Chicago Diner

Chicago Diner

3411 N. Halsted St., Chicago IL

Lunch & Dinner ($10/ person)

http://www.veggiediner.com/wp

The Chicago Diner is one of those places that we’ve wanted to try forever! They are a vegetarian restaurant with everything from pasta with “Meatballs” to vegan Irish Carbomb cupcakes. We went on a Saturday night and we were able to park in their free lot, which was great! We read that there is not usually a wait, but when we arrived we were told that it would be about 45 minutes. We were willing to wait, but the problem was that there was nowhere to stand. Most people had to wait outside, but we were able to stand in the doorway and had to jump out of the way every time someone came in or out. When we were seated we ordered a milkshake right away because we had heard such fabulous things. We got the cookie dough peanut butter milkshake along with the fried ravioli as a starter. The milkshake was fantastic (think Reese Peanut Butter Cup), but the ravioli was only okay. It seemed too dry and was kind of bland. Next, we ordered our entrees, a Gyro and BBQ Rib Sandwich. The gyro was amazing. It tasted just like the real thing. The Rib Sandwich, on the other hand, fell short. It was thick and chewy. Now, we haven’t had a rib sandwich in a while, but we expected it to be better. On a positive note, with the entrees we ordered a side of chili and sweat potato fries. Both were good. Although our experience was not the greatest, we would definitely try Chicago Diner again because they have such an interesting menu and all of our veggie friends have nothing but good things to say. We recommend this place to not only vegetarians and healthy eaters, but also to meateaters who want to try something new. If you were looking to try this place we recommend doing it this week because they have great specials to celebrate their 27 year anniversary.

Limestone Brewery and Restaurant

12337 South Route 59
Plainfield, IL 60585

http://www.limestonebrewingcompany.com

Lunch & Dinner ($20/ person)

The other night we were trying to think of somewhere close that we could grab a bite to eat. We remembered that Limestone had recently opened in Plainfield, so we gave it a try. And we were glad that we did! They have a rotating selection of their own beers, brewed in-house, on tap as well as growler fills. They had a pretty good selection of other choices on tap as well as bottled. They were out of their Oatmeal Stout however, which was somewhat disappointing since that was Chris’ first choice. They also had other drink specials, so even the non-beer drinker could enjoy themselves (and save some dough!). The Crab Cake appetizer was a special that night as well so we gave it a try. It was very good. It was full of lump meaty pieces of crab. Next, we tried the Limestone Beer Cheese Soup. We know it sounds unusual, but it was fantastic and definitely surprised everyone at the table. Finally, we got our two delicious entrees. We tried the Fish and Chips(which was beer battered with their own ale) and the Limestone Pasta with shrimp and scallops, tossed together with veggies, marinara, and Feta cheese. We had such a hard time picking our entrees because so much of the menu sounded very appetizing. We hope to be back very soon!

Bars and Lounges of Las Vegas

While we were in Vegas we went to many bars and lounges on the Strip. Some were impressive and some were very disappointing, but all are worth blogging about. We tried to hit up places during their Happy Hour in order to get the best deals, and it was well worth it. Before heading to Vegas we suggest your look up nearby bars and lounges to find out if and when they have their Happy Hours.

West Wing Bar & Lounge

MGM Grand

Happy Hour: Daily 5-8pm

This was probably our favorite lounge. It was hip, yet classy. The happy hour deals were great, too. They have 2-for-1 cocktails. This meant that for $22 we got four drinks. It was probably the best deal we got the entire time we were in Vegas (where everything is insanely expensive). The service was a little weird. The waitress gave us our bill after we ordered the first drinks and said she would just add to it if we wanted more. This was something we had never seen before, and it seemed a little pointless. Regardless, the drinks were great!

Nobhill Tavern

MGM Grand

Happy Hour: (Late Night) 10pm- midnight

We were excited to hear that Nobhill Tavern had a late night happy hour. We went there after dinner to have a couple cocktails before gambling all of our money away. We went there an hour before they were closing and it was strange because all the servers seemed to try to avoid us. We seated ourselves and after waiting to be served on we finally decided to go up to the bar to order our own drinks. The waitress was finally nice to us when it came time to pay the bill. However, the drinks were very good and we were able to sit where we could look out at the casino. It was a pretty good deal, too, with $8 cocktails and $4 beers.

