H2 Kitchen & Bar (Sunday Supper)

It has been a minute since I've last visited H2 Kitchen & Bar nestled within the Westin Bayshore hotel.  They've gone through a few iterations with the current setup being a casual dining spot with a BBQ focus.  I've had that a few times now and it has been pretty solid, especially for a hotel restaurant (that are usually not known for thinking out-of-the-box).  This time around, we were here for their Sunday Supper Series and to have a few of their other items on the menu.  This is not the first time I've tried their Sunday Supper, as they used to have a family-style menu.  Now they feature a 3-course meal for only $43.00!

For the first course, there is an option of either the Caesar Salad or Chicken Corn Chowder.  We went for the chowder because I've also had that before and it was great!  Topped with a piece of puffed pastry, the large bowl was packed with delicate corn niblets that burst with intense sweetness and tender pulp.  There was a wealth of chicken that was moist and tender.  As for the broth itself, the viscosity was on the thinner side, but fine by us since it wasn't overly heavy.  It was sweet, a bit creamy and spot-on with the salt content.

The featured plate for the Sunday Supper was the Cherry Cola Braised Short Rib with celeriac polenta, pickled gem tomato and charred broccolini.  Compared to some of the past featured mains, this was one of the more appealing offerings.  The large piece of boneless short rib was for tender and succulent.  A bit sweet and full of umami, it really took on the flavours of the braise.  Rich and creamy, the polenta had some aggressive seasoning (which was good).  Broccolini was vibrant with a fresh crunch.

For dessert, we had the Roasted Apple Cheesecake with shortbread crust, roasted apples, oat crumble, vanilla ice cream and brandy snap.  This was a pretty dense cheesecake and we weren't surprised as it was New York style.  Plenty of baked cream cheese flavor with balanced sweetness.  Loved the roasted apple on top as it added a sweet fruitiness.  It was mixed with oat crumble which added texture as well as nuttiness.  The vanilla ice cream wasn't completely necessary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Of course we didn't just have the Sunday Supper and call it a day...  We also had some other dishes including the Firecracker Shrimp.  This was more about the crunchy batter (must've had rice flour) than anything else.  It held up to the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce nicely.  The Buffalo Wings were okay, but really needed more sauce.  The meat was moist and the batter was still crispy, but there was a lack of moisture and flavour to the dish.

With a bevy of legit cheese curds, the Waffle Fries Poutine was pretty good.  First off, the waffle fries were crispy while still maintaining a soft potato texture.  They topped it with a balanced gravy that wasn't too salty, but had enough flavour though.  Just like it should be, the cheese curds weren't completely melted, so we go that squeak.  Not pictured was the side of brisket, that should've been on top of the poutine.  When we added it, there was much more body and layers of meatiness.

From the Happy Hour menu, we selected the Fish Taco as well as the Burnt End Sliders.  The fish taco was pretty solid where the piece of flaky fish was rather large and coated with a crispy batter.  The usual condiments were there.  Really loved the sliders where the meat was tender but had candied bark that was smoky and sweet.  A slice of pickle helped add some acidity while the Hawaiian buns were soft and sweet.

So we couldn't not order something from their BBQ menu right?  I've had their larger combo platters before, but we had to get something smaller since we had so much food already.  Therefore, we settled on the CAB Smoked Brisket with mac & cheese and market vegetables.  This plate was generous with 2 thick slices of brisket.  Although it looked dry at first, the meat was decently moist and completely fork tender.  We chose the O.G. H2 BBQ Sauce and it was smoky, sweet and tangy.  Veggies were still crunchy while cooked through.  Mac was al dente with lots of real cheese, but we would've liked to see more cheese sauce for moisture.

Looking enormous with 2 crispy strips of bacon, the Whiskey BBQ Burger was delicious.  The well-seared beef patty was crispy and smoky on the outside while still being fairly moist on the inside.  The aged cheddar provided some smokiness while the bacon did the same as well as adding some crunch.  A few tempura-battered onion rings provided even more crunch.  This was all sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun.

We ended up with the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich as well since I wanted to reminisce about my fried chicken sandwich IG account (that I no longer update due to bad cholesterol...  LOL).  This was a serviceable version with a generous amount of juicy chicken coated in a crunchy batter.  We found the heat level to be rather mild though.  Bun was soft with crispy surface areas while the slaw was crunchy and fresh.

