Days 7 & 8 - Las Vegas

Day 7 in Las Vegas was the SO's birthday. My plan was to head out for a day in Death Valley and then to head back to Vegas so he could have sushi for dinner. So, there's not much to write about unless you want to hear about how much he loved the dead sea critters he ate at a local place that our hosts recommended, Sushi Avenue (and treated us to--thanks again for dinner!). Me, I had a vegetable roll and some veggie tempura.

Day 8 was another day meant for relaxation and hanging out with our hosts. But it was also our last night in town and the last opportunity to see the fountains at the Bellagio (cancelled due to wind when we were on the Strip Saturday night), so I referred back to some of the notes I'd taken before the trip and decided on Agave, a high-concept Mexican junt near where we were staying and just across the street from the Red Rocks Casino.

Typically, I'm against high-concept restaurants where it feels like the menu was created by the marketing department rather than by a chef, but one thing I will say about those types of restaurants is that you can always count on them to serve pretty good food. And Agave actually served very good food.

They start you out with a trio of salsas on a cute little stand. There's a salsa verde, a red salsa (with a tast of lime and cilantro) and a smoky black bean salsa. All three were excellent. The red salsa in particular tasted very bright and fresh.

We ordered guacamole as an appetizer before we saw the salsa trio. We probably wouldn't have ordered it, but I'm glad we did. It was fresh and chunky (I love big chunks of avocado in my guacamole) and very good. And the portion was huge. We couldn't finish it (and I rarely leave good guac behind).

For dinner, I struggled in choosing between the portabella mushroom tamale and the potato and portabella mushroom tacos. I decided on the tacos on the server's recommendation and was not disappointed. Normally, I wouldn't eat a taco stuffed with potato (hellooooo, starch) but I was curious about how they'd blended these tastes into something that was, well, Mexican. Obviously, the asadero cheese, cilantro and lime helped a lot. In fact, the potato seemed to be there mostly for its texture, which worked well with the mushrooms and lettuce. It was cooked just enough to be fluffy at first and then creamy once chewed. And I know I mentioned the lime, but I was very appreciative of how generous they were with the limes, allowing a wedge for each taco. Because I really love lime juice, particularly with Mexican food. Anyway, there were three tacos on my plate and I just couldn't make it through the third one, even though I tried really hard. That potato takes up a lot of room in ye olde stomach. But the SO was kind enough to nearly polish it off, despite having three tacos of his own (he went for the taco sampler--again, filled with sea critters though only after joking with me about ordering the goat).

Obviously, there was no room for dessert. This was an incredibly filling and satisfying meal. Even an hour later when we were at the Paris casino, I had no interest in a dessert crepe. Whew. Agave: thumbs up.

Next up: our last day in Las Vegas ends with a treat at Bagel City.

Day 6 - back in Las Vegas

Tuesday morning, I was eager to get up and finally see my hosts (who were in Memphis for the weekend). After a little catching up and finally meeting baby Eli (born in September), we headed out for lunch to In-N-Out.

Yes, this is still a vegetarian blog, but I'd promised the SO that we'd go and I remembered from a previous trip that they had some rockin' french fries (prepared for frying on site daily!). I also knew of the not-so-secret secret menu that had some vegetarian-friendly items. So I ordered the grilled cheese, fries and a strawberry milkshake.

Oh. Oh.

Generally speaking, I think that "American cheese" is an oxymoron. Though I grew up loving the stuff, you can't easily get me to eat a Kraft single. And don't even ask me about Thousand Island dressing--I don't touch the stuff. But this sandwich was delicious. I don't know--maybe I was extra hungry (I did send the SO inside for another order of fries), but it was one of the most enjoyable sandwiches I've had in a while. And the fries--they really are very good. Crisp and tasty, not too oily and never limp. When In-N-Out talks about their food quality, they ain't lyin'.

Could I have lived without the second order of fries? Yes, but I think my life is that much better for having them. In-N-Out: salted thumbs up.

For dinner, I decided to treat my guests to some lasagna. I had a request for no mushrooms, so I subbed in freshly-roasted red peppers. And you know what? I really liked the addition of that flavor, so I intend to add it to my recipe (though I'm keeping the mushrooms when I cook at home). When it was time to shop for dinner, I decided to take the opportunity to check out the local Trader Joe's. TJ's is a legend in the vegetarian communities and all my friends from out west seem to lament the fact we don't have them in Tennessee, so I was eager to check it out.

Meh.

