Yeah, apparently I missed that too.

Before you lash out at me, I am not saying places like Rome don’t have good food, I obviously just never hit the right spots.  This was before the heyday of blogging, Foodspotting, and the benefit of specialized food tours. I never had my Julia Roberts, “Eat, Pray, Love” life-changing event while in any of the popular tourist spots in Italy. However, I will admit pizza in Naples with tomatoes grown in Pompeii ash was one of my biggest foodie moments to date. Ruined me from ever eating pizza anywhere else.

I didn’t pay my food experiences in Italy too much mind, as anyone who knows me knows, Italian always landed as one of my least favorite types of food growing up. Mexican reigned supreme while pasta was easily one of the foods I could live without.

When I had the opportunity to come to Emilia Romagna last year with the #BlogVille project, I arrived with a completely open mind. I was excited to see a completely different side of Italy and give Italian food another shot. Purposely, I refrained from researching anything on the region, and now I embarrassingly admit how little I knew about what a culturally important food center this region is.

The first night we arrived, we had a group dinner at a local trattoria, a pretty casual dining option in Bologna. It was wall to wall people, loud, and there were platters of food being whisked in every direction. Our host Nick did all the ordering and within minutes we were sampling local meats, cheeses and breads.

Wait…You eat Parmesan cheese by itself? It’s not just good for grating on pasta? And it’s not that awful grainy stuff in the green Kraft container (sorry Mom!)?

Wait..that green stuff in the can is not real Parmigiano Reggiano?!?1

Before I had time to really ponder that, the plates of pasta began arriving. A local specialty, Tagliatelle a ragu. The verdict?

Life changing!

From that moment on, I was on the hunt to devour everything Emilia Romagna had to offer. I fell so deeply in love with this region that I came back to BlogVille two more times and even brought my parents to Bologna in December — my Mom’s first trip out of the United States! We visited a number of places in ten different countries and she rated Bologna as one of her favorite stops.

After leaving, I began missing the food in this region immensely.  I headed back down to Belize and eventually, it became too much. I tried my hand at making several specialties from Emilia Romagna. Not an easy feat on a small island! Obviously not as good as what you find in Emilia Romagna, but it satiated the craving until I could visit again.

Earlier this month, I returned to Bologna, Italy for the kick-off week of the second #BlogVille project and I couldn’t be happier. It’s funny how Italian went from being a type of cuisine I could live without to now being one I can’t stop obsessing about.

Welcome to BlogVille 2013 in Emilia Romagna, Italy!

And with that, here are five of the many culinary reasons to fall in love with Emilia Romagna, Italy.

1. Traditional Foods from Emilia Romagna

Obviously, this could be reason to love Emilia Romagna on its own. Some of the most traditional Italian foods either come from or were developed in the Emilia Romagna region.

What we call bologna in the United States (oh, the irony) is nothing like the real mortadella you get here in the city of Bologna. Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma both come from the city of Parma. And let’s talk about balsamic vinegar. Not the stuff we use make salad dressing back in the United States, but real balsamic — a very specialized product that comes from Modena, Italy. A good 25 year aged bottle will set you back around 100 euros. And of course, fresh egg pastas like tagliatelle that come from Bologna. Fresh egg pasta is truly an art form and watching some of the pasta masters at work is impressive. After trying my hand at making them last year, I have a much deeper respect for pasta now.

Traditional foods from Emilia Romagna, Italy

Many of the products that come from Emilia Romagna are DOP protected, meaning Denominazione di Origine Protetta. This protects the local producers and ensures consumers are getting the real product, not some imitation. Food items like Parmigiano Reggiano and Modena’s balsamic vinegar are two classic examples. The example people are most familiar with is the DOC French Champagne. Technically, only wines produced in the Champagne region under the traditional rules can be labeled a Champagne whereas others are simply sparkling wine.

Parmigiano Reggiano is one of the highly controlled products from Emilia Romagna, Italy

Trivia: Do you know how many D.O.P. and I.G.P. products Emilia Romagna has? At least 30 — ranging from cheese, meat, fruits and vegetables, olive oil, vinegar and even baked goods.

