The Club, Las Vegas Airport

The Club has two locations in the Las Vegas airport, one in Terminal 3 at the E gates (that I didn't visit) and one at the D gates, which is a satellite terminal accessible by train from either Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.  It is that one that I visited, briefly, when flying out of Las Vegas recently.

I somehow failed to take photos of the actual space, but it is a totally reasonable lounge, fairly large, fairly light filled, with plenty of seating, all different styles.  There was a side room with more comfortable seating, a bar area with seating, a dining area adjacent to the buffet, and more assorted seating along the windows.  Plenty of power and USB outlets.  Wifi worked well.  They even had showers.

I had access through Priority Pass, and there was no wait (mid-week, mid-day).  

Buffet

The buffet at this location is really quite minimal, as the focus is more on made to order items, which I hadn't seen at a Club location before (granted, I've only visited the very ho-hum ones in Boston and in Seattle, and the newly opened fairly impressive one in San Francisco).

In addition to the food, there was a water tap for still or sparkling, and self-serve coffee machine (it did not make hot chocolate, which was quite a sore point with a family there when I arrived).  I didn't see any sodas available.

Basic Salad Bar.

The main offering is a salad bar, with mixed greens, carrots, croutons, red onion, and dressing.  Everything was fairly fresh and vibrant.

Salad Bar Toppings.

They also had tomatoes, pepperoncini, and olives.

And that was it.   No pasta nor potato salad as most Club locations have.  No celery/carrot sticks nor hummus.

Basic Salad.

Still, I made a basic salad.

It really was fine, the greens crispy and not limp nor browning, the tomatoes relatively juicy.  I wasn't unhappy with my simple side salad.  ***+.

Breadsticks & Soup.

As is common in lounges, there was also one soup of the day (garden vegetable) and warm breadsticks.  Kids seemed really into the breadsticks.

Snack Mix.

There was also a trio of snack mixes: milk chocolate raisins, "Sunburst Trail Mix" and "College Crunch", all from Truly Good Foods, who supplies all of the Club locations.

The milk chocolate raisins were standard. The trail mix is basically GORP, but with the addition of almonds. The college crunch was 90% sunflower seeds, some quality control is needed here!

Made to Order

Each table / seat has a QR code to scan to place an order for other food and drinks.

Menu

There were 4 small plates available: one vegan/gf, one vegan, one meat, one chicken.  And just one dessert (brownies, that seem like they could easily just be on the buffet line?  I saw them served to others, and they didn't do anything to embellish them, no whipped cream nor berries nor drizzle of sauce, so really not sure why they weren't just on the buffet).  You were limited to ordering 2 per person.

Hot Italian Slider.

"Ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, hot cherry peppers, pepperoncini on an Italian seasoned brioche bun."

Somehow it felt fancier to order the slider through the mobile ordering.  I realize in retrospect that if this was sitting in a buffet, as is standard for little sandwiches, I would have looked right past it.  But it felt ... special somehow to order it.  Lol.

Anyway, um, yes, it was just a deli meat slider.  Not quite sure what I was expecting.  I think maybe it was supposed to be served hot?  But it was kinda just room temp, with the provolone cheese kinda congealed like it had been melted long ago, pretty unattractive.  Again, I would have looked right past this on a buffet, but now I had it in front of me.  Oops.

Inside, along with the congealed cheese, was a single slice of salami, a single slice of pepperoni, and a piece of ham folded over, along with 3 slices of pepperoncini.  There were no condiments of any kind, no mustard nor mayo, so it was really quite dry.  The deli meats were low grade average.  The bun did have a sprinkle of Italian seasoning on top, but it wasn't particularly flavorful, and didn't taste particularly fresh.

Overall, really lower end buffet quality, even if ordered in a slightly fancy way.  *+.

Vegan Cauliflower Wrap. (Vegan, GF)

"Filled with chili seasoned cauliflower, shredded cabbage, and pico de gallo."

I was moderately excited for the cauliflower wrap, which just happened to be vegan and gluten free.  I go through phases from time to time of really liking cauliflower, generally roasted or grilled.  My brain somehow thought this was going to be battered fried cauliflower, or perhaps buffalo cauliflower style, but it wasn't either of those.  It was just ... as they said, chili seasoned cooked cauliflower.  Lukewarm. With cold pico de gallo, in lettuce.  It lacked anything creamy, it lacked anything for crunch.  Just, boring, very healthy, vaguely Mexican I guess. Eh. **.

I did not try the chicken tacos, nor the bruschetta.

Drinks

Beer, wine, standard cocktails, and a few signature cocktails and mocktails are also available through the app.  These are limited to 1 per person.

Wine List.

The wine list was fairly large, with 3 white, 3 red, and a rose on offer.  All seemed to be in the $10-15 range.

Colby Red Blend.

I went for the red blend, and was given a generous pour.

It was an absolutely fine wine.  Low acid, low tanin, easy to drink.  Not too boring though, a bit of complexity to it.  I was more than happy with it and would get it again.  ***+.

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Border Grill, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Border Grill is a Mexican restaurant mini-chain that I've heard of before, but never paid any attention to, as Mexican food is really not a cuisine I gravitate towards.  

"Critically acclaimed Modern Mexican cuisine featuring conscientiously-sourced, seasonal fare from Chef/Owners Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.   Since opening on Melrose in 1985, Border Grill has been renowned for spotlighting sophisticated regional Mexican cuisine. Today, Border Grill has locations in Las Vegas and LAX Airport, multiple sister restaurants, food trucks, and a full-service events and catering business based in Los Angeles."

