GREAT EATS HAWAII

Friday, July 22, 2011

CAFE VETTRO - ARIA HOTEL AND CASINO

CAFE VETTRO

ARIA HOTEL

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Cafe Vettro is the Aria hotels casual dining restaurant that is open 24 hours. Enjoyed a few excellent meals here. The service is top notch and they always call you by name. Absolutely loved the Huevos Rancheros for breakfast. Huge portion and full of great flavors.

Café Vettro

Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, Café Vettro serves your favorite dishes in a casual and contemporary environment. Garden areas and natural elements provide relaxing dining settings while terraced seating and floor-to-ceiling windows allow for stunning views at any hour.

Visit Cafe Vettro any day from 5:00 p.m. through the early morning hours for Fondue for 2! Indulge in dark chocolate and a variety of dipping fruit, cakes, chips and pretzels for only $15.

Located on the Casino level next to the guest elevators.

Open 24 hours

HuEvos rancHEros
2 Eggs Any Style, Tortillas, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Cheddar and Oaxaca Cheese, Roasted Jalapeño, Ranchero Sauce..16

TERRY FATOR LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS

TERRY FATOR SHOW

MIRAGE HOTEL - LAS VEGAS

This was hands down one of the best shows I have ever seen in Las Vegas.

Terry Fator is an incredible talent. We were blown away by his voice, comedy

and ability to entertain. I was laughing, crying and just in awe watching this guy.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!

Click links below to view more posts on Terry Fator in Las Vegas;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2024/03/terry-fator-live-new-york-new-york-las.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2018/11/terry-fator.html

ONDA RISTORANTE - MIRAGE HOTEL

MAIN DINING ROOM AT ONDO

ONDA RISTORANTE
MIRAGE HOTEL
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

While at the Aria Hotel, we checked in with the concierge to pick up tickets to the Terry Fator show at the Mirage. I asked the concierge if there was a good Italian restaurant at the Mirage. She recommended we try Onda. I knew nothing of the restaurant and thought the name was a bit weird for an Italian place. Turns out this is an award winning Italian restaurant that is also a great wine bar and one of the best deals in Las Vegas. The waiter (Caesar) presented us with the regular menu and then a Prix Fixe Menu that offered a three course meal with get this - ALL THE WINE YOU CAN DRINK. I asked Caesar if this was for real and he said "yes". Wow my friend said. "Lets do this!" Caesar brought a few glasses of merlot and we were off. We ordered a pasta dish to split in addition to the Prix Fixe menu. The pasta was fresh and the flavors were perfect. Can't remember the first course of the Prix Fixe but we both loved it. The main course was the most perfectly cooked Lamb Loin I have ever tasted in my life. This thing was out of this world. We were served two desserts that were excellent. Can't remember those either. Seems like that unlimited wine was flowing rather freely. This was a really good meal. I mean really good. As the dining room tables cleared one by one, we found ourselves alone with our waiter Caesar. Caesar told us his life story and that he has worked in this same restaurant for 20 years. 20 years in the same place. We were fascinated with his story of hanging in there through good and really bad economic times. All the while loving his job and the visitors and locals that dine here. Caesar kept the wine flowing until every table was set and cleaned for the next day. The lights were dim and we were the only three people left in the dining room. Caesar politely asked if we would mind moving into the bar area to finish our wine. Sure we said, just fill us up. Caesar joined us in the bar area and we continued to talk. The bartender waited for a while and then threw in his towel and clocked out. I think this was the end to our evening of "unlimited wine". We might have had one for the road and then said our goodbyes to Caesar. Wow.....what an incredible evening of good food, wine and friends. I highly recommend Ondo and cannot wait to return.
http://www.mirage.com/restaurants/onda-ristorante.aspx

ENTRY BAR WHERE WE WERE SENT
AFTER THE RESTAURANT CLOSED

DINNER AND UNLIMITED WINE FOR $55

PASTA BOLOGNESE WITH HOME MADE RICOTTA CHEESE

FIRST COURSE - FORGOT WHAT THIS WAS
BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS

GRILLED LAMB LOIN WITH RISOTTO

BEST COOKED AND TASTING LAMB LOIN OF MY LIFE

ARIA HOTEL AND CASINO - LAS VEGAS

ARIA HOTEL AND CASINO

CITY CENTER

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

ARIA HOTEL LAS VEGAS

VIDEO OF THE ARIA HOTEL, LAS VEGAS

ARIA LOBBY AND CHECK IN AREA

BEDROOM WITH VIEW

BEDROOM 42" FLATSCREEN

LIVING ROOM SEATING AREA

LIVING ROOM WITH FLATSCREEN AND AWESOME VIEW

LIVING ROOM BAR AND REFRIGERATOR

HUGE SOAKING TUB WITH GREAT VIEW

LARGE SHOWER, DOUBLE SINKS AND PRIVATE
TOILET ROOM WITH PHONE AND BIDET

DOUBLE SINKS - SIMPLE AND ELEGANThttp://www.arialasvegas.com/

Sunday, July 10, 2011

LONGHI'S ALA MOANA

LONGHI'S ALA MOANA

HONOLULU, HAWAII

With Mom off shopping, Keli and myself decided to have breakfast at Longhi's at Ala Moana Center. You take an elevator from the ground floor to the restaurant. We were greeted very quickly after the elevator opened. Asked for table for two and were promptly seated at a great table overlooking Ala Moana Beach Park and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We could see the waves breaking in the distance. Simply beautiful. Keli began reading the menu and was attracted to the Waffles and Pancakes. Then she said she would like to try something different for breakfast. How about an Omelet Dad? Sure I said, just pick three ingredients to add. You can choose from about a dozen items to add to your Omelet. For $12 you get three choices. Keli chose Bacon, Ham and Cheddar Cheese. Wow...the Omelet was huge and served with two large pieces of toasted bread. Keli said the dish was "awesome", "delicious"and very filling. She loved the bread too. The menu said that Longhi's is famous for their Eggs Benedict. I tried the Lobster Benedict ($21). I was amazed when the dish came to the table. There was lobster, real lobster and lots of it. This Benedict was the BOMB! Perfect balance of flavor from the lobster, the poached egg and the hollandaise sauce.

