Vegas: Krazy Buffet

Antho and I are people who love to eat, but don't necessarily want to spend our entire income dining out. As someone who's traveled a wee bit and lived abroad for a time, I'd like to imagine I've expanded my palate and refined my tastes, but let's be real here. As much as I enjoy a delicately handcrafted noodle in a light savory broth atop a majestic Japanese mountain, or still squirming shrimp fresh from their aquatic homes devoured in Seoul's famous Noryangjin market, sometimes a girl just wants some good ol' greasy Americanized Chinese goodness. American Chinese food is certainly it's own distinct branch of the culinary tree, fusing the appetites and preferences of Americans (mm, cheesy sugary starchy deep-fried goodness) with what might have started as a Chinese dish. Believe it or not, there's actually some real mystery behind the origins of some of the most ubiquitous dishes we've come to know and love across Chinese restaurant menus throughout the US. 

When you're done contemplating the historical trajectory of a dish and the possible connections or revelations it may unfurl like some kind of InterNational Treasure odyssey, sometimes it's best to just eat it and enjoy it for what it is. Krazy buffet is a good place to do that. It's cheap, like really affordable, especially at lunchtime. The parking lot is often packed with people eager to get their fill. There's a dedicated sushi section where the chefs slice and roll away. Steaming hot fish, buns, shumai, and skewers crowd in next to slices of pizza, noodles, and glistening vegetables and meats for the limelight. The food is pretty good (not outstanding) and being a buffet you can pick and choose to your heart's content. We've seen people carrying multiple plates loaded to maximum capacity with crab legs, and while we definitely and absolutely judged them poorly for getting 8+ pounds of crab in one swoop, you're free to do what you want. This is America, and if you want to eat ALL the crab you can... at least, unless management stops you, which they might, because crikey there, mate. 

And while the food isn't necessarily outstanding, it's consistent. It's not the best sushi I've ever had, but it's passably satisfactory when served alongside big crispy salt and pepper shrimp, bao, and other goodies. Sometimes the staff can get behind on bussing and cleaning, but they're pretty good at staying on top of the buffet and ensuring the trays are full with fresh food so I'd consider that a win overall. I don't mind a couple straw wrappers here or there if the food is being prioritized and handled. 

The location is a bit out of the way for us, but we do find ourselves out in that neck of the woods every so often. Given our propensity towards forgetting to eat until we start to grow hangry, having a place like this where we can consistently fill up on a variety of foods (thus negating the arguments of where to go) cheaply is great. We'll be back. 

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3.5 stars

Does what it sets out to do effectively and satisfactorily. Not exactly winning any awards for gourmet food, but it's consistent and cheap!

Thanks for stopping by.

💗💖

XOXO,

NAU

Vegas: Cici's pizza buffet

On a random weekday, several weeks ago, we happened to be out and about running errands in an area a bit away from where we normally go out to play. By the time our grumbling tummies grew loud enough to bring our attention to our appetites, we'd been out for hours without having eaten and had started to grow a bit hangry. This is never a good situation to be in, as people are never their best selves when ravenous with the need to feed. Upon reaching the destination of our last most critical of missions for the day (which was running on extremely limited time), we spotted a pizza buffet across the street and made it our destination post-errand. Not the most glamorous of food stations, perhaps- and the interior was certainly suffering from an overabundance of messy customers to staff, but it was certainly an amusing meal. We love pizza, like most reasonable human beings alive, and while this place is far from gourmet it's definitely a cheesy, carb-loaded feast that can fill your gullet for not a lot of cash. This is a big part of why it's got such a disproportionate ratio of customers to staff during the busy hours, I suppose. Who doesn't love a good deal? 

The food itself is alright. Like mentioned above, certainly not gourmet food here, but there's enough of the classics (pepperoni and cheese pizzas), salad, and dessert, plus you can get hot wings (for additional cost) to satisfy the whole family. There were birthday parties and kids a'plenty, confirming the family-friendly aspect of the place. There's even a macaroni and cheese pizza (yes, I got a slice) if you're in the mood for carbs and cheese on your carbs and cheese. Why not be extra? 

