Traveling through food: Ethiopian

When we can’t take a plane to travel around the world or to our favorite destination, we can always travel through food. I LOVE exploring ethnic restaurants and trying culture cuisines. And Las Vegas, with its international cuisine marketplace, makes it so easy for me.

Most of you know that I am adventurous, but I confess that when it comes to eating strange or exotic food, this picky eater scores low.

That’s not to say that I don’t try. All the opposite. In fact, ethnic dining has been a lifestyle for many, many years. In California I belonged to a group that exclusively attended ethnic restaurants on a monthly basis.

If I go to an ethnic restaurant and I don’t like the food, no problem. As long as I didn’t spend a fortune on my meal, I see that as my gain, not a loss of money or time. I’m happy to know that I got to know the restaurant and it gives me the authority to say that I don’t like that food. To me that’s better than saying you haven’t tried that food or you “think” you don’t like it. And, of course, there are always exceptions to the rules. I know that there are certain bizarre dishes that I will never have the courage to try. I leave that to Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. They are pleased to do the job for us.

Ok, today was the turn for Ethiopian food. First time for me.

Before I continue, watch this video to see what Ethiopian food is all about.




The above video is an accurate illustration of our experience today. Maybe we were more talkative and louder. And I am desperate to report that I liked the food.

We ordered three platters, which we shared among the group. When the food was placed on the table, it looked good, it smelled good and I was ready for the attack.

Not on the top of my favorite food list, but I liked it, had a good time, a new experience, and there will a second time. My kind of dining adventure.

Chocolate Fountain - B e l l a g i o

A couple of weeks ago, I sent an email to my friends telling them to look forward to my post about the Chocolate Festival & Pastry Show at the Venetian on July 7. Right after sending the email I was devastated to learn that the discount code that I was given to buy a VIP ticket for $30 was sold out. That left me with only two options: pay $75 for the VIP ticket or $45 regular admission. I opted for none.

So here I am, feeling guilty for not fulfilling my promise.

There is nothing in Las Vegas today that I could write about to make it up to you. Nothing can match the Chocolate Festival and Pastry Show at the Venetian.

So this is the best I can do. Not a festival, but it has chocolate. A lot of chocolate. It’s the Chocolate Fountain at the Bellagio.

This is a spectacular glass fountain displaying melted series of chocolate cascades. It’s an impressive work of art.

The fountain’s full height is 27-feet, but only 14-feet can be seen within the shop. This is the tallest chocolate fountain in the world.

Two tons of melted dark, milk and white chocolate circulates inside the sculpture.

The designer of this beauty is Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury, who has created chocolate sculptures for years. He states that each of the chocolates behaves very different, so he had to be aware of that in the design, which made it very challenging. You don’t have to be an expert in calculus to know the detailed work and engineering that took to create this fountain.

Last but not least, the patisserie has beautiful and enticing pastries, fine cakes and chocolate sculptures.

Select some music and enjoy the pictures.

Ok, this is it. Friends, I tried.

Las Vegas Shrimps Are Going Green

Since my previous post was about lobster, I decided to continue in the same line of crustaceans and talk today about shrimps - Las Vegas shrimps.

A peculiar thing about some of the shrimp we eat in Las Vegas is that it’s grown in Las Vegas.  Grown in a farm.  IN A FARM?  Growing shrimps in the desert?  That was my reaction when I first learned about this fact.

As anyone can imagine, Las Vegas is a major consumer of shrimps with its numerous hotels and myriad of restaurants. Visitors and locals eat 22 million pounds of shrimps annually.

But there’s a problem with shrimp.  Shrimp is known for being the dirtiest of all seafood.  I have seen it many times in the lists of fish you should never eat.  Most shrimp is pulled by fishermen from polluted waters.  So, now that I have killed your appetite for shrimps, I have some good news and bad news.

I’ll start with the good news.

Last year a fish farm called Blue Oasis Shrimp Farm opened in North Las Vegas.  It’s about 30 miles from the Strip.  This is a state-of-the art $5 million operation.   At this farm the shrimps are harvested in tanks.  The water in the tanks in which the shrimp are grown is constantly recycling.  The shrimps are fed with algae and seafood protein.  These shrimps are 100% all natural.  Blue Oasis is expecting to grow half million pounds of shrimps a year.

These shrimps are being served at 17 high-end restaurants on the Strip.  Two of the hotels serving these shrimps are Mandalay Bay and Hard Rock Café.  They can also be bought at Albertson’s by the pound.

But what about the taste?  I cannot attest to that because I have not tried them yet.  But I can assume that if they are being served at high-end restaurants in Las Vegas, the product has to be good.  I do know that Executive Chef Mike Minor at Border Grill, Mandalay Bay, liked them.

I’m not crazy about shrimps, but once in a while I enjoy eating a jumbo shrimp cocktail from the Gulf Coast served with a glass of wine. Well, that was before the oil spill, anyway.  I'm curious to try these shrimps.  I need to put one of these restaurants on my To Go List.  I think another Vegas mantra is in place:  what’s grown in Vegas, must be eaten in Vegas.  I admit that when I first heard about this, I was skeptical.  But now, I’m ready for the shellfish adventure.

Okay, now the bad news.

The bad news is that 90% of the shrimp eaten in Las Vegas come from China and Southeast Asia.  These shrimps are full of preservatives and they are frozen before they are shipped.  By the time these frozen shrimps arrive to their destination, they are a little tough and chewy.  The shrimps from Blue Oasis are never frozen so they are fresh. 

The second bad news is that to eat these farmraised shrimps I would imagine comes with a price tag.  I say that because, so far, only high-end restaurants on the Strip are serving the shrimp.  I think that I will wait until they are sold at Rubio’s (just kidding, this is the cheapo in me).