I would be remiss in not mentioning Pellegrino Artusi, a gastronomic icon and writer who is considered the father of Italian cuisine. He was from Forlimpopili in Emilia Romagna, and his book, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (La Scienza in Cucina e l’Arte di Mangiar Bene), is regarded as the textbook on Italian cuisine. It’s been printed in various languages and is up to its 14th edition I believe. We visited Casa Artusi, termed the “first living cookery museum,” in his hometown. Here you can take cooking lessons, enjoy local dishes, attend culinary festivals, and learn more about the history of Italian cuisine.

There is no way I can adequately convey the importance of this region’s traditional foods in several paragraphs, but suffice it to say that this is one of the most influential culinary regions I’ve traveled to.

2. Emilia Romagna is Less Expensive

You might argue there are lots of spots in Italy that are cheap so why does that make Emilia Romagna special. Here, you can sample all the locally produced products for much less than if you bought them in other countries, or in parts of Italy in some cases. Especially in cities like Bologna, with its vibrant university region, you can find quality eats for cheap. Restaurants and trattorias line the streets of Bologna and you can find everything from local cuisine to Indian and Chinese. My biggest surprise of this latest trip  – finding a Naples style pizza for 6 euros. We were all completely blown away by not only the size, but the quality. And, if you think the pizza was huge, the calzone must have weighed 10 lbs on its own.

Venture out of the larger cities to some of the smaller villages and you can find local farms and restaurants serving fantastic cuisine for cheap. Also, many offer local specialties that are available onsite for half of what you may pay in larger markets and stores elsewhere.

BlogVille membership has its privileges (while we didn’t snag any discounts on food and wine, we did feel special flashing our card ha!)

Cheap Naples style pizza in Bologna – score! 6 euros for this baby!

Told you the calzone was massive – Randy from BeersandBeans.com did an awesome job devouring most of it in one sitting!

3. Emilia Romagna is Home to One of the Top Restaurants in the World

Going the other direction on the dining scale, Emilia Romagna is home to a number of award-winning, fine-dining establishments as well. And that stronghold was reaffirmed with this month’s announcement of the 2013 S. Pelligrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The prestigious honor of the 3rd best restaurant in the world went to Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. It was the only restaurant in Italy to make the top 20. Emilia Romagna is also home to nine Michelin-starred restaurants for 2013, with Osteria Francescana retaining its three star rating.

Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy is no. 3 restaurant on “World’s 50 Best List” and holds 3 Michelin stars

4. Agriturismo and Food Festivals

The Emilia Romagna region is packed with food festivals year round. It seems as though there is literally something going on every week. I could easily spend a year just visiting the various festivals held in this region. Emilia Romagna is proud of its heritage and its importance as a food center for Italian culture. That shines through in the markets, festivals, and also the agriturismo farms that are popping up in the smaller towns and villages. Everything from the sheep cheese farm we visited in the hills of Rimini last year to the locally produced marmalade at Agriturismo La Piane in Vergato I sampled this year.

Agriturisimo Le Piane in Emilia Romagna, Italy

Branching out from the main cities and visiting some of these smaller villages has been one of the most memorable experiences of my time in Emilia Romagna. Most of these products you will never find in markets or stores as they are produced for their families or to serve guests in the farm’s restaurant. They produce everything — pastas, wine, beer, honey, jams, cured meats, and of course, cheese. And what they don’t produce themselves, they support other local farmers by buying only hyper-local products.

These homemade jams and hazelnut spread at Le Piane were out of this world.

While you can make arrangements to visit some of these spots without a car, my recommendation is to rent a car and travel the countryside — something I definitely plan to do when I return to Emilia Romagna again.

5. Carpigiani Gelato University and Museum

If only I had known growing up that someday something called a “Gelato University” would exist! I would’ve much preferred this to majoring in Criminal Justice! Gelato is synonymous with Italian cuisine and the prestigious Carpigiani Gelato University is located just on the outskirts of Bologna. Carpigiani manufacturers the world’s best gelato making machines and now they teach people how to make the best gelato with their machines.

