Miso Hot Wings

Miso hot!  Another crafty catchy name for a recipe!
     Dining out on New Years Eve and New Years Day does not mean having lobster, chateaubriand or steak to some people.  Burgers and wings are the preferred cuisine of most party goers.
     I have posted a few nice chicken wing recipes in my blog that are nice for New Years.  This miso hot wing recipe is full of great flavor.  Red miso paste and Korean red serrano pepper sauce combine with the added seasonings to give these wings a very rich nice asian flavor.

     Miso Hot Wing Sauce Recipe:
     Place 1/2 cup of red miso paste in a sauce pot.
     Add 3 tablespoons of Korean red serrano chile pepper sauce.
     Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
     Add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil.
     Add 1 splash of rice wine.
     Add white pepper.
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Add 2 teaspoons of ginger paste.
     Add just enough water, while whisking, to thin the miso paste and to create a thin sauce.
     Gently warm and simmer the wing sauce over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
     Keep the sauce warm on a stove top.
     
     Miso Hot Wings Recipe:  
     Heat enough vegetable frying oil in a high sided pot to fry 12 chicken wings.  Heat the oil to 360 degrees.
     Cut the wing tips off of 6 chicken wings.
     Cut the drumettes and wings apart at the joint.
     Fry the chicken wings in the hot oil, till they become lightly browned and crispy.
     Drain any excess oil off onto a dry towel.
     Place the wings in the miso hot sauce.
     Toss the sauce and wings together
     Mound the wings on the center of a plate.
     Garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.

Miso paste gives these wing a very rich flavor!  These wings are comfortable and mildly spicy.  New Years party night?  Miso Hot Wings!  ...  Shawna
 

Wahoo Crostini

Wahoo!
     Wahoo is the the largest member of the mackerel family.  Wahoo are the fastest predators in the sea.  Wahoo are a warm salt water fish that are caught where sailfish, king mackerel and marlin swim.  One of the best fisheries for wahoo is along the east coast of Florida.
     Smoker Kingfish?  Smoker kingfish refers to how hard and fast that a king mackerel can empty a fishing reel of fishing line.   If you use medium salt water tackle, then the chances are that a king mackerel will unwind the line so fast, that the reel will start smoking!  Wahoo can unwind a reel even quicker.  Wahoo can send a reel up in flames!
     Wahoo is a gourmet delicacy.  The meat is white in color and the flavor is lighter than marlin or swordfish.  Wahoo steaks are perfect for char grilling.  Wahoo is also sold canned like tuna.  I purchased a can of wahoo just to see what the quality was like.  Canned wahoo is a very clean nice looking canned fish.
     Wahoo salad makes a nice topping for crostini.  When a tray of wahoo crostini are passed around during a New Years Eve party, the guests naturally start yelling wahoo!

     Wahoo Crostini Recipe:  
     Place about 4 ounces of canned drained wahoo into a mixing bowl.
     Add 2 teaspoons of minced shallot.
     Add 1 minced garlic clove.
     Add 6 minced Italian parsley leaves.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of virgin olive oil.
     Add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
     Mix the ingredients together.
     Brush 5 slices of Italian baguette bread with virgin olive oil.
     Place the bread slices on a baking pan.
     Lightly toast the crostini in a 400 degree oven.
     Place a dollop of the wahoo salad on each crostini.
     Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 1 to 2 minutes, till the wahoo salad warms up.
     Place the wahoo crostini on a plate or serving platter.
     Garnish each crostini with an Italian parsley leaf.
 