First off, it was tiny and cramped. And had the all the ambience of an outdated Piggly Wiggly. The lighting was harsh and made the place seem dirty and the food look unappetizing. But I could really get past that if they actually had the items I wanted. I didn't think I was getting too exotic, but I couldn't find squash or zucchini or a red pepper. And I wasn't thrilled about the cheese, pasta or sauce selection. It was like a gourmet Aldi without the produce selection. It just had a very narrow selection that didn't even seem to included what I would think are basics. But there were some nice-looking convenience foods and I did see that collection of very cheap wine (though I didn't buy any). I did buy some fleur-de-sel caramels on the advice of my host. And some other candy. But I had to go to Whole Foods for everything else I needed to prepare dinner. So my trip to Trader Joe's was a fairly big disappointment. Nonetheless, now I know what it's like. I guess I'd go once in a while for some specialty items, but it wouldn't be my weekly trip. Trader Joe's: one thumb up, one thumb down; neutral thumbs.

Up next: the SO eats more sea critters and we eat at a high-concept Mexican restaurant that I actually like.

Day 5 - Laguna Beach

I contemplated the decision of where we would stay in Laguna Beach for about a month before I finally made the decision. There aren't a whole lot of options in the area but they certainly run the gamut from basic to luxurious. So, despite the fact that the inn was not directly on the beach, I chose to go with the #1 rated hotel on Trip Advisor, Casa Laguna. Not just for the accommodations, but for the highly-recommended breakfast. And I was not disappointed.

I had several vegetarian options, but decided on the Crepe Duo--one with butternut squash and savory creme anglaise and one with fresh berries, cream cheese and a port wine reduction. Both were excellent, but the squash crepe was outstanding. My mouth is watering from the remembrance. The SO ordered the OC Benedict--a poached egg on focaccia with spinach, hollandaise sauce and a citrus zest topped with applewood smoked bacon (it's a rare occasion for him to eat bacon, so I allowed it with minimal consternation).

But I'd read about the waffle and was disappointed at the thought of not having it. So when I saw that another couple had ordered the waffle in addition to their breakfasts, I asked if I could have one as well. My request was granted without hesitation (the service and staff at Casa Laguna were so wonderful). The waffle is served with berries, vanilla creme and blueberry port syrup. Yum. Casa Laguna--blueberry syrup-dipped thumbs up.

We (reluctantly) left Casa Laguna and headed east toward Joshua Tree National Park. Our hearty breakfast kept us going for a while, so we didn't eat again until about 3pm when in the desert oasis of Yucca Valley and we spied the first Del Taco (of several) on Twentynine Palms Highway. Two Veggie Works burritoes lasted me through the rest of the day and into the night. And it's a good thing since we drove back to Las Vegas through the desolate Mojave Desert where the only dining options were roadkill.

Up next: In-N-Out.

St. Patrick's Day

I'll take another break from my trip re-cap to post a little about Irish cuisine. My family is Scotch-Irish and Irish, so I grew up with some Americanized versions of homeland favorites. I most fondly recall my mother's potato soup (which is nothing like what O'Charley's would have you believe is authentic Irish potato soup--mom's is potatoes, milk, flour, salt, and a little butter--that's it) and potato cakes (also known as boxty, though we use mashed potatoes instead of shredded raw potatoes). I recall with no fondness at all my mom's love of boiled cabbage. As with a lot of vegetables, she inevitably overcooked it so that it smelled of sulfur (as did the whole house). Just the remembrance of that smell makes me want to hurl.

So it was with some trepidation that I decided to set forth in making colcannon for an Irish potluck dinner last night. Colcannon is simply mashed potatoes with cabbage. Why someone would want to ruin a perfectly good batch of mashed potatoes with cabbage, I'll never know but perhaps it was to stretch out the amount of potatoes or to make cabbage more palatable. I mean, certainly there aren't people who like boiled cabbage? Except my mother, that is.

But after reviewing many (many) recipes for colcannon, I came up with something that worked.

Colcannon
Six medium russet potatoes
One small/medium head of green cabbage (or kale)
Three large leeks
3/4 cup milk (can use unflavored soy milk)
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley (garnish)

Peel (optional) and cube the potatoes. Set in a large pan, cover with water, add about half a tablespoon of salt and boil for 20 minutes or until tender. Core and shred or finely chop cabbage. Boil in plenty of water for 15 minutes (do not overboil). When done, pour into a collander and fully drain. Thinly slice leeks and cook in milk over low heat for 15 minutes. When potatoes are done, place in a large bowl and mash with butter, milk and leek mixture, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir in cabbage and add sprigs of parsley.

