On the Border Part II: Happy Hour

This is On the Border Part II (OTB) as promised in the last post. As a restaurant in the suburbs of Vegas, specials are a must and having an affordable Happy Hour is definitely a must employ strategy. While I do wish that OTB stayed open at least an hour later, perhaps their numbers don't warrant it.

Monday-Friday, OTB has Happy Hour in the bar and patio from 3-7 PM and late night Happy Hour from 9 PM-Close which is a short time frame since last call for food is around 9:30. The restaurant actually closes at 10 so drinks are still available until that time.

Happy Hour consists of both food and drinks specials. It's half off select appetizers and I have tasted most of them. Now, OTB isn't for the dieter or for those that want a moderately healthy meal....on Happy Hour that's next to impossible. So, for half the cost, for a snack, take OTB for what it's worth.

I have always liked their Chips and Salsa which are served free to everyone. I like their salsa because it comes out cold and has a loose consistency with a little kick to it. They give you salsa in the small little blue dishes but I typically request a bowl because I use a lot of it. The chips - when done right - come out nice and hot. If they come out kind of cold and stale, don't hesitate to ask for a new batch. It's your money, get what you want and you deserve it.

Some of the items on the Happy Hour menu:

Empanadas:
Fried dough pastry shell (like a mini-pie) stuffed with meat (chicken or beef). You get five of these and they come with cheese (queso) dip. I think these are quite tasty, however, you definitely want to share this plate with two other people. If you eat five of these by yourself, you are going to feel like a greaseball mess and your stomach is going ask you why you just did that. Eat one or two at the most and consume some other items.

Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos:
Again, this is a dish to share with others. Don't eat the whole thing by yourself or you will feel like a greaseball mess. Just have one or two and share with others. This is a typical stuffed Jalapeno where it's filled with cheese and then fried. It's hard to mess this one up.

Texas Wings:
These are kind of bready, but not bad. One bartender suggested that we dip them in some queso dip and it was a nice complement to the wings.

Fajita Nachos:
Now, these are not like the nachos that you are accustomed to because it's not a pile of tortilla chips with meat and cheeses and toppings sprinkled all over. Each chip actually is topped on its own and then baked so the cheese is melted on it. I personally wasn't a fan of these and maybe it's because I was expecting one thing and got another. Plus, the chip gets soggy the way it's made. Fair warning to you if you want to get them.

Queso Dip:
This is your typical cheese dip and it's always best when you request it "piping hot" so it's bubbling when you get it. Otherwise, it's just not the same.

Chicken Flautas:
These are like your typical flautas except I like them better without the sauce they drizzle on top of it because it gets the flauta shell soggy. This is a sharing dish, once again, because you don't feel good if you eat the whole thing by yourself.

Drinks specials are about $3-4 and include Dos Equis and Margaritas.

In a nutshell, OTB is good for a mini group gathering where you can sample a few items on the Happy Hour menu. I don't often go for their Happy Hour actually. I typically go for Taco Tuesdays where tacos are on a special price at 99 cents. I also like their Chips and Salsa. So, I go for a lighter meal and not for the all out Appetizer spree. Either way, with the apps being half-price, at least go check it out.

LIMITED TIME: Freebies at On the Border

While I talk a lot about ongoing economic eats deals in Las Vegas, I also run across a lot of deals that are great but are only available for a limited, and sometimes very limited, amount of time. This post is about On the Border, a neighborhood joint that serves Mexican food. To the best of my knowledge, there is only one of them in Las Vegas and it's in Centennial - just off of US-95 and Ann Road. It sits between Panda Express and Cane's Chicken. I searched in Henderson as well and the On the Border site yielded no results.

Through tomorrow, On the Border is offering a free bowl of Original Queso and a smaller order of Sopapillas with the purchase of one or more entrees at full price. I've tried both of these items before and they are good! This is a limited time offer and is good through Thursday, October 4.

I really like On the Border for several reasons. I haven't had any dish there that I didn't like. Their free chips and salsa is awesome because they are all made in-house. The chips come out warm (when served right) and the salsa is a really nice fresh loose mix with a little kick to it.

