Chef Monsta: I cook, therefore I blog » Travels

Pennette Harry’s Bar

Chef Monsta — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:57:19 +0000

Happy New Year! For my first official post of 2010, I wanted to recreate a delicious dish I ate while on vacation in Miami, Florida this past week. Every time I hit up the MIA, I always spend an evening window shopping at the luxurious Shops at Bal Harbour. I ogle at the window displays of Dior, YSL, and their other fancy counterparts while I wait for a table at Carpaccio, an Italian eatery in the mall. Carpaccio is always packed, has a great outdoor seating area, and a hearty wine list. I have probably eaten almost every pasta on the menu, but my favorite is the Pennette Harry’s Bar, a dish based on Harry Cipriani’s famed restaurant in Venice, Italy. Harry’s Bar takes the credit for the invention of the Bellini and carpaccio! If you can’t make it to Venice or Miami, then please try this recipe for Harry’s Bar Penne. It combines some amazing ingredients, and is filling yet surprisingly light.

Ingredients:

Penne or Pennette pasta
5 cloves garlic
16 oz of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup of pine nuts
Parmesan

In a sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add crushed tomatoes and sugar. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes (instant Pomodoro sauce).

Dice up sun-dried tomatoes.

Make sure to wash your spinach thoroughly! Chop spinach, add sun-dried tomatoes, and saute in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 2 minutes. The spinach will wilt/shrink instantly.

In another hot pan, toast pine nuts for 2 minutes until they slightly brown (do NOT use oil, the pine nuts have their own natural oils).

Combine Pomodoro sauce, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts with your cooked penne.

Toss all ingredients together, top with Parm, and enjoy!

Isla Mexican Kitchen, Las Vegas

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:25:06 +0000

Cheers to our last meal in Las Vegas. Craving Mexican, so went over to the Treasure Island Hotel to Isla Mexican Kitchen. Gotta leave Sin City with a buzz!

Margarita with lime and pineapple juice.

Complimentary tortillas and accoutrement.

Enchiladas with Oxaca cheese and tomatillo sauce.

Beer battered Mahi Mahi tacos with chipotle aioli.

Best Breakfast Buffet in Las Vegas

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:12:29 +0000

All breakfasts are NOT created equal. All buffets are NOT created equal. And all hotels are NOT created equal. I ate at the Monte Carlo lunch buffet and almost barfed after. That experience almost turned me off to Vegas buffets but thank heavens I’m no quitter. Because, if I had sworn off buffets, I would have missed the best breakfast of my life. At the Wynn Hotel, over the top elegance is the raison d’être. The decor of the hotel is luxury to the gaudiest degree, and so is the food!!! I present to you, the Wynn buffet, the site of the greatest breakfast in the world.

For starters, the buffet dining hall is insane!! Check out those larger than life flower pot robots and the crazy chandeliers (which are everywhere in the hotel, by the way).

Gazpacho station!

Yogurt parfaits and pink grapefruits with mint.

Breads galore.

Waffles and french toast.

D-I-Y granola.

Croissant heaven.

No indulgent breakfast would be complete without pancakes…(and crepes)

Eggs and tots.

Desserts at breakfast? Why not?

First plate is mine. Can we say “carbs”? Bagel, lox, and cream cheese, gazpacho, yogurt parfait, hashbrowns, pain au chocolat, waffles, and a roll. These hash browns were awesome. They were like little latke balls but crispier and buttery.

Brother’s plate is trying to be healthy with the scrambled egg whites and fruit. But I see your salmon eggs Benedict covered in hollandaise. You can’t hide from me.

Sister’s plate is modeling waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, salmon eggs Bendict, hash browns, and more bread.

Please cast your voice and tell me who’s plate you would have liked to eat the most and why.

P.S. Of course we stashed all the croissants and rolls in our bags when we left like old ladies. Gotta get your money’s worth at an all you can eat buffet!

Maggiano’s Little Italy, Las Vegas

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:44:34 +0000

You know how babies like shiny things? Vegas really relies on that trick. Everything in Vegas is shiny and bright, and [successfully] lures you in! On our second night in Sin City, we were attracted to the bright lights of Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant, that sat across the street from our hotel in the Fashion Show Mall. So Maggiano’s was begging us to come over, and we did. And we ate. And we liked it.

To start, we ordered the Bombalina Platter, a sampler of tasty fried treats: Barb’s Spinach & Artichoke al Forno, Crispy Zucchini Fritte, Crispy Onions, Bruschetta; Stuffed Mushrooms.

Calamari Fritte with marinara sauce.

Mussels.

Four Cheese Ravioli: Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, and provolone filling sprinkled with house cheese, then browned in the oven and served in pesto-alfredo cream sauce with a touch of marinara. Too many good things in one dish.

A house specialty; Beef Braciole- Beef cutlets stuffed and rolled with our ground beef, Italian vegetables and asiago cheese, in a Red Wine Tomato sauce and served with Pappardelle Pasta with garlic butter.

Great food, huge patio, awesome view of the Strip!!!

Sushi Samba Las Vegas’ Happy Hour

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:36:39 +0000

This past week, I accompanied my brother and sister to PubCon 2009 Conference, in Las Vegas. PubcCon is a search and internet marketing conference that attracts internet marketers and web-heavy hitters to locations all over the world. This particular conference was in Sin City, and I tagged along for the fun and games. It was my first time in Vegas, and I LOVED it!! There is so much to see/drink/and eat, and the strip is ridiculous. I was also in shock as to how a three hour time difference from the East Coast screwed up our inner clock so badly…we were exhausted at the strangest times.

By 6pm I was starving!!!! I usually eat dinner at around 8-9pm EST time and I felt completely early bird special-ed. So we hit up the happy hour at Sushi Samba in the Palazzo Hotel for lots of pre-dinner treats. Side Note: The Palazzo Hotel had the best restaurant selection in one hotel I have ever seen. It offered Mario Batali’s Carnevino, Wolfgang Puck’s Cut, Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant Charlie, Emeril Lagasse’s Table 10, Sushi Samba, Dos Caminos, Grand Lux Cafe (Cheesecake Factory), and tons more. Mmmm. Ok back to Sushi Samba…

The happy hour was until 7pm and boasted all drinks and appetizers for $6:
Caipirinhas & Mojitos
Japanese Style Salt and Pepper Squid
Soy Glazed Edamame
Shishito Peppers
Salmon Taquitos
Yellowtail Seviche
Tuna Seviche
Shrimp Seviche
Chicken Anticuchos
Spicy Tuna Roll
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Assorted Vegetable Tempura

We hit it hard.

Yellowtail Seviche with ginger garlic and soy.

Two Spicy Tuna Rolls.

Soy Glazed Edamame.

Salmon Tacquitos with a crazy ponzu foam.

Chicken Antichuchos (like yakitori) with corn and cilantro salad.

Doneso.

Since Vegas is so expensive and over the top, it was really great to see an awesome happy hour with great deals!! I wish the NYC Sushi Sambas had this happy hour

More Vegas food adventures to come….