I didn't take a photo of it, but the table we ended up sitting at had a massive pile of detritus underneath. We weren't eating under the table (thankfully), so we just tried to avoid it with our feet and ignore its existence. There was already a lady shouting at some poor teenaged employee because her kid slipped in a puddle someone else's kid left by the arcade. Most of the tables were in varying stages of bussing so it was hard to find any that didn't have something going on, be it a pile of pizza crusts shoved in a corner or a pile of soggy napkins, but these things. We found one that was clearly unoccupied and focused ourselves on eating instead of judging the decor. I've worked in restaurants before and know how stressful and perpetually understaffed a lot of fast-casual joints can be, so I felt especially sympathetic to the poor employees who were trying to make it through. We knew going into this adventure that we weren't entering a fine-dining establishment, all we wanted out of this was to stuff ourselves with a satisfying pile of pizza and pickled beets (Schrute approved) on our salads. Mission accomplished.

So, I mean... We're obviously not going here every day, let alone week, especially since it's out of the way for us a bit, but I'm not hating on it. Maybe it'll be cleaner, albeit maybe less entertaining as a result, next time we visit, if we find ourselves out that way and hangry again.

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Solid 3 out of 5. 

Does what it needs to do, cheaply, but for the love of pizza please hire some more f**king staff. 

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XOXO,

NAU

Korea: Bangsan Wholesale Market

Bangsan market in Seoul is an excellent destination for any food enthusiast or amateur restauranteur! The market is close to Gwangjang/ Kwang Jang market but specializes in food related goods, like specialty pans, cookie cutters, take-out packages, and wholesale goods for a wide variety of culinary purposes and uses. After sampling gyerrangpang for the first time from a street cart food vendor, I was hooked on the moist little cakes with the creamy eggs on top. SO good! Of course, the cute little mini-loafs require specialized pans within which to bake them, otherwise you'd just be making egg muffins... I mean, essentially that is what you're doing, but the oblong shape makes them more like the kind you'd order steaming hot on a cold morning from the cart on the corner. Therefore, relying heavily on the value of nostalgia, I had justified the necessity of purchasing these specialty micro-mini loaf pans for the end goal of bringing them back to America to share the joys of gyerrangpang with Antho and anyone else I could foist them off on. Bangsan market was the place to go.

The narrow streets can get quite densely packed with cars and pedestrians vying for the same precious remainders of space. Be alert and try not to get run over if you decide to visit. This is a functioning wholesale market and many of the restaurants throughout the city and perhaps nearby regions, too, will venture here when they need supplies. This means a lot of harried businessmen trying to get what they need and go, with no need for gawking tourists blocking their path. I was able to survive my trip and after wandering around somewhat lost in the cornucopia of shops and alleyways between the buildings I even found what I was looking for, eventually. The shop owners I interacted with didn't speak a huge amount of English, and I don't blame them. Primarily they're doing business with locals day in and day out, so be polite and patient if you find yourself struggling with a linguistic challenge. 

Interestingly (to me, at least), some of the corridors I found myself turning down where surprisingly empty for the early afternoon of my visit. Perhaps the shops were closed early, or changing out inventory, or owners. Surely someone, somewhere, knows, but I do not. A bit of mystery is good for us, though, isn't it?

Plenty more photos below!

Korea: Yangjae Citizen's Forest part two

Not only is the Yangjae Citizen's Forest park a beautiful place to take a stroll or have a (boozy-optional) picnic and forget about your worries for awhile, but there's a lot more to the location than that. There are historically significant statutes commemorating brave Koreans of yonder years, exhibits, tennis courts, bicycle rentals, playgrounds, a small shop selling snacks, even a public library box! The Yangjae river connects this area to the Yangjae River Neighborhood Park so if you like feeding the fish or aquatic settings that's a lovely spot nearby to check out. I spent a fair bit of time there feeding the fish! I love watching them squirm about gulping for food as they get whirled up into a feeding frenzy. I'm also keen on areas with lots of water, having been a swimmer for much of my childhood. Here in the Vegas desert, we have to rely on swimming pools or our man-made lakes, or drive out for the Colorado river...or we can take an even longer road trip out to the ocean, 4+ hours away. My love of water made living in Japan, and then Korea, especially wonderful because rivers or the beach were never too far away... and as much as people love to complain about the rainy seasons, I absolutely adore them! It's always a novelty for me, this concept of water falling from the sky. It's pretty rare in my hometown, and when it does it's usually a brief downpour that floods the streets then recedes quickly. Being near the oceans, I loved seeing all the seafood in the markets and exploring coastlines and tide pools whenever possible!  