I did know of it however, probably from seeing locations elsewhere, and seeing the chef-owners on Food Network shows at some point.  Again, not really my thing, but I was recently in Las Vegas for a conference, and Border Grill was chosen by event sponsors multiple nights  to host our happy hours, and thus, I visited, only quasi by choice.

Setting

Border Grill's Las Vegas location is inside Mandalay Bay, closer to the convention center than the hotel areas.

Entrance.

It has an open entrance and dining room to the main hallway, with a lot of foot traffic (particularly during a convention) and thus is pretty loud.

Bar + Dining.

Upstairs is the main bar and dining room, along with a second dining room that can be closed off.  I didn't get a photo of it, but that dining area is where the first event I attended was held.  Very convenient location, and the noise isolation in the private room was a must.

Outside Patio.

"Steps away from Mandalay Beach and the Lazy River, surrounded by trees and string lighting; warmed by heaters in winter."

The second evening I attended an event at Border Grill, it was downstairs, and actually, outside.  Downstairs they have multiple indoor spaces, including several dining rooms or a room with a bar.  Outside, they have a bar area (suitable for groups up to 60 for cocktails and passed appetizers), and a large patio space that can be reserved together or separately.  We had both the outdoor spaces for our event.

I really liked the outside space, as the weather was lovely.

Drinks

The drink menu at Border Grill has a slew of margaritas (everything from the classic blanco to one with guava), cervesas, and sangria as you'd expect, plus a fairly long list of "crafted cocktails".

I attended special events two different nights, and each night had a couple signature cocktails to pick from, rather than a full cocktail menu.  The drinks were the highlight of the evening, both times.

Margarita. $14.

"Tequila blanco, agave nectar, fresh lime."

The first night, I had a margarita.  I'm assuming this was the basic margarita blanco, they were being handed out by servers as you entered, so I wasn't provided details.  It was this or a Corona, my choice was clear.

The margarita was actually pretty good.  Tons of salt on the rim.  Good sour notes, slight sweetness, fairly strong tequila undertones, refreshing.  Made me almost want to consider getting one sometime in the future somewhere, as it had been years since I last had one as they just haven't really been my thing.  It was particularly fitting and refreshing for the hot weather.  ***+.

Special Cocktail.

"Tequila, lime juice, blue curacao."

The second night, there were no pre-made cocktails, but rather a curated list of special cocktails for us to order from at the outdoor bar.  I went for this one, because it both looked cool, and I do like tequila drinks.  

This drink was also pretty good, again, lots of salt on the rim, balanced flavors, and hey, it *looked* cool.  ***+.

Food

Both events I attended were simple happy hour type receptions, not full dinners.  The hosts both nights selected a few passed appetizers for the group, which came out fairly infrequently.  Besides the chips and salsa, the food was fairly limited, which I'm assuming was a decision made by the hosts to keep costs down?  Still, for a 80+ person event, a server coming out with a single tray with only about 8 pieces on it seemed odd.  They never made it more than a few steps into the space, and never came back with a replenished tray.

I had of course scoped out the event menu in advance, to see if there would hopefully be things I was interested in.  Even just for passed appetizers, Border Grill has a huge selection - I think I counted nearly 65 items to pick from!  It is clear they specialize in these kinds of parties, which makes sense, given the location.  The menu is obviously very Mexican, with a slew of mini tostadas, tacos, sopes, tamales, ceviches, empanadas, and skewers, plus ... toasts and sliders.  They have plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free offerings.

 The event menu has a number of appetizers I actually thought sounded fun, like mini lobster corn dogs or butter poached lobster rolls on mini brioche buns, or even cubano sliders, but alas, my hosts for both events didn't pick any of those items (or, at least, I never saw them).  I didn't enjoy any of the food.

Chips & Trio of Salsas. (GF) $4/pp.

"Tomatillo | arbol | smoky chipotle."

Both events I attended had plentiful chips and salsa around, set out on all the tables.  These are also featured on all their regular menus as a starter (NOT complimentary as is common at Mexican restaurants).

Chips and salsa aren't really my thing, but I was pretty hungry, so I tried them.  The chips were very, very average, a surprise for such a well regarded Mexican establishment.  I'd think chips would be something they'd do a bit better than average, but these seemed like they could have easily come from the grocery store.

The smoky salsa was my favorite, it had some nice smoke.  But overall, still pretty average.  **+. 

Event pricing is $4 per person for the provided chips; from the regular menu a serving is $5.

Fish Tostaditas. (GF).  $6/7 piece.

I'm not actually sure which kind of tostada this was.  The server just said "fish", and I assumed it was thus the "Baja Ceviche Tostaditas", which has "lime marinated sustainable seasonal fish & shrimp | tomato | jalapeño aioli", but it also could have been the tuna one, with "ahi tuna | ancho crema | avocado balm | salsa macha".  I couldn't really tell what kind the fish was, nor what the minimal toppings were, and the dot of green could have been jalapeño aioli or avocado balm, as it was too tiny of a dot to really taste.

Anyway, this was not particularly good nor bad.  A very small bite.  The tortilla flavor dominated.  The fish (tuna?) was fine, but there was just not much flavor at all.  Low ***.

Duck Confit Sope. (GF). $5/piece.

