Week 13 Balboa Pizza Company

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This week it was Brett's turn to pick, although it turned basically into a mutual pick. We did a staycation at the Green Valley Ranch this week-end, so we wanted a restaurant that was near there and in the District. It was also a plus that there was a coupon in the Entertainment Book. We are all about saving money.

What Teray Says...

A lot of you know that pizza is one of my favorite foods. I would eat it everyday if I could. Add wings into the mix and I am one happy girl. Balboa Pizza Company is a laid back, California inspired place. There are surf boards and pictures of surfing everywhere. It has a very beachy vibe and actually reminds me of the store Hollister.

When we sat down at our table, I noticed the menus were newspapers which was pretty cool. Brett and I had heard that the wings and the pizza were definitely what they were known for, so that is what we were going to order. Our waitress was in a contest to sell the most Blue Moon Summer Wheat beer for the night so Brett ordered some. I am not a fan of beer unless it is a low calorie one. I stuck with water. 

After going through the wing selection, everything looked good and we couldn't make up our minds so we asked the waitress what was best. She offered three suggestions and we took one of the suggestions which was the chipolte wings. The wings came with 10 wings and chips. When the waitress asked us about what I thought was the chips, she said "Ranch or blue cheese?" I responded with, "Wow, blue cheese chips sound amazing." I was embarrassed to find out she was talking about the dip. LOL. 

The wings were spicy, but not too much that burned your throat and made your eyes water. I definitely had to use the wet napkins they provided. There was also a lot of meat on the wings, which was fantastic that I wasn't biting right into bone. 

After finishing our wings we went through all the pizza choices. First, I have to say I love gourmet type pizzas. Second, the pizza was square. I don't know why I think square pizza is better; obviously the shape does not change the taste of the pizza, but for some reason, I like it the best. The waitress recommended lots of the kinds but we went with the chicken pesto pine nut pizza. It was cut into three slices, and we definitely finished it. It is something that I would love to learn how to make or eat again.

We had a coupon, buy one entree get one free, so we ended up getting the wings for free. The original total was 36 dollars and we got away with 32 with tip, the entree, and beers. I really enjoyed Balboa Pizza Company. I have to say though, I prefer an authentic pizza place and if I were to go to a gourmet type pizza place, I would pick Sammy's. I did enjoy it though very much and for that I rate it 4 out of 5. 




What Brett Says...

Even though we weren't watching football we decided to go get some pizza. beer, and wings.  Teray and I selected "Balboa Pizza Co" this week, it's in the District @GVR; we chose it for three main reasons: 1. We were staying at Green Valley Ranch since Teray got a sweet room deal for $25.  2. We found a coupon for buy one entree get one free, I'm all about the deal (who pays full price in Vegas anyways...tourists). 3. We are both fans of pizza and wings, no explanation needed.  I have walked by this place multiple times and have never noticed it.  I usually stick to Al's Garage or the BBQ place when I'm there.  I would love to be writing this review telling you how great the pizza and wings are while watching the Denver Broncos spank the San Diego Chargers; not because it wouldn't happen...because it will, but like I said it was a Friday night and no football to watch.


The first this you notice when you walk in is that you are actually walking in the back door, it's one of those bars where they put two doors in and one of them requires you to walk down a long hall, pass the bathrooms, cut through all the tables, and finally arrive at a hostess stand just to turn around and walk back through the restaurant to your table.  Thats not cool, just put in two hostess stands.  Aside from that you actually get to check out some cool surfer items and photos.  When you do finally make it to the tables it has that "Vegas bar" but with a theme feel.  They have a limited number of tables, bar tables, and of course a bar with video poker.  There were enough tv's to watch a game but not enough or big enough to watch a game you are going to be into, beings it is a California theme they probably get Charger fans so watching your team lose isn't a priority.  I will say this would probably be a decent place to get together with some friends and BS over a couple drinks.


Teray opted for H2O.  We ordered some chipotle wings, 10 to an order but these are the bigger buffalo wings.  We tried them on the recommendation of our server, I'm glad we did.  I have never had that flavor, I will again.  As for the pizza we went with a Chicken Pesto Pinenut pizza.  Never having heard of this I was interested, I am a fan of all three ingredients.  It was good, nothing extraordinary, my biggest problem with gourmet/specialty pizzas is that they are never filling.  When I eat half a pizza after eating 5 wings there is no reason I should still have hunger left over.  I would eat it again but more as an appetizer.  We decided not to go with a dessert; remembering GVR has $0.99 margaritas for locals, why eat dessert when you can go drink it and it has tequila in it?