All this hydration in the environment also translates to lush greenery and foliage, and a bounty of living creatures thriving among it. You could almost forget that you're in the middle of the capital city. 

I watched squirrels spazzing through the leaves in their hyper-active acrobatics, birds sassing humans on the tennis courts, and several other humans enjoying this park in my visit. It was a beautiful day with glorious weather and I'm so grateful I went out and took this trek. It was much needed and I felt more at ease and at peace. Funny how nature can do that, even when it's confined to a plot of land in the city. Thanks, nature, for always, uh, finding a way.

More photos after the cut!

Las Vegas: Early 2018 Springs Preserve visit

It had been a while since we last popped over to the Springs Preserve for a visit, so we decided to make the trek over recently. It's still a little chilly out, for Vegas standards, but the garden was looking pretty lively with all the sunshine and warmer temps that have been occurring recently. We ended up only spending an hour or two on this visit as we found ourselves growing hungry towards the end, and looking at exhibits we had already spent some time with previously. I'd hoped that we might catch some more activity in their animal exhibits during this visit, but everybody was pretty sleepy so there wasn't much going on. It happens, though! The butterfly exhibit should be re-opening soon, so we're excited about that, and there's all sorts of new exhibits going on now! During this visit they were  still doing the training for the most recent virtual reality experience, so we personally weren't able to experience it but the employees looked like they were having a good time of it. We'll definitely be back to check it out now that it's open to the public! 

There's always so many new exhibits and shows coming through the preserve, and they're always re-decorating for the latest holiday. It's a lot of fun going for a visit when we get the chance and it's really quite affordable after investing in their annual pass. We didn't have to pay anything for this visit!  It's always a great opportunity for photography too as the grounds are quite photogenic, and there's always new flowers coming in to bloom with the changing weather. I'm quite grateful that +Antho Jay  got us the annual passes last year for my birthday, and we've gotten quite good use out of them in my estimation of things. I always look forward to our visits and revel in the opportunity to improve upon my photography skills and understanding of my camera by practicing with all the gorgeous blooms. We've always enjoyed our visits to the Springs Preserve and the employees have always been courteous, even when the girl at the ticketing booth shouted at us to make sure we were paying customer upon entry this time. Poor girl was only doing her job, after all, and was an absolute doll once she knew we weren't trying to sneak in or anything. I can get that. I've got nothing bad to say about the Springs Preserve! 

Japan: Urayasu Fresh Market 11-23

My favorite neighborhood fresh market was a brief 10 minute bike ride from my apartment, so I frequented it fairly often. There was always a bounty of beautiful fresh foods! 

Hopping atop my trusty mamachari or "mama's bike", the equivalent of a minivan on two wheels, I'd take advantage of the handy basket and stock up on reasonably priced produce while there.

There was also a small fish market with fresh sushi and prepared fish inside, along with a butcher wrapping packages of meats in cellophane. All your necessary staples were there (as long as you're comfortable with cooking and/or Japanese food), but sometimes unexpected items like grasshoppers or seasonal sweet cakes would appear on the shelves.

Their flowers were among some of the most reasonably priced I encountered; usually around ¥300-700 whereas the somewhat closer Yaoko supermarket's flowers were often twice the price! 

One option that makes shopping in Japan more affordable is to visit stores late in the day or evening, closer to closing time. Fresh things, like sushi, precut vegetables, cut flowers, etc. will get marked down and the later it is, the greater the discount. I've had many a satisfying sushi or sashimi centered dinner for under $10! Of course, the people at the fresh market were so pleasant and friendly, and the prices so reasonable to begin with, that I'd make a point to shop there on my days off as their hours didn't pan out on days I had work.