Week 95 The Meatball Spot (Town Square Las Vegas)

Welcome back readers. We will have a few blogs coming out this week, so please stay tuned. We can't believe April is almost over, where is the time going? Remember, you can always follow us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants and we are also on the LV Informer, which an awesome Vegas online newspaper, so if you haven't already, definitely check it out, http://lasvegas.informermg.com/category/lv-local-interest/blog-connection/. 

What Teray Says...

So I used to go to Town Square, like every week-end to shop or go out to be exact. In 2013, I rarely frequent there unless it is to do my quick stops at MAC, Victoria's Secret or Patty's Closet of course. I noticed a few months ago that The Meatball Spot had opened and thought that it was an interesting concept. Once I saw that the NJ Housewives had visited there though I was sold. 

Brett and I did our typical date on Saturday night around 8:30-9:00. The place was crowded but not crowded to the point that we weren't seated right away. We were offered both inside and outside but with the wind that night chose outside. It took a little bit before our waiter greeted us. Being this was my first cheat meal of my Hot Pilates 30 Day Challenge (check my FB if you don't know what I am talking about, which is linked on the side under our favorite sites), I was sceptical what to order. 

Brett decided to get a beer but I stuck with water. There looked like there were a lot of great drinks on the menu, I just chose not to try them. For an appetizer we ordered classic meatballs in tomato sauce with no cheese. They came out rather quickly and while they were good, they were nothing to write home about. Maybe this is because I am so used to amazing, authentic Italian cooking where the meatballs are to die for. These were good, but not to die for. 

For dinner I ordered the garbage salad which to most people is also known as the antipasto. Brett ordered a meatball sandwich. My salad again was good, but nothing to rave over. I should have ordered something else, but I wanted to save room for dessert. 

Speaking of dessert, that was by far the best part. I got a sugar cookie ice-cream sandwich which was one of the highlights of my week. The milkshakes also looked good and if I ever went back it would be for that. 

Now onto service, our server was very friendly, he just wasn't the best. He forgot part of Brett's order and didn't really check on us. Brett didn't want to tell them that he forgot because he said we had to be authentic for the review. While, I really liked the atmosphere, I will most likely not return for a meal, but would to sit at the bar for drinks and dessert. That being said, I rate The Meatball Spot 2.5 out 5. 

What Brett Says...

This week we decided to head to Town Square, every once in a while it is nice to head out to a place that is crowded...lively and great for people watching.  One of the newer spots in Town Square is the "Meatball Spot."  It's in a spot that has not been kind to other restaurants, it is on the main level right below Coconuts.

I guess when you look at the Meatball Spot it looks like a cross between old school diner meets fast food restaurant with a bar.  They also have an outdoor patio, didn't really look that special.  I can tell you that it was Saturday evening and the place was packed.  There were couples, groups, and families.

One reason I can safely say I will most likely not return is the service.  The service was horrible, not wanting to unfairly judge I checked out Yelp just to see if it was a fluke...it was not a fluke.  We were sat immediately and then sat there, and sat some more.  It took the server a while before we were noticed and once we were noticed we were told it would be a little bit longer.  We asked for water...took forever.  I ordered a beer...took forever.  This is the kind of place where I should have actually timed everything.  We decided to start with an appetizer, asked to keep the menus so we could look them over.  While we were eating the appetizer the server tried to give us the bill.  At no point did he ask how it was, if we wanted more drinks, or if we wanted more food.  I had to let him know we wanted to eat more, we ordered our entrees.  The entrees took longer then expected for what they were, the server did ask how they were but we never got water refills and I never got a second beer.  Before we were done eating he once again tried to give us the bill, I asked him if we were even allowed dessert.  We ordered our dessert, only because we heard good things about dessert, ate it and ran.  Having been a server before I am usually a good tipper, this guy is lucky he even got 15%...I can't even remember the last time I didn't tip 20% or higher.

