Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel

Another Restaurant Week restaurant I tried this year was Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel. Here, I tried out their lunch menu since my girlfriends and I wanted to go somewhere "new." The Quattro posted an impressive menu on the Restaurant Week website, but I only liked the Eggplant appetizer.

The Eggplant appetizer had a thin slice of eggplant on the bottom, topped with a layer of burrata cheese, roasted red bell pepper, and paper-thin sliced eggplant. It was also drizzled in puree black olive sauce. The cheese was creamy, soft, and has a light nutty flavor. The burrata cheese was what really made this dish! I suggest trying this dish if its on their regular menu, but know that the eggplant is lost in this dish (even though eggplant does not have a lot of flavor).

For my entree, I had the Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms. This dish was served with 3 slices of glazed duck. I was actually disappointed with this dish because the risotto was undercooked. If the risotto was cooked correctly, then this dish would be fabulous. The mushroom was tasty and cooked well, but there were about 5 pieces of mushroom. As you can tell from the photo, the entree was super small.

I would not recommend coming here. The service was okay. We had mimosas here, but for the price we paid, they used VERY cheap champagne because we all had a headache afterwards.

In addition, one of my girlfriends had the Seared Red Mullet (which is a type of fish) and it was TERRIBLE! It was super fishy and not appetizing at all.

Another dish that one of my girlfriends tried was the Steamed Wild Sea Bass Escalope. Again, terrible! Not only was it fishy, but it tasted "dirty." Something that I would not want another person to know what that taste like!

So if you do head over to Quattro, do not order any seafood! They just don't know how to prepare it!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cream Pie

I have a very easy dessert recipe for anyone who doesn't want to bake or worry too much about measurements. This delicious cream pie is ready in about 2 hours max! And its so tasty!

Okay, what you need is:

• 1 gram crust (I usually get the Oreo one)
• 1 regular tub of cool whip (make sure this is at room temp and you may use fat-free)
• 1 large bar of chocolate or a bag of chocolate chips (can be mint chocolate chip or a Hershey's almond)

Now, make sure the cool whip is at room temperature. In a large bowl, whip the cool whip. If you have a chocolate bar, break up the chocolate and microwave it for 45 seconds. Make sure its melted and if the chocolate isn't melted, then heat it again for 15 seconds. Once the chocolate is melted, stir the chocolate in with the cool whip. Mix it evenly and then pour it onto the crust. Freeze the pie for at least 2 hours and viola! You have an awesome creamy chocolate chip pie! ENJOY!

Gigi's Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar

I've walked passed Gigi's many times while shopping at the Galleria. Since I've only seen the "bar" side of the restaurant, I always thought it was a narrow place for one to get a quick bite of dumplings. However, this place is deceiving! It only looks small, but it actually have a nice size dining area and two bar areas.

Even so, I was wary of going into this place because its inside the Galleria and I figured it'll be expensive and pretentious. Now, I will pay for good food, but I have a problem when it comes to expensive Chinese food! One can get super good Chinese food for a good deal- trust me! However, since it was Restaurant Week (where there's a set menu and part of the proceeds goes to charity), I decided to venture in and see if I'd recommend this place.

The decor is super pretty! In the dining area, there are cherry blossoms hanging from the ceiling. The place has a chic-lounge like feel to it. It's a nice place to take someone on a first date since it does give you the sense of privacy in the dining area. However, the service was okay. My server wasn't that great. For the prices on the menu, you'd expect fabulous service, but he was not attentive and rarely paid attention to my table.

From the Restaurant Week menu, I tried the Hot Tuna Sashimi with Citrus Soy and Sizzling Oil, which was basically seared tuna. The seared tuna tasted just like anywhere other sushi restaurant. I was not impressed with it. I also tried the Tapioca-Wrapped Crawfish Dumplings, which resembles the "shrimp dumplings" one orders during dimsum. The crawfish dumpling were not good! It had a "fishy" taste to it and I could barely finish the bite I took. Again, not impressed with their appetizers.

Luckily, the entrees were better. I had the Pan Seared Filet Mignon, which I thought was a whole piece of filet, but the beef was actually diced. This plate resembled the Vietnamese "diced beef" or "bo luc lac". The filet was tender and juicy, but the pieces were too chunky. You still need a steak knife to be able to enjoy it. However, the filet was delicious. It had a tangy and sweet taste to it and it was a bit spicy. The filet was also served with diced sweet potato and watercress. Since the watercress was not cooked, I didn't try it (its usually bitter when its not cooked), but the diced sweet potato was yummy! I think I enjoyed the sweet potato more than the filet itself.

