The Unqualified Culinary Critics

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Hello and welcome to the Unqualified Culinary Critics. We are a local Vegas podcast that celebrates food and culture. Join us as we talk about our food and cultural experiences and we do hope that these stories

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connect in some way to each one of you as well.

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So about a few months ago we did a two-part episode with a local who's been living in the valley for over a year and asked him what his thoughts were about Vegas and residing here. With this episode, we're here with two longtime residents of the Valley, and each of us are going to share what Las Vegas has offered us throughout the years we lived here. So with that, I'll let you to introduce yourselves so that everybody can get a more accurate depiction of all of you, because I don't want to get it wrong. So whoever wants to go first.

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Yeah, I'll go first. Yeah, my name's Ryan Thwart, but I go with my initials RT. I've lived here in the Valley for, I was thinking about it the other day, 34 years now, because I just turned 36, moved here when I was two, so about 34 years. So yeah, long, long, long, long time. I really like working here at UNLV. I'm the production specialist, and no, editing and production specialist, it's a new title, but we just go with production manager, that's a lot easier. So yeah, and I really enjoy working here at UNLV, because I get to work with students like you, Ashley, to teach you guys some of the ropes because I've been doing this professionally for a long time and get to bring what I've done professionally to the table and help you guys learn and be ready for the jobs out there. That same stuff translates into my classes. I teach a few classes here. Just working here at UNLV and doing our production life on the video side.

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All right, and my name is Jennifer Ream and I have lived here in Las Vegas for 35 years and I feel like I'm really dating myself. You guys are all so much younger than I am, but I am the executive producer of UNLV TV and I oversee all the productions and basically the day-to-day operations of UNLV TV. And I love Las Vegas. I'm originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, and I moved here with my family, and I absolutely love it here. Yeah, that's so funny. I was actually just at Salt Lake this last weekend. Oh, were you? Yeah, yeah. I went for the Kilby Block Fest, uh, Kilby Block Party, so. Oh, cool. Yeah. It's really nice. That was my first time there. down that always will feel like home for me, but Las Vegas definitely feels like home as well. I mean, there's a lot of stark differences between Salt Lake and Las Vegas. What made you decide to move over here? Well, I was really, I was forced to move by my parents. I was not happy when I moved. And I would say probably for the first four or five years, I could not wait to leave Las Vegas. And then it just kind of started to grow on me. And now I can't imagine living anywhere else. Yeah, seriously.

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My wife and I have talked about, like, just in conversation about, like, living somewhere else. And it was like, yeah, no, no, we couldn't imagine it. Just because, I mean, growing up here, it was always a 24-hour town. Now, you know, post-pandemic, things are a little bit different. But, like, it was always the idea that I can get anything I want, anytime, anywhere, here in town. That was always so appealing.

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That is so true. When you travel anywhere else.

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And things close.

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It is, it's so shocking to be somewhere and it's like everything's shut down. Yeah, I always feel so spoiled because even this weekend when I was in Salt Lake, I was just like, why is everything closed? Like the festival itself ended at like 10 and I'm like, this is still party hour. Why is everything closed? Yeah, yeah. I remember having that thought when I was in London, and my husband and I went out to dinner and we were like, okay, let's go do something. Everything was closed. There were no stores open. I mean, everything was shut down. And I'm thinking, we're in London, you know? I don't know, I'm thinking, you know, international city. And it was just dead. Yeah, I had the same thought when I went last year too. And then in Barcelona, where they do like the siestas as well. It's just, it's so weird. I'm like Vegas really has us spoiled. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I was actually born and raised here in Vegas. I did grow up going like back and forth between here and Mexico, but it, you know, just mostly here. You know, I love the city, like I live on the east side, so you know, I like the area I live in. I love Vegas. I know a lot of people who are born here and raised here are like, you know, they hate it But I don't know. I think this is such a fun city and especially once you turn 21, there's a lot more things to do