Now onto the food.  We started with an order of meatballs; 3 classic meatballs in classic sauce.  For a place called the Meatball Spot I would assume they would have the secret to the greatest meatball ever, well they don't.  They have the secret to a very normal nothing special meatball.  We decided to continue on with what was already a pretty horrible experience, I ordered the Large Hero (3 meatballs on a french baguette with sauce).  I chose to go with turkey meatballs and Parmesan cream sauce.  The sandwich was pretty good; the bread was good, the meatballs were once again average, but the sauce was amazing.  They would do better just selling sauce.  Unfortunately you do not get anything with your sandwich, they literally just put a six inch meatball sandwich on a plate.  I am curious as to why the large hero is $1 cheaper then the meatball appetizer, same amount of meatballs but you get it on bread.  I would assume the bread would make it more expensive.  Teray decided to get their garbage salad, this however was correctly described.  $14 (five bucks more then my sandwich) for a glorified side salad.  For an entree salad this thing was small, aside from being small it was pretty plain.  I'm not even sure if they put flavor in their salad dressing.  Trying to salvage the meal we decided to get dessert.  We each decided on one of their ice cream sandwiches, I got the peanut butter cup sandwich and Teray ordered the strawberry rainbow sandwich.  I think we figured out what the Meatball Spots focus should be.  I got to eat mine and half of Teray's and I have to say that these things are absolutely amazing.  

I think it is clear what my opinion is.  If you happen to be at Town Square and are in the mood for a ice cream sandwich go here, if you are in the mood for a meatball sub go to Subway.  The only reason I ever go here again is to get a to go order of the Parmesan cream sauce or for their dessert.

Rating: 2 out of 5 (the ice cream sandwich accounts for one and the fact that they did in fact have meatballs account for the other one)

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week
Thank you to Patty and Juan from Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. Take a look at my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. Sometimes I just want a casual but hip look, especially when we decide to go somewhere that doesn't require you to dress up. I love this tee because it has such a unique design. A skeleton with leopard Mickey ears, who would have thought? It is cut deep on the sides so you can pair it with something girly underneath. I loved the look on the mannequin so much when I was there I got this fedora too, to wear with my outfit. You can find this 
look at the Rainbow PC location.

Remember, if you aren't lucky enough to have a Patty's Closet near you, you can shop online at shop.ilovepattyscloset.com. Also, make sure to like their Facebook page which is linked above. You will be able to find out about newest store openings, events and of course see pictures of the new shipment items from all the stores on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Until next time...cheers to positivity. xo 

Week 85 Canaletto (In the Venetian)

Welcome back! I can't believe this is week 85 for the blog and we are going strong. This week when we head out it will actually be week 86 but because Brett and I both have schedules like maniacs during the week (our amazing co-workers on both ends can appreciate this) we are a little behind. 

Remember, you can always find our blog on the LV Informer under the Local Interest section http://lasvegas.informermg.com/ . We also have a Facebook page that we update almost daily so make sure to like that if you haven't already, we appreciate it http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants .

What Teray Says...

So this week we combined our dinner date with our friend Adam's birthday. Adam asked us beforehand where on the strip have we not been for our blog and we told him it was basically free choice being we don't head to the strip too much for this blog. He chose Canaletto at the Venetian because it was close to The Act nightclub which we had a table and bottle service after dinner so we did not have to walk to far. 

Canaletto is a little confusing to find, well at least it was for us. It is right at the border of the Palazzo Shops. If we ever go back in that area we will park at the Palazzo. The thing that I loved right away about this restaurant is that it is such a people watching experience. I love to look at the crazies in Vegas. 

When we were seated, which was right away because we had a reservations, our waiter greeted us right away and asked us if we wanted a drink. I had to take a few minutes to decide but I obviously went with a Riesling. I think Brett just ordered a beer and Adam had a red wine. Chelsie and Trevor joined us too at this point and I think Chelsie had Riesling as well. 

We were given a bread plate which was really good; there were all different mixtures of bread. For an appetizer we chose the fruit and cheese plate, which also was delicious. For dinner Brett ordered a pasta and pork dish, which he will talk about in his section. I tried it and it was delicious. I ordered the Barilotti Integral Al Forno, which was whole wheat barrels of pasta baked with smoked mozzarella, chopped eggplant, garlic, spicy peperoncino, tomato sauce and fresh basil. Okay, so as for my food. I love all of those ingredients separate, but I was not a fan of them together. I am not saying this meal wasn't good; I just did not like it. A lot of the reason I did not like it was because there was so much sauce. 

We were too full for dessert and knew we would be drinking later on that night so we skipped over it. As for the service, it was good, but not the best; typical from what we experienced lately when heading to the strip. My favorite part of the meal was the people watching and the company. I would highly recommend this place just for the people watching. It is a cool experience too if you are a tourist.

