Week 77 808 Tapas

Welcome back everyone! This is such a busy time of the year, so we are a little bit behind on our reviews, but our goal is to be caught up within the week. We hope that everyone is doing well and we thank you for your continued support with this blog. 

Remember, you can always find us in the LV Informer under the Local Interest section, http://lasvegas.informermg.com/. Also, we have a Facebook that we update frequently, so feel free to like our page! http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...

So being it was Thanksgiving week-end that we went on this date, Brett and I really did not want to eat heavily being we had the day before at dinner. I suggested Brett go through Groupon and try to find one for something light and we lucked out and found 808 Tapas. 808 Tapas is by the same people that own my favorite sushi place in Vegas, 808 Sushi. It is located in the Village Square Plaza over by the movie theater. If you don't know where this is located, it is W. Sahara and Ft. Apache. There is also is a Patty's Closet and Sparkle there (you need to hit those up). 

808 Tapas was pretty busy when we arrived, but we got a table right away. We were greeted by one of our servers (they were doing community serving because it was so busy) who took our drink order. We both decided on water being we had been celebrating the previous two days with alcohol and needed a break. :)

We started off by ordering the shrimp cerviche and the fish tacos. Shrimp cerviche is always something I order no matter what tapas restaurant I go to. This one was a little different in the way the chips were (they were thinner) and the flavor of the cerviche was not what I was used to. I am not sure if this is because everything was chopped up so small or the flavoring they use, but it was by far the best I have ever had. Yes, I will through it out there, this cerviche is way better than my favorite place in Las Vegas' cerviche which also has tapas (you can figure it out).  The portion size was great too because there was plenty for both Brett and I. 

The fish tacos (you get two of them) were also amazing, again probably some of the best I have ever have. I can see why they are a favorite on the menu. The size of one is perfect for one person (it is full size), not a mini taco you would expect for tapas. 

The next things that we ordered were the dynamite (which I have made Brett a fan of from eating in NJ with my sister every time we went to sushi) and some sushi. There were many rolls to order and I cannot remember the name of the one we did. The dynamite again, was like the other tapas some of the best I have ever had. I knew I would love the sushi because I as I mentioned in the introduction, 808 Sushi is my favorite sushi place in Vegas, so it was a given for me. Also, the portions were fabulous to share on both of these menu items. 

After finishing those tapas we ordered a few more things. Brett picked the chicken skewers and the pork belly skewers. I picked the garlic edamame. I tasted both of the skewers. I am not the biggest skewer fan but they were pretty good. I let Brett eat most of those. I on the other hand devoured the garlic edamame. I am such a garlic fan and this just hit the spot. I could probably eat this every day for every meal, but then Brett would never come near me. Hahahaha.

The food at 808 Tapas is top notch, probably some of the best that I have had. The service was good, but I was getting a little confused who our waitress/waiter was and it took awhile to get the check, but I know that they were busy. If I were the I would get more seating, because this place is definitely going to be a huge success. Overall, I rate 808 Tapas 4 out of 5. 

What Brett Says....


So we have already been to “808 Sushi” so naturally we figured we should try out “808 Tapas.”  I was pretty excited because 808 sushi was pretty impressive, so the bar was set a little high already for their take on tapas.  They are located at Sahara and Ft. Apache in the same strip mall as the movie theater.  As of right now you should expect to become frustrated with the parking situation, don’t take it out on your restaurant experience.  The powers that be that run that particular shopping corner have decided to expand and improve it.  Unfortunately whoever they hired to do it all is a complete moron, they have made the parking lot worse then a random dirt lot next to the Super Bowl.  The lanes are all jacked up and there are random curbs. Plan on at least 15min just to park, for this reason alone I will not be returning to any business in that complex until it is completed.  That’s my rant about that stupidity but now lets get to 808.

I will start with the food.  Teray and I are both fans of tapas, so we know what we like.  808 throws in the Pacific Islander/sushi twist, I wouldn’t say they are a true tapa restaurant like Firefly.  They have some as well as larger meals and sushi.  We did a good mixture of cold food, hot food, and sushi.  Everything we had was pretty good.  The menu had a good flow to it and nothing stood out as not belonging.  I do think they are pushing the sushi a little too much, especially since they have a dedicated sushi restaurant.  I think that they should think about doing an all-you-can-eat deal like so many sushi places do.  They have enough on the menu that they could pick a couple from each category and make a special AYCE menu.  I think it would lend itself better to the sushi and tapas.  All that aside the food was good and I did enjoy everything.

