Week 8 Xtreme Sushi

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What Teray Says:


This week was Brett's turn to choose where we were going. I didn't know until yesterday, but I was so excited to hear that we were having sushi. Those who know me know that sushi is in the top 3 when it comes to my favorite foods. I have heard about Xtreme Sushi from many of my favorite friends, so I was excited to try it.

Xtreme Sushi is located in Southern Highlands

Like I mentioned above, sushi is in my top 3 favorite foods, but I don't get to eat it much. Whenever I hit up a sushi place nowadays, it is very rare that I don't get the "all you can eat" because I like to try lots of different types of rolls. Brett and I knew going in that we were going to get the "all you can eat" special. I mean who wouldn't?! It is $26 for all you can eat rolls, salad, soup, apps, and one dessert. The only rules are that you can't share with people that aren't doing all you can eat (which I read wrong, I thought that you could not share at all, which is a bummer because I would have ate some of Brett's pieces of sushi if he traded for some of mine), you have an hour to do the special, and you have to finish what is on your plate. I have one complaint about this right off the bat; I have never been to an "all you can eat" sushi where the time limit is only an hour. Normally when we eat sushi, the time limit is 2 hours. I felt very rushed in the fact that I was ordering as much as I could order in between the rolls, because it took awhile to get them. I felt as soon as the waitress came up to the table I was talking a mile a minute about the different rolls I wanted. The hour limit is also not good for someone who cannot decide quickly what they like to eat <---this girl. Brett said something very true, that it wouldn't be the best idea on a date because you spend half the time looking at what to get, stuffing your face, and then ordering so that you can finish in the time limit. It doesn't leave much time to talk! LOL.

Okay now that I am off that soap box, time for the food. We both started out with our usual, miso soup. While waiting for the soup, I looked around at the decor. I thought that coolest thing was the tables. See these rock like things, that is what is under the glass of the tables. I was amazed by this and it was much of my conversation to Brett for the beginning of the meal. I really liked it for some reason. LOL. The place is pretty small, maybe about 10 tables, but I enjoy a smaller environment when it comes to a restaurant because otherwise I get overwhelmed. 

Brett and I ordered the following rolls (I cannot remember what was in each- and if I wrote it down I would have not been able to talk at the meal at all): money roll, helmet crest roll, nanning roll, double s roll (which I remember was spicy), funny name roll, southern highlands roll, protein roll, blue diamond roll, linkin roll, sea urchin, tako (octopus). We got half orders of each of these which are 4 pieces. You can also get them in 8 pieces. 

My sushi rolls consisted of fresh fish and veggies. I do not care for rolls that have crazy sauces or weird things like that. I do like spicy rolls though. The fish I have to say was in the running of some of the freshest that I have ever had with sushi. Poor Brett, he ordered the sea urchin (in the third picture wrapped in seaweed and that orange almost paste like substance in the middle). He decided to choose it because he never had it before. Brett is normally known to eat anything and not complain. He was so grossed out and disgusted by the taste of this. I was cracking up watching his face because it just seemed so painful for him to get it down. I started pulling rice out of my sushi and putting it on his as well as covering it with soy and ginger to disguise the taste. I was going to order that; that god I didn't because I probably would have "dropped" it on the floor by accident so that I wasn't charged extra. LOL.

I had read online that for dessert we had to try the fried ice-cream. All of these people were right. This was so amazing, not too big, not too small and just the perfect amount of sweet. Too bad you could only order one dessert. ;)

Overall, I really enjoyed this place, probably because like I said, sushi is one of my favorite foods. I would definitely go back again, and there are coupons in the Entertainment book, which is pretty cool. I rate Xtreme Sushi 4.5 out of 5 not due to the food, but due to the one hour limit on the all you can eat. 


What Brett Says:


Xtreme Sushi" which is pretty much next door to our week 1 pick (Off the Strip).  Once again our restaurant is in a strip mall, which is now pretty much a standard for Las Vegas restaurants.  


