SYR - Orange Asian Cafe

SYR - Orange Asian Cafe

We went on an adventure today wandering around for lunch and ended up walking by Orange Asian Cafe.

Location: 713 S Crouse Ave Unit 1, Syracuse, NY 13210

This spot is tucked around a corner near Syracuse University and we knew we were in for a good time when we walked in and the whole place was filled with international asian students and the staff was shouting out orders in Chinese. I did get the fake out of being asked a question in Chinese and had to take the L on that one and respond back in English. Sometimes, Americanization really takes you down a peg because I KNOW the service would be prime if I was smart enough to answer.

Regardless, this was still a good spot. The staff were quick in a busy restaurant kind of chaos that resonates with my soul and there’s a little QR code on each table that takes you to online ordering so you can just drop your order and they bring it right over. I’m not a huge fan of their usage of AI photos of the food. Very unsettling.

Today, I decided to order the Korean Style Noodle with Soy Bean Paste in the hopes that it would result in a jjajangmyeon and I lucked out on that one. I’ve never had true jjajangmyeon before, just instant versions, so you never know how true and authentic the real deal is. This place spot has pretty big portions so this order was easily two meals for me. It’s a thick black bean sauce with little bits of meat inside along with some beansprouts and spinach. I’m a fan. I’m already thinking about ordering it again. The noodles themselves were okay. It’s giving spaghetti which is fine but nothing special. All of the nuance is in the sauce so that’s what you’re here for and I’m about it.

Their menu is extensive. It’s a little overwhelming to look over but if there’s something you have in mind that you’re craving, there’s a great chance they have it which I love. It’s tricky finding places that serve food outside of the typical Asian American options which is not what I’m ever craving. I’m so glad our little group stumbled on this place. I’m definitely coming back.

LAS VEGAS - Cathédrale Restaurant

LAS VEGAS - Cathédrale Restaurant

It’s the birthday girl’s 21st birthday dinner and she’s picked out Cathédrale.

LOCATION: ARIA RESORT & CASINO

3730 S. LAS VEGAS BLVD., LAS VEGAS, NV 89158

Not gonna lie, this place was nowhere on my radar. Never heard of it, never seen any info, going blind walking in. But the family doesn’t pick bad restaurants so if it was on the list, I knew there wasn’t anything to worry about.

Apparently, Cathédrale is a Mediterranean restaurant with a very cool dramatic and dark gothic vibe. Fun entryway which is great for the insta, and of course, high-end dinner that was never going to disappoint. Very dark though so photos be damned.

Family style again (yay) and we ended up with about 6 plates plus dessert (and bread!):

Calamari Fritti: Prawns, zucchini, and hot cherry peppers with a saffron aioli

Octopus Grillé: Fresh red chilis, tomato ragoût, and oregano breadcrumbs

Faroe Island Salmon: Baby leeks, sun gold tomatoes, couscous, and salsa verde

Black Truffle Fetticcune: French butter, cracked pepper, and parmigiano reggiano

22oz Prime Aged Ribeye: Rotisserie leeks with a sauce verte

Maine Lobster Rigatoni: Squid ink pasta, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and a fino verde basil

All the apps/mains were so good. I don’t think there was a miss on this table and it was a solid amount of food for the 7 of us. We never go light on a meal. I was so happy and stuffed at the end of this. Would recommend for sure!

We were pretty stuffed by dessert but we have some sweettooths at the table so a few desserts were needed.

Sorrento lemon dessert: Yuzu granita and calamansi gel on an almond cake

Chocolate Cake: Devil’s cake with a dark chocolate mousse and espresso crème anglaise

I’m not a chocolate person so the Chocolate Cake along with a little chocolate dessert for the birthday girl were present but not my vibe. The lemon dessert was a hit though. I love a little palette cleanser to finish off the meal and am alway happy with a light couple of bites to round things off.

I love traveling with a group like this in order to find places I never would have checked out on my own. Different people always make the experience more full and well rounded, as chaotic as it is to have a group. Pros and cons always.

LAS VEGAS - Jaleo

LAS VEGAS - Jaleo

I’m low key obsessed with José Andrés in a way that I am with a handful of ‘celebrity’ chefs which only grew more upon finding out that one of Caleb’s younger cousins is friends with one of José’s daughters from University and has been to his house. Of course, she had no idea and when asked if she wanted to eat something, she requested a grilled cheese. Amazing.

In addition to this, I was also listening to a podcast of someone who lives in D.C. and has been to Jaleo often to order his tortilla de patatas (she’s vegetarian) and raves about eating it and how tricky it is to make at home.

I’m beyond happy this made the itinerary.

LOCATION: THE COSMOPOLITAN

3708 LAS VEGAS BLVD S., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

Jaleo is a traditional Spanish paella and tapas style restaurant which I’m obsessed with since I LOVE trying a bunch of little bites of everything. I’ve already forgotten every dish that we got for the group of us but I can hit the highlights at least.

This menu was a little overwhelming to start especially since we’re not very versed in Spanish cuisine and the waitress was a little impatient with me asking her to recommend dishes for us a second time after I didn’t catch it all the first go-around when we were sitting down and getting situated. I think we ended up alright, but I would recommend a glance before coming if you’re like us, and a little more unfamiliar.

What I remember ordering:

Cono de caviar (A cone filled with créme fraiche and Amur Ossetra Caviar and topped with gold flakes) - A one bite per order, very light with a crispy cone but not super memorable in the flavor department.

Queso del día (Chef’s choice of a traditional cheese from different regions throughout Spain) - we love a little chef’s choice to help us out here!