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Yeah, I you know growing up here like Vegas is all I know I've lived here since I was two So it's like this is basically all I know So for me when I turned 21 is like going out to clubs and going out to bars wasn't really all that appealing But yeah, it just really wasn't all that, and especially gambling. Gambling has never been appealing to me here in town. So it's like I've never really bothered with it. But growing up here, yeah, it's like, when this is all you know, like for me personally, I just didn't really care about going to the strip. I had been there so many times before. I had been to all the casinos, it's like, eh, I wouldn't have worried about it. And then when I turned 21, I could actually go enjoy it. Yeah, I can do that anytime.

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Yeah, no. I would say I spend most of my time avoiding the strip. Yeah Everything that the tourists come to see I try to stay as far away as possible Sometimes we got to go there for work for those things from time to time videographers

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Yeah so I

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Avoid it at all costs and I think that's interesting because everyone comes here for the you know nightlife the excitement everything and I can't remember the last time I went to the strip or hung out or did anything like that. It's just a different mentality. And I think that's what a lot of people don't recognize is just the life here in Las Vegas away from this. I live in Henderson, really far away. So I mean, it's not too far, but I definitely love where I live. And it really is its own community and you know Activities and things like that and there's I've just never found a need to go to the strip Yeah, no, I always think it's funny whenever like my friends from out of town come to Vegas. They're like, oh Victoria What should I do? What do you recommend? I'm like, I literally go to four places two of those are my job So I'm like, I don't know like for me It really isn't about like gambling or drinking or anything like that. Like my big like vice is going to concerts. So that's why I'm just like, once you're 21, there's more concerts to go to, because there's a lot of age limits here.

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Yeah, definitely. I just went to a concert with some friends a couple of weeks ago, and yeah, we're all in our mid, late 30s, so it was like, I'm a little tired. I was way tired afterwards, so stoked to go home.

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But I think we are spoiled in that if we ever wanted to do something, I mean, pick any day, any night, and there would be something that we could go do.

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Yeah, definitely.

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I mean, I'll be quick with mine. I mentioned in previous episodes, I've been here for like over 15 years. I'm originally from Los Angeles, so I moved here when I was like maybe four or five, but I don't really remember. So yeah, I lived in Summerlin before, and then I eventually relocated to where I'm at right now. I like the Southwest and the Henderson area because it's just really nice and it's just not a lot of action. I try to avoid the strip myself because I'm not... I'm very introverted. I don't really like to be in the crowd that much, but if I really want to go somewhere that's nice, like a steakhouse or go to the mall, then you know I'm going to have to you know make that sacrifice, so you know that's just how it is, but yeah I mean, I really enjoy Vegas. I happily consider that my home like at one point I almost didn't go to you know V for college because I want to go back to LA But then like it gives me know what it's better that I just stay here. It's practical. It's better It's just it's for the best so and you know I'm happy that I made that choice since

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Yeah, I actually ended up having to make that choice when I was going to college too. I don't tell a lot of people, but I actually got accepted to two other schools before I decided on UNLV. But that was also when I was a music major. I had gotten accepted into U of A, Tucson, and SDSU, but not the one you think. It's actually South Dakota State University, so that would have been so cold. But yeah, I had gotten into both of those music programs, and just the out-of-state tuition up against here in the music program was like, yeah, I need to stay here.

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So, yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I was between here and UNR when I was making the decision and I was just like, it's less money here. And also like, I don't know, I don't like, I like that I came here, you know, I liked my UNLV experience, even though, you know, it was very stressful. College is always stressful regardless of where you go. But I really, I really do like, I like what came out of it. Everything, like all the people I met and everything. It did suck, though, because like half of my college college experience was during COVID. So, yeah.

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Yeah, no, it's funny, like the whole college experience, I was just thinking about it the other day, because like the classes that I teach, I took also because I teach in this program. I ended up graduating from this program before. So it's kind of funny that I thought I was a terrible student. Like I thought I was a terrible student. I hate doing homework. I hated doing homework. Now I don't like homework for a different way because now I have to grade all the assignments. So it's really weird just the way we all kind of grow up. Yeah.