Norbert from Globotreks and I sampling red wine gelato at Carpigiani Gelato University

I had the luck to sit in on an advanced class where the students were learning about unique types of gelato — alcohol and savory. Post to follow on our afternoon there, but as you can imagine, it was quite a unique experience. Surprisingly, the quality of the gelato from the students was far better than a number of the established gelateria’s I’ve visited both in Italy and other parts of the world.

Carpigiani has what they call the “Gelato Lab” open to the public where you walk in off the street and buy gelato, and you might wonder if people would really drive out of their way to come there just for gelato. There was a steady stream of people coming in and out just during the 20 minutes we sat waiting for our cab to arrive.

BlogVille housemate Peter Parkorr devouring “samples” Carpigiani sent home with us

Reflecting back on my five trips to Emilia Romagna in the last year, there are so many reasons why this region has captured my heart, and the food is definitely one of the main highlights, but there are many other reasons to visit the region as well. I’ve fallen in love with the architecture, the region’s history, its people, and most of all, the overall culture here. Apart from Belize and Taiwan, this is definitely somewhere I could see myself calling home one day.

Gelato….heads above traditional ice cream I grew up with

While the bulk of my trips to Emilia Romagna have been hosted during the #BlogVille project, all views, opinions and lbs. gained after eating my way through Emilia Romagna, are entirely my own. 

The post Five Culinary Reasons to Fall in Love with Emilia Romagna, Italy by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

My least favorite beer ever? Could it be?

Tonight I stopped by my local beer bar to see if they had anything new on offer I may be interested in trying.  I saw a few new offerings on the menu, and dcided to give one a try.  Petrus Aged Red, a Flanders Oud Bruin from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium.  This is a style I actually usually enjoy, with the Liefman’s Goudenband of this style being one of my go-to beers in a pinch.

Petrus Aged Red

What did I think of the Petrus Aged Red?  Think Robitussin, with a touch of Benadryl!

Why does cherry syrup have to taste so bad. And since it does, why use it???

Petrus Aged Red

I had decent hopes here, but they were very quickly dashed. I took one sip, and knew this beer was not for me. It smelled like a Shirley Temple. And tasted like cough syrup. Definitely not a Kriek. And not up to par with other Oud Bruins that I’ve tried.

I’ve had beers before that I hated at first but grew on me. Sour beers in general gained my respect in this manner (thank you Rodenbach Grand Cru). So I’m giving this beer a shot. I’ve been sipping at it now for over 30 minutes.

Can someone please knock over my table?

No.  The remainder of this beer, sadly, went down the drain.

The post New Brew Thursday: Petrus Aged Red by Brett Domue + originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

We met some wonderful travel bloggers and members of the local community, and got to experience quite a diverse mix of places and sights across the region.

As Erin prepares to head back to Bologna for BlogVille 2013, here is a brief breakdown of my time at Blogville, broken down in numbers.

ONE – One Apartment at BlogVille

The BlogVille apartment was a fantastic 2 bedroom + 2 loft apartment right in the middle of Bologna, just steps away from the Piazza Maggiore.

EIGHT – Eight Different Craft Beers

Italy may be known for its wine, but we managed to try 8 different craft beers as well, with five of those coming at the Festival dei Birrai Eretici.

Beer Taps at Lortica

NINE – Nine Travel Bloggers

During our stay at BlogVille, there were 9 other travel bloggers, besides Erin and I, who stayed in or visited the BlogVille apartment.

Nicholas from ERT Tourism with some of the bloggers from our week (Erin, Michael, Bianca, and Brett)

10 – Days at BlogVille

We were to lucky to have the opportunity to spend ten great days at BlogVille in Bologna, from May 7 to May 16, 2012.

12 – Flavors of Gelato

Between the two of us, we managed to taste 12 different flavors of gelato during our stay.

One of the many gelatos we sampled during Blogville

14 – Ducati Riders’ Championships

Over the years, Ducati riders have won 14 Superbike and MotoGP Riders’ Championships.  Ducati’s factory and headquarters is in Bologna.

Ducati…the holy grail of motorcycles

14 – Espresso Shots for Erin

Coffee is an integral part of any visit to Italy, and the best way to consume this in Italy is in the form of Espresso.  During our 10 days in Bologna, Erin managed to go through 14 shots of espresso in its various forms.