As for the actual restaurant; I wasn’t impressed.  It was a long room with a bunch of table and then a sushi bar.  It looks like they were confused when building…is a tapas restaurant or is it a sushi restaurant.  The sushi bar is in the back and kind of hidden.  In the center of the layout is a large high top table that can be used for larger parties or several smaller parties.  I think this is a great idea, I just think they are too small to use it for their layout.  Aesthetically they restaurant is boring, the walls are just red.  So you have red walls, tables and a sushi bar you can’t even see.  Another thing that was annoying was the hostess stand.  It was halfway into the restaurant, so you walk in and have the dilemma of whether it is seat yourself or wait to be seated.  Since there was nothing to make the hostess stand obvious and there was no sign you just stand there and look stupid.  Which brings me to my next point; where do you stand while waiting for your table?  Do you stand by the hostess?  But then you are standing next to people as they eat.  They do have benches but they are in the complete opposite direction of the hostess stand.  Or you could just do what a bunch of people did, stand at the door with it open…forcing me to continually ask them to close it because I am sitting at the first table and it is kind of cold.  All in all the restaurant itself makes me think this would be a better take out place, like I said the food was good.

Now onto service.  I’m torn on this one.  Everyone we dealt with was very friendly and helpful.  Unfortunately we dealt with everyone.  I’m not sure if it was because they were shorthanded or if the management chooses to use a community server set up.  Either way it was as annoying as the parking.  The hostess was also the bartender and I guess even a server.  We didn’t have a set server, so we weren’t sure who to give our order to each time.  Also, we were constantly interrupted because someone new was checking on us.  There was no communication between the employees…how many times can we get asked if we are ready for the check.  They kind of do the same thing at 808 sushi but it is executed much better, at times it was just getting annoying.  Towards the end we just wanted to leave so it would stop.  I will say when we did order the food came out pretty quick and the fact that we got bugged every couple minutes by a different person made it easy to get water refills.  I just don’t think it works, I would much rather have had a single server.

Overall I would say the experience was a bust, a let down compared to 808 sushi.  I would recommend management go out to eat at Firefly and see how tapas service is done right.  The parking is horrible.  The restaurant is visibly unappealing.  The food was very good.  The service was annoying but very friendly and attentive.  I would either go here for takeout or find out when they are dead, definitely not a good place to go Friday/Saturday night.  I will most likely not return.

Rating 2 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. Patty herself helped me pick this fabulous look at Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. As much as I love to dress up, sometimes you just want a casual, fun look. This sweater fits just that description. It is the classic color combo of black and ivory which can be paired with many options for bottoms. The sweater is striped and the best part about it is the skull patches on the sleeves. Talk about unique!!! You can find this sweater at the Rainbow location. 

If you haven't already started Christmas shopping I suggest you head over to a Patty's near you. You can find all of their locations on the Facebook page, which I linked above. They also have Sparkle the all accessories store and Heart and Sole the shoe store. Also, if you aren't lucky enough to have a Patty's Closet near you, you can shop online at shop.ilovepattyscloset.com . A lot of you always say you would love to come shop with me. Well, if you hit up the Rainbow location of Patty's, Sparkle, and Heart and Sole you will find me there every Tuesday afternoon; so hopefully I will see some of you there! <3

Until next time, cheers to time for joy and time for cheer xoxo

Week 50 Firefly Our 1 Year Anniversary Dinner

So a little over a week ago, Brett and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. It has been by far not only the busiest, but the best year of our lives. We have been blessed with and accomplished so much. 2012 is the year of the Dragon, or as I like to say, the year of the Dragun, so I think that has something to do with it. ;)


Remember, you can always find our blog on the LV Informer, which is a fabulous Vegas based online newspaper: http://lasvegas.informermg.com/category/lv-local-interest/blog-connection/

Also, if you haven't already, you should definitely like our Facebook page. We update it frequently and love your feedback on there. http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants?bookmark_t=page

What Teray Says...


