Wednesday, April 11, 2012

What the Pho?

OK. This is just my humor. Pho (pronounced "fuh") is universally an economic eat. No specials needed, this Vietnamese noodle broth with meat combination (beef, chicken etc.) ranges from $5-$7 depending on which place you go to.

Why pho is a great dish is because it's like a build it yourself dish. It comes with your broth, noodles, meat, cilantro (I eat mine without) and onions. On another plate that's brought separately, they pile on fresh basil, fresh chopped jalapenos, white onions and limes. My hook up? I put in extra white onion, basil, jalapenos and multiple lime squeezes. It's just such a refreshing combo. In this picture above, you see the rare beef pho, often known as "#11" on most menus. It's deli sliced thin beef that pretty much cooks itself in the hot broth as it's served.  I have other friends that also squeeze in hot sauce or oyster sauce. I choose the extra lime juice.

During the colder months, I find myself eating a whole lot of pho. In the summer, especially in Las Vegas, it's just too darn hot sometimes. Pho comes out with piping hot soup broth so your entire body is pretty warmed up by the time you're done eating. Couple that with stepping out into 100-plus degree heat and you may find yourself needing a coolant. While we're heading into the summer months, it's still pho time for at least another few weeks.

Pho is so well liked that you'll find a variety of people dining in pho joints. In Vegas especially, it's like a late night hangout where friends conglomerate after a night of gaming, clubbing and bar hopping. I have two pho restaurants that I frequent the most. The first one is Pho So 1 which is on Spring Mountain (the road that sits on the side of Treasure Island) and Decatur. It's open until 3 am. While they serve complimentary hot tea, you may have to ask for it. They used to automatically bring it to your table but in recent times they'll bring ice water and you can simply request the tea at no charge. This one is a no frills but always consistently great dining experience.

The other pho place I visit is Pho Kim Long which is also on Spring Mountain but if you are coming from the Strip, you will see this one first before you reach Pho So 1. Pho Kim Long sits in a pagoda style strip mall just a few blocks from the Strip. This restaurant's decorations are much fancier than Pho So 1 and they have a more expansive menu that includes many Chinese dishes as well. A giant fish tank as you enter, this 24-hour joint's more elaborately decorated inside means that the prices are $2 more than it's competitor down the street. However, both places - great pho!

What makes me choose one over another? Sometimes it's who I am dining with and sometimes it's just what I'm feeling at the moment. One thing's for sure though, it's not because one pho is better than the other. I love them both.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Ra Sushi Uniquely Celebrates Half-Birthdays

Every year during our birthday month we get pretty spoiled. Every restaurant that we've consented our information to has sent us an invite to enjoy goodies that range from a free dessert to an all out free meal. Typically with a one month expiration date, we have our entire birth month to enjoy awesome dining at a lower cost.

For Ra Sushi however, they have decided to go the other way - they celebrate your half-birthday which is genius. Do what most others don't. When I recently dined there during Happy Hour, we were sat with our menus and a postcard that informed us of their half-birthday promo called The Hook Up. While I could hand fill out the form, I decided to go online to their website to get "hooked up". While it did say that it could take a few weeks to start receiving things, I was pleasantly surprised that my sign up just a few weeks ago yielded my half-birthday $20 gift for this month! That was fast! (My b'day is in October.)

Twenty dollars at Ra Sushi definitely affords you a great meal. Bring a friend or loved one and it'll feel like a two-for-one dining experience.

Now, Ra Sushi also has Happy Hour (both traditional and reverse) which is a dining deal. Monday-Saturday: 3-7 pm and 10 pm - close. Appetizer, sushi and drink specials are available. I'm a typical tuna and salmon sushi eater and for the cooked foods, you really can't go wrong but I would definitely get the Chicken Yakitori which has a really cool sweet sauce on it.    


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Cannery Casino has $7 Buffet

Less can be better and in this case, Cannery Casinos does quite well. The latest promotion is the $7 Buffet - and you can get that price all day long every Saturday and Sunday. $7 is even below their typical lunch buffet price so for any time of the day, the new weekend promo is definitely a great deal.

Cannery has the typical buffet sections: Salad/Soup Bar, Italian, American/BBQ, Asian, Mexican and Dessert. What I do like about their buffet is that most of their dishes are good. There are some buffets in town that have what I like to call "mystery offerings" and those are the ones that you simply don't touch under any circumstances. However, at Cannery, their pasta is good - and even more importantly, it's usually hot in temperature. The Asian section has tofu. That's a major plus for me. I love tofu. I'll say it again. I love tofu. They make it with a nice light sauce and I tend to pile that onto my plate over some steamed white rice. 

The buffet is open:

Mon - Thur 11:00am to 8:00pm
Fri - 11:00am to 9:00pm
Sat - 9:00am to 9:00pm
Sun - 9:00am to 8:00pm

For a locals buffet at a very reasonable price, I can't complain.