Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace

If there is one word that defines Vegas, it's excess.  Like a vast quantity of quality items.  The all you can eat buffet really exemplifies this.  One of the best examples of this is the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace.  USA Today rated it as the best buffet in Vegas.  Even though I want to disregard this accolade, I find it hard to think of any other buffet as impressive as this one, other than the one at the Bellagio.

This place is massive.  At first, it didn't seem like it would be that big of a place.  But there are multiple dining rooms and several buffet sections further in the back.  The decor here is a bit more modern and minimalist compared to other buffets like the Bellagio.  I think its pretty swank, but personality I could less.  I'm here for the food.  And there was a lot of it.  So here's a running list of everything that I saw.  I estimate that I probably had 65% of this list.

Seafood: clam bake and mussels Munierè served on metal buckets, faro with braised Swiss chard and radish, lobster and corn chowder, salmon in white wine, paella, boiled crawfish, oyster shooters, snow crab legs, shrimp cocktail, green lip mussels, and raw oysters on the half shell.

The seafood offerings are quite unique.  Most places would serve a whole bunch of fish dishes.  Bacchanal uses more shellfish and fewer fish dishes.  In fact, the only fish dishes that were served were the ceviche and salmon with white wine.  This is the first time I've seen raw oysters in a buffet.  There's also an interesting apparatus for the butter.  The butter dispenser is not only just keeping the butter warm but is also churning it to keep it from hardening.  I just wish they had king crab legs rather than snow crab.

American: parmesan fries and two kinds of tater tots served on mini fryer baskets, beef brisket, lamb chops, turkey breast, artisan chicken sausage, kielbasa, prime rib, fried chicken, buffalo wings, sliders, and mini Chicago hot dogs.

The carved meat section is larger than most places.  Typically, there would be one or two cuts at most, like prime rib and either pork or turkey.  Here, they have six kinds.  This is the first time I've seen sausage or brisket being served.  Personally, I really liked the lamb chops and kielbasa.

Mexican: posole, carnitas, manchaca, rice and beans, and a variety of homemade salsas.

I found out about this section after I finished eating.  So I can't say how good the food was, but any station that makes their own salsas should be a good thing.

Meditarranean: Pizzas, carbonara, risotto, polenta with mushroom Tartuffe, ratatouille, and some cured meats and cheeses.

This is a section that I would have probably passed over if it wasn't for the polenta.  That dish stood out compared to the others.  It is topped with black chanterelle mushrooms and aged parmesan cheese.  The mushrooms had an amazing earthy aroma that was just sublime.

Asian: Thai noodles and curries, salmon, tuna, and shrimp sushi, a variety of Japanese pickles, and a large Chinese section which includes fried rice, Hunan green beans, kung pao chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork, dim sum, and oxtail and ginseng chicken soup.

The Chinese food here wasn't that bad.  The oxtail soup made me really happy.  It is one of my favorite cuts of beef.  Oxtails are very tough, so they are stewed, resulting in meat that is full of flavor.

Dessert: ice cream and mochi scooped to order, dark and white chocolate dipped strawberries, crepe bar with mixed berries, caramel bananas, and Nutella, fruit cobbler, bread pudding, vanilla and chocolate creme brûlée, mango pudding, cupcakes, cookies, macaroons, decadent lollipops like strawberry cheesecake and chocolate fudge, Whoopie pie, apple pie, Oreo pie, key lime pie, pecan pie, carrot cake, flan, tropical cake, chocolate cake, and passionfruit cheesecake.

One word to describe this: heaven.

Oh, and if you were wondering, there is a salad bar as well.

This is the definition of overkill.  There is so much food here its almost impossible to sample a bit of everything.  After eating here I can see why it was rated the best.  Everything here is carefully prepared and of very high quality.  Therefore, everything here is worth eating.  I enjoyed every moment here, up until I was sitting in the toilet.  Even then, I had no regrets.

The all you can eat buffet is something you must try when in Vegas.  Sure, it affirms how fat and excessive Americans are, but the clientele here, or at least on the night I was there, wasn't all fat and bulging out of their clothes.  It was a mixed bag.  Some people were even bringing their hot dates.  I don't know if a buffet is an appropriate place for that kind of occasion, but to each their own.

