Food. Glorious Food.

"But there's nothing to stop us from getting a thrill

When we all close our eyes and imagine...

Food, glorious food!

Hot sausage and mustard!"

~Oliver! Soundtrack

You know the (now-cliche) question: if money weren't an object, what would you do with your life? My answer changes fairly often, but this week, I'd be a Professional Foodie.

Mr. Pi and I are taking an adventure to Las Vegas next week. A last hoorah adult vacation before baby arrives!  

Mr. Pi isn't what you'd call a "planner" ... which works in my favor because that means I get creative license with our itinerary. No, really! He's an ISTJ - he likes the execution part of the plan, not the planning. I don't want to brag, but I knew that about him before he told me. I'm a believer in the MBTI.

It may be the pregnancy. I'll admit that's probably part of it. But I have found myself planning this trip around food. It's been one of my hobbies recently: researching and reading restaurant reviews. 

And ok, so I have something of a unique palate.

I suppose you could define "unique palate" in a number of different ways. There's the kind of unique palate that drives you to pick buffalo wing sauce as your condiment of choice for mac & cheese. Yep, I've got that one. But I've also got the type of unique palate that makes me crave a variety of international cuisine.

It's not enough to tell you about it; I need to show you. Here's my list of must-visit restaurants while we're in Vegas:

1. Tverskaya Russian Restaurant

It's off the Strip, but from what I can tell it'll be worth the short walk and $2 public transit ride.  

For some reason I have been craving borscht ... pretty much my whole life. I haven't had it since 4th grade.  I was in the "gifted and talented" program called "Project Explore" and we were doing a unit on the USSR (boy, am I dating myself there). We made Ukrainian pysanky, we learned a little Russian (of which I retained one phrase: do svidanya - 'until we meet again'), we did calisthenics, we memorized a dance to the tune of Korobeiniki (also known as the Tetris Theme Song). And we put on a Russian Night for our parents, serving up borscht, and beef stroganoff.

Somehow my 9 year-old self latched on to that cold beet soup and never let go. I'm anxious to try it here. I guess I just have a taste for Eastern European food. I eat pickled herring out of the jar (it's the fish with the highest omega-3, by the way). Sour cream is one of my favorite condiments. Anything soaked in vinegar is better. Food with cabbage, mushrooms, potatoes, onions - yes. And I'm absolutely dying to try caviar. I'll have to look that one up on the list of prohibited pregnancy foods...since I know a Russian vodka tasting flight isn't possible (another item on my "just gotta try this one day" list).

2. Three Village Restaurant

I desperately want to try this place for a few reasons: 
- It's a Chinese restaurant IN Chinatown. Sure, this isn't San Fran Chinatown or New York Chinatown, but it's much better than Hartford Chinatown (non-existent).
- One reviewer said you probably want to go with a Chinese friend, since the staff doesn't speak much English. I'm not intimidated because there's always the tried-and-true "point-to-order" method. The language barrier just tells me it's authentic. Which means it's got to be good.
- This is not your General Tso's Chicken Chinese food. This is Soup Dumplings. Beef roll. Hot & sour soup. Triple YUMMMM. Can't WAIT.

3. Mon Ami Gabi

I've confessed before that I'm a francophile: I love all things French. This restaurant looks like it will soothe my French cravings, it has great ratings on yelp, and is reasonably priced (not easy to find on the Strip).

Another item on my "just gotta try this one day" list is escargots. And fois gras - although I don't expect I will actually like it, but I just want to say I've tried it. Yes, I'm going to share my tastings with Mr. Pi - he's as adventurous as I am. He is willing to try anything at least once. I love that about him. Some of our favorite dishes started with a "Hmm that looks different; we should try it."

I fully anticipate that I will order a croque monsieur (no croque madame for me - only fully cooked eggs for this pregnant lady!), but if we are able, I'd like to go twice to try the ham & cheese crepes (gruyere - mmm) or maybe steak-frites. And then there's dessert ... bananas foster crepes (wow), creme brulee (a particular favorite of Mr. Pi's and mine - it's sort of tradition). Of course, I can't skip the French onion soup. How many times are we eating here, again?

As a bonus, the restaurant is across from the Bellagio fountains, which - if it's warm enough, and we're able to eat outside - will be tres romantique. :)

4. Pho Vietnamese Cuisine

I can't believe I've never tried this popular Vietnamese soup. This isn't the top-rated pho restaurant in Vegas, but you can't beat the location - it's right in our hotel.

Aside: One of our favorite soups is a Thai soup called Tom Yum Talay Tong. The difference between this and "regular" Tom Yum (hot and sour soup) is the seafood - everything you can imagine goes into this pot. Salmon, calamari, shrimp, scallops ... simmering together with mushrooms and onions and chili and fish sauce and lemongrass and other herbs and spices to make this incomparably delicious spicy broth. Heaven in a bowl. The only place I've had it is Thai Basil in Danielson, CT. You have to order it off-menu (we were lucky enough to memorize it before they changed their menu).

5. Bouchon Bakery

Yet another of my "just gotta try this one day" items is macarons.  Not the toasted coconut cookies, macaroons. No. Macarons - the French meringue cookies that are all the rage in chic weddings nowadays. Just take a look at the front page of Bouchon Bakery's website. Macarons, beautiful macarons. I adore any cookie that is almond-flavored, so I have high expectations. I just hope I'm not disappointed... If so, I will go back and cleanse my palate with a nice chocolate croissant.

6. Hot N Juicy Crawfish

I've never had crawfish, and I want to try it ... ok, I admit it. I was drawn to this place from the moment I saw it on Adam Richman's Man vs. Food. Something about getting my hands dirty breaking and devouring fresh seafood drenched in special spicy sauce, just appeals to me.

And finally, the Piece de Resistance, the restaurant I picked for our Valentine's Day dinner:

7. Mastro's Ocean Club

Sometimes you just need a really fantastic steak or lobster. And King Crab Black Truffle Gnocchi. Whhaaatttt? Yes, I admit it: I made this a must-eat restaurant because of a side. I need to try this King Crab Black Truffle Gnocchi. My mouth waters just saying it.

I'm also curious to try the warm butter cake that everyone on yelp raves about. I'm not a cake person, you know that about me. But I'm intrigued.

Alright, I'm not thrilled that the restaurant is in the middle of a mall. A fancy mall, but ... a mall. I'm hoping that the ambiance inside takes us away from reality. Especially since this is our big splurge for the week. $$$$

So that's a sampling of what is calling to me. I still need to decide on a good (authentic - not Fusion - this looks promising) Mexican option. Conspicuously missing: Japanese. Not being able to eat sushi, I just will NOT torture myself that way.

And for Mr. Pi: Buffets. As many as we can sample. He loves seafood en masse, and I've heard the buffets are high quality. And hey, I might be able to try something funky, like bone marrow.

I gotta tell you, Connecticut just doesn't satisfy my appetite. This from the girl who had boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. But I like to think that if I had authentic, or even near-authentic, international options in my neighborhood, I'd eat a lot less processed cheese product!

What is your favorite unique item from international (or local) cuisine?

Mrs. Pi

P.S. The picture from the beginning of this post is the Fresh Maine Lobster Knuckle Sandwich at The Whip Bar & Grill in Stowe, VT. Mr. Pi and I visited the area over Thanksgiving last year. This was the kind of sandwich that would feature in my own personal version of heaven.

P.P.S. As I was typing this, I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I might have added Bachi Burger to the list of must-visits. Chili cheese fries in which one of the ingredients is chocolate? Yes, please.