Overall, I rate Canaletto 3 out of 5. 

What Brett Says...

This week the decision of where to go was made for us, it was kind of nice not having to figure it out.  Our friend Adam was celebrating his birthday and was making the decisions...he chose "Canaletto" at the Venetian.  I know we don't usually go to restaurants on the strip, here and there, but you have to do what the birthday boy wants.  Canaletto is an Italian restaurant all the way in the back of the canal.

It is hard to talk about the atmosphere, there aren't many places indoors that you can eat on a patio where people are walking around in "Italy" while there are live musicians on the streets.  Not to far from people floating down the canal in a gondola.  Even though you are inside of a large casino you get the feel that you are actually outside surrounded by an Italian ambiance.  It was comfortable with a lively crowd, it was just fun to relax and have a bite to eat.  

Our server was a older Italian man, had the accent and everything.  At first everything was amazing; he was friendly, conversational, and helpful.  Everything he said and did matched the atmosphere.  Unfortunately that's where it ended.  We had a couple show up a little late and getting the drink menu and server back to our table was a challenge.  Once we placed our food order he completely disappeared, never came to check on us.  Simply put we all felt neglected, which was a letdown because it started off so good.  We wanted to keep drinking but it was impossible since we had no one to take our order.  The final straw was when the check came.  There were two couples and the birthday boy, so naturally the check needed to be split.  We asked our server to separate the check by seat, more or less so we could pay for what we each ordered.  He informed us that he could not do that, he could only split the check equally into three bills.  Well this wasn't going to work, it would be unfair to a have a single person partially pay for two couples, we ended up just splitting it down the middle and taking care of Adam's portion...it was his birthday after all.  But how can you not separate the check appropriately...in Vegas of all places.  I use to be a server and did this automatically and know it is possible to do it after the fact, especially in a premier casino like the Venetian.  I assume it is just laziness on our server's part, but reflects directly on the establishment.

Like I said earlier the service was sub par, which made ordering everything we wanted difficult.  We started with a fruit and cheese plate, wanting to follow it with more appetizers but had to settle for one.  I will say that their cheese selection was very good, I'm out of the game now and couldn't distinguish each type of cheese but they were delicious.  The pairings of the cheeses was great and there were no shocks from one cheese to the next.  To round out my experience I ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Castellana which was a pork tenderloin pasta dish, it had mushrooms and bacon in a creme sauce.  The portion was slightly small but not too bad.  The taste however was amazing.  I really enjoyed it, they combination of flavors made the meat pop.  I would say that it is one of the better meals I have had in Vegas.

Overall I am torn.  The atmosphere was amazing, the food was pretty amazing.  But all that is ruined by horrible service and even worse customer service after the sale.  It got so bad we declined dessert so we could get it somewhere else...which is disappointing at an Italian restaurant.  I think it's safe to go here just pray for good service and keep the check splitting issue in mind.

Rating 3 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.  Check out my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. I will be the first one to say, I never really wear body-con dresses. If it were up to Brett that is what I would be picking every week. LOL. But we all know that as a girl you need to feel like you are having a "skinny day" to wear certain things. Anyway, I love the color and pattern of this dress. The mint green and the laced flowers is perfect for the upcoming warmer weather. You can dress it up like I did for a night out or you can dress it down with some flats and a jean jacket for a brunch or running errands on a spring day. The dress is lined as well so you don't have to worry about the lace being see through. I paired this dress with some nude patent leather pumps and of this gorgeous pastel necklace and earring set that I got at Sparkle by Patty's Closet. You can find this look at the Rainbow Patty's and Rainbow Sparkle location. xo

If you haven't already make sure to check out the Patty's Facebook page and the Sparkle Facebook page which are linked above. They post pictures of new items a couple of times a week, so you don't want to miss out. Also, if you aren't lucky enough to have a PC near you, you can shop online at shop.ilovepattyscloset.com .

Until next time, cheers to the month of love. <3 

Week 82 Le Provencal

Welcome back readers; we are happy you are back to our blog site. If this is the first time that you are visiting, we hope that you like it and will continue to read our reviews each week. We know we have been behind on reviewing, sometimes a busy life gets in the way, but we are going to try this year to be more on top of these and post them as soon as possible. Tonight was the soon as possible for this review. 

Remember you can always find us on the LV Informer under the Local Interest section http://lasvegas.informermg.com/. We also have a Facebook page, so like that to be updated on all the latest information http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants . 