Minus 5 Ice Lounge

Mandalay Bay

This bar is expensive, but awesome. As the name suggests, it is completely made out of ice. When you arrive you pay $25 (includes a drink) and you are given a parka and gloves. Then they take you into the bar. Trust us, when we say everything is made out of ice we mean everything. They have ice sculptures, ice tables, ice chairs, ice chandeliers, and even your drinking glasses are made of ice. To some this may sound like torture, but it is really fun. The only downside is that you are not allowed to take your camera in. They take your picture and sell it to you for a mere $18. Definitely try out this place!

Double Helix

The Palazzo

Happy Hour: 2-4p & 10-close

Double Helix was probably our biggest disappointment of the trip. Being the Wine Lovers that we are we were really looking forward to this place. We read that they had a great Happy Hour and that they served “winetails”, which are cocktails with wine. After paying $15 to take a taxi all the way to the Palazzo we come to find out that during their late night happy hour they only have 2 wine specials (it was mostly beer). We got frustrated and left because we did not go all the way to a wine bar in order to drink beer. Luckily, they have a wine boutique right by the bar, so we found a nice $20 bottle which we enjoyed back at the hotel with a great view of Vegas.

Sea Blue

MGM Grand

Happy Hour: 5:30-7pm

This was one of our favorite happy hour bars! It is actually part of a restaurant, but we just went there for the drinks. Make sure you get there on time though because by 6 o’clock there was a line of people waiting to sit in the bar. The happy hour has good cocktail and beer specials, but it is the food specials that drew us in. $1 oysters and shrimp and half off Lobster Corn Dogs and Calamari. No, that is not a typo. They serve lobster corn dogs. They were delicious. The drinks on the other hand were made pretty weak. However, we still suggest this place if you are looking for a tasty little snack before a late dinner.

The Lounge

Signature (MGM Grand)

The Lounge was definitely one of the classiest joints we went to while in Vegas. We also had a great server and even better drinks. One drink had cinnamon sugar around the brim and tasted like a Cinnabun. It was amazing! Not only did they have some great cocktails, but they served some unique beers as well. Plus, after we mentioned to the server that it was our friend’s birthday he brought him a Blue Valium shot. He couldn’t really tell us what was in it,  but he said it was just a little bit of everything. We had a great time. This is just one of those relaxing places where you can enjoy good conversation and good drinks.

Fiamma

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109

http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/fiamma-italian-restaurant-bar-menu.aspx

Dinner ($40/ person)

For our friends birthday we decided to try out Fiamma, was which located within our hotel. Before we get into the food, we just want to mention that the service was great. We mentioned briefly that it was our friend’s birthday when we made the reservations and at the end of the night they brought out lemon drop birthday shots for all four of us.  The food was superb as well. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to take any pictures because we were too busy scarfing it down. We got the Gnocchi, which had lobster, portobello, roasted leeks, and black truffle crema. It was incredible. We also got the Linguini, which had shrimp, scallops, shallots, and Cortese Wine. The food, service, and atmosphere of Fiamma was amazing and we definitely recommend this place to everyone!

Diego

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino 3799 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109

http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/diego-mexican-restaurant-menu.aspx

Dinner ($32/ person)

We tried Diego because it was in our hotel, the MGM Grand. In the reviews in contained one “$” so we assumed it would be relatively cheap. We got there are few minutes before dinner so we sat in the bar and had a drink. They have an excellent tequila selection. When we were seated they gave us chips and salsa. It was very unique. They served three types of salsa (mild, medium, hot) and three different spices to go with the salsa. It was cool, but we weren’t exactly sure what to do with the spices. We decided to split and appetizer and an entree. We first got the Lump Crab Cocktail, which contained jumbo lump crab meat and roasted tomato salsa with avocado. For our entree we got the Seafood Pot. The Seafood Pot consisted of scallops, seafood ablondigas, black mussels, and pasta in a Lobster and Guajillo chile laced tomato broth. It was a little hard to eat because of the broth, but it was well worth the struggle. The food was delicious, but we thought that it was a little overpriced and the service could have been better. When you’re staying in a hotel with about 10 fine dinning restaurants there is no point returning to one that is not great.