Las Vegas: Taco Y Taco

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a great city to find something delicious to eat, especially if your pockets run real deep. If you're willing to shell out top dollar, you can find some of the most luxurious meals served in some of the culinary celebrity worlds biggest names' own restaurants, from opulent sushi spreads to the latest in creative, avant-garden cuisine. Personally, I prefer to veer off The Strip (aka Las Vegas Boulevard and all those glitzy casinos) to find my meals, and Taco Y Taco is one of my favorite neighborhood spots for a satisfying, affordable, and consistently fantastic meal. There are other, more famous, restaurants that you could grab some tacos at, and some of those even have locations dotting that main-drag, but during my brief visit to my old stomping ground I made sure to pop in and get my fill on all the delicious offerings I could stuff into my face. CeeDro joined me on this venture, and we both got down on some taco goodness before parting ways for the evening. It was great to catch up with him over the evening, and who would complain about tacos?  

Taco Y Taco has a self-service salsa bar with an almost overwhelming array of options to choose from. I recommend the grilled jalapenos, who add a fresh pop of flavor with a smokey sweetness to contrast their shop bite. The ordering system can be a little confusing, especially if it's your first time, but the staff are used to it and are generally friendly and happy to steer you in the right direction should you get lost. All the meats are good, but they do offer vegetarian options (and maybe even vegan ones) for those who'd prefer that so you can bring everyone along! I ordered a ridiculous amount of food for just myself, but managed to devour all of it with gusto. I waddled my way out of the restaurant a very happy, very satisfied lass. Should you choose to visit Taco Y Taco, you too should feel that stuffed-to-satisfaction glee. 

So good.

Seattle: Dog in the park

Dog in the park is a small, unpretentious food stall nestled in to a corner of a park just around the corner from Pike's Place Market. That means it's in a primo location, surrounded by luxury names and high-end products, endless swarms of milling, often quite hungry, tourists. Like I said, it's a pretty primo spot for a place that sells food, especially at such reasonable prices (considering it's in such a high-traffic, high-end area). The food is not going to be overwhelmingly fancy; there's no foie gras to be found, no flourishing of the plate, nay, there aren't even plates. Your food is wrapped in paper and meant to be eaten, now, before it gets cold. The premise, like most street food stalls, is pretty simple: after examining the menu and deciding what you want, you tell the friendly fellow manning the grill and he'll heat it up for you, fresh, so your food is steaming hot when handed to you. A novel touch, for us, was that he sliced the weiners in half, but this is genius in that it gives you even more of those delicious crispy seared edges of sausage. Yum. I opted for the Seattle dog, because it seemed appropriate and I like cream cheese, so it was an easy choice. I don't recall what style Antho ordered, but he prefers to keep his dogs clean and simple, so it was something classic without too many additions or toppings. We were both quite happy with our choices and devoured our hot dogs in glee, hardly wasting any time on photos or erroneous conversation. You know the food is good when it gets notorious chatterbugs to quiet down and focus.    

If I remember correctly, we ended up paying about $12 for our two hotdogs. Yeah, that's a lot when you consider the hot dogs at Costco that retail for only $1.50, but tourist tax is a real thing, and this is definitely one of the more affordable options in that particular corner. When you're hungry and need something quick, hot, and delicious, this isn't the worst sausage you could find going into your mouth on a street corner... 

 

Was that too much? I know, sometimes I just can't help myself. Anyway, it was a gorgeous, albeit slightly chilly, day when we were visiting the stand. It had a pretty regular turn over in our short time of waiting and then eating, and most people seemed to get their food in short order. I imagine that at peek tourist traffic times of year there may be something of a line to wade through to get your fix, especially if they've garnered any awards recently. 

 

Thanksgiving Ritual 2018

Fields burst with ripening fruits and vegetables, gorgeous gourds in a startling array of shades crowd fields with their vines and rotund bodies. Autumn time is a prodigious season for feasting, with so many varied crops coming to full harvest and abundance, well, prominently abundant. Given this state of affairs, and a particular set of historical myths and traditions built upon the mistreatment and forcible expunging of indigenous people from their homes in "The New World" by land and resource hungry Europeans, most citizens of the United States these days find themselves celebrating a holiday dubbed "Thanksgiving". Ostensibly, the holiday is a period of reflection and a time to pause and be grateful for the many blessings we may be so fortunate to have in our lives, which in and of itself is a nice message... There's nothing wrong with appreciating what you have and being mindful of it, but there are some issues with trampling over the historical facts leading to the situation for more euphemistic ideas. 

