• Food,  Las Vegas

    Exploring The Flavors Of The Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill

    The Background

    Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill is a fast-casual Mediterranean restuarant chain based in Las Vegas, NV. With a total of three restaurants in the Las Vegas / Henderson area and a fourth on it’s way to Texas, Crazy Pita has enjoyed measured success since it first opened it’s doors back in 2006.

    The Crazy Pita Rotisserie & Grill sign at the entrance of the Downtown Summerlin location
    The menu at the Crazy Pita Rotisserie & Grill

    Featuring a menu that ranges from pitas, skewer plates, rice bowls, salads, and rotisserie chicken, Crazy Pita offers a solid selection of Mediterranean options to choose from.

    Outside of the menu, something that really stood out in the Downtown Summerlin location was the way you order. While there was the traditional employee at the front that occassionally took orders, there was another screen with someone that was taking orders virtually. I’m not sure if it’s the wave of the future but it was definitely different!

    The Experience

    Besides the ordering aspect, everything else is what you’d expect from a fast casual restaurant. You pay, get a number, find a seat, and wait for the food to come out. You’re provided a number and find a place to sit. While waiting for the food they provided some cinnamon and sugar pita pieces.

    Cinnamon and sugar pita pieces at the Crazy Pita
    Cinnamon and sugar pita pieces

    These were good! They really just tasted like bite sized churros. If they came out freshly made these would be amazing, without a doubt.

    While munching on the sugary pita pieces, the food came out shortly after. The service was great and the food came out quickly.

    I wasn’t overly hungry so I went with the Chicken Pita and fries, thinking it would be lighter. The pita consisted of marinated chicken, hummus, roasted red bell peppers, marinated tomatoes, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce. Defintely a fairly healthy lunch! I mean, minus the side of french fries that comes with the pita. All in all, a good sized pita sandwich and a side of fries for $12.99 isn’t a bad deal.

    There’s a lot of veggies packed in the pita with about 4-5 chunks of chicken in it. The chicken is tasty – it has that great char taste – and the seasoning is very flavorful. The veggies are fresh, and coated in a dressing similiar to Italian.

    The pita sandwich provides so many layers of textures with every bite. The softness of the pita, the different crunchiness of the veggies, the tenderness of the chicken, it’s fantastic.

    I got some Tzatziki sauce on the side and drizzled that on every bite while adding some Cholula sauce too. Adding these other sauces amps up the flavor of the pita sandwich overall. The hummus sauce included in the pita sandwich is good on its own, but I liked the extra sauce. I’m just a big sauce kind of person though.

    The Verdict

    Crazy Pita offers a nice variety of Mediterranean fare at reasonable prices. Service is great and the food is fresh and flavorful. The Chicken Pita was a good size, chalk full of veggies, with well-seasoned chunks of chicken. It’s a tasty pita for sures.

    If you’re in the mood for some Mediterranean food in the Las Vegas area, Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill is certainly worth a visit!

  • Food,  Las Vegas

    Leone Cafe Brings Italian Style Coffee To The Heart Of Las Vegas

    The Background

    Located in Tivoli Village in Summerlin (Las Vegas), Leone Cafe very much has a European feel to it when you enter. It fits right into the ambiance of Tivoli Village itself, which is designed to resemble a 1400s European Village. It’s certainly a unique area with shops, restaurants, office spaces, and living spaces all within this miniature village.

    The Leone Cafe sign outside of the cafe

    The decor within the cafe is great, simple, but really transports you out of the Las Vegas vibe.

    The inside of the cafe, waiting in line to order
    Inside of the Cafe, waiting to order

    The Experience

    Leon Cafe is a little different for such a large cafe. You find your own seat and wait in line to order. There’s a decent amount of seating but seats could be hard to come by at peak hours, especially something inside during really hot days. Fortunately, I was able to find something outside but the place was really busy.

    Although known for their assortment of coffee, lattes, expressos, and juices, it’s not all that Leon Cafe offers. The food here is outstanding as well,

    The menu is large and diverse with plenty of unique items. From breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, pastries, there’s really something for whatever you’re craving. That’s not even mentioning the aforementioned list of drink options as well. It’s a lot to sort through as you wait in line. Luckily, the line was long when I went on a Saturday around noonish. That seems odd to say, but will make sense if you visit this place and are figuring out what you want to order.

    Overall, I loved the variety of the egg section of the menu. There’s a lot of creativity in how the eggs are prepared with influence from around the world. I was having a difficult time deciding until I noticed there a were a couple of skillet options. I’m a sucker for breakfast skillets, so I zeroed in on the Texas Skillet, which sounded amazing ($15.99)

    The Texas Skillet with marinted ground beef, potatoes, Pico de Gallo, mixed melted cheese, sour cream, and two eggs any style
    The Texas Skillet

    The skillet consists of marinted ground beef, potatoes, Pico de Gallo, mixed melted cheese, sour cream, and two eggs any style. I opted for scrambled eggs.

