part two of the las vegas update – during which I visit the famed cheesecake factory and jamba juice.
these chains are well-famous – one on the excessively calorific end of the spectrum, and the other a well-known purveyor of fruit-and-health-in-a-cup.
nothing says las vegas like bright neon lights advertising a bit of harmless (or not quite so harmless) gambling.
I’ve got to admit, it’s not my favorite city. I associate las vegas with stale smoke, seedy joints (even the hotel lobbies feel seedy in nice places), and loud, aggressive people. the last time I visited this place, I was young enough that only the sphinx made an impression, and this time – I can add exorbitantly cut-throat expensive dining to that list of why-I’m-not-so-impressed.
I was there for work, which meant limited time to enjoy their many food options, although I did have the chance to try out what the land-of-blue-and-red is really known for: their not-quite-fast-food-(but-almost) diner-eateries.
part two-and-final of my trip to chicago – and I think, really, that shot of the sandwich says it all. it’s amazing eating and great shopping in a beautiful city – and can I please lament how insignificant a single person’s appetite is?
I tried my best to eat, and walk off the food, just so I could stuff more things in – and only barely scratched the surface of this gastronomic paradise. but, all the more there is to return to!
I had the chance this july to head to chicago, and I love it. love it.
it’s an amazing city full of eating, and eating, and shopping – and those are my favorite things to do, ever. I was so excited planning the trip up: there are just so many restaurant recommendations on both yelp and chowhound, and refinery29 and serious eats – I nearly went into hysterics just the few days before going up.
singapore may be a good place for an eater, but chicago (and london, incidentally) takes gastronomy to another level.
(a late post from last month!)
welcome to the USA! land of large serving sizes and a curious mixture of food. I was in Pasadena for about 3 days and this was the first restaurant I went to, albeit chosen for its affordability to students.
it was a curious mix of food as I shall soon explain, and though everything tasted
relatively decent and more than edible, I was so confused by the endless stream of dishes coming out. what’s more, this was a set that was planned for our party by the restaurant which really should have paved the way for more coherence, but didn’t.
we started the meal with a mixture of hummus, tabbouleh and raitas with pita bread, all very tasty, especially since the bread was warm. soon after came a heavily dressing-doused greek-style salad with hard cheese and olives – so doused that you could see a layer of dressing on the bottom of the plate.
mains followed, starting with an italian vegetable lasagne that was cheesy and sloppy (but in a good way) as well as a middle-eastern chicken kebab dish. the chicken was very good though oily, and had lovely charred parts. it was served on a pita bread that I think was meant to soak up the oil but really the surface of pitas aren’t conducive to that kind of responsibility so it was oily enough to blot on a napkin.
we were then served a potato dish that no one at the table touched. it was basically sitting in a centimetre of oil – yuck. the rice pilau that followed – very persian – was also very oily though apparently rather flavourful; I didn’t touch it myself.
our last main course was another pasta – this time a creamy salmon mushroom carbonara. this was tasty but by this time we were all stuffed, and could only a few pieces of salmon.
I think through this meal we traversed quite a bit of europe and the middle east, and it has been one of the most confusing meals I’ve had in a while. there was enough food leftover to pack 4 large trays to bring back, and that is typical of the other meals I had here. I’m not sure I would come back, but I’m told that this place is good for value in the area and good for students and so perhaps it might suit your needs.
andmorefood 