     Yummy gourmet crostini with a funny name!  Wahoo has such a nice light clean flavor, that people who like tuna, will honestly enjoy the flavor.  The seasoning for this wahoo salad is Italian.  The seasoning is delicato, so the flavor of the wahoo is not masked.  These are some nice crostini!  Wahoo!  ...  Shawna
 

Alpine Omelette with Candied Purple Yams

Bacon, Portabella, Onion and Swiss Cheese Omelette!
     This is a nice eye opener omelette!  Bacon, mushroom, onion and swiss is one of the most popular omelette flavors there is.  While cooking Sunday brunch, we occasionally used to give popular omelette entrees their own names.  We sometimes called a bacon, mushroom, onion and swiss omelette an alpine omelette.  Many other chefs chose the alpine name for this omelette too.  I guess that the flavor of this omelette is easily imagined as being alpine ski lodge type of food.  Better still, alpine omelette is a catchy name!
     Purple yams are very popular in the Philippines and Indonesia.  I have posted recipes with powdered purple yam in the past.  Powdered purple yam is usually used for making special cakes.  Fresh purple yam can be cooked just like regular yams.  Candied purple yams added a nice touch to this plate!
     An omelette recipe is always good to post New Years Eve.  After partying all night at New Years celebrations, breakfast becomes more than just a craving!

     Candied Purple Yams Recipe:
     Place 1 sliced peeled purple yam in a sauce pot.  (1/4" thick slices are best for this recipe.)
     Add twice as much water as yam.
     Add 3 tablespoons of sugar.
     Add 1 small pinch of cinnamon.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Place the sauce pot over high heat.
     Bring the liquid to a boil.
     Reduce the temperature to medium/medium low heat.
     Simmer the yams, till they become tender and till the sauce reduces to a syrup glaze.
     Keep the candied purple yams warm over very low heat.

     Alpine Omelette Recipe:
     Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 1 diced slice of bacon.
     Saute the bacon, till it starts to turn crisp.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 small handful of thin julienne sliced onion.
     Add 1 small handful of small portabella mushroom wedges.
     Saute till the onions turn a light caramelized color.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 small pinch of basil.
     Add 1 small pinch of marjoram.
     Add 2 whisked eggs.
     Tilt the pan and use a rubber spatula to even the edges.
     When the egg become firm on the bottom half, flip the omelette.
     After the eggs become firm, flip the omelette again and immediately sprinkle 1 small handful of grated swiss cheese on the omelette while the omelette surface is hot.
   
     Presentation:
     Triple fold the omelette and slide it onto a plate.
     Use a spoon to place the candied purple yams on the plate.
     Garnish with a few Italian parsley sprigs.
   
     Yummy!  Anybody can imagine how this omelette tastes!  The hint of basil and marjoram adds a nice touch.  A two egg omelette like this is not heavy enough to weigh a person down.  The candied purple yams have a much bolder starchy flavor than regular yams.  Slightly sweet candied purple yams are nice with an omelette.  ...  Shawna

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     

Yachaejeon

Korean vegetable pancake!
   
     I have ordered a few different flavors of Korean pancakes in Las Vegas restaurants over the past few years. I like how a Korean pancake is usually filled with healthy ingredients.  There are specific Korean names for each different flavor of pancake.
     Yachaejeon refers to vegetable pancakes.  The vegetables should be Korean, so the pancake is authentic.  Korean chives are basically like common petite scallions.  Both scallions and green onion are the main ingredients.  Green beans or long beans are commonly used as a Korean pancake ingredient.  Shrimp or dried shrimp are also used to flavor a vegetable pancake.
     Korean pancakes are traditionally cooked and served on a hot round flat cast iron griddle.  The hot griddle is set on a wooden underliner and then it is presented to the guest.  A non-stick saute pan can also be used to make Korean pancakes.
     Korean pancakes can be made silver dollar size and served as a side dish or appetizer.  Mini Korean pancakes are nice for a New Years Eve appetizer.  A large pancake can be cut into petite squares and also served as an appetizer.