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And I actually remember RT when he was a student in the program because I've been here at UNLV for over 20 years. And back then, I probably wouldn't have pegged you as a future professor.

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Definitely. I definitely wouldn't have thought so. I wouldn't have thought so either.

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Yeah, but it's fun to see your career and how you have grown and learned in the industry and to see you back here teaching now.

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Thanks. I appreciate it.

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So for those of you who are, well, I mean, all of you guys are from different cities, but the ones that remember living in other cities, because I know you said you moved here when you were two, do you guys ever think about going back?

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Well, with me, I kind of don't see it anymore. I mean, I'll be happy to visit. I have family in LA, but I'm going to have to go back to see my family at some point because it's been so long. I haven't seen him since 2020, actually. I haven't even left Nevada since 2020, so I'm going to have to make that change pretty soon. But I would go back for sure, just for visiting.

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I visit Salt Lake regularly. I still have a lot of family there, and I don't know if I could see myself moving back there. The winters seem so cold. And especially after this past winter that we just had and all the snow that they had up there, everyone, all of my family, friends, that's all I heard about was the snow and the cold. And I have to say that's one of the reasons I really love Las Vegas. I love our weather. I enjoy the heat, so the summers don't bother me at all. But I do sometimes miss the seasons that you get in other locations. So it's possible. It would probably take family to draw me back up there. But if all my kids ended up there, then yes, I probably would go back. Well, have you guys thought about, like, ever moving to another city, like, completely different? Like sometimes you're just like, you know what, Vegas, I think it's time to go and think about going to a different city.

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Yeah, it's like I said before, but it's really just like a conversation and that just leads to the realization, like, yeah, I don't wanna go anywhere else.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I say my husband and I were once considering moving to Chicago. He received a job offer and we were probably a few thousand dollars away in negotiating for moving back there, but when we looked at it, we just thought, you know, our family, our lives have been centered in the West. And so it just wasn't enough to entice us to move away. And it's funny because we have good friends that actually moved to Chicago and lived there for about five years, and they just moved back. Yeah, you always come back. And, and they said, you know, they loved it while they were there. But they were so excited to come back to Vegas.

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The winters were worse than probably Salt Lake City ever was.

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Yeah. What about you, Ashley? It's kind of up in the air. I can't promise anything. I can't confirm anything right now. But if it's for like a job opportunity or if I just feel like there's not enough resources here in Vegas, especially with like Mead, then maybe. But where I'm at right now, I would just stay put. But like I said, if there's a job offering or just like good opportunities out there that I would like to do,

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then maybe. But there's no yes or there is no no. Yeah, you I don't know like recently I've been thinking about it, but I'm just like there's nowhere else I'd want to live like like you said cuz like I don't like snow So I wouldn't want to live anywhere like north for sure and then like the heat I don't really mind it and I like one of the reasons why I love Vegas so much is like we don't really deal with Natural disasters like you know, we might get an earthquake or two, like every, what, three years? Like, not that often. And even then they're not like super strong.

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Yeah, they say we get them a lot, but like, I don't know.

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We don't feel it.

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I still don't believe it.

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We are very seismically active. Yeah. I'm like, well, at least we can't feel them too often. But yeah, so I'm just like, there's nowhere else like this place. Like, literally, Vegas is just too unique, too special. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I agree. I say, when I think about moving anywhere, I always think about the bugs and humidity. Yeah. Because, you know, granted, Las Vegas is not the greenest city in the country, but we have very few bugs. Yeah. And if you ever travel anywhere else, especially during the summer months, and all of the gnats and mosquitoes and things like that. I have to say, I feel incredibly blessed that I was here.

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Something I've been noticing, like literally in the last couple days, have you noticed that there's been a lot of grasshoppers out lately?

