Week 27 Coconuts

Hola friends! Welcome back; thanks again for checking out our latest review. We still find it so awesome that you guys Tweet us, Facebook us, and email us of suggestions where to go, so please keep your ideas and comments coming. If you haven't already take a minute and like our Facebook page. We check it daily! http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...
This week we had the pleasure of going to Coconuts Beach Bar and Mexican Grill. It is a new restaurant that opened in Town Square where Lolita's used to be. Brett found a Groupon about a week and a half ago, which consisted of two specialty drinks, one appetizer, two meals, and one dessert for $35. Talk about a steal!


When  you walk into Coconuts you know off the bat it is going to be a fun place. It is decorated in a beachy theme, and is actually a really big place. I didn't realize how big this place actually was. There are high rise tables by the bar, a dance floor in the middle, and then booths which are set up around the dance floor, like you are VIP style. There is also another area of tables and booths farther back. There is also a big bus in the middle which is the dj station, and beer pong on college nights in the back. It is just a fun vibe all around.

We were greeted and seated right away by the friendly staff. We started off with some drinks, there are so many choices. I feel like I may go there one day and just try about 3 or 4 of them and need a cab ride home, but this was not my goal for the evening. ;) Brett decided to order a coconut mojito and I ordered a bloody maria (which we all know bloody mary is my favorite- this is just the same with tequila, so it is actually wayyy better). My mouth is actually watering for it as I type this. I took one sip of Brett's and it was delightful; if I wasn't afraid of mixing sweet and spicy, I would have had that too, but we will be back again soon, so I can order it then.

coconut mojito and bloody maria

The service here is spot on. Our waitress was extremely on top of everything and we never felt like we were waiting or wondering where she was. (If you read our reviews weekly, you know that good service is not something we get a lot of). For our appetizer we decided to order guacamole. The chips were the best chips I have ever had, that we even refilled our bowl and ate more. The guacamole is very fresh and it comes with three types of salsa; I wanted to eat more, but I didn't want to be too full for my meal. Again, best guacamole hands down that I have ever had. 

For our meal I ordered the shrimp fajitas and Brett ordered marinated skirt steak. I can speak for my fajitas and just say, "wow." It came with nice big pieces of shrimp, which I gave Brett some, rice, beans, 3 wraps, and grilled veggies. The cool thing is that you get to pick your sides, so I picked spanish rice and pinto beans. I wanted to stay with the theme. I was able to eat two fajitas and then got full, so like every week, I took the rest home and Brett ate it for lunch the next day. Brett will talk more about his skirt steak, but I took a bite and it was so tender. Pretty awesome if you ask me. 

shrimp fajitas

skirt steak

Next, we got to choose a dessert. We went with our waitress's suggestion of the coconut cheese cake. Well, while in the mix of things, we were told that we got a free dessert because I had tweeted Coconuts earlier in the day! How awesome is that?! For our second dessert we picked the fire and ice which is Habanero caramel served over vanilla ice cream. We chose this because the waitress said that no one has ever ordered it. Brett said that she had to try it at the table. LOL. Well, because I am blonde, and sheltered, and live under a rock, and many other reasons... I did not know what habanero was. I thought it was just some fancy spanish word for caramel. Little did I know it is a spicy pepper! The first bite kind of tingles your whole mouth, but second bite it, it is awesomely delicious. Both dessert were fantastic. 

coconut cheesecake

fire and ice

Overall, my experience at Coconuts was fabulous, not only was the food some of the best Mexican food I have had in Vegas, the drinks were a-mazing, and the atmosphere was fun! The service was like a said before top notch. You know the service is good at a place when you have servers from other tables checking on your table. Everyone was very pleasant and so friendly. I am definitely planning our next adventure back and rate Coconuts 5 out of 5. You must go there!!!! Plus if you tweet them and like them on Facebook- they have specials: http://www.facebook.com/coconutsbeachbarmexicangrill

What Brett Says...


This week we went where Groupon took us again, "Coconuts" is in Town Square on the second floor across from Rave.  A couple weeks ago Groupon had a deal; $35 for an appetizer, 2 specialty drinks, 2 entrees, and a dessert.  Even if the food was terrible it still would have been a good deal.  Lucky for us things worked out better.

