Feed your chocolate addiction in Las Vegas

Tuesday, August 11, 2015 ♦ 

Kristine McKenzie ♦ 

Dining, Featured

♦

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We confess. We have a bit of a problem with chocolate. A problem as in we can’t stop eating it. What’s not to love about chocolate? If you love it as much as we do, you’re in luck. We put together a list of 10 delicious places where you can get your chocolate fix. It was a tough job, but we tried them all and we suggest you do the same.

HEXX chocolate, photo by Anthony Mair, courtesy of HEXX

HEXX Chocolate & Confexxions at Paris Las VegasWant to watch your chocolate being made right in front of your eyes? HEXX offers a unique bean-to-bar experience at their shop. They use just two ingredients — cacao beans and organic palm sugar — to make their chocolate. The beans come from farms located 20 degrees north and south of the equator and are transformed into chocolate showcasing the flavors of Peru, Tanzania, Venezuela, Ecuador and Madagascar.

Not only can you taste the chocolate, you can buy it, along with other candies and gifts in the shop. There’s also the adjacent HEXX café, which features other products made with HEXX chocolate including homemade hot chocolate, create-your-own ice cream sandwiches, and exclusive HEXX chocolate ice cream handcrafted by High Road Ice Cream.

The chocolate fountain at Jean Philippe, courtesy of Bellagio

Jean Philippe Pâtisserie at Aria and BellagioStep into Jean Philippe Pâtisserie at Bellagio and it’s like something out of “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.” Master pastry chef Jean Philippe Maury spent two years designing this shop, which boasts the world’s largest chocolate fountain. The fountain, certified by Guinness World Records, is 27 feet high and circulates almost two tons of chocolate. It’s a chocoholic’s dream come true.

After you look at the fountain you’ll want to indulge in some chocolate. The shop is stocked with crêpes, pastries, gelato and candies.

Jean Philippe also has a location at Aria. Be sure to check out all of the beautiful chocolate sculptures on display too.

Chocolate by Payard, photo courtesy of Payard

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars PalaceAcclaimed chocolatier François Payard serves up plenty of chocolate delicacies in this pastry and chocolate shop.  Find your chocolate in the form of macarons, truffles, ice cream sandwiches and pastries like the Chocolate Decadence with chocolate mousse, chocolate sable on flourless chocolate cake, chocolate cremeux and feuilletine. The shop also sells beautiful boxes of chocolates, which always make the perfect gift.

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, photo courtesy of Serendipty 3

Serendipity 3 at Caesars PalaceYou don’t always have to eat your chocolate. You can drink it too. And there’s no better way to drink chocolate than Serendipity 3’s famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, which blends 20 different kinds of chocolate into an icy cocoa creation.

The restaurant also serves chocolate in many other forms. There are coffees like the Chocolaccino – cappuccino, whipped cream and shaved French chocolate. There’s also chocolate sundaes, chocolate shakes, chocolate blackout cake – the possibilities are endless.

Hershey’s Chocolate World, photo courtesy of New York – New York

Hershey’s Chocolate World at New York – New YorkHershey’s knows a thing or two about chocolate. So you know a place like Hershey’s Chocolate World will satisfy your cravings if you’re a chocolate lover. The store is filled with more than 800 Hershey’s candies. There are chocolate bars, Kisses, Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup in giant bottles and a bakery counter with cookies, brownies, cupcakes and other fresh treats. Be sure to snap a photo of the chocolate sculpture of the Statue of Liberty. Sorry – you can’t eat it.

The rainbow wall at M&M’s World, photo by Kristine McKenzie

M&M’s World at the Showcase MallIf you prefer M&Ms over Hershey’s Kisses, head across the street to M&M’s World for four floors of chocolate heaven. The store sells every variety of the chocolate covered candy you can think of.  You can personalize your own candy and choose any color imaginable from the rainbow wall of M&Ms.