Anyone that knows Brett and I know is familiar with the fact that Firefly is our favorite restaurant. We have brought so many guests there, had many romantic nights there, and had our rehearsal dinner there, so we figured it would only be appropriate if we went there for our one year for the blog. Well, if you haven't been to Firefly or heard of it, you need to get there now. For anyone that has lived under the rock, Firefly is a tapas place. Tapas means small plates, so it is like getting appetizer portions for each item on the menu. It always makes me giggle when you tell people it is a tapas place and they think you say topless. I am sure my husband would love that, but it is not the case. HAHA.

We went early during Happy Hour so that we could get half off sangria pitchers. It is such a savings! We started with the red sangria (love, love, love). I actually love the white and sparkling too, but haven't had the red in awhile so we went with that. The first two appetizers we ordered were the fried calamari (I picked that because I heard the table next to us order it and my mouth started to water) and the stuffed dates (by far our favorite thing on the menu). The cool thing about the portions is you get enough of each item to keep you full but you can also share it. The calamari is a pretty decent portion size and amazing. The dates you get five; I always let Brett have the extra one. :) 

For the second round of appetizers we just randomly pointed our fingers at stuff and went with it. I think we have had about 3/4 of the things on the menu, and always tend to get most of the same things, so we tried to go for something different with the random pointing. My finger landed on the steak and mushroom skewers and Brett's landed on the shrimp cerviche. The shrimp cerviche was beyond fantastic. It was my first time having it there and it will definitely  be a staple from now on. I love that it was a cold tapa because it was so hot out on the patio. The steak skewers were good, but too heavy for me. The fact that they were heavy does not take away from how good they were. 

After those four tapas I started to get very full, but we always have room for our favorite dessert at Firefly which is the tres leches. Again, I think I love this dessert because the cake is cold. I really like when food is cold. If I could sit and eat that cake all day, I would. 

Overall, everything about Firefly is amazing. The service is always excellent, the atmosphere is one of the best in Vegas and the food is out of this world. Without a doubt I rate Firefly 5 out of 5. Perfection. 

What Brett Says...

This week we travel to a restaurant we know well, why would be review a place that we know so well?  Simple, it is our one year anniversary and we figured celebrating our first year as newlyweds should be brought in the same place it started.  The day before our wedding we had our rehearsal dinner at Firefly on Paradise.  It was the first time both families met, my friends met her friends.  It wasn't some stuffy sit down dinner, it was lively and the sangrias were flowing.  How can you have an amazing time like that and not try and relive a little of it.  Because of this blog and our desire to try all these different places we were kinda railroaded away from our favorite restaurant, it took us 367 days (it was a leap year) to get back.  If you have never been to Firefly, any of them, I would recommend going.  I would recommend the Paradise location for your first experience, just to get the full feel.  They are a Spanish tapas restaurant; a tapas restaurant serves smaller portions which are meant to be shared, generally you order many things for the table.  That isn't Webster's definition but it should be.

The atmosphere is a little old Vegas meets college bar/restaurant.  It is comfortable and lively.  This is the place to go as an outing whether it is two or 20 people, even good for first dates since there is so much around you to talk about.  They have an area where you can eat on couches and they also have an outdoor patio.  They also have a fairly awesome fish tank, something I always enjoy...beings my nickname is Fish.

Teray is going to post all the pictures of the food, I'm not going to tell you what we had on this particular night.  Instead I am going to give yo the basic amazing tapas to try.  First and foremost are the stuffed dates, they have an almond and bleu cheese stuffed into the date and wrapped in bacon.  I stumbled on these during a happy hour trip and have never went back.  The stuffed peppers are also a staple.  While you don't have to order it because it comes automatically I would dig into the bread and butter.  Most places it is boring, here it starts the meal with a kick.  They also have filet sliders, think healthy upclass White Castle sliders.  Teray and I sometimes just point randomly at the menu and order whatever the finger lands on, I honestly cannot think of a single time we have ever been disappointed.  Lastly, you absolutely must end your meal with the tres leche.  This is two small slices of chocolate cake with thick creamy milk poured over it, this cannot be missed.  Without it your experience is not complete.  While those are your recommendations for food I only have one recommendation for drinks...Sangria.  I know I said one but it is actually three; they have white, red, and sparkling sangria.  I personally prefer he red sangria but they are all amazing and will all get you to a good place.  FYI if you go during happy hour the pitchers of sangria are half off...just means you get twice as drunk.  I had several pitchers at the rehearsal dinner prior to my bachelor party and can tell you they set your night up for greatness.  What that greatness is you will have to ask the attendees of my bachelor party because most of the night was lost due to time traveling (blacking out).  All I can tell you is that it included me telling a bachelorette party off for 15min about how they paled in comparison to my bride and dueling piano bars have a limit to how many times you can take your shirt off on stage.