We figured we should get to Coconuts soon considering it is in a spot that seems to be a business killer.  I think they are the third or fourth business in that spot in less then four years.  Teray had heard about them and was excited to go, I on the other hand am so far out of the loop since I left the industry that I didn't even know it was there as I was walking through the door.  But that's no surprise since Teray knows about everything before it becomes something.  The inside is kinda what you would expect from the frat house in the movie Animal House if they had gone to school in California...allow me to expand.  There is a VW bus as a DJ booth, tons of colors everywhere, a dance floor, alcohol, and girls in bikinis.  Ladies, I know you are thinking how degrading it must be to work where bikinis are the uniform let alone eat there, well they class it up a bit with white tank tops and jean shorts.  For the guys, don't worry the tank tops are tiny and low cut and the jean shorts are tiny and high cut.  But I was with my beautiful wife so I didn't notice any of that, I actually heard about it from a guy who notices that kind of stuff.  Aside from the waitress' the place is pretty cool, you definitely get the whole beach vibe.  They have video streaming from past nights and from what I could tell they have a pretty lively nightlife.  The manager was telling us that they do college night and work with a couple fraternities.  Considering Cadillac Ranch is no longer I think they are getting some business from them, except it is college kids instead of well you know...trash.  Not to mention every once in a while we need to act like we are in college for a night so we can regret it for three days.  

The service was good, December has already brought us luck in this department.  They weren't that busy so I can't speak to what it would be like at other times.  We were greeted at the door by multiple employees and sat immediately.  Our waitress was friendly, and they do that whole "Joe's Crabshack" thing where they grab a chair and sit with you when they take your order.  She was on top of things, which we haven't had lately.  Everything we ordered came out quick, she had suggestions when we needed them, and we didn't have to ask to order.  One thing that really stood out when we were there was that other waitress' took care of us too; if someone saw that we had empty plates or needed refills it just happened, we didn't have to wait till our waitress came by.  We had a manager and who I think was the owner come by, it was nice being acknowledged and thanked for coming in.  They weren't that busy and they are new, that is exactly what should be happening with management.  From my personal experience working everywhere I have customers seem to do better and come out happier when someone stops by and thanks them for coming in that isn't getting the tip.  We also ordered a dessert that our waitress said she had never had, we told her she would have to try it if we ordered...she did.  Everyone we encountered was fun and laid back, they (the staff and restaurant) aren't trying to be what they aren't.  How many times have you been somewhere that reminds you of a guy wearing a tux at a BBQ?  They know what they are shooting for, stick to it, and accomplish it.

Of course I have to touch on the food, beings it is a restaurant review and all.  Like I said earlier we went with the prix fixe Groupon, so we got a ton of food and it was cheap.  Looking at the menu it didn't look like it would be all that much without a Groupon...we plan on going back without the Groupon.  We ordered the guacamole as an appetizer; you get a basket of tortilla chips, 3 salsas, and a huge bowl of guac.  We had so much guac that we had to order a second basket of chips.  We also got to order some specialty drinks, I went with a coconut mojito and Teray went with a bloody mary margarita (Bloody Maria).  Both drinks were good, mine specifically was amazing, it was the kind of drink you want to wake up to and keep drinking all day.  Who knows I may just do it someday, just hope you aren't the one I call to come drive me home.  For our entrees I ordered the skirt steak and Teray ordered shrimp fajitas.  Since I ate all of mine and half of hers I can attest to both that they were also amazing.  You get a huge plate of food; they don't skimp on anything...you get meat (whatever you choose), two sides, and tortillas.  If you are someone that doesn't go for overindulgence there is easily enough for a meal and a take home snack.  We also got a dessert as part of our deal, we went with coconut cheesecake.  Yeah you guessed it...amazing.  It was more like a coconut cheesecake mousse, Teray even asked if she could have a big one for her birthday cake.  Then the manager surprised us and said that since Teray tweeted about them (still no way I will ever have a Twitter) we got a free dessert.  So for dessert #2 we went with Habenero caramel ice cream, this was the one we made our waitress try.  It is definitely something you have to take more then one bite of, the first bite hits you and by the third you are wanting more.  I'm not a fan of spicy but for some reason this works.  It isn't something I would get everytime but for a first time or just to give it a shot you won't be disappointed. 

So to sum things up...it was amazing, we will go back, and it kinda makes me miss my frat boy days.  

