Las Vegas Stop: Border Grill

Eating out in the US is pretty expensive so I never had the chance to really eat out as I normally do here in Manila. But it's okay. It made me learn how to prepare more dishes and even bake! I manage to try a few restaurants though while I was in the US and I will be sharing them one by one this month. Let me start with Border Grill (after a little story of our Vegas trip).

My good friend J went to California for a short vacation and we decided to visit Las Vegas to make her vacation worthwhile. The catch though was... we'll just stay overnight.

 

I was pretty proud with myself as I was able to learn Las Vegas 101 in less than an hour. Soon, I found myself securing our bus tickets (thank you Greyhound) and hotel (the farthest in the strip but hey, it is still on the strip!).

Soon, J and I found ourselves in a bus ride to Las Vegas and it sure was a long ride. 6 hours to be exact with a scent of Marijuana. Yes, weeds. For some reason, some passengers just can't wait. I found out it that it was the smell of weeds from an elderly. I guess I still have a lot to know about the "real world".

When we arrived, we tried to figure out how to get to the strip as the bus stop is a few blocks away. We had 3 options then, cab, bus or walk. I didn't consider taking a cab as an option as the fare is ridiculously expensive plus with the traffic, we'll run out of money in no time. So we decided to walk until we found a bus terminal. We got a day pass for $8 per person. It's not a bad deal at all. It's valid for 24 hours! Our hotel was about 4 to 6 stops away from the terminal and sadly, while inside the bus, I got squished. Yes, squished by one of the passengers. 

After an hour of stretching and resting, we finally decided to head out and explore Vegas. We first went to the observation deck at Stratosphere for the view then took the bus to go to the farthest hotel, Mandalay Bay.

Restaurant Discovery: Madeca

I admit, as much as I want to be lean and strong, I would choose a food trip over a free workout anytime. However, the case was different a few weeks back. I felt really heavy and when I do, I just have to give in to exercise and tried Plana Forma. It was PAIN. But there’s something I look forward to after every workout… reward. And by reward I mean food.

After an hour of squatting, T and I went to Podium with the plan of eating at Wildflour. It was our second attempt to do so but when we arrived, the place was packed with hungry brunch people. So we decided to look for another place to have brunch. Then I remembered Madeca. I saw it before in Yummy magazine and fell in love with the cute mason glasses. 

Luckily, the 4^th floor of Podium isn’t packed. (Normally, the busiest floor is the ground floor where Wildflour is located.) There was only one diner when we arrived. 

We noticed that Madeca isn’t an authentic Mexican restaurant. It is a fusion between Mexican and Filipino. I got intrigued with Lechon Kawali Burrito (PHP245) so I ordered one along with Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla (PHP125) and Guava Mojito (PHP135). T on the other hand ordered  Sisig Burrito (PHP225).

The Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla was on the bland side but topping it with sour cream and salsa solves that. I love that it was served warm. The chips were delightful too as it added texture to the dish.

Let’s Salsa!

We were planning to go to Hollywood but for some reason, we ended up in Santa Monica. And boy, was I glad.  

“Hello Santa Monica!” we said while being greeted by the cold breeze coming from the beach nearby. 

We were tired from all the walking and the intense heat from Beverly Hills when we decided to move to Hollywood to grab lunch and roam around the Walk of Fame. However, the GPS failed us and we ended up in chilly Santa Monica. 

Our grumbling tummies did not let us roam around further and we found ourselves warm and comfy inside La Salsa, one of the many food places in the area. 

They have a pretty good array of Mexican comfort food from tacos, nachos, to burritos. I had my eyes on the taco salad but for some reason, I decided to go for Tacos La Salsa ($5.85) instead thinking that it was a heavier meal. My aunts decided to go for the Taco Salad ($5.25) and the Three Pepper Fajita ($8.49).

What I loved about the place was that there were several dips available. There were avocado, salsa, and even mango dips. It was a feast!!!