Ethel M chocolates, photo courtesy of Ethel M

Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Gardens, 2 Cactus Garden Dr. in HendersonIf you want to try some locally-made chocolate, head out to Henderson and Ethel M Chocolate Factory. Forrest Mars Sr. opened the factory in 1981 and the brand was named for his mother who made chocolates from scratch. You can watch the chocolate making process through the factory’s windows and then grab a sample in the retail shop. Once you have a sample, you’ll probably want to buy a box or two of the sweet stuff. The store is filled with white chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate with fillings like fruit, caramel or nuts. The gift shop includes M&M’s chocolates and souvenir items.  You’ll also want to be sure to visit the cactus garden outside.

Ghirardelli chocolate shop, photo courtesy of Ghirardelli

Ghirardelli at The LINQ PromenadeThis famous San Francisco shop has been making chocolate since 1852 and we’re happy they have a location in Las Vegas. The store is filled with chocolates — dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolates filled with caramel and hot cocoas. Oh, and don’t forget the ice cream. The shop serves its famous hot fudge sundaes, with homemade hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped almonds and a cherry on top.

The s’mores cupcake at Sprinkles, photo courtesy of Sprinkles

Sprinkles Cupcakes at The LINQ PromenadeSprinkles is famous for its cupcakes, which you can find in many chocolate flavors like Black & White (Belgian dark chocolate cake with vanilla frosting), chocolate coconut, chocolate marshmallow, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and peanut butter chocolate. Besides the cupcakes, Sprinkles also sells cookies and ice cream. Chocolate lovers will love ice cream flavors like dark chocolate, triple chocolate and malted milk chocolate. Cookies come in varieties including chocolate chip and double chocolate.

Mexican chocolate doughnut, photo courtesy of O Face Doughnuts

O Face Doughnuts, 124 S. 6th St.Doughnuts are a great excuse to eat chocolate first thing in the morning. O Face has lots of different and unique flavors and plenty of them are chocolate based. There’s chocolate glazed, chocolate old fashioned, cinnamon milk chocolate, vegan dark chocolate glazed, gluten-free flourless chocolate cake, S’mores and Mexican chocolate with horchata pudding. No matter which one you choose, you won’t be disappointed.

Drooling yet? We don’t blame you. For even more sweet bites, check out our full list of Vegas pastry and ice cream shops.

Get your barbecue fix in Vegas

Las Vegas has thousands of great restaurants with every type of cuisine imaginable. We’re known for everything from buffets to gourmet dining rooms. One thing we’re not really known for is barbecue.

But don’t worry — if you do your homework (and hey, we did it for you!) it is possible to find some smokin’ good places to enjoy ribs, brisket, pulled pork and all those other delicious barbecue favorites. Here are some places to try, both on the Strip and off the beaten path.

On the Strip

Double Barrel’s barbecued brisket sliders, photo courtesy of Double Barrel

Double Barrel at Monte Carlo
Double Barrel serves down-home American comfort food with a Southern twist. On the menu you’ll find wood grilled steak slathered in barbecue sauce, smoked St. Louis ribs, barbecued beef brisket, barbecued pulled pork and beef, barbecued chicken and more.

In traditional Southern style, each dish is complemented with a fresh biscuit, sweet honey butter and a choice of side from selections including mac & cheese, spicy apple coleslaw, sweet potato fries and baked beans.

Mopped ribs at Pot Liquor, photo courtesy of Pot Liquor

Pot Liquor at Town SquarePot Liquor CAS (Contemporary American Smokehouse) at Town Square on Las Vegas Boulevard serves authentic Southern-style barbecue with a contemporary twist.

The name might sound strange but it comes from the name for the liquid that’s left behind after boiling greens. If you’re from the South you probably already knew that.

Pot Liquor offers a wide selection of contemporary barbecue cuisine with elements from each of the traditional barbecue regions like Memphis, Nashville, North and South Carolina, Kansas City and Texas.

Menu highlights include appetizers such as Kansas City-style burnt ends, pork belly with country grits and grilled prawns with boudin noir.

For the main course, options include a Texas-style sliced beef brisket, Carolina pulled pork and Memphis-style dry rubbed spareribs. The meats are cooked slowly with a custom blend of sweet and hardwoods. Dinners come with two sides like collard greens, candied yams, grilled corn succotash and fries with Alabama white sauce (we had to look that one up – it’s a tangy mayo based sauce).

