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Thursday, January 31, 2013

LANDMARK RESTAURANT - WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL

LANDMARK RESTAURANT
WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL
DALLAS, TEXAS

WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL
3015 OAK LAWN AVENUE
DALLAS, TEXAS
214-521-5151
214-521-2470 FAX
www.warwickmelrosedallas.com

Enjoyed a nice lunch at the Landmark Restaurant inside the Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas.  We had a great waitress that really made us feel comfortable.  I went for the Chicken Liver Pate ($10).  Absolutely one of the best $10 dishes of my life.  This house made Pate is perfect.  Full of flavor.  When you add a little bit of egg and onion to it - wow.....I wanted to lick the jar.  Seriously, when they took my plate I wanted to say wait and take the jar to my room.  The Gulf Shrimp and Lobster Pasta ($17) was just ok.  The lobster was a bit tasteless and the sauce was bland.  My friend enjoyed the Lobster and Shrimp Roll ($14).  Two sandwiches packed with lobster and shrimp and just enough mayo and celery to add flavor.  Served with some really good and crispy french fries.  I asked the waitress if I could try a couple of the house made potato chips on the menu.  She brought me a small sample at no charge.  

LANDMARK RESTAURANT

LANDMARK RESTAURANT AT THE WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL - DALLAS, TEXAS 
BRIGHT AND CLEAN 
SOUPS AND SALADS
SMALL PLATES AND TACOS
SANDWICHES AND BURGERS


BREAD WAS VERY THIN AND DIFFICULT TO BUTTER
CHICKEN LIVER PATE - THIS IS GREAT AND THE BEST BARGAIN ON THE MENU
HOUSE MADE CHICKEN PATE IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD
GREAT FRENCH FRIES
LOBSTER AND SHRIMP ROLL
HOUSE MADE POTATO CHIPS WERE GREAT!
GULF SHRIMP AND LOBSTER PASTA
NICE SELECTION OF WINES BEHIND GLASS

WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL - DALLAS, TEXAS

WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL
DALLAS, TEXAS 

WARWICK MELROSE HOTEL
3015 OAK LAWN AVENUE
DALLAS, TEXAS
214-521-5151
214-521-2470 FAX

Enjoyed a nice few days at the Warwick Melrose in Dallas.  This historic hotel is billed as a landmark in Dallas and is the recipient of the AAA Four Diamond Award.  The front desk staff was courtesies as were the valet guys.  The lobby and bar are hopping on Friday and Saturday nights.  I liked the room and feel of the property.  I prefer this style to the jam packed larger hotels from the major chains.  The lobby bar here rocks with live entertainment and the bartenders are among the best.  It is no wonder this bar was rated #1 in Dallas.  I would not mind staying here again if there was ever a need to return to Dallas.

THE WARWICK ON MELROSE - DALLAS, TEXAS
ENTRANCE FEELS LIKE WALKING INTO A GRACIOUS SOUTHERN HOME
LOBBY SEATING AREA
LOBBY WITH FRONT DESK TO RIGHT
LIKED ENJOYING A CUP OF COFFEE IN THE LOBBY EACH MORNING
LOBBY TURNS INTO NIGHTCLUB TYPE SPACE ON WEEKENDS
KING ROOM
SMALL DESK HAS ONLY CHARGING STATION IN ROOM
GOOD SIZE COMFORTABLE ROOM
SEATING AREA

BATH ROOM IS A BIT CRAMPED BUT VERY ADEQUATE
COFEE MACHINE IN BATHROOM

B AND B RISTORANTE - LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

 B AND B RISTORANTE
THE VENETIAN
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

B&B RISTORANTE
THE VENETIAN
3355 LAS VEGAS BLVD SOUTH
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA  89109
702-266-9977

We wanted to try some good Italian food while in Las Vegas.  I went to my go to chef Mario Batali because I love his restaurant Babbo in New York.  Babbo has delivered knock out dinners on several visits to the Big Apple and I was hoping to get that same taste in Las Vegas.  The restaurant is located within a little section of The Venetian that is like a little restaurant row.  We entered this super busy space and were quickly greeted by a smiling hostess.  As we sat down the waiter was there to greet us.  He explained the menu and offered some suggestions.  The water girl was fantastic.  Our glasses never went below half way and she was there to refill them.  We found out later that she was a Hawaii girl who went to High School in our great State.  We started our meal with Grilled Octopus ($21).  The Octopus was perfectly cooked but lacked the flavor of some recent Octopus dishes I have enjoyed.  The Beet Salad ($15) was a huge disappointment.  Pretty tasteless.  The Beef Cheek Ravioli with Black Truffles and Crushed Duck Liver ($26) was super rich and overwhelmed with the taste of truffles.  The Rabbit Confit Crespelle with Rucola and Radishes ($19) did not have much taste and I could not figure out where the Rabbit Confit was.  The star of the night and what I highly recommend is the Spaghettini with Garlic Chives, Sweet Garlic and One Pound Lobster ($36).  This dish delivered big time on flavor.  The pasta was home made and the lobster was cooked to perfection.  I would return for this dish and this dish only.