I'll start with the food...I think Teray is going to list all the rolls we had, so refer to her's above if you want to know names.  We decided to do the all you can eat option, something we have done before at random other sushi joints.  At "Xtreme Sushi" it is $26 for one hour of gluttony.  This right here was kind of disappointing to me, while the price was on par with most all you can eat sushi the time limit was cut in half of every other place I have been.  The only reason this is a problem is because you almost spend your entire date trying to decide what to order next so you don't run out of time.  I would say you eat the same amount in 1 hour as you do in 2...clearly this isn't true for everyone (Joey Chestnut).  When you have 2 hours you can take your time, eat at a normal pace, and include conversation.  The rolls themselves came out at a good pace, the first roll did seem like it was taking forever but I think that was just anticipation.  As for the taste, every roll I had was one that I had never had and they were amazing.  As a side note I also had Uni (sea urchin) for the first time, yuck, this had to be the absolute worst looking and worst tasting thing I have ever had.  Anyone that knows me knows that I can put food away and will eat just about anything.  Sea urchin will never, and I mean never enter my mouth again.  I would rather have a 5 course Fear Factor meal then another piece of uni.  But like I said, everything else was amazing...the fish had good color, tasted fresh, and they didn't load it with rice.  We also ended the date with Japanese fried ice cream...you are only allowed one dessert with the all you can eat, which is weird to me since the cost of ice cream is way lower than sushi grade fish.  


Now onto the physical restaurant.  The place is small, 10 tables and a sushi bar that prob seats 12-16 people.  The decor is simple, the tables and chairs were very modern without being that "trendy weird."  I always talk about opening a restaurant and this place would be the perfect size for what I want...lively, intimate, but still big enough to have a party.  There really wasn't much Asian influence in the restaurant, in fact a day later I can't think of anything beyond the Asian staff members.  The only cheesy thing I would say is that they had a coupon thing and a steak special taped to the top off the table.  But all in all, one of my favorite physical places we have been to.


In conclusion (yes this is how I ended my college essays), I would go to "Xtreme Sushi" again, but not on a one on one date.  I think this needs to be a double or triple date place, that way everyone can get all you can eat and do it family style.  That way there is always food coming and there is more time for conversation.  There are better places for a date, if you do want to try this as a date place just order by the roll and take your time.  Apparently there is a coupon in the Entertainment Book.  As for the food itself I would order it to go or eat in, I think it might be the best tasting sushi I have had.  
Rating:
Taste of the food: 5/5
Physical restaurant: 4.5/5
Staff: 4/5
All you can eat value: 3/5
Sea Urchin (Uni): 0/5


Overall: 4.25/5








Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week


I loved my Patty's Closet outfit this week. Of course, thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with this outfit. As most of you know, I am normally a dress and skirt girl, that is what I live and breathe in. These lace shorts though are so different in the fact that they are lacy, comfortable and can be dressed up or down that I could not resist them. My top too can be dressed up or down. It is a sheer material and a flared, fit. The straps are tie adjustable, so you can adjust them to the way that is most comfortable to you. This could be worn for a date night like I have it, with jeans and heals for cocktails, or even for work if you put a shirt underneath and a cardigan over it being that it is sheer. 

If you don't already check out and like Patty's Closet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV?sk=app_139229522811253


and check out their website for all of their locations and the awesome segment that they are doing with the MORE show here in Vegas on FOX 5:
www.ilovepattyscloset.com


Until next time, cheers to being in love and living life!

We are now on Facebook!

Hey Everyone! We now have a Facebook page! Thanks so much for the great suggestions to make one. We are still going to continue to write our blog on Blogger, but you can "LIKE" the page and follow it through Facebook. We figured it would make it easier for people who were having trouble following on the side of the page and for people who did not want to follow via email. Plus people can comment and make suggestions as to where we should visit next. Stay tuned to see where we are heading on Sunday. It is Brett's pick; I don't even know yet! I do know that I have an awesome outfit to wear provided by Patty's Closet. 

So make sure to "like" us on Facebook. 

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Until Sunday- Teray xoxo

Week 7 Lotus of Siam

Hi Everyone! Thanks again for checking out this week's blog post. We have gotten a lot of feedback that people are having a difficult time for some reason when it comes to following the blog, so we are also going to make a Facebook page for the blog in addition to keeping it on Blogger, which as soon as that is up, we will post it here. Also, thanks again to our new followers via the follow link and through email. 


What Teray Says...


So this week I was in a pickle. I researched all week where to go and I thought I had made the choice of where we were going and when we arrived there, we find out that it is not open on Sundays. Now, everyone that knows me, knows that I don't like the pressure of deciding where to go on the spot unless I am planning a fun girls outing. :) I quick pulled Yelp up on my iPhone and found that the burning restaurant of the week was Lotus of Siam, so that is what I chose for my replacement pick.


