Las Vegas: Food Crawl at The Cosmopolitan Featuring Tekka, Hattie B’s, Pok Pok and Ghost Donkey
The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas is one of my favorite hotels. I love the bars there and was so excited to check out the newish food hall called Block 16. There’s a Lardo (though I skipped — I wanted to go to the original in Portland first), Tekka, Hattie B’s, Pok Pok and more.
First up is Tekka, which is a Japanese hand roll spot.
Hand roll at Tekka
It reminded me quite a bit of Kazunori in Los Angeles. There are set combos. I got the highroller combo of six rolls but then also added a blue crab roll since it’s not part of the usual 6. The highroller set includes salmon, yellowtail, bay scallops, toro, lobster and spicy tuna. As mentioned I also added a blue crab roll.
I noticed Tekka has guest chef rolls so maybe I’ll try the Jose Andres one next time.
Tekka Bar: Handroll and Sake at the Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S., Level 2 (Boulevard Tower), Las Vegas, NV 89109
fried chicken at Hattie B’s
The Nashville hot chicken craze has taken over every major US city. One of the original spots in Nashville is Hattie B’s. I’m always happy to support hometown favorites before someone cashing in on the trend.
fried chicken sandwich at Hattie B’s
The fried chicken itself was good. We didn’t get it too spicy however as I wanted to figure out how much I could handle. It turns out, a lot. Perhaps they toned down the spice for the Vegas crowds?
I must say though the sides were terrible. As someone who loves Southern food and that includes collards, I was very disappointed. I thought the cole slaw was okay but I wouldn’t order it again. I also didn’t like the mac and cheese which is heartbreaking. My friend seemed to be into his banana pudding though.
Hattie B’s at The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S., Level 2 (Boulevard Tower), Las Vegas, NV 89109
green papaya salad at Pok Pok
You can get pretty good Thai food in Vegas. Many are in the International district aka Spring Mountain Road aka Chinatown. However, since we were on the Strip, we tried Pok Pok.
Yes, we got green papaya salad. The salad probably needed a little more heat. I did appreciate the dried shrimp and sliced cabbage. But what’s up with the huge long pieces of green beans? I like to be surprised if it’s a green bean or sliver of chile pepper.
Pok Pok wings
We got Pok Pok wings the same time we had Hattie B’s so it was easy to compare the wings even if they were a totally different style. Now, Pok Pok is known for their wings. I’ve had them in Portland (and Los Angeles). They are best in PDX.
Pad Thai at Pok Pok
To round off our meal, we got Pad Thai. When Pok Pok opened in LA, I loved their noodles spot. I was sad to see it go. This version was a pale reminder of those noodles.
Verdict? Get yourself over to Spring Mountain road for better Thai food.
Pok Pok at the Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S., Level 2 (Boulevard Tower), Las Vegas, NV 89109
drinks at Ghost Donkey
While we were on the food court level, of course we had to go to the secret-ish Ghost Donkey just located steps from Lardo, Tekka, Pok Pok and Hattie B’s.
Inside the small bar, we ordered a round of drinks. The bartender took the drinks seriously but I felt all of them weren’t balanced right. Still, he was nice enough to make us new drinks. It pains me when I have to send drinks back.
Ghost Donkey at the Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S., Level 2 (Boulevard Tower), Las Vegas, NV 89109
I’m glad I tried these new spots at Block 16 but I’ll just go back to my favorite Greek restaurant at the Cosmo, Estiatorio Milos, or go Secret Pizza and have a drink at Vesper bar.
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