Red Rock Casino and Green Valley Ranch Buffet 2-for-1

For the entire month of August (sidenote Mon-Thurs ONLY) Red Rock Casino and Green Valley Ranch's Feast Buffet are offering 2-for-1 deals. Typically there is a catch - and really - this time, there is no catch. This is what you do:

1. Go to either of these casinos and find the Rewards Kiosk. There are many of these throughout the casino floor.

2. Swipe your Players Card, enter your PIN, and the promotion of 2-for-1 Feast Buffet will appear on the screen.

3. Select the Feast Buffet Promotion and it will print right out of the kiosk.

4. Now, take this voucher with you to the buffet.

So, you see it's relatively easy and you don't have to accumulate any kind of points to receive the promotion. You can only receive one 2-for-1 voucher per day so strategically think about which meal you want to use it on. If you have a friend or a spouse - now - then you can actually take advantage of this twice each day. One swipe per card.

If there was a catch, I'd say it'd be this. THE DREADED WAIT. No doubt, Station Casinos was smart, once again. If you offer 2-for-1 to their two most premium properties with the most premium buffet, you are going to get people coming onto the property attempting to eat on a deal and ultimately throw dollars into machines or on tables. That's fine. That's the point of a casino.

However, I have now attempted to go to the Red Rock buffet twice now. The first time was on a Tuesday evening around 7pm. OK. Bad decision. Not only was the regular line long and wrapped around the post, but the handicap line was almost equally as long! Whoa! Now that was going to be a wait and as starving as I was, I couldn't stand to wait. I should have known that en route to the Feast Buffet that when I saw a long line even at the Cafe that there was some bad news for the buffet line. OK. It was time to hunt for another spot. Strategically, I thought, let's go during lunch. On Thursday, I once again landed at Red Rock and got my voucher. It was 12:30pm. I walked to the Feast Buffet and I saw the dreaded line again! Ugh. Did I just hit prime lunch hour now??? So as they say, third time's a charm. Perhaps I need to up my meal to breakfast next time and show up at 7am. I am determined to get at least one 2-for-1 before August 31st!

Happy Hour at Kabuki

I would eat Japanese food more often if it were friendly on the wallet, but sometimes it isn't. Luckily, at one of my favorite Japanese digs in Las Vegas, Kabuki (at Town Square or Tivoli Village), offers certain hours where eating off their menu becomes more affordable. Sure, you're not going to get every item at a discount, but for those meals that you want Japanese flavors without dinging the budget too much, Kabuki's got Happy Hour for you - not just one, but two!

Happy Hour #1 at Kabuki is Monday thru Friday from 3pm to 6pm. In a general consensus, you get anywhere from $1-$3 off of normal menu pricing. 

Appetizers range from $4.95-$5.95 and include Fried Tofu, Gyoza, Chicken Tokyo Quesadilla, Mixed Tempura, Sesame Chicken and Calamari Rings.

Salads are $4.95-$5.95 and include Seaweed Salad, Tofu Salad, Spicy Tuna Salad and Krab Salad.

Sushi and Rolls are $2.95-$3.50 and include Salmon/Sake, Albacore/Bincho Mauro, Shrimp/Ebi, Spicy Tuna Roll, Salmon Skin Roll, California Roll and Philadephia Roll.

Specialty Rolls are $5.95-$6.95 and include Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Alaskan Roll and Vegas Roll. 

There are also numerous Sake, Wine, Beer and Specialty Cocktail Specials. Hot Sake is $1.95. Draft beer starts at $1.75. 

Happy Hour #2 is aptly labeled "Reverse Happy Hour" and is available from Monday thru Thursday, 9pm-close, and Sunday, 8pm-close. 

While the prices remain relatively the same for Reverse Happy Hour, the menu selections have simmered down to six appetizer and salad items and nine rolls. The drinks specials remain much the same with the same amount of selection as the afternoon Happy Hour.

While I have only gone there for regular lunch or dinners, on my way out of dinner there last night, I couldn't help but notice the large Happy Hour card for taking that laid on the host stand. I always had a reason to go back to Kabuki for their great atmosphere and food, but with Happy Hour, I have even more reasons to go visit them!

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.

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.    

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.

Hard Rock's Mr. Lucky's 24/7 Cafe

While not getting as much for your buck as Ellis Island's steak special, Hard Rock Hotel's Mr. Lucky's 24/7 Cafe comes pretty close for the setting...meaning lots to do before and after you eat. At Ellis Island, you don't really hang out there for a long period of time, but at Hard Rock you can.

The $7.77 Steak and Shrimp special has been around for quite a while and I had it last night. However, I could have sworn that the dinner used to come with vegetables. Well, if it once did, it doesn't now. You get your salad - which now they chop up your tomatoes versus before you got cherry tomatoes that would burst in your mouth. It seems that certain servers like to put croutons on the salad and some don't. I specifically requested that I get croutons and the server accommodated quite generously.

You get your choice of a potato - mashed (garlic if my taste buds serve me correct), baked or french fries. I went for the mashed although it does not come with any gravy. My friend got a baked potato which...let's just say it wouldn't be on the top of my list. I saw someone else get french fries...I guess you can't go wrong with that if you want some fried food. 

The steak I ordered medium rare and am happy to report that it was cooked perfectly. It was still a nice sized steak because in this day, you would think that kitchens would be downsizing the "special" steak. Not the case here I am happy to say.

Recently, Mr. Lucky's added graveyard specials which is great. Sometimes this can be a lost feature at most mainstream casino establishments in Vegas. From midnight to 8 am, you can get a Steak and Eggs special for $4.99 and a hamburger special for $3.99. The asterisk says that you need to have a player's card - so no sweat - that's a freebie anyways and it let's them track your every move. 

Station Casinos Brings Back Some Much Needed Specials

Just last week, Las Vegas local casino giant Station Casinos finally brought back some much needed graveyard food specials. From what the server told me, it's been a hit with the locals and it's brought some much needed bodies into the establishment.

My feeling has always been that if you are willing to eat at some off beat hours, you should be rewarded for it! Such as...past midnight. It's late, you are still bopping around and your dinner has unfortunately been long gone. You just want a snack for a few bucks, where can you go besides the Del Taco drive thru where you can get two egg muffin sandwiches for three bucks?

Enter: Station Casinos. You've got plenty to choose from. If you are on the Strip and visiting Las Vegas, go to Palace Station, it's just off the Sahara and I-15 exit. If you are a local, then I don't have to tell you, you already know where they are.

Here's the low down, the new graveyard specials menu. The price starts at $1.99. Really really awesome! You can choose from breakfast dishes and the only non-breakfast dish on the menu is the 1/4 lb burger and fries ($2.99). The $1.99 breakfast consists of eggs, potatoes, and one piece of toast. There's also biscuits and gravy for $1.99. You can also get a short stack of pancakes for $1.99. The next tier is the other breakfast I had written about before, the eggs, choice of meat, potatoes and toast for $3.99. There's the chicken fried steak and eggs and NY Strip steak and eggs. Those are $4.99-$5.99 if memory serves me correct. Either way, the server assured me that the portion size was equal to the regular size even with the lower cost.

You can't go wrong. Restaurant servers were excited about the promotions and I bet a lot of locals like myself are equally as excited.