This is just the dinner buffet.  They also serve breakfast, lunch, and brunch here as well.  For dinner, it's $45.99 Monday-Thursday and $51.99 Friday-Sunday.  Yeah, none of this comes cheap.  But it's an experience that you cannot miss.

Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino
3570 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Lotus of Siam

When you think of the best restaurant in Vegas, what image do you have?  Probably some high end French restaurant in the one the hotels on the Strip that serves a multi-course meal that spans 3 hours.  But what if I told you that it was a Thai restaurant in a dingy strip mall off the Strip?  You probably wouldn't believe it.  But, according to some people, it is.  Welcome to Lotus of Siam.

Being considered as the best restaurant in Vegas, there are a lot of people that dine here every day.  I came here during the peak dinner hours, where the wait was close to an hour.  It’s rightfully so, if the waiting area is filled with accolades and honorable mentions that the restaurant and chef Saipin Chutima have received over the years.  This includes 3 James Beard Awards and considerations as being the best Thai restaurant in the country and the best restaurant in Las Vegas.  How people were able to determine this, I have no idea.  And inside the dining room, the walls are filled with pictures of celebrities and local personalities who have dined here.

Personally, I interpret these accolades as so: it’s a restaurant worth trying when in the area.  Even though I haven't seen any celebrities, there are people who dress and act like celebrities when dining here.  A little obnoxious, but hey, food comes first in my world.

The menu here is expansive, like many Asian restaurants.  There are standard selections like pad Thai, curries, and noodles.  But what sets this restaurant apart from other Thai places is that it is one of the first to serve food from Northern Thailand.  But my family and I didn’t order any of those dishes that night.  Instead, we went with what our waiter recommended us.  These items, with the expection of the soup and dessert, are from the Chef’s Choice section of the menu. 

Seafood Tofu Soup

This is a very refreshing way to begin the meal, even though I prefer salad.  There is squid, scallops, imitation crab, fish, shrimp, tofu, and lettuce.  It's clean, clear, healthy, and soothing.  It's also perfect for the weather here this time of year.  It's around 50° right now, which is still a bit chilly, but not like the East Coast.

Despite the cool apparatus that the soup is served on, it can be difficult to ladle the soup out.  It would be better if a smaller ladle was used for this hot pot.  But then again, that’s why waiters exist.

Crispy Duck Penang

This is duck breast fried and served in Penang curry.  The curry itself contains coconut milk, dried and fresh Thai chilies, and basil.  It might seem like a spicy curry, but the coconut milk neutralizes the capsicum, the heat source in the chilies.  It's quite mild and creamy.  

Garlic Prawns

This is the dish that blew me away.  This is probably the best fried shrimp I've ever had.  The shrimp shell is removed, only leaving the tail intact.  It's then fried and sautéed with garlic and finished with black pepper.  It may be strange to you, but the shells are the best part.  It's like garlic and pepper chips.   The dish itself is worth every accolade and honor received by this restaurant.

Sea Bass with Drunken Noodles

Now, its time for the fish.  The bass is fried in a similar batter to the shrimp, without the garlic.  At first, I thought, $30 for sea bass? What a ripoff.  Well, after doing some research, it turns out the restaurant uses a specific type of sea bass commonly eaten in Thailand (ปลากะพง).  Commonly called Asian sea bass, it is known as barramundi in Australia.  It goes on top of flat noodles in a sauce made of Thai chilies and basil.   But being in a family that doesn’t eat spicy food, there were very little chilies in this version.  Yes, they can alter the spiciness in the dish to your liking.  It was still good nevertheless.  But, I don't like that.  Sometimes, you gotta have some pain in a moment of pleasure.  Talk about spicing it up...

Fried Banana Roll with Coconut Ice Cream

At first, I was expecting that it would be deep fried banana slices with ice cream. Well, it’s sort of like that, but with a twist.  The banana is wrapped in a spring roll.  So unique and delicious.  Warm caramelized banana in a crusty wrapping…enough said.  The ice cream is great as well.  I like to scoop some of it onto the roll. 