Anyhow, to celebrate this time of year, many Americans opt to roast, fry, or otherwise find a means of preparing a turkey. Antho and I wanted to partake in this ritualistic consumption of big birds since we had access to a full oven for the first time in quite a while, though it was just the two of us celebrating so we opted for a smaller roughly 8 pound bird. Still, that's quite a lot of bird to work through, but we had no issues eating leftovers on sandwiches or in soups over the next week! I always save the vegetable scraps and shrapnel from the bird's carcass, bones, and skin along with whatever leftover bits remain, as I use it to make stock/broth. This means my stocks and broths are always perpetually changing and evolving with whatever vegetables and meats we're eating the most, along with what's in season.  To each their own, but it works for us! Since I roasted the turkey with lemons stuffed into it's gaping innards cavern, they went in with the stock, lending it a nice citrusy tang along with boosting the vitamin and mineral content of the end result. Can't really go wrong with that when there are so many bugs going around, right? I've got a case of the sniffles as I write this, in fact... 

If you're traveling these days to go visit family and friends for the holidays, be safe out there! Happy holidays!

Korea: 부대찌개 Budaejigae and snacks in Insadong

In the magical and mysterious, far-flung land of Seoul, South Korea, there are a seemingly insurmountable variety of selections available for your culinary delight. You can grab a steaming hot cup of Americano from your local train station or Starbucks, then mow through some fresh-off-the-griddle gyerrangpang, these addictive little sweet breads with a fresh egg on top, then stop for sushi for lunch and Italian for dinner...or switch out the different variables for whatever combinations of foods you personally enjoy, whether it's thai, slow-cooked American-South style barbeque, tacos... This was not always the case, though- the Korean peninsula has gone through a lot over its many centuries of civilization, and a hearty resiliency and ingenuity have become a point of pride in the people. After the Americans began to occupy the country during the height of the Korean war, then lingered after the tentative ceasefire took hold, their culinary presence spread, from dishes to canned goods ready to use, and were adopted by the locals. The continued presence and popularity of American fast food chains, like McDonald's and Taco Bell, demonstrate this fact to this day, but subtler influences remain, like the almost perverse love of Spam that can be found from Seoul to Okinawa, Manila to Hawaii... all places where a strong American army presence has lead to the introduction, and then infiltration and acceptance of processed tinned meats and other Americanized foodstuffs into the local cuisines. 

Budaejigae, or Army Base Stew, is a self-aware epitome of this phenomena, utilizing ubiquitous Korean foods like kimchi, gochujang, and local vegetables tossed into the pot with hot dogs, baked beans, spam, ramen, and maybe a slice (or three) of good old American processed sliced cheese for good measure. There are a billion different ways to make budaejigae and nearly as many different restaurants to choose from when trying to find a place to try it. You can also buy it in premade instant ramen form, heavily leaning into the popular role instant ramen noodles typically serve in soaking up the flavorful broth left in the pot at the end of the meal. It's a satisfying hodgepodge of sweet, savory, spicy and creamy, and this particular vat of goodness was enjoyed with a coworker during our lunch break, not far from Ssamziegil in Insadong area of Seoul. It was a delicious and filling lunch, and budaejigae combines comfortingly familiar flavors with Korean seasonings in a way that I think most any American could enjoy, were they brave enough to try it. 

Be brave, my friends. Try all the things!