Gilley’s 10-Gallon Platter, photo courtesy of Las Vegas Weekly

Gilley’s at Treasure Island
Gilley’s has a pretty sizable barbecue menu. You’ll find items like St. Louis spare ribs, baby back ribs, Meyers hot links from Texas, BBQ pulled pork, and brisket braised in apple juice and finished in a smoker. The barbecue dishes come with two sides and house-made corn bread. For sides, dig into buttermilk whipped potatoes, green bean casserole and white cheddar and green chili grits.

If you’ve really got a big appetite or are looking to share with a friend, go for the Ten Gallon Platter. It’s stacked with  ribs, rotisserie chicken, pulled pork and hot links with your choice of Carolina mustard, smoked onion or Jack Daniels sauces. Still have room after all that? We recommend the hot apple biscuit bread pudding. Don’t worry – you can stick around Gilley’s nightclub and line dance all of those calories away.

PBR Rock Bar at Planet Hollywood
PBR Rock Bar serves comfort food and that includes barbecue. Menu items include house smoked barbecue pork ribs and hickory smoked brisket. Sides include baked beans, corn on the cob, firecracker coleslaw, sweet potato tater tots and the must-try Doritos crusted mac and cheese.

Harley-Davidson Café on the StripThe Harley-Davidson Café features a “Road Burnin’ Bar-B-Que Pit” menu with items like Carolina pulled pork sandwiches, barbecued brisket and barbecue sliders. Other choices include Kansas City-style baby back ribs and a barbecue chicken dinner. “Side Cars” include baked beans, mac & cheese, coleslaw and corn on the cob.

Off the Strip

Road Kill Grill, photo courtesy of Las Vegas Weekly

John Mull’s Meats and Roadkill Grill, 3730 Thom Blvd.You know a restaurant is good when it’s been featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Local favorite Roadkill Grill serves meals like a half chicken dinner, rib tip dinner, brisket, hot links, and tri-tip and pulled pork sandwiches. Enjoy coleslaw and potato salad as sides and save room for apple and peach cobbler for dessert. You can eat at picnic tables under a covered patio or take your food to go.

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que at Green Valley Ranch or Red Rock Casino Resort
Lucille’s serves Southern-style barbeque favorites. Choose from hickory smoked baby back ribs, St. Louis spare ribs seasoned with Lucille’s special rub, Texas-style beef brisket with mop sauce, smoked barbecued chicken, barbecued tri tip and more. Barbecue dishes come with two sides like potato salad, creamy cheese grits, watermelon or braised greens.

Rollin’ Smoke  3185 S. Highland Dr.Local favorite Rollin’ Smoke features Southern-style hickory smoked barbecue from a father and son team. Meats include pulled pork, brisket, hot links and rib tips. You can order your meat in sandwiches, salads, on top of a baked potato and more.

Sides include bacon potato salad, chipotle coleslaw, corn bread, dirty rice and more. Be sure to indulge in Southern peach cobbler or banana pudding for dessert.

Baby back ribs at TC’s Rib Crib, photo courtesy of Las Vegas Weekly

TC’s Rib Crib, 3655 S. Durango Dr.If you’re looking for some traditional Southern family cooking you’ll want to try the family-owned TC’s. They specialize in ribs, brisket, beef tips, hot and spicy chicken wings, pulled pork and more topped with a secret homemade sauce. Sides are made from family recipes and include fried jalapenos, baked beans, fried okra and cornbread, which is served with every order. You’ll definitely want to save room for desserts like cobblers, glazed donut bread, buttermilk pie and sweet potato pie.

Big Ern’s at Downtown Container Park
Big Ern’s has a pretty simple, straightforward menu offering everything you’re looking for in a barbecue joint. There are sandwiches like pulled pork and chicken, brisket dinners, hot link dinners, pulled pork dinners, rib dinners and chicken dinners. The dinners come with two traditional sides like coleslaw or pork and beans and a roll. Big Ern’s also has desserts like cake, puddings and pies to top off your meal.

If you’ve still got an appetite, check our our list of more barbecue restaurants.

Where to find sushi in the Vegas desert

We all know Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert that’s more than 200 miles from the Pacific Ocean, but that doesn’t stop us from loving our sushi. Lucky for us, lots of Las Vegas restaurants fly in fresh fish daily to feed our habit. Here are some of our favorite places to indulge in sushi on the Strip.