I don’t know if this is the best restaurant in Las Vegas.  All I can say is that it is a damn good one, and a great value especially compared to the splurges in the trendy, high-end hotspots on the Strip.  In reality, there is no such thing as the best restaurant anywhere.  And it certainly holds true for Vegas, where there are a lot of great restaurants.  Just know that sometimes, they can be in the places you may not expect. 

Endnote: If you are in or planning to be in Las Vegas and want to come here and not wait as long as I did, make reservations at least a couple days in advance.  The strip mall has a big parking lot, but it is a very ghetto area.  If you don’t feel comfortable in these sort of places, do what many people do and take a cab from your hotel and have them wait for you.   

Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89104

Point Loma Seafood's

Being right on the coast, one would expect that San Diego has some good seafood, right?  While driving around the Harbor Island area, my family and I came upon a small seafood market and restaurant.  Since this place is situated right on a marina, they have access to some of the freshest seafood this side of the Pacific.

This place sells seafood bought from local fishermen and importers as well as prepared seafood dishes.  Nothing fancy about the food here.  Just salads, sandwiches, platters, soups, and even sushi.  They also bake their own sourdough bread, which is really good.

What everyone usually comes here for is the cod sandwich.  Three Alaskan cod filets are deep fried and served with pesto mayo on sourdough.  Now, I'm not a big fan of mayo, but I do love pesto.  To me, pesto is the savory version of peanut butter or Nutella.  It's simple, delicious eating at its finest.

There is a major section of the restaurant dedicated to hot smoked fish.  They use a wide variety of dish such as salmon, halibut, swordfish, yellowtail, wahoo, and tuna.  There is a variety of salmon parts that are smoked including the filet, belly, and collar.

My personal favorites are the salmon collar and belly.  Both pieces are very oily, which is a good thing.  These are omega-3 fatty acids.  And they are more palatable than the filets in my opinion.  The filets only consist of meat.  So when it's exposed to heat, it dries out quickly since there is no place to attain the moisture.  That's were the fat and bones come in.  The bones maintain the moisture in the meat while the fat adds moisture.  The end result is fish butter.  Goes great on bread, by the way.

There's also tuna jerky.  I don't eat jerky, so I'm kind of a novice with this.  It was quite chewy and hard, but I guess that's typical of jerky.  But this is packed with lots of smoky flavor from the cooking process.

There's indoor and outdoor seating, both with great views of the marina.  I wish I could have enjoyed it, but I had places to go and things to do.  And that's my last taste of San Diego for this trip.

Point Loma Seafood's
2805 Emerson St
San Diego, CA 92106

Ferry Building Farmers Market

When I get disappointed with something, it's usually hard for me to change that.  That is the case with my first day in San Francisco.  I was disappointed in not being able to see the city in its true form: independent, forward thinking, and locally conscious.  However, that all changed when I discovered the Ferry Building, which so happens to be a few blocks from my hotel.  I finally found a place that really defines each aspect of the city.

The iconic Ferry Building, once exclusively a ferry terminal connecting to other ports in the Bay Area, now houses one of the most amazing array of vendors selling mostly local products and produce along with some unique food items.  I first saw the building at night and I thought it was beige colored like most buildings.  So I was shocked when it turns out it is light blue.  But back to the main food.

The indoor market is open daily but the outdoor market opens on certain days.  I was lucky to come here on Saturday when every vendor was open.  Here are some of the vendors that I really liked.

San Francisco Fish Company

I love a good fish market.  Although this place is quite small, there is a lot to love about this place.  In fact, I love it so much that it made feel much better about San Francisco and my trip.  There is a variety of seasonal fish sold here as well as hot food.  There were breakfast burritos made with some of the seafood.  But the first sight you see coming here is freshly shucked oysters and clams.  At $2 each, this is a great deal.

On the first day I came, there was sea urchin.  I asked if they could extract the roe or uni, for me and they said yes.  This was an opportunity that I knew I had to take.  At $12.99 a pound, this is a great deal.  This uni was just under a pound.  Even though there is still some grit after careful cleaning, it has some amazing flavor to it.  It's really hard to describe the taste, but I can tell you that this uni had a layer of sweetness and brine to it.  The urchins comes in once a week, and this shipment sold out later in the day.

