Las Vegas Trip – Eat at Tao!

A few weeks back, I visted Las Vegas for work. For dinner, a guy in our party suggested Tao. At first, I really didn’t know what he was talking about because I though “Tao” was only a night club. But, he said is was Asain and good, so I was along for the ride.

And, I am so very glad that I went along. While Tao is a night club on Friday and Saturday nights, it is also an amazing Asian Bistro.

On a Wednesday night, we were seated within 20 minutes. Very nice. To start, we had the Spicy Lobster Roll, which was sadly average. But for dinner, my entree was AMAZING. I had Black Pepper Sizzled Filet Mignon with Udon Noodles. OMG – I ate my entire plate! It was perfect.

My experience with sushi has never been the same since eating sushi in California this spring, and I am afraid my experience with Asain food may never be the same after eating at Tao.

Go to Tao in Las Vegas.

 

Blue Plate Roadside Cafe and a few Other Findings

Here are a few random ATL and Georgia findings that I don’t know much about, but they caught my attention. Not all are food related.

And, let me know if you’ve had any experience with any of these places! I want to here your stories.

Blue Plate Roadside Cafe (5920 Roswell Rd NE, Sandy Springs, GA) – According to the Atlanta Journal Constitute, it is a casual diner serving classic Americana – fried green tomatoes, over-sized salads, sliders, and blue plates of shrimp and grits … desserts like chocolate cake and fruit cobblers. Sounds good to me!

To find wineries in North Georgia, check out www.georgiawine.com. How are the Georgia wineries? I can only imagine that they are very beautiful!

For fun t-shirts by an Alpharetta-based company,  check out www.snorgtees.com. Look for slogans like, “#2 is #1, if you’re a pencil.” and “That’s What She Said.”

I saw an ad for T. Lynn Jewelry in the AJC this past spring. The part that caught my eye was, “Custom Made Jewelry.” Unfortunately, the web site listed in the ad no longer exists (www.tlynnjewelers.com). Anybody know anything about this store?

Lastly, I saw an ad for Pike Nursery, advertising free workshops and events. For schedule and locations, it directed me to their web site: www.pikenursery.com. I did a quick look. The site is actually really good. 

If you know more about these places, send me your experiences!

The Wedding Menu

The wedding is less than five months away, and my checklist on TheKnot.com is telling me that I am a little behind on my planning. So now, I have wedding thoughts dancing through my head every night when I am trying to sleep.

Of the major wedding categories, there are only three things that are really important to me: Photographer, Invitations, and Food. And tonight, it is the food that is keeping me awake …

I am simply not a “snob” when it comes to food. Most of the time, I would rather eat at the local bar. And with a diverse group of family and friends, I can’t seem to get my head around what type of food we should have at the reception. Until tonight!

I said from the beginning that I wanted to do the wedding in Georgia (versus Kansas) so that family and friends could take a mini vacation to enjoy some of Jeff and my favorite things. And tonight, I have applied that to the wedding menu.

Here is a list of my favorite things. (And, Jeff is just not that picky when it comes to food so I’ll at least start with my favorites.)

• Chicken fingers
• Fries and gravy
• Apple pie
• Homemade vanilla and cinnamon ice cream
• Donuts
• Cheeseburgers
• Onion rings
• Corn dog puppies
• Guacamole and chips
• Salsa (and chips)
• Queso (and chips)
• Fish tacos
• Shrimp cocktail
• Mozzarella and tomato salad
• Pizza
• Olives and antipasto
• Bread with dipping olive oil
• Brie cheese

While I am confident that I will come up with a few more, this is a great start. But, how in the world can I bring this all together? … Probably “Our Favorite Things” theme and group it by categories like Mexican, Italian, American, etc. Here’s my attempt to think through that …

Cocktail Reception Appetizers.

• Table Presentation:
• Shrimp cocktail
• Antipasto
• Passed:
• Flatbread pizza (square cut, Margarita, cheese, or pepperoni pizza)
• Other options:
• Bread display w/ dipping oils
• Focaccia bread drizzled with olive oil, topped with tomato and mozzarella

Served Meal.

Round 1

• Mexican:
• Queso and salsa with chips
• Mini fish taco
• Mini guacamole tostada

Round 2

• American:
• Mini cheeseburger
• Two chicken fingers with ranch, honey mustard, and BBQ dipping sauces
• Two corn dog puppies with mustard and ketchup
• Vegetarian option: garden burger, veggie skewers or other
• Fries and gravy (served family style in middle of table)
• Onion rings (served family style in middle of table)
• Side Salad: Grilled veggies (served hot or chilled), pasta salad, or garden salad with ranch

Dessert.

• Single-served apple pie with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
• Three donut holes (served with tooth pick)

I contacted the cater tonight … We’ll see if she is even willing to consider this! I am sure she’ll have some creative twists to make this night one of our favorites!