Vegas: Dining at Ichiza restaurant

In the city of Las Vegas, the only predictable constant seems to be perpetual change itself. Celebrity chefs rise to the pinnacle of their careers and open their namesake restaurants along the glistening Las Vegas Strip, where they either rise to become a towering success or crumble into mediocrity. While there may not be as much drama surrounding the restaurant reviews, openings, and closings, as in say, New York City, there's still plenty of drama to take in. Take, for example, the recently opened Hell's Kitchen restaurant, which rumor claims was booked up to capacity within moments of opening for business, not to mention the show's own egregiously theatrical turns on the television. You can find everyone from Guy Fieri to Nobu, Bobby Flay to Wolfgang Puck... a veritable who's who of famous cheffing, and even Anthony Bourdain stopped to sip the brewskies at the Huntridge Tavern on his own show. The Strip itself, the hub of Las Vegas's goings-on, is in a perpetual state of flux, as namesake casinos are imploded and replaced, new structures seek to dominate the skyline and old try to cling to relevancy with new thrill rides and attractions. This endless churning  of change makes it all the more satisfying and surprising when a small restaurant, without any big names attached, manages to hold on for a long haul. Ichiza is one of these small joints, an unassuming little restaurant tucked into the second story of a Chinatown shopping center, that has been a staple of my restaurant outings for the better part of the last decade. I don't know when they opened, nor do I consider it especially relevant... The important thing here is that Ichiza is good, and their longevity is a testament to this fact. 

While it is entirely possible to spend a couple Benjamins at dinner here, it's not really a high-end restaurant. If you're looking more for luxury, try Raku on the opposite side of the road. Both restaurants share a similar approach; delicious small plates of Japanese food, high in quality and small in portion. Raku, however, is where you go if you want your salt to be laced with meticulously sourced and extracted green tea leaves and the same approach is applied to each individual ingredient and its preparation, whereas Ichiza is the place to go for a pitcher of Sapporo and some reliably good grub from yakitori skewers to ramen. It's a build your own adventure in meal form, whether you stick to the small paper menus they provide or wander the restaurant to select from the additional "secret" menu that winds through the entire space. Don't miss their daily specials, where some of the best dishes reside! The grilled salmon belly or collar is always a hit, but they can sell out fast. We managed to secure the last grilled salmon collar on this outing, a cut that's basically the bacon of the fish it's succulent flesh so studded with layers of unctuous fat and juice you almost wouldn't believe it's a fish. Our neighbors at the bar tried to order it as well, prior to our's being served and were disappointed then audibly jealous and annoyed when it arrived. Sorry fellas, them's the breaks.  

Whatever you decide to order, know that it's going to be delicious. We were celebrating my birthday with this meal, and between the two of us our bill ran about $100, which isn't terrible, all things considered. I'm always happy when I eat here, whether it's the authentic izakaya vibe bringing on the nostalgia from my time living in Japan or the delicious food filling my belly, I love Ichiza!

Vegas: Flippin' Good Burgers and Chicken

Regulars to the blog will be fully aware of my feelings about fried chicken, and how a particular country's chicken rises above the rest as the supreme form of deep-fat-fried birdy goodness... But every once in a while a contender comes along with a coating so crackly, crunchy and good that it gives me pause and makes me reconsider that stance. Naturally, I've always gravitated back to my original opinion thus far, which is that Korean fried chicken is the penultimate greasy bird, but I've gotta give Flippin' Good credit for serving up some pretty damn good chicken! Which, ironically, isn't even what their primary focus is if the name is any given. Burgers and shakes are the main feature of their brief menu but their chicken is legit. We opted for delivery because, believe it or not, we're balls-deep into the process of moving out of our current abode as of my writing this, and will long since be out of Vegas by the time this reaches posting, so while it would have been nice to go out and sit down with one of their shakes in what I presume to be their fine restaurant, we had sh*t to do and things to pack. Even though we opted to get our food brought to our house, like the lazy bastards we are, it was all nice and fresh and hot still when it arrived. And look at that food porn above- that crispy crackling coating is to drool for! They did a damn fine job on their batter, and the Nashville heat seasoning we opted for on our tenders was definitely bringing some heat for Antho's palate. I got the fire fries as an upgrade with my Dirty Bird, featured above. The Dirty Bird is certainly one dirty, naughty bird! Not only does it come with the super crispy hunk of bird, but a nice thick slab of bacon and an egg with a still-creamy yolk adorn it for extra pizzaz. If any city calls for being extra, it's certainly gonna be Vegas, right?  

They also offer fried pickles, y'all. FRIED PICKLES! Served with ranch, because, duh, right? I mean, I'll be honest here...I'm not a Southerner, even though Las Vegas is squarely located in the Southwestern corner of the United States, Nevada joined the union during the Civil war to back our buddies in the North (because f**k slavery) so I'm absolutely not a person of authority when it comes to what something like fried pickles are supposed to be served with. For all I know they're traditionally served in the hollowed out gut of a rusted old Ford and drenched in pure molten lard... But suffice to say, these fried pickles right here, they were damn fine fried pickles as far as my uneducated palate is concerned. I pretty much scarfed the entire box to myself, because I forgot that Antho is vehemently anti-pickle. His loss, my (weight) gain! 

