Wazazu Restaurant – Las Vegas, NV

Wazazu Restaurant Las Vegas, NV

Wazazu Restaurant – Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas attracts top culinary talent from around the world and hosts show-stopping restaurants with sinfully delicious food, global flavors, and creative flair. Dining out in Vegas can be a surreal experience. From elaborate décor to unforgettable dishes, the city has a no-holds-barred policy when it comes to entertainment and food. There’s really no place quite like it!

Wazazu Crystal Dragon

A 27-Foot Crystal Dragon inside Wazazu Restaurant

Wazazu restaurant is located at Encore on the Vegas Strip. The décor is bold and impressive. Gold and red dominate the entrance, which is accented with dark wood, large golden pears, and red lanterns. The open interior features white tufted furniture and a 27-foot-long crystal dragon that curves along the back wall. The shimmering dragon is comprised of over 90,000 Swarovski crystals and is a true treasure to behold! When it comes to glitz and glamour, Wazazu doesn’t disappoint. read more

A Danish Christmas Eve

Roast Pork with Crackling and Brown Potatoes

Roast Pork with Crackling (Flæskesteg) and Brown Potatoes (Brunede Kartofler)

This year Corey and I experienced a traditional Danish Christmas Eve. It was a special occasion, full of merriment and cheer, and we enjoyed hearing about Danish myths and traditions and participating in the festivities.

Nisse Folklore

Nisse in Barn with Animals and Gifts

Nisse in Barn with Animals and Gifts

One noticeable decorative difference was the numerous Nisse—gnome-like spirits who dwell in barns, helping the farm on which they live. But they can be mischievous too: if they feel mistreated or don’t get what they want, they may cause trouble. read more

Urban Farm Fermentory, Portland, Maine

Urban Farm Fermentory TaproomUrban Farm Fermentory Taproom

While traveling in Portland, Maine, with Corey and his family, I visited Urban Farm Fermentory, which is a brewery that specializes in kombucha and cider. You may be wondering what kombucha is exactly. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have known either.

Sign in Office of Urban Fermentory Farm Describing the Kombucha ProcessUrban Farm Fermentory’s Description of the Kombucha Process

What Is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea made with a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). Once the kombucha has finished fermenting, this SCOBY is removed, then the kombucha is strained—though some is sold unfiltered—and bottled. Kombucha can be flavored when bottled by adding chopped fruit, fruit juice, flowers, herbs, or a combination thereof. read more

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point, Maine

I love traveling and exploring different parts of the world, learning about cultures and experiencing the uniqueness and beauty of a given place. Traveling expands your mind and changes your worldview. Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” read more

Dumpling King – North Miami Beach, FL

Green Onion Cake at Dumpling King Miami

Green Onion Cake with a Sweet and Spicy Sauce at Dumpling King

Dumpling King was our last restaurant adventure in Miami before returning to Chicago. It came highly recommended by one of Corey’s colleagues and fellow foodies, so we were eager to squeeze it in before we left. We’re so glad that we did! We’d been craving some authentic Chinese food (which there isn’t much of in Miami), and this sure hit the spot.

From the outside, Dumpling King didn’t look too impressive; it’s located in a strip mall in which building repairs were underway. But we didn’t let that stop us, and neither should you! After all, one of my favorite restaurants, Raku in Las Vegas, is located in a strip mall. I still dream of their homemade tofu and crispy shrimp, and I can’t wait to go back to Las Vegas to eat at Raku (among other things). read more