"Blue corn masa | fennel and orange slaw | avocado."

The servers came around with two animal proteins next, either lamb tamales (boo, I don't like lamb) or these duck confit sopes.  Duck confit sounded good to me, but I didn't notice until I had started to grab it that it was loaded with avocado, which I'm allergic to.

My allergy isn't severe to avocado though, so I still tried it, just removing the avocado as much as possible.  It had a thick blue corn base, kinda greasy pulled duck, and obviously lots of avocado.  I didn't like any element really, and obviously I'm allergic to avocado, so this one was a fail for me.  *.

Dobladito. $4.50/piece.

"Grilled corn | shishito pepper | mexican cheese | kale | crispy bbq chips | salsa macha aioli."

The dobladito is one of their signature items, a vegetarian quesadilla.  

This had a nice char on the crispy tortilla.  I appreciated the tortilla.  The filling was basic Mexican veggies (corn, peppers, cheese).  I didn't find the bbq chips or salsa macha aioli in mine.  It needed toppings.  **.

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88 Acres

I live a fairly active lifestyle, so having a quick bar to grab for a snack or breakfast (particularly when traveling) comes in very handy.  But of course I am very opinionated, and I love to try new things, so I've tried a ton of different styles of bars over the years.

Which leads me to 88 Acres.  88 Acres is a very ... seed forward company (yes, I sorta made that term up, but, seeds are at the forefront of their products).  They have 4 main product lines: Seed + Oat Bars, Protein Bars, Seed Butters, and Seed'nola/Edge'nola, all of which focus on seeds as the base.  The later two product lines are newer, and I haven't had a chance to try them yet.  Everything is gluten-free and vegan. 

I enjoy their products, and will continue to purchase them.

Seed & Oat Bars

"Our nutritious gluten free whole-grain oats are an excellent source of high-quality protein and contain manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper – all necessary for healthy functioning bodies, young, old or somewhere in between. 

Our bars are crafted from familiar kitchen staples, combining oats, sunflower, pumpkin, flax seeds, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and a variety of tasty additions like chocolate chips, vanilla, cinnamon, berry blends, and Australian sea salt."

Seed & Oat bars I believe were the first product line offered by 88 Acres.  They come in 2 styles, thin or regular, both in many flavors.  All use a trifecta of seeds (pumpkin, flax, chia) as the base. 

Thins

The first bar I ever had from 88 Acres was actually one of the thins, which come in fewer flavors.  I think I slightly prefer them to the regular size bars.

Cinnamon Maple Thin.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture. Made with gluten-free oats and organic cinnamon swirled together for that comforting taste of fall every day of the year."

I find it interesting that they call these "soft-baked" and "chewy", as I find them harder than most granola style bars, almost crunchy.  I actually really like the crunch factor, but it is notable that it isn't how they are advertised.  I've had many of these bars at this point, and they are always this crispier style - you can snap them, not bend them.

Anyway, I really like these.  The signature mix of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) makes it very crunchy, the oats round it out, and the brown rice and maple syrups give it a great sweetness level.  Nicely spiced with cinnamon and sea salt.  Pretty simple ingredients actually, but, well crafted.

I don't do this with any other granola/seed/oat bars, but I really like to dunk these in a bit of greek yogurt or labane (or I spread a layer on top).  Bonus points for also sprinkling on cacao nibs.  I'm not sure why I like them that way, but, the tang and creaminess compliment the bars perfectly.

I'll continue to get these, and would love to try other flavors.  ****.

Cinnamon Maple Thin.

I've had many many of these at this point, and always really quite enjoy them.  Just great form factor, crunch, and cinnamon spicing.  I still always feel compelled to dunk in yogurt though, which I truly cannot explain.  ****.

Regular

The thicker, regular bars come in 7 flavors: 3 featuring chocolate (dark chocolate sea salt, oatmeal chocolate chip, double dark chocolate), 3 with fruit (blueberry lemon, triple berry crumble, apple ginger crisp), and cinnamon maple.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture. Perfectly balanced with chocolate chips and sprinkled with large flakes of sea salt for that taste of homemade chocolate chip cookies."

This was my first regular bar, not a thin like the others.  It is just over twice the size (45g rather than 22g), mostly just thicker.

The base is the same as the previous flavor: lots of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) and oats, along with brown rice and maple syrups to sweeten, and sea salt to make the flavors pop.  It swaps in bits of dark chocolate in place of cinnamon.

I was let down a bit at first, as I expected more visible and substantial dark chocolate elements.  Without reading the description I assumed it would have a chocolate coating, but even once I realized it didn't have that, I thought there would be big hunks of chocolate.  There were not.  It was still a very seed forward bar, healthy tasting but somehow enjoyable.  Great crunch.  Just, very minimal chocolate.

I think I do like the thin form factor more, and slightly preferred having the stronger cinnamon spicing, but I enjoyed this and would gladly have another.  Lower ****.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture, just like a cookie. With creamy chocolate chips and a hint of sea salt, it's the bar you'd make if you had the time!"

So, um, this was the same ingredients as the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, except it also had cinnamon and vanilla extract.  But otherwise, exact same ingredients, in the exact same order, and identical nutrition stats, except that the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt had 5 mg more sodium.  It did however look slightly different, with chocolate limited to the little chips.