Selección de embutidos (a selection of cured ibéerico meats) - Again, perfect since we had no clue what specific meats we should get, this meat board was perfect for us and there was a great sampling of different meats though I have no idea what we liked and what was probably just mid.

Patatas bravas (Fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and alioli) - We love potatoes in this family and this plate was too small for the five of us!

Croquetas de pollo (Traditional Spanish chicken fritters) We have a picky eater in the group so we had to make sure we had some more familiar options. These were so good and it was hard to leave some on the plate but everyone has to eat and I had more options on the way. Would recommend as something safe that I think most people would be happy with.

Huevos rotos con setas a la crema (Fried potatoes topped with sautéed seasonal wild mushrooms, mushroom cream and a fried egg) - The better potato choice of our night. The mushrooms and the cream sauce were really good and I was trying my best to share this one but it was tough!

Trigueros con romesco (Grilled asparagus with romesco sauce and sherry dressing) We figured this would be a good veggie choice that everyone would like and we weren’t wrong.

Tortilla de patatas clàsica (The classic Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions) - Honestly a little mid. It felt a little oily and compared to all our other dishes, this one was super mild in flavor with the egg and potato being more neutral. A little sad that I hyped it up in my mind, not sure I would recommend :(

Rossejat Negra…or not! (‘Paella’ made with toasted pasta with sepia, shrimp, and squid ink…or not!) Not sure what’s up with all the ‘nots’ here but this was a solid order. We had to get something from the paella station since it’s their specialty and this didn’t disappoint. This dish did turn our mouths a little black but fun and really really tasty.

I think I may have missed a dish or two but overall, if you love small plates and have a solid group of people, I would recommend going. Second to ‘Best Friend’ by Roy Choi, this was one of my favorite meals of the trip so far. I’m so happy José Andrés did not disappoint.

LAS VEGAS - Alexxa's Kitchen

LAS VEGAS - Alexxa's Kitchen

The group is getting bigger as we add some more cousins from Rochester. We’ve got one straggler left but the party is coming together. For our first 6 person meal, we’re heading off to brunch!

LOCATION: PARIS LAS VEGAS

3655 S LAS VEGAS BLVD., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

I don’t tend to have too many stakes in the game of breakfast. I feel like it’s pretty hard to mess up but also hard to make exceptional so I tend to look forward to eating at restaurants for lunch or dinner. I do think, however, that American breakfasts are pretty hyped up when you’re not from here so the German’s had this spot picked out and were ready for some sweet treats.

We pretty much ordered family style again (a true hack with a big group to try more dishes), and got grilled banana bread with and orange marmalade, walnuts, and a brown sugar butter, the snow crab omelet with deep sea snow crab, asparagus, muenster, hollandaise, garden herbs, Alexxa’s breakfast potatoes, and an english muffin, breakfast burrito “mojado” which is a burrito smothered roja and verde, filled with chorizo, scrambled egg, scallions, cheddar, potatoes, and had a side of guacamole and sour cream, cinnaroll waffle with cream cheese frosting, blueberries, raspberries, and candied pecans, and Alexxa’s cannoli pancakes with a sweet mascarpone, honey butter syrup, and chocolate chips to finish it all off.

I may be delusional at this point but for six people, I think we did an okay job with ordering. I didn’t try everything but the food I did have didn’t disappoint. The snow crab omelet was a little strong in seafood flavor but the potatoes were really good. I’m more of a savory breakfast person so I mainly stuck to that plate but had a few bites here and there of the banana bread and waffles. A solid breakfast that I think everyone enjoyed.

LAS VEGAS - BEST FRIEND

LAS VEGAS - BEST FRIEND

We’ve made it and I’m gonna say right out of the gate that this was the best meal of the trip.

LOCATION: PARK MGM

3770 S LAS VEGAS BLVD., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109

Tonight’s dinner was brought to us all by Roy Choi, Kogi food truck inventor.

The meal started off a little rocky because, while we did have a reservation, it only accounts for a table in the back of the restaurant with a very dark/moody/quiet aesthetic and one of my cousins was dead set on us eating in the front dining area. Of course, the front area is more of a ‘first come, first served’ situation so we did in fact, wait for a table to open. I’m pretty sure the menu is the same but if we’re here for the vibes then I’m along for the ride.

It took about 30mins for us to get a (small) table in the front room but a win is a win and there was a menu board posted outside the restaurant so we got to pre-plan what we wanted to order while we waited.

Of course, we ordered wayyyy too much food for four people but if we’re only going to be here once in forever, we’re going all in. This menu was totally our tastes too so it was impossible to narrow down and our little dinky table ended up being a little tower of food.

We ordered Kogi Short Rib Tacos (with Korean BBQ, salsa roja, and a cilantro-onion-lime chili soy slaw), Street Corn (of course - with lime juice, tajin, cotija, and cilantro), Buttermilk Fried Chicken (with a side of honey mustard, sweet and sour chili, and b&b pickles), the BBQ Platter (with garlic chicken, spicy pork, AND kalbi trio), Kimchi Fried Rice (not my vibe but it comes with caramelized kimchi and a poached egg), and the Birria Ramen (with braised beef, onion, and cilantro).

Clearly, too much food. We were so stuffed and had to take a bunch to go but it was so good getting to try so many dishes. I did opt out of the Kimchi Fried Rice because that’s just not my thing but everything else was so good. Would 1000% recommend to anyone spending time in Vegans and would totally go back to order any of these dishes or try new ones.