Las Vegas - Payard Patisserie & Bistro

Saturday morning in Vegas commenced my friend's bachelorette party. We started with breakfast at Payard Bistro in Caesars Palace. This was in my list of places to go the last time I was in Vegas so I get to try it this time!

Payard Patisserie & Bistro
(in Caesars Palace)
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-7849
http://www.payard.com/
Price: $$$

It was a last minute change for breakfast location so we didn't even think to make a reservation. The bistro turned out to be quite small and we had a party of 7. The hostess told us it was about a 15-20 minute wait though. That's not too bad... But I think we ended up waiting a little over half an hour.

We finally got seated and they took our drink orders and brought us a bread basket. 

All the breads were yummy. There was one with a roasted garlic in the center, I think a focaccia and baguettes (since it's French and all. hehe) Most people were pretty hungry by now. I was still full from the dessert and dinner the night before! XP

I ordered the Brioche French Toast (chocolate, with nutella, sauteed banana compote, whipped cream) $18~ 

My friend and I both wanted something sweet and savory. So I got the sweet dish and she ordered the savory and we were gonna share. This was good, I think if I was hungrier, it would've been even better. But I still finished a whole piece on my own. The french toast had good texture and I liked the chocolate chips inside. I wanted more nutella on top though. I can never get enough nutella. :P Loved the bananas on top.

My friend got the Classic Monsieur (with ham, Bechamel, swiss cheese, baked tomato, salad) $16~ 

We thought all the prices were pretty steep but the portions turned out to be massive. It was a very large sandwich. I like the melted cheese and crispy crust on the sandwich but I wish Croque Monsieurs had some fresh veggies inside. I ended up stuffing some of the salad into the sandwich. It's quite heavy. The salad on its own was a little too sour, but I liked it paired with the sandwich.

Here are some other things people got...

Eggs Benedict on a Croissant $18~ Looked really good. I got a small bite, but wasn't enough to really get a sense of it.

Omelet (choice of 2 ingredients; with side salad) $18~ Looked pretty healthy. Didn't try it.

Almond Croissant. This is a big seller apparently. It was a large croissant. I got to try a bite, but again, not big enough to really tell how good it is...

The food portions were very large and tasty for the most part. It was a bit heavy for me so early in the day and still full from the night before. haha. But it's good quality French food. Our waitress was really nice and took some group photos for the bachelorette party. If you plan to go, make sure you reserve ahead of time, otherwise you'd have to wait...

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Fatted Calf

I went to The Fatted Calf 2 weeks ago for brunch. I love brunchy food and their menu sounded yummy. 

The Fatted Calf 
112 E Rusk St 
Rockwall, TX 75087 
(972) 722-3343 
http://www.thefattedcalfrestaurant.com/ 
Price (for brunch): $ 

It's located in downtown Rockwall, which is pretty small. Reminded me of an even smaller version of downtown Plano. The decor is pretty eclectic. I liked the wood panels and animal hide as decoration. I also liked the art on the walls. 

Everything sounded good but I love me some pancakes so I went with that!  
Pancakes (with blueberries and granola) $7.50~ (plus $1 for 2nd topping). 

It comes with 2 per order. They were pretty big! Not the best pancakes I've ever had, but pretty damn good. Fresh berries on top and inside the pancakes, crunchy granola, fluffy pancakes. No complaints! I'm especially glad I added the granola, added a crunch and nuttiness to it. :) I ate it all!!!! haha. 

They had a jar of homemade Strawberry Preserves at the table. It was awesome! I put that on my pancakes and it made it even better. We had finished pretty much the entire jar at the end of the meal. hahaha. 

The Monterey Omelette (avocado, local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spinach; with side of wheat toast and hashbrowns) $8.50~ 

My bf ordered this. The omlette was fresh and yummy. A little smaller than I expected but with the sides, it was still a big portion. I asked for the hashbrowns extra crispy and they were delish! The strawberry preserves on the toast...NOM!! 

It was a great late brunch. No complaints from either of us. And the waitress told us you can buy their preserves in the shop next door! (Too bad it wasn't open on Sundays, cuz we wanted some!) 

If you're looking for a good brunch spot in Rockwall, check out The Fatted Calf. Just the name alone should tell you they got some tasty food! haha. 

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 ~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Coffee House Cafe

Last Friday before hitting up a movie with some friends, we went to Coffee House Cafe on Frankford and Preston. I had heard about this place when it first opened and it seemed interesting. A coffee house that also sells alcohol? However, when it first opened the hours were a little weird. I believe they closed at 4PM... A place that serves alcohol but closes so early? Needless to say I never made it there and kind of forgot about it.

Coffee House Cafe
6150 Frankford Road
Dallas, TX 75252
(469) 248-0554
http://www.coffeehousecafe.com/
Price: $$
 
My friend suggested it, she stumbled upon it awhile back and was very impressed. Plus they now serve dinner!

The parking lot was a bit bare when I arrived. But I was immediately impressed because the hostess had already opened the door and was standing there waiting for me. I hadn't even locked my car yet!! What service!

Walking in, I was a little shocked by the row of waiters standing by the front door to greet me. I was immediately led to our table since my sister had already arrived. This place is WAY bigger than I thought... and the decor is pretty cool! Wood pallets on the ceiling, and coffee burlap sack designs lined the walls.

The waiter came by to see if I wanted anything else than water. We were still waiting on another friend so he said he would check back. Once everyone was there, the waiter came back. He was super nice and gave us the specials of the day and answered all our questions. It's really cool that they serve the breakfast and lunch menus all day. Sooo many tasty options, it was really hard to make a decision.