And if we're gonna be extra, why not upgrade for $2 and get the dressed up fries? They have a few different variations, most with some cheese and bacon, though I opted for the "Fire Fries" in particular, which came with pickled jalapenos and a dangerously generous heaping of powdered spice seasoning dumped on top. The fries definitely lived up to their name, and were too spicy for me to conquer on the first night...but, also, we had a mountain of food to work our way through. The fire fries were a bit soggy and yielded to the cheese sauce by the time I got to them the next day, but the heat had also spread a little bit more evenly throughout. Still spicy, even for my tastes, though!

All around solid meal, and I'm sure their shakes are good, too. They have booze-filled milkshakes, guys, what's not to love?

Korea: 골뱅이Golbaengi (Sea snail) and 양념 통닭 Yangnyeom tongdak

If this is your first visit to the blog, welcome! I am Nau, an avid eater, and fan of trying new things whenever and wherever feasibly possible, especially when travelling. In the past I've shovelled things like still-living (and squirming) shrimp into my pie-hole, wriggling miniature octopus tentacles liberally lubricated in sesame oil (to keep from choking, of course), squirmy sentient (or at least prehensile) penises of a creature called daebul, and even more controversial things like that time I tried whale bacon in the tiny dining room of a restaurant nestled deep into a narrow back alley of Shinagawa or braved a bowl of boshingtang in a small restaurant buried in a suburb outside of Seoul. There was also that time back in college when my friends and I were camping and one of our cohorts brought along a bag of marinated wild-caught rabbit he'd hunted and butchered not long prior to our trip, lugged to the site along with the grill it would be cooked on via backpack, to be washed down with fancy booze at hot spring hidden in the desert. Suffice to say, bring me your unusual, your wild, your chewy and your squirmy and I'll give it an honest shot. I'm pretty open to most things, from dog meat to century eggs, fish sperm sacs to bull's balls... To be frank, I think the one and possibly only new food I know of but haven't tried that I'd genuinely struggle to eat is balut, the fertilized egg with a mostly-formed bird embryo tucked inside, replete with barely formed feathers and crunchy little barely-done-bones. Well, that is aside from my perverse aversion to yogurt and pudding, which make me gag with their texture. I know, right? This, coming from someone who willing ingests fish sperm sacs. I wasn't especially keen on sea cucumbers when I tried those, either. But this post is not about things that were unpalatable- or things I wouldn't be able to eat- this post is about things I did eat, and also quite thoroughly enjoyed! 

See that cup right there? That cup is full of magic, of glory, and of things chewy, crunchy, sweet, gooey, juicy and delicious. It hits practically every possible flavor and texture profile yet contains little more than chicken, coated in a crispy-crunchy batter, and rice cakes- both of which are then generously drenched in an addictive sauce. All around deliciousness in a small cup, eaten with a toothpick and a delirious grin. I'm still a bit ashamed with myself for not discovering the joys of 양념 통닭, or yangnyeom tongdak, previously, but to be fair it may have taken the cooler outside temperatures to bring the chef out to the streets to share her goods. Needless to say, fantastic!

The other dish on our menu today is grilled sea snails, called 골뱅이 or golbaengi. This was from another small cart not far from the yangnyeom lady, and the freshly cooked snails were liberally seasoned while grilling and then adorned with garnishes upon serving. Those big tan-ish flakes are bonito shavings, a form of dried fish that is a total umami bomb, imparting serious flavor in the thin slices, which happily wiggle in the steam from fresh, hot foods. The snails were a bit chewier, not especially to any surprise of mine, but tasty. Also very affordable, as much of the street food found in South Korea is. Be brave, my little ducklings, there's so many tasty things out there and you never know what new favorite food you might discover if you don't at least give it a try. 