From the outside I was a little nervous because the area is not the greatest. I told Brett if it wasn't a restaurant type atmosphere (more like a take out place) then I would want to change my pick to something I saw down the road. I could not believe when we opened the door how crowded it was. Once you moved past the crowd there were pictures of famous people that have eaten there everywhere! Everyone from Drew Barrymore to Billy Joel were on those walls.


The wait was not even 5 minutes and we were seating in a side room facing a huge area with tons of bottles of wine in a wine freezer type thing. The only thing that I did not like right away is that the table next to us was literally next to us with a tiny crack in between and I could hear the whole conversation of the table next to us (I honestly didn't care that they were cowboys or about their horse competitions. lol). 

Front of the restaurant

Look at all of this wine

We started off with an appetizer. I had only eaten Thai food two times before this, but I recognized what we picked because I heard it was an appetizer at our wedding (not that I was at the cocktail hour to try it). The Sa-tay, which consisted of peanut sauce, chicken skewers and cucumber salad was very good. You got five skewers so the two that I ate and the three that Brett ate was just enough so that we didn't lose our appetite. I liked the peanut sauce so much I wanted to eat it with a spoon, but obviously I would never do that. 

Sa-tay (appetizer)

For dinner I ordered the pad thai with pork because I had eaten before and knew I liked it. I didn't understand some of the things on the menu, and I was really hungry so I wanted to stick with what I knew and made sure that I liked it. It was such a big portion and was just the right amount of noodles, veggies and peanuts. Brett actually got to eat some too and there was still plenty for me. The meal came with white rice. Brett ordered yellow curry with chicken which was also mouth watering. We basically split both of our meals in half so that we got to enjoy both. Next time I go back, I would definitely get a curry dish. 

Teray's Pad Thai with pork

Brett's yellow curry with chicken

We wanted to get a Thai dessert and decided on mango and sticky rice. I never have heard of putting rice in a dessert besides rice pudding, but the rice was delicious. It was white rice with a syrupy substance on top, very sweet, but not too sweet. The mango was ripe and literally melted in my mouth. The portion was just enough that I didn't leave feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. 

Mango with sticky rice

Overall, I enjoyed the food so much. I have had Thai food only 2 other times so I did not have much to compare it on, but I really enjoyed it. I would like to go back just because the portions were a great size that you could get two meals out of them, but also because the prices were so reasonable! I can definitely see why Lotus of Siam is the burning restaurant on Yelp and why there were so many people waiting to eat. I rate this restaurant 4.5 out of 5, taking away a half of a point for the tables being so close together because I am claustrophobic. 

What Brett Says...

This week Teray and I went to "Herbs and Rye," oh wait they were closed.  So much for being a Vegas Weekly Sunday hot spot.  When we got there and they were closed Teray had to decide kinda on the spot where we were going.  If you know Teray you know she isn't a fan of deciding and even less so when it is spur of the moment.  As a second resort we went to "Lotus of Siam."  This is a Thai restaurant on East Sahara by all the swinger clubs, 900 block of East Sahara.  Not the greatest neighborhood from my experience but nothing to worry about if the sun is still kinda up, the shady people come out in the middle of the night.  I was excited with the choice, I haven't had Thai food in a couple years.  

Lotus is another strip mall find...after showing up I realized I had heard of it but never gave it a second thought since it was somewhat out of the way from where I have always lived.  Lotus is the hole in the wall you would never go to unless it was recommended, which is weird because it seems to be the place where anyone that is anybody goes.  The walls are covered with pictures of people that carry around headshots...the celebrities.  I unfortunately left my headshot at home so I owe them an autograph.  As we walked in there was a large group of people waiting to be sat, fortunately for us tables for 2 only took about five minutes, anything bigger seemed to be waiting a while.  We got sat in what I think is a newer expansion.  I was surprised that the restaurant was as big as it was, by far the biggest we have been to on our tour.  The atmosphere was lively and interesting to look at, between all the people, the celebrity pictures and the wine room I was amused in an ADD kind of way.

