Week 23 Saffron Flavors of India

Hi friends! Thanks for all the feedback always on the blog. As you can see we are taking a lot of suggestions when we choose where we go. This week Brett chose Saffron (an Indian restaurant) because his friend Nick goes there like all the time. :) On Saturday we are headed to Opa! which my friend Alana recommended. So see the trend? Recommend away!!! If you haven't already please like our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants and become a follower of our blog on the side of this post. 

What Teray Says...

I was excited to head to Saffron for some Indian food because Brett had been talking about it for  a few weeks now and that our last experience with Indian food was not the greatest (read our previous posts. LOL). Saffron is pretty far from where we live, up toward N. Tenaya and W. Craig. 

Oh wait, now let me go back...BEFORE we even started to head to Saffron we were caught up in a police stand up. Yea, we were sitting at the ATM of Bank of America and all of a sudden, a robber that was running dropped something in front of my cube. Just then, the police come flying into the parking lot. I start panicking and screaming that I want Brett to just drive away and leave my card in the ATM. He wanted to get out and tackle the guy! He is crazy! There was then a lot of yelling and screaming that the guy was resisting and I was scared for my life. I basically cried the whole way to the restaurant and was scared speechless. Yes, I did not talk for over 30 minutes. 

Okay, back to happier times. We arrived at the restaurant, which is really pretty, but we felt like we were invisible. It took awhile for someone to notice that we were even there. We then were seated in the bar section of the restaurant, which is cool with me, because all of the tables were taken. I don't want to complain about the service the whole review, because I know Brett will do plenty of that, but let's just say they were extremely understaffed and I will end it at that. We know I like to focus on the positive.

We started off by ordering some cheese naan, which was like a pizza with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Definitely like a cheesy bread from Little Cesar's which I love. We then got some wine, Brett got Riesling and I got Merlot ( I have been such a red fan lately). As for our dinner Brett ordered chicken korma which was chicken in a coconut based sauce and I ordered Kadai chicken which was boneless chicken, which onions, garlic and ginger. I tasted Brett's and it was fabulous, and mine was even better. I chose my spiciness level at a 7, and wheww, was it spicy!! Fantastic though! The chicken was extremely tender and there was just enough rice between the two of us that we got to share. Not that I have had a lot of Indian food, but it was by far the best that I have had. 

For dessert we got authentic Indian ice cream. It was very good, and we didn't have to pay for it which was awesome! I think because the service was so long. At one point Brett got our water pitcher from the bar and poured drinks. Overall, I loved the food, but due to the service, I have to mark Saffron down and give it a 3 out of 5. 

What Brett Says...

This week we decided to go with a suggestion from one of the guys in my medic class, "Saffron Flavors of India" @95&Craig Road.  We figured we could also use this as a redemption from our last Indian restaurant experience...which was horrible (review week 14 for more on that one).  I figured this place should be legit, the suggestion was made by someone who goes there 3 times a week.  He also said his dad is English and says its the best Indian food in Vegas...he made a good enough argument.  To make things more interesting Teray and I ran into him and his parents in the parking lot on the way in.  To make things even more interesting Teray and I stopped at the ATM by our house and Teray got to experience her first police stand off...police chasing bad guy, cops yelling, guns, cop cars racing around, and of course the bad guy yelling "I'm not resisting, I'm not resisting."  Needless to say Teray needed a drink and I am always down for one too.

Once there we walked in at the same time as my friends group, they walked in and were immediately greeted and sat.  We on the other hand stood there, stood there some more, decided to just sit down and wait.  Each time an employee walked by it was almost like they were avoiding eye contact.  After a couple minutes the bartender asked us if we wanted to eat in the bar because they were busy and he could take care of us faster there.  Not wanting to starve or wait for a table we opted to sit at the bar, I mean being closer to the booze isn't a bad thing.  My first impression was that they were both busy and understaffed...which is never a good thing.

Once we were at the bar we were given menus right away.  The bartender was running back and fourth between the bar and the dining room.  The bar itself was pretty unkempt

Now touching on service.  The staff was friendly, unfortunately they did not seem to have enough people working.  From what I saw there was one bartender and two servers, which meant that they were each taking care of prob 8 tables.  That might not seem like a lot but from someone who use to do it...it is Hell.  Remember how I said we sat at the bar to get taken care of quicker, unfortunately this wasn't the case.  Through the entire process we were having to prompt the bartender, "can we get waters," "can we get a drink menu," "can we order an appetizer?"  At one point I got tired of waiting for a water refill so I reached over the bar and refilled it myself.  I will say that when we were able to gain his attention we were taken care of quick and he focused on us...the back to running around.  The bartender did comp us some shots and some ice cream, so at least he did something to take care of us.  I am starting to think that going to get Indian food means 2-2.5 hours.

The last part of my review is on the food, I have a feeling it will be the shortest.  Sometimes everything else about a restaurant stands out, sometimes its the food...ideally it is a mix of the two.  Teray and I ordered some Indian bread, entrees, and dessert.  I had the chicken coconut curry, it was good but nothing special.  I honestly could not tell you the difference in food between Saffron and India Palace (week 14).  I would eat it again but I would prob end up opting to go closer to home.  There really isn't much I can say about the food.

Overall I wasn't really impressed.  I think part of it may be the night we chose to go, maybe during the week may be a better idea.  I don't think I will ever be back...partially because it was unimpressive food, partially because of the distance, and lastly because they didn't show me that service and staffing are important to them.  If I was to return it would be because of the bartender himself, he was friendly and took good care of us when he was actually behind the bar.  One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that they have a pretty good liquor selection, one of the better selections I have seen in a restaurant.  

Unfortunately they earned a 2.5 out of 5 (hey, it's better then India Palace)

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with this adorable sweater dress this week!!! The sweater dress is perfect for the cooler weather and definitely a fall and winter staple in your wardrobe. It can be dressed up or down depending on your shoes and accessories. I chose to cinch it with a belt, which is also from Patty's. It is a black and white cable knit and has big black buttons on the fold over collar. It is a nice length too because it can be worn to work if you wear tights or leggings. This outfit is available at the Rainbow store!

So exciting news Patty's fans!!!! Their Town Square store opens on Saturday!!!!!!! I am just as excited as Christmas morning for this!!! If you check out their Facebook you can find all of the details! Brett and I will be there, so we hope to see you there too!!! It opens at 10am!!  http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Until next week, cheers to nesting, new beginnings, and November!!!