This one reminded me a bit of kid's granola bars, or at least, my memory of them, although a thicker, more firm, less gooey version.  It still had the hints of being a healthier choice with the seeds in it that added a touch of bitterness, but the chocolate chips made it certainly sweeter than many of the others.  It was a fine granola bar, but didn't feel particularly unique nor special.  ***.

Apple Ginger Crisp.

"Packed with nutritious ingredients like oats, dried apple, crystallized ginger and maple syrup to recreate that nostalgic apple pie flavor in a chewy snack bar."

This is probably the least interesting, at least to me, flavor I tried.  Just the standard base of oats, pumpkin, flax, and sunflower seeds, brown rice syrup and maple syrup, along with raisins, bits of dried apples and ginger, and some warming spices (cinnamon/cloves/ginger).  It did not remind me of an apple pie as promised.  I actually wouldn't have known it had bits of apple in it, as I never really detected them.  I also didn't really taste the ginger in the way I'd expect from the crystalized pieces in it.

The bar was one of the more bitter flavors I tried, with so little to mask the flax and sunflower seeds in particular, it trended too bitter, and too healthy tasting for me.  The raisins did add a touch of sweetness and softness, but they too make it just taste healthy.  The texture was good, soft with a nice chew.  

Overall, a boring bar for me, and better enjoyed when I dunked it in yogurt to mask the bitterness a bit.  ***.

Protein Bars

"Myth: Protein bars are exclusively for people trying to bulk up.

Fact: Protein bars are good for everyone, especially those looking for healthier snacking options that satisfy the temporary hunger pangs when mealtimes are still far away!"

The protein bars still use seeds (only pumpkin rather than the trio) but have 12 g of protein, compared to the only 7 grams in the regular bars.  They come in only 3 flavors.

Banana Bread.

"Soft-baked for a chewy (never chalky) texture. Made with 12 grams of protein from pumpkin seeds, plus banana paste and a dash of cinnamon for that fresh-from-the-oven banana bread bite."

Hmm. I'm not quite sure how I felt about this.  

Given the description of "soft baked" and my own brain's interpretation of banana bread, I expected this to be a softer bar.  It wasn't entirely crispy, not as crisp as the regular bars, but it was a chewy style, and certainly quite firm.  It did have some banana bread flavors from the banana, cinnamon, and maple syrup, and crunch from pumpkin seeds, but that is all there is to it.  Very seed-forward, slight banana bread flavor.  Not too sweet.

I was more in the mood for something softer with stronger banana bread vibes however, so this wasn't quite right for me.  **+.

Chocolate Brownie.

"Soft-baked for a chewy (never chalky) texture. Made with 12 grams of protein from pumpkin seeds, plus large flakes of sea salt and chocolate for an indulgent boost."

Another soft-baked thick hefty protein bar.  This one was middle-of-the-road for me.  It was a fairly pleasant soft and chewy form factor, with lots of crunch from the plethora of seeds that make up the base.  There were hints of fudgey brownie, but the seeds did dominate.  The bar literally is made of just pumpkin seeds, maple and brown rice syrups for sweetness, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and sea salt.  So, it tastes like exactly what it is, no more, no less.

***.  Finished it, but likely wouldn't buy another.

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Dairy Queen

Update Review, April 2025 (Excalibur Hotel, Las Vegas).

As you may remember from my last few Dairy Queen reviews, I grew up in the land without Dairy Queen, and it wasn't until 2023 that I tried my first DQ!  Since then, whenever I am somewhere with a DQ, and it is "ice cream weather", I make it a point to visit.

This visit was in Las Vegas, to the location located in a dreary basement level of the Excalibur resort.  It was an incredibly uninspiring (ok, downright depressing) location, but, totally worth it.  I went two days in a row, once I discovered it.  

Vanilla Cone (Kid's Size).

"A DQ® classic. Enjoy our world-famous soft serve."

This was good.  So creamy.  Very mild flavor, not particularly vanilla, not particularly rich dairy, but, standard generic soft serve flavor.  Reasonable sweetness level.  Melted beautifully.  Perfectly formed cone.  ***+.

Crunchin' Cookie Dip (on the side).

"Take your cookie obsession to the next level with the DQ® Crunchin’ Cookie Dipped Cone. This sweet takes cookies and cream to new heights, and can satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth.

The magic begins with our world-famous DQ® soft serve, perfectly dipped in a blue coating that’s as eye-catching as it is delicious. But it’s not just about looks — this unique shell is packed with cookie pieces, adding a satisfying crunch to every bite. The combination of soft serve and a crisp cookie-infused coating creates a rich flavor experience that’s smooth and delightfully crispy all at once.

Each bite is a whirlwind of your favorite cookie moments, wrapped in a cone that’s as fun to eat as it is to hold. The playful blue color serves up a burst of excitement, making it the ultimate treat for anyone who loves both cookies and soft serve cones."

I asked for the limited addition cookie crunch on the side.  This was a pro move!  It was 95* out (!!!) and my cone didn't turn into a melty disaster as it usually does with dip at that kind of temperature.  Plus, I could keep adding more as I went along, as you can see here.

The flavor was good - it did have a bit of grit and cookies & cream flavor, and otherwise was like sweet melted white chocolate.  Plus, it was blue, and that was just a bit fun.  I enjoyed it.  ***+.

Vanilla Cone, Small.  Chocolate Dip (on the side). $6.59.

