ELIZABITES

February 4, 2011 · 12:05 am

Coca-Cola polar bears

Is there a better soda ad campaign in history than the Coca-Cola polar bear? Ever since I first saw the smiling gentle giants lounging peacefully on a block of ice as it drifted slowly out on a moonlit ocean, clutching their cubs in one hand and an ice-cold bottle of Coke in the other that I decided if I ever drank soda it would be Coke (and the occasional Sierra Mist when hungover). So, naturally, we had to stop into the two-story Coke store smack-dab in the middle of the Vegas strip. There was the usual smattering of Coca-Cola-emblazoned, well, everything, including a soda fountain, and a wall of specially designed bottles (like the bears below). But nothing made our visit more worthwhile than what we spotted in the very back of the store..a little scary, a little cute and a lot fascinating was a 7-foot polar bear at the ready for photos. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill Goofy at Disneyworld circa 1970s costume, the eyes blinked, the lashes fluttered, the mouth moved, he (she?) was impossibly white..and has a damn (and well-deserved) facebook fan page! It made me fall in love with Coca-Cola and those damn bears all over again. Las Vegas Coca-Cola Store, 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Polar bear bottles

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Filed under eliz-a-trip, random spottings

February 3, 2011 · 12:05 am

Show me the gummy…Vegas-style

Gummy dice and chips spotted in a Vegas souvenir shop…weird or delicious?

Gummy dice should probably stay in Vegas

..and so should gummy chips

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Filed under eliz-a-trip, random foto

January 31, 2011 · 12:05 am

Tortas Frontera at O’Hare

Flight delays at O’Hare tasted like bland salads, Hudson News nut mix and Aunt Annie’s pretzels until Rick Bayless provided his latest installment of delicious tortas and aqua frescas smack dab in the middle of Terminal 1. My two-hour delay to Vegas last week allowed just enough time to take a seat at the small (but fully stocked) bar of Tortas Frontera to indulge in a griddle-baked Xoco-style torta stuffed with juicy chipotle chicken, spicy poblano rajas, black beans, chihuahua cheese, cilantro, cool crema avocado and arugula. Other tortas on tap include smoked pork loin and Nueske’s bacon, beer-braised beef short ribs, smoky garlic shrimp and roasted garlic mushrooms, all stuffed in griddle-baked crispy bread hearty enough to hold you over for the travel day ahead. You’ll see travelers stopping to marvel at the selection of open-faced molletes, soups, salads and egg and chorizo tortas for breakfast (so long 5AM Egg McMuffin!), but with so much love going into each item, prepare to wait (around 10 min.) and carry a beeper that’ll tell you when your tortas are ready. Just grab a seat, a prickly pear-raspberry aqua fresca, or something stronger to hold you over until you hear your group number.

Chipotle chicken tortas and prickly pear juice at O'Hare

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January 27, 2011 · 12:05 am

Sweet Burger at Burger Bar, Las Vegas

Ah Vegas…I partly blame a recent vacation there for my lack of blogging, but you know I’d come back from Sin City with some serious eats (and $60 from slots! Holla!). That is why, dear readers, I will kick off my next few posts with something I went out of my way to try because I had to see it to f’ing believe it. I had heard about the Sweet Burger at Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay (where we stayed), and remember it being referred to as “a chocolate patty wrapped in a doughnut” or some such nonsense. No, no to the no. Quite the contrary. Think hazelnut-laden Nutella fudge pounded into a patty, then topped with slices of kiwi, strawberry and a slice of mango gelee that oozes over the sides like sweet faux Cheddar. An airy, sugary, glazed doughnut flanks the fake-out burger contents looking almost eerily too similar to a McDonald’s bun (well, a sugar-coated one). You don’t know whether to cut the thing with a knife and fork, grab its sugary, juicy self with two hands, or dip it in the accompanying swirl of raspberry “ketchup” on the plate. How ever you scarf it, it’s a very, very Happy Meal, indeed. Burger Bar, The Shops at Mandalay Bay, Vegas, baby..

The Sweet Burger at Burger Bar

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Filed under eliz-a-trip, thick

January 17, 2011 · 12:05 am

On the table: The National

2 wine glasses, 2 napkins, 2 knives, 2 forks, one single candle and candlestick. The National, 557 Lexington Ave., New York, NY

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Filed under great for date, on the table

January 6, 2011 · 12:05 am

Mystery toys

What newish coffee shop is filled with more retro toys than you can shake a flux capacitor at? Guess for a chance to guest blog.

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Filed under mystery spot

January 3, 2011 · 12:05 am

Creamy roll at Kyoto

When it comes to sushi, I have a general weakness for unagi, and, really anything eel sauce-adorned. Of course, these come only second to my obsession with avocado on any menu (Wah? $4 more to throw it on a salad? Yes, please). So when all three show up in a maki roll like the “Creamy” at Kyoto, I am more than sold. Thinly sliced avocado takes the place of seaweed, and lovingly wraps itself around unagi, shrimp tempura, sweet crab, masago and mayo for a ridiculous roll topped with unagi sauce, tempura crunch and more bright orange masago. The avocado onslaught that is the creamy roll was just one thing I loved about this place, not to mention interesting ingredients like sweet crab, lightly seared salmon and truffle oil showing up in other rolls, the dim, semi-hidden location, and the BYOB factor. Kyoto, 2534 N. Lincoln, 773.477.2788