Tijuana's Tacos El Gordo in Las Vegas, Nevada

It might seem a bit odd for me to come here, seeing that I was just down in Tijuana last week. But I don't think I've ever been to their shop down there, and conveniently they opened several outlets up here in Vegas, including one within walking distance from my hotel. And I was getting really sick of burgers, so the thought of a couple of tacos with some horchata sounded just right. They had some huge kebab spits set up, so of course I had to go for one of their adobada al pastor, which was fine. But I was more excited about the tripas on the right, which was surprisingly crispy and fatty, even though it didn't look like it when he was slicing it to order. Anyway, this place totally hit the spot, and may very well be worth more visits later this week.

Canaletto Ristorante Veneto at the Venetian, Las Vegas

Il Fornaio is a chain of Italian restaurants from back home that I never really cared that much for. It turns out that they are behind this place next to the Venetian's Grand Canal (3377 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-733-0070), and I unfortunately wasn't a big fan of their food either. Sure, the caprese above wasn't hard to mess up, but the ravioli that I had was slightly sweet, underseasoned, and forgettable. I liked the crusty bread at least.

New York's SUSHISAMBA in Las Vegas, Nevada

I probably would've never walked into a place called SUSHISAMBA on my own accord (3327 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-607-0700). But a few folks were talking about this place the other day, so I was a little curious. Plus, it was nearby and open late tonight, so I went in.

It's from New York but serving Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian food. It sounds like it's all over the place, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, with that lemongrass and jalapeno yellowtail above being decently spicy and citrus-y without being overpowering, all while being notably different from Nobu's famous creation (in a good way).

Likewise, I didn't mind my chicken anticuchos skewers nor the little sashimi tacos I topped up with either. This place wasn't cheap though. And oddly, right next door here at the Venetian was yet another Japanese Peruvian place. I wonder how that one tastes.

Public House NYC at the Luxor in Las Vegas

Not to be confused with the Public House at the Venetian nor Robert Irvine's Public House at Tropicana, this Public House is from New York and happened to have an outlet near me at the Luxor this afternoon, so I hopped on in (3900 South Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-262-4444). When I asked them what was popular, they told me the burgers and wings. So I got this, along with a couple of local beers. Both the burger and the steak fries had a tinge of sweetness to them, but not so much to make me stop eating them either, especially given the nice char on the patty. I should've ordered some buffalo wings though.

Thien Huong Sandwiches & Bakery in San Jose

The thought of some bánh mì sounded pretty good after lunch. I checked Google Maps for the nearest Vietnamese bakery and found this place across the street (1631 East Capitol Expressway #106, 408-499-3638). And yeah, I liked it, as they used some really nice cuts of meat in that #3 combination above, all while being laced with a good amount of fresh cilantro and jalapenos. I won't be surprised if I come back here again after another run to Phở Ý #1 Noodle House.

Returning to Phở Ý #1 Noodle House in San Jose, California

I just realized that the last time I was here was almost 12 years ago. And after eating here today, it seems that I've been missing out. These guys really do have some of the best phở in town, and it all came down to the ingredients. They used quality cuts of beef (the fatty brisket above was a wide yet thinly cut piece of mostly fat), while the broth had a nice beefy depth in it. And they didn't poach the bean sprouts like last time! Next time I should remember to ask for the plate of raw beef on the side though, and maybe see if they have bone marrow as an off-the-menu topping too.

My First Taste of Hodad's in San Diego

My flight out of San Diego tonight has been delayed by a few hours. What better then than to stop by Petco Park to catch a game over a few beers? There were some pretty impressive food and beverage options at the stadium, actually. I probably could've roamed around exploring it for quite a while. But instead we just stopped at the closest thing to our nosebleed seats: Hodad's, a local burger chain. Yeah, I liked it. It tasted just like it looks in the photo: bursting at the seams of freshness yet without overpowering the meat in the process. Thumbs up!

Oryx Capital Gastro Pub in Tijuana, Mexico

I had a good number of hours before my flight out of San Diego tonight, so I popped on over the border to grab a quick bite. This time, I went to check out Oryx Capital (Boulevard Agua Caliente 10750 Interior 84, +52-664-686-2807). It was exactly my kind of place, with small plates, local ingredients, and a decent drink list. I grabbed their tomato ceviche above, as well as some local Mexican oysters and a couple of drinks, all of which went down into my belly with ease. The service here was very friendly too. I'd be happy to come back here, even if only to get a drink and small snack again.

Naseems Bakery & Kabob in San Diego's Sorrento Valley

I randomly came across this mom & pop Persian place out in suburban San Diego the other day, and it made for a convenient lunch stop today (10066 Pacific Heights Boulevard, 858-453-3900). Naturally, I went for my usual koobideh and dough, the former of which was fine even if the rice wasn't as firm as I would've liked. I'm also torn about the portions: on one hand, this felt like a half portion with only one kebab and a small portion of rice. But a normal portion of koobideh is also so big that this almost seems to be a more sensible choice.

Pacifica Del Mar in Del Mar, California

Here was another upscale seafood place in the San Diego area, but with nice sunset views in the cozy town of Del Mar (1555 Camino Del Mar, 858-792-0476). Fortunately, the food was better than that Brigantine place, with the ginger-soy butter in that seared ahi tuna above being impressively rich. The cajun twist on their clam chowder was surprisingly edgy too. That said, this is not a place that I would go to on my own accord; it was more for the scenery than the food.

San Diego's Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar

Our corporate hosts took us to an outlet of Brigantine, a local seafood chain here in San Diego. Sure, it was decorated nicely and the service was engaging, but the food wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, particularly a rather clichéd crispy coconut shrimp starter, as well as their oysters on the half shell, which bizarrely didn't have any of their natural liquor remaining, and were rather tasteless as a result. Fortunately, they used decent tortillas in those tacos above, and I didn't mind their calamari strips and crab cakes. But how could they have gotten something as simple as raw oysters so wrong?

My First Taste of an Impossible Burger

No, that burger didn't topple over; somehow I just propped it up a bit awkwardly when taking that picture. Anyway, the thing that I was really after here was specifically the patty. Why? Because of a startup called Impossible Foods that has been able to create a plant-based patty that supposedly is very similar to meat, and even bleeds! They're supplying these patties to burger shops around the country, so I went to one called Konjoe Burger Bar in San Jose (100 North Almaden Avenue #180, 408-418-3160), who had an Impossible Burger option.

It didn't taste like meat though. Sure, it kinda looked like it, but the soft texture gave it away right when I touched it. It did have some nicely seared parts from the grill, but it just didn't have that aged beef flavor that I was looking for (then again, I am so picky about my burgers that even when a patty is made from real beef, I struggle to get that taste too). Well, it's certainly better than a veggie burger. And I still want to try some other burger shops to see if maybe I'd like their renditions better. But yeah, this was otherwise a bit disappointing. Side note: San Pedro Square Market in San Jose has really revived itself lately, eh?