We started our dining experience with a Sa-tay appetizer, chicken with a peanut sauce.  This was something that we served at our wedding but never actually got to try.  So for me it was a way to experience part of our wedding I didn't get to that special night.  We then looked through the menu which seemed to go on forever.  I decided on the Yellow Curry with Pork and Teray went with Pad-thai.  I have always been a fan of Thai yellow curry dishes, so I played it safe.  I was glad I did, the dish was amazing.  It had the right flavor and that always welcome hint of coconut.  The dish was about the size of a normal meal, throw in the white rice and it was filling.  Teray and I split each other's meals, hers was good...I would actually say it was better then mine.  It had a hint of sweet, a hint of spice, and a just overall a interesting blend.  I would recommend doing the order and split...that way you can try a bit of everything.  We of course opted to get dessert, it was a sticky rice and mango combo.  The first bite was questionable if not bad.  But I continued on and ended up really enjoying the dessert.  I think that first bite was thrown off because of the hot rice, kind of a first in the dessert realm for me.  By the end I was hoping Teray would get full and I could finish it...luckily I know Teray always gives me the last bite, she's a good wifey like that.

All in all I would have to say this place is definitely worth going to, be it on a date or out with the boys.  The prices are alot better then you would think considering all the familiar faces on the wall.  I am going to give "Lotus of Siam" a 5 out of 5.  The service was quick without being overbearing, the food hit all the right notes, the price was perfect ($40 with tip), and the atmosphere would go over well no matter the occasion.  I am looking forward to the next time I have friends or family in town, this is going to be on the list of places to go.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Again, thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with this week's outfit of the week. The dress is so fun and flirty and I absolutely love the color! It ruffles in the front with an A-line form, but the coolest thing about this dress is that it is longer in the back than in the front, which makes it totally work appropriate. My earrings are also from Patty's Closet; I am totally loving all things feather right now. They have so many colors and sizes, so definitely check them out. 

Check out these fabulous earrings!

Like Patty's Closet on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV)

and visit their website at: www.ilovepattyscloset.com

Until next time, cheers to love, laughter, and good food! 

Week 6 Dona Norma Restaurante Nicaraguense

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What Teray Says

This week it was Brett's turn to chose the place where we were eating. He found a place that he was talking about in the beginning of the week in which he said he just drove by while working. As you guys know, with his job, he drives all over the city, so I never know what to expect. I tried even Googling what he was talking about, but couldn't find it, so I was in for a big mystery either way.



The girl who made our food is the girl on the cover of the menu.



When we arrived at the restaurant, I didn't know if it was closed or open according to the side view. When we pulled in, we saw the sign and not many cars in front. I was nervous, but this blog is all about going out of our comfort zone at times, so I was ready to go.

Dona Norma's is a small restaurant located in Downtown Las Vegas. When you enter, you don't know what to expect, it is a very quaint, small casual restaurant in which you can either eat in or get take out. We were greeted by a friendly gentleman, who I am assuming was the manager. He explained to us what he was eating, because I was eyeing it the whole time. I guess when you eat Nicarguense food you can eat a pastry with your actual meal, so that is what we started with. This pastry was mouth watering delicious. It was a breaded type pastry with sugar lightly coated on top and some sort of sweet filling in the inside. I could have eaten about 10 of them, and for $2 each, you definitely got your money's worth.

This pastry is called Pico.

While eating our pastry, we decided what to order. From the beginning, I chose Pollo Asado al Carbon (grilled chicken, rice and beans, fried cheese, fried sweet plantains or crispy). Brett originally ordered a pork dish, but because they were out of pork, he decided on a chicken dish as well, Pollo fito (fried chicken with rice mixed, fried cheese, and crispy plantains.) While waiting for our food we talked with the gentleman again, who I am assuming is the manager, learning about the type of food we were eating. When our plates arrived, my eyes lit up. The portion was huge!!! It was so funny to see bananas and beans on the same plate together (yes, I know bananas are different than plantains, but to me who is not familiar with them, they are the same category.)

My and Brett's dinner; they look the same, but are different.

First, I will start with the chicken. It was perfectly broiled and the portion size was very reasonable for the money. You got one leg and one breast. The skin was lightly seasoned, which I took most off because I am not a fan of the skin on food, but from what I tasted, it was pretty good. The rice and beans of course were amazing, and even if they weren't I probably would say that because I love rice and beans from an authentic place. The cabbage salad was crisp and light, which was a perfect type of veggie to go with this meal. The friend cheese was a triangle of cheese that looked like a tiny piece of pizza without sauce. I told Brett as I was eating this fried cheese, that I could eat it everyday of my life, it was that delicious. Lastly the fried and crispy plantains were so light, that I kept eating them. I think that was my favorite part of the whole meal. I am going to have to see if my local food store sells these, because they were fantastic!