All in all, go to Firefly.  I know it is kinda cheating reviewing a place that had a 5 out of 5 going in but Firefly earned a 5 out of 5 once again.

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. I love a fun palazzo pant. The colors are perfect for spring. These pants are high-waisted and can be worn with a shirt tucked in or out. It is great to pair it with a basic tank because it lets the bottoms be the focal point of the outfit. The cool, cotton material is light enough that you won't sweat in the warm weather. This look is available at the Rainbow location.

Being it is summer time, it is time to shop. Everyone wants a new summer wardrobe and Patty's Closet is the place to go. You can check out all the new items which come in Tuesdays and Fridays at all locations on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV  They also now have an online store, so you can get their looks everywhere you live! shop.ilovepattyscloset.com

Until next time, cheers to summer nights and long days in the sun. xo

Week 35 Barcelona Tapas & Bar

Hola Everyone :) Thanks for checking out our blog again this week. So, we are on LV Informer now officially!!! How exciting for us! Just to think we starting do this blog to make sure we had one date night at least a week and for fun, and now many people read it and talk about it. It is honestly so awesome! You can check it out here: http://thelasvegasinformer.com/ and click on blog connection which is in the top right corner. There are also some other great blogs on there, so check them out!! If you haven't already, it would great if you could please take a second and like our Facebook page. We are almost at 200 likes! http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...


This week I was really in the mood for tapas and I have heard fabulous things about Barcelona, I used some of my restaurant.com credit to buy a certificate there. Barcelona Tapas is located on Southern Highlands Pkwy in Southern Highlands. The location has many great restaurants that we have frequented, but there are still some we want to try. It is my goal to go to all of them. :)

Barcelona Tapas is a small place, but big enough that you could have a great gathering! There is a bar area, a lounge area, booths and tables. Brett and I sat at a booth in the back. We always like to have a romantic vibe when we go, plus we don't like to be right in the middle of things while we take pictures of the food. 

We started by ordering a pitcher of mojitos. Normally when we get tapas we go with sangria, but being we were told the mojitos were fabulous and didn't want sangria again like last week, we went with original mojitos. The size of the pitcher you get is big! It serves 5 glasses= 3.5 for Brett and 1.5 for me! HAHA. 

In addition to getting our mojitos right away, we also got some bread with garlic butter and some sort of dip, don't know what it was, but it was great! The bread was fresh right out of the oven. 

As for the tapas, we each chose a few. The first one I chose was the stuffed dates of course. I always get them at Firefly and was so excited that Barcelona had them as well. In the order you got five of them. The bacon was perfectly crispy and the blue cheese that was in the bowl was also awesome in the sauce. 

The next one Brett chose was the Escargot. I didn't remember having this before now, but according to Brett I have tried that already. You amount that you got was pretty good for sharing it with two people. They were very fresh and again, the sauce that they were in wasn't too rich, which made it great for dipping the bread in. 














Brett and I then decided to order the meatballs (his choice) and the mac and cheese (my choice). The meatballs, which you got 5 of were covered in mozzarella cheese and sauce. It may be because I am partial to Italian cooked meatballs, but they weren't my favorite; I would have preferred something else, just because to me they were a little plain. 












The mac and cheese on the other hand was delicious! I am a huge fan of mac and cheese that is like a little bit crispy on the side when it's baked, but perfectly cheesy in the middle, and that is exactly what this was. I think I could have eaten a huge size portion all alone. 

The last tapa we ordered was the stuffed shrimp. Whenever I go for tapas I always choose a lot of the seafood ones. I always find that they taste great because they are fresh and the types of sauces and seasonings they use when cooking them. There were 4 stuffed shrimps, so we got to split them equally. I would recommend this if you go there. 














Now, onto my favorite part of the meal besides the company and the mac and cheese...dessert. For dessert we chose cinnamon apple crepes with ice cream. Wow, was this beyond good! There was so much of it and I felt bad because I think I ate most of the ice cream not leaving much for Brett. I haven't had a crepe in  years, so I think that made it even better. 












