Laughlin Chef Food Fest 2013

26th Annual Chefs Food Fest presented by the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce.

Guests can enjoy the cuisine from over 20 of the Tri-states finest restaurants.  Experience amazing food, spirits, brews and wine tastings.    

After your the delicious food, enjoy and dance to entertainment by Matt Farris and his Kinfolk Band

Each property plans and prepares months in advance in hopes of winning 

“Best Booth Design” and “Best Food Creation”

June 20, 2013  5:30PM at the Aquarius Pavillion 
Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada

Tickets are $50 per person 
A Full table (of 10) can be reserved for $500

Mark your calendars now and book early, because this event sells out quickly. 
Proceeds go to the River Fund, Inc. benefiting struggling local area residents.

Tickets are available by calling the chamber at (702)298-2214 ext 20.
They are also available in the Chamber of Commerce office located
at:
1585 S. Casino Drive (across from the Riverside Resort and Casino)
Hours: M-F 8:30am - 4:30pm

Admission is restricted to 21 years of age and over. 

Laughlin Labyrinth

Who would of ever thought a series of Labyrinths would be located in Laughlin, Nevada?  Turns out there are four* of them.  One afternoon when it was a bit cloudy and cooler we took a short hike up to the site of the Laughlin Labyrinths.    

*Update 1-26-15   Now there are 7 or 8 Labyrinths  

The Top of Hill in Front of the first Labyrinth

Laughlin Energetic Labyrinth

Benches located near the Energetic Labyrinth

Destiny Labyrinth

Spiral Labyrinth

There is a fourth Labyrinth located a bit further down another path.  We will see that one on our next visit.     In addition to the energy and peace of the Labyrinths, one also gets a good view of several of the Casinos and the mountains from the top. 

Casino in the distance on Casino Drive

Tropicana Laughlin over the other hill

The Golden Nugget Laughlin just down the hill.

The Labyrinths are really easy to find and only a short walk.    

For more about the Laughlin Area visit us at 

http://www.laughlinbuzz.com 

Alberto's Restaurant and Lounge

Alberto's Italian Restaurant and Lounge - Lauglin, Nevada

As an alternative to the usual spots on Casino Drive or driving into Bullhead City we tried Alberto's restaurant one night for dinner. This is a small local place with a few booths and tables.  They feature a diner/cafe type menu with a wide variety of choices, American, Mexican, Italian.

The best thing on the menu is the Broasted Chicken. Delicious, crispy, cooked fresh and delicious. Be advised the menu asks to allow 25 minutes for this order. So get a drink, have an app and relax, it is worth it. Our party had a bowl of chips with salsa and mozzarella sticks. Both were good.

Other dishes those in our party tried:
-Meatball Sub - very large, had to take half of it home, sauce was good, meatballs very tender, bun was fresh.
-Burgers - large, well cooked, can get a number of varieties of toppings.
-Chicken Quesadilla - this was probably the least favored dish ordered, mostly because she preferred a white meat chicken, didn't care for the dark. Large portion again.

There are many other choices, something for everyone. From what we could tell everything looked decent. Will have to go back again to try some of the other items.

The staff is very friendly, goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable and absolutely no issues with poor service that you sometimes find at other places in Laughlin. Prices are fair for the portions. Seems very popular for people eating in and picking up to take home.

They share a space with Alberto's Lounge (right next door) that has video poker machines. Plus there is easy parking right outside the door in the Laughlin Town Center off of Needles Hwy.

Laughlin Town Center

While you are at the Town Center there are a few other spots to choose from.

+++Update:  October of 2013.   Sad to report that the Brown Bear Coffee Den has closed!

Brown Bear Coffee Den

Humberto's Mexican

Mama's Pizzeria

For more about the Laughlin area visit Laughlin Buzz at:
http://www.laughlinbuzz.com 

A visit to the Food Court at the Laughlin Mall

Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin Outlet Mall on Casino Drive

Update:  Laughlin Mall Sold.  New Owners, New Name.  See Press Release Here

The past two years has obviously been tough times for businesses trying to stay open in the Food Court at the mall in Laughlin.  In less than the last two years McDonald's, Dairy Queen and Orange Julius closed.  So did a Pizza place, which then reopened and closed again.

** Update (May 2014) - the Pizza location is open again, as Mia's Pizza see details here.

The Rice Garden seems to be the longest lasting place and the only other one currently open is Kappastrami.