Overall, again, I was extremely pleased with this pick. For two huge meals and a pastry the total was $20.60. I would love to try another meat next time I go there, and yes I would make the drive downtown again. As for the atmosphere, it was decorated with culturally themed decor and there was a huge flat screen that played music in a language that I did not recognize, but I did know one of the songs by the beat! :) Anyway, I would rate this restaurant 3 out of 5 (the building and atmosphere lowered the rating).






What Brett says...


So this week was my week to choose, I went with a place I have never heard of or knew really nothing about.  I drive around all day and see tons of restaurants, this was one of them.  I am always driving through the Charleston and Maryland Parkway intersection, often sitting at that damn light.  Well I kept noticing this little hole in the wall place that had a sign up for Nicaraguan food.  I didn't even know the name until we walked in...it is Dona Norma.  To be honest when we pulled into the parking lot I thought it was closed for construction or maybe even being torn down.  To my relief the doors were open.  I have never had Nicaraguan food, I figured it would be along the lines of Mexican food.  When Teray and I walked in we realized we were the only non-employees in the place.  I wasn't sure if we were suppose to sit down to order or if we ordered at the counter, honestly I'm still not sure.  Luckily an employee that spoke some English pointed us in the direction of the menus.  As a side note you should know that speaking Spanish is not a requirement to eat here but it would definitely be a welcome attribute.  After looking it over it was time.

I decided on a pork dish and Teray a chicken dish, about 2 minutes later we were told that our options were chicken or chicken...we went with chicken.  Teray ordered the Pollo Asado al Carbon (grilled chicken) and I ordered the Pollo Frito (fried chicken).  After we ordered it was suggested to us that we try a pastry, I think it was called a Pico and it was the bomb.  It was big enough for both of us, kind of a danish without filling and a light sugar topping.  Plus it was only $2.  After getting the pastry we decided to take it upon ourselves to grab one of the open tables, like I said they were all open.  Not sure whether our food would be brought to us or we would have to get it at the counter we just waited.  It felt like longer then usual but I'm not sure since there was nothing to catch our attention to pass the time.  The owner did turn on some Hispanic music, the concert looked like it was taped in the 80's.  Eventually another random employee brought us out some waters and shortly after our food.

When we got our plates we weren't sure if they got our order right because both chicken dishes look exactly the same, come to find out they were right.  For $9 a piece we got a ton of food.  On each plate were two large pieces of chicken, a generous portion of beans/rice, a fried cheese triangle, banana chip things, cabbage salad and sauteed plantain.  I tried both of our chickens, they each tasted different but really good.  I was actually surprised that they tasted so different.  The beans and rice were well beans and rice.  The cabbage salad was good, kinda like cole slaw without the dressing.  The fried cheese triangle was good, probably the best piece of cheese I have ever had.  I am a fan of mozz sticks but this blew them out of the water.  The banana chips were slices of banana sliced long ways and from what I can tell dehydrated, they had a light flavor but nothing really stood out.  Now the sauteed plantain is a whole other story, I loved this part.  It was sweet without being too sweet...kinda a with the entree mini dessert.  Overall I have to say the was top notch...surprised myself.

I would suggest that you at least check this place out, sooner then later I don't know how long it will be standing.  The physical side of things was nothing to comment on, go for the food not the experience.  There did appear to be a bakery in the next room over, no idea.  

My rating is an overall 2.5/5, the food is what got it there.  If the building matched the quality of the food this place would easily be a 4/5.  Unfortunately this is the kind of place to get the food to go not so much go on a date there.  If you want to make it a date grab the food for a picnic or maybe to bring home if you live close enough.  I would def eat the food again, but never actually eat there.  If I had to go back for one thing it would be the "Pico" pastry.  Plus it was nice having an amazing dinner for two at only $22.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week:
Again, a super huge thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. This dress is absolutely perfect for a night out at your favorite martini lounge or for a day of shopping. The belt is also from Patty's Closet as well, and I love the sparkly detail. Lastly, the head band is a piece that I have had from Patty's Closet, but had to put it with the outfit because it matched so perfectly (they always have amazing hair accessories).

Outfit available at the Rainbow store

Isn't this belt adorable?!