By far, Erin’s favorite espresso was at the Ducati Factory

29 – Operas by Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi was one of the most beloved individuals to come out of the Emilia Romagna region.  Over the course of his prolific lifetime, he composed 29 operas! During our stay in the region, we visited Verdi’s birthplace and opera halls in Parma and Busseto.

Erin and Michael checking out the opera house

38 – Wines

While we won’t admit to drinking the entire bottles for ourselves, and in a few cases, we only had a single glass from bottles shared in the house, we did sample 38 different wines during our trip.

Working away with a glass of vino, the only way to write blog posts!

42 – Espresso Shots for Brett

If you thought Erin’s 14 shots of espresso was impressive, during our 10 days in Bologna, I managed to enjoy 42 shots of espresso.  Some of these were simple solo or double espressos from small cafes, some as part of (double) cappuccinos. More than four shots per day!

Brett was a coffee addict – whether it was an espresso or morning cappuccino, he definitely adopted the Italian lifestyle right away

498 – Steps in Asinelli Tower

Perhaps the best views of the city can be seen from the top of the Asinelli Tower, the taller of the two signature leaning towers in the center of Bologna.  To get to the top, you need to navigate your way up 498 old, narrow steps.

Aren’t these views worth the 498 steps?

666 – Arches in the Portico di San Luca

A wonderful morning walk from the city center, the 3.5km covered walkway that is the Portico di San Luca leads to some of the nicest views of the countryside surrounding Bologna, including the Apennine Mountains.  The 666 arches of the Portico stretch from the Saragozza Gate to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca.

At the 658 Portico

The post Blogville by the Numbers: What We Saw, Ate and Drank in Bologna, Italy by Brett Domue + originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

February 14 marks the end of lobster season. Yup, no more lobster until June starting tomorrow.

So, to ‘celebrate’ the end of this succulent crustacean for the season, I had one of my favorite lobster creations available here on Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Casa Picasso’s Lobster Sliders. Decadent nibbles that give you the taste of perfectly cooked lobster and drawn butter…on a bun.

Counting down the days til lobster season resumes in mid-June!

Lobster Sliders at Casa Picasso on Ambergris Caye, Belize.

The post Photo of the Week: Lobster Sliders at Casa Picasso on Ambergris Caye, Belize by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

Rojo Poison Cocktail at Rojo Lounge on Ambergris Caye, Belize

This amazing creation features Chinese chilies, fresh ginger, a trio of rums, some local ginger wine, fresh juice and probably a few other secret ingredients. The Rojo Poison has several noticeable layers of spice from the fresh ginger and the Chinese chili peppers. It gets sweetness from the fresh juice and a nice kick from the trio of rums.

Thanks to my friend, and Rojo Lounge’s talented bartender Findley, who recommended this signature cocktail — definitely one I want to try again!

Rojo Lounge aka Rojo Beach Bar is located north of the bridge on the island of Ambergris Caye. It’s a bit of a bumpy haul in a golf cart, especially after a rainy day, or you can save your back and take the water taxi, which will drop you off right at the bar! Take note, Rojo Lounge is closed Sunday and Monday. 

The post Photo of the Week: Rojo Poison Cocktail at Rojo Lounge, Ambergris Caye, Belize by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

That gooey, sticky, sweet, and spicy sauce that coats the entire crab. Mmmm…

Singapore Chilli Crab

Certainly not a first date food..heck, not even a three month relationship food in some instances, but still a must try if you are traveling in Singapore.

Singapore’s multi-cultural background has earned it the reputation of being one of the top food destinations in the world. The country has a range of culinary influences that include Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, and even the Middle East and some Western traditions. This translates into some substantial culinary offerings that are unrivaled in other parts of the world.

Singapore’s famed Newton Hawker Food Center — perfect spot to try chilli crab!

Considered a signature dish of Singapore, you can find chilli crab at Hawker Centers, local restaurants, and anywhere that serves traditional cuisine.  Each spot will have a different take on the Singapore Chilli Crab, but essentially it’s a whole crab stir-fried with a fragrant sauce that resembles a tomato based gravy. It has garlic, chilli, ribbons of egg, and definitely packs a punch. You sop up the chilli goodness with fluffy white mantou (Chinese buns).

