Working in Vegas

In early 2018 I was asked by my manager at work if I would be interested in taking a temporary assignment.  The job would have me on the road most of the year travelling all over the United Airlines system.  I hoped that I could use these trips to get to more Triple D places.

One of the first stops was Las Vegas.  I have been able to get to several places in Vegas in the past but there were still more to try.  I flew out the day before my work started so I wanted to try to get to a place before the work began.  The flight I took arrived about 1015a and I knew that the hotel wouldn't be ready so I decided to use Uber (my first time) to get to a new place.  "Crepe Expectations" is in the town of Henderson just outside Vegas and is located in an upscale strip mall.  They had inside and outside seating and it was very busy.  I was directed to a seat at a small counter facing the open kitchen,.  Everything is ordered at the counter.  The menu was overwhelming with both sweet and savory crepes.  Many patrons were also enjoying wines and champagne mimosa drinks.

Crepe Expectations in Henderson, Nevada

Menu Board and Open Kitchen area

I was greeted by a very friendly server and asked her to remind me what they had made during their Triple D episode.  She told me that they had made a savory crepe called The Sonora, so that's what I ordered.  She told me that the owner and chef who cooked with Guy had just arrived and he would come over to sign my book while I waited.  Chef Lou came over and is a big guy with a big beard.  He warmly greeted me and signed my book and we took a picture together.  I really enjoyed the place and during my wait I was able to watch the crepe master cooks in action, they were really fast and talented.

The Crepe Expectation chef in action

 My meal arrived, the crepe was filled with Carne Asada Beef, jack cheese, roasted tomato salsa, guacamole and presented with a small side salad.  The crepe was delicious and the salsa gave it a bit of a bite.

My Crepe Expectations meal

I finished up and thanked the staff and then headed in to Las Vegas to start my week.

Chef Lou and I at Crepe Expectations

After my first work day I decided to check out another of the Triple D places in Vegas.  I headed out to a small casino not too far off the strip called the Eureka Casino.  "Fat Choy", inside the casino, advertises themselves as a Pan Asian American Fusion Diner.  The menu has both Asian and American fare and features Chinese Bao Buns and American burgers and sandwiches.  I was greeted by a very warm server and decided to sit at the main counter.  When she saw my Triple D book and I told her about my travels.  I asked her about the show and confirmed that they had made their famous Short Rib Grilled Cheese on their episode, so I decided to try it.  She told me that the Fat Choy burger featured a fried egg which is something Guy doesn't really like.

Eureka Casino Home to Fat Choy 

Fat Choy - Home to Asian American Fare

My Short Rib Grilled Cheese came out very quickly and was served with fries and a tomato dipping sauce.  The sandwich was delicious, grilled to perfection with Cheddar and Jack Cheese and a huge portion of shredded short rib.  The tomato sauce was really unneeded as the sandwich was great on it's own.

The "Guy Ate Here" plaque

Fat Choy's specials board

My Grilled Cheese meal

Delicious!

I was able to have the chef sign my book before leaving.  Not only was the meal delicious but the staff there was great!  Friendly and helpful to everyone who entered.  Fat Choy is worth a try, it's very reasonably priced especially when compared with the places on the Las Vegas Strip.  The staff and quality of the food makes it a real hidden gem!

One of the great things about travelling for work and being a old time employee is that some of my former co-workers have either transferred to moved on to other places and visiting areas where I have friends. In Vegas I have two co-workers that I was really looking forward to seeing.  I planned to meet up with my friend Dave after finishing work on my second day of work.  We headed out of the airport to a place about a 30 minute drive away.  "John Mull Meats and Road Kill Grill" is both a meat market and barbecue joint.  The location is in a residential area just outside the North Las Vegas Airport.  There are a few covered seating areas using wood picnic tables.

John Mull's Meat Market and Road Kill Grill in  North Las Vegas

Dave and I entered the building that served both the meat market and barbecue serving area.  I met the main chef and butcher and he warmly greeted both of us and I told him about my travels and asked him what he recommended on the extensive menu that featured about 10 different meats including ribs, burnt ends and Tri Tip steak.  He said let us get you a sample of the different meats and they proceeded to set up a box filled with ribs, rib tips, burnt ends and Tri Tip, on the house and they were all delicious!