Food is sparse in the Food Court.  4 of the 6 spots are vacant.

Food Court at the Laughlin Outlet Mall

Kappastrami in the Food Court at the Laughlin Outlet Mall

Kappastrami
Ever since they opened we have heard good things about Kappastrami.  We went in expecting a very good Pastrami sandwich and were very disappointed.  Even from the first bite it was clear the Pastrami wasn't going to be a favorite.  It lacked any flavor and was dry.  We like our Pastrami lean and this had some chewy fat.  The bun was only semi-fresh and it was smothered in way too much mustard.  The pickles did nothing for the taste either.  We also tried one of their Burgers and the Chicago Hot Dog.   They have several varieties to choose from.  We could see them preparing the burger by taking it out (apparently partially pre-cooked) and putting it in some sort of griddle/heater.   The end result was very unappealing to look at. A grayish mound of meat and this is a kind description. We thought we took a photo of it but don't seem to be able to find it.  The bun was also dry. The fire ketchup was the best part of it.   The Chicago Hot Dog was big, juicy and flavorful.  However, it is nothing different than you can get from any other hot dog vendor that sells them.  Fries were decent, served to us with virtually no salt on them though.  Prices are higher than a typical fast food food court place.  This would be fine if the quality was too.   We normally aren't so critical about a restaurant or meal but this really was poor.  They have a pretty good menu for a food court location.  Unfortunately the food is not up to par.  Apparently there is another location in Bullhead City. The one they had put in next to Walmart has closed.    We may have to try the Hut in Bullhead City as another place to find good Pastrami.

They also serve lemonade.  This looked really good but we didn't try it.  In addition they offer ice cream too.  Since Dairy Queen closed this is something you can only get at the mall at Kappastrami or upstairs at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Rice Garden in the Food Court at the Laughlin Mall

Rice Garden
Rice Garden remains open in the Food Court, despite the one that was at the Riverside closing (and changing to a FatBurger last year).  The fast food Chinese is typical mall food court Chinese.  In our opinion the quality, freshness and selection is lower than at Panda Express (across the street in the Aquarius Casino).    Half the bins usually only have a small amount of items that appear to be there longer than you would like. It depends on the time of day when you visit.  Go when it will be busier at meal times and you are more likely to find fresher choices.  Often you can get a coupon for a 2 for 1 entree, which is a good value.

As you can see the food court is usually not very busy for people eating.  Most people who are there are sitting using the Free WiFi.  We have heard rumors of other places opening but nothing definite.

Share your thoughts by leaving us a comment or visit us on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/laughlinbuzz

River Palms in Laughlin, NV Sold

News from July 1, 2014  River Palms was just sold again, this time for 6.75 Million.  Read the Details Here

The article below is about the previous attempted sale that fell through. 

Update:  As of October 14, 2013 the pending sale was terminated.  See details here.

The River Palms Hotel and Casino in Laughlin has been sold for a reported $7 million dollars.  

Sale of the 1001 room hotel and casino was made to M1 Gaming, based out of Reno, NV. Station Casinos based in Las Vegas had also been interested in the acquiring the property.  

M1 gaming is headed by CEO Dean DiLullo, who said "We plan to make a significant investment in the property and in the Laughlin market. We look forward to building a strong team and developing the River Palms to its fullest potential."

Dean DiLullo was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Before that he was an Executive with Station Casinos for 12 years. 

Tropicana Entertainment Inc, which locally also owns the Tropicana Laughlin, will continue to operate the River Palms until the sale is completed. The final transaction is pending Nevada gaming regulators approval, expected sometime this fall. 

The River Palms is located on the banks of the Colorado River on Casino Drive  

http://www.laughlinbuzz.com

First weekend in May

The Laughlin River Run 2013 has come to a close but many other events are already gearing up for the upcoming weekend.  The heatwave backed off a bit, next few days should only be in the 80's in Laughlin.  Hopefully the wind will stay down as well.

Smoke On The Water - BBQ Festival 
BBQ, judging, demonstrations, and great food and music all in one.

Live music will also be provided by:
Powerhouse on Friday from 12noon to 3pm
Groove, Inc. on Friday at 4pm
The Mustangs Saturday 4pm-5pm and 5:45pm-7:30 pm

Takes place at the Riverside Resort
Friday, May 3rd  11am - 7pm
Saturday May 4th, 11am - 7:30pm
Admission is free.

