las vegas: pf chang's

my friend mentioned about pf chang's and it got me curious. so i listed it on my must try list. luckily they have happy hour which makes several menu items affordable, check their website to see the offerings.

here's what i got.

condiments first, i was told that the best way to enjoy these are to mix them all up in a separate vessel. one is a soy based sauce with some herbs, the red one looks like sriracha which is chili sauce and the yellow one looks like mustard. i followed the instructions, actually the wait staff did it for me :).

got the lettuce wrap, pf chang's is famous for this chicken lettuce wrap. very nice iceberg lettuce, i believe i got around 5-6 pieces of whole crisp lettuce. for the filling it's chicken very flavorful with some crispy vermicelli.

my perfectly wrapped lettuce roll with one bite, see how perfect it was no spills whatsoever hehe. for me, the chicken filling is flavorful enough that you don't need to put any sauce, but i still poured some because i wanted the kick from the chilli sauce.

egg rolls, these were huge maybe 5-6 inches long. i have always been so intrigued about egg rolls which i always hear on tv shows or movies. so finally i get to try them. oh well, they're basically spring rolls but with a thicker wrapper. it was just filled with cabbage and carrots and finely minced pork which i couldn't even recognize. it was bland for me and i wasn't keen on sweet and sour sauce that came with it.

my entire meal was below 20USD including a raspberry iced tea, i should have probably just ordered wine though. for the americans, i guess pf chang's offer novelty and a more upscale setting for chinese/asian cuisine compared to a typical chinese take out. but with the dishes i tried i wasn't really impressed. i reckon other dishes would be the same like the dumplings ( i overheard a canada based chinese actually criticizing their dimsum because it was not up to par). but with the happy hour prices and with a nice ambiance i couldn't complain. it was still a refreshing meal for me and would prefer it over the dinner i had at canter's deli later on that evening (yeah i got extremely hungry after walking back and forth the strip). and knowing how huge the servings are in the us, my meal would have fed two people so it was worth it. plus, i got two fortune cookies and i loved what were written on them :).

pf chang's

miracle mile shops/planet hollywood

las vegas blvd.

breakfast at the wynn

buffets are huge in vegas, so of course i wouldn't let it pass. the wynn's buffet is one of the best if not the best. the breakfast buffet costs around 22USD including taxes if i'm not mistaken. it is actually cheap, it even includes free coffee and juice which you just order from the wait staff. so yes, it is definitely worth it!

here's what i tried.

top left clockwise: country biscuit with gravy - i love country biscuits and i love gravy this is only common in the us so gotta grab the opportunity, i found the biscuit doughy the combination was too heavy for me.

virginia ham - it was real ham!!! meaning sliced off a huge pork leg and got some mustard to go with it...it was perfect!

pork apple sausage with roasted potatoes - the sausage is good i actually didn't taste any hint of apple or maybe i was too preoccupied savoring the entire meal. i am a sucker for savory breakfast treats so i couldn't gear away from the ham and sausage.

top left clockwise: english muffins with salmon topped with eggs benedict - oh what a disappointment. the salmon was real salmon or maybe gravlax but it wasn't smoked salmon. i wanted smoked salmon so bad i was disappointed.

cheese blintz - loved it!!! i love cheese...creamy cheese so it was just a joy.

wholemeal pancakes? - not really sure it looks like wholemeal right? first time to try one since healthier pancakes are still not common on this side of the world. the pancake was nice it has a crust and has this "sweet" flavor compared to the typical pancake which you can taste the dough/bread.

artichokes - i also love artichokes so got myself some.




top left clockwise: chicken sausage - as i've said i love savory breakfast items so i couldn't resist.

smoked salmon - because i was craving for one. ok, i have been spoiled by salmon and smoked salmon here in kl. they are glorious, this one's not up to par.

strawberry and peaches with creme fraiche - it's fruit/dessert time and i love strawberries plus p said they're sweet so i have got to get some.

some people might think i have wasted a great opportunity for this buffet, but seriously i was so stuffed. i have no regrets with this meal. i have tried unique items that i haven't had before. the quality of the food is superb. there are so many other offerings at the buffet but because of time and eating capacity we couldn't savor all.

according to some tips i've read, some people who want to save up usually get into the buffet before the next "time slot" meaning if breakfast ends at 11:00AM, they get in a little before 11 so they'll get charged breakfast rates and they will be able to catch the lunch buffet already. of course, breakfast is the cheapest and dinner is the most expensive. if you happen to be in vegas and wants to try a buffet, the wynn's buffet is a sure bet.

the buffet

wynn las vegas

las vegas blvd.

the much awaited meal at mesa

my celebrity chef crush is bobby flay, i dunno why - rocco dispirito is far better looking but i still favor bobby. as such, i had to make sure i dine at mesa grill. i opted to go for lunch because they don't require reservations during lunch time and dining alone at night is lonesome :(

here's my freebie bread basket. now this is what i'm talking about, freshly made muffin and warm breads. the muffin is apparently bobby's famous yellow and blue corn muffin, i had to research on it to find out what chili was used, it was jalapeno but there were other herbs and spices in it. the texture was light and crumbly, it was really good :D.

here's what i got. spicy chicken with sweet potato hash and poached egg with green chile hollandaise. this dish was packed with a lot of flavors it was a party for my taste buds and the hollandaise was so perfect it was creamy but not overly rich and it just made the eggs so much better. however, it wasn't what i expected. i thought the chicken was separated from the hash but it turns out they were combined which i didn't fancy. sad to say, i had to pick on my food and eat the chicken because there's just too much sweet potato i can take.

i wasn't completely happy with my meal, more like underwhelmed. but i guess i just have to choose a better dish next time.

mesa grill

caesar's palace

las vegas blvd.

wolfgang's meatloaf

celebrity chef restos are all over vegas. i like wolfgang puck so it was a must to dine at one of his restos. i opted for spago at the caesar's palace. i chose it because it's near my hotel, plus they have the cafe menu which offers more affordable meals.

when i went into the resto i wasn't that hungry and had a hard time choosing the dish i want, considering i have been perusing their online menu for weeks prior to my trip, in retrospect i think i should have opted for the kobe burger which had good reviews. but i didn't want to eat a burger in any of the celeb chef restos.

here's some freebies...some bread and a crispy watchamacallit....the bread was cold. come on wolfgang, i didn't expect this, i was so disappointed.

the olive oil, balsamic, parmesan dip at lombardi's made an impression so when i tried just plain olive oil and salt it was dismal for me, plus can i just say again that the bread was cold.

ordered some lemon/lime frizz which was forgettable, should have saved may 6 USD on this or better yet i should have just ordered coke if they had one.

so i finally decided to get the meatloaf. it was good, i dunno how they made it in such a way it had this canned/luncheon meat/spam texture. i've never had real meatloaf and i've always thought the texture would be like when you bake ground beef more like a burger, but it wasn't. i was actually pleased, the flavors were right on, the pancetta didn't have that overpowering taste. the potato mash was just right for me, it wasn't rich and creamy. the onion rings were perfect, except for one ring...it wasn't fully coated :(. but they were freshly made with just the right amount of breading.

i forgot how much exactly my meal was, but as far as i can remember it was less than 30USD. unfortunately, i wasn't impressed, though i can say i've eaten at spago and be proud of it, the meal was nothing to rave about. but most likely, if i'd ordered a proper entree or something else, i could've been impressed. well maybe next time.

spago

caesar's palace

las vegas blvd.