My wife and I recently returned home from visiting Las Vegas–a vacation that was planned as a sort of food pilgrimage. We were able to visit some truly fantastic restaurants and left inspired by all of the unique dishes and ingredients we tried.
Our first day started off at Area15 with a visit to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. We had lunch at Todd English’s The Beast (also in Area15) but the burger I ordered was unfortunately rather lackluster and disappointing. Omega Mart was great though!
Best Friend
The evening of the first day brought us to Best Friend–an incredible fusion of Mexican and Korean cuisine by Roy Choi. We chose the tasting menu and were not disappointed.
Banchan
House kimchi, broccoli banchan, marinated cucumbers, rolls
Several banchan were served as the first dish.
Kogi Tacos
Korean BBQ and cilantro-lime slaw made an unbeatable pair in these tacos
Slippery Shrimp
Fried rock shrimp with spicy mayo and walnuts
This will be the first recipe I try to recreate at home. A beautiful level of heat and creaminess from the spicy mayo compliments the crispiness of the shrimp and the light crunch of the odd walnut tossed into the mix.
Garlic chicken and kalbi short rib
One of the strengths of Best Friend is how well executed even their simple dishes can be. Unbelievably tender, the soy-marinated garlic chicken and kalbi short rib are an incredible pair that is easy to share and hard to forget.
Kimchi Fried Rice
The one thing issue I had with the fried rice is that it wasn’t presented sooner. A medley of spicy and savory, complimented by a runny egg.
Dessert
Mango cheesecake and mango-passionfruit sorbet, guava whipped cream
Even though we were stuffed and almost unable to move by this time, we found that there is somehow always room for dessert. The mango cheesecake was just as much a delight to dig into as it was to see.
Best Friend absolutely gets a recommendation. Every dish was packed with unrelenting flavor that matches the restaurant’s upbeat and dynamic vibe.
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