Somebody got to pick a restaurant for a birthday and that restaurant is my favorite Thai place in the country. Yes, we have to drive 92 miles out to a Pahrump strip mall to get magical Thai food. I found this place years ago when working at the local hospital in town. I stayed there for about 4 weeks or so and went here every day. We come back as often as we can. 3 hrs of driving and $5 gas it is still worth every penny.
Right outside of Green Valley Ranch casino in the District in Henderson is a tiny Ramen shop called the Bone and Belly. We have been here before and they consistently have some of the best chashu around. They don’t have a ton of noodle / topping / broth options like other places but what they do have is dialed in perfectly.
The old Bank of America building in Henderson where Tomoko worked every day for years has been turned into a brewery and restaurant. The walk in vault is still there and has been turned into a lounge. I bet the combination lock still works. The restaurant has a Southern / BBQ flare. It has a nice atmosphere, except for the music. They were out of brisket but the tri-tip was good. The house BBQ sauce was really good. Not too salty or sweet or over the top like most BBQ sauces these days. Just a nice balanced all purpose dipping sauce.
Milo’s is the nice wine bar in the center of town. They have great food and great patio seating. We went early to beat the monthly ‘wine walk’ event the town hosts.
A new diner opened up where the old Scratch House used to be. The Cornish Pasty Company has a few other locations around but I have never heard of them. Every culture has its egg-roll and this is what the English have come up with. Traditionally, a pasty is dough filled with meat and potatoes. Now they fill it with all sorts of stuff. We tried the cottage pie and chicken masala but there are lots of other options that need to be tested. They even have a peanut butter jelly one which sounds divine. Hidden on the dessert menu is a most wonderful sticky toffee pudding which is is as good or better than the expensive Gordon Ramsey version. Don’t skip dessert.
Update: we came back for more. Sadly, they were out of the toffee pudding.
Greek Bistro over by Sunset Casino is a nice little cafe with really good food. We have gotten gyro’s to before but wanted to try some other menu items. The babaganush is fresh, the spanikopitas are also freshly made upon order. Everything was good.
Ventano Italian Grill is our favorite Italian restaurant in town. Nora’s is a close second. It is in Henderson and has a good view of downtown from the patio. They only had the lunch menu available this afternoon, but that’s okay as it is all good. The dinner menu has a potato wrapped salmon which sounds strange but is pretty awesome.
Everybody has heard of chicken and waffles. Most of us think what’s the big deal, I know what a waffle is and I know what fried chicken is like. Why would you put those 2 together?
The nurses at Duke took me to Dame’s in North Carolina 10 years ago. It was packed at 3 in the afternoon and I was the only white person there. You pick your own waffle batter, your own butter, your own toppings, and your chicken. Get the spicy greens and you have your ‘sweet-salty-spicy’ food triangle. That is where the magic happens – when you get all 3 of those elements in each bite. I was hooked.
Roscoe’s in Los Angeles has a reputation for the best chicken/waffle on the west coast. Friend Bart and I went there one evening but it was a let down as it was run down and full of vagrants. All of LA is like that now.
In Vegas we have Mama Bird which is very good – but I had the chance to get back to Whiskey Cake in San Antonio. They have half a dozen other places mostly in TX. They have a gazillion types of whiskey too at the bar which unfortunately I cannot appreciate anymore. The chicken and waffles bring me back anytime I am in the area. They add bacon to the waffle batter. They add 2 eggs to the waffle. They have large boneless battered chicken tenders added. They cover the chicken with a sausage gravy. Then you cover the whole mess with maple syrup to tie it all together.
This Chinese Noodle shop doesn’t look like much from the outside or even inside decor, but don’t let that fool you. This really is a hidden gem. You thought the tortilla lady at Cafe Rio was fun to watch, well you ain’t seen nothing yet. These folks are swinging and stretching and twisting all the noodles by hand. Here is a video. So you get fresh noodles but the beef broth is really, really good. The szechuan brisket soup is devine. The regular brisket soup is also very good. The sesame balls (filled with red bean paste) are a good appetizer not seen often on menus. We will be back but I dont know how we will ever try anything else on the menu as the brisket soup is perfect.
Over on the Ikea side of town is a small southern kitchen called Mama Bird. Lots of fun stuff on the menu for sure. The Chicken / Waffle / Mac-n-Cheese sandwich was a must try. The MMAD hot option is hot – but not Howlin’ Ray or Mattie B hot. The waffle was a bit undercooked and soggy, but the chicken was very moist, the mac-n-cheese was amazing. This is a strong #2 chicken waffle vote for me outside of the Whiskey Cake in San Antonio. The deviled eggs were good along with the cake in a jar. We need to go back to try the brisket.
