or a cover up for a fabulous day at one of the glamorous Vegas pools. The flower is also from Patty's Closet and Patty made it herself.  Visit their website at: http://www.wix.com/voluptuousboutique/pattyscloset2


Like them on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pattys-Closet-Fashion-Boutique/234474963398?ref=ts

 

This outfit is available at the Blue Diamond Patty's Closet
9345 S. Cimmaron Rd.
Ste. 120
Las Vegas, NV 89178
702-270-6452

 The Review

This week was Brett's turn to pick. We headed into Downtown Vegas to a place called Florida Cafe, which is a Cuban Bar and Grill. This restaurant is inside the Howard Johnson. I am not the hugest fan of downtown, but it is beginning to grow on me more and more each time we go. The atmosphere is just a great place to people watch. While we were waiting to go into the restaurant, we even saw an Elvis inspired wedding with Elvis people singing "Viva Las Vegas." How funny!




Florida Cafe- inside sign (there is also a buffet to the left which is one of their sister restaurants)




This is the view from the street

I have to start by saying I have never had Cuban food, but right away was intrigued because there was a sign for mojitos outside. If there is one thing that this girl loves in the summer, it is a fresh mojito. Anyway, when we arrived there were a few parties going on, so we were seated in the side with the booths by the bar. We were waited on right away and our waitress began to describe all the mojito types and because we could not make up our minds, she said she would make a special one for us. Wow, had to be one of the best mojitos that I have ever had. The mint was so fresh!




Fabulous mojito



Menu front- the waitress helped us pick our meals :)

Whenever Brett and I go to a place that we haven't ordered before, we normally ask the wait staff what we should choose. We decided on the appetizer on our own. It was a fried ball type thing with potato and meat inside. It was actually really good and just enough to fill our appetite for an appetizer. I was a little confused if you ate it with your hands or a fork, so I went with the fork.


Appetizer- ham and cheese rolls and mashed potatoe filled balls lol



Between waiting for our appetizer and eating our breadsticks, which to me was like the breadsticks you get at Olive Garden but without garlic (yummm) a guy came around and was taking pictures for free post cards. As you guys know I cannot resist a photo op with my hubby. So above is a little free keepsake we got.

Our food came out so fast, but in the short wait, I looked around at the decor. It was decorated like a touristy location with a tropical flair. I felt as if I was in Cuba or on some other island. What Brett noticed which was awesome is that the bar stools were not stools, but bongo drums.



Brett's dinner- delicious




Teray's dinner-  good, not the best though



Our food arrived and I wasn't sure which plate belonged to which person. Brett ordered a recommended beef dish which was shredded and this spicier sauce and rice and beans. I wish his was mine, because it was fantastic. The meat was so tender and mixed with the rice and beans, it was the perfect combination of food. I ordered some pork item, which was supposively one of the most popular Cuban dishes. It was chunks of pork which were deep fried (I am not the biggest fan of this) and it had caramelized onions and the same combination of rice and beans that Brett had. I really enjoyed the meal, but because it was deep fried, I gave half to Brett not thinking my stomach could handle it. Next time I go, I will definitely try a chicken dish, I just wanted to go with an authentic Cuban meal.

You cannot have a delicious meal without dessert. When I was looking at the menu before I saw that Tres Leche was on the menu. Being the biggest fan of Tres Leche from Firefly, I was so intrigued that there was a vanilla version. It did not take Brett and I long to decide that this would be a dessert. It was such a big piece of cake!! I had never seen Tres Leche made or look like it did here either. It was the perfect amount of sweet and milky flavored.



Overall, I really enjoyed the Florida Cafe. My favorite part of the whole experience was the music that they played, which was like one of my iPod playlists. There was Shakira and Enrique; I could not stop dancing in my seat. My shoulders really got a work out from moving to the rhythm and all the shimmies. I rate this week's pick 3 out of 5. ( We really need to find a place that I don't like...otherwise you guys think I will like everywhere!)