    The skillet was a MOUND of food. Potatoes with the seasoned ground beef mixed in make up the bed of the skillet with melted cheese covering the mixture. The scrambled eggs with Pico de Gallo and sour cream top it all off. Yum! I also added some Cholula and Tabasco Sauce to spice things up a bit too.

    I’m not exactly sure what the seasoning is, some sort of Tex-Mex concoction, but it’s TASTY. Even better, the potatoes really soak up a lot of the flavor and the ground beef sticks to the potatoes as well.

    Getting a bite of potatoes, ground beef, melted cheese, egg, Pico de Gallo, and sour cream, is one flavor packed bite of food with several layers of texture to boot. Undoubtedly, this is a very filling, hearty meal.

    The Verdict

    If you’re craving a good brunch option off the strip in Vegas, look no further than Leone Cafe. Prices are affordable, especially for the portions you get. Even though the cafe itself was bustling, the shopping center was very laid back and mellow with minimal people around on a Saturday. It was a nice change of pace from the Strip. With a diverse menu filled with plenty of intriguing food and drink options, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Leone Cafe. It’s well worth checking out!

  • Las Vegas

    The Best Variety of Pancakes In Las Vegas – BabyStacks Cafe

    Why Come To BabyStacks Cafe?

    Tired of the Strip in Vegas and looking for a nice breakfast break? Look no further than BabyStacks Cafe! This gem of a breakfast spot offers many, many, many, (did I mention MANY) different types of pancakes and…Filipino food!

    BabyStacks Cafe is a very popular breakfast / brunch location on the weekends and since it’s a fairly small place, it can get quite busy.

    The Menu

    The first thing you notice here is the massive menu. The sheer number of breakfast items can easily overwhelm you. From the usual breakfast suspects – pancakes, french toast, omlettes – to more unique fusion like items ranging from Filipino (Adobo Fried rice) to Hawaiian (Loco Moco, Kalua Grilled Cheese). I loved the variety and diversity of the menu items.

    Like I previously mentioned, there’s a TON of different types of pancakes. From Banana Cream pie, Carrot cake, S’mores, Mocha Chip, to many other unique flap jacks. There’s types of pancakes I’ve never seen on a menu before. If you’re a pancake fan, then this is the area of the menu that will certainly both grab and hold your attention.

    Despite all the delicious and in some cases, strange sounding pancakes, I settled on Lolo Rick’s Adobo Fried Rice. I was pleasantly surprised, and excited, to find Filipino food on the menu and immediately focused my attention on the Adobo Fried Rice when I saw it. Chicken adobo, a Filipino staple, typically consists of chicken thighs cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and various spices. It’s a combination of savoury and sweet and is quite tasty. I’d never tried it in fried rice nor have it wrapped in a giant omlette so I was looking forward to it!

    The Food

    The fried rice itself had shredded chicken adobo and rice and it was all wrapped in an omlette style egg. This was a LOT of food that also comes with a side of nicely seasoned potatoes.

    The chicken was very tender, oozing with flavor, and the rice was soaked in adobo juice and really soaks up the flavor. Each bite is very flavorful with that familiar savoury and sweet flavor. The egg is light and fluffy and basically makes this a fried rice burrito wrapped in egg. If you’re a fan of the Japanese dish omurice, it’s comparable to that, or at least is the same concept with a different spin.

    It’s a very filling and delicious meal. However, my one small gripe was that the rice to meat ratio wasn’t great. There was a lot of rice in this which becomes noticeable just because there’s nothing else in the fried rice besides the adobo.

    My friend got the strawberry pancakes and let me sample. Topped with a generous dollop of whip cream and powder sugar with a side of strawberry syrup the pancake texture was fantastic. It was light and fluffy and the strawberries were sweet. I will definitely try to order a short stack of pancakes in order to try one of those unique types of pancakes that BabyStacks Cafe offers.

    Overall, BabyStacks delivers with it’s massive menu and unique breakfast items. There’s literally something for everyone. The special items and pancakes, you just can’t find those at every ordinary breakfast / brunch kind of restaurant. It’s certainly worth a visit and the drive from the strip if you’re a foodie.

    I can’t wait to come back on my next trip to Vegas to try some more delicious food!

    Additional Info

    BabyStacks Cafe has seven total locations with six in Las Vegas and one in Henderson.

    Check out the menu and info about all the locations here! https://babystackscafe.com/