I settled on the Chicken Apple Sausage "Hash" (two poached cage-free eggs served atop chicken apple sausage hash, chipotle hollandaise) $11.95~

The waiter said it's really good. And he was right! It looked a bit small but was actually quite filling. I loved the sear on the outside of the sausage...gave it a nice crisp. If they had done the same to the potatoes, it would've been an amazing dish. The poached eggs were cooked well. And the hollandaise? AWWWESOME! I loved it. Everything worked together so well. I'd totally get this again.

My friend got the Spinach & Mushroom 3 Egg Omelette (fresh spinach, sauteed mushrooms, monterey jack cheese) $9.95~ Substituted her side of potatoes with a side of Pancake (Lemon Ricotta Pancake). She also got a Side of Bacon $2.95~

The waiter told us their lemon ricotta pancake was really good so she was sold on it. haha. It was tasty! Light from the ricotta and a hint of lemon throughout. You don't even need syrup on it. The omlette was a good size. My friend said the ingredients were all really fresh and tasted good, she just wanted more cheese. 

My sister got the Special of the Day: Scallops and Pasta.

It comes with squash and zucchini in the pasta but she substituted with a side of sauteed spinach. The veggies were normally mixed in with the pasta but the waiter said they can take it out and do something on the side if she wanted. They were so accommodating! The dish looked a little puny on the plate and didn't have much color. But the scallops were cooked well and my sister said it still had a lot of flavor. She enjoyed it a lot.

The waiter was awesome. He was super attentive and so nice. I had a hot water and it was refilled throughout the night. Normally when I get hot water, it maybe gets refilled once and then they forget about it unless I ask them to refill it. This was a definite plus on their service. All the other waiters were really great as well. My friend was looking for the restroom and one waiter dropped what he was doing and showed her the way.

We were pretty full by the end of the meal but my friend had a coupon for Beignets (made to order) $4.95~

The order comes with 6 beignets. Perfect! 2 for each of us. hehe. The waiter came by and asked if we wanted honey and then informed us that they also have chocolate sauce... Ooooo! We asked for the chocolate sauce. hehe. The beignets were not like Cafe Du Monde or anything but were still good. I liked the texture and loved it with the chocolate sauce. It was a great recommendation by the waiter.

I'm so glad I got to try Coffee House Cafe. It was so much more than what I had expected. It's not just a coffee house, it is a full restaurant. And they serve some delicious food. In addition, the service was top notch. We felt welcomed and comfortable there. I definitely recommend this place. And I will be back, hopefully in the near future. I can have breakfast for dinner at a place other than IHOP now! hehe.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Beehive - Boston

The last day in Boston, we met up with some friends that live there for brunch. I picked The Beehive, there was no discussion there for the location. haha. That is the only place I really wanted to revisit since my first visit a few years ago. It's a cool place and they have some pretty great food. AND I saw their head chef compete (and WIN) on an episode of Chopped! :)

The Beehive
541 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 423-0069
http://www.beehiveboston.com/
Price: $$

They serve kind of a "Bohemian bistro cuisine". The decor is very eclectic. And they have live jazz during the weekend brunches.

I've dreamed of their French Toast ever since I had it the first time. It is by far the best French Toast I've ever had. And I've hyped it up so much I was afraid my friends wouldn't like it. haha.

I remember their French Toast was massive so I decided to try something else and order a small version of the French Toast. Spinach, Kale, Onion & Swiss Omelette, Mixed Salad & Frites $14.50~

I had forgotten that their portions were massive all around. It was huge plate! But surprisingly I finished almost all of it. :P The omlette was massive, but fluffy. I liked all the spinach and kale inside. I would've preferred a sharper cheese though. The swiss was a bit mild...it needed a bit more cheesy flavor. The salad on the side was nice and refreshing. And I had forgotten how awesome their frites were. It's like chips, it's like steak fries, the best of both. Sooo crisp on the outside but yet still has the potato satisfaction of a thick cut fry.

I also got a Kiddie French Toast $5~ on the side.

This could've been a meal on it's own! It was still pretty big. AND just as amazing as the first time I had it. The bread was thick and fluffy and just the right amount of crispness on the outside. The whipped topping added a hint of extra sweetness. OMG AMAZING! My friends tried it and totally agreed that it's the best they've ever had. YAY!

My cousin got the Basket of Beignets $9~

It was different than beignets you'd get in New Orleans but it was still very good. The outside was nice and crispy and inside was hot and fluffy. A little denser than your typical beignets. I enjoyed it a lot.

Many people in the group opted for the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (with frites) $14~

Again, the frites were awesome. The eggs benedict was good overall, but they all said the salmon was quite fishy... I would have to agree so that was a bummer. Another friend got the Ham Eggs Benedict and I thought that was much better. I really liked the hollandaise particularly. It was slightly different tasting than some I've had in the past. It had a hint of sweetness? I don't know, but it was yummy.

Needless to say, we were all super stuffed after that. It was a great meal to end the trip. And I was happy to actually introduce this place to my friends who LIVE in Boston and have never been! hehe.

Also, as a huge fan of anything Food Network related. I asked if the Executive Chef, Rebecca Newell, was there. She came out and greeted the table and I asked her about her experience on Chopped! How cool was that?! And I know for a fact she makes some spectacular food. Definitely go for brunch here. And get the French Toast!!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~