Tag Archives: Summerlin

Tapas Anyone? 808 Tapas Opens in Summerlin

August 13, 2012

UPDATE: SHUTTERED in 2015

Tapas lovers and lovers of scrumptious, flavorful food have I got a new restaurant for you, 808 Tapas, 9350 W. Sahara Ave. #150 at corner of Ft. Apache in the Village Square Shopping Center 702-485-3433. 808 Tapas opens this week and I was lucky enough to be invited to try some of their menu items before they open to the public. What they had to offer far exceeded my expectations. It was the most inventive, delectable, mouthwatering, appetizing, tasty, flavorful, palatable, succulent, luscious, yummy, finger-licking, nummy, lip-smacking, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, food that I have ever experienced. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but that’s how much I enjoyed it.

The creative philosophy behind 8o8 Tapas is their East meets West menu. I like to think of it as Asian, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian fusion. Each item I tried was out of this world good. The blending of flavors, each with its own unique twist kept me thinking and talking about how good it was long after I left the restaurant.

Here’s some of the things I sampled;

Crab Stack

The Crab Stack, Snow Crab, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, mango, pea sprouts, ginger lime dressing and red caviar. I am here to tell you that this will be a favorite item for salad lovers everywhere. It is so light, and refreshing and still bursting with flavor. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I tasted it. I can’t wait to go back and order it again. It is served as a beautifully stacked brightly colored tower topped with a generous portion of snow crab. The photo below shows how it looks once you mix it up to prepare it for eating.

808 Tensai Shooters

Next was the 808 Tensai Shooters, salmon or hamachi, truffle ponzu, pea sprout, avocado, jalapeño, red caviar and ginger juice. So small, yet packed with flavor. Is it impolite to slurp the shot glass clean? I didn’t care.

Lomi Salmon Buffalo Caprese

Then there was the creative Lomi Salmon Buffalo Caprese, this was their take on a standard Caprese Salad, but instead of tomatoes, onions and garlic they used Lomi Salmon (a Hawaiian staple made of salted salmon, tomato, white onion and scallions), then topped with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar reduction. Outstanding!

Poke Nachos

We were told we must try the Poke Nachos, deep fried Lotus root (their take on the tortilla chip) topped with tuna marinated in a special sauce with avocado. The perfect mix off crunchy and creamy altogether in one ultimate bite.

Victorino Roll

We decided to try their sushi rolls to see if they compared to our favorite sushi restaurants. The Victorino Roll was amazing. It contains spicy tuna and cucumber topped with tuna and garlic ponzu. Don’t you dare dip this delicious creation in soy sauce. It’s perfection just the way it is served.

808 Nasu Fries

Next on the list was the 808 Nasu Fries, deep fried panko eggplant accompanied by a tasty wasabi lime mayo for dipping. My kids would eat this and not even realize they were eating eggplant. Crispy outside, creamy inside and the perfect dipping pool of sweet, succulent mayo make these fries irresistible.

808 Sliders

And no meal would be complete for my husband without sliders. 808 Sliders, Wagyu burger, sauteed Shitake mushrooms on a slider bun topped with Ginger Wasabi Mayo. Where can I get a vat of that stuff? It makes everything taste fantastic.

Besides the food, 808 Tapas decor is modern and clean, decorated in red, grey and black. They offer sushi bar seating as well as social seating at a long communal table that runs the length of the front section of the restaurant. Individual tables are available as well. Upon entering everyone is greeted with a unified Aloha and Mahalo on your way out. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and professional. They plan to offer cocktails including Saketinis and Sake Sangria among other creative concoctions. This will be a hot spot in Summerlin. Be sure to be the first to try it before everyone else finds out and you have to wait for a table. 808 Tapas plans to open this Wednesday, August 15.

Vegas Info

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Archive, Food

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Create – Gourmet Burgers & Frozen Custard

July 17, 2011

A great burger place has set up shop in my neighborhood, featuring gourmet burgers and frozen custard. With is neon green trim, the fast-causal burger joint’s main feature is their burgers. On the menu is a variety of burgers options: certified Angus beef burgers, turkey burgers, and for the vegetarian there is the Portobello mushroom and something called the “Abstract” meatless burgers. The beef burgers come in a few sizes: Mini(2.5 oz.), Modest (1/4 lb.), Majestic (1/3 lb.) and the Monarch (1/2 lb.). Pick your bun, choose from: lettuce wrap, wheat, Kaiser, or my favorite King’s Hawaiian bread. They offer a selection of cheeses and there are over 20 toppings to choose from, like jalapenos, chopped egg and grilled pineapple along with the basic ones, tomato, onion and pickles. Additional premium toppings can be added, sauteed mushrooms, bacon and fresh guacamole to mention a few. Then come the sauces, lots and lots to choose from: chipotle mayo, blue cheese, basil pesto mayo, balsamic vinaigrette and don’t forget Create’s own “The Sauce”, and the list goes on.