LONGHI'S ALA MOANA

Omelets and Eggs

All served with toasted French bread

Two Large Eggs
Served with your choice of Bacon, Italian Sausage or Ham

8 oz. Prime Steak and Eggs

Fresh Island Fish and Eggs
Sautéed with Lemon Beurre Blanc on the side

Italian Frittata Served with Hollandaise
A Longhi's Classic served since 1976, baked in a cast iron skillet with 3 Italian cheeses and today's fresh ingredients

Three Egg Omelet with Choice of Three Fresh Ingredients

Vine Ripe Tomato	Onion	Cheddar	Sausage
Spinach	Broccoli	Mozzarella	Bacon
Peppers	Zucchini	Provolone	Ham
Mushrooms	Feta	Swiss	Asparagus $2.00

$0.50 per additional item

Add Maine Lobster $8.00

Longhi's World Famous Benedicts

Eggs Benedict
2 poached eggs on toasted baguette with sliced ham and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Florentine
2 poached eggs on toasted baguette with spinach and hollandaise sauce

Crab Cake Benedict
2 poached eggs on toasted baguette with Maryland crab cakes and hollandaise sauce

Lobster Benedict
2 poached eggs on toasted baguette with Maine lobster and hollandaise sauce

ENTRANCE LEADS TO PATIO DINING
WITH OCEAN VIEW

OPEN AIR SEATING

NICE VIEW OF OCEAN FROM OUR TABLE

HUGE OMELET IS ENOUGH FOR TWO

KELI ADDED CHEESE, BACON AND HAM TO HER OMELET

LOBSTER BENEDICT - THIS IS SO GOOD!

NICE CHUNKS OF LOBSTER IN EVERY BITE

ROY'S KO'OLINA

ROY'S KO'OLINA

KO'OLINA HAWAII

After massive amounts of appetizers at our friends Ko'Olina condo, we went across the street to Roy's which is part of the beautiful Ko'Olina Golf Club. The restaurant overlooks the 18th green and is adjacent to the Pro Shop. As always, the staff at Roy's was fantastic. Truly amazed how Roy keeps his service level so high at all his restaurants. We were seated at a great table overlooking the golf course just as the sun was setting in West Oahu. Complimentary Soy Beans and a Quesadilla were brought out immediately. I shared a Beet salad with my wife. There were not too many Beets on my plate. While the dressing was good, I thought this salad really missed the mark on presentation and flavor. For my entree, I tried the Filet Mignon. This was a beautiful cut of meat cooked to perfection medium rare. Only problem is that it had no taste. Totally under seasoned. Not really worth eating. The Risotto served with the Filet was hands down the best I have ever tasted. Rich, creamy and so delicious. I passed it around the table and everyone said it was the best. The Risotto saved my meal. My wife tried the Braised Wagyu Beef served with Shrimp and Scalloped Potatoes. She liked it. I tried a bite and preferred this beef over the Filet. Our friend had the Fresh Swordfish. This was a thick and meaty piece of fish. I took a bite and loved it. Tom was going all vegetarian so they prepared him a dish of fresh vegetables that he said was delicious. This was a wonderful meal with great friends and great service.

ROY'S KO'OLINA

ROY'S KO'OLINA IS LOCATED ON GOLF COURSE

SMALL BAR AS YOU ENTER THE DINING AREA

COMPLIMENTARY SPICED SOY BEANS

COMPLIMENTARY QUESADILLA FOR CHILDREN

NON COMPLIMENTARY VINO FOR THE GROWN UPS

HALF BEET SALAD - WHERE'S THE BEATS?

COMPLIMENTARY FRUIT AND VEGETABLES FOR CHILDREN

FRESH ISLAND SWORD FISH

BRAISED WAGYU BEEF WITH SHRIMP AND SCALLOPED POTATO

FILET MIGNON ON BED OF SPINACH WITH MUSHROOMS

BEST RISOTTO I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!

VEGETARIAN PLATE

SUNSET OVER KO'OLINA GOLF CLUB

KO'OLINA APPETIZERS WITH TOM AND ARLENE

OUR GRACIOUS HOSTS - TOM AND ARLENE

TABLE FULL OF AWESOME APPETIZERS

APPETIZERS IN KO'OLINA
WITH TOM AND ARLENE
KO'OLINA, HAWAII

We drove out to the West Side to have appetizers and dinner with our good friends Tom and Arlene. Tom has just retired and they are selling their 2 bedroom condo in Ko'Olina. It is a beautiful condo that is furnished like a model home. Beautiful Island Style furnishings and paintings. Everything is included in the condo sale. Even his car and all the dishes, pots and pans, silverware, bbq, boogie boards and accessories. You could buy the condo and move right in without buying anything. We enjoyed a great afternoon on their lanai eating a wide variety of great appetizers. Arlene put out a beautiful spread that I thought was way too much for five people. It was so good that we polished off almost everything on every plate. And then - we all went to dinner at Roy's. I am still stuffed. We are very blessed to have friends like Tom and Arlene. They are like family.