May 05

Elements Buffet – Part 2 – Reno, NV

2500 E 2nd St
Grand Sierra Resort
Reno, NV 89502

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Located inside the Grand Sierra Resort, the Elements Buffet serves up a variety of buffet dishes in a newly renovated space. Last time, we tried out their breakfast buffet, which was OK. This time, dinner should serve up some better dishes. We did not end up paying much, since we had a 2-for-1 coupon and a bunch of comps.

Amazingly, the buffet served up prime rib today! The buffet also included items such as steak, mac n cheese, BBQ chicken, tater tots, fried fish, noodle soup, and a huge array of desert items. The food tasted between mediocre to really good. The prime rib was not as good as Red Hawk, but still better than Thunder Valley. The tater tots steak, and BBQ chicken were good. The rest was OK. The desert included some delicious cakes which are plated for you. The best part of the desert was the real ice cream in the waffle cone.

Overall, Elements Buffet is worth going to if you are staying at GSR. You should try to get one of their 2-for-1 buffet coupons if you get the mailer from being a GSR rewards member. If you come, make sure you walk out with a waffle cone ice cream!

May 01

Rosie’s Cafe – Sparks, NV

John Ascuaga’s Nugget
1100 Nugget Ave
Sparks, NV 89431

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Rosie’s Diner serves up a variety of diner creations 24 hours a day. Located inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks Nevada, Rosie’s Diner was featured on Food Wars on the Travel Channel in the battle of the Awful Awful burger. This burger came up second to The Little Nugget’s burger.

Today, we ordered the Awful-Awful burger and the Tuna sandwich. The Awful-Awful burger was full of flavor with its two beef patty with cheese served with french fries. The meat was tender and juicy for only $6.95. Out of the Awful-Awful burgers served up in the Reno area, I still think the Little Nugget’s burger to taste better, but the atmosphere at John Ascuaga’s Nugget to be more welcoming. The Tuna sandwich tasted healthy and came with a small salad.

Overall, the Awful-Awful burger makes the Nugget worth visiting. Service and cleanliness is alright, but they don’t win any awards. If you make it out to Reno, go get yourself an Awful-Awful burger!

Apr 29

Johnny Garlics

2243 Arden Way

Sacramento, CA 95825

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Guy Fieri decided to convert his Tex Wasabi’s restaurant on Arden Way into his other signature restaurant, Johnny Garlics. Having been a fan of Guy Fieri on Food Network for many years now, I just had to try out Johnny Garlics. The decor is quite modern, and the service exquisite. Menu items range from an array of appetizers to exotic meat and burgers.

Today, we ordered the Garlic Fries, Lamb Feta Sliders, and the Cajun Chicken Fettuccine. The Garlic Fries were delicious! Although the appetizer was not loaded with garlic, the garlic that’s there is full of flavor and surpasses the flavor of many other places offering garlic fries. The Lamb sliders were juicy and delicious. The meat was tender and full of flavor. The Cajun Chicken Fettuccine definitely has a kick while providing an abundance of flavor. The portion size of the pasta dish was just right.

Overall, Johnny Garlics serves up delicious food with amazing service. The prices are a bit high, but their prices are still lower than Cheesecake Factory. If you want some good tasting food and are tired of large nation chain restaurants, head to Johnny Garlics!

Apr 28

Daimo – Richmond

3288 Pierce St

Richmond, CA 94804

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Daimo is located in the Pacific East Plaza parking lot off of Central Avenue in Richmond, CA. Daimo is a great pit-stop on your way home from Oakland or San Francisco if you’re hungry for some Chinese food. Open late, Daimo quickly serves up authentic Chinese cuisine at OK prices. Most of their prices are a bit high, but I suggest you order their rice plates for around $8.50-$11 due to their huge portion sizes.

Today, we ordered the Beef and Scrambled Egg rice plate, Curry Chicken rice plate, and Shredded Pork Pan Fried Noodle. The Beef and Scrambled Egg rice plate was humongous! There was not a lot of flavor in the dish, but it still tasted good and healthy. The egg went very well with the beef. The Curry Chicken rice plate was equally large, and had a great curry flavor. The Shredded Pork Pan Fried Noodle had the most flavor and was cooked properly because it has a soft saucy noodles and crispy edges all in one dish.

Overall, Daimo produces good tasting Chinese food quickly out of their kitchen. If you have some late night cravings, make sure you make Daimo your destination on your trip back home. Don’t forget to check out their rice plates!

Apr 13

99 Ranch Market – Hot Food

4220 Florin Rd

Sacramento, CA 95823

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

If you are looking for a fast and varied selection of Chinese food, and you’re finishing up your Asian shopping, then 99 Ranch will provide you a good lunch. Located in the front right of the store, a glass case full of authentic Chinese food that you will not find in a Panda Express awaits you. At this location, food is scooped by the staff into different sized containers depending on the type of food. You can get a good portion of food for just $1, $2, or $3 per tray.

Today, I ordered the fried rice for $1 and the BBQ chicken for $3. The meal also comes with a free cup of tea per person as long as you request for it. The fried rice was a bit bland, but looked appealing. The BBQ chicken tasted really good and was quite tender because they leave the skin on. The tea was piping hot, but was OK.

Overall, you can get a good amount of food at a reasonable price. The food selection and pricing definitely makes the trip worth it even if you are not buying any groceries or snacks. Unfortunately, the seating area seems to be a bit dirty at times, with tables that have not been wiped down for a while or trash cans that tend to fill up quickly. With that said, 99 Ranch is still worth trying.

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