On the second day I came here, three hours before I left for Las Vegas, my family and I came here for a breakfast of raw Cherrystone clams from Long Island, dungeness crab, Clam chowder, and their house made gravlax, or cured salmon.  The curing seasonings on the gravlax light and mellow enough to not overpower the salmon.  The crabs have been boiled and chilled, allowing the meat to firm up and not stick onto the shells.  The chowder was surprisingly good, despite it not being a local specialty (that would be cioppino).  It starts with a house made fish stock, then heavy cream, potatoes, and clams are added.

Acme Bread Company

Living in the suburbs, it's nearly impossible to get good quality bread.  With I had on my last day here, I got a sweet baguette to go with my seafood feast.  It has to be some of the best bread I have ever had.  The crust was absolutely perfect.  Most of the flavor of the bread comes from the crust, so it's important to the bake the bread properly.  Most bread that you get from the supermarket are half baked or less, leading to a softer crust that I'm guessing is more safer and easier for kids to eat.  That has got to change.

Boccalone

This is a salumeria, a shop that sells Italian style cured meats.  They cure salted pork parts in their own curing room.  They serve hot and cold sandwiches with cured meats and salumi cones and platters.  I got a small platter with capocollo, wild fennel and orange salami, and mortadella with pistachios.  My favorite of the three is capocollo since it had meat and fat, which makes for lots of flavor along with the salt cure.

Sōw

This outdoor vendor sells a small variety of mixed juices.  These are all very interesting and bizarre combinations especially coming from an East Coaster.  All of the ingredients used here are locally sourced.  Since I caught a cold, my parents thought it would be funny to get the Prescription, which has apple, orange, celery, kale, mint, and parsley.

There are many layers of flavor in this one juice.  It starts with the apple and orange, which is then followed by a strong pronouncement of celery.  Last comes the mint and parsley, which freshens the mouth after swallowing.  Initially, I didn't think that it would do anything to me let alone cure me, but I felt this rush of energy and warmth up and down my body.  Thursdays and Saturdays.

Bella Viva Orchards

Fresh and dried fruits are sold at this outdoor vendor.  The fruits are grown in California and dried with sulfates.  Because of the sulfates, they are not organic, but it doesn't mean that they aren't great tasting.  I got half a pound of both the regular and white peaches, which were bursting with sweetness.  Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Ferry Building
1 Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA 94111

Cooking Papa

For my last night in San Francisco, I spent time with my cousins who live south of the city.  Disappointed by the lack of good Chinese restaurants in the part of the city where I was staying, I hoped that the suburbs would have some gems, just like back home.  San Francisco is home to one of the largest Chinese populations in the country, and many of them live in the suburbs.  While Cantonese speakers dominate the city, out in the suburbs, it's mostly Mandarin.  But what both have in common is their love of Cantonese cuisine.

What I like about Cooking Papa is that each item on the menu is authentic and has a picture for reference.  There are no Americanized dishes served here.  Here, they serve Hong Kong style snack foods like noodles and roasted meats as well as the banquet style dinner plates which I have chronicled in previous posts.  For this dinner, we had a banquet style meal again with a hint of snack food.

Fish Stomach Soup

Soup is always the first course of every meal.  The soup is made from dried fish stomach and egg drops.  It may look like a horror movie, but it tastes really good.  The soup has a very nice clean flavor and the stomach and egg provides depth.  The fish stomach is flavorless and has a chewy texture.  To add flavor, people would add a few drops of red vinegar.

Pork Belly

Roast pork is one of my favorite Cantonese barbecue dishes.  A whole pig is roasted in an open fire or, nowadays, a pit oven until the skin crisps up.  It's rare to see just the belly being served.  Crispy skin on top of layers of fat and meat.

Hainan Chicken

This is just a half chicken cooked in its broth and then cooled in ice water.  It's served with sweet chili and minced ginger sauces.  To my surprise, it didn't come with rice and was served quite cold rather than lukewarm.

Congee with Seafood and Peanuts

Congee is typically snack food, which you don't see served in a banquet meal.  But this is a family favorite.  Typically, this is just a rice porridge with peanuts and squid.  But, there is something different about this version.  There is pork tripe, scallops, shrimp, and fish as well.  I believe that this is the West Coast version.  It's probably the most decadent congee that I have ever had.