We ended up ordering 2 drinks including the Gin in the Garden and the Fig & Strawberry Spritz.  Really enjoyed the first drink as it was refreshing and light with floral notes.  The second was a mocktail and was also floral with some tang.  We added a second dessert in the Banana Pudding Jar.  Despite my reservations about anything banana for dessert, this was actually fantastic.  Much better than the cheesecake.  Purposefully sweet and aromatic custard with fresh bananas.  This was yet another solid meal at H2 Kitchen & Bar where the food is much more casual than fine dining.  As you can probably tell, the dishes are comforting and generous in portion size.  Great for a date but also for the family as well.  The Sunday Supper deal is particularly a great value.

 

*Partial comp on the food and beverages for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Sunday Supper 3-course meal is a great value

- Considering the portion size, it is a good value

- Nice dining space

 

The Bad:

- Wings were so-so

- Cheesecake a little too dense

Burger Bender @ Match Eatery & Public House (Delta)

There are many things I look forward to each year.  These include Summer holidays (and usually a trip somewhere), taking off my winter rims and switching to Summer rims, Birthday dinner(s) and Match's Burger Bender (from Jan 16th to Feb 23rd) .  Wait.  Really???  Yes, as I've said many times, I enjoy the burgers at Match (also their wings) and I honestly look forward to their new burger creations every year.  This time around, they have 5 offerings with 2 hold-overs and one that has been voted by customers as the best for 2 years - the French Onion Big Dipper.

So let's talk about the French Onion Big Dipper first as it is also my favourite as well!  That might shock some people since they know my aversion to raw onions.  If you know me well, I actually don't mind onions, when they are cooked right.  For this burger, they are completely caramelized and for the ones in the dip, they are super delicious and add depth and sweetness.  The burger itself features their thick moist patty that is evenly seared.  This adds nuttiness and smokiness.  They put a large breaded onion ring into it as well as melted slices of Swiss.  The key to this burger is the French onion soup dip on the side.  It is not overly salty and has all of the rich flavors of sweet onion.  One dunk of the burger and the toasted brioche soaks it up and it becomes a flavor bomb of umaminess.  Delicious.

Now for the other returning burger, it is the Mighty Mushroom.  This is a pretty classic mushroom burger with the same 6oz chuck beef smashed patty.  It is not the thin type of patty you might be thinking of as it is thick and plenty juicy inside.  However, it does have the crispy edges of a typical smash patty.  I find that they properly season the meat while not making it super salty, so you can taste the meatiness.  They top this patty with sauteed crimini and button mushrooms along with Boursin cheese.  As you can imagine, this is plenty strong with bursts of umaminess.  A touch of dijonnaise helps add a bit of zing to keep things from being too bogged down with heaviness.

One of the new burgers that I think will be a fan favourite is the Crispy Chicken Bacon Mac & Cheese.  Yes, that is quite the mouthful and in fact, literally as well.  It is hard to fit this thing into my mouth!  The base of this burger is the fried chicken breast which I'm happy to report is moist and not dry.  The batter is relatively thin, properly seasoned and crispy.  Topped that off with crispy smoky bacon and some non-offensive mac n' cheese, we have a tasty concoction.  Now let me clarify what I mean by "non-offensive".  Sometimes, when people shove more carbs into a carb heavy sandwich already, it bogs everything down.  They put just enough of it that you know it is there without thinking you are actually eating the dish.

Okay, when I first looked at the Mr. Rib, it gave me some McRib vibes.  However, it is nothing like the McD's versions as the piece of rib is actually pork ribs without the bones!  So no formed ground pork patty here, it is real meat. Furthermore, it is tender fall-off-the-bone meat (hence no bone) which is very easy to eat and a bit smoky.  I think a bit more tangy and smoky BBQ sauce is needed to give it that messy deliciousness.  There are the obligatory sliced onions and pickles to give some bite and zing to the heaviness of the pork.  As much as the toasted bun is fine, I think a softer roll is necessary to keep the sandwich from being too dense.

Lastly, the Brooklyn Deli is really a burger with a corned beef sandwich surrounding it.  So same 6oz patty with corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss on an "everything bagel" brioche bun.  This is pretty solid with the corned beef sammie vibes coming through.  I think that it needs more corned beef because it got a bit lost in the smoky meatiness of the charred burger patty.  Otherwise, still very good, especially with some mustard!  So there you have it, another year of Burger Bender with the excellent French Onion Big Dipper and Mighty Mushroom.  I think the best of the new ones is the Crispy Chicken Bacon Mac & Cheese.  That is a massive burger which is hits all of the high notes.  Get them before February 23rd!  Oh get some wings too, they are great as well!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- The French Onion Big Dipper
- Crispy Chicken Bacon Mac & Cheese
- For the sides, get the Breaded Onion Rings or Tater Tots!