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Yeah, they're making a comeback.

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If you remember 2019, oh, wow. So I'm kind of wondering if that's gonna happen again.

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Yeah, they're making a comeback.

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Maybe. They are scary. I heard our wet spring contributed to that, so we might be in for a few extra flying friends.

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If they show up in the weather radar, it's bad.

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No, and that's true because when I was living in Mexico or any time that I go back to visit, even in the winter when you think it's not going to be a lot of bugs or anything like that, there are mosquitoes and they will eat you alive. It's so bad. And like, there's like, you know, because my family's from a really small town. So there's like snakes that will go into your house, scorpions, we've found, like when we were there, I found a lizard in my in my mom's closet. So it's like, we don't really get too much of that, unless I feel like the only time you get like weird animals like that going into your house is if you're like in the outskirts of Vegas, you know, in the bigger sense of the valley.

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Yeah, and I found scorpions in this building, actually. Really? And even in my own home. So it was weird, like, we had never had scorpions in our house until about four years ago, and we've lived there about ten years now. And yeah, we never had scorpions at all, and then some guy literally, like, was driving down the street and he asked me, he's like, hey, have you been seeing a lot of scorpions lately? I was like, no, and I didn't recognize this guy. Then a few weeks later, all of a sudden, there was a scorpion. I was like, what was going on with that?

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He placed it there.

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I've always been kind of curious, because that's always been like one of those rumors that people throw stuff like that out. And then you can go out and put your exterminator card on the door. Hey, you got these things?

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That's not cynical.

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No, but usually most people who have seen scorpions like that, it's not like, you know, I see them every day. It's not common.

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It's like, no, it isn't.

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It's occasionally you run into something. Yeah, no, in Mexico, like we see scorpions all the time, snakes every once in a while. And then like, because I lived there when I was a kid, so me and my cousins would like run around and like the mazes and stuff and like run through the maze and like just whatever else was planted. And my mom would always get mad because she's like, you have to be careful, there's snakes there, there's bugs, you know. So yeah, and I remember this one time, we were running around and we, my cousin got lost in the middle of the corn maze and we just hear screaming and we're just like, oh my God, everybody run out. So we run out and she made her way out and she had a bunch of bugs, beetles, stuck onto her. Yeah. So it's like it's nice we don't experience that here. Definitely.

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So I kind of would like to steer away from the bugs for the moment. Just in case anybody's eating while they're listening to this. I'm just saying, kind of curious to know from everybody, what is your favorite part of like your favorite part of town, like living in living here in Vegas, you know?

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I grew up in the southeast, so it's funny, like I've never lived in Henderson, but all my friends growing up lived in Henderson, because I ended up going to basic high school. So yeah, all my friends mostly lived in Henderson, and I never lived there, but I lived like just on the outskirt of Henderson, just right in that southeast area. So yeah, that's where I've always loved being.

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All right, so when I moved here, at the time I thought it was the west side of Las Vegas, which is now basically the center of town, because the town's grown so much. If you look back to the population, you know, 30 years ago when RT and I moved here, it's crazy to see how much the city's grown. So having lived like in Las Vegas and then living in Henderson, I would say I absolutely love Henderson and I live in the the east side of Henderson And so there's for people when we talk about Henderson There's West Henderson, which is all the new development and everything kind of long st Rose Parkway and then there's old Henderson, which is closer to Water Street and in Lake Mead and that's where I'm alright That's where I went to high school when her actually yeah kids do and and so I live a little bit closer to like Lake Las Vegas and I absolutely love it where I am It's away from the city and there's something about Henderson where we have it's it's still a small-town feel. Mm-hmm

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Yeah, I agree because like I was there recently so I know that feeling. Yeah

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Yeah, anytime I like go over there drive through there. I'm just like this seems like a different place Yeah, but it's really just that side of Henderson like yeah the west side of Henderson like in that that st. Rose area, yeah, that's definitely not so much. It's like overdeveloped over there.