5 out 5

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Hi fashion lovers! I hope your are all enjoying the transition into winter clothes and Christmas shopping away (especially at one of the 6 Patty's Closet stores here in Vegas). Anyway, of course thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. When I was searching for what to find, I wanted some color, because in the winter I tend to stick to the blacks, browns, and greys. The blue was a perfect way to change it up. Patty also helped me pick out the fabulous accessories to this outfit (the necklace and legging tights). She has the perfect eye to make any outfit complete!

This outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique is one of my favorite looks, the mini dress. I love a mini dress because in the summer you can wear it with bare legs and in the fall you can make it so cool with leggings or tights. Never too much exposed :) The blue is such a rich color and the sleeves flare out at the end. The tights are a thick material that are like leggings and are footless. The neckalce is a gun metal and silver statement piece. This whole look is available at the Rainbow location. Love it!

Like I mentioned above, you need to check out the Patty's Closet nearest you! You can find all of the locations listed on their website (all 6 of them!) at ilovepattyscloset.com

Also, if you like their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV you can check out their shipments every Tuesdays and Fridays. Every store has different stuff so it is worth hitting up different ones! With Xmas and my birthday coming up, I think I have hinted to everyone that Patty's Closet gift cards are the perfect gift for me! They are for your friends too!!


Until next time, hope everyone is having a great December! Cheers to holidays, family, the Christmas countdown, and cheer all around!

Week 26 Republic Kitchen and Bar

Hi Guys, can't believe we are on week 26! I have to say this blog has really become a conversation staple for us. People always talk about our reviews and I love the fact that you guys, the readers are going to places we recommend and recommending your favorites to us! We love the feedback so keep it coming! If you haven't already take a minute and like our Facebook page and leave feedback and suggestions there! http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants


What Teray Says...


This week our favorite just engaged couple Trevor and Chelsie invited us on a double date to go to Republic Kitchen and Bar. I had heard of it, because Holly Madison just frequented there last week and I guess other famous people have been there recently too. People that know me know I love celebrity hot spots, so I felt cool going in!


Republic Kitchen and Bar is located on Eastern and 215. The decor of Republic and the vibe is one of my favorite types of places to go to eat. With the colors and decors of reds, blacks, rich woods, tans, and such, it is like you are in a hip, swanky place. There are high top tables and regular tables. We sat a hightop table by the bar.


We started off by ordering some drinks. I ordered a Republic Dill martini which was (Stoli Vodka with muddled cucumber, dill, fresh squeezed lime and agave nectar). The first sip I was I think just taken back by the dill taste, but after the first sip, I really enjoyed this drink and finished it to the last drop of course. It was very strong though, so my second drink was just my typical "skinny bitch" (diet coke and vodka). Brett ordered some beer that had black and normal beer. I don't know what it is called. He will know. I just know the basic beers. :)

On to the appetizers, Trevor and Chelsie have been to Republic before so they recommended some things to us. We ordered pigs in a blanket and mac and cheese. Let me tell you, I love foods like pigs in a blanket but I rarely eat them because of the guilt, so this was a treat to me. You got 8 pigs in a blanket and the mac and cheese was a nice size. The cheese was perfectly baked and beyond fantastic (I am a huge cheese lover).  Both were so amazing. I was drooling, probably literally. 

Brett and I also ordered a Cesar salad and split it. If you are ordering a salad from here, splitting it still gives you plenty to eat. 

Now on to the food. This place has a lot of great choices, and something for everyone. There is everything on the menu from pasta, to burgers, to fish, to tv dinners. Definitely check out their extensive menu; I was very impressed. http://www.republickitchenandbar.com/menu.html
They even have an HCG menu, which I have never seen a restaurant have that for those on that diet. Being in the bad eating mood I was in, I ordered the fried chicken which came with mashed potatoes and biscuits. Oh.my.god. this fried chicken was sooooo delicious. The skin was just the right amount of crispiness and seasoning. The chicken was tender and not full of major bones. The mashed potatoes came with this fantastic gravy and the biscuits were like the ones you get at any fabulous fried chicken place. This meal was so great, that I purposely didn't finish so that I could eat some the next day for lunch. Typical Teray. 