Dungeness Crab

Being here in the Bay Area, it was necessary for me to try the local seafood.  And dungeness crab is probably the most notable.  I had this crab every day I was in the area.  It's more difficult to eat compared to lobster and blue crab.  The legs are cracked at certain points to, but I still needed to use a nutcracker to actually break into the hard shells.  The meat is not as tasty as the blue crab, but still worth eating anyways.

Peking Duck

I was so happy to see this on the menu as I haven't had this dish in 2 years.  The process of making this dish is more complex than roast duck.  The duck is dried for a day before being roasted, making the skin more crispier.  Underneath the skin is some duck meat.  There is buns, scallions, and hoisin sauce to eat the duck.  Now if I could only find a place closer to home that makes this dish well.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

This is my sister's favorite dish.  It's deep fried shrimp, lathered in a honey mayo sauce, and served on a bed of diced cucumbers and roasted walnuts.  The cucumbers are a different touch.  Back east, I'm used to broccoli.  Even though I hate mayonnaise, I love the sweetness that the sauce has.

Hong Kong Style Egg Puffs

Unlike most Chinese restaurants, this place doesn't give complementary dessert at the end of the meal.  They do, however, have some very unique selections.  These are puffs of fried egg batter topped with powdered sugar.  They're like Chinese donuts.  Even if the saying goes sugar makes everything better, these puffs are good without it.  It's slightly crusty on the outside and fluffy and sweet on the inside.  These are best fried dough I've ever had.

This was a great way to close out my last night in Bay Area.  I feel disappointed for only staying for 2 full days, since that is clearly not enough time to explore the city.  But at least I have some reference points when I return.  San Francisco is the perfect city for this blog, since there are so many great eateries.  Its suburbs are no different either, especially with places like Cooking Papa.

Cooking Papa
949A Edgewater Blvd
Foster City, CA 94404

Other location:
2803 Homestead Dr.
Santa Clara, CA 95051

G&M Restaurant and Lounge: Biggest and Best Crab Cakes I've Had

While heading out to the West Coast for a much needed vacation, I learned that my flight from Baltimore to Chicago and San Francisco had been canceled.  This meant that we had to stay over in a nearby hotel for the night.  Oh, the nightmare of winter traveling.

After having our flight rescheduled, we managed to find a hotel in nearby Linthicum.  On the way there, our driver recommends us to this seafood restaurant that is known for there crab cakes.  After hearing that, I knew we had to try it.  After all, Maryland is all about crab cakes.  

This restaurant and its menu is very big.  There are multiple dining rooms.  I'm usually not a big fan of these kinds of restaurants as they tend to focus on quantity over quality.  To be honest, I can't determine whether that holds true for this restaurant as my family and I came here mostly for the crab cakes.  We did order some appetizers but that was about it.  Being known for their crab cakes, G&M also ships them across the country.  But it's best to have them at the restaurant where they are made fresh daily.

The clientele here is old.  We were surrounded by people in their 40s, 50s, and older.  But sometimes, old guys know a thing or two about good food.  One bite of these cakes and I have to say: these are the best crab cakes I ever had as well as the most unique.  There are some major distinctions between a G&M cake and many others.

1. Size

They're huge!  Like the size of softballs.  Just one would be a complete meal on its own.  

2. Contents

Many restaurants' and packaged crab cakes contain some crabmeat and substantial amounts of filler, like breadcrumbs.  At G&M, the crab cakes contain almost no filler.  Just jumbo lump crab meat and some seasonings and spices.  More bang for your buck right there.  

3. Cooking Method

Most crab cakes are pan or deep fried.  G&M cakes are broiled.  This method eliminates the oily mouth feel and enhances the crabmeat flavor.  It's a win-win for those that are health conscious.

4. Value

The crab cakes come are part of a platter consisting of two sides and a small salad.  You can choose either a single crab cake ($18) or two ($28).

So yeah, this meal was so good that I forgot about the agony that my family and I faced after having to reschedule our flight for the next day.  Well, not really because that meant a lost day in San Francisco and less blogging.  There is also carry out done here as well in another part of the building, although the food is not as good as eating it at the restaurant.