The Bad:
- Maybe the bun could be softer for the Mr. Rib
- More corned beef for the Brooklyn Deli?

Tap & Barrel (The Amazing Brentwood)

For all the chain restaurants we have in town, one of my favourites is Tap & Barrel.  I find that their food is pretty good and the pricing is reasonable.  Sure, it isn't as fancy as Cactus Club nor Earl's, but it isn't trying to be either.  With that being said, I find that I enjoy their Shipyards and Bridges locations the best.  Now there is one a lot closer to me at The Amazing Brentwood.  So will this be my new favourite location?  Well, we made 2 visits to see if that would be the case.

For our first visit, we actually came for brunch and hence, it was only logical that we had the Double Bacon Benny with crispy potatoes.  Although the English muffin was a bit too toasted, it was somewhat softened by the adequate amount of creamy Hollandaise.  The addition of Cajun spice helped break-up the butteriness.  The poached eggs were nicely runny and the bacon was meaty and not overly crispy.  However, the potatoes were crispy and soft inside.

We also had the Croque Madame with toasted brioche, white cheddar, prosciutto, sunny side egg, truffle bechamel and parsley.  Since they used brioche, this ate much more lightly than regular bread.  It was lightly toasted, so it was still somewhat fluffy inside.  The truffle bechamel was creamy and nicely earthy.  On top, the sunny side egg was runny and it provided even more moisture to the bread.

For myself, I had to get my favourite item here - the PB&J Burger!  I've had my fair share of burgers with peanut butter, but this one is the best I've had.  The savoury and creamy nuttiness was perfectly balanced by the salty and sweet bacon jam.  So much flavour packed into this and the addition of chipotle in the peanut butter only added another layer of flavour.  Also, the beef patty was crispy on the outside and moist in the middle.  This all sat within a soft toasted brioche.

We ordered some appies for the table including Chicken Strips and Waffle Fries as well as Salt & Pepper Wings.  Coated in a crispy breading, the chicken tenders were moist inside.  We opted for the waffle fries and they were crispy.  As for the wings, they were fried enough that the skin was rendered.  The meat was not exactly juicy, but it wasn't overly dry either.  There was enough salt to flavour the wings.

For both visits, we had the Steak Frites.  However, the first version was with a 7oz Sirloin ($34.50) while the second was with the 10oz Prime Rib Medallion ($42.95).  Both came with a peppercorn sauce, arugula salad and of course fries.  The peppercorn sauce was really good being creamy (even creamier the second time) and flavourful.  If I had to compare the steaks, it was predictable that the ribeye was more flavourful and a bit more tender.  With that being said, the sirloin was also tender, but just not as much as the ribeye.  Both were cooked to medium-rare as requested.

Since they have a whole section dedicated to their pizzas, we had to get one in the form of the Hawaiian Heat.  As the name suggests, this was a combination of roasted pineapple, bacon, smoked mozzarella, jalapeño mayo, lime and pomodoro sauce.  It had all of the qualities of a Hawaiian pizza with its sweet and saltiness as well as smokiness, tanginess and of course spice.  The crust itself was decent with a crispy bottom and edges.

One of the more under-the-radar appies was the Crispy Humboldt Squid.  it didn't look like much, but the pieces of squid were tender while the outside was lightly battered and crispy.  It was well-seasoned where the jalapeno mayo added some tangy spice.  We ordered the Seafood Chowder primarily for my daughter.  She thought it was decent, but a bit thin and lacking in ingredients.  For the items that were in the soup, the clams, cod, potatoes and corn were good though.  The addition of Old Bay seasoning gave it some some salty spiciness.

She continued the theme of seafood with the Caper Dill Salmon with featuring oven-roasted steelhead, caper dill aioli, crispy potatoes, asparagus, dill and parsley.  The salmon looked great from the outside, but ultimately, it was overdone.  It wasn't to the point of being dry, but it was no longer moist.  It was properly seasoned though while the sauce was creamy and full of dill.  Crispy potatoes were like the ones from brunch.

My son went for the Porcini-Crusted Beef Dip featuring Certified Angus beef, truffle jack cheese, tiger horseradish sauce,

caramelized onions, French onion jus and crispy onions.  This was quite good with a toasted baguette that kept everything intact while absorbing the jus to its fullest.  Hence, there was plenty of sweetness and rich savouriness to go with the tender beef.  Due to the addition of truffle cheese and porcini, there was plenty of earthiness as well.  Side of tater tots were super crispy.

