Porn…that sleezy-slutty word that co-exists with Las Vegas! Yeah, I went back to Vegas. But this is a different story. It won’t be the typical brass pole story of debaucherous drinking and black out nights. No, none of that! In fact, this latest trip was all about the other porn…food! A rare moment for me in Sin City.
I decided to ditch family and the traditional ways of Christmas get-togethers! On Christmas day I flew out to Vegas to embark on a quest for food.
It was icy cold with temps in the low 40’s during the day, a slight wind chill to make it feel like 30 degrees, and at night it was in the mid 20’s. But it didn’t rain.
I know, and I get it, us West Coast folks have no idea what real weather is in comparison to the East Coast folks. Especially guys like me from Central California!
But the cold didn’t stop me from eating everything from high end to low budget and I kicked in a few drinks along the way.
Barry's Downtown Prime Steakhouse
Christmas night dinner at Barry’s Downtown Steakhouse was an over-the-top indulgence spectacular! And a thousand dollars later our belly’s were full all the way through late afternoon the next day.
The bone-in ribeye was a marvel of meat overload. Medium rare, crispy crunch on the outside, melt in your mouth experience. Pure perfection!
Even though this looked like the creature straight out of the movie Alien…this lobster mac and cheese was to die for! Creamy, cheesy, salty, buttery, and what seemed like endless chunks of lobster, was as pornographic as you could get for your tongue!
The next morning, inside Aria Hotel & Casino, I settled for one of these to continue to help the stomach digest a lot of red meat from the night before. Tito’s vodka bloody…
CATCH
CATCH is a popular restaurant in Los Angeles and New York to name a few locations. Out here in Las Vegas, CATCH was equally popular with the tourists and locals.
We actually ate here twice. Once for brunch and then dinner the next day.
This tasty morsel, known as Otoro tuna, comes from the belly of the Bluefin tuna fish. It’s the most expensive tuna around and it’s so fatty that the fat starts to melt as soon as it’s pulled from the frig. But the flavor of the fat and flesh melts in your mouth immediately. No chewing required.
The grilled Spanish octopus was a new experience for me. Generally, I eat octopus fresh boiled, but this had a nice crunch to it with plenty of flavor.
This was 9oz’s of A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef. The Vegas market price was $40 per oz. On one side of this plate you see the nice fat marble beef. If you ate it raw, which I did for a couple of them, it vaporizes in your mouth. You really don’t have to chew much.
On the other side of the plate was the hot stone. You let the Wagyu sizzle for 3 to 4 seconds on each side and toss it into your mouth. I don’t mess with the sauces. It tastes better naked!
The Cantonese Lobster was infused with sake, oyster sauce, garlic, scallions, and a few jalapeno slices. It was good eats!
The roasted whole Branzino (European bass) fish platter! It comes with squash, baby zucchini, heirloom tomato, roasted long stem artichokes, arugula, and a citrus vinaigrette. The skeleton of the fish was removed to allow the back to be filleted open.
My birthday is 5 days before Christmas. Yes, as a kid growing up, having a birthday anywhere in the month of December, you were going to get ripped off somehow…someway. Usually a combined gift and/or combined party!
This is the “hit me” ice cream cake. After pouring hot fudge on top, you strike the top with your fork, and a nice cascade of sugary cream comes pouring out the top. It was delish!
Cafe Americano Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
After another night of high end dining, eating this Chorizo breakfast burrito the next day was a welcomed change.
Hexx Kitchen and Bar Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
On my last day of Vegas, I had some pancakes! I couldn’t eat another big lavish meal. I was done and ready to go home! So pancakes with butter and syrup it was!
As promised, my blog was all about the food this time around in Las Vegas!
Happy 2022 everyone! May your year be filled great travel destinations, amazing food, and cold alcoholic drinks! Cheers!
Until next time on Foodie Booze Explorer.
Happy Birthday,Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Next time go try the Golden Steer steakhouse the oldest in Las Vegas est in 1958. The Rat Pack and many more of Vegas characters frequented it Leather booths, tableside made Cesar salad and alot of nostalgia.I highly recommend it.
Thank you Kevin! I definitely will!!!
Happy Bday Paul and Happy New Year. Wagyu and Otoro… you just made my day. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Thank you so much John!
Hi Paul,
Gosh, I don’t know where to start. Chris and I want to plan a trip to Vegas and these are some great suggestions for a start. This. Don👍
Thank you Don! If you need further recommendations let me know.