Las Vegas Cheap Eats-Krazy Buffet

I live in Las Vegas, so I should every once in a while let you know of some cheap eats here, after all, that is what I'm about when I travel to another city or country. It seems like the buffets here have gotten expensive especially on the strip where you will pay around 20+. There are some casinos offering a $44.00 buffet pass good for a 24 hour grazing and I suppose that's worth it if you can eat that much food in one day.

I remembered the days when my in-laws would say you could drop a lot of money on the tables but you could eat cheap, not so much so anymore, so when I find a cheap buffet and it's reasonably good I go back. Which takes us to Krazy Buffet (Asian inspired) and krazy good! It's not any where near the strip which probably explains the cheap price, but if you find yourself on the westside (near the Lakes) it's worth the money and the stop. High praise from someone like me, jaded from the array of buffets in town.

I couldn't wait for it to opened a few years back and the price was so cheap, $10.95, I was like they could never keep these prices low what with all the crab you can eat, it has to go up. Well, it stayed at the amazingly low price until just recently. We were there last week after a month long absence, the food was plentiful and the variety amazing, but they did raise their price to $11.95 for dinner. A small increase to pay for an incredible display of seafood and sushi. The offerings: Snow crab always restocked steaming and hot, a variety of sushi and fresh sashmi tuna, California rolls, spicy tuna, tekka maki and other assorted sushi rolls. Soups include won ton, egg drop and a great miso soup loaded with seaweed and tofu. The buffet of Chinese dishes displayed are salt and pepper crab claws (delicious) or salt and pepper shrimp, chow mein, orange chicken, large raw oysters, mini clams in a delicious black bean sauce, ginger garlic tilaipia, sauteed Chinese greens, asparagus, pot stickers, spicy chicken wings, chow mein and fried rice. Are you hungry now? Desserts offerings, fresh fruit, mini cakes and my favorite sesame balls filled with red bean paste, don't say yuck until you try them fried warm and delicious!

Psst-Please don't let the cat out of the bag, I hate waiting for a table!

8095 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89117-1958(702) 869-6699. Locals look for their 10% coupons in the Summerlin newsletter.

Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry Sauce And My Chicken Thigh Recipe

I think you are either a curry person or not. For me I’m not or so I thought until I happened upon a restaurant while away for work in DC. I’ve written a post about this place, Big Bowl in Town Center, Reston VA. They are the kind of place, pick your sauce, pick your meat, pick your veggies. So I picked the crispy chicken with green curry sauce. How bold, how daring since I don’t even like curry. Let me tell you it was sheer heaven. Every time I have to travel to DC for work, I’m panting for the Big Bowl. But this post is not about Big Bowl, yes you are good and yes you need to open a restaurant here in Vegas, this post is about finding the next best thing to Big Bowl or at least to making your own Thai Green Curry. Trader Joe’s Thai Green Chili Sauce.

First let me say, I love, love, love Trader Joe’s and if it were closer to my house I’d be there every week. Yesterday when I was there, I just happened across the Thai Green Curry Sauce. Of course I’m always a little wary of bottled sauces, they never live up to their promises, either no taste or weird taste.

So I’m planning Sunday dinner. What to have? I’m thinking some kind of chicken thigh recipe Thai or Vietnamese style, you know with lots of veggies. I saw a Rachel Ray recipe where she made some Asian inspired chicken dish that she poured over chopped head lettuce. That sounded so good.

So here’s my take, delicious, healthy and extra fabulous with Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Sauce!

1 package of chicken thighs (my daughter won’t eat any other part of the chicken-too dry she whines!)

Place thighs in a bowl. Add soy sauce (or teriyaki sauce) grated ginger (did you know you can freeze ginger root-peel and freeze and so easy to grate frozen-that’s a Rachel Ray tip!) add garlic.

Refrigerate for an hour or two. 1 red bell pepper (sliced thin) ½ package of shredded carrots 1 shallot (chopped) 3 minced garlic In saute pan, heat up olive oil and add shallots, cook till tender, add thighs and cook till brown.

Now you can either slice up the chicken thighs before cooking, but I think it’s easier to do when they are finished cooking. Take out of pan and when cool enough to handle slice up the chicken thighs.

Add a couple of drops of sesame oil to the same pan you cooked the chicken in, when pan is hot add sliced chicken thighs, red bell pepper and garlic.

Toss until hot and add Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Sauce. I used about a little less than half the jar. Stir until sauce is heated.

Chop ½ head of lettuce and put on platter

Cook up ½ package of Mifune rice noodles, drain and put on top of head lettuce

Pour chicken and sauce over lettuce and noodles

Top with bunches of cilantro and mint

I added ½ chopped jalapeno to my dish, I like things extra hot, but the sauce alone has the perfect kick to it.

Two words, OMG good! Even my fussy 13 year old daughter said she loved it. I had to refrain myself from licking the fry pan it’s that good! What’s not to love from this dish, it has salad, meat and veggies and pasta, and it’s tasty and healthy!