I am torn on this place when it comes to adding it all up and giving it a rating.  While the food was good the pizza was lacking.  The wings are definitely helping the overall rating.  I think one of my biggest problems is that they are a gaming bar but they charge sit down prices.  If you are going to go with the hang out gaming idea you need to offer a menu priced at that level.  I don't remember the exact prices but they were a little high for what you got.  I think part of it is that it is in the District.  I'm not saying I wouldn't go back but I would have to already be there and someone I am with would have to suggest it.  However, the chipotle wings were a 5/5 on flavor and size alone.  Unfortunately I am giving a 3/5 overall.  Lastly, service was awesome and friendly.  I just can't get over the smallish pizza and pricing for a place that tries to appeal to a hangout crowd, a gaming crowd, and a sports crowd.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

First of all thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. I am getting so much feedback on these outfits. People actually stop me whenever I wear them and ask about them. I love that the outfits are becoming another reason that people follow or read the blog. I loved my outfit of the week so much this week. I even wore it for school pictures (had tons of parents ask me about it at meet and greet)!!! This black dress is lined on the inside and has a cream lace and pearl design. On one shoulder there is black lace ruffles. It has elastic around the waist area, but I added a black Patty's Closet belt to cinch the waist a little more. To top it off these lace crochet booties, not only are to die for but they are beyond comfortable. 

Dress available at the Rainbow/Windmill store

These wedge booties are available at the Rainbow/Windmill store

If you haven't already check out Patty's Closet's website www.ilovepattyscloset.com and like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Also, good news Patty's fans- they are opening a new store on Saturday in Summerlin. Check their Facebook for details!!!

Until next time, cheers to summer turning into fall....

Week 12 Grape Street Cafe

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What Teray Says:
This week I chose Grape Street Cafe. I have heard so much about it from many friends and Brett found a Groupon one day online, so it was meant to be. With the Groupon, for $54 dollars you get a pre fixe menu of two glasses of wine, one appetizer to share, one meal item (from either the pasta, sandwich, burger or pizza section) and one dessert item to share. 


To start out, Grape Street is designed to look like a wine cellar. There are lots of twinkle lights, candles dimly lit, dark woods, etc. I love the feel of these types of restaurants. It definitely had a romantic atmosphere and I think it would be somewhere that I would love to have a birthday dinner or an event. It is laid back, but fancy at the same time. 

Brett and I started by ordering water and the waiter brought out bread. We looked through the wine menu and at first chose a Riesling with the name "dragon" in it because that is our last name, but the waiter suggested a more expensive Riesling called JJ Christoffel 2009. This wine was $16 a glass, which may not be a lot to some, but Brett and I are not wine snobs so we normally don't order wine at that price. It was included though, so we went for it. Let me tell you it was the best Riesling I ever had. It was so crisp and not too sweet. I had to sip very slowly so I could savor it throughout the whole meal. 


As for an appetizer, we chose the fruit and cheese plate, but the water suggested another alternative of buffalo mozzarella, red peppers, asparagus, and baguettes. I am so happy that he did this because the cheese in this appetizer was beyond amazing. I am normally a cheese lover, but my love went into obsession when it came to this. There was just enough food for both of us to have a good amount, without being too full for our dinner. 

For our dinner, Brett chose to order penne vodka with chicken and I chose to order shrimp primavera with white sauce. I am not the biggest "red sauce" fan, so I love when a restaurant has pasta with white sauce. The thing that made me order this was that there are pine nuts in it, which I have been cooking with lately. I did not taste Brett's but as for mine, it was delicious. The sauce was not too garlicy at all and the grilled veggies that were soaked in the sauce were fantastic. It wasn't an overwhelming amount of angel hair pasta either which was awesome, but there was still enough that I had a whole portion for lunch the next day.

After our delicious dinner we had to decide on dessert. We didn't really debate, because it was an easy decision. We chose to get the chocolate fondue or as I like to call it "fun"due. The things that were given to us to dip in the chocolate were pineapple, apples, pears, strawberries, bananas, and pound cake. This dessert was so good I could have literally drank the whole bowl of chocolate, but I didn't of course!