Sushi rolls at barMASA, photo courtesy of barMASA at Aria

barMASA at AriaOne of those places that flies in fish is barMasa. In fact, Chef Masa Takayama uses fish that haven’t been out of Japan’s coastal waters for more than 24 hours. Now that’s what we call fresh! There are lots of sushi options at the restaurant. Pick and choose your own or do a seasonal sushi tasting.

Be sure to start out with the signature toro tartare with caviar. Trust us, it’s to die for. Sushi rolls include yellowtail with scallion, spicy tuna with crispy green chili, an Alaskan king crab California roll and sweet shrimp with uni sotomaki. You can also order à la carte and choose from bluefin, salmon, whitefish, mackerel, squid, eel and more.

Pair your sushi with sake or Japanese craft beers.

Toro tartare at Nobu, photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment

Nobu at Caesars Palace or Hard Rock HotelAcclaimed sushi chef Nobu Matsuhisa has had a restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel for years and opened a second location in Vegas at Caesars Palace in 2013. The Caesars location is the world’s largest Nobu restaurant. If you’re looking for sushi, grab a seat at the sushi bar and be prepared to feast on imported Asian and Japanese fish, traditional sushi rolls and exotic delicacies prepared by the expert sushi chefs.

Special dishes include yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, blue fin toro tartare with caviar, uni shooters, abalone fresh water eel and much more.

Sushi rolls include shrimp tempura, tuna and asparagus, soft shell crab, California rolls and spicy scallop. The sushi is served with freshly grated wasabi.

The dining room at Sushi Roku boasts a view of the Strip, photo courtesy Sushi Roku

Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops at CaesarsIf you want your sushi with a view, head to Sushi Roku at The Forum Shops. The restaurant offers beautiful views of the Strip from its dining room.

Start out with appetizers like blue crab tartare, tuna and salmon sashimi carpaccio and tuna tartare.

Sushi can be ordered by the piece and varieties include fluke, crab, unagi, mackerel, uni, smelt egg and more. Traditional sushi rolls are either hand rolled or cut and include favorites like California, spicy tuna, toro and jalapeño and more.

Signature rolls include a baked crab hand roll, crunchy spicy tuna, Crab Dynamite with crab, avocado and curry mayo and a Katana Roll with spicy tuna and shrimp tempura topped with tuna and yellowtail.

Sushi Roku also has a variety of specialty cocktails, beers and sake to pair with your sushi.

Photo courtesy of Blue Ribbon Sushi

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Blue Ribbon, from restaurateurs Eric and Bruce Bromberg, serves a wide array of sushi and sashimi. You’ll find the menu divided into fish from the Atlantic Ocean like fluke, salmon and crab and offerings from the Pacific Ocean like albacore, uni, unagi, octopus, yellowtail and amberjack.

Specialty rolls include spicy tuna and tempura flakes; enoki and hamachi; the Blue Ribbon Roll with half lobster, shiso and black caviar and the Dragon Roll with eel, avocado and radish sprouts.

Other sushi bar specials include whole live sea scallop, cherry sea bream, wild horse mackerel and thinly sliced amberjack with yuzu peppers and yuzu ponzu.

Extras can be added to your sushi including masago smelt roe, avocado, kyuri cucumber and shiso mint leaf.

Photo courtesy of Katsuya

Katsuya by Starck at SLS Las VegasHollywood hot spot Katsuya opened a Vegas branch at the SLS Hotel last year. Sushi lovers can try a chef’s tasting menu of sushi or sashimi or go for more traditional pieces and rolls.

The menu features things like Japanese red snapper, fresh water eel, sea eel, halibut and blue fin tuna.

Sushi rolls include the Sahara Roll (a nod to the former hotel that became SLS), which includes spicy albacore, shrimp tempura, eel sauce and dashi mayo.

You’ll also find a lobster roll, tuna tataki, a rainbow roll and the Fairbanks Roll – smoked salmon and yuzu cream cheese topped with salmon, red onion, ikura, shio ponzu and arugula.