B AND B RISTORANTE

B&B RISTORANTE IN THE VENETIAN - LAS VEGAS
BAR AREA BUSY WITH DINERS AND DRINKERS
DARK INTERIOR WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY
HOUSE APPETIZER
GRILLED OCTOPUS
BEET SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS 
RABBIT CONFIT WITH RADISH
BEEF CHEEK RAVIOLI WITH TRUFFLES
SPAGHETTINI WITH GARLIC CHIVES AND ONE POUND LOBSTER

JAVIER'S - ARIA RESORT AND CASINO

JAVIER'S
ARIA RESORT AND CASINO
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

JAVIER'S
ARIA RESORT AND CASINO 
3730 LAS VEGAS BLVD
LAS VEGAS, NV 89518
702-590-7757

Nice to see that the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas added a Mexican Restaurant to its lineup of excellent eateries. I stopped in to enjoy a cold Bohemia Mexican Beer and ended up trying the Cevichi Tostadas ($18).  These were three nice size corn tortillas topped with shrimp, seafood and vegetables.  Good and kind of filling.  I only ate one out of the three.  The Enchilada and Taco Combination Plate ($19) was served with rice and beans.  Pretty basic Mexican food that hit the spot.  I recommend you check out Javier's menu on the Aria website.  They have a nice selection of dishes that I need to try before writing this place off.  I had a great server who was friendly and courteous.  You can eat at the large bar or tables surrounding the bar.  There is also a large seating area away from the bar and noise.  Click below for another post on Javier's.

JAVIER'S

JAVIER'S IS INSIDE THE ARIA RESORT NEAR THE CENTER OF THE CASINO
I GRABBED A NICE BOOTH OVERLOOKING THE BAR AREA
NOT YOUR NORMAL MEXICAN JOINT - LARGE BAR IN FRONT OF RESTAURANT
COLD MEXICAN BEER WITH CHIPS AND SALSA
ORDER OF CEVICI TOSTADAS
TOSTADAS LOADED WITH FRESH SEAFOOD
CHICKEN ENCHILADA AND SHREDDED BEEF TACO

BARMASA - ARIA RESORT AND CASINO

BARMASA
ARIA RESORT AND CASINO
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

BARMASA
ARIA RESORT AND CASINO 
3730 LAS VEGAS BLVD
LAS VEGAS, NV 89518
702-590-7757

Dinner at Barmasa was like eating in an airport.  The space is huge and very spread out.  Service started out pretty good and then our waiter was kind of out of it as he took on more tables.  This was an expensive meal that I would not pay for again.  Started with Kanpachi with Jalapeño ($28).  The fried potatoes in my opinion do not match well with sushi grade fish.  For $28 I would expect more.  The Wasabi Blast Tuna ($28) was excellent and delivered that fresh sashimi taste that we are blessed to get in Hawaii on a regular basis.  The Live Lobster Sashimi ($34) had no taste.  Over $90 and we are still on appetizers and hungry.  We paid ($34) for the Victoria Beef Fried Rice.  $34 for Fried Rice.  I should have ended it here.  The Peking Duck with Foie Gras ($26) was good but could not really taste the Foie Gras.  At over $6 per small bite I thought these were expensive too.  The Habanero Beef Tacos ($22) had nice flavor but as soon as you are done you want to run to a real taco stand for tacos.  The Grilled Octopus ($18) was also pretty bland.  I gotta quit writing because remembering this meal and the tab is killing me.  Try Barmasa if you don't care about cost and want to be hungry two hours after spending a fortune.

BARMASA

ARIA RESORT AND CASINO  IN LAS VEGAS IS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO STAY
BARMASA IS LOCATED INSIDE THE ARIA HOTEL JUST OFF THE LOBBY
HOSTESS STAND FULL OF LIGHTS
RESTAURANT IS HUGE AND FEELS LIKE BEING IN AN AIRPORT
DINING AREA IS LARGE OPEN SPACE WITH HIGH CEILING
BARMASA MENU
LARGE PRICES AND SMALL PORTIONS







KANPACHI JALAPENO WITH FRIED POTATO JULIENNE
WASABI BLAST TUNA
VICTORIA BEEF AND GARLIC FRIED RICE
LIVE LOBSTER SASHIMI CEVICHE WITH CUCUMBER
PEKING DUCK WITH FOIE GRAS IN MOO SHU SKIN
HABANERO BEEF TACO
GRILLED OCTOPUS WITH ONION CAPER