What Brett Says....

So with my job all I do is drive around, downtown is the area I seem to spend the most time.  I am constantly going up and down Las Vegas Blvd and everytime I do I see Florida Cafe and think that it would be a cool place to go on our little tour.  Not to mention I use to get Cuban sandwiches all the time.  I wasn't sure how good it would be, it isn't in the greatest part of town and it is inside the Howard Johnson; doesn't really scream quality.  Regardless I took my chances with my pick this week...after all this whole project is to get out of our norm and try something new.

Florida Cafe looks pretty cool driving by, actually trying to get to it is a different story.  Turns out there is no dedicated parking lot for the restaurant, you have to park in the hotel parking lot.  Which means a decent little walk and leaving your car in the parking lot of a shitty hotel with people that couldn't even afford the Stratosphere...no worries my car was still there and nothing was gone or shattered.  When you walk into the hotel you see a sign for a Cuban buffet and the Florida Cafe (I thought they were one in the same, but they aren't).  When you walk into the restaurant there is definately a transformation to the theme; bongo bar stools, latino music, theme specific photos, and random other things you would associate with Cuba and the islands.  We ended up getting a booth in the corner of the bar area.  It was cool because we were still in the mix but the booth backs are high enough that you aren't involved in the next table's conversation.  We immediately ordered mojitos...they were the best mojitos I have personally had, not that I am a mojito conesseur.

Now onto the food: we ordered some stuffed mashed potato appetizers, they were good but nothing special.  We then asked our waitress what she suggested; I ordered the traditional shredded beef dish and Teray ordered a traditional fried pork dish.  I got to eat the majority of both...Teray wasn't really feeling hers.  They both came with a rice/bean mixture, standard rice and beans.  The shredded beef was juicy and had a good mix of spice and tomatoes/onion.  The pork dish was juicy and tender but the outside was crispy from the frying.  Both were good, I would happily eat either again.  I just have to say that they weren't special, the meat tasted like most other shredded beef and pork dishes I have had.  Just like I said about the rice and beans...it was what it was with no surprise or taste to set it apart.  Now on to my favorite part of any good meal out...dessert.  Without even thinking about it we ordered the tres leche, which is a cake soaked in 3 types of milk.  Like Teray said we are in love with Tres Leche because of Firefly and thats exactly what I was expecting.  I was way off; Florida Cafe's tres leche is a large piece of white cake with white frosting and of course the milks poured over it and on the bottom of the plate.  It was amazing, one of those times I like that Teray has about 3-4 bites of any kind of dessert.  Looking at it you would think it was the store brand version of your favorite food...maybe even the dollar store version.  But once you bite in you realize it is more like the leading competitor.  As for food this is what stands out in my mind from the selections we made.

As for the random stuff- our waitress/bartender was very attentive and helped us out the entire time.  She makes an amazing mojito.  She is what service should be, unfortunately I didn't get a name for you guys.  There was also a kid that was taking photos for a postcard, he was funny just because he talked and acted like he was about to ask a girl he didn't know for his first kiss ever.  But the photo was cool, we took the free postcard over the $15 collector photo they usually have.  The music was a good selection of mainstream and more traditional sounding latin music.  I really wish I would have sat at the bar and played my bongo stool.  All in all I have nothing bad to say about Florida Cafe, the only things I can rave about are the mojitos and tres leche...like I said the food was good but average.

Overall I give Florida Cafe a 3 out 5

Teray Again...

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I fixed the comment section :)

Can we all tell I am new to blogging? I fixed the comment section, so I think now anyone can comment. :) We would love to read your thoughts and suggestions, so feel free to comment away friends!! :)

Week 3: Ali Baba's

What Teray Says...

I can't believe it is already week 3. I feel like we have been doing this blog for some time now. I just first want to say thank you to everyone who has been following the blog and giving us feedback. It really means a lot that you are enjoying this journey just as much as we are.