G&M Restaurant and Lounge
804 Hammonds Ferry Rd
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090

Silver Fountain

This place is most known as a place for dim sum for weekend lunches, but my family and I came here during the week for dinner.  The good thing about this is that it’s not as loud, allowing for a more peaceful and quiet meal.  The dinner menu is pretty standard Cantonese food, with individual entrees and set banquet meals of different sizes depending on how many people are in your party or in our case, how hungry we were.

We came here on a special occasion.  And so, to celebrate, we needed a special meal.  With a family of 5, it would be obvious to get a set course for 6 or 4 with a few additions.  But then, we noticed that the dishes served for 8 and 10 people were of much higher value than those of 6 or less.  So we got the 8-person set.  And better yet, the waiters didn’t make any snide remarks about our choice and were actually pleased we made the “right” choice.

Dry Scallop Soup

The soup is served on a large bowl, which the waiter spoons into these smaller bowls.  The soup contains fresh and dried scallops, enoki mushrooms, ginger, and bamboo shoots.  The ginger gives it a refreshing and tingling sensation that cleanses the palate and makes you ready to continue with the meal. 

Cold Cut Platter

This includes terrines of pig’s foot and beef topped with jellyfish and pickled vegetables.  Everything here is made in house.  It looks French, but it’s very Chinese.  Very few people realize that Chinese cuisine involves meat arts similar to French charcuterie and Italian salumi. 

Steamed Chicken

This is essentially a fresh, not frozen, chicken steamed and served with a ginger sauce on the side.  It’s simple, basic, and delicious.  Personally, I like to eat the dark meat as is and put some ginger on the white meat. 

Seafood and Vegetable Stir Fry

Shrimp, scallop, and squid are wok fried with Chinese broccoli, snap peas, carrots, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms.  This is the most colorful dish of the set.

Mushrooms and Bok Choy

This is shiitake and oyster mushrooms on top of bok choy.  Even though the menu says there is abalone, the oyster mushrooms are substituted since it has a “similar” texture and taste.  If there were real abalone, the whole dinner would be double the current price.  These are some of the best tasting mushrooms out there.  The stems of the oyster mushrooms are thinly sliced before cooking.  The majority of shiitakes available are dried, which means they need to be rehydrated for at least a day before cooking.  This prevents them from spoiling and preserves its nutrients. 

Twin Lobsters

Here we have two whole lobsters fried whole, cut up, and stir fried with lots of onions and ground pork.  The onions make this dish very aromatic and go very well with rice.  This style of cooking originated from the fishing villages of what is now the Aberdeen area of Hong Kong.  Back in the day, the ingredients would be cooked on a large flat, round pan.  The lobster is cut up making it easier to extract the meat off the shell.  Don’t forget to eat the tamale, or head fat.  I know I wouldn’t.

Whole Flounder

This has to be one of the coolest fish presentations I have ever seen.  The meat of the flounder is stir fried with vegetables and served on the fried carcass.  The carcass itself is edible, including the head.  That’s why a knife is usually provided with this dish.  There is still some meat stuck on the bones, which you can suck along with the fried batter. With the head, you can just bite through it.  This is a perfect opportunity to experience an umami taste.  

Cantonese Chicken Chow Mein

This dish contains egg noodles, which are boiled, then fried, and covered with a sauce of chicken, bean sprouts, and other vegetables.  The sauce makes a top layer of soft noodles while the bottom layer remains crispy.  Since we were celebrating a birthday, it is customary for everyone to eat the noodles, as they symbolize longevity.

Filet Steak

The final entrée of the set is beef and onions simmered in a sweet and savory sauce.  I’m not exactly sure of the cut used, but my guess would be the top round or even skirt considering its slight chewiness. 

There was also dessert included.  It was sliced oranges and tapioca soup with taro.  For $168, I say this is a great deal.  There is every food group available in this meal.  There is also a variety of cooking techniques used for each dish.  Even though there are many restaurants in the area that serve similar food, I think that this place is among the best if not the best.  What makes a meal here special is that the chef himself is superb. 

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20906