China Poblano - Chinese & Mexican Cuisine Fused Together by Chef Jose Andres

You know a restaurant is pretty amazing when it instantly becomes one of your favorite places halfway through the meal. That's exactly the experience I had at Chef Jose Andres's new restaurant in Las Vegas, China Poblano.

China Poblano mixes Chinese cuisine and Mexican cuisine. The restaurant is brightly decorated with both cultures. There is a dumpling/steaming side of the restaurant, and a taco side of the restaurant. The menu has both Chinese and Mexican items, and a fusion of selections..including some extremely awesome tacos. Plus, I had one of the coolest and one of the tastiest margaritas I've come across. The price can get pretty high if you order a lot like my family, but you have to keep in mind this is a hotel restaurant and by a celebrity chef.

Jose Andres has skyrocketed to be my number one favorite chef at the moment. His food is vibrant, delicious, and fun. And, he has trained his staff to be friendly and personable, much like his TV and Twitter personality.

Does anyone know if there is an application form to petition to be Jose Andres's BFF (Best Friend Forever)?? If you know, please please let me in the know! I would like to petition my parents, brothers, and myself to all be his BFFs.

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A Sunday Dinner Italian Style

For our last meal in New Haven and in the east coast, my family and I enjoyed some comforting Italian food for our Sunday dinner at Basta. We dined here before when we first visited New Haven. With the feast in front of us, it was truly an Italian Style Sunday Family Dinner. The portions are so generous - perfect for family style eating.

I should have busted out with my Italian accent to make the meal even more authentic.

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Brunch at Heirloom in New Haven

There are some Sundays and holidays when you wake up and just crave for brunch. In our family, brunch is usually at least past 11:30am and most often past 12:30pm. New Year's Day is one of those perfect days for a brunch. So with the family together, we gathered at our hotel restaurant in New Haven.

Heirloom is the restaurant at The Study at Yale Hotel. It serves local ingredients from local Connecticut farms. The food is good and fresh but the service could be better. At times it felt very lacking and flaky. As much as I emphasis quality ingredients, I also feel the need to constantly stress that service is the key factor that brings back customers.

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Pizza at Frank Pepe's

I've been a pizza lover for probably as long as I was weaned off baby food. Thankfully, my taste for quality pizza has greatly improved. I can still remember that as a kid, I loved Pizza Hut because of that pan fried bottom. Years and pounds shed later, I now crave artisan pizza - that fluffy, chewy, crispy thin crust pizza.

So, when it comes to visiting pizza places I have a much higher marker than Pizza Hut. These days, Howie's Artisan Pizza is the place to beat. Going to New Haven, I was excited to try what is supposedly one of the best pizza places in the nation, as it is also one of the oldest pizzerias.

Frank Pepe's specializes in Napoletana-American pizza. It is hyped by many chefs and food writers as one of the best pizza places out there. I don't get it. It was just a decent pizzeria. The margherita pizza was pretty decent, and the best of the three pies we ate. Their specialty White Clam Pie was an oversalted, soggy mess. Perhaps it was the day I went there, but because of that one experience, I don't know if I could go back. I need to have that memorable first time experience in order to go back and further patronize a place.

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Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns

For me, a great chef not only cooks amazing food but also is mindful of the ingredients used and its sourcing. I love chefs who utilize the saying, "Think Global, Cook Local." In other words, you can cook worldly cuisine while using local ingredients. Local ingredients support local farming and local industry.

One chef that really focuses on the local cuisine movement is Dan Barber. He's an active chef and citizen who voices out his belief in food sustainability and everyday food choices. So much so, he has built his career supporting his beliefs. Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a non-profit farm that is a center for food and agriculture. In the property lies his four season farm and green houses, a souvenir shop, a cafe, and his flagship Blue Hill restaurant which serves contemporary cuisine from all the ingredients in his farm.

Taking a long-cut into Manhattan from Connecticut, my family and I stopped by his property on a cold snowy day. We got there just shortly after sunset. The property, all covered in snow, was huge and gorgeous. I can't wait to revisit and eat at this place in the spring time.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.