When I go to this restaurant, I've always preferred to sit at the bar counter seat only because a large flat screen occupies the space above the bar and it's nice to watch a nice sports game while enjoying my meal. There are other smaller flat screens around the bar area as well.

I often order their enchiladas, the chicken or pork ones with a request for green sauce on both. The green sauce (chile verde) typically comes on the pork enchilada but I really like it on everything. Otherwise, the chicken enchilada comes with a red sauce which is also very good but I simply can't resist the green sauce sometimes. Their plates are served with rice and beans and I like ordering the black beans with my entree.

I'll do an On the Border post part two where I talk about their regular specials which change every day but are consistent from week to week. Does that make sense? I just wanted to give a quick shout out about the freebies that are offered through tomorrow - Oct. 4.

A Deal Near the Strip: Terrible's Casino Cafe

It's not often these days that outrageously "I can't believe it" deals are found on the Strip, but traveling a few blocks from the Strip (a walk if you are ambitious!) can yield some great deals that appeal to both tourists and locals. One such place is Terrible's Casino which is on the corner of Flamingo and Paradise. Flamingo is the street houses Bally's, Bellagio, Caesars and the Flamingo Casino. Terrible's is down a few blocks from the Strip on the Bally's side of the road.

While I don't frequent Terrible's Hotel & Casino very often, I have eaten at both their buffet and cafe before when there were specials. My Las Vegas Entertainment book used to house a few 2-for-1 buffet coupons and that usually led me to the establishment.Unfortunately, Terrible's hasn't been in the book for the past few years.

The deal that I'm going to talk about is a simple one: breakfast. It's $2.99 every day and you just need to sign up (for FREE, of course) for their Player's Card. The Deuces Wild breakfast, as it's called, comes with 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and 2 strips of bacon. Next to its newspaper ad it has stamped "Best of Las Vegas" as voted by locals at one time or another.

When it's breakfast, it's really hard to screw up....really, so while I haven't had this one lately, I can't imagine it being anything further than what it should be. I've also had their other breakfasts including a Hawaiian Loco Moco and that was also pretty good. That is a normal priced menu item.

The casino is a smaller one. It's in a location that is supposed to attract both tourists and locals so it must balance its prices. For just a penny under three bucks...I don't think there's much room for any complaints here.

Happy Hour at Brio Tuscan Grille (2 Locations!)

When you don't want the typical bar menu items for Happy Hour, Brio Tuscan Grille at Town Square and Tivoli Village (Summerlin) make for a great outing. Now, their Happy Hour used to be $2.95 items, but I guess it was so popular that they felt an extra dollar wouldn't hurt their crowd. In an evolving menu - as restaurants should be doing anyways - there are new and old items on this Happy Hour Menu. Some of these items I can personally vouch for, while on other items, I'll need others to let me know!

There are two Happy Hours which satisfy the late afternoon crowd as well as the after dinner crowd. The times are: Monday-Friday: 3-6:30pm and Monday-Thursday: 9pm-Close. Happy Hour is available ONLY at the bar.

Here are some of the items on the menu with some commentary. Overall, you can't really go wrong at Brio. Even their full menu (although a quite a it pricier) has always dished up great stuff:

ALL $3.95:

Beef Carpaccio - served with field greens, capers, mustard aioli and Parmigiano-Reggiano. (I've had this one before and I thought it was very tasty and quite healthy of a dish. Thinly sliced beef with some nice cold salad greens. Although I'm not a huge capers fan, you can easily request them off or they are easy to just remove yourself.)

Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant - pan seared shrimp with Romano crusted eggplant and a black pepper cream sauce.

(This has got to be one of my favorite dishes of all time. When done right (and there were a few times that the dish didn't come out temperature fresh hot-hot like it was supposed to) it is spectacular. Crispy eggplant with a gooey center topped with shrimp and the sauce is what really completes this dish. It's described as a black pepper cream sauce but it resembles a red pepper cream sauce to me. Anyways - I HIGHLY recommend this one!)

BRIO Burger - grilled to order with Provolone and housemade chips. 