Overall, I would definitely return back to Grape Street Cafe. I guess on Mondays they have 50% off wine, so I would love to go back then. I know that Brett will reference the bill. The price we both thought was excellent. The waiter added in tip though, which Brett does not like. He is a very generous tipper, but when people add it in, they lose from him at least. He thinks it is the customers decision to decide how good you were as a waiter. Overall, I would definitely rate Grape Street 5 out of 5 and it is now in my top favorites. I CANNOT WAIT to go back there!




What Brett Says

So this we was cool; we got to go out on a Saturday night date...a first for us.  Not only was it a weekend date night but it was also a deal since I bought the Groupon.  This week Teray chose to go to "Grape Street Cafe," this is a wine restaurant at Lake Mead and Buffalo, we had gotten the suggestion from a handful of people, mix that with the fact I got a $54 prix fixe deal and we were ready to go.   Grape Street is an awesome date place.  They have an extensive menu, relaxing atmosphere, a huge wine selection, and some very attentive servers.  Yet another strip mall find the outside is another place you would walk by without thinking twice.  Once you walk in the door you get a whole different feel, the inside has a mix of trendy italian winery feel.  I'm not sure it that makes sense, it might make more if you go an see for yourself.  The walls are covered in bottles of wine, everyone eating there matches the feel, and it has some lighting conducive to trying to be romantic.  The only thing I mentioned to Teray is that I wish I could have been there when it was completely dark outside, just to see if the feel was different.  But I am now working a day shift so I go to bed early like an old man...another month or so and I will be blogging about the dinner we had at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. So now for the meat and potatoes part of the review...the food.  With the prix fixe option we were able to choose any appetizer, any two glasses of wine, pretty much any two entree's and any dessert.  Our combination came out to be $92, I think we figured you could end up with close to $150 for the $54 Groupon.  We ordered two glasses of their best Reisling, which was probably the best wine I have ever had.  For the appetizer we went with the special which was a mozzarella dish, I am not sure of what all it was but I was a fan of it.  For dinner we each went with a pasta; I chose a vodka penne with chicken...good but closer to average compared to everything else we had.  To finish it all off we chose the chocolate fondu for dessert.  Imagine a big hot bowl of chocolate that you can dip angel food cake, pears, apples, pineapple, strawberries, and bananas in...awesome.  I mean how can you go wrong eating with mini spears.  I can honestly say that the food didn't need to be changed, I say my entree was average but it was still good; vodka penne isn't something that you can be outstanding with, kinda a consistent staple pasta. To wrap things up I want to say that our service was one of the top things to remember.  The hostess was nice, our server was all about taking care of us.  He made sure we always had what we needed and always had a suggestion ready to go.  Even when we were sold on something he would come in and completely change our minds, mark of a true salesman.  He made our dinner better and kept us from playing it safe.  He was also helpful in making us realize that we could go all out considering we had already paid.  His tip was added to our bill based on the total cost before the Groupon was taken off.  I use to be a server so I understand playing it safe and getting that set tip.  Unfortunately for him my personal policy is that if you make the decision to tell me what I have to give you as a tip then thats what you get.  I was all about giving him more but he chose to go with 18%..Prob would have made another 10% if the decision was mine.  I think his name was Carl, not sure but if it is go with Carl. If you want a summary that isn't going to happen...just reread the review.  But I will tell you I am giving Grape Street Cafe a 4.5 out of 5.  I can't point to one specific thing as to why they lost 1/2 a point but I can't say it was perfect earning them 5.  But well worth going to, save this one for a date.  Guys...save this one for when you screw up and need to get back to her good side.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week


Of course, a big thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. I loved this dress. It is a strapless, sweetheart neck style with built in bones which helps it stay up. The skirt is a satin like flowered material, which has lining underneath to give it that extra poof. 

Oh, so check out those booties I have on! They grey suede open toed with a zipper in the back. They are perfect for fall and winter. I love booties, especially wedges, because they are so comfortable! 


If you haven't already, check out Patty's Closet online at www.ilovepattyscloset.com and like them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV
They are opening a new store over Labor Day week-end!! I cannot wait! Check their page for details!


Until next time, cheers to fun, food, and all things fabulous!

