Our foodie phase continues, for which we make no apologies. Well, we are sorry about the deep-fried Twinkies. That's just so wrong. We'll counteract that heart-attack-on-a-paper-plate nightmare with a healthy dose of garlic.
We're not sure when the Garlic Cafe originally opened, but we do know it was open in 1993, since Anthony Curtis had one of his more memorable (for the wrong reasons) dining experiences there and reviewed it for the July Las Vegas Advisor. This is what he wrote at time:
"You'd better be a garlic-lover! Literally everything from soup to drinks is garlicized at this non-casino eatery at 3650 S. Decatur Blvd. A big menu features about 25 good and garlicky versions of pasta, chicken, steak, veal, pork, fish, and vegetables. There's also a separate lunch menu with submarine sandwiches, ribs, and other midday fare. The restaurant is trendy with an acoustic guitarist during dinner, as well as crayons and drawing-paper tablecloths for doodling, drawing, or writing restaurant reviews.
"You don't have to be too afraid of the garlic; intensities can be toned down (or up) to specifications. But beware! Those aren't candy-covered nuts on the bar; they're chocolate-covered cloves of garlic. Ycccch!"
Sixteen-odd years later when he was prompted to recall this incident, the unpleasant experience was evidently still vivid: "It stands out for one bite. I thought I was trying a chocolate-covered cherry and it was garlic. Brutal. Got the flu that night and puked garlic for hours. Horrible."
So, that was the original version. At some point thereafter, the Garlic Cafe closed down, but then in the fall of 1998 it was reopened, at the same location, by former Las Vegas entertainer Nalani Kele, famous for her long-running Polynesian Revue, which opened at the Stardust in 1959. The new restaurant enterprise was a partnership with her husband Jesse Jones and brother Tom Padaca, who was General Manager and an experienced restaurateur in Hawaii, who the former performer convinced to move to Las Vegas when she acquired the failed restaurant.
It sounds as if they traded on the entertainment connection, with dishes rejoicing in such names as Sy Sperling's Angel Hair Club for Men Pomodoro Fettuccine, Gina LollaBroccoli Salmon and Garfunkle Crust, Garlic Jack's Perfect Match of Scratch and Catch, Thai Me Up, Thai Me Down, Jamaican Me Crazy, and Veal Burt and Ernie. Not to mention the ice cream (the name of which sadly eluded us).
That's about all we can tell you. We haven't been able to find out when it closed, or why, but it's been a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Huong Saigon for several years now. We can, however, provide a recipe for garlic ice cream. We found a few online and this one comes courtesy of Gilroy, CA, home of the famous annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, where they actually give away garlic ice cream for free!
Makes 1 quart Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Put milk, garlic, vanilla pod and seeds in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and remove immediately. 2. In mixing bowl, whisk the cream, sugar and egg yolks until combined. Whisking constantly, slowly strain the hot milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. 3. Return the mixture to the pan and stir continuously over low heat until it thickens slightly, and coats the back of a spoon, about 10-12 minutes. Do not boil! 4. Pour in a bowl and chill over an ice bath. Pour into ice cream machine and churn until done. Freeze until ready to serve.
P.S. In the course of researching this answer, we came across a site called Scoopalicious, which had a