This week I chose Ali Baba's Lebanese Cuisine. The reason I picked it is because I was trying to find a kind of food that we didn't pick yet as well as that there was a restaurant.com coupon, which I got for $3 by the way (yay for coupon codes). The website suggested that we try the Sunday night special in which you got a bottle of wine, 4 appetizers and a whole entree of food and sides. Little did we know that you couldn't use the gift certificate on the special (it didn't say that anywhere on it) but we def. wanted the special.

The front of Ali Baba's (It is located at Eastern and Pebble)

I was impressed with the decor on the inside. I felt like I was in another world with all of the murals, some of them didn't seem Lebanese to me, but again what do I know. I loved the fact that we got to sit on couches with huge pillows, you could not get more comfortable. <3

view from our table

and the view to the right of us

After the debate about using the coupon, we had to decide between wine and champagne. I am not typically a red wine drinker, but I decided to go with it. It was one of the best red wines I have ever had, and I think I am now a red wine fan. The wait staff was very friendly and explained everything to us. I felt very well taken care of by the excellent service. Pita bread was soon brought out with our appetizers. We got four different things: hummus, tabouli, labneh, and baba ghanouj. The portion sizes were very decent, we even brought some home and I ate it for dinner tonight. The hummus had to be the best hummus I have ever had! They said it was famous, and man, do I believe it!

appetizers

Next, our dinner was brought out. We were given steak, chicken, veggie, and kifta kabobs. Again, the portion sizes were great. You could eat most of what was on the plate in addition to the rice that they gave without getting too full. The kifta was something I had never tasted before, it was very tender, and reminded me of a sausage like meat. After stuffing ourselves and drinking red wine, we decided to order dessert. 

Dinner with rice 

dessert

For dessert we took the waiter's suggestion of  Knafeh, which is sour dough with cheese inside and you drizzle honey on it. I was kinda weirded out that there would be melted cheese in my dessert, but it actually ended up being very good. After we ate we hung around a bit and found out that on the week-ends there is a band, a singer, belly dancers and it turns into basically a night club. They stay open until like 4 in the morning. You can also smoke hookah if that is your thing. Overall, I would definitely come back to Ali Baba's in the night time so I could see the entertainment. I think it would be really enjoyable with a group of people. I give this week's restaurant a rating of 4 out of 5.

What Brett says....

I'm not sure where to start this week, I'll go with a little background.  Teray chose Ali Baba's Lebanese restaurant, I was excited.  Growing up in Detroit we have a pretty large Middle Eastern culture.  I always remember getting Lebanese food with my family; spinach pies, tabouli, meat pies, and grape leaves.  It seems like we got it at least once a month.  There was also a Lebanese place we would go to at lunch during high school.  Then in college I ate Lebanese a minimum of one time per week.  So needless to say I know Lebanese food, even more so I know good vs. bad Lebanese food.

When Teray told me she chose Lebanese I was stoked, I was even more stoked when she told me she got a Restaurant.com coupon worth $25 (it was my week to pay).  We made our reservation for 6:15pm.  We show up to find another strip mall restaurant, they do a good job of setting a different image.  There are palm trees and other plant life surrounding a fairly large patio.  As we went inside we immediatly walked into another place.  We went from Vegas to the Middle East.  The place was cool; couches with pillows, wall murals (for some reason some of them were Midwest with Canadian Geese, LOL), cool lighting, and a small stage with instruments.  We were sat immediately, I think we were one of three occupied tables in the place.  I'm guessing there were about 35 tables, by far the biggest restaurant we have been to on our little tour.  I was excited we got a table that had a couch, I am all about relaxation and comfort.  We were immediately asked what beverage we wanted and pita was just as fast.  Our server (I think he was actually the manager) came over to take our order.  He saw our Restaurant.com voucher and instantly told us that we could not use it on the Sunday Special.  I completely understand them not accepting the voucher on the special; what upset me was the fact that no where on the voucher did it say that.  It clearly states when it can be used and that we couldn't use other coupons but no where did it say anything about a special.  I guess they are concerned that they might get busy on a Sunday and make some money.  Anyways...we ordered the Sunday special; can't really go wrong with 4 apps, a huge entree and a bottle of wine.