Our complimentary sampler box

We went back and ordered, The manager then gave both of us a John Mull's t-shirt, I was so thankful and will wear it proudly.  Dave decided to try the 2 meat sampler with Hot Link sausages slices and the sliced Tri Tip with Baked Beans and Potato Salad and I chose the Tri Tip Sandwich with a side of Baked Beans.  Both of us got the mild sauce on the side  The Tri Tip was great and perfectly spiced, and the Baked Beans were really good with a nice heat.  I tried one of Dave's Hot Links and it wasn't too spicy in a very tasty sauce.  Both of us agreed that the mild sauce was really good but necessary, as the meat was done so well!

Dave's 2 Meat Combo

My Tri Tip Sandwich

John Mull's excellent baked beans

After finishing I went back in to get my book signed and one of the servers signed.  The owner and pit master was away but I can say that the staff was all wonderful!.  Dave brought me back to my hotel ending a great night of food and reminiscing about the past!

There I am at the Road Kill Grill

Dave at the Road Kill Grill

I made plans after my third day at work with my friend Bob.  Bob and I had worked together over 20 years ago before he transferred to Vegas.  I had met up with Bob on my last trip here and we went to Forte European Bistro.  We decided to go to a classic Triple D place that was featured on one the very first episodes of "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives" and a place that Guy Fieri went to during his days as a student at UNLV.  The "4 Kegs Sports Pub" is north of Las Vegas in a strip mall.  As you enter there is bar area and small area of slot machines.  The dining area is in the back and there are two huge maps that are full of stick pins just for patrons who came in that are fans of the show.  As we entered I recognized Mario, the owner of the 4 Kegs, Guy's friend and the owner who cooked on the show.

4 Keg's Sports Pub in Las Vegas - A Triple D Classic

We found a booth in the dining area that has a lot of signs and decorations, it has the feel of a fun neighborhood "joint".  On their episode Stromboli's were featured so I knew what I wanted.  Our server told us that she would give of the lunch special even though it was too late, which included a small Stromboli, fries and a drink.  I chose the Meatball Stromboli.  My meal came with large cut fries and a side of tasty tomato sauce.  The small Stromboli was pretty large and stuffed with meatball and melted mozzarella cheese.  It was great, the meatballs were very tasty and the sauce really added to the meal.

My Meatball Stromboli at the 4 Kegs

As Bob and I were finishing up Mario came over to sign my book on his page.  After signing we chatted for almost 20 minutes!  He told us that he had just returned from going to Guy's 50th Birthday party in Santa Rosa, California.  The 4 Keg's was one of Guy's college hangouts and when he started the show in 2007 and they were looking for places to feature Guy wanted to do the 4 Kegs as a place he had fond memories of.  After taking a picture with us, Mario had to leave and we headed to.  The 4 Kegs is a must, the food and service are great along with being a special place in the life of Guy Fieri.

Me, Bob and 4 Kegs owner Mario

I met up with Dave again on my last full day in Las Vegas, after work we went to the Paradise area to a very unique place.  "Bachi Burger" is what I would describe as an Asian Fusion Burger joint.  It is located in a small strip mall about 10 minutes from the airport.  We were seated and our server explained the menu and made recommendations focusing on the items that were featured on their Triple D episode.

Bachi Burger in Las Vegas; Asian Fusion meets Burgers

We decided to try the Truffle Fries, with a fried egg on the side.  The fries were topped with a jalapenos, a beef truffle sauce and scallions.  Although I didn't eat the jalapenos they gave the fries and nice heat bite.

Our Truffle Fries appetizer

For our meal I chose the Bahn Mi Burger and Dave chose the Ronin Burger.  My Bahn Mi Burger had a patty made up of angus beef, pork, shrimp and pork pate and topped with fresh herbs, and curry aioli on a brioche with pickled vegetables and a fish dipping sauce called nuoc mam on the side.  Dave's burger was an angus beef burger topped with sweet onion marmalade, Japanese Cole slaw, miso goma dressing, katsu bbq sauce and a fried egg on a brioche bun.  My burger was delicious, I could taste all of the different proteins in the patty and the toppings really added to the taste!  Dave also really enjoyed his burger.  As we finished the chef came out to sign my book and thanked us for stopping by.  

My Bahn Mi Burger

Dave's Ronin Burger

We headed out and Dave brought me back to my hotel, the Paris Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.  I really appreciated his hospitality and it was great seeing him after such a long time.

