GREAT EATS HAWAII: January 2013

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

www.warwickmelrosedallas.com

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

www.bandbristorante.com

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

www.arialasvegas.com

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.

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/10/javiers-aria-resort-and-casino.html

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

www.arialasvegas.com

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.