Overall, I really loved Barcelona. I heard from a little birdy that they may be opening one in the southwest, so I am pretty stoked. The service and atmosphere was fun, perfect for a Saturday night. I would love to go there for happy hour too with my girls which is supposedly everyday from 4-7. I rate Barcelona 4.5 out of 5 and will absolutely be back!


What Brett Says...


This week we went to "Barcelona Tapas and Bar," which is down in Southern Highlands.  I think it is the last of the restaurants in the strip mall we keep going to.  I wasn't sure going in how biased I would be considering Firefly was my first tapas experience and quickly became my favorite restaurant.  But I was able to put my bias aside and give Barcelona a go.  For those of you unfamiliar with "tapas" and no unfortunately it is not topless women (everytime I say we are going to a tapas place one person asks how Teray feels about being around topless girls).  Tapas are a hispanicTeray is not a fan of being around topless women...if she was the steakhouse at Treasures would have already been reviewed.  But back to the topic at hand; Teray and I are both pretty big fans of tapas.  We had our rehearsal dinner at Firefly, 18ppl and all you can eat tapas with pitchers of sangrias is never a bad time.  

Pulling up there was no reason to believe we were in for anything special...just another strip mall restaurant.  Once you walk through the door you are immediately convinced you are in for something special.  Barcelona was poppin', they had a fun crowd at the bar and the restaurant looked steady.  We were immediately sat at a booth towards the back of the restaurant.  The environment was fun, the decor was modern hispanic chic, and it wasn't overwhelming in any way.  Just based on how it was presenting so far it seemed like a place we could go for a night out and have a pretty good time.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was a good place to meet single Las Vegas locals, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Next it is time to cover service.  I would have to sum it up as good but definitely not anything to remember.  I don't remember our servers name, a middle aged hispanic man.  He was very to the point, not social, and abrupt.  While he was those things he also met all our needs, had suggestions, and made sure we were never waiting on anything.  We always had waters and our mojito glasses were never empty, he also seemed to do a good job of spacing out our tapas so they didn't all come at once.  Just don't go in expecting a social experience with your server, but you will be taken care of.

The most important part of any meal is of course the food.  The nice thing about tapas is the selection and variety you get to experience; since we are doing all this for you, the reader, we obviously had to order a nice selection.  Teray listed all the tapas...and took pictures, so I am not going to do all that.  I was absolutely impressed by the tapas we ordered; my Firefly bias was quickly wiped away.  These tapas were on par with the great, the stuffed dates were amazing.  Food alone this place is worth going.  We opted to get a pitcher of mojito, we had sangria the day before.  They were legit original mojitos; not premixed from the bottle.  There were crushed mint leaves and limes in the pitcher.  They were awesome, next time I am going to trick Teray into being the DD and I will have a pitcher to myself.  

I think it is obvious that I enjoyed Barcelona Tapas...I'm pretty sure Teray did too.  I would go for the bar scene and I would absolutely go for the food.  I recommend this place for all gatherings except business meetings...unless you work for a casual company that lets alcohol flow.  

I am giving them a 4 out of 5, the service was a little shaky for a 5 out of 5.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week
Of course, thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. They are so supportive of this blog and I cannot thank them enough. xo. 

Take a look at my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. This green blazer is such a statement piece (it was love at first sight for me).  It is meant to be a more fitted blazer, which is more flattering anyway. The sleeves are quarter sleeved length and ruched on the inside to add some flair. It is an extremely flattering length. Green is such a bold, fun color that it amps up any outfit. I chose to pair this with a Patty's Closet mini (from the Blue Diamond store last season- or as I like to say vintage Patty's :) and a basic white flowy tee! I threw on some necklaces, of course from Patty's and I had the perfect dressy, casual outfit! You can find this awesome blazer at the Rainbow location


If you haven't already you need to check out one of the Patty's Closets in Vegas (Rainbow & Town Square), Summerlin, the Northwest, or Henderson. I personally love something different about all of them! Plus the people that own and work at all of them are beyond fabulous! It is such an experience when you go into a Patty's, it is really an outing. You can find what location is closest to you by visiting their website: http://ilovepattyscloset.com/


Also, if you haven't already, you need to obviously like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV They put up pictures of their new shipments which arrive every Tuesday and Friday. Plus, with spring around the corner, you know you are going to want a new wardrobe. 