It is believed that the origin of chilli crab dates back to the 1950′s when Cher Yam Tian added bottled tomato and chilli sauces to the crab to spice up the regular dish. She eventually started selling it in a push cart, then moved to a food stall and 15 years later, opened Palm Beach Restaurant, which she sold in 1984. Some believe the more popular version of chilli crab seen today was created by Hooi Kok Wai of Dragon Phoenix restaurant — he modified Cher’s recipe to add eggs, vinegar, sambal, lemon juice, and tomato paste.

I’ve tried Singapore style chilli crab in several restaurants, in and out of Singapore, as well as the famed Newton Hawker Center. The best chilli crab easily was that from the hawker center — it was rich, tomatoey, slightly sweet with a manageable spice level.

Singapore Chilli Crab from restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan

In case you aren’t swayed by our recommendation, CNNGo named Singapore Chilli Crab as one of the World’s Top 50 Foods and Newton Hawker Center even declares it’s one of top 10 foods to try!

Where is your favorite spot for Singapore chilli crab? 

The post Southeast Asian Cuisine: Singapore Chilli Crab by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

Situated right at the base of the bridge, you will find Pont Vell Restaurant. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better view and the food is traditional Catalan cuisine.

Interior of Pont Vell Restaurant

Pont Vell Exterior Dining Area under the Bridge

Pont Vell opened in 1981 in an 18^th century building next to the bridge that crosses the river Fluvia. Owners Artur and Nuria have perfected dishes that are certainly on par with the superb location.

View of Romanesque Bridge from Pont Vell Restaurant in Besalu, Spain

We were invited guests to Pont Vell, along with a private group of other bloggers. Two other bloggers, Kate (Adventurous Kate) and Michael (Go, See, Write) had eaten there previously and absolutely raved about the food. Pont Vell rolled out the culinary red carpet for us. We ended up sampling a host of their specialties, and the owners were more than gracious with us as cameras flew around the tables documenting every plate that came out.

The evening kicked off with a host of starters including Escalibada, which was eggplant, onion, and red peppers all roasted on a grill. We also had fresh onions and tomatoes from their own garden.

Escalibada appetizer

Fresh Tomatoes and Onions

Other appetizers included my personal favorite – the homemade pate — and we had a plate of beautifully prepared green asparagus with a Romesco sauce.

Pate Appetizer

Beautiful Fresh Green Asparagus

The evening’s star of the show was definitely the fideua. It’s very much like a paella, but made with noodles. We always called them fideo noodles growing up in Southern California. They are often used in a Mexican soup I ate a lot as a child “sopa de fideo”, basically a tomato noodle soup.

We had the clam fideua, which could’ve probably fed the entire village of Besalu. The presentation was impressive and the taste was even better. Fideua is available on the regular menu for two or more people. They also have a black one, assuming made with squid ink that would be interesting to try.

Clam Fideua

If the fideua was not enough, they served two additional main courses – leg of lamb and sweet and sour rabbit. I’ve read numerous mentions of the sweet and sour rabbit as a Pont Vell house specialty.

Leg of Lamb Entree at Pont Vell

Sweet and Sour Rabbit -- A Pont Vell Specialty

One note about Pont Vell and cuisine from this region – you are likely to find a lot of game meat and fowl. Guinea hens, pigeons, rabbit, and other hearty meats are used in a number of dishes. Don’t be dissuaded if you are not a fan of the stronger flavor meats. Personally, I do not typically order deer, rabbit, or pigeon, but I’ve found the sauces and accompaniments often tone down the “gamey” flavor, creating an enjoyable dish.

Surprisingly, we managed to find a little room left and sampled some dessert – the brownie with strawberries, raspberries, and kumquat.

Brownie Dessert with Strawberries, Raspberries and Kumquat

Pont Vell
C/Pont Vell 24
17850 Besalu (Girona)
Phone: (+34) 972 59 10 27
Email: info@restaurantpontvell.com
Website: http://www.restaurantpontvell.com/

Hours: Lunch 1pm – 3:30pm, Dinner: 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Closed Sunday and Monday nights, and all day Tuesday. Also closed from 20th of December to 20th of January and the first week in July. However, after that, they are open Sunday nights in the summer months of July and August.

