skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After we were done at Zion, we made our way over to Page, Arizona for 2 of the most spectacular sights in North America, if not the world. The first would be Horseshoe Bend and its absolutely frightening drop if one got too close to the edge. Secondly, we made a reservation at the famous Antelope Canyon (can only visit with a tour company as it is on Navejo land). Of course we couldn't do all this without provisions, so we had a few places in mind including Big John's Texas BBQ. This was supposed to be our dinner destination, but since our choice for lunch wasn't open, we flipped them on our schedule.
Once again, the kids weren't that hungry possibly due to the 100+ degrees Fahrenheit temperatures. Just like at Zion, we decided to sit outside instead of the shock of A/C and then out into the heat. So they both ended up ordering off the kids menu that featured smaller portions. My son went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich and my daughter had the Pulled Pork Sandwich. With all things considered, they were indeed smaller than the regular version but more than adequate. By visuals alone, one would assume that the meats were dry. That wasn't really the case as both fell in between dry and moist. Furthermore, they were not sauced, so once we added the BBQ sauce, the meats were fine. There was a noted smokiness that wasn't too strong. Viv did go for the regular-sized Beef Brisket Sandwich and yep, it was massive. Lots of tender smoked brisket that was slightly more moist than the kid's version. Probably just the luck of the cut.
In my mind, I only had one option on the menu which was The Sampler. The plate consisted of beef brisket, pulled pork, spicy link sausage and baby back pork ribs. I really enjoyed the ribs as the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender with a balanced smoke. The bark was tasty on its own from the rub and char. Definitely spicy, the pork link had a nice snap and wasn't overfly greasy. On the side, the cowboy beans were pretty good with bits of brisket while the potato salad was creamy and eggy. Also on the table was a big bucket of Peanuts, which I proceeded to eat addictively. Don't throw the shells on the floor thought. That's not how they do it there! In the end, we were full and satisfied while not spending too much cash. A great place for a family to dine in the Page area.
The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- Solid BBQ
- Lots of seating (if you don't mind sitting outside)
The Bad:
- Meats could've been a bit more moist, but it wasn't a deal-breaker
After several hikes in the heat at Zion National Park, we were both tired and hangry. So after the shuttle took us back to our hotel at stop 3, we just got off and entered the first restaurant we saw. Now it wasn't completely random as The Spotted Dog was one of the choices on our original list. Compared to the Whiptail across the street, the Spotted Dog is fancier with a more extensive menu. Interestingly, it wasn't incredibly more expensive though. Once again, we sat outside and enjoyed the fairly comfortable evening temperature.
Whenever there is a soup on the menu, my daughter secretly wants to order it, but bless her heart, she keeps quiet. Seeing that, I ordered the Baked Potato Chowder with bacon bits, green onion and sour cream. This was fairly heavy and rich especially with the sour cream mixed in. However, the flavors were classic and yes, it ate like a baked potato. We were also served some complimentary flatbread with a balsamic dip. Hey, it was no extra charge, so even though it wasn't that great, it didn't matter. For her main, she went big (unlike her lunch) with the Smoked Beef Shortrib smothered in BBQ sauce and accompanied by fingerling potatoes and string beans. It was tender and gelatinous while sweet from the BBQ sauce. Since they removed it from the bone, it was pretty easy to eat. Beans were crunchy and vibrant.
I took a page out of my daughter's ordering book by selecting the Braised Lamb Shank. Hey, our lunches were too light... Well, this lamb shank was huge and braised perfectly. Falling off the bone, the meat was uniformly tender and moist without any dry portions (even on the outside). What brought everything together was the Bordelaise sauce with mushroom, fingerling potatoes and green beans. Silky and buttery rich, the sauce added depth and body to the already luxurious lamb. Viv went with the pepita encrusted Red Trout with wild and brown rice, wilted greens and berries. Although not medium-rare as we like our trout, this was still fairly moist and tender. Normally, fruit and fish don't really go, but the mildly sweet berries was okay.
One of the more basic entrees was the Spaghetti and Meatballs. This was probably our least favorite not because it was bad per se. Rather, it was not unlike many other versions that we would find at any other restaurant. Even though the sauce was tangy and we could taste some basil, it was fairly flat and one note. The pasta was not al dente either. On the other hand, the 2 large meatballs were okay though. Not exactly super tender, they were not dry either. For dessert, my daughter had the Molten Lava Cake which was meh. It was pretty sweet while mushy and deflated. Furthermore, it was only lukewarm, which was not appealing at all. Despite the last 2 dishes, the food was pretty good for a small town. Also, the prices were reasonable with all things considered.