Korea: 설렁탕 Seolleongtang

I've mentioned on the blog before that soup is, perhaps weirdly, one of my all-time favorite foods to eat. It's an endlessly versatile food delivery mechanism that is often warming, filling and soothing while also providing a nourishing boost of vegetables and protein in an easy to digest format. The endless customization and variety available means that every region, every culture, and every cuisine, have their own variations and takes on the staple food. One of Korea's most simple and straightforward seeming of soups is 설렁탕 or seolleongtang, a clean and milky white beef bone broth base that arrives at your table unseasoned. This trend towards under seasoning early on, familiar for those who have seen my post on or sampled Samgyetang, seems peculiar to Korean cooking (or anyone who's sampled my mother-in-law's cuisine). Given that the broth comes to the table in it's purest, nude form, you're given several different options for adding flavoring at your discretion; pungent, funky kimchi (in this case to be cut with scissors at the table), kkaktugi (pickled radish kimchi), and an assortment of other banchan and sauces. In this restaurant, this particular time, I was given pickled onions and a deeply umami seasoned squid side. Seolleongtang, despite its deceptively simple base, is one of those foods that I find myself craving time and time again after thoroughly underestimating it prior to trying it. After all, I grew up on tinned chicken noodle soup, with the soup absolutely saturated in salt, and the soggy noodles barely able to maintain their shapes after being pasteurized for safety, so I expected to be severely underwhelmed in the flavor department... to the contrary! The milky beef broth is unctuous and coats your mouth in rich beefy goodness, a light sheen of grease adding weight to the liquid. Brought to the table boiling hot and steaming, it's especially good at warming your body (and soul) after navigating the bone-chilling cold of Seoul's fierce winters. I wasn't even there for the worst of their winters, but I found myself going for seolleongtang multiple times a week. The bits of beef floating in the soup are absolutely tender, and the warm, slurpable noodles add a hearty boost of carbohydrate for energy and density. 

Warms you right up, regardless of the chill outside!

Korea: Mom's touch chicken

When it comes to food, there's a lot of staunchly held opinions that are based primarily on a lot of pomp and objective beliefs and interpretations about the way things ought to be... and, well, that's life- much like politics, or religion, when someone has their view they're pretty much stuck on it whether you can present any or all the evidence to the contrary. Often times, these are harmless points of disagreement with little severity to their implications... though, there are those hotly contested points of vehement argument, like the presence of pineapple on pizza, whether ketchup actually belongs on hot dogs or is an abomination, or more philosophically whether a hot dog is actually a sort of sandwich. Well, friends, I'm here to hit you with a certainty that may ruffle some feathers but is, without any shade of doubt or degree of dithering, a statement of true fact and not simply a matter of one girl's opinion. Want to know what that universal, inarguable truth of life, the universe, and everything is? Grab onto your buttcheeks and hang on tight, kiddos, because here it is:

Korean fried chicken is infinitely superior to American fried chicken

(whether originating somewhere near Kentucky or not).

Leave it to South Korea, no less. South Korea, of all places, might at first glance seem an unlikely place for fried chicken to reach the pinnacle of perfection, but upon further consideration, it makes perfect sense. After the Korean war came to a tentative ceasefire in 1953 and American troops were already enmeshed in the country, their desire for a classic comfort food would lead to some experimentation and the introduction of the food to the locals. South Korea as a whole built itself up from pandemic starvation level poverty after the decimation of warfare and became a technological and economic wonder through sheer perseverance and innovation in the time since. Is there any doubt they'd find a way to improve on something already so crispy and delicious?

Mom's Touch is a Korean chain serving up their signature New Orleans style crispy fried chicken hot and fresh throughout South Korea. I was blessed to have one within a very short walk of where I was staying, and were I not trying to be conscientious of my health and weight may have frequented there more than is remotely reasonable. Each order is made fresh after you put it in, so the chicken is exceptionally juicy and exceedingly delicious, every single time. And by god, is it addictive! You can get powdered seasonings, much like the seasoning on potato chips that similarly gets stuck to the pads of your fingers as you voraciously gnaw your way through crispy chicken carcasses, but you can also opt for a sauce or naked goodness.  

And trust me, once you try it, you won't argue the superior form of bird, whether you like it powdered, drenched or dry. You might find yourself fiending for a little taste of Mom's Touch, too...