"The DQ® Chocolate Dipped Cone is just about as classic as it gets. Beloved for decades, the thin, chocolatey shell adds texture and joy to our original frozen treat: THE CONE WITH THE CURL ON TOP ®.

It starts simple with a crunchy, delectable cone, which we fill with our world-famous vanilla soft serve. We turn it upside down to dip it in a smooth, chocolatey topping. Expect melt-in-your-mouth perfection with each bite. The tasty coating hits the spot every time and you really can’t go wrong with any size.

You’ll love this timeless beauty, which has been on our menu practically since the beginning. With each order, you add to its long history as a Fan favorite."

Same location as the previous cone, just, the next day.  I went for a small this time, with chocolate dip (again on the side).  The soft serve itself was much the same, melted beautifully.  ***+.

The chocolate dip I enjoyed, pretty classic chocolate dip slightly waxy flavor. ***+.

I know Las Vegas is expensive, but $6.59 for a small cone still felt pretty high.

Update Review, October 2024 (Tucson, AZ)

I finally visited a Dairy Queen!

Yes, I, the girl who eats ice cream (or some kind of other frozen ice cream adjacent dessert component) at least once a day, had never actually visited a Dairy Queen before.  I simply have never lived where one is located, and thus, the opportunity has never been there for me.

The astute reader will remember that I did have my first ever Dairy Queen about a year ago when I ordered quasi-failed delivery while on a business trip in Virginia (review below), but that was my first DQ experience, and it wasn't the same as visiting in person, actually getting what I ordered, and not having it be a melty mess.

Behold, Dairy Queen!

The location I visited was in Tucson, Arizona, where I was for a short business trip.  It was located just a 10-15 min walk away from my hotel, and I'm not going to say it was the reason fro choosing my hotel exactly, um, but it certainly did weigh into my decision making process.

Cakes

Dairy Queen carries pre-made full size cakes in the classic chocolate/vanilla/crunchies/fudge form or Oreo Blizzard style, but you can also customize sheet or round cakes (with advance order) at most stores, to include all sorts of designs on top, or your Blizzard of choice made into a cake.  They also make heart shaped ones at Valentine's day, and log cakes, if that is more your style.  And they also make an off-menu "cupcake".  Many people do not know this exists, but despite having only having Dairy Queen once in my life, and never actually visiting one, I of course knew about them.  And thus, I sought one out, particularly as the one I ordered for delivery last year came as just plain vanilla ice cream (sadness!).

As expected, the cupcake is not listed on the menu anywhere.  I tentatively asked about it, and the staff member had to check to see if they had any.  I was in luck.  She plucked the undecorated cup from a freezer (just the ice cream/crunchies/fudge layers were in it), and asked what toppings I'd like.  I was like a deer in headlights.  I didn't know I could add toppings!  I asked her recommendation, and she said Oreo or sprinkles.  Since I don't care for Oreo, that was easy, sprinkles it was (but in the future, I'd do M&Ms ...).  She then went to go add the frosting and my topping of choice.

"Cupcake".

"The personal version of our famous cake, our cupcakes have the same irresistible fudge and crunch center surrounded by vanilla and chocolate soft serve, colorfully decorated."

Behold, the "cupcake", or large sundae size ice cream cake.  I was pretty excited to dig in.

My understanding is that usually these are topped with colorful frosting (all assorted colors), but mine came with white frosting (which was applied to order).  At first I thought that was just very stable whipped cream, but one bite and I realized nope, that was frosting!  A LOT of very sweet, very creamy, very smooth frosting.  I love this kind of ridiculous frosting, and I do think it is essential on an ice cream cake, but served in this form, and this quantity, it actually was a bit too much sweet, and it was hard to get any bites of chocolate layer with it.  **** frosting, but I need to dock them a little for the form factor, while looking great, wasn't really practical, and the balance was off.

Once I scooped off some frosting (don't worry, I saved it!), I got to the ice cream.  It was more firm than fresh soft serve, since it had been pre-made and was in the freezer.  But otherwise, it was standard Dairy Queen ice cream.  The vanilla I enjoyed, the chocolate was a bit too chocolate for me (in general, I'm not one for chocolate ice cream).  I was also a bit sad that mine was about 70% chocolate and only 30% vanilla (recall that whole white top part is frosting).  It made me realize that if I was getting a fresh treat in person, the cupcake didn't really make sense. The glory of fresh soft serve was lost this way.  *** ice cream, great flavor and creaminess, but, not actually soft serve at this point really.

Fudge Layer.

But wait, what about the layers in-between the ice cream?  Those are an essential part of ice cream cake after all.  

Here you can see what was under the top layer of vanilla ice cream.  Thick, rich, chocolate fudge.  It was excellent fudge, but fully frozen.  There was almost too much of it, given the sweet frosting and sweet style of ice cream, it all ended up being kinda a lot.  It was very hard to get a plastic spoon through, another element that just wasn't successful in terms of practicality of eating. I am not sure if this is different from the hot fudge you can order on a sundae/mixed in?  **** flavor, *** overall though due to difficulty of eating. 

Under the fudge, the crunchies.  Great chocolate crunchies.  **** for the crunchies.

