A couple of months ago, my wife and my best friend and I spent five days in Las Vegas. We gambled, did some site-seeing, and generally had a great time. I won more than I lost (enough to pay for all the Star Trek crap I bought at the "Star Trek Experience" at the Hilton and all my other touristy tat) and we ate at some nice places, including a couple of buffets and some fast food restaurants. Here are a couple of capsule reviews of the more impressive spots.
The Little A'Le'Inn - Rachel, Nevada
Only the hardcore UFO and conspiracy nut would make the six-hour round trip from Vegas all the way out to Rachel, Nevada to visit There's more of us around than you might thing. Poised on the Extraterrestrial Highway (Route 375), it's right on the edge of the infamous Area 51 where the US Government has been alledgedly testing UFOs for many years, and actually did used to test experimental aircraft like the Blackbird and captured foreign planes. It's a beautiful journey out there, and being so close to that spooky hallowed ground was a big thrill. I'd have been terrified to do it at night. The Inn itself is a small diner selling UFO themed tourist stuff, and they sell burgers, fries and related food. Sara has commented to me that she LOVED the burger she had there a lot - I liked mine too, but obviously I was overwhelmed by the thrill of the whole thing.
In and Out Burger - Not in Ohio, sadly.
I'd heard a lot about In and Out Burger and the food there, and the way of ordering it so that you can get exactly what you want. It's arcane and delightful, and I was excited to try a new burger from a place so highly rated. In the end, we stopped by one a couple of times during our week there (to be precise, it was the one on S. Maryland Parkway, just off Tropicana Ave) and while I wasn't disappointed with the burgers, it wasn't the be-all and end-all experience I'd heard about. In fairness, I probably didn't order my burger right. I should have just ordered one "as standard" instead of having it with just "onions and spread" - spread being their in-house sauce, which was pretty good. I liked the burgers. If there was an In and Out in Cleveland, I'd eat there. A lot, probably. The fries were just not for me, unless there's another way to get them cooked, but I really disliked them. The first double-burger I had was really good, the second time we went, I wasn't quite as inspired.
So, something of an anti-climax, but not really. I liked it well enough, and it's certainly a cut above other fast food places without a doubt. I admire the simplicity of their menu and the dedication to getting the hamburger right. It's a desert/West Coast experience, and next time I'm in Vegas, I'll be back.
The Carnival World Buffet, The Rio, Las Vegas
I was very excited to go see Penn and Teller's show at the Rio, and we arrived early to gamble and eat. We'd heard a lot of good things about the buffet at the Rio, and we weren't disappointed. Lots to choose from, and the quality was very high. We were stuffed, and grateful for the hour or so wait before seating for the show to let us gamble and recover. Nothing leaps to mind especially about this experience aside from the sheer variety of food on offer. Sara and Boon both enjoyed the pizza, as I recall, though I admit that I probably had a slightly nicer buffet meal at the Luxor, when they seemed to have everything needed for a Thanksgiving meal on offer one night.
No scores for the any of the above, since this isn't really a normal part of the Cleveland Eats series of reviews. We ate at a bunch of other places while we were there, but mostly it was a blur and very little remains in my mind as being especially amazing, aside from Jack-in-the-Box for breakfast and how much fun Blackjack is to play on $5 tables at casinos on Fremont Street.
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