Cheer Up With Food

Tomorrow on December 11th, Project Pie ( projectpie.com ), a restaurant specializing in artisan pizzas, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas will be hosting the event - Project: Be The Change.  Proceeds will go to the local LV branch of Autism Speaks ( autismspeaks.org ). Autism Speaks is an autism advocacy organization that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public. If you're free tomorrow drop on by Project Pie and eat some pizza, you'll be contributing to a great cause! #ProjectBeTheChange

What drew us to eat at  Yummy Grill & Sushi  were the live specials .  On the evening we went they had live California uni, spiny lobsters , abalone , ama ebi , scallops , and oysters ( shigoku and kumamoto )! Live Uni ( sea urchin )- we were presented the uni fresh out of the aquarium tank alive before they killed it.  Later the uni was brought back to us nicely cut.  If you never ate uni before , it tastes like an ocean custard: Brown rice, sea weed, fish eggs and more underneath: Live Scallops: Live Oysters: Cornetfish  from Tasmania : Specialty roll with fried onions and toro ( bluefin tuna from Spain ), and nigiri in the back - tuna, garlic tuna, ono (super white tuna), and shima-aji (striped jack): All the seafood we had were spectacular!  Also the service we received from our waiter, Aaron, was great and very informative.  I look forward to seeing what kind of specials they have next time I eat at Yummy Grill & Sushi.

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I had the pleasure of previewing an upcoming comedy-drama film, The Hundred-Foot Journey , which will be released on August 8, 2014.  This movie is about the Haji family who moves to a little town in France from India to start a new chapter in their lives by opening up a restaurant right across a Michelin -starred French restaurant owned by Madame Mallory ( Helen Mirren ).  Even before the family opens up their restaurant, their rival, Madame Mallory, stirs up the competition. The way food was brought up throughout the film was sentimental. Some of the characters in this film cook food with such passion due to the influences and memories of loved ones who were a big part of their lives.  It made me think about the fond memories I've shared with people over delicious meals. Hopefully if you watch this film it will conjure up similar feelings.  Other than feeling sentimental, you will learn a bit about Indian and French cuisine! The official trailer:

I was in the mood for eating at a new restaurant and came across  Moko Tapas Bar , which specializes in Asian fusion tapas inspired by  Korean cuisine : The owner, Ryan, was very hospitable and was nice to talk to.  Ryan told us that he used to work in a restaurant at Chinatown and wanted to open up his own restaurant.  He later on partnered up with Chef Hong and they eventually opened up Moko Tapas Bar a few weeks ago.  Ryan also said Chef Hong makes everything from scratch, he will only use fresh meat (none frozen), and refuses to use a microwave! We started off with the  Chilled Cucumber Noodle  - cucumber noodle, cherub tomato, cold vegetable soup.  The cucumber noodles were fantastic with it's clear broth.  The broth was a bit sour, yet soothing.  If you like sour foods, this is for you: Eggplant Salad- grilled eggplant, cherry tomato, grilled shishito pepper, and moko dressing.  A nice, light combination of vegetables: Chicken Pot

 If you're originally from Hawaii now living in Las Vegas aka  da 9th island , you must be every now and then get homesick.  Since I've met many people from Hawaii over the past 10 years, they talk about missing the ocean, going to the beach, loved ones they've left behind, and eating local Hawaiian food on a daily basis.  Being that said, I always ask my friends from Hawaii what are good restaurants to eat at since they are more of the experts! My friends have recommended  Island Flavor , a Hawaiian restaurant located along Durango Rd near Windmill Ln.  They serve huge portions of Hawaiian comfort food and just dining there makes you feel like you're in Hawaii. My husband ordered the  Chicken Katsu Loco Moco-   two eggs any style and fried katsu on top of rice, and smothered in brown gravy.    This was my first time seeing this dish.  Usually at other Hawaiian restaurants I see Loco Mocos which have hamburger patties instead of the chicken katsu: I orde

In Las Vegas there are amazing restaurants outside of the Strip and  SOHO Japanese Restaurant is one of them.  Expect to be waiting in line no matter what time you come, it is worth the wait! When my husband and I arrived, we were told there would be a 15 minute wait and that our waitress to be had to clean up the bar of where we were going to sit at.  We waited more than 15 minutes, but I saw that the waitress was multi-tasking a lot of things in a short period of time.  By the time she sat us she apologized for the longer than expected wait. The specials: Started off with Edamame .  It was the first time I had it with a dipping sauce: Yellowtail Yuzu Soy- Topped with micro cilantro, garlic oil, ponzu , and garlic dust: I love Salmon Sashimi : Behold, the SOHO tadas!  This is a Mexican and Japanese fusion dish.  At the front is  Hamachi - Salsa Verde, middle is  Tuna - Hawaiian Poke Sauce, and at the back is  Salmon - Pico De Gallo. The second batch.  At

OM Restaurant  is a small  Indian  restaurant that impressed me to the point that they shouldn't consider themselves a fast food place!  Compared to other Indian restaurants, their delicious plates have more reasonable prices.  A young fellow who worked there was kind enough to give us ideas on how we should order our foods - if we wanted to sample more of each other's foods, he suggested us three to get combo plates instead of a platter which are bigger. The traditional dishes we had were  Chicken Tikka  Masala - chicken marinated in a blend of spices, grilled, and cooked in a creamy sauce;  Aloo Gobi - cauliflower and‍ potatoes cooked in a blend of aromatic spices; Veggie Korma - mixed vegetables cooked in a creamy onion sauce with coconut milk: Their Chicken Tandoori is a must-have!  Its a chicken quarter in a blend of yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, marinated in spices overnight and cooked in a tandoor oven served with sauteed bell peppers and onions:

The Commercial Center District , near The Strip, contains shops and great restaurants, like  Cornish Pasty Co. !  This place specializes in making pasties , which are baked pastries typically with meat and vegetables as the fillings.  They're basically like "British hot pockets," but bigger, more flavorful, and comes in an assortment of fillings. The bar area: Happy Hour every day:  If you look at the  menu , there are three categories of pasties - Signature, Vegetarian & Vegan, and Premium.  I counted 37 total pasties on the menu, so for sure you'll find one that'll suit your palate!  I tried the Cottage Pie - contains seasoned ground beef, pea, carrots, grilled onions, mashed potatoes, and cheddar with a side of red wine gravy.  This was a very hearty meal, definitely something best to eat after a hard day's work or have as a hangover meal - it can go either way!  I was already full eating the first half, but could not res

I usually have been going to Korean BBQ places that offer All-You-Can-Eat, but have noticed its a hit or miss when it comes to the meats' quality.  Me and my husband went to  Gangnam Asian BBQ , which doesn't offer AYCE, but has Happy Hour meal specials.  Happy Hour is currently everyday from 11:30am - 5:00pm then after 10pm - close, so still a good deal to me!  I was impressed with the quality of all the foods we had. This restaurant also serve soups, rice bowls, noodles, combo specials, salads, and appetizers such as this Salmon Carpaccio .   It was indeed appetizing with the garnishes that came with the fish: Since vegetables are always good for you, we had the Assorted Veggies  plate- onions, corn, zucchini, and peppers just to name a few: I was happy to see scallops on the menu!  These shellfishes are delicious and healthy: Other items I forgot to take photos of were the meats.  I must've been really hungry!  There was an average of at least