Week 11 Landry's Seafood

Hi Everyone! Welcome back and thanks for checking out our latest review. This week we were supposed to do our date night at Grape Street Cafe because we got an awesome Groupon (which was my pick). When going to print out the Groupon, we realized it couldn't be used on Mondays, so we will be going there Saturday. Due to the fact that I don't like to think of where to go right on the spot as your have learned in one of our previous blog posts, Brett took it upon himself to choose and my pick would be this week-end. Brett chose Landry's Seafood. I thought it was kind of funny that my outfit of the week for this week provided by Patty's Closet was sailor inspired and I was going to a seafood place, but I decided it was meant to be a theme. :)


Also, we have some very exciting news to share about this blog within the coming weeks. If you haven't already like our Facebook page for all the latest updates!
http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says:

Whenever we go to a place I always look at the menu online first. I like to know going into the experience what my choices are, that way I don't waste time deciding. I read that they had a pretty awesome Happy Hour, but you would have to sit in the bar, which was fine with us! We started off with mango mojitos which are there signature drink. They were only $5 a piece and huge (this girl was feeling a buzz after finishing it). While deciding if we would order real food, or happy hour food (which you can do both at the bar) Brett and I decided to get southern fried pickles (which are my favorite) and shrimp quesadillas, which were only $3 and $4. The portions were pretty good for happy hour size. You got about 30 fried pickles (which were amazing by the way) and 3 shrimp quesadillas. The shrimp was so fresh and they were not loaded with too many ingredients, so you really could taste the shrimp. 

After debating if we would order real food off the dinner menu, we decided we would just order appetizers off the happy hour menu because so many things looked good. We then decided to order fish tacos $5, stuffed shrimp enbrochette $5, and crab, spinach, and artichoke dip $5. The fish tacos were probably some of the best I ever had. I ended up eating mine (you get 2) the next day because I was way too full to even attempt to try it there. I always thought that Del Taco would hold the place in my heart for fish tacos, but Landry's has topped it. The avocado salsa within the tacos is what made them so delicious. The stuffed shrimp enbrochette (3 large shrimp wrapped in bacon with seafood stuffing, Jack cheese and jalapenos, served with Mornay sauce) was excellent, but very rich. I couldn't imagine eating more than one. I never thought of mixing shrimp with bacon, but it was actually like I said very good, but very rich. Lastly, the crab, spinach, and artichoke dip is also something that I ended up eating some at home the next day, because I was too full. It was delicious though and you could really taste the crab. Spinach and artichoke dip is my favorite appetizer, so by added the crab, I knew I would love it even more. 

Fish tacos and shrimp enbrochette

Crab, Spinach and Artichoke dip

In between our food Brett ordered another mojito and I had a glass of Riesling (my favorite wine). I was really pleased that we decided to go with appetizers, because they were all very filling and there would have been no way that I would have been able to finish a real meal off the dinner menu. The staff was very friendly and we got to know them by first name. Everything came out in a timely fashion and we were always taken care of, but not in an annoying way. The bar was definitely somewhere were you could go with coworkers after work for happy hour, which was what many people in the place were doing. Overall, I would love to go back to Landry's to try something off the dinner menu. I rate Landry's 5 out of 5 based on happy hour ratings. 


What Brett Says
This we had another detour to deal with.  We originally planned on going to Grape Street Cafe, we had a Groupon all lined up...that is until we printed it out and saw that we couldn't use it on a Monday.  So I took another turn and chose, Grape Street will be the next review.  I chose Landry's Seafood restaurant, I have never heard anything about it but on my job one of our posts is Sahara/Rancho...so I park and stare at this place at least once a shift.  I figured it was time to go in and check it out.  Teray did a little research and found out that everyday from 3pm-7pm the bar area has happy hour drinks and appetizers.  I was sold.

My review is completely from the happy hour and bar experience, I cannot speak to the dining experience or entrees...I will say the dining room looked impressive and all tables were dressing in white linen.  After a long day in class I figured it would only be right to start with a drink...house specialty is the Mango Mojito, it was good (good enough to make me order more).  We decided to sit at the actual  bar, which worked out well because of Candece (bartender) and Tony (manager).  They were both friendly and talked just enough to keep the energy up.  Aside from their personality their service was awesome; food came fast, drinks poured quick, and water refilled without requesting.  Teray and I started with an order of fried pickles and a shrimp quesadilla.  Both were good but neither was anything worth going out of your way to get.  We then decided to just make this an appetizer experience, how could you go wrong with a large selection all for $5 or less.  So we ordered some more drinks, fish tacos, crab/shrimp/artichoke dip, and stuffed shrimp enbrochette.  Now this round of apps were worth stopping in for.  The tacos were amazing and large enough to fill you up.  The dip was thick and chunky with plenty of chips.  The enbrochette was the best part of the meal; I can't really tell you what it was exactly, I can tell you that shrimp was involved as well as bacon.  Beyond that just that it was amazing.