Sparkle

So if you haven't heard already (where have you been?!--just kidding). Patty just opened Sparkle by Patty's Closet! It is an all accessories store and like heaven on earth for ladies (and for guys who need a fabulous gift for their gals). This week-end they opened there doors to this beautiful jewelry boutique. Sparkle is just like Patty's where they have a few of each piece, but everything is so unique, you are not going to find it at other stores. 


The choices of necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, bag, iPhone cases, etc. was taking my breath away. Anything you could ever want in an accessory is within Sparkle. The decor is a beautiful white so that the bling of everything is the centerpiece. The opening was packed and I know everyone I know that went and have talked to is raving on and on. I have already worn all of the pieces I bought and cannot wait to go back and get more. 

Sparkle is where the Blue Diamond Patty's used to be; they just transitioned it into a Sparkle. Like I said, Sparkle is every girls dream. It is BEYOND amazing. As Rachel Zoe says..."I die. I die. " Check out pictures from the opening and get the exact address here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparkle-by-Pattys-Closet/160713480701946

Until next time, cheers to making wishes, and them coming true. 

Week 21 Kyara Japanese Tapas

Hi Everyone! Thanks again for checking out our blog. I can't believe it is already week 21! We go on week 22's date tomorrow night. If you haven't already please like our Facebook page. We love to interact with everyone that reads this!


http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...

Thanks to the suggestion by our friend, Aileen Pena, we decided with her being the third person that had told us about this place recently we definitely should check it out. Kyara Japanese Tapas is located on Jones and the 215 right next to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe. You have to pay close attention, because we almost drove by and didn't see it. 

Kyara is a small place inside but it has a very hip vibe. We were immediately seated and asked if we wanted to sit at a table or the sushi bar. We chose table that way we had more room and we could take pictures of the food without being totally obvious. LOL. Our waiter let us know it was ladies night, so I would be able to chose a free glass of wine. Wine and free are two of my favorite things, so the night was starting off on a good note!

The waiter explained the menu to us, but we had a really hard time understanding what was going on so Brett just started marking things on the menu that we either recognized, or looked like we would like to recognize. :) Because we got so many things, I am going to write them in a list format and then comment next to each of them. Here we go...




Free glass of white wine: Not sure which it was, but because it was free, it was fantastic!

Edamame: good sized portion, I added salt, but definitely enough for both Brett and I.

Aburi Shime Saba: Seared Mackerel with yuzu ponzu sauce; this was absolutely amazing. The fish was so fresh and melted in my mouth. Next time I would probably order more helpings of this. 

Veggie Spring Roll: Brett ordered two portions of this because we actually knew what is was. One of the best spring rolls I have ever had, not soggy at all, nice and crispy. 






























Agedashi Nasu: deep fried eggplant with special sauce; this was really good, when I was eating it though I didn't realize it was eggplant. We had to ask the waiter after we started eating it. Not the typical eggplant I am used to when I think of eggplant (ex: eggplant parm). 

Soft Shell Crab: Something else that we ordered
because we knew what it was.  I took the two biggest pieces because I was being greedy. It didn't even taste fried and the fish was fresh, which is always two pluses for me. 


























Ika Butter: stir fried squid with butter; this also was very good. I am huge squid fan, but it had a little too much butter. I should have read the name more carefully. DUH Teray. LOL. Brett tricked me at first and told me it was intestines. I spit it out and almost cried...little did I know I ate that later on....(keep reading)  

Asparagus: Again, something else we picked because we knew what it was. Plus, it is always nice to have a veggie with every meal to make you feel like you are making healthy choices. :) 

Negi Ma: Chicken Meat with Onion (Tare/Shio), this was a chicken skewer. So delicious. I am not the biggest chicken fan even though I force myself to eat it frequently. The sauce was perfect amount of salt and spice. 

Miso Soup: My favorite soup always. Enough said. 


































Motsu Ni: Pork intestine Stew; yes you are reading it correctly. I was very forceful in my opinion that I was not going to try this. Brett reminded me that this experience is all about trying new things. When I saw it not only did it not look that bad, but I didn't want to not accept the challenge that Brett inadvertently gave me, so I dug in. Let me tell you, intestines are not that bad, it is just like eating any other part of an animal body, but I think the word just makes you think it is gross. It was extremely rich in flavor and I finished every spoonful. 

