Pomegranate & Jello

Let me start by telling you a little story about myself. I used to hate Jello. I've always found it a very annoying food to eat. You can't drink it, but chewing it is awkward. When eating Jello, I always felt as though I never chewed my food properly before swallowing.

But, for some reason, I never bothered telling anybody that I didn't like Jello when I was a kid. Beebs, my sister, loved it, so I pretended to love it too. As a result, we ate Jello ALL the time at home. As soon as I got old enough to refuse food without insulting my parents, I stopped eating Jello permanently...until recently that is.

I first had this awesome (and super easy) Jello dessert in Memphis at a dinner party. It is healthy and refreshing, and this is a really fun dessert to eat. I enjoy the different textures in this Jello and I love how the juices from the pomegranate burst in between my teeth each time I bite into the crunchy seeds.

Pomegranate & Jello is a Persian dessert. Traditionally, the Jello is made from scratch, but with the invention of instant Jello, there is no need to make it from scratch (unless you are making a flavor that is not available in instant form).

You can use any Jello flavor your taste buds desire. My favorite is the cherry flavor.

For dinner parties, this is normally served in a big serving bowl, where the guests dig in and eat it buffet style. I decided to serve them in clear wine glasses, but you can use pretty much anything you wish.

Pomegranate & Jello
- 2 packages of instant Jello (any flavor)
- 2 cups of pomegranate seeds

Method
1. Make the Jello according to package instructions.

2. In your serving dish of choice, layer the Jello and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top until most of the surface is covered. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve cold.

Sage, Las Vegas

My second dinner in Vegas was at Sage in the Aria City Center hotel. Owned by critically acclaimed Chef Shawn McClain, Sage is a chic upscale restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine.

Chef and Restaurateur Shawn McClain is also the owner of well known Chicago restaurants Spring, Green Zebra, and Custom House. McClain has built a name for himself nationally, and has won numerous awards over the recent years including "Rising Star Chef of the Year" at the Jean Banchet Awards in 2002, and "Best Chef Midwest" from the James Beard Foundation in 2006.

Reservations are recommended if you want to dine here. I called about an hour ahead but the staff informed me that there were no tables available for the evening. However, if I could make it down in 5 minutes, they could give me a table. JL and I had already made plans with a friend to dine at Sage, so we ran down to hold the fort until our friend M was ready to join us.

Our meal started with an artichoke amuse bouche. The artichoke was served with bacon, fennel, and grape foam. I had hoped that the bacon would add a salty element to this dish, but it was more on the sweet side.

Artichoke, Bacon, Fennel, and Grape Foam

I couldn't decide between two starters, so I ordered them both.

The first was the charred baby octopus salad served in a creamy mild sauce with pine nuts, eggplant caponata, Sylvetta arugula, and golden raisins. I didn't care much for the sauce but the octopus was cooked very nicely and tickled my fancy.

Charred Baby Octopus Salad

By the time my second starter arrived, M finally joined us, so I shared my Hawaiian hearts of palm salad with him. This was a light and refreshing salad served with heirloom apples, crispy potato roesti, horseradish cream, and red onion jam. The potato roesti and red onion jam were delicious, especially so when eaten together.

Hawaiian Hearts of Palm Salad

JL ordered the grilled wild mushroom salad. This was a nice salad consisting of grilled wild mushrooms, baby lettuce, warm Robiola cheese, toasted Marcona almonds, and aged sherry vinaigrette. JL could not stop raving about this salad.

Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad

After the three of us placed our order for mains, the bread came out. They do not serve ordinary white or brown rolls here, the only choice is their bacon baguette. It was a nice change, and the bacon added a hint of saltiness to the bread that was not overpowering. The bread was served with Australian sea salt and house-whipped butter.

Bacon Baguette

My main was the melt in your mouth, super tender braised veal cheeks. The braised cheeks were served on top of a creamy polenta with confit peppers. It was topped with a light Picholine olive and shaved fennel salad. Everything about this dish was right, and I loved the polenta and veal cheek pairing.

Braised Veal Cheeks

M ordered the roasted day boat scallops. The scallops were giant and cooked perfectly. I did have slight food envy when I took a bite, but quickly forgot about it when I bit into my veal cheek. The scallops were served with wild mushrooms, broccolini, and a very nice salted caramel reduction.

Roasted Day Boat Scallops

JL ordered the Belgian ale-braised short rib. This was served with winter greens, preserved orange, and fondant potatoes. Like the veal cheek, this was melt in your mouth. Of the two, the veal cheek was a tad more tender.

Belgian Ale-Braised Short Rib

We were all stuffed by the end of our meal, and was just not able to stomach a proper dessert. Luckily, the chef brought us each a complimentary shot of vanilla spiced chocolate soup, which hit the spot.

Vanilla Spiced Chocolate Soup

Sage was a great choice. Of the 6 restaurants we tried in Aria hotel, Sage was definitely my favorite.

Sage

Casino Level of Aria Hotel
3730 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Telephone: 702-590-7757

Julian Serrano, Las Vegas

After spending a week in Las Vegas, I'm pretty sure that this city has the highest concentration of fine dining restaurants in the US. No matter where you are on the strip, there is likely a highly rated (or Michelin starred) restaurant right around the corner.

I ate mostly in the Aria hotel. After a long day of walking, I usually head back to my room to freshen up before dinner. By that time, the last thing I want to do is go out and walk some more. On my first night in Vegas, I ate at the closest restaurant I could find, which happened to be Julian Serrano. It is right beside the hotel lobby, and is also a 15 second walk from the guest room elevators.