Here is a link to the happy hour menu:

http://www.landrysseafood.com/pdf/happyhour/vega.pdf

Like I said everything was under $5...drinks and apps.  I think for 3 mojitos, 1 glass of wine and the 5 apps our bill was only $44.

I know this weeks review is shorter than usual and probably lacks all the humor you all read for but it is tough to write too much about a happy hour.  We were there for about an hour and I was happy so it was a success.  The only downside is that we got such fast service and filled up pretty quick that we didn't get to spend more time hanging out together...we could have but that would have required more drinks which would have made the 10 mile drive home more difficult.  This week I am not going to give Landry's an actual number rating, without actually sitting down to eat a meal I don't think it would be a true representation of them.  I will instead say this: the mango mojitos are good, not too small and only $5.  The apps ranged from good to amazing, nothing was out of this world good but for a $5 or less menu they exceed the quality expected for the price.  The bar was comfortable, busy and fun.  The service was amazing, friendly and conducive to making happy hour a good time.  I would go back for happy hour any time, I feel it would meet the needs of any group (except those allergic to shell fish) looking to kick back a few drinks and maybe snack a little.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Of course thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for provided me with this adorable dress this week. I fit right in with the nautical vibe. I got some comments on Facebook that you guys wanted to get this dress; I couldn't agree more. It accents your shape in all the right areas because the white straps and gold buttons fall right on the indent of your waist. This dress is form fitting though, so if that is not for you, buy it a size bigger than your normally wear. :) This dress is available at the Rainbow/Windmill Patty's Closet. 

If you haven't yet check out Patty's Closet's website: www.ilovepattyscloset.com or like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

They are opening up two new stores soon! One in Summerlin over Labor Day week-end and other soon in the northwest. To see exact locations check out their Facebook page. 


Saturday we will be checking out Grape Street Cafe so stay tuned for that review. Until next time, cheers to making the most of what is left of the summer!

We made it to 100 Facebook likes!!!

Hi Friends! I am so excited that we made it to 100 Facebook likes today! If you haven't already, please click the link below and like us on Facebook. :) Enjoy the rest of your week. Join us Monday when Brett and I hit up our next stop. -Teray http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

Week 10 Detroit Motorcity Coney Island

Hi Everyone! Again thanks to our new Facebook page followers for the blog. The Facebook page is turning out to be a great success. I am happy people are finding it easier to find the blog. We are getting 100's and 100's of page views a week, so thank you times a million. If you are not a fan of our page yet, if you could go to the link below and "like" it at the top, we would really appreciate it!

http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says:

This week was Brett's turn to choose and he selected Detroit Motorcity Coney Island on Water Street in Henderson. As a lot of you probably know, Brett is from the Detroit area and he is a huge fan of these hot dogs. The way he talked about it made me really want to try. I love what I like to call it "carnival food" so I was very ecstatic about his choice.

Detroit Motorcity is a small place that is loaded with Detroit decor. There are sports jerseys, banners, license plates, etc. all having to do with Michigan. Detroit Motorcity was a "Best of Las Vegas" winner so I could see why it was crowded while we were there. The coolest thing I thought about the place was that you could write on the walls!! How fun is that?!

We wrote "The Draguns" on the wall with our hometown area codes and our present one "702."

We ordered the following items: three Coney dogs (which consists of a hot dog with chili and onions on it), two bags of Better Made chips (Brett got original, I got salt and vinegar), an order of chili cheese fries, and two Faygo brand sodas (I got diet red pop and he got rock & rye). While waiting for our hot dogs, we ate our chips. I think I scarfed mine down so fast that I hardly remember eating them. Brett says they are the best chips he has ever had; for east coast people they kind of remind me of Wise brand chips. 

Next our Coney dogs came out. I have never had a hot dog on with anything on it besides the normal condiments, so I was kind of afraid it was going to be really messy. I am not a fan of messy food. The chili actually stayed on the coney dog with each bite. It was not spicy and not too thick. It was so delicious that if I was someone who didn't care about what I ate, I would have ate another, but it is bikini season still. :)

Lastly, we got our chili cheese fries. Brett poured them out onto a bigger plate and I ate mine with a fork. They were so good, but again not too messy. The chili may have been some of the best that I have had. I guess the chili from what the girl at the counter said comes from National which is in Michigan. Looks like I won't be buying it at Smith's here in Vegas. LOL.