1/2 lb. Modernist on a Hawaiian bun, with a side of fresh-cut fries and a drink.

This place is great for the whole family, everyone can make their own “Creation”, from a simple basic burger to a gourmet masterpiece. You are not forced into a cookie-cutter size burger and there are endless combinations to work with. A few of Create’s own masterpieces are featured on their menu, like the “Modernist” (my favorite) and the “Dali”, all named about and around art concepts. A grilled chicken breast and hot dogs have recently made it on the menu too.

On the sweeter side on things, Create’s own in-house custard is made fresh daily and enjoys the quality found at another Las Vegas sweet spot, Luv-it. With all the standard side toppings, you can build yet another masterpiece, this time frozen. Create not only makes a great burger, but according to the web site, but has an active recycling program too. They do the basic recycling of cardboard, plastic and glass and furthermore composting of all food waste(green waste). Even the straws, plastic cups are actually 100% compostable and are made from corn. Even the flatware and straws are made from sugar cane or corn and can be recycled too.

Create is currently a one of a kind store and offer a great burger too, but according to its creator and owner Lance Graulich, he is looking to expand out his creations across the Las Vegas valley. Stop by this “must eat” burger joint and make your own masterpiece with a side of fries. Create is located at 7290 W Lake Mead Blvd. in Las Vegas at the intersection of Lake Mead and Tenya near Summerlin. Visit their web site at http://eat-at-create.com to check out the full menu.

You can't miss this place with its eye-poping neon trim.

photos by: LasVegas360.com

Got a favorite burger place in Las Vegas? leave a comment.

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Food, Locals

A Taste of New York Comes to Las Vegas

July 16, 2011

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

When I was growing up in Las Vegas back in the 70’s, when Spring Valley was way out in the sticks of Las Vegas, we’re talking Flamingo and Rainbow area of town, there was one pizza joint called Giovanni’s. This was the go-to pizza for our family, this was prior to the pizza chains like Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars. Our family called this place at least once a week for at least a decade for a delivery. When we used to call, the staff knew exactly what we wanted, one large pepperoni, Italian sausage & mushrooms, we didn’t even have to tell them what kind we wanted or where to deliver it, they knew and this was before caller-id. The thing that stood out about their particular pizza was the hand made dough and the homemade sauce they made. The store closed sometime in the 80’s due to the pressure of the large pizza chains.

Forever after I considered Giovanni’s the best pizza and used it as a standard to measure all others. Now, I have tried almost all the different types of pizza offered in Las Vegas; chain stores, mom and pop pizzas, New York, Detroit, Chicago, California and even pizza with duck on it, but they all fell short of my standard. In 2010 a new contender rolled in to town, Grimaldi’s. This is New York style, old school (real old, 100 years+), from under the Brooklyn Bridge, kind of pizza. I never considered myself a thin and crispy New York pie guy, I usually like my pizza a little thicker, but this pizza is what I now call my favorite.

There are a few things going on with their pizza here, starting with the dough. It’s been said that the secret to true New York style pizza is the water. Grimaldi’s hired a chemist to recreate the water used in the Brooklyn pizzeria to make the integrity of the dough taste the same. The pizza is cooked in a coal-fired brick oven at a very hot temperature. The oven gives it a great crispy charred toasted edge and a fabulous flavor to the crust. Yes, it might have some blackened bubbles on it, but that only adds to the flavor. Next, the cheese, this is not the kind of cheese that most places use, this is fresh mozzarella melted in little round pools around the pizza. The pepperoni that they use is a hand made small caliber stick, the kind you would find in a local Italian market, sliced by hand and is decorated around the pizza adding to the overall flavor, not over powering it. This pizza is meant to be eaten right out of the 1000°+ oven. I don’t recommend using Grimaldi’s as a take-out place for pizza, it just does not hold up well, it cools too fast on the trip home.

My favorite pizza is the still the same, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms.
It took a while for it to get here, all the way from New York, but I now can say that Grimaldi’s is my favorite pizza place in Las Vegas. The ingredients are fresh, the service is great and I’ll try to take anyone there who is looking for a great pizza experience. So take the time, and give Grimaldi’s Pizzeria a try.

Web site: http://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/