Q: positive

A: Met with Linda W. at Nook yesterday- it was both our first time there. Sat at one of the circular half-booths that line the wall, at which one end terminates at a wine cellar and the other at the entrance. The noise level was jarring at first, and made me wish we'd kept the initial offering of a booth closer to the entrance (less noisy), but after a few minutes' of adjustment, our central booth with a great view of the bar and kitchen just opposite was a nice choice. There is a HUGE step up to get into the booth (about eight inches), so be careful as you step down. I was wearing a mini-skirt and thought I could just slide off the seat onto the floor, but I forgot about all of that space... When I come back to Nook, I won't be wearing a mini-skirt! :) Our server Alice was very personable and easily shared her faves when prompted. I commented that she knew "her stuff," and she quickly came back with "except about the cornstarch," referring to the queries I had regarding certain menu items. Now, onto our happy hour selections: Linda ordered a $2 pint of Kronenbourg 1664, a pale lager made in Strasbourg, France. It smelled fruity, which I welcomed, but it had enough of a hoppy flavor for me to dislike. However, Linda liked it a lot. She ordered the $5 Poutine, which consisted of house-cut fries, mozzarella curds, and beef gravy (made with cornstarch) and added a fried egg for an extra $2. If you are part of a group of three or more, I suggest to get TWO fried eggs added! We didn't have the problem of very soggy fries due to the beef gravy arriving in a separate bowl. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=nz1KtnNBoqgYiwokAbqKKQ#nz1KtnNBoqgYiwokAbqKKQ Her other selections were the $5 Caprese bruschetta, which I didn't try (I'm avoiding inflammatory foods, such as tomatoes), http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=Ujg_pGder-78HkVW2ZYPTA#Ujg_pGder-78HkVW2ZYPTA and the $5 Arancini, which were mozzarella and red pepper risotto balls, battered and fried, and placed on a bed of marinara sauce and balsamic drizzle. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=LdcmR5wLzqm1eyno_g38_A#LdcmR5wLzqm1eyno_g38_A I said the heck with my rice allergy and tried one and found it mild and creamy, with a nice aroma from the red bell peppers. Glad I tried it! Since I didn't enjoy the Kronenbourg sample Alice brought me, I asked for a glass of the 10 Span Pinot noir, which was drier than I prefer, but paired alright with the Beer-braised pork butt bruschetta; That is, until I later sampled the 10 Span Pinot gris, which made for a heavenly match with said app. The pulled pork came with a "secret BBQ sauce," which was slightly sweet and more importantly, free of corn syrup and mustard, two ingredients that keep me from ordering anything that usually comes with BBQ sauce. Wait till you take a bite of the pork and coleslaw... oh my goodness! The sourness from the coleslaw cuts the sweetness of the sauce and makes the app so much fun to eat. Better than foreplay, I tell ya! ;) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=xTAc8Lwz804Do8tdHQj9xg#xTAc8Lwz804Do8tdHQj9xg The $7 Fig bruschetta was very good, arriving with smoked prosciutto, goat cheese, and an asparagus spear, all sprinkled with herbs. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=l9TYtf4Or2WEOr369_zJFQ#l9TYtf4Or2WEOr369_zJFQ Order this if you want to keep it light, yet tasty. The piece de resistance for me was the $8 Bread & butter bread pudding, which came with an apple-cranberry compote and caramel ice cream on top, a Tracey Dempsey creation. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=GLY1jPWqO5mH9uSUIsAHsA#GLY1jPWqO5mH9uSUIsAHsA The compote I could do without, as I found it to be too sour, but the caramel ice cream and warm bread pudding combo was orgasmic! I even had a spoonful of cold bread pudding leftovers this morning and was still amazed by the flavor and textures. The flavor was eggy, which made me think this could make for a great French toast (too bad Nook doesn't offer breakfast service), but what took this bread pudding over the top for me was the tres leches flavor of the custard. I will most certainly order this dessert again! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nook-phoenix?select=ivZlqH9o6nDnSu7PC3U-zw#ivZlqH9o6nDnSu7PC3U-zw Kudos to Nook for the delightful flavors and laid-back, yet sexy atmosphere, and to Alice for great service!

Q: negative

A: If you enjoy hiking with a beautiful view of the city, you must make the short trek on each side of the mountain (Cholla and Echo) at least once. A warning though, this is not for non-active, non-adventurous people. if you are not prepared to go up some boulders and use your hands, this can be dangerous for your ankles. The mountain is a beautiful city landmark, with a 360 degree view at the top. However, this place will not get a pass from me, because the city really needs to figure out the parking situation. I understand you don't want too many hikers on the mountain at the same time, but this has about 1/3rd of the parking that would be optimal. On the Echo trailhead I waited for 45 minutes twice on a weekend just to park and didn't return after that. The Cholla side has parking that is a 15 minute walk from the trailhead and you may also have to wait for parking as well on that side.

Q: negative

A: When the item I picked out rang up at about three dollars over the price posted on the rack and I pointed it out, the cashier stood there fanning herself with a brochure, looking anywhere but at me and gave me a who cares, take it or leave it attitude. Funny how one employee can ruin the whole trip as everything else there was okay.

Q: negative

A:
I've been coming to sushi Mon for past 10 years now. Whenever I make a trip to Vegas, I always make sure to stop by. For past 3 years, they started to decline in their taste and the quality of the sushi. Last visit I had a week ago, the food was terrible and they confused my name with another person's name on the waiting list. So my family had to wait another extra 35 min with an initial hour wait. The manager was extremely impolite and hesitant to apologize. Sushi Mon is not the same as it was years ago. I won't come here anymore. It's time to find a new AYCE sushi in Vegas.