What Teray Says...

So for me this review is going to be short and sweet because it was not a good experience. We had gotten a Groupon for Le Provencal and figured because it was in the Paris on the strip that the food would be wonderful; we were wrong. 

Upon arrival at the restaurant, we were seated right away but not offered to be seated in the front "patio" area which I would have really liked to people watch. Half the fun for me when going to the strip is to people watch; there are always interesting things going on. 

Our server came over to us but was not a friendly guy at all. He put oil and vinegar on a plate and I was pleased that bread would be coming because I was pretty hungry. We never got bread the entire meal. 

We started off with an appetizer of calamari which in my opinion was the best part of the meal and it wasn't even that good. I will end it at that because I have nothing else to rave about the appetizer. 

For dinner I ordered a flat bread pizza and a Caesar salad. The Caesar salad had way too much dressing that I had to give the majority of it to Brett and something about the cheese on the flat bread did not taste right to me, and I love cheese (if you read the blog regularly you know that I am obsessed). I gave a lot of the pizza to Brett too, which is good because the portion of what he ordered was extremely small. 

As for the service, no one checked on us throughout the meal besides the manager (I am assuming it was the manager). When it was time to pay with the Groupon, the waiter disappeared with Brett's phone for a good 10 minutes. Who does that? There is personal items on that phone, there was no need to leave with it for that long.

One can see this review is short because I have nothing positive to say. I rate it a .5 out 5, my lowest review yet. I did not enjoy the food, service, or atmosphere.

What Brett Says...

This week we didn't really have a choice where to go, I bought a Groupon and it was going to expire.  We went to "Le Provencal" at the Paris.  I have never heard of the place, only reason we went was because for $20 we got $40.  Can't really beat half off.  They claim to be a French restaurant but there was quite a bit of Italian on the menu.  

I'm going to wrap the restaurant and the service into once part this week; mostly because both were pretty lackluster and barely served a purpose.  The inside was cheesy and boring, I guess I get it since it is part of a themed hotel.  It felt more like a buffet then a sit down restaurant, it was also wide open and noisy (even though there were very few tables sat).  Now for the lackluster service.  I believe our server was Bart or Brent, either way he was pretty horrible.  He served the purpose of telling the kitchen what to make.  When we were sat he came over and poured a plate of olive oil and vinegar, for the bread.  Unfortunately we were selected as the only table to not get bread.  We did enjoy staring at a plate of oil and vinegar.  My next problem with him is the only time he spoke to us was to take our order and to deal with the check.  He didn't bring out food, he never asked us how our meal was, he never got us refills.  The service we did receive was provided by the ancillary staff.  He did manage to stand around quite a bit, apparently he needed a break.  Needless to say we felt more like a burden then a welcomed customer.

Now the food.  We decided to start with the calamari frito; the portion was pretty good and the taste was pretty good.  Most of the batter fell off the calamari but it was still enjoyable.  For dinner I decided to get the wild mushroom risotto; this was amazing.  I would have to say some of the richest and best risotto I have ever had.  Unfortunately the serving size was horrible.  I could probably finished it in seven bites, they did serve it in a giant bowl...just so you know you aren't getting any food.  Lucky for me Teray never finishes a meal.  She ordered the Caesar salad and theMargarita pizza, I got to eat about half of the salad and half of the pizza.  The salad was a head of romaine that you have to cut up, I get this is the new culinary thing but it is annoying.  There is no way to toss a Caesar salad to have the right mix when you have to do it on a plate.  The pizza itself was pretty good.  It wasn't the best I have had but it isn't horrible.  I would say it is better for an appetizer then an entree.

I think it is obvious, this place isn't worth going to.  The service was horrible and the portions were horrible.  

Rating 1.5 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. Check out my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. I love a cute mini dress that has lots of details. The bold blue of this dress alone could make it stand out but the spike details around the color and the sheer material give it a flirty edge. The back is also black sheer. I paired it with a pair of thick, footless tights from Patty's and some boots. This perfect little date dress is available at the Rainbow location.

If you haven't already make sure to check out the Patty's Closet Facebook page and hit like to receive all the latest updates on shipments, the items, and new store openings. If you aren't lucky enough to have a Patty's near you, then you can shop online at shop.ilovepattyscloset.com

Until next time, cheers to staying warm xo