The Good:
- Fair portions
- Above average
- Solid service
The Bad:
- Spaghetti and cake were not good
While we were in Vegas, I met up with Zamboni Guy and he was perplexed why we were there for only one night. Well, the priority was hiking Zion, Antelope and Bryce Canyon rather than gorging on buffets. So we left rather early the next morning. The drive from Vegas to Springdale, Utah was fairly uneventful but the temperature gauge was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So imagine the shock to the system as we exited our air-conditioned SUV upon arrival! Seeing how we needed to acclimatize to the surroundings (as we were going for a hike), we decided to eat outside at Whiptail Grill.
My son wasn't overly hungry due to the heat and also a rash that had developed (was it connected to the heat???). So he merely ordered the Whiplash Wings in house BBQ sauce. I'm not sure where they got their wings from... man these were huge and plump!. Despite the amount of surprisingly spicy smoky sauce, the skin was still fairly crunchy. It could've been rendered a bit more, but that would overcooked the wings as a result. Underneath, there was a mess of house-cut fries. So this was more like an entree in terms of size. Maybe it was due to the heat because my daughter decided to get the kid's Quesadilla with cheese. Sure, this wasn't anything exciting, yet as the same time, they managed to crisp this out nicely with lots of oeey goeey cheese.
For myself, I had something lighter in pan-seared Mahi Mahi Tacos with grape salsa, cabbage blend and salsa fresca in grilled flour tortillas. This was truly refreshing especially in the heat. The fish was a little dry, but not a deal-breaker. Flavors were subtle with the sweetness of grapes and tang from the tomatoes. The side of limes were necessary to liven everything up. Viv ended up with the most substantial item in the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich with pepper jack cheese, smoked apple-wood bacon and chipotle aioli on a brioche bun. Nothing mind-blowing, the sandwich still ate very well where the charred chicken was tender and moist. Lots of complimentary flavors going on. As you can see, Whiptail ain't anything fancy, but it did the job. So with all things considered, this was a fairly decent lunch that set us up for the rest of the day.
The Good:
- More than acceptable eats
- Friendly people
- Food is fresh
The Bad:
- A little pricey, but okay due to the limited selection
Ah yes, the blog is not over a decade old. Is it time to hang it up and ride off into the food retirement? Not quite yet. Life is busy, but manageable, so I'm going to keep it going. Thanks again for all the support from the many loyal readers and also the foodie community. Food truly brings people together and I've met some really awesome people along the way. I hope to find more great eats on my adventures including wherever I travel. As always, I'm running a draw for a $100.00 gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice. Just leave a comment with your first name and last initial and I will pick a winner in a couple of weeks. Good luck!
We woke up fairly early before our drive out to Zion from Vegas. Was it to arrive at Zion extra early? Nope. Maybe it was to beat the traffic? Nah, it was Sunday... Are we just early risers? LOL... The real reason we got up so early was to hit up Egg Slut for breaky prior to hitting the road! I've been to this location when I was here with the boys for the first ever Canucks game vs. the Golden Knights. However, I never took good photos nor blogged about it. Well, this time I was going to give it the full blog post it deserves.
One benefit of getting there early is the lineup was pretty much non-existent. We ended up getting the greatest hits including the Fairfax consisting of cage-free soft scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo in a warm brioche bun. We added turkey sausage to make it more hearty and this ate soft and warm with silky eggs. Going basic, we also had the Bacon, Egg & Cheese with hardwood smoked bacon, cage-free over medium egg, cheddar cheese and chipotle ketchup in a warm brioche bun. As you can clearly see, they didn't skimp on the crispy bacon. As such, there was plenty of punch in terms of salty smokiness. Egg was runny and the brioche was soft, yet still firm enough to hold everything together.
Something a bit different, I went for the Cheeseburger with ground Angus beef, cage-free over medium egg, caramelized onions, bread and butter pickles, cheddar cheese, and dijonnaise in a warm brioche bun. Yah, a cheeseburger before 8:00am, I know... Hey, you can have one at 4:00am, why not 8:00am??? This was essentially a burger with a runny egg. Patty was fairly moist and meaty tasting. Good. Now the most iconic item - Slut. This was a cage-free coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar, topped with gray salt and chives, served with slices of baguette. This creamy and potatoey concoction just works. Subtle egginess and just a touch of salt, spread onto bread. What's not to like? Yah, the stuff at Eggslut ain't complex, but they do it right with quality ingredients executed properly. I'll wake up early for that.
The Good:
- Damn good breakfast sammie
- Dat brioche bun...
- Dat slut...