The Sunday special was awesome.  I have to say it is the best hummus I have ever had.  There was also an eggplant spread, plain yogurt, tabouli...all very good.  The entree was rice, veggies, chicken, steak, and a pretty amazing mystery meat (I still can't think of what it as).  The entree as a whole was good but nothing special.  It is hard to really screw up rice, veggies, chicken and steak.  The wine was a Cabernet, it had a good full flavor.  It was also a little sweeter then most reds I have had, I am more of a white wine guy but when your options are red or champagne I go red.  This was one of my other problems, why not offer a white wine as well?  Not everyone likes to drink the bubbly stuff or a red with dinner.  Whatever, not my special.  We also ordered dessert, we ordered Knafeh (melted cheese with good crispy stuff and honey...I put my culinary knowledge out there for all of you).  This was good, not exactly what you think of when you think dessert but it fit our needs well.  It was different, just sweet enough, and about the perfect size.

Another thing I wanted to mention that kind of annoyed me was that there was absolutely no music on until after our apps came out.  It was just weird sitting in an "authentic" Lebanese restaurant with no music.  Music is such a large part of their culture, not to mention it is weird being in a restaurant that is that quieter.  When they finally put the music on it felt a lot better.

Overall I have to say this place was pretty cool.  It was nice to go to a place that wasn't packed, that was relaxing, and gave Teray and I a chance to just sit and enjoy each other.  That is probably the best part of this whole thing we are doing, it is a set aside time we get to enjoy each other with no distractions.  The food was good too, like I said you can't beat the hummus.  I can't say that there was anything that I didn't like, just more things that annoyed me.  I would like to see it on the weekend at night when there is live music and belly dancers...apparently they party till 4am.  You can also smoke some hookah after your meal, we declined.  I would definitely return to Ali Baba's, I would just go later in the day.

RATING: 3.99 out of 5

Check out Ali Baba's http://www.alibabalasvegas.com/index.aspx?p=home




Teray again...
So I know that some of you follow this blog to see what I am wearing because I look so forward to dressing up each week for it. 

This outfit is of course from Patty's Closet, all of it from the Blue Diamond store (romper, belt, and shoes)

I have to say that I am sooooo beyond excited that starting next week Patty and Juan from Patty's Closet are so generously going to provide me something to wear each week for an outfit of the week for my date night. It's every girl's dream to be dressed fabulously for a date with someone special, and that is what is going to be happening. I cannot wait for you guys to see these fabulous clothes, and am so grateful for Patty and Juan being so generous and following my blog. They are awesome. If you don't already know them, then check out their site and hit up their stores like NOW, LOL.  I think I may be their number one fan. :)

Check them out and LIKE them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pattys-Closet-Fashion-Boutique/234474963398

and on the web: http://pattysclosetstore.com

Remember, we love suggestions so leave us a comment or email us at dragunblog@gmail.com

Until next time, become a follower on the right hand side of the post and cheers to a fabulous week! xoxo

Week 2: Merkato Ethiopian Cafe

What Teray Says...


I feel like in the two weeks so far that we have done this blog, I have had some sort of dumb comment about the place we are going. When Brett told me we were going to have Ethiopian food, I said to him, "How could we have that type of food, people there are in starvation." DUH TERAY. You would never know that I am at the top of my class in grad. school sometimes. Anyway, Brett is really into picking foods that neither of us have tried for his choices, so I went with it.

We drove to the east side of town into a little strip mall. From the outside I thought the place was closed. 

