If you've read any of my previous travel posts, you might have clocked onto the fact that food plays an embarrassingly big part in all of our travel experiences. When I was a child, I remember my excitement at finding Krispy Kreme in the Harrod's food hall on a trip to London and one of my favourite presents my dad's business trips was a roll of watermelon bubblegum picked up in New York. Slightly more recently, I even found a way of incorporating my love of food and location into my university dissertation. Obsessed isn't the word...and all of our trips away are preceded by several weeks of frantic internet searching, looking for the best places to eat.
We'd heard whispers of an amazing local spot that served the best nearly ice cream. Nearly, schmearly - ice cream is my thing. Well, one of them.
Luv-it Frozen Custard has been serving up its sundaes, shakes and malts for 40 years, but, despite being pretty close to the Strip, it's not really on the tourist radar. Liking a challenge, we set off with a map and a hope in our hearts. And we weren't disappointed. This place is a true local gem, a bit of realness in an otherwise crazy city.
We went for the original vanilla frozen custard (basically ice cream with extra egg, making it properly rich and creamy), with various toppings. We ate them sat at a bus stop, waiting for our ride home. Delicious.
My only word of warning? We possibly left our visit a bit too late in the day. This place is at the quieter end of the Strip, near Stratosphere and we did start feeling a little less safe as the sun went down. We were probably fine, but agreed that if we went again, we'd go earlier in the day.
Frozen custard was by no means the only delicious food we sampled in Las Vegas. Here are a few other highlights...
BLT Burger, The Mirage
Our first night meal here, the result of a 'what the flip are we going to eat!?' moment, has sparked a burger craze that shows no signs of stopping for us. Juicy, meaty, proper American burgers - I didn't even pick out the pickles! The only thing that could slightly outshine the burgers? My NUTELLA milkshake. Heck yes.
BLT Burger is The Mirage and has a bit of a sports bar feel to it, located along a corridor from one of the entrances into the casino. So, not a posh meal place, but great for a fun dinner.
Lemongrass, Aria
 |
| No food photos! Just this slightly blurry one of me looking excited to eat... |
We love Thai food and this place really hit the spot one evening. We dressed up and, after exploring the rest of Aria (one of the newer hotels on the Strip), finally found Lemongrass tucked away in a quieter area of the casino. The food wasn't anything unusual, just tasty Thai, served up in a swanky but relaxed restaurant. Yums.
Pinkberry
We also love Pinkberry, it's flippin' addictive. Get it in your belly.
Holsteins, Cosmopolitan
Yep, more burgers - and this time in a restaurant that describes itself as a 'concept'...argh! In need of a meat fix though, Holsteins was really rather good. They were rammed midweek (always a good sign!) and we had an hour's wait for a table - not a problem as there was plenty nearby to keep us entertained. The upshot was that we did slightly suffer later though as our (thoroughly charming) waiter was clearly under some pressure to get us fed, watered and out as quickly as was comfortably possible, to free up our table again for the next people in the queue. Despite this, we really enjoyed a fun meal here, with great food and a delicious chocolate malt (I am nothing if not predicable). The burgers here were marginally better than those at BLT Burger, plus Holsteins feels like more of a restaurant, but you'd have to weigh that up against potentially having a long wait (whereas we walked right in when we went to BLT Burger).
Mrs. Fields, Flamingo
I love warm, chewy, gooey American cookies and Mrs. Fields make some of the best. I tracked an outlet down at the Flamingo hotel and we enjoyed a couple of cookies whilst watching the flamingos one afternoon.
The Buffet, Bellagio
Oh my word. I have never in my life seen so much food. I have never in my life created such weird combinations of food on one plate. And, until now, I have never in my life considered a future in competitive eating. But, after an hour at The Buffet, I'm realising such a life could be pretty fun! Having started the day off in the gym, we felt pretty smug as we joined the buffet queue. It didn't last long though - the food was too good. Fresh pancakes, waffles and fruit rolled on to rotisserie chicken, roast beef and vegetables, which made for patisserie and puddings. Buffets are all a part of the Las Vegas experience and this was certainly a fun one - so naughty, but sooo good. I was only sorry we'd left it until our last day and couldn't fit in a repeat visit, though I'd probably have had to have been rolled out of Las Vegas if we had!
Top tip for the buffet? A breakfast visit is cheaper than going for lunch, but they won't kick you out when the menu changes. So, go 30 minutes before the end of breakfast and stay for lunch too!
The Cheesecake Factory, Caesar's Palace
Is it wrong that one of my main reasons for visiting Caesar's Palace was that I knew there was a Cheesecake Factory there? Probably, yes. Never mind, I am what I am. The Cheesecake Factory is no Junior's (the ultimate American cheesecake experience), but it's really rather good and our visit brought back fun memories of a previous visit in San Francisco during our honeymoon. I went for the Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake and Mr. O chose Linda's Fudge Cake (which I polished off for breakfast the next day, but that's another story...). Yum.
Oh food! Always a pleasure, never a chore!
Luv-It Frozen Custard, 505 E. Oakey Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89104
BLT Burger, The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Lemongrass, Aria, 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Pinkberry, 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Holsteins, Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Mrs. Fields, Flamingo, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
The Buffet, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
The Cheesecake Factory, Caesar's Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
No comments:
Post a Comment