The Bad:
- Not cheap, but worth it IMO
- Damn lineup
After a filling lunch at Bacchanal Buffet, we weren't really in the mood for something that heavy. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to revisit Gordon Ramsey Burger for some odd reason. Turns out everyone else had the same idea and it looked like an hour wait minimum. No dice (sorry for the Vegas pun...), we weren't gonna do that. We ended up walking the strip in search for food, as if that was a hard thing to do - except it was 108 degrees Fahrenheit! So we ended up ducking into the Cosmo and hitting up Holsteins, mostly due to a lack of a lineup!
We got a couple of starters including the Fried Cheese Curds with beer mustard aioli and marinara. Based on the cheese curds, we ascertained that portion size wasn't going to be an issue. The amount of cheese curds was ridiculous. In terms of eating enjoyment, that was another story as I thought the batter was not as crunchy as it could've been and the curds themselves were rather dry for some reason. I would've liked to see them more stringy and melted. As much as the Caesar Salad didn't look like much and seemingly underdressed, it was actually quite good. Made with kale greens, parmesan cheese & pumpernickel croutons, this ate hearty while not cumbersome (as some kale leaves can be). Loved the crunchy croutons and the large shards of parm.
I decided to go with Steak Sandwich sporting sliced char-grilled medium-rare steak. Due to the irregular shape of the steak, some parts were fully cooked while the rest was indeed medium-rare. I though it was sufficiently tender, yet not as juicy as I would've liked. The ample amount of blue cheese dressing added both moisture and appealing sharpness. Pickled onions provided the acidity while the arugula lightened things up a bit. My son didn't stray far from the regular with the Gold Standard. It was made with a dry aged sirloin patty that was fairly juicy and full-bodied in flavor. There was nothing to say other than this was a solid burger. From the smoky crisp bacon, creamy aromatic aioli and tangy tomato confit to the melted cheddar, the flavors were complimentary and classic.
Viv ended up sharing the Captain Hook which was a seared salmon filet with remoulade sauce, smoked salmon, arugula & pickled shallots. As you can see in the picture, the salmon was completely crisped up on the outside where it contrasted the fairly moist interior. Add in the buttery soft texture of the smoked salmon and the creamy remoulade, this was another good creation. For our sides, we didn't only get fries (more on that later), but we also ordered the Buttermilk Onion Rings. These were really large and crunchy. A bit greasy with the bottom-dwelling rings, but the rest were okay. Within the breading, the onions were soft but not completely melting away either.
Lastly, we had the Garlic-Parmesan Fries that was a much larger portion than we really needed (only one size though). These were unfortunately not very good. They weren't very crispy and in fact, rather dense and soggy. Maybe it had to do with the fact that these fries were plenty garlicky (tossed in too much oil?). It was actually cumbersome to eat them and we actually stopped midway and just left them on the plate. Overall, the food was not bad at Holsteins, especially the burgers. As for the sides and appies, they were definitely hit and miss.
The Good:
- Solid burgers
- Excellent service
- Okay pricing considering its location
The Bad:
- Sides and appies were meh
We all know that Vegas is famous for many things. These include bigger than life casinos (which in turn refers to gambling), wedding chapels, debauchery and of course, food! Over the past couple of decades, we've seen the culinary scene move from buffets over to gourmet offerings from celebrity chefs. We've also seen outposts of some pretty famous eateries from around North America and even the world. Knowing that didn't prevent me from visiting the often named "best buffet" in Vegas which is the Bacchanal Buffet located in Casear's Palace.
We decided on lunch because shelling out nearly $400.00 for the dinner would've ruined my appetite before I even dug into the crab claws... Even with that, I had to pay practically $50.00 per person for lunch! I must say that the buffet was massive and truly impressive with many different stations. Similar to the Wicked Spoon, many of the items were individually plated. One of the most impressive parts of the buffet was the Roasted Meats featuring herb roasted turkey, peach smoked brisket, grilled tri-tip, espresso & sea salt crust prime rib, American Wagyu beef, smoked maple bone-in ham and Cornish game hen. I thought the prime rib was textbook while the brisket was a bit dry. The Wagyu was fairly disappointing being tough.
Onto the Seafood, I filled the plate with crab claws, cocktail shrimp, conch, mussels, clams and lox. Unlike the disappointing Waygu, this plate was excellent. Springy, briny and sweet, the crab claws required seconds. The cocktail shrimp had a cold-water snap while the lox was buttery. The mussels were fairly scrawny, yet prepared properly. I found the clams to be better where they were plump and briny. From there, I walked pretty far to get the Sushi and Chinese Food. For lunch, the selection of nigiri was limited to salmon, tuna and ebi with 4 maki rolls. These were fairly good, especially for a buffet, where the rice was a touch dry. In addition, I chose some multi-colored dumplings as well as ha gau, siu mai and xiao long bao. Sadly, none of them were actually appealing. Skins were thick and fillings were stiff and bland.