(There is a "secret sauce" of something on this...I don't prefer it so I usually leave it off. I get mine grilled medium and it's a nice size. It's not a full burger, so don't expect that, but it's a smaller burger that is just right. I love to order this with the Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant because I dip the chips in that sauce!)

Margherita Flatbread or Sausage & Pepperoni Flatbread - just like it sounds on flatbread.
(The flatbread is a nice lighter version of a pizza without all of the bread. It's nice and crispy with a little bite to it. The Margherita has tomatoes and basil on it and it's refreshing. The Sausage & Pepperoni is equally delicious.)

Ravioli Caprese - Romano crusted ravioli topped with tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh Mozzarella and cilantro pesto drizzle. 
(The ravioli can be a little dry only because it's crusted and deep fried so the moisture can be taken out of it. The toppings make it tasty however and the pesto drizzle...anything with pesto is always a plus with me!)

Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Artichoke Dip - served bubbling hot with Parmesan flatbread.
(The dip is pretty good. I'm quite picky on my spinach and artichoke dips. My main thing with hot dips is that it's GOT TO BE bubbling hot. Although the description on the menu is that it comes out bubbling hot, I have had to send mine back before because it wasn't. However, if you kindly ask your server to make sure it's bubbling hot - you stand a better chance at getting it the right temp the first time. When it does come out bubbling hot - it's delicious! I did have to request an extra few pieces of flatbread to finish off the remaining dip.)

Shrimptini - chilled shrimp served in a martini glass with classic cocktail sauce and flaxseed cracker.

Tomato & Mozzarella Capri - sliced Kumato tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and basil; served with balsamic glaze and field greens.

Crispy Shrimp Piccante - Romano breaded shrimp drizzled with a spicy aoli. 

Out of all the offerings on the Happy Hour menu, the last three items are the only ones that I have yet to try. So, for the most part, you have my first hand accounts of each dish.

Food isn't the only Happy Hour items. There are $5 Drink Specials that include the following:

Sangria Rosa, White Peach Sangria, Mango Mojito, Strawberry Mojito, Pomegranate Cosmo, Black Raspberry Cosmo, Tavolo Matto Chardonnay, Tavolo Matto Pinot Grigio...and more!

LABOR DAY ALERT: Military Appreciation at Miller's Ale House!

While there is a great reason to visit Miller's Ale House (Town Square Retail Mall on South Strip - Las Vegas Blvd.) this Labor Day (Sept. 3) if you are a Veteran, current serving member or a reserve on the Nation's Armed Forces, this restaurant always has great food with great prices and quite an expansive menu.

I'll get to the Labor Day offer first. As I said above, if you are in that criteria, you will receive 50% off your entree, just show your valid Military ID or VA card and you'll get the discount. Simple as that!

Now, I'll talk more about Miller's dishes. They are known for their generous portions and I have dined her regularly throughout the past two years. On the appetizers side, there is the Chicken Nachos. I remember dining there once and a group of guys all shared it. It was huge! Just huge! So in one of my subsequent visits, I did try it and it was really good. Albeit that it's an appetizer, between sharing it with one other person, I was done. I was full. No entree item needed!

One of my favorite dishes here is their English Style Fish and Chips. No joke, it's an extremely generous portion that I ALWAYS share with someone else. I never tackle this dish alone because overeating simply doesn't feel good. Plus, eating half of the dish - you get the point that it's good. It's got a great type of light breading on it which I appreciate because I feel like I'm eating the fish and not a bunch of coating. It comes with fries and some coleslaw. Price: $9.95 - Trust me. Well worth it! You don't find Fish and Chips at that price for the size anywhere else that I've seen in Vegas.

A specialty of theirs is the Zingers. Boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces that are coated lightly and friend with their special sauces. The coating and the unique sauces is really what makes this an awesome appetizer. A server once mixed Hot with Garlic and that was a great combo!

Every Monday-Friday, Miller's has a Lunch Special menu where there is always an item that is $4.99 and one that is $5.99. These items are usually a sandwich and a dish like Chicken Pot Pie or Meatloaf.