Dessert, Tofu Mousse: Homemade Vanilla Tofu Mousse, I don't know if it is just me, but whenever I eat some type of Asian food, I always feel like I need dessert after. It's something about the sweetness I think. The vanilla tofu was awesome. The portion was enough to share with Brett and very light. I didn't feel guilty about eating a dessert, which in my everyday life, I steer clear. :) 




















Overall, I really enjoyed Kyara. We got 11 things for $50.05! What a deal! I would absolutely go there again with a crowd, because I would love to share and try new things. For service, atmosphere and food I would give them a 4.5 and will for sure go back there! 


What Brett Says...
After receiving multiple suggestions Teray and I went to a little place called "Kyara."  It's a Japanese tapas restaurant at the 215 and Jones (by Tropical Smoothie Cafe).  I had never even heard of it, or Japanese tapas for that matter.  I have eaten Japanese food and I have also eaten tapas, but not the hybrid.  I really wasn't sure what to expect.  It was definitely one of those weeks going in completely blind not knowing a thing, kinda the point of this whole blog.  I was just surprised since we live 2 miles away that it had never caught my eye.  I know Teray went through each and every food above so I will do more of a general wrap up review.  I haven't read her review yet (we don't even talk about it together, we just blog, publish, and then read it like everyone else) but I have a feeling we will be along the same line.  

When you walk in you get the Japanese feel, even though it is in another strip mall.  We were promptly seated, to my surprise they get you away from the parking lot and have you get into the atmosphere.  They have a bar you can eat in as well as small rooms with a couple tables in each...kinda like you see in movies where someone gets thrown through the paper walls.  The only exception was that there was no shadow of a woman getting changed in the next room, I might have to send this blog to them so they can make it more realistic (like the movies).  It was an awesome atmosphere, you are definitely part of it all, even though you are in a small room.  It was reassuring to see plenty of people of Asian decent in the place, it just inspires confidence.  Aside from looking the part they also have a staff of what I would assume to be Japanese people, which made it even more interesting since I couldn't understand most of what was being said.  I'm sure at times we ate stuff that we though was something else.  I'm all about it...how weird is it to go to an Italian restaurant just to see that all the cooks are Mexican, it just can't taste as good as when you see that old fat Italian guy in back.  Needless to say this place works.

As for the food; we ordered 11 tapas, one dessert, and Teray got a free glass of wine because it was ladies night.  The tapas were pretty much chosen at random since neither of us know Japanese or Japanese food.  We had everything from miso soup to calamari to pork intestine, thats right intestine.  I wish you all could have been there to see Teray try intestine for the first time, she eventually ate her half of the order.  (I actually ate my whole portion Brett!!!...had to add this in after publishing it - Teray)I'm not sure if the food was good by Japanese standards but as far as my taste buds were concerned it was pretty good.  Everything I ate had an interesting taste and nothing made me regret ordering it.  If you know tapas you know you usually don't get much to a serving, Kyara met the standard or exceeded it as for portion size.  The selection had a range of prices ($1 and up).  I think the key to tapas is to bring a group and just order half the menu, but you can easily enjoy this place on a date.

Overall I would say this is a great place for a date, even better for a first date.  If you can't think of anything to talk about you can always default to the food.  The semi-private rooms give an intimate feel and if you pick the right night you can save a few bucks and get your date a free glass of wine.  I would go back here in a second, I think I would do it more in a double date sense just to order more and try more.  If you go you have to either order the cow tongue or the pork intestine...YOU HAVE TO.  If you don't you miss out being able to say you are brave and ate that.  The price was good, for everything we ordered it was $50.  Know where else but a tapas place can you try that many things and spend that little.  I know you are probably thinking a buffet would meet that criteria...it does but if you are taking your date to a buffet there is something wrong with you and you most likely will not be getting a second date.  

My rating is 4 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 for Jose of Patty's Closet for helping me pick it out!! This black top can be worn in so many ways! The loose fit and comfort of the material make it a cozy, fall staple. I chose to wear it over a basic tshirt with some skinny jeans and layered it with a scarf. Everyone that knows me knows I adore layering! I think next time I wear this it will be over one of my favorite tank dresses with some tights and boots. The black top and scarf are from the Patty's Rainbow Store!! ♥

Patty's Closet just opened up a new store last week-end in the northwest for all of you who live up there. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but I am hoping to sometime within the week. They also are opening up a store in Town Square next month!! To keep up to date on all things fashion and all things Patty's Closet check out their website: www.ilovepattyscloset.com and like their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV




Cheers to everyone having a Happy Halloween!