Baja Days Festival
On the Riverwalk between the Edgewater and Colorado Belle Casinos.  This is their version of a Cinco de Mayo fest featuring musicians and classic Mexican food with a Baja theme.

Music will include a mariachi band, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, and a Beach Boys tribute band.
Friday, May 3rd 4pm-9 pm
Saturday, May 4th 12noon-9 pm
Music is free, food/beverages sold separately.

In addition
RAMON AYALA 
will be playing at the Edgewater E Center
on Saturday, May 4th at 8PM.


Visit  LaughlinBuzz.Com for more news from the area.

Pizza in Laughlin

Pizza at Pints Microbrewery and Restaurant in the Colorado Belle 

Who has the best Pizza in Laughlin?

After hearing many people say how good it is, we finally tried the Pizza at Pints in the Colorado Belle.   

They only have one size Pizza, which is cooked in a brick type oven you can see from the dining area.  This gives the impression they would have very good Pizzas.   Pricing starts at $8.99 for a pie with just sauce and cheese.  Additional toppings are 99 cents for meat toppings and 79 cents for veggie toppings.  Pretty good pricing in our opinion.  

We had some wings as an appetizer and split one of the Pizzas (three of us).   One of the three of us loved it, the other two thought it was good, just not really good.   Part of the reason was it was just a tiny bit overcooked (see pic) and the crust was borderline on burned in parts.   The cheese was a good quality, the veggies were fresh.  We opted for the Italian Sausage instead of our normal Pepperoni choice.  This wasn't our favorite part.  Small flavorless pieces of sausage.  

Service was terrible once again.   Often this seems to be the case when we have been here.  First of all we visited the day before River Run was about to start.  Already there were alot of "biker crowd".    What was funny was as they sat people they were segregating by age and crowd.  Not in a negative discriminatory way, but they were seating older people and those with children to the far right part of the restaurant and everyone else over in the main part by the bar.  As our party was mixed age they shuffled us into the "older" section.   Our waitress was terrible.  Slow, didn't know anything she was asked, and we could see her off to the side in a room just standing there doing nothing instead of coming out to her tables.  Other staff brought the food and drinks.  No one bothered to clear dishes or ask if we needed anything else or how the food was.  

Pints English Brown 

As always the beer was great.   We even learned after we had a pint that they offer a bigger 22 oz. glass (called a Tall).  So of course, we had to have one of those too!   Had never been told that before, or perhaps it is a new.   

22 oz. Tall 

While it wasn't bad Pizza, the search will go on for the best Pizza in Laughlin. 

Have a suggestion or nomination for the best Pizza?  Go to our Facebook page or send us a Tweet and let us know which one you like best.  

http://www.twitter.com/laughlinbuzz  

http://www.facebook.com/laughlinbuzz

River Run 2013 Photos and More

Updates and pictures from River Run 2013 in Laughlin, Nevada are being posted at

http://laughlinbuzz.com/riverrun.htm 

We will continue to add more over the next few days as we edit and review those sent to us.

If you have photos you would like to share contact us at         laughlinbuzz @gmail.com

Public Safety for the area has reported that it was a "quiet weekend" for the River Run and initial projections were that attendance was up.   More details and our recap of the week coming soon!

Movement at the Colorado Belle Casino

Laughlin, Nevada

Just before River Run we noticed they had taken out a large area of slot machines out near the windows in the Colorado Belle Casino.   Soon thereafter they started to put up walls and build a fairly large room.  Just before River Run started it was finished.

Latest update is that this is going to be the new location for the gift shop.  The gift shop is currently on the upper (second floor) level.   Understandably, the shop will probably receive much more business right on the Casino floor near the River Walk.

New Gift Shop space completed but unmarked as of 4-27-13

The only other places remaining upstairs after Mangia, Tortilla's, and the Cafe closed are the Captains Buffet, Mark Twain's, and the video arcade.   This is a shame as it is a nice big, fairly well decorated space.

For more updates on events in and around Laughlin bookmark
http://www.laughlinbuzz.com 

American Heroes Poker Run a Success

Laughlin River Run 2013  American Heroes Charity Poker Run Tropicana Laughlin Lineup waiting for the American Heroes Poker Run to begin on Friday morning.  American Legion Post 87 and Tropicana Express representatives Tropicana Laughlin reported (on Twitter) that the American Heroes Poker Run collected $3,465 with 336 riders. 100% of the benefits go to the the American Legion, Post 87.   For more pics of the River Run visit us on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/laughlinbuzz