On to Brett's meal, I only took a little taste of the meat, but man, was it great. He ordered the Republic Kobe Sloppy Joe – Ground Kobe beef, fried shoe string onions, and tender ripe tomatoes. I don't know if it was the fact that again it was another food that I don't allow myself to eat mixed with the Kobe beef, but the taste I had was so delicious. I'm sure Brett will expand on this. :)

All of us decided to not order dessert because we were very full. Now onto the service. Here's the thing, when I am out to dinner and not in a rush, I don't really mind that the service is slow. I like to enjoy my time, so it is not something that bothers me. I think Brett might say differently, but maybe not. The only thing that was kind of stinky was that they must have been understaffed that night because the bartender was also our waiter running back and forth between the bar and tables. Not to his fault, he had a lot of running around to do, so I think that is why it took so long to get everything, but I am not going to mark points down a lot for that because I liked the atmosphere and food so much. 


Overall, I really enjoyed Republic; I would love to go back there for their brunch on Sundays because it is all you can drink bloody mary's (my fave!). I rate Republic 4 out of 5. 

What Brett Says....

This week we met some friends for dinner at “Republic,” on Eastern south of the 215.  We went there because they had a comp from the manager for a free meal, the last time they were there the service was horrible and they screwed up the order.  Teray and I were excited to go so we could actually see how it was and if it was a one time thing or if in fact they are that bad.  We went on a Saturday night around 8pm…which is usually prime time for trendy new restaurants.

  Once you walk in it is pretty cool.  They have a dining room that flows into high tops around a cool looking bar.  If you look up there is a second floor, we didn’t make it up there but it seemed to be a lively atmosphere.  People were up there partying, playing pool, and who knows what else.  We sat at one of the high tops a couple feet from the bar, for some reason they had a pair of stanchions set up along one table.  Kinda like someone thought about roping off the bar from the dining room but gave up after six feet.  The bar itself had a good selection of liquors and 10-12 beers on tap, which is not the most common thing out here in Vegas. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have much good to say about the service…seems like the theme for November.  I will say that everyone we dealt with on staff was nice and friendly.  Since we were sitting in the bar area we had the bartender as our server.  The restaurant was at lets call it 30% capacity wise…if that.  We were greeted pretty quickly and the bartender gave off the impression that he was on top of his game.  When we were slow on choosing drinks he said he would start us with some waters and give us some more time, which is nice because he is doing something and we at least have something to drink.  Once we did finally order drinks it seemed like everything slowed down.  We had to prompt him to have us order our appetizers, again so we could get another round of drinks, and after being there for 45-50 minutes we asked if we could order our main course.  All said and done for 2 rounds of drinks, apps, and entrees we were there over two hours.  And it wasn’t like we set it up to be there that long or told him not to rush.  It legitimately took over two hours to get through the meal.  Luckily there were four of us so we were able to entertain ourselves.  At least the order was correct, which was apparently a big issue the last time our friends went there. 

Speaking of food.  I’m not sure how to classify Republic genre wise; if I had to I would go with “Gourmet bar food meats Mom’s home cooking.”  And I’m talking about your mom being Martha Stewart with some class.  We decided to order two appetizers for the table; a mac & cheese and pigs in a blanket.  They were both pretty much amazing.  Just imagine how Martha would make them…with class of course.  I would have been happy hoarding them and not letting the other three people at the table have any but I would have lost in the long run; considering it was my wife, one of my best friends, and his fiancé.  Next it was entrée time, after the appetizers I was excited.  I went with sloppy joes and Teray went with fried chicken.  I know at first that doesn’t sound that exciting, but remember our appetizers were mac and cheese and pigs in a blanket.  So how do you make our entrees special and different?  Well with fried chicken you just make them damn good, which the piece I tried was.  As for sloppy joes…you don’t use Manwich and you don’t just use the ground beef on sale. Instead you create an amazing sauce (to be honest it could have been Manwich) and you mix it with Kobe beef.  I saw it on the menu and I was sold; I’m a big fan of Kobe beef, I hadn’t had sloppy joes in a while, and everytime I hear sloppy joes I think of Billy Madison.  So they even provided humor, even if it was just for me and it was in my head.  The fries were good too.  This order of sloppy joes (just laughed again in my head) was by far the most amazing order of sloppy joes (and again) I have ever had.  I would drive the 30 minutes round trip just to get this to go.

CLIFF NOTES:

-We went out to eat with friends, at Republic

-Republic is @215 & Eastern

-It’s in a strip mall

-The place is two floors…upstairs sounded fun

-Service pretty much sucked even though they weren’t busy

-Bad service is the November theme

-The food was AMAZING, would only get it to go…never eat in

-I laugh in my head because sloppy joes reminds me of Billy Madison

Rating: No idea, the food was amazing, the physical restaurant seemed kinda cool, but the service was bad.  Come up with a number between 0-5 and go with it.  It was better then a zero and worse then a five, I just can’t figure out how to weigh it out.  Just know the food is worth it, maybe try getting it to go.