     Yachaejeon Recipe:
     Soak 1 tablespoon of very tiny dried shrimp in water for 1 hour.
     Drain the water off of the shrimp.
     Do not try to peel the shells of of the shrimp!  The tiny shells are edible.
     Set the soaked shrimp aside.  
     Place 1 egg into a mixing bowl.
     Add 1/4 cup of flour.
     Add 1/4 cup of rice flour.
     Add 1/3 cup of water.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
     Add 1 minced garlic clove.
     Add 1 teaspoon of ginger paste.
     Thoroughly mix the ingredients together.  The batter should be thin like a crepe batter and it should be able to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
     Blanch 1 small handful of green beans in boiling water, till they are cooked al dente.
     Remove the green beans from the boiling water and let them cool.
     Cut the green beans into thin long shreds.
     Add the green beans to the batter.
     Add 2 green onions that are cut into long shreds.
     Add 2 small scallions that are cut into long shreds.
     Add 1 tablespoon of thin sliced shallot.
     Add 1 tiny handful of very thin julienne sliced zucchini.
     Add the soaked dried shrimp.
     Gently mix the ingredients together.
     Heat a cast iron griddle or non-stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 1 small splash of vegetable oil.
     Pour the pancake mixture into the pan and gently shake the pan, so the ingredients settle evenly.
     Cook the pancake till it becomes a golden brown color and firm on the bottom half.
     Flip the pancake and cook the other side till it becomes golden brown.
     Drizzle a little bit of sesame oil over the pancake.  (About 1/2 tablespoon is plenty.)
     Slide the pancake onto a plate.
     Garnish with a spoonful of Korean Red Serrano Pepper Sauce and a couple of parsley leaves.
     Serve with soy sauce on the side.

     Yummy and healthy!  A Korean yachaejeon is nice for a dinner entree, breakfast or as an appetizer or side dish.  The small amount of dried shrimp is used like a seasoning.  The flavor of this pretty Korean vegetable pancake will put a smile on anyone's face!  ...  Shawna
 

Lobster Thermidor

Deliciously classic!
   
     I didn't post a bunch of Christmas holiday recipes this year, but I am posting a few New Years recipes this week.
     Two items that are popular for New Years Eve dinner are lobster and filet mignon.  I chose two of my favorite classic New Years recipes for this weekend.  Chateaubriand with classic Duchesse potatoes and sauces is something that is not offered on menus very often anymore.  Chateaubriand is one of my New Years Eve recipe choices.
     I purchased a large 3 1/2 pound Maine lobster at the 99 Ranch Market in Chinatown, Las Vegas for $10 a pound.  $10 a pound is about half of what grocery stores are charging for Maine lobster during New Years week, so this big bug was a good bargain!
     Lobster Thermidor was my choice for a classic New Years Lobster recipe!  Lobster Thermidor was created in 1894 at Maire's of Paris in honor of the premier night of the play Thermidor.  An opening night for a play was a major event back then.  Thermidor was written by the great dramatist Victorien Sardou.
     Lobster Thermidor is a fairly uncomplicated recipe that accents the great flavor of lobster.  The lobster is split and roasted, then the meat is removed and diced into large pieces.  A modified sauce bercy or mustard white wine cream sauce compliments the flavor of lobster in a gentle way.  Mushrooms can be part of Lobster Thermidor and they are usually at least infused with the white wine mustard cream sauce.  Tarragon and chervil also flavor the sauce.  The sauced lobster meat is returned to the shell.  Gruyere cheese is sprinkled over the sauced lobster and then it is baked, till the cheese and sauce become melted and bubbly.
     The flavor and eye appeal of Lobster Thermidor makes this entree fit for a special night like New Years Eve!
   