So overall, I had mixed feelings about this creation.  As a fresh item to get when visiting a DQ store in person, I wouldn't recommend it.  You lose the experience of actual soft serve and it isn't actually a very practical item to eat as served.  In the future, I'd go in person for a sundae, cone, or Blizzard instead, and get a cupcake to go to stash in the freezer, as it is far more stable, and I'd likely then serve it up as a half portion, and even out the distribution of the frosting to make the bites more balanced.  I do like the concept though, and as an ice cream cake, compared to other grocery store options like Carvel or Friendly's, it is dramatically better, as it is fresher than those, and the inclusion of fudge is pretty awesome, and it is great to have the ability to buy a 1-2 serving portion, and not just the full size cake.  

Treats

The next day, I returned, and went for a freshly made treat.  I was definitely tempted to get my first ever in-person Blizzard, to witness the whole turn it upside down thing, but it was crazy hot out, and I really just wanted a cone to eat in the sun.

Kid's Cone, Vanilla, Cherry Dip.

Yes, I decided I just wanted a simple cone but of course, I needed to add *something* so I went for dip.  Dairy Queen always has chocolate dip available, and they used to have cherry, but it was discontinued, there was much outrage, they brought it back for a limited time, yadda yadda.  This location also had butterscotch dip.  All 3 dip choices sounded good to me, so I asked the staff member to pick for me.  She went with cherry, her favorite.

The cone was nicely twirled, the dip very evenly and fully applied.  Kid's size was perfect for me, just right after a reasonably large lunch.  The soft serve was perfectly creamy and lightly melty, really quite ideal and perfect consistency.  The flavor was a bit sweet, and a bit plain, it had that "fast food soft serve" taste to it that wasn't quite as wholesome as local dairy soft serve.  But the texture really made up for the mediocre taste.  **** creaminess, *** taste, ***+ overall.

The cone part was fresh and not stale, no issues there.  The cherry dip was good - sweet and white-chocolately, not waxy, strong cherry flavor.  I liked it, but found it got to be a bit much, the ratio of dip to ice cream meant I had a lot of dip (I suspect a bigger size cone doesn't have this issue).  *** dip, but I'd try another flavor next time.

Overall, a quite enjoyable cone.  ***+.

Original Review, November 2023

My first ever Dairy Queen.  Yes, you read that right, me, the girl who eats ice cream at least once a day, never had Dairy Queen until now.  I've certainly known about Dairy Queen, but never actually had their ice cream before.  

Why?  Well that is pretty simple.  It isn't snobbery or anything like that. I've simply never lived anywhere near one.  I grew up in a land of soft serve (New Hampshire), but, we didn't have Dairy Queen, it was all small local businesses (and only open seasonally).  I went to college in a tiny town that didn't really have, uh, anything, save a single pizza place and grocery store.  I think there might have been one where I went to grad school, but, I had absolutely no disposable income then, and thus no restaurants really were on my radar (except IHOP, because they had a great student discount on Thurs nights, and I do adore their pancakes).  San Francisco definitely doesn't have a Dairy Queen.  And thus, I reached XX years old, as an avid ice cream, and in particular soft serve, fan, without having Dairy Queen.

If you aren't aware of DQ, Diary Queen has been around since 1940.  They quickly franchised within the US and Canada, and now have locations in nearly 30 countries.  Some locations carry a variety of savory, hot food, in addition to their signature ice cream treats.  Amazingly, the Blizzard wasn't added to the menu until 1985 (at least in my mind, that is what DQ is supposed to be all about?  And even more confusingly, they used to have an item named the Blizzard in the 1960s, that was just a thick shake). 

Anyway, when I was recently on a business trip in the suburbs of Virginia, I used the opportunity to order up my very first Dairy Queen.  Since I had no car, and Dairy Queen wasn't within walking distance, I ordered via Door Dash, which ... was wrought with issues.  First, my Dasher batched my order along with several other stops, so it took 50 minutes from the time he picked up my ice cream, until he arrived near my hotel.  You can guess how melty it was by then, as he certainly didn't have it in a freezer container.  Second, my Dasher got very lost, and couldn't find the hotel, and called me angrily, took some calming down, and eventually I was able to get him to me.  But that added at least another 15 minutes to the delivery time.  Third, well, one of my items was incorrect.  And fourth, the prices on the DoorDash site were totally incorrect in some places (not just DoorDash premiums).

So, was it a good experience?  Well, no.  I had an agonizingly long wait, had to deal with a very upset Dasher, had very melted ice cream, was missing one item I ordered, AND paid some major premiums.  But was I still glad I tried it?  Absolutely.  I'd like to try again sometime when I can just visit in person.

My First Ever DQ!

I'll admit, I was pretty giddy when my order arrived, even though it took forever, my Dasher got lost, and I suspected it would be quite melted.  It was MY FIRST DAIRY QUEEN!

Even seeing the slogan on the bag, "Happy tastes good", made me smile.  I was ready to dig in.

$12.98.

Well, my first item was a fail.  It was a small cup of vanilla ice cream.  Just vanilla ice cream.  Not particularly full.  No toppings, no mix-ins.  For ... $12.98.  Um, what?

For context, this isn't just crazy Door Dash pricing - a small sundae is supposed to be $3.79, parfaits and loaded creations are upwards of $6.99.  And yet this ... was double that.  It also is not what I ordered.

What I ordered ...

Here you can see what I ordered.  The DQ "cupcake", or basically, their version of a personal size ice cream cake.  They describe it as: "Single serving of our regular ice cream cakes. Layers of Vanilla AND Chocolate Soft Serve, separated by mouth watering layers of DQ Fudge and Cookie Crunch in the center."  As someone who grew up with ice cream cake (Carvel!), I was quite eager to try this.