    

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Thanks to Patty and Juan of my favorite store ever (obviously) Patty's Closet for providing me with this outfit of the week. My outfit of the week is the perfect dress for fall. First of all it is a length in which you can wear it to work or for play. Second, of all the colors are fantastic for fall, and the belt comes with it!!!! It is a satin like material and it scoops in the back. This dress is available at the Rainbow location. The tights are also from the Rainbow location (vintage Patty's) and the boots are from the St. Rose Patty's. I cannot wait to wear this dress again!


If you haven't already like Patty's Closet's Facebook page. They post their new shipments every Tuesday and Friday! http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV Also check out their website: ilovepattyscloset.com for all store locations.

This week we are heading to eat on Thursday for the blog because I am getting oral surgery on Friday- boo to that. So stay tuned for our thoughts and my outfit of the week this week which I just picked up at the Rainbow location and it is fantastic!! Until next time; cheers to dreams coming true and the spirit of the holiday season :)

Week 25 3 Tomatoes and a Mozzarella

Hi readers :) I have to apologize because my iPhone broke before I got to send myself the pictures of our food. I thought that I had saved them somewhere in iCloud but I cannot find them anywhere, so this review is not going to include pictures because the pictures are not on my new phone. I am sure you all know what salad and pasta look like though, so you can imagine. 


If you haven't already please like our Facebook page. We have 140 followers right now; it would be awesome to get to 150. http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants


What Teray Says...


So this week we chose 3 Tomatoes and a Mozzarella because there was a fabulous deal on Groupon; $35 for a bottle of wine, 2 salads and 2 pasta dishes with 2 toppings. This review is going to be quick because it was an easy dinner. For the wine we chose a white chardonnay. I have to say, I had to drink a few sips before liking it because I have been on a red kick lately and wasn't used to the white. But as I said, it only took me a few glasses to like it ;) For the salad we both chose caesar. The caesar salad had to be one of the best I've had in a while. The dressing was fabulous, and there was just enough cheese and croutons.


For our pastas, we both chose whole wheat penne. For my toppings I chose pomodoro sauce (which is a red with garlic and basil), shrimp and artichoke hearts. Brett chose whole wheat penne with bolognese sauce (sausage in it) with anchovies and chicken. The waiter said this was the first time he had seen this combination. I tried it and and it was a little salty for my taste. My pasta on the other hand was fantastic. The sauce was nice and light and there was a lot of shrimp, of course, I could not finish it; so I had a great dinner the next night! :)


Overall, I really liked 3 Tomatoes, as I said, this was a really short review because it was a casual dinner. I would love to go back and try the pizza. I think this would also be a fun place to go with a group or for happy hour. The service was good for what it was, a casual meal. I rate 3 Tomatoes, 4  out of 5. 


What Brett Says...


This week we scored another Groupon deal.  Two salads, a bottle of wine, and two pasta dishes for $35...where?  "3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella" at Sunset and Rainbow.  Eating out week after week and get exhausting and kind of frustrating trying to figure out where.  Groupon and Living Social make things easier from time to time.  How can you beat a deal and a free idea.  3T&M (my own abbreviation) is right by our home and we constantly drive by it, for years, and this was our first time actually going.  We started the date out with some Twilight action...Go Team Jacob.

This restaurant experience was actually a pretty quick one, we went in for a late dinner.  Other then the bar area we were one of maybe three tables in the place.  We got sat immediately and were met by a server quickly.  The service was good, our server was friendly and definitely added to the experience.  Apparently after we left the "Karate Karaoke" guy was coming.  If I didn't have to wake up early the next morning we prob would have stayed to see what it was all about.  The server said you can earn a karaoke blackbelt by showing up time after time and singing songs, he said some people follow him all over town.  If you are confused think beer list challenge, if you are still confused try Googling it.  It seemed like a place to go just for drinks as well, the bar had a good vibe.  Maybe one night when I get off late I'll stop in a for a couple drinks.