A few helpful hints:
1. I use russet potatoes for mashed potatoes because they mash best, in my opinion. For the sake of presentation, I peeled my potatoes, but most of the nutrients are in the skins, so leave them on if you can stand to look at them.
2. If you're preparing this for a potluck or party or some other event where presentation is important, note that green cabbage isn't very green when cooked. Using kale will yield a greener dish. But adding the parsley will make it green and pretty, too.
3. Do not, not, NOT overboil your cabbage. Overboiling is what causes the sulfur smell. Also, I use only the outermost layers of the cabbage (after removing the top layer). Cabbage cores aren't very tasty (nor are they terribly nutritious). Using lots of water in a big pan also helps. As does using a stainless or nonstick pot (instead of aluminum). Don't want to mess with chopping and boiling cabbage at all? Buy a bag of cole slaw mix and saute it in olive oil until tender instead.
4. Choose leeks that have a lot of white area because you only want to use the white and very palest green sections for your cooking. To prepare leeks, slice off the rooty end and the leaves (just above where it begins to turn green) and wash the layers thoroughly under running water to remove any grit..
5. The traditional way to present the colcannon for the table is to put in a serving dish and make a well in the middle for a big ol' pat of butter. I skipped this step, though.

So, how'd it taste? Well, like mashed potatoes with cabbage and leeks. Or "pretty good" in other words. I guess this is one way to make mashed potatoes a little more nutritious and substantial. The really good news is that only about half this big batch of colcannon was eaten last night (there were three stews and tons of other food), so I'm about to head in the kitchen to make some potato cakes of them.

Slainte!

Day 4--Laguna Beach

Now that the SO has had the Vegas experience, it's time to branch out to California. We got up early Sunday morning and headed west through the desert to the hills of Orange County (on the recommendation of a friend whose family lives there--I wanted to avoid L.A. traffic).

When we arrived in Laguna Beach, it was just before lunch time and we weren't really hungry, so we just bummed around Heisler Park for a little while until it was time to check in at the bed and breakfast. But after we did check in, we realized we were just a little too hungry to wait for the wine and cheese reception, so we drove just a bit up the PCH to a little place called a la carte. Apparently, their main thing is catering, but they have a small store where they sell sandwiches and salads. We got a pint of the spicy noodles in peanut sauce, which really hit the spot. We took it back to the hotel and ate it next to the pool (which has views of the ocean).

After that, we cleaned up and got ready for dinner. We did stop by the b and b's reception, but we weren't feeling all that social. Many of the other guests were having a great time meeting each other but both the SO and I are professionally obliged to talk and be friendly and this was a vacation, so we kept to ourselves.

The SO didn't really require too much of this vacation other than wanting some good seafood and sushi. Since I don't eat either of them, I did quite a bit of research to choose a place that would offer something for both of us. I decided on k'ya. What was of particular interest was the ability to order small plates, so the SO could get a variety of seafood (he ordered sea scallops and seared ahi) instead of having to choose just one. And, okay, these guys really had me at "three cheese macaroni." Y'all know I love my macaroni and cheese.

k'ya did not disappoint us one bit. Everything we had was exceptionally good. We started out with a couple of small salads: Honey Poached Pear & Bermuda Triangle Goat Cheese Salad and Gold Beet, Baby Tomato & Feta Cheese Salad. I wish I could pick a favorite among these two, but I can't. Both were excellent and the chef, I think, showed both great restraint and creativity with both (particularly considering the very delicate dressings on both). Also shown is the sauteed wild mushrooms which were also quite good. There were about three of four different mushrooms and the portion was quite generous (we were only able to eat about half).

While the SO was enjoying his sea critters (he's not yet stopped talking about those scallops), I set upon the mac and cheese. Divine, simply divine. Though I could have done without the additional wild mushrooms that found their way into my pasta. It was well-seasoned and creamy and the breadcrumbs cooked on top were a nice substitute for the hard-cheese crust I usually prefer.

And then there was dessert. It was really hard for me to pass up the molten chocolate cake, but I didn't want to be up all night (I'm so susceptible to sugar and chocolate) and we really didn't have room for more than one dessert to split between us. So we went for the mascarpone cheesecake. Even though I know in my heart that it was not likely vegetarian-friendly (as was the likely case with the cheese in my mac and cheese). I try to be good, but I fall off the rennet wagon once in a while. But at least I can comfort myself with knowing that the cows that produced this wonderful cheese were treated well and came up with a fine-tasting cheesecake. Though I generally prefer my cheesecake to be more of the cake-y type rather than creamy, the taste of the mascarpone made this creamy cheesecake a real winner. This ain't now Philadelphia cream cheese cheesecake. It was very delicate and fresh-tasting--the perfect way to end an incredible dinner. k'ya: thumbs very up.

Up next: breakfast at Casa Laguna.