Go green!  Now you can do so by eating organic shrimps with no chemicals, no antibiotics, no pesticides or preservatives and mercury free. Cool!

Dozens of tanks filled with 50,000 shrimp each

Blue Oasis recycles all the water in its self-cleaning tanks

Algae Food

Lobster Me

Lobster ice cream, anyone?  - - No? 

How about lobster mac and cheese?  Sounds better?

These are some of the items on the menu at the place where I had lunch today.

It was about 3 pm, I hadn’t had lunch yet and obviously I was starving.  I was driving close to the Strip, so I decided to stop at Planet Hollywood to have lunch at a place that I spotted last time I was there. 

I decided to give myself a little treat since it was almost the end of the week and my last two weeks were somewhat problematic.   

The place I went today for lunch it’s called Lobster Me.  Ok, this is not a fancy restaurant where you can easily spend a fortune to eat lobster.  And then, what happens when you order lobster at one of these restaurants?  Lobster goes best with a fine glass of wine.  I mean, who will order lobster and then a cheap glass of wine.  Case in point, we all know that lobster meals are pricey. 

But you know me.  I am now living la dulce vita, frugal style, but I don’t let that stop me from having a good meal every now and then.  So today was the turn for lobster, without breaking my wallet.

Lobster Me is located at the Miracle Mile Shops at  Planet Hollywood.  This is lobster a la food court.   “Me” is the abbreviation for Maine since the lobster they feature comes from Maine in the Atlantic coast.  They claim to have the world’s best lobster roll.  With that claim, who can resist.

As the name implies, this place is all about lobster.  The menu items include lobster on a stick, lobster salad, everything lobster – including lobster ice cream.  Wow!  The Wow is not for the lobster ice cream, it’s for the price:  $8.50!  They are open daily from 9 am to 11 pm.

The first thing that I did was to ask for a sample of the lobster ice cream (of course).  The lady over the counter handed me the traditional sample spoon.  I didn’t taste the lobster.  It was sweet, more like vanilla ice cream to me.  After my curiosity was satisfied, I was ready to order my lunch.

I ordered a small size of the lobster roll combo.  That consisted of a lobster roll, fries and a small soda.  I did not know what to expect about this food.  After all, this was kind of a fast food lobster place, never before seen by me at any other place.  But curiosity kills me.  I didn’t want to go one more time to PH and pass by this place just to procrastinate again my visit.  Today was the day.  I was hungry, I had the time and I had received a small refund check in the mail from my insurance company. 

Umm, delish!  The roll had big chunks of lobster, good seasoning, not too much mayo and excellent bread.  I didn’t care much for the fries.

Now, let me be clear.  I’m not saying here that this was the best lobster I ever had.  But it was good and considering that this is a casual dining place, I have no complaints whatsoever.  In fact, I can’t wait to go back.

The cost of my meal, including tax, was $21.  Where else in Las Vegas can you have lobster for $21?  If you know, please let me know.

This lunch made my day.  And I did “try” lobster ice cream.  Never thought I would.

[I hate when Blogger highlights my text in the most awkward places and without my authorization.  And I don't know how to fix it, that's the worst part.  Work in progress.] 

WORLD'S BEST LOBSTER ROLLS -  USA

Lobster ice cream

From my Inbox

This morning I found this message in my Inbox sent by my good friend Gerald Port.  I think it's worth sharing.


When God wants to bless you, He sends a person in your life. 
When the devil wants to destroy you, he sends a person in your life. 
How can we tell the difference?  By knowing your people connections. Your success depends on the quality of people you are connected to, and there are two types of people you'll come in contact with throughout your lifetime: 

  1) Those who add and multiply, making you more than you are; 
  2) And those who subtract and divide, thereby devaluing you. 

Never allow people into your life without knowing their agenda. 
Find out where they came from and why they want to be connected to you. When a person is in your life and your life is declining, they are not a God connection! 

A healthy connection will protect your self-worth even when you're
experiencing a season of pain or struggling with a failure in your life. 

A true God connection will never abandon his assignment until you reach your full potential!  

Stay Blessed & Have an Awesome God-Inspiring Week! 


(thanks Jerry)

Las Vegas Neon Museum

As I write this post, I’ve been living in Las Vegas for two and a half years.  And I’m still on vacation mode.  I’m still discovering.  I’m still exploring.  Not a dull moment yet.

Las Vegas is such a fun city and it has so much to offer to visitors and locals as well.  There’s so much to do, not only during the weekends, like in many cities, but every single day. 

And yes!  I love modern Vegas with all the latest technology.   

But sometimes I get nostalgic.  Sometimes I wonder where did old Vegas go.  Where is the Vegas that I knew twenty five years ago.  Where is the Las Vegas we saw in so many old movies and commercials.

Many of the old hotels have been demolished, the rat pack no longer exist and Elvis, yes the king is alive, but only through tons of impersonators around the Strip.

Ah... but there’s a little something we still have that allows us to bring back those old memories.

The old neon signs. 

Many of the missing signs and landmarks can be found at the Neon Sign Museum on the Freemont Street Gallery, available 24 hours, free of charge.

Below are a few pictures I took last year when I went to check them out.

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This is my favorite neon sign:  the Aladdin lamp of the Aladdin Hotel. This is the hotel where Elvis & Priscilla Presley got married. But that's not the reason for being my favorite.  The Aladdin was the hotel I stayed in during my first visit to Las Vegas and I was in love at the time, so memories, memories. The Aladdin closed its doors on November 27,1997 and was imploded in April 1998.