     Lobster Preparation:
     A 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pound lobster is enough for the recipe.  A 3 to 4 pound lobster should be enough for two people.  Choose a live Maine lobster for the best lobster flavor.  A live spiny lobster is second choice.
     Insert a chef knife vertically through the head and split the head in half lengthwise.  This will instantly and mercifully kill the lobster, by cutting its brain in half.
     Use the chef knife the split the entire lobster in half lengthwise.
     Crack the claws or remove the claws and use them for another recipe.
     Place the lobster on a roasting pan with the meat facing upward.
     Sprinkle some dry white wine over the lobster.
     Drizzle a little bit of melted unsalted butter over the lobster.
     Season with sea salt and white pepper.
     Roast the lobster in a 350 degree oven, till the meat is barely fully cooked and not the least bit dried out.
     Remove the lobster from the oven and let it cool.
     Remove the meat from the lobster.
     Cut the lobster meat into large diced chunks and set them aside.
     Remove the legs, gills, liver and coral from the lobster shell, so the shell is bare and clean.  The head shell and tail shell must remain attached and unbroken for this recipe, or the sauce will leak out of the shell!  Use both halves of the shell for a full portion or one half of the shell for a smaller portion.
   
     Thermidor Sauce Recipe:
     Heat a sauce pot over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 tablespoon of minced shallot.
     Add 2 tablespoons of chopped mushroom.
     Saute and sweat the mixture, till the shallots turn clear in color.
     Add 1 cup of light whitefish broth.  (Fume)
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of glace viande.  (Glace viande is a rich reduced meat stock.  This is optional.  I have posted recipes for glace viande in this blog.)
     Add 1 cup of dry white wine.
     Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of dijon mustard.
     Raise the temperature to medium heat.
     Bring the sauce to a gentle boil.
     Heat a sauce pot over medium heat.
     Add 5 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add an equal amount of flour, while constantly whisking to form a roux.
     Whisk until the flour and butter are combined and the color of the roux is white.
     Add just enough of the white roux to the sauce, while whisking, to thicken the sauce to a medium thick consistency.
     Slowly add 1 cup of cream while stirring.
     Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of tarragon.
     Add 1 pinch of chervil.
     Simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a medium thin consistency.
     Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
     Set the sauce aside and keep it warm.

     Lobster Thermidor Recipe:
     Place the large diced lobster meat chunks into a mixing bowl.
     Add a very generous amount of the Thermidor sauce.
     Toss the ingredients together.
     Place 1 lobster shell half or both lobster shell halves on a baking pan.
     Spoon the Lobster Thermidor into the lobster shell.
     Sprinkle a small amount of finely grated gruyere cheese over the sauced lobster.
     Bake in a 450 degree oven, till light golden brown highlights appear on the cheese and sauce.
   
     Classic Lobster Thermidor Presentation:
     Remove the lobster from the oven.
     Carefully place the Lobster Thermidor on a plate.
     Serve with buttered French cut green beans, petite portabella mushroom half slices and tourne potatoes for a classic French presentation!  Try to fan the vegetables neatly on on the plate.
     Garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.

     This is as good as a Lobster Thermidor gets!  This Lobster Thermidor has plenty of eye appeal.  My recipe is as close to the original Larousse recipe as can be.  Larousse was the food writer chef that originally standardized the Lobster Thermidor recipe shortly after it was created.
     The mild enticing flavors of French mustard, white wine, tarragon and chervil give the rich lobster meat flavor a nice gentle complimentary appeal.  This recipe was a hit in 1894 and it has been a favorite ever since.  Lobster Thermidor is worth the effort when cooking for a special occasion like New Years Eve dinner!  Bon Appetite!  ...  Shawna

        
   
   
   
       

Brine Duck Tongue and Pork Belly at Kung Fu Chef in Chinatown, Las Vegas! - CLOSED!

UPDATE!  THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED!  THIS ARTICLE WILL BE SAVED FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES.

Traditional Chinese yum!
   