Korea: 삼계탕 Samgyetang in Hwajeong

If you've found your way here through a convoluted series of fortunate internet-fated factors, only to come up confused at the title, asking yourself, "What even is Samgyetang?", don't worry. I'm here for you, boo-boo! First off; samgyetang is delicious, and it's something of a mandatory dish for any Korean-foodie and/or fan, especially during the summer months. While I opted to eat it for this blog post in the early creeping tendrils of winter, when the chill started to seep in a bit more and I needed a hot bowl of chicken soup to revive my spirit, this dish is typically eaten in the peak of summer swelter. Brought to the table boiling hot, the dish typically consists of a single small, young chicken stuffed with sweet, glutinous rice and a mixture of dried fruits and herbs to imbue the broth with a distinctly subtle and sweet medicinal flavor that I personally adore and now, coincidentally, find myself craving at least once or twice a year. Not only is the meat from that tiny little bird super delicate and tender, but the broth absorbs all the richness and flavor from both the herbs and meat to turn a soothing milky color. It's mild, which might come as a surprise to those who know my obsession with spicy food (and South Korea's generalized obsession with fiery foods, too), but it's an excellent dish to get you through the doggest of dog days of summer...or a brisk winter evening. Whatever floats your boat or sinks your submarine, after all.



Not only is it hearty, warming, and soothing all at once, but the dish gives you an excuse to consume an entire small bird to yourself. Alone. That's right- one serving is one bird. How fun is that? Indulge your desire to feel like a giant and get some nourishment. Winning. Stews and soups hold a very special place in the Korean food lexicon, too, so it shouldn't come as a particularly huge surprise to anyone who's cursorily familiar with the food. Samgyetang holds a special status in a cuisine well-known its deep and complex love of soups and stews, from hearty gamjatang with its dense and umami pork bone based broth studded with potatoes or light and slurpable miyeok guk for birthdays. While most soups come meticulously pre-seasoned, samgyetang comes to the table with it's own mix of salt and pepper for you to season the meat as you go, adding an additional element of DIY to the meal. You'll already be getting hands-on, anyway, as you deconstruct the little bird you're devouring, unless you're a serious pro with your chopsticks. I've yet to reach that degree of aptitude, however, and ended up with chicken-sticky hands by the end. Not the worst thing, not at all.  I'll gladly take chicken fingers in exchange for a bowl of samgyetang, any day.

Korea: 짜장면 Jjanjangmyun in Hwajeong

Once I started the downward spiral into my rabbit hole of previously unprocessed photographs from my 6-month-extended-business-trip-slash-sabbatical to Korea, it was only a matter of time until I found myself deep in the thralls of food porn again. The food in South Korea is not only delicious and complex, with everything from starchy noodles drenched in rich, savory sauces to sweet and crunchy bingsu in the summer, amazingly crispy yet juicy fried chicken (the one true KFC supreme; Korean Fried Chicken), to sushi so fresh it'll latch to your throat and try to climb its way back out if given half a chance- but it's often quite affordable, too! Like, absurdly, unreasonably, questionably affordable for the volume of food and variety of side dishes provided. This, naturally, leads to a sense of frustration and/or annoyance when returning stateside and searching out Korean meals- what was a $6 freshly cooked restaurant meal in Seoul is now only available in packaged format in that price range, and if you dare to try to dine in a restaurant it will cost at least twice what you're used to it costing in Korea. Sigh. The ex-pat's dilemma... is this the true definition of a first world problem? I suppose I should really be happy that I can find these dishes in my home country at all, and quit bellyaching at the fact they cost more than I'm used to. 

This bowl of noodles, drenched in a savory black bean sauce of disturbingly high mucilaginous material, is a good example of that unreasonably cheap food. This meal cost less than $3, and was cooked fresh in a restaurant less than 20 feet from the front door to the complex I was living in. This feast was legitimately cheaper than buying an instant cup of ramen from the convenience store equidistant to my front door. They had several other options available at exceptionally low-cost points in this tiny restaurant, too. To be fair, though, the exceedingly slimy consistency of the sauce was a bit of a turn off for me- and this is coming from a girl who happily slurps up the auspiciously named "Dead Body Soup" made with super-slimy fermented soybeans and makes "tororo okra" with boiled okra minced until fluffy and snot-tacular. But for such a low cost, it's hard to complain about a freshly made meal where someone else ends up doing the dishes... While this wasn't my favorite jjangjangmyun of all time, it's a dish I would still recommend anyone try while visiting Korea!