Here I am, trying to not let my nervousness take over.
BTW, Dress from Patty's Closet of course!

I was nervous to go in because, when it comes to an area of town that I don't know or something I am not sure of, I become very skeptical. I figured though with this experience if I don't go all in; I am going to miss out. When we went in the place was very colorful and there were pictures and lights everywhere. A big screen as large as one you would see in the theater was hanging on the wall and everyone was watching basketball. We were quickly seated, and handed the menu. I could hardly read anything on it (to me it looked like symbols). Our waitress brought us over some water and we asked for suggestions. We first picked our appetizers from three choices, we both decided to get the veggie pastry which was only $1.25!! Brett ordered lamb and I ordered a vegetarian dish. Due to the fact that I could not understand the menu, I just pointed to the picture on the front of the menu. (Good choice on my part).

This is the veggie pastry.

The veggie pastry was really big. Inside it was filled with lentils. The sauce was very spicy, which I love!!! I feel like with the second taste of the pastry the food came. I have to admit I was scared and asked for silverware when the waitress told us you eat everything with your hands. I tried my best to not use the silverware the whole time, just in case in was bad luck or something and I did well until the last couple of tastes. With Ethiopian food, you take these little pieces of this bread/wrap type thing and break it apart. You then pick up a scoop of food with it. It actually is really awesome!! Except for the fact that it was getting all under my nails. LOL. :) The main meat in the middle is lamb, the sides are various salads, veggies, potatoes, and other things that I did not know, but were very good! 

This is the meal (16 inch round). It was huge!
(Sorry Brett for getting you shoving food in your mouth, but at least it is authentic!)

This is the bread/wrap type thing you use to pick up the food.

The only thing that I was disappointed about was that there wasn't any dessert. Maybe that is why people from Ethiopia are so skinny! I would say that I give it 3 out of 5 stars for the experience, culture and authenticity, as well as the delicious food and amazing price! :)  

What Brett says...

I can't say why I chose Merkato, I really can't say why I chose Ethiopian food.  My thought was that we set out to try places neither of us have been to, I figured why not a food we have never tried.  If you know me you know I can be random, so I picked a country and went with it.  I started my search on Google and Yelp, which led me to Merkato.  Having no clue what to expect we went for it.  We show up to find a strip mall that is run down and has half the stores closed down.  I was kinda starting to regret my decision, as we walk in I got a little more worried.  It was a nothing special kind of place; 15 tables, a small bar, big screen tv, and pretty empty.  The only people were a handful of Ethiopians watching game 6 of the NBA Finals.  We were definitely the only white people and from what I could tell the only people that spoke English as a primary language.  There is nothing wrong with either of these, just painting a picture.  I will say it made me think we were getting into something authentic.  After standing at the door waiting to be sat a patron told us to just sit wherever, so if you go just sit down...don't look like the out of place fools we did.  Service was fast, came with some odd looks but fast.  Not knowing what anything on the menu said we winged it; we started with appetizers that I can only compare to spinach pies but in place of the spinach were lentils.  They were awesome, especially being $1 a piece.  I chose to go with something that had the word lamb in it, Teray had no clue so the waitress recommended what I think was the vegetarian platter...she said they would go well together.  Maybe 5 minutes later comes a bowl with my lamb concoction and a giant 16" plate with maybe 12 random dishes around the edge.  The waitress then poured the lamb dish in the middle, she told us we ate with our hands and to use this bread stuff to pick the food up and eat.  She was nice enough to bring us a couple plates and forks, I think it was the look on our face that did it.  The lamb was amazing, reminded me of Lebanese lamb but in a different sauce.  The vegetarian dish ranged from sweet potatoes to spinach to lentils to who knows what.  I would say I liked 80% of the "sides."  I tried everything and nothing was bad, just not my style.  The biggest surprise to me was the size of the portions, between the two of us we couldn't finish it...and it was only $20 for the lamb/vegetarian dishes.  The experience itself was something to be remembered; trying to figure out what everything was, trying to put things together for a different taste, trying to observe the culture of what was going on.  Looking around I think we were doing things right, everyone else seemed to be doing the same things.  I was disappointed that there were no desserts to be had...I don't know if it is Ethiopian food in general or just the restaurant itself.  To sum it all up: the physical restaurant is lacking yet interesting.  The experience was well worth feeling a little weird.  The food is something I would do again in a second.  The price was awesome, with tip we got out for around $30 for two people; remember that includes two apps and two entrees.