Another entree I tried was their Thai-Style Crispy Duck Fajita. This was honestly the best thing there that evening. It was very flavorful and colorful. It looks just like a fajita plate but with sliced duck. It's almost a cross between Peking Duck and Duck Fajitas. The bread that comes with this plate is not tortillas or the bread that normally comes with Peking Duck, but its the Chinese/Taiwanese crispy bread (I am sorry if its confusing, but I don't know how else to describe it!). The duck was sliced, crispy and tasty (with the skin still attached to it). The menu claims there's pineapple in the entree and there was none. However,they did bring sliced avocado on the side and it did make the fajitas even more delicious with it! This dish also comes with three different sauces, but since it was basically Peking Duck in a different "form," I mainly used the oyster sauce. If you do go to Gigi's, this is definitely something you should try.

For dessert, I tried the Chocolate Molten Cake and the Strawberry Cream Cake. The strawberry cake was not that great. It was more cake than cream, but the cake was fluffy. You couldn't really taste the strawberries and it was served with chocolate ice cream - not the best combination. The Chocolate Molten Cake was much better than the strawberry cake. It was yummy and was paired with vanilla ice cream; however, the molten cake looked like dung (seriously) and it kinda took away its appeal at first.

Now, I did compare the regular menu to the Restaurant Week ("RW") one and Gigi's menu does not have any of the RW entrees. But, if the RW's entrees were just decent, I doubt their regular menu is amazing or fabulous. Again, the regular menu is pricy- somewhat comparable to P.F. Chang's, and I'd rather eat at P.F. Chang's than at Gigi's.

Pahrump Valley Winery

If you've read my blog on Symphony's Restaurant, then you'll know that the restaurant is located inside a winery in Pahrump, Nevada. Who would have known a winery exists in the desert!? Well, I for one did not! However, its a nice and small winery for those who just wants to try out some free wine!

First off, this winery does grow its own grapes, but they have yet to create wine with them. During the tour, the guide even admits that most of their grapes comes from California and Oregon. So why go here??? Well, mainly for the restaurant (please see Symphony's at Pahrump, NV). But, I do have to say they let you sample basically EVERY wine on their list (except for the ones they're sold out on). They do have a heavy hand while pouring you a sample (trust me, I got a bit tipsy afterwards).

Regarding wines: the best red wine I had there was the Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Granted, if you know me, my favorite wine is the cab, but this was a good wine with hints of raspberry and currant. Another good red wine there was the Syrah 2005. I liked it because you can taste the blackberry, blueberry, and chocolate - especially after you drink it. The aroma stays in your mouth. Its also their most expensive red wine there (actually, the most expensive wine on the list period).

My favorite there was their Creme Sherry- its a port that you MUST sip on. Its not a port that one can "gulp" down because its super rich and filled with flavor. This port tastes like buttered walnut and its been aged for 4 years. I almost bought a few bottles of this home to give away (well, really to consume on my own, but it would make a nice gift).

Regarding the dry white wine, they only had one that I sampled and I wasn't impressed. It was their Chardonnay 2007.

With their sweet & fruity wines, I was not impressed with their Riesling 2008. It was not sweet like the other rieslings I had and I would not buy their riesling for my friends. However, their Desert Blush was delicious. It had hints of peach and apple in it. I'm usually not a huge blush wine person, but I didn't say "no" to a refill of this one!

So if you're new to wine, going out to a winery might help you figure out which type of wine you'll enjoy. If you're out in Nevada and can spare a good 30-40 minutes, you should come out to this winery maybe not for their wine, but more for their restaurant: Symphony's.

Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast please!

While in Vegas, I had brunch/breakfast at this restaurant in Paris: Mon Ami Gabi. Now, I stopped there to eat because it had a nice patio seating which faced Bellagio and its water fountain show. Well, the real reason why I ate there... the buffet line to Paris for breakfast was super LONG and I was starving! With that said, I am so glad that I stopped here because they have the most fabulous "Banana Foster Waffles"!!!!!!

