Hash House a Go Go

VERDICT: Impressive LOOKING food...that is all.

Greg and I got so excited to see Hash House a Go Go on the Travel Channel or Food Network or whatever channel they got onto.  Finally, a really fun restaurant in Las Vegas that isn't on the strip.

I've been to Hash House a Go Go several times and I have to say, I'm not a fan.  Here's the deal, the food is impressive looking.  Just do an Google image search for Hash House a Go Go to see some of the creations.  The visual wowness of the food is really the only best part about it.  The biscuits are dry, crumbly and tasteless.  The "homemade" strawberry preserves tastes just like Smuckers.  The breakfast potatoes are bland and often undercooked.  The food that people rave about is basically food that is pretty hard to mess up, like pancakes, waffles and fried chicken.

Basically, the presentation can be summed up as this:  Stack a bunch of large portions of food on top of each other, throw some fried grass of some kind on top of it or uncooked spaghetti, and shove a large twig of rosemary down the middle to make it look fancy

I can throw food on my plate with some weeds at home.  Thanks.

Salad Creations

UPDATE:  Another one bites the dust....This location is out of business

VERDICT: Prepare to barf from either the horrible salad or the outrageous price.

How can you mess up a salad?  Salad Creations will find a way.

This place is weird.  It gave me strange vibes, just like Create did.  There just has to be something about the word "create" that inspires craziness.  I have learned my lesson though and am not going to flat-out call this restaurant a cult....but let's look at the facts.  They serve salads at a salad bar where you aren't allowed to touch anything.  Meat is at a super premium at $2.50 per added serving.  They serve you everything in a generic metal bowl.  Even though they serve everything in a metal bowl, they still only trust the customers with super-small, super-flimsy plastic utensils.

All this that you see before you cost $18.00.

They have this bar set up, where the worker places the food in the bowl for you after you either choose one of the featured salads or choose your own toppings.  Greg got a small Florida Sunshine Cobb for $7 (a large is $9).  A got a large 5 toppings.  The various lettuces are behind the counter in these large hanging bins.  It gives the illusion that they have cut the lettuce fresh.  Perhaps they have, but it tasted like bagged lettuce with the bagged lettuce taste (don't argue with me, I'm a super taster).  All I'm saying is that if it quacks like a duck and it walks like a duck, then....   The salads were horrible.  Greg labeled them "casino-grade", which is merely satisfactory only if it comes free with a meal.  

Look at their stupid hats!  Is that Carol Burnett with the mop?!?

They are trying to market themselves as the healthy alternative, but if they use bagged salads they are falling short.  Bagged salad is often contaminated with bacteria and poop.  Salads are not diet food.  A typical salad at Salad Creations almost always has at least 40 grams of fat or more.  It's the dressing that gets you, so order the vinaigrette.  

The urban dictionary actually has an entry for Salad Creations, which includes, "A place where 30 year-old lonely women come to bitch at the employees about how much they weigh."  This speaks wonders on how Salad Creations is preying on health-conscious consumers and consumers with body image problems. 

Don't buy into the Salad Creations lies.  It's unhealthy, bagged crap.

Try the more reasonably priced, Souper Salad.

Garduño's at the Fiesta - Revisted

VERDICT: My reluctant return visit to Garduño's surprised me with improved quality.

Previously, I had written of how Garduño's was bland and tasteless.  Due to lame circumstances, we had a return visit.  At this attempt, I was determined to find flavor.  I got a three item combo.  I had the carne adovada, chile relleno, and just a plain ground beef burrito.  For those not in the know, carne adovada is a spicy pork concoction.  I figured if they were going to fail to provide spice, it would certainly show in the adovada.

 

Here's a picture of carne adovada.  You can see spiciness, no?

I'm pleased to announce that the carne adovada was flavorful and delicious.  The chile relleno, having a chile right in the name and in the dish would have to be flavorful as well...and it was.  The burrito, my control group, was actually delicious.  Little Greg, who just got three tacos, commented that he thought the quality of the food had improved since last time.  I have to agree. 

One problem with the carne adovada was the large piece of fatty pork I encountered.  Small bits of fat are normal and increase flavor, but this was an obviously large piece of fat that any astute cook, not in a hurry,  would have removed.

Let's visit the salsa bar.  Of course, the salsa bar was one of the things that they always had going for them.  The bean dip is always a favorite.  I also got the green salsa, which claimed to be "medium" and was made from tomatillo and avocado.  I found it to be refreshing like a cucumber.  Greg found it to be just a little too hot.  I also got the salsa diablo, which they claimed to be "hot".  I'm sure it would be hot for Greg, who refused to try it, but I found it to be rather mild.  However, it had a delicious smoky, chipotle flavor which I could not deny as flavorful.  

I take it all back.  Garduño's is no longer a Mexican restaurant for timid, white people.  They don't lay heavy on the spice, but they are no longer afraid of flavor.   At their prices, it is a good restaurant to visit.