My rating would be a 3 out of 5, more for the physical restaurant...food alone was a 4.5 out of 5.  Save this place for a weekday when you just can't decide, there are better places for a weekend date.

Off the Strip....our first stop

What Teray Says...
So we went to our first restaurant yesterday, Off the Strip. I chose this place based on recommendations from friends. When the first person suggested to me in person, I was like, "Okay, off the strip, but what is it called?" not realizing it was the name of a restaurant in typical Teray fashion.

Anyway, Off the Strip is located in Southern Highlands. It took us about 10 minutes to get there. I read that there is another one on Tropicana and Grand Canyon, but I am not positive. The place is in a strip mall, and you would never ever notice that it was there unless you drive up to it. When you go inside though, it is a totally different story! It is a like an east coast restaurant with the west coast vibe. The decor is quaint and cozy with yellow walls and fabulous signs and colors, but it also makes you feel like you are eating in a hip hot spot. The bar is beautiful with lights and there are about 12 tables (11 which were full). We were seated after about a minute, and our waiter was a friendly guy, who got to know us right away. We had our east coast connection based on our accents, me being from Jersey and him from Long Island. We asked him for some recommendations and started with his suggestion of the "Rolled New York." According to the menu, the Rolled New York is: We’ve never known exactly what to call this item, but it sure is good. Choice Black Angus New York Strip cut thin

and wrapped around grilled asparagus and provolone with basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Dressed with a

Marsala mushroom sauce. For 12.50 this melted in your mouth; it was amazing. 

Brett and opted to order beer, rather than the typical wine we normally go for. Beer was only between 3.00-4.00, so not too bad. I was disappointed there was no Bud 55 or MG64 on the menu, but that is what I get for liking "beer water" I guess. The waiter explained all of the specials to us, but Brett ordered meatloaf and I ordered linguine with white clams, which I have been craving since I got back from Jersey last June, and this one hit the spot. The portion sizes were fantastic. Being part Italian, I am pretty hard on Italian food, but again, this was fabulousness in my mouth. LOL. Can you tell I enjoyed it? I loved it because it was not super oily or too much garlic, just the perfect amount of white sauce and clams. 


Lastly, the waiter brought us out Al's Famous Cheesecake, which was complimentary for being our first time there. It was beyond delicious, the type of cheesecake that you would find in one of those bakeries in which an old lady makes all of the desserts. :) I probably could have ate a whole cheesecake myself.


Overall, I really enjoyed our first spot and can see why so many people recommended it. It is the type of place in which you could dress up or dress down and fit right it. There were families, couples on dates, and the hip crowd in their 20s and 30s sitting at the bar. I definitely will head "Off the Strip" again to this place! I rate it 4.5 out of 5. 


What Brett says...

Teray already did the intro to what we are doing.  So, to let you know about myself and restaurants.  I worked in the Food industry for 10 years, I have worked in the kitchen and on the floor.  I have done everything from cook, bus, serve, to security just to name a few.  I know good food when I taste it.  I can tell when food has been neglected.  I am also very critical on the staff because I know what their job entails, I also know how easy it is.  So I am looking forward to telling you where someone or somewhere has screwed up.  But I am also willing to praise when I feel a place deserves it.