Make sure to follow Patty's Closet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/PattysClosetLV

and check out their website (Vegas people they are doing an amazing segment right now where you can have your closet raided by them for the MORE show on Fox 5, you can enter on the website!

http://ilovepattyscloset.com/click-here/


Until next time, cheers to new experiences and stepping outside of the box. 

Week 5: DW Bistro

What Teray Says...

We're back!! We are really appreciating the comments that we are getting about the blog. Most of them very good ;) and enjoying reading them. We also added where you can follow via email because a lot of people were having trouble following on the side, so to our new email followers: THANK YOU!

This week was my turn to pick and I wanted to change it up a bit. A friend of mine, Alana Castillo, owner of the fabulous Vanity Flair (like them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/vanityflair) suggested that we visit DW Bistro. We decided to go to brunch after her recommendation. Brunch is my favorite meal of a day; it just reminds me of summer, fabulousness, and people who love to have fun. Plus, any meal in which you can have a Bloody Mary to accompany it, is great in my book.

Brett and I headed to DW, which is not too far from our house. I had checked out the menu online and commented to them on Facebook that we were excited to come in (like them on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/DW-Bistro/107408069295113). They responded back right away. I love when places have positive interactions with their future customers even before you enter the establishment.

Walking into DW Bistro, I immediately was impressed. The decor does not look like any other Vegas place. I literally felt like I was in a trendy NYC restaurant. Beautiful colors of orange, white, and brown and gorgeous paintings on the wall and well placed furniture. I just felt cool eating there. There is a bar up front, but the fabulous part about the bar upfront is that it has an area that blocks out the parking lot in which you don't even know it is in a common Vegas development of a strip mall. Every detail from the glasses that the drinks are served in to the modern white chairs screams that this is a hip establishment to eat with, but it has a cozy mentality. The staff was always checking on us and everyone was extremely friendly. As we were sitting there, I was plotting different occasions in my head in which I would invite my friends next time. They serve brunch, lunch, and dinner; so I have a lot of opportunities in mind. :)

As I mentioned before, I cannot have a brunch without a Bloody Mary or two. This had to be one of the best Bloody Mary drinks I have ever had! There was the perfect amount of spice, plus they have a pickle, a piece of bacon as well as olives and grapes within in. Delicious!

So good that I had to have two.





Coming down to the food, there were so many fabulous choices that I did not know what to pick. I think if it weren't summer and I weren't trying to keep fit in a bikini, I would have definitely ordered the basket of breakfast pastries in which you got these scones that looked delicious. My mouth was watering looking at the table next to us who had ordered them. I decided to take the waitress's suggestions and order the jerk chicken and waffles. Holy crow, what an amazing choice. You got really decent size waffles, and many pieces of jerk chicken. I had never had chicken and waffles. I joked to Brett that I had only heard about it in songs, but it was fantastic. I think the fact that it was jerk fried chicken and not regular fried chicken, the spice, made it so wonderful in combination with the sweetness of the maple syrup and the waffles. I purposely left some on the plate so that I could take it home and eat it as a snack later. One of the best brunch meals I have ever had by far.

Jerk Chicken and Waffles



They even had specials in which all sounded delicious. Brett ordered something in which he will tell you what it was, but it tasted delicious and it was something that you could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have to say this was by far my favorite place that have visited so far. Everything from wonderful and I recommend it to anyone who wants to go to eat but feel like they are really out and having a fun experience.  The prices are so reasonable too; 7-16 dollars. I cannot wait to visit this place again. My rating is definitely a 5 out of 5.

What Brett Says...

So this week the wife chose DW Bistro, another strip mall find.  Think NYC meets Bay Area...but in a random strip mall in Las Vegas.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect, I had never seen or heard of the place.  Most of the time I know something going into it.  From the parking lot it looks like nothing special, a place you walk by a thousand times before you even peek in the window.  I was excited though because we were going for brunch instead of dinner.  Brunch is always a nice treat because I never really know what I'm in the mood for, with brunch you have a much more broad selection...do I want eggs or a BLT?  Apparently DW is on TV all the time and it is all the rave amoung people, the fact I have never heard of it goes to show more that I have lost touch with the "in," then anything about this place.  When you walk in you are met by a half height wall, to the right is the host stand.  We were immediately met by someone (I think it was an owner), he sat us at a typical table for two in the middle of the restaurant.  Once sat I realized what the wall by the door was, it was the back of the bar.  While most restaurants have the bar to the side or the back DW flips the interior around.  I have to say it worked out well.  Not only does it keep it from looking like every other food joint in town but it also prevents you from having to look out the window at a parking lot, it really helped them create a new atmosphere.  The capacity appears to be on the smaller size but not too small, they have a patio that adds more seating without the crunch.  They also have some amazing art on the walls, of course it is all for sale...cheapest I saw was $1200 and it looked to be at about a 7th grade level, but still nice and fitting to the decor.