Overall, I really enjoyed our experience at Detroit Motorcity. I would go back again, but I wish it was just a little bit closer. Brett had to buy a case of Faygo soda for home and get this ginger ale which is Verner's to go. We got all of our food for a little over $20, so it is definitely a place you could go with your family. 

I would give Detroit Motorcity Coney Island the rating of 4.5 out of 5 based on rating a "fast food" type place. I took away half a point just because the service was a little bit long, but I think that is due to the fact that there was only one person working. With how many people waiting there definitely could have been more! :)

What Brett Says:

HEAVEN...thats my review.  Seriously though, this week I chose for us to go to "Detroit Motor City Coney Island."  This place is authentic...Faygo, Verner's, Better Made chips, National chili.  For those of you not from Detroit those are all things from Detroit.  Faygo is a type of pop, no not soda...pop, there are random flavors you have never heard of and some you have had before but better because it is Faygo.  Verner's is a ginger ale with a kick.  Better Made are the greatest potatoe chips out there.  In the Detroit area we have tons of coney islands, but the big one is "National Coney Island," National is the go to place for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and that much needed post-bar meal.  Generally you get a coney dog (hot dog, chili, onions, mustard, and sometimes cheese), loose burger, chili fries, and/or onion rings.  Eggs may be substituted for breakfast, this is not mandatory though.  So "Detroit Motor City Coney Island" is the place in Vegas (Henderson actually) that attempts to be everything Michiganders miss and love.  Allow me as an official Michigander tell you how this place did.

The place is small but the scenery hits you hard.  There is Detroit and Michigan paraphernalia everywhere; jerseys, flags, photos, license plates, and even walls covered in marker from people tagging.  It kinda brought me back home, I'm not one to get sentimental and I don't really miss Michigan, but I did while I was there.  I think it was more about the midwest atmosphere and the food/beverage I usually don't get out here.  I felt like I was in a little Mom and Pop food stand in the rougher parts of the Detroit area ie Hamtramck, Hazel Park, Harper Wood.  The best part of the scenery was the fridge filled with cases of Faygo Pop.  As for the service, the girl working was nice but she was the only one working on a Saturday afternoon.  Ideally we would have gotten our order sooner then we did, but there was no way I was doing or saying anything till after I had the hole in my stomach filled.

So the food...authentic.  The coney dogs were spot on to Detroit coney dogs.  I easily could have eaten more, but I wan't to leave with a little void so I would have a reason to go back.  While we were waiting for our dogs we started with a couple bags of Better Made chips.  There really isn't anything crazy good about these but they are good.  Honestly I think it is the fact that they have a little but of a burnt taste that does it for me.  We also had an order of chili fries...never a bad idea.  They were good as well.  The absolute best part of the meal for me was the Faygo and the Verner's.  If I have ever had a conversation with you that lasted more then 10 minutes I have probably brought Faygo up to you, well here is your chance to go and try some for yourself.  I recommend "Rock and Rye," "Redpop," or "Cream Soda."  But they are all amazing.  I did also bring a 12pack home for special occasions.  Next time you come over you will know how much I like you based on me offering you some Faygo...sorry if you are not one of the chosen ones.

Overall I have to say this place is amazing.  While you may not appreciate it as much as I did I am sure you will still enjoy a great cheap meal.  I can attest that this is authentic Detroit flavor and with the construction currently happening in front of the building it makes it even more authentic.  I urge you to go and try the 4 items listed above...go crazy, drink some pop, and whatever you do do not count calories.  Make sure to check the hours before you go though, they close early and are closed on Sunday's.  If you have kids this is a great place to go during the day to get out and have some fun.  

Detroit Motorcity Coney Island rating: 4.75 out of 5...points were lost due to lack of staff and lack of Bell's Oberon beer (the only thing Michigan it was missing)

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week:

Again, thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's closet for providing me with this adorable leopard shirt this week. I love that it is a crop top that can be dressed up or down and the fact that it is animal print makes it so much better. I knew that we were going to a causal place so Jose helped me pick this casual shirt and I paired it with a pair of my own denim shorts. 