The post Traditional Catalan Cuisine: Pont Vell Restaurant in Besalu, Spain by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

Purple thistle flowers hanging from the porch roof

It turns out that there is a very good reason the yard was covered with these beautiful purple flowers. We were told they were a type of artichoke flower and had more than a decorative purpose — they are actually utilized in the production of sheep cheese.

Some types of thistle flowers produce a milk coagulating enzyme and is used to make “thistle rennet”. In Googling to find out a bit more information, I discovered The Joy of Cheesemaking spoke with a master cheesemaker who confirmed that it is commonly used in Spain and Portugal as a vegetal rennet to coagulate sheep milk cheese. (She has a pretty detailed explanation from a workshop she did in Sicily for those who want to know the intricacies of how it’s done.)

Artichoke flowers, or Cardoon Harvest are utilized in sheep cheese making

The flower’s name is the Cardoon Harvest and it has been utilized in cheesemaking for centuries.  According to Culture Cheese Magazine, modern thistle rennet cheeses all share a common ancestor in shepherd cheeses made high in the Iberian mountain range, known today as the Serra da Estrela. Through time, their popularity spread throughout southern Portugal and western Spain, where they are still commonly seen today.

Obviously, we were not in Spain nor Portugal, but the hinterlands of the Province of Rimini in Montefiore Conca. It’s not an easy spot to find, but certainly worth the trek as theese were some of the best cheeses I’ve sampled during my travels. The name of the farm is Azienda Agricola Il Buon Pastore, which seems to translate to “The Good Shepherd.” The husband and wife team produce a stunning selection of fresh sheep cheeses, all unpasteurized (post still to come!) They speak no English, so have an Italian speaker call and then you can stop by and purchase cheese direct from their small shop onsite.

Thistle flowers in Montefiore Conca, Italy

Related Posts:

Photo of the Week: Pecorino Cheese from Emilia Romagna, Italy

The post Foods of Emilia Romagna, Italy: Thistle Flowers and Sheep Cheese Production in Montefiore Conca by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

Despite being mid-week, and post-lunch rush, many of the restaurants we passed in The Shoppes at The Palazzo were still packed. I was a bit worried we were not going to get in, but relief set in when they said they could still take a party of two on a walk in.

I did some reading up on the chef and the menu before we went and one main menu item kept popping up…

Doritos Mac N Cheese

Oh yeah! Voted “Best of Vegas” By Las Vegas Weekly, this interesting side dish had made it on nearly every review, blog post, and article I read.

There was only one problem though…pretty much everything on the menu had come highly recommended. I warned Mom to loosen her pants and get ready to chow. Sadly, we didn’t get to sample as much as I would’ve liked, but it was enough to know that I will definitely come back on my next trip back home to Vegas (why oh why did all these great restaurants come after I moved from Sin City!?!)

Here’s a look at what we sampled:

Warm Goat Cheese “Souffle” ($14)

The warm goat cheese was crusted with pistachios and had cranberries, Asian pears, and white balsamic vinegar. My mom has never had goat cheese and is really not an adventurous eater at all so I was shocked that she ended up loving this.  And I do mean loving it…to the point that she still talks about it months later!

The goat cheese was soft and just a hint of sweetness. Combine that with the sweetness from the cranberries, the tartness of the balsamic vinegar, and the crunchy saltiness of the pistachios — definite home run for me.

Warm Goat Cheese Souffle appetizer

I love goat cheese and the best I ever tried was home made at a winery in Australia.  I loved it so much we bought a jar to take back to the hotel with us.  I have since searched for goat cheese that rivaled this for three years since, without avail. This goat cheese was the closest in flavor profile so I was nearly moved to tears.

Yes, I almost cried over goat cheese!

BBQ Pulled Pork Eggroll ($15)

This dish I had to try because of the BBQ sauce, which is made with Dr. Pepper. I have a friend in Belize who is literally obsessed with Dr. Pepper and many of his followers swear by BBQ sauce made with it. The eggrolls also had buttermilk slaw and corn slathered on top.

