We switched gears and looked for a TV Chef who opened their own Vegas restaurant. We remembered one back at Mandalay Bay, so we went to the Border Grill for lunch the next day.
It's a compact little 3 story restaurant with a beautiful patio area, good food and even better service.
Their specialty is this variety of salsas.
Each is different and they are pretty good, especially the tomatillo verde. Like most places though, they have to hold the heat down. If you would like to see how we make a better salsa, check out our Make it Better # 1 - Texas Red Salsa.
https://steemit.com/food/@bravesirrobin/texas-red-salsa-make-it-better-1
The entrees were very tasty, Amanda is vegetarian and enjoyed her sesame crusted avocado tacos w/ corn salsa.
I will also add that for Mandalay Bay, this wasn't overpriced. The Border Grill 7/10. Please forgive some of these photos, as of a week ago we had no intentions of sharing them on a platform like this. We are aiming to take better photos as we go on.
Later that afternoon we were scheduled to take a helicopter flight out to the Grand Canyon and have a picnic on an Indian Reservation. It is an amazing place, elevating a turkey sandwich on white to an 8/10 in this lean-to in the valley! For vegetarians they have potato chips and an apple; she still gives it an eight. If you are going to the Grand Canyon, this is a much better option than driving hours to the Sky Walk. Flying in a helicopter is on our bucket list as is the Grand Canyon; this was perfect all around.
The last restaurant in this Spotlight is Rice and Company in the Luxor.
The tempura appetizer was excellent! Very light batter and disappeared before the camera came out. My Pad-Thai, however, was one note throughout. Well cooked but over spiced and got old really quick.
Amanda was looking forward to this meal because I regularly cook the tofu dish she ordered. She wanted to see what a Vegas chef could do. This is our tofu version (I make chicken for myself):
You can imagine her disappointment, when this showed up. I still don't really know what to say about it.
They did redeem themselves with the cheesecake and mango. Rice and Company 5/10
Perhaps our expectations were too high, for all of Vegas; just because so many famous Chefs have restaurants there. We consistently find the best food is in these small towns around ski resorts. Small restaurants moving at a slower pace in areas that attract just as much wealth as casinos. For our recommendations on the top 4 restaurants in the country (one in each: Colorado, Washington, New Hampshire, and Utah), see part 1 of this post here...
https://steemit.com/food/@bravesirrobin/restaurant-spotlight-1-las-vegas-strip-and-a-grand-canyon-picnic
We wish y'all better luck in Vegas! :)