     Yesterday, I was on my way to the 99 Ranch Market in Chinatown to pick up a lobster for a couple of New Years recipes.  I pulled into the Pan-Asian Plaza to take a picture of something and I saw the sign for the Kung Fu Chef restaurant.  I noticed that sign a few times in the past and thought that this place could be interesting.
     Kung Fu Chef is located at 5115 Spring Mountain Road, just west of Decatur in Chinatown Las Vegas.  The Pan-Asian Plaza hosts a few great restaurants and a very busy asian market.
     Walking by the Kung Fu Chef restaurant and looking in through the window, I liked what I saw!  The restaurant decor had a brightly lit clean modern Chinese style.  I took a look at the menu on the window and decided that I had to try some food here!
     Kung Fu Chef is not your average Americanized Chinese restaurant.  You will not find "middle of the road" watered down food here!  Traditional Chinese cooking of specialty food is what Kung Fu Chef is all about.
     The menu offers several petite specialty dishes that are tapas size portions.  This is great for gourmet customers who want to taste and share as many items as they can.  I ordered the brine duck tongue from this part of the menu.  Many gourmet food writers say that the best part of a duck is the tongue.  I agree!
     The duck tongues were marinated in brine and quickly braised in brine with soy sauce and seasonings.  They were served over a delicious chilled sweet sour pickled daikon radish and carrot salad.  The duck tongues were very tender and juicy.  Duck tongue is chopstick and finger food.  There is a piece of cartilage that runs like a thin bone through the center of each duck tongue.  Eating duck tongue is like pulling the meat off of chicken wing bones.  A small dish was placed at the table for the bare bones.  The brine duck tongue at Kung Fu Chef was delicious!
     I ordered a lychee slush for a drink.  Cold sweet lychee fruit slush is very refreshing!  The menu offered several creative tea drinks and fruit slushes.
     I thought that I ordered Chinese pork meatloaf with shrimp sauce as a second course.  The waiter was kind of new and there was a slight communication gap.  In Chinatown Las Vegas, English is a secondary language, so it does pay to be understanding if mistakes happen.  Who knows?  It may not have been the waiter's mistake.  The chef or my interpretation of the menu item could have been wrong.  Not to worry!  I liked the item that I was served!
     My second course turned out to be sliced pork belly cooked in what tasted like a shrimp broth.  Maybe that is the interpretation of the Chinese language on the menu and maybe the English description was incorrect.  Pork belly has been very popular with top chefs on the Las Vegas Strip for the last few years.  Many trendy pork belly slider and entree creations have made the food column in the local papers for the last few years.
     The pork belly had a nice layer of fat that ensured the texture of the meat would be very tender and full of flavor.  The broth had a deep rich shrimp paste flavor that was perfect for pork belly!  Pork belly or bacon is not something that is healthy to eat every day, but it is rich in flavor.  Pork belly is also symbolic for New Years, as it is a food that represents wealth in the coming year!  I liked the pork belly entree!
     Creative food and specialty items are offered on the Kung Fu Chef menu.  Pig's trotters, pork chitlins, goose intestines and several other traditional Chinese specialties caught my eye.  There is plenty of easy to recognize food on the menu too.
     The service was fast and good.  The dining room was clean and bright.  The hostess, who was the slush clerk, seemed familiar.  We had chatted in the past at one time and she remembered.  We could not place where we talked, but it was nice to be greeted by a familiar friendly acquaintance in Chinatown.  The second waiter made a nice comment concerning my duck tongue order.  He said "Ah!  You ordered traditional!"
     While dining at Kung Fu Chef in the early dinner hours, the restaurant began to fill up with customers.  I noticed that a few large Chinese families with small children sat down to eat.  I can imagine that a restaurant with the name Kung Fu Chef would appeal to children as well as adults.  Everybody looked like they were enjoying the food!
     I highly recommend Kung Fu Chef for anyone that wants to try gourmet traditional Chinese specialties and creative cuisine.  The food is expertly prepared and there are plenty of exotic items to chose from!  Kung Fu Chef!  Hiyaaaahhhhh!!!!  ...  Shawna 

Hae Mui Sundubu at the D.J.K. Korean and Tofu Restaurant in Chinatown, Las Vegas!

A piping hot Korean jjigae style seafood stew for a chilly day!
   