Like I said we got a bottle of wine, some salads, and pasta.  To start we order a bottle of Chardonnay, it was that or a Cabernet.  Teray is slowly becoming a red wine fan...not so much for me.  I don't remember the brand but it was decent; I personally prefer a Reisling.  But the bottle was empty when we left so it served it's purpose.  We were then given the choice of a mixed green salad or a caesar salad, we both opted for caesar.  You won't think there would be much to comment about a salad but I personally thought it was an amazing salad.  The portion was pretty decent for a side salad.  It also was fresh and crisp, the croutons were good and the dressing seemed different in a good way.  Last we did our pasta course.  The thing that sets 3T&M apart is that they don't tell you what to get.  They have you choose your type of pasta (both style and grain), you then choose your sauce and finally toppings.  So essentially a build your own pasta, I am starting to think this build your own style restaurant is the way to go...customers can only blame themselves for bad food.  I was in the mood to go off the wall but I also wanted a good amount of protein.  I chose to go with whole wheat penne noodles, a bologneseTeray was not a fan.

I'm not sure what the normal 3T&M experience is like when they are busy and no deal is in place, but I doubt it would be any different.  They seemed to be on top of their game.  I would recommend 3T&M for intimate dates, first dates, fun dates, group get togethers, and bar time.  Next time I go back I will be watching some Karate Karaoke.  The food was amazing, the environment was good, and it just felt like it would be a good time no matter what.  Just glancing at prices real quick they also seem to be reasonably priced.  They say 60% of the time my review is dead on every time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week
Thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week and thanks to Jose for helping me pick it out. This dress is from the Rainbow store; and might be my favorite black dress I have ever worn.  It scoops in the neckline to give it that little extra detail and bottom ruffles out. It is fitted in the bust and the waist to give you that perfect hour glass figure. The grey stockings are actually knit thigh high stockings, which are also available at the Rainbow store. You can dress this dress up or down. For the movies I threw on a gray sweater (vintage Patty's :) ) and for dinner I wore it sleeveless without the sweater. It has a v-shape in the back, which my hair is covering. I love things that you can dress up or down and this black dress is the perfect piece for that!

If you haven't already check out Patty's Closet website at ilovepattyscloset.com
They also have great sales this week-end for black Friday so check out their Facebook page to see the new items at each of the 5 locations!!! http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Until next time, cheers for being thankful for all of our blessings!

Week 24 OPA!!

Hey Everyone! Can you believe we are on week 24 already?! This has been such an amazingly, fun experience for Brett and I. It actually makes the work week go by quicker for me at least because I know that I have something to look forward to every week-end. :) We love hearing your feedback and suggestions so keep them coming! It is hard to sometimes come up with different restaurants (especially for me) so I welcome suggestions with open arms. 

I love that we are getting more likes on our Facebook page. If you haven't liked it already please click the link and even  better share it with your friends! http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...

This week I took the suggestion of one of my favorite gals Alana Castillo, owner of Vanity Flair hair salon http://www.facebook.com/vanityflair She had told me about OPA a few times and when I went back to get my lash dip from Stacey at Vanity Flair last week, she suggested it to me again (more on the lash dip later). 

OPA is a Greek restaurant on Rainbow and Sahara. When I see Greek, it is definitely authentic Greek. Inside the decor reminded was very themed and the wait staff all were Greek. Brett and I started with ordering hummus, which is one of my favorite things ever. The hummus came with pita bread that was to die for. Back onto the hummus, this had to be the most fresh hummus I have ever eaten in my life. I told Brett that I actually wanted to sit there with a spoon and eat it like yogurt, but the party in front of us kept looking at me for some reason (probably because I was eating the hummus like I was going to the electric chair), so I felt stupid. LOL. If that table was empty, I would have soooo done it! 

We were then given a Greek salad, which again, was fabulous and everything was so fresh. The feta cheese was making my mouth water! 

For our entrees, I ordered the gyros plate which was slices of lamb and it came with veggies and oven roasted potatoes. First, let me tell you about the potatoes...these potatoes must be cooked in some type of juice of deliciousness because they were so flavorful that they were melting in my mouth! As for the lamb, veggies, and pita, the portion was huge!! So like I do every single week, I ate half and brought the second half home and ate it for lunch the next day. The lamb was tender and cut very thin, perfectly cooked!

Brett ordered the dolmades, which was grape leaves stuffed with meat, rice, and herbs. I only took one grape leaf, but holy crow, best I have ever had. I don't think I have ever had a warm grape leaf either only cold ones, so it was even better yet.