If you don’t want specialty rolls you can also have more traditional sushi like spicy tuna, salmon skin and yellowtail.

Photo courtesy of Kumi

Kumi at Mandalay BayChef Akira Back serves Japanese cuisine with a Korean American twist at Kumi. The anchor of the restaurant is the sushi bar where you can find a traditional sushi and sashimi menu. Orders come with two pieces of fish like Japanese yellowtail, tuna, albacore, Japanese red snapper, halibut, sweet shrimp and more.

Signature sushi rolls (with some fun names) include the Hot Mess, made with crab, sashimi poke and Screaming O Sauce;  the Pop Rockin’ with spicy tuna, crab, salmon, avocado and Pop Rocks; and the 007 Octopussy with crab salad, spicy octopus and crispy potatoes.

Sashimi platter, photo courtesy of Yellowtail

Yellowtail at BellagioYou can’t miss this restaurant, also from chef Akira Back. There’s a giant 25-foot by 13-foot bronze wall mounted installation of a yellowtail fish on the entry wall. Inside, you’ll find a great selection of sushi and sashimi as well as a beautiful view of the Bellagio Fountains.

Start out with a menu of shared plates. You don’t want to miss the signature big eye tuna pizza with micro shiso and truffle oil. There’s also lobster carpaccio, tuna tataki, yellowtail jalapeño and toro caviar.

You can indulge in a chef’s tasting menu or buy sushi, sashimi and traditional rolls.

We like the specialty rolls like the Angry Salmon with avocado, cucumber, serrano; the Popping Spicy Crab with cucumber, asparagus and Pop Rocks; the Happa with Cajun spiced albacore, spicy ponzu aioli; and the Protein Roll packed with tuna, salmon, Hamachi, crab, shiso, asparagus and soy paper.

Tao, photo courtesy of The Venetian

Tao at Venetian
Tao restaurant is the perfect place to grab sushi for dinner before heading to the adjacent nightclub. The menu features mackerel, salmon roe, wild yellowtail, uni, octopus, unagi and more.

Special rolls include a crunchy spicy yellowtail with crushed onion; a crispy soft shell crab with Yuzu mayo; the Tao Angry Dragon Roll with eel and kabayaki sauce; and the crunchy quinoa roll with king crab, asparagus and avocado. Extras like quail egg and soy paper can be added.

Special dishes include yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño and ponzu sauce and salmon sashimi with avocado, crispy onions and sweet and spicy sesame sauce.

Photo courtesy of Sushisamba

Sushisamba in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian | The PalazzoSushisamba has a fun, Carnaval-inspired environment with cuisine influenced by the cultures of Japan, Brazil, and Peru, which means you’ll find some interesting and unusual sushi options here.

Start out with sashimi ceviche or traditional sashimi like yellowtail, kanpachi, tuna and salmon.

You’ll find classic sushi rolls like California, soft shell crab, eel cucumber, yellowtail scallion, salmon avocado and more.

What you’ll want to try is the special Samba Rolls. The Samba Strip includes Maine lobster, mango, avocado, soy paper, lotus root chips and aji honey truffle. The Neo Tokyo is made with big eye tuna, tempura flake and aji panca; and the Sao Paulo features scallop, massago, red onion, tuna, salmon, shrimp, yellowtail, avocado, truffle, hacho miso soy and chive oil.

If you’re looking for some happy hour sushi, try the restaurant’s Samba Hour where you can find $6 spicy tuna, yellowtail and shrimp tempura rolls.

Mizumi, photo courtesy of Wynn Las Vegas

Mizumi at WynnChef Devin Hashimoto serves ocean-fresh sushi and sashimi at Mizumi. The beautiful restaurant overlooks a private Japanese garden, koi pond and waterfall.

The menu features pieces of sushi and sashimi including abalone, albacore, freshwater eel, oh toro, sea urchin and more. There are also classic rolls like soft shell crab, spicy tuna, eel avocado and California.

Sushi specialties include the Mizumi Roll with Maine lobster, romaine lettuce and brown butter aioli and the Negi Toro Caviar Roll with takuwan, avocado, white sturgeon caviar and truffle soy salt.

Check out Vegas.com for more sushi restaurants.