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Yeah, it is.

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Yeah, Costco.

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But there's something special, I think, about old Henderson.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I like the Southwest area, and I will agree with the Henderson part as well, because in the Southwest, it's still developing, hopefully not overdeveloping, you know, like Westside Henderson, but like with Henderson, just when I'm driving by like in Water Street area, because like I've done a film in that area, and it's just a beautiful place. It's just silent, it's kind of quiet, but when there's festivals, you know, I kind of stay away from that, but it's just a beautiful place. I like the ruralness and yeah, like you're saying, like everybody's saying here, it's just pretty much a, it's like another town, but yeah.

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Yeah, I mean, like I said, I always got to rep the East Side and I love the East Side and everything, but I think like my favorite part of Vegas is going to have to be downtown. Like I just, you know, I just really like like the Arts District and like even Fremont sometimes. Not like the actual Fremont experience because that place, that place is very scary. But like, I don't know, I just feel like there's always things to do there. There's a lot of cool vintage shops and stuff, a lot of fun places to go out and eat. It does suck a little that it's gentrified, but that's unfortunately bound to happen anywhere. I like that area a lot. There's always something to do there. One of the reasons why I like it so much is because it's a little bit more walkable and like, you know, I really wish Vegas was more of a walkable city or like we had better public transportation. Oh, because I mean whenever I've traveled that's the one thing that I'm just like dang Vegas is missing out for sure. Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I will agree with you on a downtown part because like before I officially relocate to where I'm at right now, I used to stay in downtown, so I stay in Plaza. I've seen just kind of the older part of Vegas before it became like with Circa and you know that those nice casinos, but I haven't been to Circa yet, but it's just when you're in that part of Vegas, I mean that's where Vegas started. So that's, I understand where you're coming from.

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Yeah, no, and I mean, I went to LVA, so it's like, you know, I basically was running around downtown ditching class. I would ditch class and go to the record store that was there, the bookstore, go to the D to the McDonald's there. But yeah, I basically grew up running around those areas anyway, so I think that's why they have such a close place in my heart. I don't know about RT, but I think growing up here years ago, before the city was so big and it did have a different feel. And I know when I was in high school, every weekend we would go to the strip and we would, I guess, I think there are laws now. Yeah, there's not allowed to do that. There's a curfew. They were not in place when I was younger. And so we would drive up and down the strip every weekend. And it was like the greatest playground for teenagers because people didn't care. And we would go swimming in pools, you know, along the strip, ride elevators up and down.

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Yeah, I agree, but we weren't really going to the strip all that much. We were hanging out in the desert, honestly. A lot of my friends drove four by four, so we would just go hang out in the desert because it's a perfect desert town, obviously. Yeah, we did that as well.

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Mm-hmm, so I think we're near the end of the session, but I kind of have like two questions though The first one will be fun Are there any local restaurants here that you recommend and you want to give a shout out to any local restaurants here? Absolutely, I actually just went there the other night a place called golden flower. It's a Chinese restaurant

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Oh, man, they have been like voted best of Las Vegas so many times, so good. It's like really, really, really authentic. Like the family, they, so like the family even shuts down every July, so it's, I've got to go there a couple times before then, because they go home. They go, I don't remember what province of China, but they go home to China for an entire month, and they come back, and they just rock it for those 11 months. It's amazing. So yeah, Golden Flower for sure. Where's it located? Russell and Mountain Vista.

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Okay, I'm about to give it a try because there's a place I like to go in Chinatown called Joyful and they just closed up.

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Sorry, Russell and Pecos. Sorry, Russell and Pecos. Okay, are you good to know? Yeah, it's really not too far from here.

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Okay, cool. Yeah, I want to give that place a try.

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Okay, so this is a very like a hotly debated topic, but El Torito on Boulder Highway, there are some people who are like, you know, it's not fresh enough, but it's like Mexican comfort food and it's a hole in the wall and I think they have some strange hours because it's family-owned and operated, but I know my family and I, we've been eating there forever and we know a lot of you know the servers that have been there and and so that's always been kind of a go-to place for my family.

