Food and Loathing Restaurant Guide -- Ep. 21: Sushi Time!

Before we got into our discussion of sushi, Rick Moonen returned to the guest co-host chair this week, inviting me and Rich back to Moonen Ranch for the recording session.

We began with a quick discussion of where we’ve been over the past week.

Rick mentioned a mezcal party he attended, which I crashed using his name, at Ferguson’s Downtown on Fremont Street. After a brief discussion about his love for mezcal, Rick also spoke about the food at the party, which was provided by the guys at The Black Pearl Cevicheria, who are currently working out of Vegas Test Kitchen.

Moving on to my list of places I’d recently visited, I threw out a quick shout-out to Rollin Smoke Barbecue’s T-Mobile Arena location. If you’re having trouble finding it, they are now in front of Section 8, which requires a little detour off of the main concourse (past Graffiti Bao and Pina Nachos, and around to your left). It’s a pain in the ass to find, but well worth it for the chance to enjoy one of their sandwiches while cheering for the Vegas Golden Knights.

I then shared my tales of the Back of the House Brawl, where I judged a competition between Jessica Perlstein of Main St. Provisions and Piero’s chef Chris Conlon.

Next up, I shared an interview with the owner of the Philadelphia institution Chickie’s & Pete’s, recorded at their first Las Vegas location inThe Sahara.

That was followed by my report from the unveiling of a Mike Tyson Statue at Mulberry Street Pizza in Resorts World.

Following that recording of Iron Mike, I shared my interview with The Garden’s owner Eduardo Cordova, recorded at the grand opening party for his new venue, Star Piano Cocktail Lounge on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive.

To wrap up this segment, Rich told us about his takeout from China Mama on Jones Boulevard near Spring Mountain Road (a place that both Rick and I also love), and a brisket he purchased at Featherblade English CraftButchery.

Our centerpiece segment this week was about sushi in Las Vegas. It was recorded at SushiSamba in The Palazzo. Our guests were SushiSamba’s John Um (follow him on Instagram @ChefJohn) and Josh Bagwin of Sliced Sushi (which, in the time since this episode dropped, has returned to Vegas Test Kitchen).

At the top of this segment, Al noted that Sushi Mon was the first all-you-can-eat place in Las Vegas that he discovered after moving here, although he said he feels it’s changed a bit over the years.

As a lead-in to our discussion on whether to eat nigiri with chopsticks or your hands, Al spoke briefly about the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, describing it as “porn to the extreme” for sushi lovers.

After our discussions of rice, wasabi and crazy rolls, I brought up a pair of high-end off-Strip sushi spots that are known for using lesser-known fishes: Kabuto on Spring Mountain Road, and Yui Edomae Sushi on Arville Street near Spring Mountain Road.

Heading back to Moonen Ranch with Rick and Rich, we speak a bit more about sushi, before I present Rich and Rick with loaf of focaccia that was delivered to me by Via Focaccia in Ellis Island.

Turning our attention to the news, I share some info from AndyWang’s Robb Report story about Chef Gina Marinelli’s new Downtown Summerlin steakhouse Harlo. Among thew many details in the story comes the news that the restaurant is sourcing their caviar from Nina Manchev, who owns the Eastern European restaurant Forte.

Next up, Rich provided his weekly report on fast food and junk food. This week’s topic was hotdog places worthy of Rich’s self-described role as “a man of the people, a simple man with simple tastes.” So where did he go? Here’s the list:

The national chain Wienerschnitzel, which has two local locations on Rainbow Boulevard and one on West Sahara Avenue.

The Vienna Beef hotdog stand near the South Point sports book.

The members-only bulk grocery chain Costco, where he spoke about the classy customers who used to steal the onions. (And yes, this was his favorite.)

Al attempted to reach Rich on his own level by presenting him with a pack of Snap-O-Razzo hotdogs he purchased that day at Green Valley Grocery.

Segueing from hotdogs to cannabis edibles, Rick and I enjoyed some THC-infused Mile High Mints that had been presented to me by food Instagrammer Lindsay Stewart, aka @TheLasVegasFoodie.