Service is a whole topic at DW, I can just imagine the training that goes into working there.  As a former server/bus boy/every other front of the house position I can tell you that they drill their employees...to the point where lashings are handed out of every shift.  I say this as both a good thing and a bad thing.  We were sat immediately, water was brought quickly, and we were gretted fast.  When we ordered drinks they were brought the minute they were done being mixed...you can see the bar remember.  Our server was on top of things; she answered questions, took our order, and checked back at all the right intervals.  Now for the bad, well not bad but more annoying.  Knowing how restaurants run I can tell you this is the kind of place where employees, all of them, are responsible for making sure every table is good to go.  I know you are wondering why this is annoying; well, there was someone at our table on average every 2-3 minutes.  To the point where I would take a drink of water and the minute I set the glass down it was already refilled.  I would assume the only thing more timely would be assigning a person with a water pitcher to stand next to each table.  For me it almost became a game, I would drink water and then see how long it would take them to refill it...I was amused.  Don't get me wrong, I would much rather have this then having to wait 15 minutes to get a refill; but sometimes too much of a good thing is an annoying thing.  But overall their service was rediculously good.

Brett's meal: DW Bowl of New Mexican Style Slow Cooked Pork

Now for the part we all care about since it is why we go...the food.  I tossed around multiple ideas from the menu, everything sounded good.  Things sounded even better when our waitress told us the chef was a Jamaican who spent a bit of time in New Mexico.  Which I took as Carribean Jerk chicken with some salsa and tortillas, come to find out I wasn't too far off.  If you know Teray you know she is obsessed with spicy bloody marys, I had to try and I can tell you they were good and looked interesting (bacon, pickle, olives, baby onions).  We decided not to order an appetizer, although the scones at the next table looked good.  I ordered a New Mexico jerk pork with rice.  It was a large bowl with white rice at the bottom and pork, salsa, fried eggs on top, tortillas too.  I mixed the bowl together to get that blend in every bite; some I ate on tortillas some I just ate by the fork.  There was easily enough for 2-3 people, I pushed it and still had enough for later.  I would go as far to say that it was the ideal brunch food for someone that couldn't decide between the "br" or the "unch."  I would be happy eating that meal for any meal any day.  Teray opted for something unheard of, at least in Vegas...Chicken and Waffles.  Chicken and waffles is a staple in parts of the country, Vegas being the town of T and A not many people think of fried chicken as a staple of a gym rat diet.  But everyone knows that you have to have a cheat day and this was a nice take on a cheat.  Rather then regular fried chicken it was more of a crispy jerk fried chicken and well waffles are waffles.  I did steal a bite; remember whats mine is hers and hers is mine, so it wasn't really stealing.  All I can say off of one bite is that it was indeed good.  All in all I can say that it was a good representation of New Mexican Carribean brunch in Las Vegas.  I'm still confused and I came up with it.  Being completely full we buth nixed dessert, but we did have some cake later in the day for Trevor's birthday...Happy Birthday Trevor.

I'm not going to summarize, I went into enough detail, but I will tell you I will be back.  I give DW Bistro a 4.5 out of 5.  They lost 1/2 a point for the constant water service, the waitress not knowing the 3 specials off the top of her head, showing the price of the art (kinda tacky) and for not having a sign up that explains what New Mexican Carribean food is.  Call me critical but this is my review and they lose 1/2 point on my scale, if you don't like it start your own blog.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Again, thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with the cutest dress for our brunch this week. This dress is ruffly at the top and then flairs out at the bottom. The straps are adjustable, so you can fix them however you need it. It is a perfect dress for a summer time lunch or even cocktails at night.

This outfit is available at the Patty's Closet on Rainbow and Windmill

Thanks again to Patty's Closet for always making me and the girls of Las Vegas feel fabulous and fashionable. They have everything a girl would need.

Like them on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pattys-Closet-Fashion-Boutique/234474963398

Check out their website: http://ilovepattyscloset.com/