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One of the things I remember about growing up in Minnesota was the abundance of local restaurants – the ‘mom and pop’ kind. I remember my parents taking me to a small, out of the way mexican restaurant where the kitchen was not blocked off and you could hear the family ‘discussing’ the right way to do cook this or clean that. Even now, it brings a little smile to my face. We drove out of our way to go to this joint, because the food was just that good.
In 1999 I moved to Las Vegas, and the chain restaurant is king here. Now, don’t get me wrong I enjoy eating at a chain restaurant just as much as the other guy. But, I found myself really wanting the intimate feel of a ‘local’ eatery, one were the menu was all their own, one with heart and soul poured into it. This type of gem is rare on my side of Vegas. There are a few that I have found that I will travel across town – because the food is just that good. My family and I had found a place for our Italian fix, but it closed a couple of years ago and we just had not found something that was worthy enough to take its place. Until last night.
A restaurant just opened near to my house, in fact we walked there for dinner last night. And it has all of what I have been looking for. It is intimate, feels like a family kind of place, and the food was awesome! The breadsticks were to die for. We have not had such good Chicago style pizza, since being in Chicago – as evidenced in the photos.
I ate the whole thing
Maciano’s is located on Russell Rd and Grand Canyon – I highly recommend it. As it turns out, yesterday was day 1 for them. We are excited to go back and try more things, including what looks to be an absolutely awesome tiramisu (which I am highly confident will end up as a blog post here including photo).
Maciano's Double Dough and Chicago Style pizzas
I guess you could say that there are quite a few Las Vegans who enjoy riding free in the cool air. This shot was taken from Robber’s Roost in the Mt. Charleston area. It is a hike up into an area where it is believed that thieves would come to hide out…..kinda spooky.
But, the best part is actually when you turn around and are coming back down. You get little peeks at the road through the trees – and the locals who are out enjoying an afternoon drive.
This is what my week has been about.
Work never ends
Happy National Donut Day! How cool is that, a day for donuts. As I understand it, Dunkin Donuts is giving away free donuts today. And, of course, when you have such a day you need to go out and buy donuts so you can record the day in the appropriate fashion. Grab some coffee, milk or whatever and enjoy the day!
I actually have a total blast when shooting food….which fits right into my goal of getting the cover shoot of a major food magazine. Las Vegas is a foodie kinda place too. Lots of big name chefs share their culinary talents down on the Strip. But it is the local places, the ones the tourists don’t know about, that my family and I love to discover. We are into finding the odd duck type of places and I intend to share more about such places in the future. For now, a photo I took over the weekend. Chocolate is dreamy.
Chocolate Pretzels - oh the evilness