     I crave Korean food often.  Hot peppers and the Korean style of cooking is appealing to me.  This Hae Mui Sundubu put a smile on my face!
     The D.J.K. Korean and Tofu restaurant is located in Chinatown at 3943 Spring Mountain Road in the Plaza by Valley View.  The D.J.K. has been at this location for several years.
     The D.J.K. restaurant is very popular with Korean visitors and locals.  Last night, the D.J.K. was very busy and Koreans sat at every table.  A Korean restaurant with a full house of Korean customers is a very good sign that the food is authentic and tasty!
     A couple years ago, I wrote a few brief Las Vegas restaurant blogs around Christmas time.  In one of those blogs, I mentioned dining at the D.J.K.  The D.J.K. has changed the menu since then, so the menu items now have both Korean descriptions and English translations.  Now, the menu is much easier to read.
     The extensive menu at D.J.K. has a very nice variety of authentic Korean appetizers, soups and entrees.  There are a couple of pages that offer BBQ dinner for 2 to 4 people.  Korean restaurants feature BBQ that is cooked at the table on a small grill that is part of the table.  The D.J.K. is one of the very best restaurants to go to for great Korean BBQ!  The waitress brings a cart to the table with thin sliced meats, marinades, condiments and vegetables.  At the D.J.K., the waitress cooks the first round of BBQ at the table for the customers.  After that, the customers do most of their own cooking.
     Last night, it seemed like nearly all the Korean customers were at the D.J.K. for BBQ!  Korean BBQ is a social dining event and everybody in the house was having a good time cooking, eating and chatting.
     When entering the D.J.K., the hostess will ask if the dinner will be ordered off of the menu or whether BBQ is preferred.  BBQ customers are sat at tables with grills and menu customers are sat at regular tables.
     The dining area is very clean and well kept.  The dining room decor is plain clean modern Korean.  Minimalist decor is part of many Korean and Vietnamese restaurants, because all the attention is put on dining and being social.
     The main kitchen at the D.J.K. is very busy and the chefs are very highly skilled.  The kitchen has an open view and it is fun sitting and watching how the Korean chefs cook.  The Korean chefs are very organized and fast!
     Two years ago, I ordered a superb Korean cold noodle entree at the D.J.K.  Spicy Korean red chile puree sauce, Korean pear and raw skate with Korean buckwheat noodles is a classic traditional entree.  This item is still on the menu.
     Yesterday was chilly, so a hot jjigae soup or stew was what I had in mind for dinner.  I like seafood in a jjigae style stew, so I ordered the Hae Mui Sundubu.  Jjigae refers to heating an earthenware pot to a very high temperature and the stew is added to the red hot pot.  The stew rapidly boils on the way to the table and the aroma is captivating!  The waitress carried my stew and side dishes to the table quickly, so the stew would still be boiling hot.
     The waitress asked if I would like an egg added to the boiling stew.  She cracked the egg into the boiling stew in the hot earthenware pot and the egg instantly poached in the hot broth!  The waitstaff at the D.J.K. are the best!  The waitstaff is very well trained and they become part of the food show in the dining room.  There are many Korean entrees on the menu that require a waitress to partially prepare and present.
     The Hae Mui Sundubu was great!  The broth was mildly spicy and steaming hot!  The rich flavors of red chile, beef broth and seafood carried with the steam into the air.  When my stew was brought to the table, many of the Korean customers who were eating BBQ stopped what they were doing and stared at the awesome looking stew!  I was all smiles too!
     The stew was perfect for a chilly Tuesday night!  Fish, soft tofu, egg, mussels, clams and shrimp were in the sundubu.  Every item's flavor infused with the hot rich red chile broth.  The Korean side dishes were great for snacking on while the stew cooled down.  A dish of pickled wakame seaweed, carrots and onions was a pleasant surprise!  Mini Korean pancakes, sesame oil seasoned sprouts and two great kimchi side plates were sat at my table.  Most interesting was the salad of pear and potato with a very light fluffy mayonnaise style base.  That side dish was outrageously tasty and refreshing!
     I had a bottle of Korean Cass Beer with my dinner.  Cass is an unpasteurized crisp clean tasting lager.  Rice wine or lager beer goes well with Korean food.
     My experience at the D.J.K. Korean and Tofu Restaurant was a great one!  The food was authentic and great!  The service was superb!  I highly recommend the D.J.K. for Las Vegas visitors and locals who seek great traditional Korean food or Korean BBQ!  Delicious!  ...  Shawna

T-Bone Steak at the Grand Cafe in the Palace Station, Las Vegas!