For myself, I had the West Coast Clubhouse with a side of the same seafood chowder.  This very large sandwich had plenty of tomatoes and arugula as you can see in the picture.  there was also tender grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, aged white cheddar, smashed avocado and charred fresno aioli.  All of this made for a hearty sandwich that hit all of the flavour notes.  This could've almost been called a melt because the brioche was buttered and grilled on the flattop.  Although rather messy to eat due to the greasiness, the sandwich was excellent and I would order it again.  Overall, the food at Tap & Barrel Brentwood was pretty good. Definitely more of a casual vibe and also a bit less expensive than Earl's.  Earl's is more elevated, but then you are paying for it too.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Expansive dining space on the 2nd floor

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Food lags behind Earl's and Cactus Club (but costs a little less)

Chez Max

Sometimes, we just want to keep things simple and really, when on vacation in a foreign  place, it takes some of the stress away.  This is especially true after driving around and touristing all day.  I did have some ideas for dinner but they were either too far away or was much too formal of a place.  Hence, we did a quick google of what was casual and ultimately decent to eat nearby.  It lead us to Chez Max where the menu items were very familiar: burgers!

We ended up sitting outside across the street (yes, the server had to cross the road!), because it was far too hot inside.  For myself I was all over their All-You-Can-Eat Moules et Frites!  I could pick one of 3 flavours and decided on the basic mussels mariniere with white wine, butter, garlic, parsley and onions.  I would say this was acceptable.  Nothing amazing, but definitely serviceable.  The mussels were a tad overdone, but the broth was tasty and well-seasoned.  The side of frites were crispy and I enjoyed them.

Everyone else went for burgers and Viv ended up with the Jack Daniels with of a shot of JD.  This was served on a freshly toasted bun but the way they cut it was rather strange with so much more bun on the bottom than the top.  The meat patty was thick and rather juicy.  There was a good amount of BBQ sauce that would naturally go well with the JD.  You know what, this was a satisfying American-style burger North of Nice!  Who'd knew?  

My son went for the Royal with greens, tomato, cheddar, onions and burger sauce.  Hey, isn't this a Royale with cheese (see Pulp Fiction)???  Well, this also featured an aggressively toasted bun that was cut like the last one.  The fresh ground beef was moist and nicely seared.  Having burger sauce rather than BBQ sauce, this tasted more along the lines of a Big Mac, but with better meat.  Very strange that the burger ate well despite having more bun on the bottom.

My daughter went for the Madame with greens, tomato, cheese, pickles, sunny side egg and burger sauce.  The bun on this one was cut a bit more evenly.  It featured all of the same ingredients as the royal except with the addition of the egg.  This made things messier and also more wet, but in a good way!  In actuality, this meal was rather good and prepared properly.  A taste of North America in between all the other food we were having.  

The Good:
- Burgers are good
- Made with fresh beef
- AYCE Moules & Frites available

The Bad:
- Maybe a little pricey, but there isn't anything cheap around

Bacchanal Buffet (Dinner)

Okay, you knew this was coming...  How could we not visit a Vegas buffet while we were in town?  To be honest, I'm not that excited about spending that much money on a buffet when I can spend just as much on a delicious composed meal at another restaurant.  But just for research purposes, we hit up the infamous Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace.  If you remember, I've been here before in 2019, albeit only for lunch.  This time around, it was for dinner with Eileen, Jacqueline and Roanna.  We made a reservation, just to ensure we weren't waiting in line for too long.

Once seated, we made a game plan of hitting all of the food stations and bringing them all to our table at the same time.  For me, I went straight for the Sushi and the selection was pretty average considering the size of the buffet.  Don't get me wrong, this was pretty much in-line with the Wynn, but with that being said, I would've liked to see more items.  For the things I did get, the fish quality was good while the sushi rice was just a tad on the softer side.

So right next to the sushi, we found the Chinese food station where we found some dim sum, roast duck, frog legs, bang bang shrimp, gai lan with beef, XO chicken, black pepper beef and char siu ribs.  This was a decent selection of food that was overall well, decent.  I liked the frog legs because they were almost juicy despite the deep-fry.  Duck was way too salty while the char siu rib was quite good.  Bang bang shrimp was crispy and sweet and the gai lan was not overdone.