Every night as well, Miller's has a fantastic Dinner Special. I particularly like Mondays because I've tried it before and that's the $10.99 1 1/4 Pound Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs that fall off the bone. It is served with fries and coleslaw. This is another "Share It" dish in my book. It's simply too much to eat it all yourself.

Another day of interest may be Wednesday where it's a 1 1/4 lb steamed Whole Maine Lobster for $14.95. I haven't tried this dish only because I'm allergic to lobster. However, I do know the price of lobster so this definitely seems like a great deal.

The environment at Miller's is that of a sports bar/restaurant one. You have an indoor patio that is covered with their large windows/shutters opened during nice weather and you have the bar and regular family dinner areas. There are many many screens everywhere and you can watch you sports games there as you dine.

So special occasion or not, Miller's always has a great deal.

Mimi's Cafe $5 Happy Hour

Ever since Mimi's Cafe came to Las Vegas, it's consistently been a restaurant that dishes up great food. From breakfast to dinner, they have generous portions and they have some unbelievable breads - carrot raisin nut loaf, blueberry muffin, honey bran etc. The list goes on and on...

They now have Happy Hour and it's a great addition to their menu - which by the way - does feature select All-Day Breakfast items. If you are like me, you can eat breakfast for any meal and it's awesome! 

Mimi's features both food and drinks specials at $5 per item. Happy Hour is Monday-Sunday 4pm-6pm. I snapped a picture of the Happy Hour Menu so I can give you the specifics:

$5 Wine Flights

Red, White & Sparkling

$5 Bistro Bites 

(Add fries to any Bistro Bite for $1)

Crispy Zucchini Parmesan
Chicken Tenders
BBQ Pork Sliders
Signature Cheese & Fruit Plate

$5 White Wines by the Glass
Sparkling (Freixenet)

Riesling (Chateau Ste Michelle)

Pinot Grigio (Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi)
Chardonnay (La Terre)

$5 Red Wines by the Glass
Pinot Noir (Mirassou)
Merlot (Columbia Crest Two Vines)
Cabernet (La Terre)

Cabernet Sauvignon (Robert Mondavi Private Selection)

I haven't tried any of the Bistro Bites, but from the fact that anything I've ordered from Mimi's has been great, I think their track record speaks for itself. I've been a regular diner at Mimi's for the better part of the past ten years and they have been consistent. The serving staff and management are also very friendly. 

If you enjoy Mimi's Cafe like I do, then also join their eClub. They send 2-for-1 coupons quite frequently!

Maggiano's Little Italy on the Strip Happy Hour

I have been known to frequent Maggiano's quite frequently especially when conventions come to town and I'm starving around the 5pm time slot. So, yes, I am typically recognized by the bar staff. They've always had some kind of a Happy Hour, but it seems as though they've just switched it up again with new offerings. This is the latest info I have on this matter.

Happy Hour is from 3-6pm and is available in the Dining Room, Bar and Lounge. This is great because now you aren't fighting for position at the bar and you can comfortably waltz into the restaurant to enjoy some food and drinks. 

Here is their Happy Hour Menu:

$3 Premium Draft Beer: 

Peroni, Stella Artois, Newcastle, Bud Light

$4 Flat Bread Pizzas: 

Margherita, Pepperoni & Arugula, Italian Sausage, Chicken & Roasted Pepper

$5 Wines by the Glass: 

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

$6 Specialty Cocktails: 

Featuring fresh juices and premium spirits...

When it's not Happy Hour, Maggiano's has family sized dishes that are great for sharing. They used to have monstrous portions, but they've scaled it back a little but the items/entrees are still great for sharing. When I go there, I always make some "sharing" agreement with my party because I've seen a lot of first timers order an entree for each person and end up feeling like they want to roll out of there because they are so stuffed. 

What I also like about Maggiano's is that it's attached to the Fashion Show Mall. You can shop before or after your meal, either way, it's good exercise! I also like this restaurant because you have a beautiful view of the Las Vegas Strip from its second floor location. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to find an affordable meal that isn't at tourist prices yet still have that view and ambiance in Vegas, but at Maggiano's you get that!