Best Happy Hour + Tapas

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba, on the street level of the Fashion Show Mall right across from Wynn, has been one of my favorite happy hour places for years. You can’t beat it: half-price on sangría pitchers (many varieties to choose from; typically, I go with the traditional red) and a good selection of tapas (small appetizers meant to be shared with the table) for $3. Many times, when I invite friends to go have tapas, for some reason, they think I am saying “topless.” I have to explain that no, we are not going to eat at a strip club, even though that is also possible in Vegas.

We choce Café Ba-Ba-Reeba again a few weeks ago during Earth Hour, when (almost) all of the lights on the Strip were turned off. The patio at the restaurant – I can’t resist al fresco dining – was excellent.

Some of my favorites include the traditional tortilla española (nothing to do with the Mexican tortilla; this is based on eggs and potatoes), the albóndigas (Spanish meatballs) and dates wrapped in bacon (just pretend they have no calories).

Happy hour is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, bar area only, so get there early unless you enjoy fighting big groups of girls for tables after a long week!

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba at the Fashion Show Mall
3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 258-1211

--By Judy Jennner

Himalayan food in Vegas

Let’s give a warm Vegas welcome (none of that jaded applause) to our only Himalayan restaurant in town, the not very originally named Himalayan Cuisine. It’s been here quite a while, but has remained largely undiscovered, which might be partially due to its location (in a strip mall, next to a payday loan office) on Flamingo between Maryland and Swenson and folks’ lack of knowledge of what Himalayan food is supposed to be.

My globetrotting husband, who ate his way across the Himalayas until he reached the base camp of Mount Everest, enlightened me. Basically, it’s an interesting mix of Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan cuisine. We have a lot of fantastic Indian restaurants in town (India Oven, the newly remodeled India Palace, Origin India, Gaylord’s at the Rio, etc.), but this combination is certainly very unique in the valley.

The place is small and comfy, with simple décor (think Himalayan posters) and booths and tables. Our party of four ethnically diverse people started off with a nice bottle of blended white Californian wine (three types of grapes versus two seems to be the new hip thing to do) and, in an attempt at food democracy, chose the Nepalese and the Indian sampler platter. We weren’t sure if it would be enough for a haven’t-eaten-since-breakfast dentist, a very hungry lawyer, a foodie writer and a foodie HR manager, but it sure was, and would have prepared us well for a hike in the Himalayas. The Indian platter included many classics such as organic tandoori chicken (well seasoned), lentils, mixed vegetable curries (just right on the spices), a refreshing homemade yoghurt, lamb vindaloo, vegetable pakodas and a few other delicacies, all nicely portioned in small stainless-steel cups. The Nepalese platter, on the other hand, was full of unexpected and delightful flavors, including mighty momos (dumplings stuffed with ground turkey), kakro salad (Himalayan cucumber salad with lemon and sesame seeds), kwati soup (lentils and beans), and five other excellent dishes.

Himalayan Cuisine offers a creative weekday "recession lunch" for $5.99, which includes the entreé of the day.

Himalayan Cuisine
730 E. Flamingo Road
Phone: 894-9334

--By Judy Jenner

Vegas Food Finds Goes to Lake Tahoe: Best Sandwich

On a recent short business trip to Reno, I took some extra time the day after and headed to Lake Tahoe with Rossana, a business partner and friend, and her adorable 7-year-old girl, Allegra. My friend Rossana had lived in Incline Village for a few years, and I was delighted to hear that she had an insider's tip: buying a sandwich in Incline Village, at an unassuming convenience store, and then eating it on a picnic bench on the beach, right next to the lake.

We headed to Grog & Grist (800 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, CA), a place I would have probably not stumbled upon myself. On a lazy Sunday, the two employees behind the very well-stocked sandwich counter weren't too thrilled or too quick, but it was worth the wait. I had my all-veggie sandwich (thick wheat bread, full of very fresh veggies, including cucumber, lots of sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.) right on the beach, on the park bench, as intended. The picture on the right is sans sandwiches -- they were gone too fast. Allegra, not a picky eater at all, really liked her tuna salad sandwich as well.

As much as I love fancy restaurants and white table cloths, I'd take a sandwich on Lake Tahoe, sitting in the sun, talking to a friend and looking out onto the pristine lake any day of the week. Ah, the simple pleasures in life....

--By Judy Jenner