Vegas: Jjolmyeon in Greenland Market

After spending an incredible six months living over in Seoul, South Korea, it shouldn't catch anyone off guard that I absolutely adore the food there. In fact, true hardcore readers (if such a thing exists) might recall one of my earliest ever blog posts (on my much neglected food-oriented sister blog, Culinarily Curious) being about a simple Korean soup with beef and radish- and that was back before I had even ever traveled to Korea! I was enamored with the clean, simple dishes full of complex flavors, and my love of Korean food has only deepened since the days of wandering the many narrow corridors of the city streets and eating anything I could find. Not only is the food itself often exceptionally healthy due to being predominantly vegetable based, but the flavors are often complex and comprised of fermented ingredients that bolster gut health and add incomparable depth. Suffice to say, it's good stuff and I am always happy to find an excuse to dig in on some K-grub.  

Here in the city of Las Vegas, one of your better options for finding a variety of common-place (in Korea) dishes (and ingredients) at a reasonable price point with expedient service is to head over to Greenland market, on the corner of Rainbow and Spring Mountain. Spring Mountain road is pretty much our version of Chinatown, with a huge assortment of different restaurants and businesses catering to all things from the East, whether it be cars, banks, food or fashion. If you're hankering for some dim sum or conveyor belt sushi (or an izakaya, Korean barbeque, hot pot, etc) and don't want to linger in a casino, you'll find the bulk of your pick of restaurants on Spring Mountain. Greenland, however, is especially oriented to the Korean population, which is pretty large here in Vegas. It's my favorite destination for Korean foods and groceries, with the fresh food cafeteria by the front doors offering all sorts of tasty meals to fill your belly before buying your groceries. While out and about on this particular adventure, we popped in and I finally was able to satisfy the fiendish craving I'd been having for jjolmyeon, a cold chewy noodle dish made with wheat noodles and a sweet and spicy sauce that coats the fresh, crispy veggies and makes each bite a savory mix. It's good stuff, and while not as commonly seen as bibim-naengmyun or bul-naengmyun, which also consist of cold noodles in a savory sauce, it holds its own. Ever since summer settled in and started grabbing us by the balls, I've had a need to stuff cold, spicy noodles in my face hole. Am I the only one?  

It ain't a rounded Korean meal without banchan and some soup! This meal came with some kimchi, braised potatoes, macaroni salad and a clean, simple beef broth alongside my big heaping bowl of noodles. Even with Antho's help I wasn't able to finish the whole portion! 

Awesome!

Vegas: Mirage Buffet

You can't go to Vegas without eating in at least one buffet while you're here. Vegas is a city for going over the top, it's pretty much the city's whole schtick, you know? "What happens here, stays here"  is the most famous go-to catchphrase for advertising Las Vegas, though that was temporarily traded out for #VegasStrong in the wake of the incident last year. Our trademark slogan is back in business, though, and Vegas has made no efforts to step away from its reputation for grandiosity, gluttony, and hedonistic delights. What better way to symbolize this lust for life than to shovel as much energy-giving sustenance as you can manage while guzzling free booze from the buffet bar? It's pure Americana in Vegas glitzy excess, with everything from tacos to sushi, sweets and salads, all topped off with a nearly endless selection of beverages to wash it all down with. The beer is seasonal, and it was a citrusy Hefeweizen when we went, though you can also opt for the house wine in red, white or rose. Because it's Vegas, baby. 

I always load up on seafood and carbs. Cold shrimp are one of my favorites, especially when they're of decent quality, though they'll never really compare to those live shrimp I ate in Noryangjin. It's different, but it's not bad. But really, with a buffet you literally have a smorgasboard of options laid out for you to choose from, so you can sample as many or as few items as you wish! Obviously, or maybe not, going for the seafood is going to be one of your better options for getting the best bang for your buck, but when there's free-flowing booze I guess it's not as important to try to game the system. Eat what you want. Be merry. Get tanked. Enjoy! Life is short, after all, and it's up to you to live it how you wish. I'm pretty pleased with the path my choices have led me down this far, and while the buffet at the Mirage is no Bacchanal, it's pretty solid for a casino buffet and literally costs half as much, so you wouldn't be doing too bad to stop in here.