Next to the Sushi, we found a small section dedicated to Filipino food.  Nice to see that as it is not something you would normally find at an international buffet.  We found things like Lumpia, Pork Skewers, Sawsawan and Whole Roasted Pig.  The lumpia was crispy with a moist flavorful filling while the skewers were sweet and well-charred, albeit dry.  Roast pig was solid where you could choose fattier portions or lean parts.  The sawsawan was the perfect dip for the heavy meats.

On the topic of meats, we found a large selection at the Carvery.  This included such things as Slab Bacon, Smoke Brisket, Honey Baked Bone-In Ham, Grilled Tri-Tip, Beef Steamship, Prime Rib and Turkey.   Yah, that was a lot of meat and most of it was quite good.  I found the meats to be tender, especially the prime rib, brisket and turkey.  The tri-tip was a bit chewy while the bacon was rather lean (as evidenced in the picture.  That truffle gravy for the chicken was superb.

So what is a Vegas buffet (or any good buffet for all that matters) if there isn't any Seafood?  Well, they had lots of that in the form of Snow Crab, Dungeness Crab, Lobster Claws, Shrimp, Mussels, Kimchi Baked Oysters, Whelks, Clams, Octopus Salad and Seared Scallops.  I would say the crab was pretty spot on with proper textures, but the lobster claws were rubbery and far too overcooked.  I don't have a picture of it here, but the scallops were really good while baked oysters were buttery.

One of the more unexpectedly good stations was the Mexican food. The best item was the Birria Tacos which were presented on a large circular grill.  They were full of tender beef and drenched in broth and fat.  Naturally, this was messy and tasty.  We also found Al Pastor, Surf & Turf Vampiro Tacos, Chicken Tinga Tostadas and Sonoran Street Dogs.  Not pictured was Elote Locos, Achiote Roasted Chicken and Menudo.  All of these were good and hey, who doesn't like a good menudo?  The crunchy Duros and Chicharones were also a nice treat.  Purple and aromatic, the Ube Horchata was also good. 

A few more items included a Bacchanal Slider, Devilled Eggs, Smoked Salmon Mousse and Pizza.  The best thing of the bunch had to be the selection of pizza.   There was Meat Lovers (the square pizza), Prosciutto & Arugula, Chicken Pesto and 2 that aren't pictured here in the Smoked Salmon, Brie & Apple and Margherita.  Crust was thin and crispy while there was a bevy of toppings.  Particularly enjoyed the pesto as it had the most flavour.

There was also a selection of Mezze and some Toasts.  Personally, I wasn't really into this section and it was more filler than anything.  Not that it wasn't good, but if you are paying $89.00, you need to go for the more expensive items!  There was also a noodle station that featured Pho.  It was actually decent with a mild broth, but chewy noodles and tender slices of meat.  Near the Mezze, there was a selection of Charcuterie which looked great, but I really had other things to eat!

Onto Dessert, there was an enormous selection that included Mochi Donuts, Creme Brulee, Berry Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake, Vanilla Cupcake, Lemon Tart, Pandan Mousse, Double Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla Cone, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Cinnamon Roll, Cookies, Ube Chiffon Cake and Portuguese Tart.  Yes, that is a lot to unpack there and in reality, most of them were quite solid.  I enjoyed the lemon tart because that is one of my favs and this one was tangy with a firm shell.  Upside down cake was sticky and sweet while the cheesecake was creamy.

So we got most of the other desserts (plus a repeat of the ube) including Banana Cream Pie, Mini Donuts, Tiramisu, Vietnamese Coffee Coupe, Vegan Strawberry Cake, Passion Fruit Tapioca and No Sugar Added Blueberry Cheesecake.  I didn't try all of these, but the banana cream pie was quite good, very aromatic and not overly sweet.  The NSA cheesecake could've passed for a regular one.  To end, we got a made-to-order Apple Walnut Crepe.  Oh this was really good.  The crepe was warm, soft and a bit chewy.  All the sweet tanginess on top was a great match and the nuts added crunch.  Okay, that was a ridiculous amount of food and really, we didn't even try all of it!  There was a Korean section with KFC and some American dishes including Mac & Cheese right beside the carvery.  Just like the last time I was here, the selection is incredible and the general food quality is decent with all things considered.  However, for the price, one could have a composed sit-down meal at a nice restaurant.  Would you get the quantity of food at the Bacchanal?  Of course not.  So it really depends on your personal preference.  I do know that it reaffirms my belief that it is better than Wynn at the very least.

The Good:
- Biggest selection of eats in Vegas
- Decent eats
- We had excellent service

The Bad:
- Would've liked a better selection of sushi
- Too bad no King Crab, but I'm sure that would've made the cost over $100
- Lobster claws were not very good