I will probably be chastised for saying this…I did not get a whole lot of Dr. Pepper flavor, but it was extremely good. The pulled pork was moist and juicy and the BBQ sauce was rich and had just a bit of spicy tang.

Dr. Pepper or not, I’d definitely order these again.

Egg Rolls with Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

Philly Cheesesteak Dumplings ($17)

Asian dumpling, meet Philly Cheesesteak. Enough said!

This is a match made in heaven for the other half of Our Tasty Travels. Brett is a bit of a Philly Cheesesteak connoisseur growing up near Philadelphia, so he would’ve jumped on these no doubt. They are served with a spicy siracha ketchup that was amazing.

These still call out to me in my dreams. I will have you again…one day!

Philly Cheesesteak Dumplings

Waldorf Salad ($15)

Moving on to more entree type dishes, my Mom ordered the Waldorf Salad with toasted walnuts and the most interesting croutons — frozen grapes! I only had a bite of her salad as I was pretty much already stuffed after splitting three appetizers.

Waldorf Salad with Frozen Grape Croutons

Doritos Mac N Cheese ($10)

Now, this is listed as a side dish, but was easily an entire entree for me…one I still would’ve had difficulty finishing without devouring three appetizers. It’s made with four different cheeses, including pepper jack and cream cheese, and then finished off with a crust of crumbled Doritos chips. Rumor has it, there is even Doritos seasoning in the mac n cheese itself.

Doritos Mac n Cheese

Would you believe this was actually taken off the menu at one point, but after tons of requests, they put it back on. My guess is it will always have a home on the menu now.

I would love to say we sampled some desserts, but alas, the food coma was already taking hold and I had to head straight to a wine tasting seminar (such a rough life, I know!)

I’m dying to get back to Vegas so I can tackle First Food & Bar’s dessert menu, but I probably need about 10 people to help me.  Double Down Dirt Cake, Delilah’s Brulee, Matt’s Moochin’ Monkey Bread, and Milk & Cookie Dough Truffles…you will be mine!

About First Food & Bar

First Food & Bar is great because they are open until 2am, making it a perfect late night stop on the Strip. The restaurant has a cool vibe – a bit of modern, industrial grunge and goth style, blended with dark, warm colors so it’s very hip yet casual. There was everyone from tattooed rockers to business men in full suits the afternoon I was there.

First Food & Bar interior design

Chef Sam DeMarco, better known as Chef Sammy D, is the culinary mastermind behind the menu at First Food & Bar. If you are hip on New York City’s dining scene, you might recognize Sam’s name from ironically, FIRST, the restaurant he opened back in 1993 in the East Village.

First Food & Bar
Open Daily 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.
(702) 607-3478

We were hosted at The Venetian Resort as part of our travel and food writers’ conference, but all views and opinions expressed are my own.

The post Las Vegas Restaurants: First Food and Bar inside The Shoppes at The Palazzo by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels

Shockingly, I’ve been in Belize now for nearly 10 days and I have not had ceviche once!

Thankfully, my amazing friend on the island helped me remedy that situation last night. After listening to some live music on the beach and chatting with friends (such a rough Sunday afternoon I know), we headed to Hurricane’s Ceviche Bar for dinner and drinks.

Horse conch ceviche at Hurricane's Ceviche Bar in Ambergris Caye, Belize

Hurricanes Ceviche Bar is one of the few places I’ve found that has horse conch ceviche on a regular basis. If you are up on the seasonal foods of Belize, you might be thinking this is not conch season.  If you didn’t already know, horse conch and conch are not the same thing. While it has “conch” in the name, horse conch is a mollusk that is similar to “regular” conch, but belongs to different family classification and is locally referred to as Maimula or Mymula.

I find the consistency to be a bit less tough as compared to regular conch and the flavor more mild. It’s a good mix for ceviche as it really lets the flavors of the fresh onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and lime share the spotlight.

If you want to know more about horse conch ceviche in Belize, check out this article on Ambergris Today that tipped me off about it in the first place.

The post Photo of the Week: Horse Conch Ceviche at Hurricanes in San Pedro, Belize by Erin De Santiago originally appeared on Our Tasty Travels