The image on the Door Dash ordering page showed the layers of multiple types of ice cream, layer of crunch, and topping.  That is what I thought I was ordering.  Not just vanilla ice cream.  So, fail #1: the wrong item.

Fail #2: the price.  The crazy price was somewhat my fault, but also theirs ... the base item was marked at $4.99, which seems reasonably correct, but, then you must select a size (small, medium, large) that adds on an additional $7.99, $1, or $2.  Yes, in that order.  So, a small is $12.98 but a medium is $5.99, a large is $6.99.  Clearly, that pricing was totally broken, and I just failed to notice it when ordering, as I ordered the smallest one.

But, like I said, the crazy price was only part of the problem.

Yup, just vanilla ice cream.

The other problem, is that even when I dug through, yup, it was just vanilla ice cream.  No layer of chocolate ice cream, no cake, no crunchies, no frosting.  So even if the pricing wasn't wonky, it still was not the correct item.  And, due to the extensive delivery time, it was obviously quite melted.

It was reasonably creamy, beautifully soft and melty ice cream, sweet but not cloying.  Better than generic fast food soft serve, but it did taste more fake and lower quality than a fancy local soft serve shop that makes their own, or even is known for using more premium dairy.

Probably good with dip, and it does make a great base for Blizzards.  *** for a cup of ice cream, and, gah, the pricing and wrong item made me pretty sad.

Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard. Small. $10.99. 

"The NEW Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard® Treat is here to transform your summer. Imagine you’re at a summer gathering, surrounded by friends and family and somebody brought their secret recipe—the crispy, chocolatey, peanut butter-y sensation known as puppy chow. Well the secret’s out now and it’s officially in a DQ® treat.

The NEW Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard® Treat delivers the irresistible sensation of puppy chow taken to another level. This Blizzard® Treat will satisfy all your flavor cravings and more because it is packed with crispy puppy chow pieces, peanut butter topping, choco chunks, and is blended with our world-famous soft serve to Blizzard perfection. And the best part? Every red spoonful of your NEW Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard® Treat is all for you. No sharing required. Head down to your favorite DQ® restaurant and chow down today."

As excited as I was for the personal ice cream cake, the real reason I was excited for Dairy Queen was my first ever Blizzard.  I've had many Blizzard-adjacent creations from other places, and wanted to try the original (at least, in my head, they are the ones that really popularized these kinds of blended treats?).  Not only was I excited to try my first Blizzard, of which my choices were plentiful, I was overjoyed to try a particular one, although I was pretty tempted by some of the newer "Royal" Blizzards with a core too.

You see, in May, Dairy Queen introduced a new Blizzard, featuring something I really, really adore: puppy chow.  ZOMG.  Not only would I get to try my first Blizzard, it was going to be based around one of my favorite and most addicting snack foods ever.  For the unfamiliar, "Puppy Chow" (or "Muddy Buddies", depending where you are from), is chocolate and peanut butter coated Chex (or generic brand) cereal rolled in powdered sugar.  It is sweet, it is salty, it is savory, it is chocolatey, it is decadent, and it is addicting.  At least for me.  And here it was, in Blizzard form.

Along with the puppy chow pieces, the Blizzard incorporates additional peanut butter topping and chocolate chunks to amp up the chocolate peanut butter vibes.  Like the cup of plain vanilla, it came in a dish with a special lid that also fit the spoon within.  The price was high, $10.99, but that was the Door Dash premium, it is normally a more reasonable $5.49 in store.

Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard: Top View.

I dug in, although it was very clear that this was far more melty than it should be for ideal eating conditions.  

It was a mixed bag for me.  I loved the ribbons of peanut butter.  They were swirled in nicely, were thick, strong peanut butter flavor.  Definitely a fantastic component, and one that shows up in many other Blizzards as well.  The chocolate bits were successful too, decent quality chocolate, well distributed throughout.  Chocolate and peanut butter are always a good combination, so, this was all great.

So where this fell down sadly was the bits of puppy chow.  Described as "crispy", these were anything but.  They were soft and soggy.  It reminded me of Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream, where I always want to love the chocolate covered waffle cone pieces, but they turn out too soft for me.  Yes, they were bit of puppy chow, but the texture didn't work in here for me.

The ice cream base was good, nice and creamy, albeit far too melted.  My only other qualm is that overall it was really quite sweet.  I love sweets, but, this trended a bit too sweet to imagine eating more than a small size of (which is probably a good thing, as even the small is 720 calories, the medium puts you over 1000 already).

Overall, I'm still glad I picked it, and I did love the peanut butter ribbons.  I would try another kind next time.  ***+.

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Jaleo, Las Vegas

Jaleo is one of the restaurants led by chef José Andrés in Las Vegas, where I was recently for a business trip.  

"Housed within The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, this Jaleo destination is reimagined to include the excitement and spectacle of The Strip. The centerpiece is the Paella Grill, an open-fire wood grill specially designed to cook paellas in the authentic Spanish way and one of only three in the world. The menu features all of the traditional classics, while being prepared and presented in the exciting way that Las Vegas is known for. No matter how many times you’ve been to our DC-area locations, you’re bound to be surprised at Jaleo Las Vegas."

