Kris C.'s Profile

Despite the mediocre reviews, I'm a sucker for cupcakes and decided to give this place a try anyway.  We tried the lemon (tangy and flavorful) and the espresso (nice fluffy frosting, but the cupcake was a bit bland).  Even so, we enjoyed the cupcakes and found them to be nice and moist.  I'll skip the espresso next time, but I'll be back to try out the other flavors.

We almost didn't try this place after reading the yelp reviews, but I'm glad we did anyway.  I second the previous yelpers- it does seem that the Great Maple is taking steps to improve its service.  We arrived on a Saturday night and were greeted warmly and promptly seated.  The service was attentive and professional, but not intrusive.  

We started with the  baguette grilled cheese with salted rosemary and clover honey.  The $7 price tag seemed a bit steep, but it was definitely worth it.  It was flavorful, and the cheese seeped out of the crispy and buttery baguette.  Next up was the Newport with the truffle fries and the fish and chips.  The food was great, and the truffle fries were nice and savory.  The drinks are creative and unique, and I had to give one a try.  I chose the Purple Bowtie, which had rum and thai basil.  I really enjoyed it, and the bartender certainly didn't skimp on the rum.      

The ambiance is nice, and like I said, it seems that the service is improving.  A major downside is that aside from the salads, there is only one true vegetarian entree.  This is surprising given that 1) the place boasts a commitment to responsible fishing and has grass fed beef and a free range turkey burger on its menu, and 2) the food and drinks are so interesting and creative, you'd think the chef could come up with a few vegetarian options (salads are not good consolation items for vegetarians).

This place reminds me of Panera, except vegan.  The cafe itself is small and cozy, but the open air patio is more spacious and tucked away from the street so you're insulated from cars and foot traffic.  

I ate the Atlantic and my partner ate the smoked vegan ham, both on toasty sourdough.  The sandwiches came with a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens and cherry tomatoes.  The salad's not fancy, but it's satisfying.  The Atlantic was mock tuna, and it was very flavorful and light, not gross and heavy.  The ham was unfortunately overpowered by the cucumber and avocado.  For dessert, we split the mocha tart, which somehow manages to be light and rich at the same time.  It was fabulous and a great way to end lunch.  

The only downside to Free Soul Caffe is that it suffers from that pesky overpriced-vegan-food syndrome.  A full sandwich and salad somehow manages to cost $10.50, and the tart was excellent, but you'd expect it to be for $5.

I had second thoughts about Happy Family because the restaurant was completely empty when we walked in on a Saturday night (the logic being that an empty restaurant = bad food), but my skepticism was unfounded (and a few more people came in as our meal progressed).  

We started off with the spring rolls and the wontons.  The spring rolls were nothing special, but the wontons were pretty good.  Next, we ate the crispy chicken with basil, kung pao wheat gluten, and fried rice.  The crispy chicken was quite salty, but still good.  We really enjoyed the dish, but it really needed more basil.  Kung pao wheat gluten doesn't roll off the tongue very well, but it had really good flavors and went down quite nicely.  The fried rice, was not bad, but not particularly noteworthy.

My partner has spent the past two summers in Beijing, and he was quite impressed with the food at Happy Family (as was I).  In fact, he said it was even better than some of the food he ate in Beijing.  We will definitely be adding this to the rotation of restaurants we frequent.

Save room for dessert.  I mean it.  Or hell, just go for the dessert.  Or, you can go to Max Brenner for dinner and return later for dessert, which is exactly what we did.  

We started off the evening with the white corn croquettes, black and tan onion rings, and the grilled asparagus crepe.  The croquettes were crispy on the outside and nice and creamy on the inside.  It was a wonderful contrast.  The onion rings were tasty, but not really anything special.  On paper, they sounded interesting and unique (black and tan beer battered vidalia onion rings with a chocolate ranch dressing), but in the end, they were just onion rings, albeit pretty good ones.  The crepe was rich and cheesy, and big enough to share.

We didn't save room for dessert, but not to worry, because we'd already planned to return for it later.  The dessert menu looked fabulous, but since we were Max Brenner virgins, we decided to go with the Tasting for Two.  It came with the banana split waffle, fondue, chocolate sponge cake, milk and white chocolate bark, a crispy chocolate eggroll, chocolate wafers, and chocolate sauce.  It was decadent and delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's unfortunate that restaurants have a Las Vegas surcharge, and this place is no exception.  Despite the slightly creepy fish tanks lining the entry to the restaurant, my partner and I decided to try out Beijing Noodle No. 9 if for no other reason that we didn't have to wait for a table.

We started off with the scallion pancake, which was very good but definitely not worth $9.  Next, we ate the hand pulled noodles with tomato and egg, and the sizzling tofu with black bean sauce.  My partner just returned from Beijing a week earlier, and I almost fell out of my chair when he said he ate the same tomato, egg, and noodle dish every week for only $1.  At Beijing Noodle No. 9, it was $12.  The sizzling tofu was wonderful, and the sauce was so good, I ate it up with a spoon.  Yeah, I'm not ashamed to admit that.  You'd do it too if cost you $18.    

All in all, the food was pretty good, but like anything in Vegas, it was overpriced.

The great thing about All of the Above is that it provides vegan and gluten free alternatives, and the owner is super friendly and nice.  The bad thing is that the food isn't really good at all.  I know, I know, I'm raining on everyone's parade here, but I have to be honest.  

The bakery has a variety of vegan and gluten free muffins, cupcakes, and cookies, but they're just not that good (and I'm not just saying that because they're vegan and gluten free, I've had plenty of excellent baked goods that just happened to be vegan).  The cookies were okay (try the almond or the peppermint), but the cupcakes were dry and so terrible that I could eat only one bite.      

I'm happy that a vegan/gluten free bakery appears to be thriving.  But I think that revamping the recipes is necessary to make the food good enough to appeal to a broader audience.

I bet this happens to everybody: One moment you're enjoying the free olive oil tasting, and the next you're walking out with not just an olive oil sampler but also a vinegar sampler.  

The tasting was a great experience, and the employees are very friendly and knowledgeable.  The olive oils and vinegars are great, and there are many different flavors.  Obviously, given my experience, they are impossible to resist.

Going to the Julian Pie Company will feel like going to your grandma's, but I bet your grandma can't make pie this good.  The crust is tender, flaky, and so buttery that it will melt in your mouth.  We ate the original apple with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and the caramel apple.  Both were equally excellent.  Pie doesn't get any better than this!

Nick's Auto is great, and I'm definitely not surprised by all the rave reviews.  I've been here a few times in the past couple of years, and I've never been disappointed.  

One of the best things about Nick is that he doesn't talk down to me even though I'm a woman.  I've had a lot of problems with my car, and he always takes the time to explain what's wrong with my car and what he's going to do to repair it.