For dessert, we ordered two things; I made sure this week to save some room! We got the baklava, which I could have ate for days, it had the perfect mix of honey and nuts, and risogala which is the rice pudding. I think for my  birthday this year I might put a candle in some of their baklava. HAHA.

If you go to the website http://www.opalasvegas.com/index.html there is a 15% off coupon. With the coupon our meal didn't even come to 40 bucks. What a steal for all of this food. I would absolutely go to OPA again very soon and order all different things, in addition to the hummus ;) I would definitely give OPA a 4.5 out of 5. It is not the most fancy place, but it would be really fun to go with a group and it is definitely fun on a date!


What Brett says...


"OPA!"  I just want to start my review saying the one thing I completely expected to hear but never did.  The few times I have been to Greek restaurants in the past I always hear it getting called out.  This week Teray picked "Opa" @Sahara and Rainbow.  She was told we had to go by a handful of people, since we write the reviews for all of you we like to take your suggestions when we are given them...so feel free to let us know where we need to go.

From the outside you get the feeling that you are about to go into an old school mom and pop Greek place, the feeling continues as you walk in.  Personally, I like going into restaurants that look like they are old school.  I was told that the building it is in has had tons of restaurants go through it over the years, so maybe that's why it looks old school.  When we walked in we were immediately met by the host, they led us to our table.  As you walk to your table you notice how old school it is, I would put pretty much everything circa 1979.  Once again...this is not a bad thing.  We sat in a half circle booth with a view of the entire room, if there had been live music we would have had a clear view of the stage.  We also were sitting directly behind a family party of about 10 people, it reminded me of the holiday get togethers I had growing up in my grandma's basement.  You could tell they were all having a good time.

Time for the food talk.  I am generally expecting to see someone lighting a fire at a table while yelling "OPA."  Like I said, this did not happen.  We started with the hummus that they are apparently known for.  It comes with some amazing hot pita bread, the hummus itself was good.  Teray and I eat hummus weekly and this was some quality chick peas, we are just too lazy to heat up pita and make it legit.  I ordered the grape leaves entree and Teray order the gyro plate.  The meals came with a large Greek salad, tasted like a Greek salad.  Each meal came with potatoes and vegetables, they were actually hot and good.  I am really getting tired of cold vegetables at restaurants, they nailed this simple task.  As for the main course, both of ours was amazing.  I would order takeout from here anytime, the servings were generous and it all tasted homemade.  There was nothing that felt processed...I think the old Greek woman was in back doing it up right.  For dessert we went all out and ordered rice pudding and baklava...both worth ordering.  

I'll start by saying that everything we ordered (and got a ton) only came up to $37, I see why the family chose here to go.  As for cliff notes: old school feel, no one yelled "OPA," service had a Red Army feel, the food was plentiful and amazing.  Worth going to, worth getting take out from, just don't expect glitz and glamour.

3.5 out of 5

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

So before I talk about my outfit of the week, let me talk about something else fabulous....the newest Patty's Closet in Town Square. Saturday was the grand opening and the store is absolutely stunning! Everyone I know that went, including myself, bought some awesome clothes and accessories. I will definitely be frequenting that location very often. If you haven't gone yet, you must check it out. It is next to the Body Shop (which is next to Sanrio) across from Chico's. 

Okay, on to my outfit of the week. Of course thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. This top is available at the Blue Diamond location. I love that it can be worn out with jeans like I did or it is work appropriate as well with either dress paints or a pencil skirt. The sheer material is meant to wear a shirt underneath, and the opening in the back makes it way more chic than your typical button down shirt. The boots are from the St. Rose Patty's!

I went to the Rainbow location today and got my outfit of the week for this week-end. I love mixing dress up with fun, funky accessories to make an outfit my own, so I can't wait for you guys to see it!! :) Check out Patty's Closet online ilovepattyscloset.com and check out their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Okay, so I said that I would talk more about this lash dip as I did above. My girl http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacey-Kerby-Torres-Licensed-Esthetician/103874946333161 at Vanity Flair hooked me up with some lash dip last week. Lash Dip is a semi permanent mascara that stays on your lashes for about a month. Can I just say how awesome it is to wake up and look like you have make up on when you don't? Rolling out of bed, I looked wide awake. My lashes were perfectly dark and curled. 

See, no mascara needed! Lash dip stays on and you wake up looking like that!

Until next time, cheers to giving thanks and spending time with the ones you love. 

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!!!