If you are not a fan of Patty's Closet, check out their website at: www.ilovepattyscloset.com

and like their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Due to the fact that I leave for NJ on Wednesday, Brett and I will be hitting up our next stop on Monday the 15th- so stay tuned. Until next week, cheers to fun, food, and hometown connections. 

Week 9 Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant-Las Vegas

Hi Everyone! Thank for all the new followers for our Facebook page. The blog is really getting a lot of hits and many Vegas outlets are starting to retweet it, which is very exciting to us. If you haven't already liked our Facebook page, it would be awesome if you could!


http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

This week Brett and I did our date night earlier in the week because his work schedule has changed. Yes, we will for the first time in our almost 4 year relationship be able to hang out on Friday and Saturday nights so our dates for the blog will change. :) We still will be posting each week of course, but now that we have two nights free, we will have more options as to where to go. We double-dated this week with one of my favorite fellow newlywed couples ever, Melaina and Nick Maloney. We all bought a Groupon a few weeks ago to Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant, and I am so glad we did. This place was AMAZING (you will read about it below). Marrakech is in the same plaza as our all time favorite restaurant Firefly (the Paradise one). Brett and I have been there so many times that I am surprised we never had noticed it, but I am sure most of you guys now know where it is, so you need to visit it ASAP. 

You will notice it says Belly Dancing in the right hand corner, yes there is a lot of Belly Dancing here :)

What Teray Says...

The specialty at Marrakech is that they serve a six course meal. For someone like me who loves food, I was ecstatic. Word to the wise: come hungry to this place! Due to the fact that there were 4 of us, we all shared all of the courses. I am curious if it were two people or one person how big the portions would be because for the four of us, they were huge! Before you even begin to look at the menu, someone from the wait staff comes around with a tin like container and a tea pot of water and towels. They rinse your hands right there because you are eating the whole time with your hands. Being a clean freak, I was extremely pleased with this. 

This is the menu (some of the pictures are hard to see due to the dim and dark lighting)

Melaina and I decided to order these mango martinis to drink. They were so good; not too sweet and not strong at all. You could not taste the alcohol really at all. The boys ordered more guy type drinks, but I don't remember what they were. I was just so pleased with mine. 

Mango Martini

The first course that we got was shrimp scampi. It was served with a pretty decent amount of fresh bread. The shrimp was lemony and the sauce was very light which made it very easy to eat. 

Shrimp Scampi

The next course was soup. It had little beans and veggies. You had to drink it right out of the bowl, which was different to get used to, but actually for me a lot neater than eating it with a spoon. 

The next course was a mixture of different things that we dipped our bread into: hummus, eggplant, beets, cucumber, carrots, etc. The hummus was some of the best that I have ever had and the egg plant was even better. I would love to have that platter in my daily meals each day. 

That eggplant on the right makes my mouth water!

In the midst of all of these courses a belly dancer came out. She was fantastic and beautiful at the same time. I wanted her bedazzled costume. I was wearing this earrings that jingled from Patty's Closet and I would jingle them to the beat of the belly dancer. Everyone that knows me already can probably picture this. The next course was these beef skewers that you took the skewer and put it into a pineapple. I didn't really understand why you put the skewer into the pineapple, but it did make for some nice table decor. The steak was tender and lightly seasoned. It melted in my mouth. 

Steak skewers

You can see the reflection of the lighting in this picture. The atmosphere here is very dimly lit and dark. The light is actually very flattering and has a romantic vibe. It is perfect for a date!

Yes, there is more. Our next course was a couscous chicken. This is supposed to be the "main course." It is was a mixture of chicken and veggies. Again, the portions were huge!!! By this time I was extremely full, but in a good way. 

chicken couscous 

The last course was dessert (my favorite part), I am thinking that Brett will say that it is his favorite too because I normally cannot finish my dessert. The dessert was a traditional Moroccan dessert called B'Stilla. From what I remember there was chocolate and bananas but by this time I was eating it so fast because it was so good, that my memory could not be accurate. It was served with some hot mint tea, which was actually the best tea that I have ever had (Sorry Coffee Bean and Starbucks). 

B'Stilla

Overall, I have to say that I felt as if I were on vacation in this restaurant. The atmosphere Melaina and I joked that we thought we were in the Real Housewives of New York City Moroccan episode. The decor, the belly dancing, the food, everything was perfect! It is such a fabulous place to go on a date, and even better when you are with another fun couple. I was like a kid seeing everything the first time with wide eyes every time something happened in this place. Even the bathroom was awesome and beautifully decorated. I without a doubt give Marrakech 5 out of 5. 