I've loved the playful nature and delicious bites I've had from his other restaurants (ZOMG, the foie gras cotton candy at Bazaar and seriously the best yogurt I've ever had in my life from Tres at the SLS Beverly Hills), so even though I had other dinner plans, I couldn't help but stop by for a takeout bite of one item that really caught my eye: a caviar cone!  I couldn't leave Las Vegas without getting one.

Entrance.

Jaleo is located inside the Cosmopolitan hotel, on the 3rd floor alongside a few other restaurants, above the food court area with the more casual places.  It is open to the walkway around, and has an inviting red interior.  There is also a bar off to one side with counter seating, which is where I ordered from for takeout.

Cono de caviar.  $15.

"A crispy cone of brik pastry filled with créme fraiche and caviar and topped with gold flakes."

This really was a tasty bite.  Ok, two bites, but it could be done in one if you didn't care to savor it.  

The cone was perfectly crisp, lightly sweet.  Filled with rich creme fraiche.  And yes, overflowing with caviar.  A great combo of textures (crispy, creamy) and flavors (rich, salty), and just a fun way to serve caviar, a slight spin on a classic offering.

I enjoyed it, but I did wish the tip of the cone was filled with caviar, sorta like a chocolate filled Drumstick, because the last bite was all just cone and creme fraiche, and it would be even better to have that last bite be a more complete one.  **** still though, and I'd gladly get another.

Cones are also available with eggplant/red pepper/anchovy, or sobrasada/goat cheese/honey, or tuna tartar/whipped avocado, all of which sound perfectly reasonable, but, why get one of those, when caviar is an option?  Vegas, baby!

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Route to India Yoga Pops

I've seen popped lily seeds on the market before.  But I haven't been particularly drawn to them, in part because their marketing is often ... so focused on being over the top healthy, in very specific ways that don't quite appeal to me in general.  And seemingly, always about yoga?  That part makes no sense to me.

"Ayurveda-inspired super seeds for yogic nourishment. Turmeric's curcumin offers antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. Balances elements: Kapha, Pitta, Vata."

Yeah, that. 

"Our ethically sourced super seeds are hand harvested from ponds in Bihar India and then painstakingly hand beaten to pop by the womenfolk of these farmers."

This also doesn't particularly make me excited for them.  So much manual labor!

"These ancient super seeds taste crunchy and delicious like popcorn but they are also known for their functional benefits and have been used for centuries as part of Ayurveda, the Yoga Of Food. Our crunchy artisanal snacks are a great alternative to popcorn with half the carbs and twice the protein."

But I finally decided to give them a try, as, after all, they are a crunchy snack, and I you know how much of a snacker I am, and, well, they compare them to my ultimate snack of choice: popcorn.  If it matters to you, they are also gluten-free and vegan (among many other things).

I tried four flavors, three savory, and one sweet-ish: curry, truffle, tandoori, and caramel.  They all had the same form factor, which I actually really did enjoy.  They are slightly crunchier than popcorn, they take seasoning well, and come in slightly assorted sizes.  All of these characteristics make them an *excellent* snack.  The only problem?  I didn't really care for the flavors themselves.

Tandoori Masala.

The first flavor I tried: tandoori masala.

A mixed experience for me.  As noted above, I loved the form factor.  So crunchy!  Yet airy!  Like popcorn, but, better!  And the pieces were really nicely coated.  Some a bit bigger than others.  Yes, eating this was enjoyable.

The flavor for me though was not the best.  They had a slight bitterness that I wasn't sure if it was the lily seed taste itself, the seasoning?  I think the former.  The seasoning was very heavy in the turmeric, too much for my tastes as I don't really care for turmeric in general.  They did taste fairly generic "Indian".

So, great form, not the right flavor for me.  Low ***, as I still finished the bag, but I definitely didn't want more.

Curry Dusted.

Next up, a very similar flavor, "curry dusted".  I'm not really sure what was distinctly different between these and the tandoori masala, although the turmeric seemed slightly more muted, and they didn't have added sugar.  The seasoning was still fairly generic "indian" flavor.

The pieces were the same as the others, great crunch factor, assorted sizes, well coated in seasoning.  Still not a flavor I get excited for, but, I really do like the form.  Again, borderline ***, maybe a bit better than the previous as they didn't have the bitterness from the previous flavor or at least had more seasoning to mask it.

Truffle Tantra.

The final flavor is the one I expected to like the most.  Truffle!  But it turned out to be my least favorite.  The spicing was more mild than the others, so it allowed me to taste the lily seed a bit more, and the bitterness I wasn't really a fan of.  It did have a nice earthy truffle flavor, but more dominant was the porcini powder, and ... I don't generally care for porcini flavor.

Sadly, my least favorite, although I really do like the form factor, and these might be good if you really enjoy porcini. **.

Caramel Jaggery.

The final flavor is a less savory flavor, caramel jaggery, and they look quite different, the coating considerably thicker.

These were the hardest to wrap my head around.  To start, I didn't really taste caramel, and they weren't really a sweet offering exactly, just, less savory.  They were also strangely softer, which made them not quite as pleasant of a actual piece to eat.  And wow, the cardamom.  These were incredibly cardamom flavored.  Which I wasn't expecting at all.  Had they named them perhaps "Cardamom Jaggery", I think my expectations would be more aligned with the product.

So ... not the sweet treat I was expecting, strange texture, and overpowering cardamom, but ... certainly fascinating, and I didn't hate them exactly.  **+, my second to last favorite.

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