Welcome back!
I’m so glad that you have returned after appreciating some of the tasteful treats that we found on the Foodie Tour on the Strip! If you are just joining our foodie tour family, don’t hesitate to go back and familiarize yourself with my previous food blogs. The eats that we enjoyed there are significantly satisfying, and while I know that you are going to like these as well, why not indulge yourself?!
We are going to go a little bit of a different route with this tour. The fact of the matter is, anyone can walk into a restaurant and order food, but I truly want to introduce you to the delights that can be found only by spending some quality time with my team and me. What better way to do this than to join us on the exciting Downtown Delights food tour?!
So, are you ready to see what the buzz is all about?!
The Downtown Project and the Downtown Container Park
The first stop that we are going to make today is at Downtown Container Park. Now, I understand that this is veering off a little bit from what we have previously done, but one of the best things about going out to eat is seeing and enjoying the culture of the city in which a restaurant resides. Since this is such a passion of mine, I want to give you a little bit of history of the Downtown Container Park.
The Downtown Container Park is one of the focal points of downtown Las Vegas as it is a new concept to city living than what was formerly found here. Take a moment and think about what you think of when you think of Las Vegas. If you are like any other tourist, you are most likely thinking of the bright lights of The Strip, Elvis weddings, live shows, and crazy stories that are supposed to be left here. These ideas aren’t uncommon! For a long time, that was all that Las Vegas was and so it isn’t a surprise if that is what comes to your mind.
Las Vegas is coming to be something so much bigger than that and the Downtown Container Park is part of this revolutionary change. Just over five years ago, the owner of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, spearheaded a project, The Downtown Project (the DTP), in the hopes of creating, essentially, a city within a city. Highlighting culture, shopping, entertainment, and more in order to make a mini-metropolis where his staff would be able to partake of all these bonuses, simply by walking around the neighborhood. While there is some controversy with the success of The DTP and the goals put forth by Mr. Hsieh, it is fair to say that it isn’t hard to find enjoyment at the Downtown Container Park.
The Downtown Container Park is comprised of just over 40 shipping crate containers. These containers now house a variety of different attractions, including nail salons, restaurants, boutiques, and because you really are still in Vegas, a wedding chapel. The containers are placed for ease of shopping, dining, and entertainment for all generations.
Today, I am going to introduce you to two restaurants inside The Downtown Container Park.
A Special Kind of Hot Dog
The first eatery that we are going to stop at today is called Cheffini’s. Cheffini’s started out as a hot dog street cart out on Fremont Street. Cheffini’s built up the name by catering to the needs of the late-night revelry makers. Opening nightly from 10:00 PM – 4:00 AM, Chef Chepe had fed thousands with his Colombian-style hot dogs before the Downtown Container Park became an option. But, as the opportunity became available, Chef Chepe jumped at the chance to have his own brick-and-mortar where he could continue to serve his specialty dogs.
Other than eating it with me, what makes a Cheffini dog so special? First and foremost, I would have to say it is the use of their signature pineapple sauce. Now, before having a Cheffini dog, I NEVER would have imagined putting pineapple sauce on a hot dog, but….WOW! There is something about pairing that tangy sweetness with the juicy bite of hotdog. On top of this interesting pairing is a true classic duo for hot dogs. “What is that?” you ask? Well, potato chips, of course! Yep, you’ve got that right, not only does the Cheffini dog come with a sweet pineapple drizzle, but is topped with crushed potato chips. To round out the bite, this signature dog is also crowned with onions, jalapenos, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and mozzarella cheese! Oh my! Talk about a mouthful! There is a reason why this hot dog has made a name for Cheffini’s and one of the main reasons that they were able to bring their business from the very busy Fremont nightlife to the more family-friendly environment of The Downtown Container Park.
There are a number of other choices that can be found on the menu at Cheffini’s so, while you may be savoring a Cheffini dog with me, you are welcome to return and give one of their many other flavors a try or even sample their delightful deep-fried hot dog over French fries, known as salchipapas!
If Not a Hot Dog, How about an Effing Taco?
Wow, so that escalated quickly! In all seriousness though, I am going to treat you to Pinches Tacos, which are some of the best tacos around! While we have a large Mexican population here in Las Vegas, a lot of the traditional dishes have been mixed up in the American melting pot of taste. With this, unfortunately, traditional flavors have been lost or simplified and are getting harder and harder to find. That is a large part of why I like bringing my foodie friends to Pinches Tacos.
“Pinche” in Spanish, as many of you know is, actually translates over to English as the F-word, however, there is a story that goes behind this unexpected name.
The family legend of the owners of this taco bar is that their forefathers traveled with Pancho Villa as his cooks. After a long day of campaigning, Pancho Villa would return to camp and yell, “Pinche traime unos tacos!!” (Cook, bring me some tacos!!). There you have it, Pinches Tacos was born. Thank you Pancho Villa!
With my tour, we are going to celebrate Mexican culture by relishing Elote, which is a traditional street vendor dish south of the border. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this vegetable masterpiece, let me fill you in. Elote is a cob of corn which is then smothered in butter and mayonnaise. Then it is sprinkled with cotija, which is a Mexican cheese which is similar to the Greek feta, and then dusted with chili powder. Just ask anyone who has tried Elote, this is THE WAY to eat corn!
To wash it down, we are going to be sipping on their Agua Fresca (fresh water) which is a refreshing drink of sweetened fruit water. The flavor we will be enjoying is a sweet and floral hibiscus that will complement your Elote just right.
Have I intrigued you enough to come and see what Downtown Delights we can offer you?
Are you ready to see what the buzz is all about?!
Book now and we’ll see you soon!
Kathryn