More steak!
   
     After having a porterhouse steak yesterday for dinner, I drove home and found an email with a special offer for steak.  The deal was too good to pass up.  A 16 ounce T-Bone Steak for $9.99 at any Grand Cafe!
     The offer gave a choice of one pound of fried shrimp or a T-Bone steak.  Steak was my choice!  A one pound T-Bone is a nice steak.  Steak two nights in a row was enough to swear off eating anymore steak till at least next year.  Good thing New Years Eve is only a few days away!
     It pays to get on a casino's email list.  Special offers and first notice on entertainment are sent every so often.  A deal like a 16 ounce T-Bone for $9.99 is a bargain that is hard to pass up.  You can't purchase a T-bone and the fixings at a market for that low price.  Casinos still do promotional food specials at less than cost.  It pays to take up the offers!
     Gamblers receive comps whether they win or lose.  Sometimes, by asking a pit boss to take a count of the money played on the table, a gambler will receive a voucher for a complimentary meal or entertainment.  Players cards keep track of money spent on all machines.  Player reward points add up fast, when gambling often.  Personally, I do not use player's cards.  I prefer to play at tables and allow the pit boss to offer a comp, win or lose.  I like a personal touch, rather than standing in line to cash in some points.
     The Palace Station is one of many Station Casinos in the Las Vegas valley.  I used to go the the Palace Station quite often, to wager on horses at the race book.  I was comped a lot of meals and got plenty of free drinks!  The window tellers, can keep track of money wagered or sports and races.  Money spent does earn player points.
     The Palace Station is a busy working class casino that is popular with visitors and locals.  The Palace Station is located at I-15 and Sahara, a few blocks off of the strip.  Conventioneers like this resort, because the price for a room is lower than on the strip.
     The Palace Station is famous in a hush hush way for being the place where OJ Simpson got busted for an attempted jacking of hotel guests who were collectable traders.  OJ tried to get his old football memorabilia back by gunpoint.  OJ Simpson picked the wrong city to commit a crime, this time, because Las Vegas is big on protecting their guests and gamblers.
     Nearly every Station Casino has a Grand Cafe.  The Grand Cafe is open 24 hours a day.  The Grand Cafe at the Palace Station is located on the casino floor.  The atmosphere of the Grand Cafe is like a comfortably lit upscale diner or cafe.  The prices on the menu are reasonable.  The menu features American diner and restaurant cuisine.  There are also several southwestern cuisine items on the menu.
     Honestly, I barely even looked at the menu, because I was at the Grand Cafe for a 16 ounce T-Bone at a good price!  A choice of soup or salad was offered.  The steak came with a big baked russet potato.  The quality of the beef was nice.  There was a fair portion of tenderloin on the T-Bone.  The steak was cooked like I requested it to be.  Rare!
     The service was quick and fast.  The dining area was very comfortable.  There is a counter area that also serves drinks.  The cafe is also walled off from the casino, so the low noise level gives some quiet peaceful relief.
     The steak was great!  I did hit the steak wall as I finished eating this T-bone.  Too much beef, was what I kept hearing from my conscience.  Too much beef!  A porterhouse and a T-Bone is a bit much for me in one week, but this is Las Vegas and it is a holiday week.  Go with it!
    I honestly recommend the 24/7 Grand Cafe for visitors and locals.  I recommend the T-Bone steak special for steak lovers!  Yum!  ...  Shawna