Continuing with the Chinese Food, I did the build-your-own-congee station and plated it a modern fashion (like the one at Nightshade in LA) with green onions, pickled mustard greens, century duck egg, fried shallots, pork floss and salty donut. With so many ingredients, the congee wasn't bad. It was thick on its own, yet pretty bland. The rest of the items including the broccoli beef, fried rice, tiger shrimp, impossible mapo tofu and kung pao chicken were neither offending nor being impressive. Interestingly, the Asian Food section was better where the chicken massaman curry was plenty tasty with a touch of spice and plenty of coconut milk. Even the Singapore fried rice noodles were decent enough. However, the pad Thai was dry and too sweet. That would be the same for the Filipino-style pork skewers, but at least they were charred well and not overdone.
We were able to squeeze a Japanese tonkotsu ramen out of the Noodle Bar even though we were really full. Actually, it was my daughter who decided to get it. Not a bad decision as it was respectable. Broth was lacking somewhat in depth, but it was still plenty meaty and salty enough. Noodles were not overdone while the pork was decently tender. Okay for a buffet. The kids also ended up sampling some items from the section right next to the meats. I would classify it as Comfort Food which included fried chicken, curly fries, bacon, sausages, baked beans, kielbasa with sauerkraut and mac n' cheese. Nothing interesting here other than something to fill you up if you the other food wasn't to your liking. I personally took a pass with this section altogether.
Now, all of these savory items were varied where some where better than others. However, the Dessert Station was quite impressive to look at. It included many different cakes and pastries, made-in-house gelato, donuts and fruit. TBH, unless you didn't eat any of the savory items and/or your name is Mijune, there is no way someone could even put a dent into this section of the buffet. We did our best and came up with a few items and also tried the gelato. About that gelato, it was actually very good with a rich texture that was smooth while not heavy. It was a little sweet though. Rather than trying to go over every dessert we had, I am confident enough to say most things were good with a few exceptions. There was a little something for everyone. This was definitely one of the highlights of the buffet as well as the seafood. However, we were indifferent with the rest of the food. It wasn't any better than say, the Wicked Spoon, in my opinion. Selection was good, same with the service, yet I'm not sure if it was worth the cost.
The Good:
- Huge selection
- Desserts were good
- Food was generally fresh
The Bad:
- Nothing that amazing
- Expensive
Posts
After we were done at Zion, we made our way over to Page, Arizona for 2 of the most spectacular sights in North America, if not the world. The first would be Horseshoe Bend and its absolutely frightening drop if one got too close to the edge. Secondly, we made a reservation at the famous Antelope Canyon (can only visit with a tour company as it is on Navejo land). Of course we couldn't do all this without provisions, so we had a few places in mind including Big John's Texas BBQ. This was supposed to be our dinner destination, but since our choice for lunch wasn't open, we flipped them on our schedule.
Once again, the kids weren't that hungry possibly due to the 100+ degrees Fahrenheit temperatures. Just like at Zion, we decided to sit outside instead of the shock of A/C and then out into the heat. So they both ended up ordering off the kids menu that featured smaller portions. My son went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich and my daughter had the Pulled Pork Sandwich. With all things considered, they were indeed smaller than the regular version but more than adequate. By visuals alone, one would assume that the meats were dry. That wasn't really the case as both fell in between dry and moist. Furthermore, they were not sauced, so once we added the BBQ sauce, the meats were fine. There was a noted smokiness that wasn't too strong. Viv did go for the regular-sized Beef Brisket Sandwich and yep, it was massive. Lots of tender smoked brisket that was slightly more moist than the kid's version. Probably just the luck of the cut. 
In my mind, I only had one option on the menu which was The Sampler. The plate consisted of beef brisket, pulled pork, spicy link sausage and baby back pork ribs. I really enjoyed the ribs as the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender with a balanced smoke. The bark was tasty on its own from the rub and char. Definitely spicy, the pork link had a nice snap and wasn't overfly greasy. On the side, the cowboy beans were pretty good with bits of brisket while the potato salad was creamy and eggy. Also on the table was a big bucket of Peanuts, which I proceeded to eat addictively. Don't throw the shells on the floor thought. That's not how they do it there! In the end, we were full and satisfied while not spending too much cash. A great place for a family to dine in the Page area.