Flip Flop Elegant

So for the first week of our little restaurant tour Teray chose "Off the Strip."  It is located in Southern Highlands, after looking online at the menu I was expecting a stand alone building with an Italian theme.  Turns out it is in a strip mall, the outside is completely unassuming.  The sign doesn't stand out at all, just some vinyl lettering in the windows.  Nothing about this place catches your eye.  As we walk in perception completely changes.  You go from bland strip mall restaurant to New York Italian Cafe, or at least what a Midwest boy would expect a New York Italian Cafe to look like.  The place was clean and modern; a little 12 table sit down joint with a 10 foot bar.  The kitchen is wide open so you can see everything going on.  Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, the bar is also the "wine room."  There are only two employees running around the tables and a couple more in the kitchen.  After a minute or two one of the servers sat us, nice little table for two by the wall.  Looking around I just felt like I was in a hotspot; little beer cooler displaying their selection, chalked out menu above the kitchen (you get menus at the table too), and a crowd that wasn't overwhelming...not too quite but not crickets either.  Our server was friendly, talked with us for a few, had great recommendations, and of course a Brooklyn accent.  He took time to joke with us, kinda get to know us, and made us feel comfortable.  He did this while being one of the two servers/bartenders/hosts.  We didn't feel rushed, we asked what he recommended for an app..."Rolled New York ($12.50."  It was amazing, we each got about 3-4 bites.  Great taste without being too much to ruin the dinner.  He brought us bread basket after bread basket, which we indulged.

I again asked for a recommendation for the entree, he threw out a couple suggestions.  I told him that I kept coming back to the Meatloaf ($12), he said I should get it because I wouldn't be disappointed(even though it wasn't one of his suggestions).  

I'm glad he convinced me to go with my first instinct, it was hometown but with some twang.  The mashed potatoes were kinda a twice baked mashed, the veggies were good and actually still hot.  As for the actual meatloaf, it had a gravy over it that added to the meat that was juicy and tender.  Finally we decided we had to try Chef Al's Cheesecake ($8)...WOW.  This is the kind of cheese cake you would expect to get from a place that only does cheesecakes, way better then Cheesecake Factory.  It came with strawberries, chocolate and caramel.  The cheesecake was light and full of flavor, the crust was thick and had a flavor you can't describe except that it was perfect for the rest of the dish.  Over all I have to say "Off the Strip" was amazing.  If you eat out in Vegas you know how hard it can be to get good service and good food at the same time, well this is that match.  The food is high end quality, moderate pricing, and a perfect unassuming atmosphere...all this in a strip mall.  I will return without a doubt.  I'm not going to have some cleaver rating system, simple and easy..."Off the Strip" gets a 4 out of 5.

Check out their website: offthestriplv.com 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions! Comment on our posts or email us at dragunblog@gmail.com 

Why We Decided to Do This

Hi Everyone, Teray here!

Welcome to our blog "The Newlyweds' Guide to Vegas Restaurants." Sometimes it will be me writing the blog, sometimes my new hubby Brett, and sometimes both of us. So, let's cut to the chase...why we decided to write this blog.

Anyone that knows Brett and I knows that we are for the most part on complete opposite schedules and because of that, we make sure that each week we have at least one date night. While we were saving for the wedding, we would go to restaurants here and there, but not as much as we wanted to. Now that we are married, we decided that it would be super cool if each week for one of our date nights we tried a new restaurant and then blogged our reviews about it.

The following are the rules to this restaurant tour:
1) Each week Brett and I alternate who chooses where we go to eat
2) It must be a place that we have never been to
3) We cannot have the same type of food two weeks in a row

Sounds simple right? We will go to 52 restaurants in 52 weeks. Our restaurant tour starts this Sunday! I am starting off with choosing, not really liking the pressure, so I better get to researching. Suggestions are always welcome. We hope by this time next year we will have ate amazing food, gotten some restaurants new customers, given people ideas for dates, and also bonded in our weekly dates. :)

So cheers to our new lives as foodies and we hope you read this blog each week!