I actually had breakfast/brunch at this place twice during my last visit in Vegas, so that should tell you how addicting this place can be. Again, let me emphasize that should you eat here, you MUST dine at their patio area! With many internationals and tourists in Vegas, one would feel like they're in a foreign place with amazingly good food! (at least that's how I felt)

One morning, I had their "Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs" and it was delicious! The corned beef is actually "pulled" beef and not the smashed-up canned ones with potato. This breakfast item also came with roasted red peppers, which gave the dish some color. The eggs were poached correctly and combining the eggs and beef took away from the saltiness of the beef, in a good way. Almost every entree is served with two slices of toasts. The butter and jam that comes with the toast is AMAZING! The butter was freshly churned and the jam was "homemade" (made at the restaurant presumably). The butter and jam was so amazing that if you fail to eat it, you would not have a complete breakfast there!

Another morning, I had the "Eggs Florentine," which was basically eggs benedict but with artichoke and spinach, no meat. Again, this dish was wonderful! Even though there was hollandaise sauce, the meal tasted "lighter" than the Corned Beef Hash I had the morning before. I even felt healthier eating this dish.

Now, both mornings I had their "Banana Foster Waffles" :) I know, I had two entrees each day, but these waffles were worth it! The waffles are Mon Ami Gabi's "made from scratch waffle" and they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (and they really were!). They had a few you can pick from: strawberries, chocolate, blueberries; but I HAD to order the banana fosters one. First off, the whipped cream was rich and fluffy! You can taste how fresh the whipped cream was. The fosters sauce that was drizzled on top of the waffles was sweet and it complemented the bananas that were sliced on top of the waffles. The presentation of this dish was absolutely mouth-watering. In fact, the reason why I ordered this dish was because a server walked past my table with the waffles... it looked so delicious that it became a MUST for me to order (and I did). Note that the Banana Foster ones are ONLY served during breakfast so you must get there before 11AM to enjoy a taste of heaven.

Please note that if your party is incomplete, the hostess will NOT seat you, so be there with everyone!

(sorry for no photos! I didn't realize I was going to blog about it until after the fact)

Symphony's at Pahrump, NV

Las Vegas has been known for its entertainment, which obviously includes food. However, about 30-40 minutes outside of Vegas is a small city called Pahrump. Interestingly, this city has a small winery (Pahrump Valley Winery) and a FABULOUS restaurant called Symphony's.

Symphony's was named after the winery's bestseller- Symphony, which is a delicious white wine with hints of honeysuckle and apricot with a floral bouquet (for more critique about the winery, please see the wine posting).

The place is really cute! I was only there for lunch, but to me it would be a nice quiet place to go on a date that is not "Vegas scene." The dining area was put together for an upscale feel. The chairs there are the nice, cushiony, fabric arm chairs. It makes you feel like you've traveled to a nice restaurant out in London with the type of furniture they had and how it was decorated.

Since it was lunch time, the view outside the dining area was spectacular. One can see the vines of the grapes and the nice garden planted right by the dining area. If your food takes too long , you could actually go right outside and wander around.

Service here was excellent. The server was very attentive and was always checking to see if I needed anything else. Kudos for that! Also, even though this place has an upscale feel, the restaurant is known as a "casual upscale" dining place-- meaning you can go there in a t-shirt and shorts with flip flops if you'd like.

Food wise -- for starters, I had the "Crab,

Spinach & Artichoke Dip" - this was delicious! There were giant lumps of crab meat in every bite I had! This dip was also served with Ciabatta bread crostini, which was an amazing pairing (hey, much better than tortilla chips). It had just the right amount of crab, spinach and artichoke mixture. Not one ingredient over powered the other and it was just simply yummy. I also had the "French Onion Soup," which I have to admit was just decent. I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but it just tasted like anywhere else.

Now, for my meal, I had the "Symphony Chicken Limone," which was fantastic! From the way the menu described it, I thought it was a whole chicken breast on top of pasta; however, when it came out, the chicken was actually sliced and tossed in with the pasta. Symphony Chicken Limone had grilled chicken, artichoke, sun-dried tomato and its tossed in with fettucini pasta in a lemony cream sauce that is made from their Symphony white wine (hence the name). Every bite of this pasta was exploding with flavor! I have not had any pasta like this before and I am STILL craving for this dish!

So if you happen to have extra time in Vegas and would like to venture somewhere, try this restaurant out in Pahrump. Now, just a warning, brothel houses are legal in this city so do not be surprised when you drive past a "Brothel Museum." I had this "OMG!" shocked-look on my face while in Pahrump, so I'm giving you a fair warning :)