After I was back at the hotel I decided to take a walk to Guy's Restaurant just a few minutes walk from the Paris Hotel, which is located in The Linq Casino.  "Guy Fieri's Las Vegas Kitchen and Bar" is located on the east end of the casino and has indoor and patio seating.  The place has loads of Guy memorabilia along with pictures and signatures of celebrity patrons.  

Guy's restaurant in The Linq Casino on the Las Vegas Strip

I was seated a small table in the back corner.  On the wall there was painting on the wall that said this was Guy's favorite spot, so I guess I was seated at "THE" table!  I decided to try a dessert and asked my waiter to recommend one of the 5 choices.  He told me to try the Cheesecake and I did.  The massive dessert came; a half a marble cheesecake topped with chocolate sauce with potato chips and pretzels.  The dessert had a unique taste both sweet and salty.  I wasn't sure whether I would like it but it was really good!  I can only describe it as decadent!  The dessert was much to big for me to finish, this dessert would feed up to 4 people!

My table!

My decadent dessert - Marble Cheesecake, Chocolate Sauce, Pretzels and Potato Chips

Guy's unique cloth napkins

Guy's wall of Celebrity Signed plates

I literally waved the "white" napkin on the dessert!  My waiter brought my book back to have the chef and sign t and from there I left and headed back to the Paris to end my day and my work week in Vegas.  As I headed home I was very happy to have been able to get to so many different Tripe D places but to also have been able to visit with tow good friends that I haven't seen in a long time!  My Triple D count was now at 613 and this new travel assignment had just begun!

 

Diversion to South Florida

One of the most asked questions at my 600th Triple D dinner was "What will be 601 ?"  I didn't know the answer to that and I had no Triple D trips planned with two vacations planned, neither had any Triple D places planned but then Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.  My brother Tom, had planned a cruise for us after his Bar Association meeting in San Juan.  The plan was to fly from DC to San Juan a day prior to the cruise and then cruise the next day.  After the devastating storm hit everything changed.  Tom's meeting was moved from San Juan to Atlanta and the hotel contacted me and told me to cancel as they would not be open.  The cruise was still planning to go so I had to hastily change my travel plans.  I called the airline and had my plans changed to leave the Thursday prior to cruise and fly from DC to Fort Lauderdale and then on Saturday morning fly to San Juan,  This gave me an opportunity to get to the last 3 Miami area Triple D places I had yet to try.  The week before my trip I was watching the latest episode ad they did a new Miami area place, VERY COOL!, I could get to a fourth!

I arrived into Fort Lauderdale around 1p and after getting my bags and a car I headed off to my first stop at a place that was open separate hours for lunch and dinner.  "Blue Collar" is a small eatery on Biacayne Boulevard.  I was greeted at the door by the manager and given a table in the middle of the dining room, they also have several tables outside, but as it was upper 80s and humid, I stuck with inside.  Everything on the menu looked really good but the any veggie choices really interested me and I chose the veggie plate.  I chose 4 veggies, there were about 15 veggie choices on the menu.

Blue Collar in Miami

Blue Collar's open kitchen and seating area

I chose Sautéed Brussel Sprouts,  Beets topped with Goat Cheese, Spaghetti Squash, and Cheese Grits as my meal.  The plate came and the portions were larger than I thought.  I had never had beets cooked like this and they weren't as sweet as I have had in the past and that was good as these were delicious and the goat cheese really gave the beets a great taste.  The Sprouts were pretty good.  The Spaghetti Squash was really good, I have not had this dish in years and I have really missed out.  The Cheese Grits were awesome!  Creamy and thick, some of the best I have ever eaten.

My Blue Collar Veggie Meal

I told my server why I was there and asked if I could get my book signed and he took it back t the kitchen to get the Chef to sign it.  The server also told me that the chef had just been interviewed t be a part of Guy's other show, "Guy's Grocery Games".  After paying the bill, I was about to take off, when the server said to me, "What's the rush, the Chef want's you to try the Key Lime Pie".  As some of you may know, Key Lime is my favorite, so I think of myself as an amateur Key Lime expert.  This pie was the best I have ever had!  Tart, with really good Lime flavor and a not too sweet whipped cream topping that cut some of the tartness.  The graham cracker crust was excellent, too!  