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LTs man yeah we went there in high school all the time too and it's like it's much like a work I mean you can go to Roberto's and get the same thing that you always have but like there it's just it just feels different yeah going going

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to LTs yeah. Yeah I haven't tried that place but I'll have to check it out. Yeah, both of those. So I've talked about this place, this restaurant, in other episodes but like you know I just have to mention them again because they are really one of my favorite restaurants here and they're also you know like on the east side so close to where I am. But Santa Ana Cafe, it's on Stewart and Nellis and you know like they have a bunch of like Mexican food, Salvadoran food, they have like you know a lot of good Latin cuisines. So yeah, I love that place.

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I might want to go try that place. I am scared of going because of some stuff.

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We don't bite most of the time.

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All right, good. I just want to, I mean where I'm at, stuff happens too, but you know, we don't bite as well. I just got to put it out there. But my place that I would want to give a shout out to and I might have said this in previous episodes is Meraki Greek Grill. It's a wonderful Mediterranean place. I've been there like a few times now. Various locations, the one that I go to. Yes, American Pacific Drive I think. I recommend that place. There's like I said various locations there so if you want to give it a try, please, I recommend it. Just authentic, good stuff. And then, yeah, my final question is just a message. It's basically like this. So does anybody ever like ask you advice if they want to move here? And if so, like, what would you give them? Like any locals that haven't been here for the first time, anyone know what's like secret areas that's like good to go to or anybody that wants to move here, like any messages that you have,

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we've got enough people here. Yeah. No, but, uh, but in reality, like, I mean, it's, it's, it's a great place to live, but yeah, I mean, we, we are getting a little, a little too capacity, but yeah, it's, I don't know, it's hard to say because I mean, we work at a university, so we want people to come in from out of state also. So that's kind of just kind of one of those things. But it's a great place to live. I enjoy it. Don't plan on ever going anywhere else, but we're a little, we're a little fooled up.

0:26:33
I would advise move on whatever side of town you're going to work in. Yeah, so that you don't have to make the commute across the valley. Years ago, you used to be able to do it, like you could get anywhere in 20-30 minutes. Yeah. Things have changed. Because we're so full. No, because they're so full. So I always aim to like not cross the strip. If you're gonna work on the west side, live on the west side. Yeah, no and even if you come here for like to UNLV, live close because for me it had been a

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40-minute commute for four years. I hear people say that all the time. 40 plus minutes. I hear a student, he in my head is like, oh, it's 40 minutes to get there, so yeah.

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Yeah, 40 minutes to get here, and then like 10 plus minutes to find parking, and then walk across the entire campus to get to class.

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Yeah.

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So, yeah.

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Yeah, I'm just basically agreeing with everybody. So all your messages that you have, I'm just going to agree with everybody here, absolutely. So do we have any final thoughts?

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No, just thanks for having us.

0:27:40
Thank you so much for coming on. I apologize for not thanking you in the beginning, but thank you both so much

0:27:45
for coming on. It means a lot to us. Yeah, it's been fun. Thanks. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. This has been a very fun, engaging conversation. I feel like everyone had a lot to say, but yeah. All right, so thank you so much you guys for coming in to our guest, and then thank you so much to everyone for listening. If you guys want to continue this conversation online make sure you follow us on Instagram at Unqualified Culinary Critics and then on Twitter as well at U N Q C U L C R I T and yeah let us know your favorite parts about living in Vegas, your favorite local restaurants. I know we ask that often but it is a very important and crucial question. And yeah, if you guys have advice for anybody in Vegas, your favorite local restaurants. I know we ask that often but it is a very important and crucial question. And yeah, if you guys have advice for anybody else who wants to move to Vegas and you already live here, let us know. Thank you so much.

Transcribed with Cockatoo