What Brett Says...

So this week we decided to mix it up.  We went with a place that we had a Groupon for, we went on a Thursday, and for the first time we went as a double date (Teray and I were one couple, she wanted to bring another guy but I said no).  We ended up going to a Moroccan restaurant..."Marrakech."  I have never seen nor heard of this place, even though it is a stones throw from my favorite restaurant in the city...cough, Firefly, cough.  Surprisingly "Marrakech" is in a strip mall, when does that happen in Las Vegas.  Please refer to past blog posts to see that almost every place we go to is in a strip mall.  Unlike most of the other places  "Marrakech" transforms you into a foreign place the minute you walk into the establishment.

When you walk in you can't help but get hit with the music and feel as though you are in the genie bottle from the 1960's sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie."  This place was legit as far as atmosphere goes, once the curtain closes behind you you can't see Vegas or hear Vegas.  There are no tables in the traditional sense, everything is very low, the easiest way to explain it is everything is small ottomans (seats) and coffee tables (dining table).  There are curtains hanging everywhere, posters, and pictures.  They also had a belly dancer, I am mixed on the belly dancer though.  When I could I grabbed a view here and there, she was attractive and I have to maintain my man card (Do me a favor though, if Teray asks...I never looked).  On the flipside, I was seated with my back to the center of the room and I always felt like she was right behind me.  I heard her hand cymbals like they were a couple inches away and I felt the breeze from here moving.  I kept turning to see if she was about to dance into me, she was always further than I thought at the time.  I only have two actual complaints about the atmosphere: the music seemed louder then it needed to be and with the low seating I became sore.  I don't know if it is the fact that I am getting old, the fact that I am a bigger guy, or the fact that I was constantly leaning.  I think it would have been better had I had a backing to lean back on.  But these are mute points because everything else makes up for it.

Food...afterall that's why we actually go to a restaurant.  Well, Marrakech does this well.  We were informed that we would be having a 6 course family style hands on meal.  I'm not sure if this is your only option but we went with it.  Everything but the dessert was to be eaten with your hands, so if you go with other people choose people who you believe to be clean.  Melaina and Nick met this requirement luckily.  But we all know someone you prob wouldn't invite because they are questionable.  I will let you refer to Teray's review to see the actual food items, my memory isn't that good and I really don't feel like typing all of it when I know it is 6 inches up from here.  I will say that everything we ate was good.  Everything we ate was served in an interesting way.  There was enough food that hoarding and rushing wasn't needed.  There was also none of that weird moment when there is one more piece and everyone offers it to each other then just stare at it, followed by the larger guy eating it (yes it is usually me).  Six courses was plenty of food and as I said before, the food was good.  We all had our drinks...average Vegas prices.  If I remember correctly the total price for four people with the Groupon was around $140 with tip.  This leads me to believe that the price was prob around $200 without the Groupon.  

Overall I will say this is a place I would recommend.  I think it definitely needs to be a double/group date, I only say this because it is too loud for much one on one conversation.  It was nice to mix it up and talk among a group.  I will also say I understand that compared to the other restaurants we have been to this is about 3x as costly, it is a place for a nicer occasion...not just your weekly date night.  I will say that for the price you get the right amount of food, but drinks will raise the bill quickly.  I would go back, another Groupon would be nice, and I think the next time a little bit larger group would be cool.  I think next time I would also try and smoke the hookah, it's been a while.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5.2  

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

I loved, loved, loved my outfit of the week this week. Thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with this gorgeous, fun dress. Shout out to Shardea from Patty's Closet for helping me pick out an outfit with a Moroccan feel; just like everyone at Patty's she is amazing at what she does.I would have never thought to put the bright orange belt and earrings with this dress but it was perfection. I cannot wait to wear this outfit again!  For people who have not been into Patty's Closet, first of all, you need to go there now, second of all, each person that works there has a gift of putting clothes together. Patty, Juan, Jose, and everyone else have put so many great ideas together for me and all my friends always say the same thing too; they are friggin awesome! 

This whole outfit: dress, belt, and earrings are all from the Patty's Closet on  Rainbow/Windmill

These are the earrings I was clanking to the belly dancing beat. hahaha. 

If you haven't already check out Patty's Closet website: http://ilovepattyscloset.com/ 

and like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Until next week, cheers to great friends and real love.