Q: Ahh our second anniversary...we wanted to make it special and try out a few items at KALU to start the night off right. Overall, an B for effort, D for execution. Hubs and I made an 8 pm reservation on Monday night...yes, I expected it to be pretty dead on a Monday evening, but it was our anniversary so we didn't care. We drove up and circled the building for 10-15 minutes trying to find a place to park. After pulling into and out of a handful of different restricted parking lots, we chose the lot across the street from the restaurant. The sign said $5 after 7 pm but the closer of the two scary little boothes was "out of order." So, we rolled in to sit down. Upon entering we asked about parking - where the eff do you park around here? The lot across the street, for $5 apparently. And make sure you pay, because they do come often and check! So, hubs trekked back out to the working (scary) booth to take care of it. FYI - the booth takes cards. Overall, not an awesome start...and they don't have valet on the weekends either. On to the ambiance - it's lovely inside. Tons of modern Asian influences and big, BIG tables - which was a bit weird for us and we were sat at a 5-top with only two people. Not so romantico, but whatev. Our waitress, Lolita, was super sweet and offered a few different options to work through the menu...I will say, though, if there were more people in the restaurant we wouldn't have been able to hear her! She is incredibly soft spoken. Chef Bryan is also extremely hospitable and really made sure that we were comfortable with the menu and ensured that we enjoyed our dishes. And food...here's what we ordered: KALU Ginger Ale: 2/5: An interesting and super sweet combo of ginger ale and an assortment of upscale booze. A little too sweet for me. Wasabi Roll: 4/5 (on the house): Chef Bryan sent this out and made sure that we could "handle the heat." Indeed we can! It was a great start and completely cleared my sinuses! I'm not sure exactly what was in it but it was different versions of wasabi, shiso and rice. Rock shrimp tempura: 1/5: Mah-jah bummer here. I was expecting something completely different...I read tempura shrimp and seasonal vegetables...what came out were huge clumps of french fries with a tiny amount of shrimp and scattered veggies. Pork Shu Mai: 2/5: Meh...I didn't like the flavor of the pork...but I know hubs did, though. Not a bad deal for the price...3 for $9. I'd like to try the shrimp next time. Wagyu steak: 3/5: (cooked on the rock): A delicious cut of meat, albeit extremely overpriced at $25. Instead of the pesto topping, it was made with black sesame - a really nice touch. So, will I be back to Kalu? Doubtful...especially considering the cost!

A: negative

Q: I really wanted to like Strip House. They've got a great looking room, and a good reputation. But the wine selection wasn't that great and the food was just kind of blah. It wasn't a bad meal, but it wasn't an exceptional meal either, and at the price they charge for a hunk of cow, I want my food and wine to blow me away. Vegas has some exceptional steak houses. Strip House needs to up its game.

A: negative

Q: haha. a disclaimer: imma not a big strip club goer, but i had to write a lil review of this fine establishment.. 4words: the costco of stripclubs.. wow.. this place is huge.. and to my new friend that i made that night.. good luck on that broadcasting career!!

A: positive

Q: We were greeted and seated near our reservation time even though the restaurant was very busy. Our server was quickly at our table and very attentive at first. We ordered our drinks and food and all was well. However, an hour later our server explained that there were a number of large parties who were getting their food before us so it was taking this long. He delivered our food and never came back to the table. My order was correct and fairly tasty but my wife's order was wrong and there was never anyone to ask about correcting it. Very long wait for the wrong food and very disappointed in our experience. There are quite a few restaurants downtown, this will not be on our short list for another visit.

A:
negative