Key Lime Pie compliments of the chef at Blue Collar

That was a pretty big meal and as I headed out I decided to head to the hotel to check in and try and get to the other places later.  I knew hat I'd be battling Miami's terrible traffic but I also wanted to enjoy all of the other places that Guy went to.

After a couple of hours rest I headed back into Miami to get to the last few places.  I left at the tail end of the evening rush hour so the traffic heading south into Miami was not as bad as the traffic heading north.  The next two places were really close to each other so I was able to park once and get to both of them.  The area has a lot of stores and restaurants with a huge parking garage, so parking wasn't the challenge, finding the places was!  After walking around the block a few times I finally found  "Sakaya Kitchen" an Asian storefront place with the huge menu written on the chalkboard walls as you enter the restaurant and it was pretty overwhelming, but the staff at the order desk were very helpful. They have both large, sharable plates and small plates so I decided to try one of their Bao Buns.

Sakaya Kitchen in Miami

Inside Sakaya Kitchen, the order area

I had ordered the Soft Shell Crab bun topped with a thin cucumber slice along with a spicy mayonnaise aioli.  The plate came with two slider size buns and it was unreal!  I could have eaten about 6 of these!  The bus were steamed and soft and the spicy aioli was not to spicy.  

My Sakaya Soft Shell Crab Bao Buns

After finishing and getting my book signed the server pointed to my next place which was across a grassy knoll and is actually the sister restaurant to Sakaya.  "Black Brick Chinese" was featured on Triple D just 6 days before my visit.  Black Brick is a sit down place, unlike Sakaya which is more counter service, but like Sakaya hey have both large and small plates.  I decided to try one item from their huge list of Dim Sum menu and one from their Dumpling menu.

Black Brick in Miami, Triple D's newest place

Black Bick's open kitchen

I chose the Shrimp and Scallop Dim Sum pockets and the Lamb Dumplings.  I was attended by numerous servers, they really work great together and even before I received my food they came by several times to make sure I was doing well.  The pockets came first and the three were served in a small steam pot.  They came with soy sauce and a spicy oil.  Shortly after the 4 dumplings arrived served in a say sauce and topped with sesame seeds.  

Shrimp and Scallop Dim Sum

Lamb Dumplings

The Dim Sum was really good, the shrimp scallop were mixed and were really tasty, the soy sauce and spicy oil were both really good and added to the flavor.  The dumplings were really good, a lamb meatball inside the dumpling ad the flavor was great, no extra sauce was needed!  The lamb was really spicy, I was surprised about that!  Before heading out toe of my servers and the chef  who I had seen on Triple D just a few days prior signed my book.  He really didn't understand what I was doing but smiled when he saw Guy's picture on the book!

I headed north out of Miami through Miami Beach  to North Miami to my last stop. "Ivan's Cookhouse" is in a strip mall with a large grocery store and numerous restaurants, you could almost miss it and that would be a shame.  I walked in and was warmly greeted by my server and given a small table.  The place is a bit dark and I needed my flashlight to read the menu, it sucks getting old!  Ivan's has a huge menu that focuses on Latin and Caribbean cuisine. 

Ivan's Cookhouse in North Miami

Ivan's Dining Room and Bar area

While looking over the menu I was presented with a small plate of freshly made plantain chips with a small hummus based dip, which was really good.  The chips were slightly salted and are preferable to potato chips, in my opinion.  I chose from the small plates side of the menu and decided on the Fish Fritters and the small beef kabobs.

Plantain Chips and hummus dip complimentary appetizer

Ivan's Fish Fritters

Ivan's Beef Kabobs

I made some good choices, the 3 fritters were large with some good fish flavor, crunchy deep fried shell and sift breading on the inside.  The three beef kabobs were delicious, marinated perfectly.  Both came with a small mixed green salad and a side of Siracha based sauce, which was a bit too spicy for my taste.  The sauce was really unneeded as both were perfectly spiced.   After finishing I was able to get the Chef to sign my book and he told me that he was getting ready to head out to Santa Rosa in the near future to be a contestant on "Guy's Grocery Games" and he was a winner on another Food Network show, "Chopped".  They have several pictures of Chef and Guy together as well as his Chopped appearance.  I left after a day of great food and meeting great people and as I headed for San Juan and the cruise my Triple D count was at 604!