Chef Julian Serrano is best known for his creative French/Spanish fusion dishes at Picasso (a 2 star Michelin restaurant) in the Bellagio hotel.

At the newly opened Julian Serrano restaurant, the Chef goes back to his roots and focuses on simple Spanish tapas dishes.

Julian Serrano Restaurant

The interior of the restaurant is colorful and festive, upscale yet casual at the same time.

Bar at Julian Serrano

After a long day of travelling with hours of flight delays, my friend JL and I decided to have a small dinner.

First was the golden and red beet salad with a citrus sherry vinaigrette. I adore beets, and anyone who knows me well will know that this dish was my choice. This was honestly a piece of art...simply beautiful. The beets were served with green leafs, citrus slices, and mild jelly cubes.

Golden and Red Beet Salad

Next was the mixed baby romaine salad served with Cabrales cheese, walnuts, and piquillo peppers. The cheese was absolutely divine: smoky with a hint of spiciness. The dish didn't look like much, but it was a great blend of tastes.

Mixed Baby Romaine Salad

The pan manchengo was a nice simple dish: toasted bread, fresh tomato sauce, slices of 1 year old manchego cheese, and LOTS of garlic.

Pan Manchengo

The tuna tiradito was beautifully presented. Tiradito is a Peruvian ceviche. It is mild in taste and the fish is thinly sliced, like sashimi. This dish consisted of ahi tuna, ponzu sauce, seaweed, and rocoto pepper sauce. The seaweed added nice texture and the pepper sauce (surrounding the fish) gave it a nice spicy kick.

Tuna Tiradito

My chicken loving friend, JL, ordered the marinated garlic chicken and mushroom skewer. This was served with chilindron sauce, a basic Spanish tomato sauce. JL loved this dish.

Marinated Garlic Chicken and Mushroom Skewer

Dessert was Santiago's cake, an almond cake with caramelized nuts, and turrón ice cream. Turrón is a Spanish nougat that is traditionally served at Christmas time. This dish, like all the rest, was simple and fresh.

Julian Serrano

Casino Level of Aria Hotel

3730 Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Telephone: 702-590-7757

Hummus

As I was cleaning my mess of a desk, I found a hummus recipe that my cousin had given me at our family Christmas party 2 years ago!

Yes, you heard right...2 years ago. That is how long I have left things to accumulate on my desk until I couldn't use it anymore. You see, I am so used to using my laptop in bed that my desk has become somewhat obsolete.

Unfortunately, using my laptop in bed has given me bad back aches, and I no longer sleep well anymore. Egad, I feel like I'm getting old. I'm using the word egad, I must be getting old ;-)

I decided to clean up my desk and set up a proper office so that I could separate my computer life from my sleep time. In the process, I found this recipe.

I'm so glad I found this recipe because it is as good as I remembered it. The cumin is the secret ingredient. Shhhhh.

Hummus
- 2 cans (540 mL, 19 fl oz. each) of chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup of cold water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 lemons, juice
- 4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of tahini
- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
- dash of ground pepper
- 1 large pinch of cayenne pepper

Method
1. Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.

There is no need to add salt as the canned chickpeas are already salty. I like my hummus really lemony, so if you don't, I would start with the juice of 1 lemon and go from there. If you like your hummus even creamier, simply add more oil.

Postcard from Las Vegas

Hello from Las Vegas!!!

I'm having a great time in Sin City but you know what? I hated Vegas the first time I ever visited. The only explanation I can come up with was that I was overwhelmed by the tackiness and grandness of it all.

Vegas has definitely grown on me. It is still tacky, but it is also a lively and fun city. Plus, the food is GREAT here. Can't wait to show you what I ate.

We are staying at the newly opened Aria Hotel, a contemporary development that also happens to be the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Ceritified development in the world. Aria Hotel is the first hotel on the strip to generate its own electricity, and all of their limousines are clean fuel vehicles.

Aria Hotel

What's really cool is that all the rooms are controlled by touch screen tablets. The lights, temperature, TV, curtains, and music are all controlled by a touch screen remote right beside your bed. I've been hooked on their soul shack music station. Lovin the tunes by Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Ben E. King, Donna Summer, etc. etc.

Check out my awesome view overlooking the strip and surrounding mountains.

View From Aria Hotel

Upon my arrival, I was greeted with chocolate dipped strawberries, fresh Fiji water, and a thank you card. How nice!!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I never left the strip on my last trip to Vegas, so this time, I made sure to check out the surrounding area.

On the first day, I went to El Dorado Canyon to Techatticup Mine, the most famous and most successful gold mine in Southern Nevada. It is now a ghost town that mainly caters to tourists.

Techatticup Mine

The Techatticup Mine was also the set of the movies 3000 Miles to Graceland, and Breakdown.

Techatticup Mine

Look how old and charming everything is!

Barn at Techatticup Mine

Techatticup Mine Museum

An old milkshake maker. How neat.

Old Milk Shake Maker at Techatticup Mine Museum

They also offer really cool mine tours where you get to experience first hand what it was like being a miner in the 1800's.

Techatticup Mine Tour Entrance

Other activities included ATV'ing and horse back riding. Techatticup Mine is a really fun and interesting place to visit. So glad we stumbled upon this charming little area.

ATV and Horse Back Riding at Techatticup Mine

Aria Hotel
3730 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Telephone: 702-590-7757