KoMex Express

It's not often that I get a few days off in a row, but when I do...well, I don't make much use of them.  This week for example:  I finally have three days off in a row and what have I been doing?  Playing League of Legends, going for daily runs and updating this blog.  What I should be doing is finally unpacking and getting situated into my new place so as not to keep my life and belongings so out in the open.  (Humph... A strange thing for a blogger to be worrying about).  

There are so many things that I have been thinking about as of late and sometimes I just don't know where to begin.  That being said, I was excited to hear that my aunt who lives in town wanted to get together for dinner.  It has been over a month since the last time that we were able to spend some time and this outing was long overdue.  Now I am not always one for huge family outings or get-togethers.  My preference is in the cultivation of the connections that I share with a select few family members.  That isn't to say that I don't value the presence and rapport I have of other family members - I do, but I have a few good souls I can call upon in my need or if I just need a friendly ear or mind to bounce ideas off of and my Aunt D is one of them.

D and I are one-in-the-same:  we enjoy being by ourselves and having our own space, crave and appreciate the companionship's that we come to hold dear to our daily lives (an interesting dichotomy) and love to meet each other for dinner to talk about what is going on in our lives and get the aided boost we need from spending time with a loved one.  We are also similar in the fact that when we go out, it takes us an ungodly amount of time to decide where we are going.  This particular meeting was no different.

From the beginning of the night I knew that I wanted to try something new.  The one thing that I had on my mind was KoMex Express here in Las Vegas.  Though, every time I think about a fusion restaurant I get excited, this place has always made me feel uneasy. Fusion restaurants to me means a new twist on something that I already love, but for those of you who don't know what KoMex is...well, it's a Korean-Mexican Fusion restaurant.  Not being a huge Mexican fan this never sounded good to me, but I LOVE Asian food.  Knowing that I couldn't just say let's go here, I threw out some other ideas that would be less appealing and finally (45 minutes later) it was decided.

We looked up the hours and found that the location on 633 N Decatur Blvd Suite H was closed on Sundays, but we were pleasantly excited to find out that there was a second location that was open so we headed down to Buffalo & Flamingo (4155 S Buffalo Dr. #103,104) to try out their second location.

Pulling into the lot it was a typical after thought addition to the mini complex that it was located in.  Walking into the restaurant it is evident that this place was never intended to be the original occupant of the space they were renting, but they tried hard to make it their home.  It was cozy enough as was evident by the mix of people they had sitting at their tables.  With one waitress on staff she promptly greeted us offered for us to choose a table and quickly get our drink orders.  This is the point that I always order a water so as to give me enough time to browse through the menu to decide what I want to eat as well as what I actually want to drink.

I ended up ordering a Full Size Wonton Soup to share with Aunt D, pork belly on a stick, Bolgogi Fusion Nachos (1/2 size) and my Aunt ordered a single Fusion Chicken Lettuce Wrap for herself and chicken and pork belly on a stick to share.  It wasn't long after they brought the complimentary chips and salsa/guacamole basket they we were staring down at the massive amount of food that we had ordered.

Wonton Soup - Wontons stuffed w/ ground Beef & Pork with Mushroom, Egg and Onions in Mild broth

It almost saddens me to have started with the Wonton Soup as it was clearly the favorite dish by the end of the night, but suffice it to say that is where I began.  Not really expecting much from the soup I ordered it really as something to try prior to our food coming out.  Had it not come out at the same time as the rest of the food I would have kindly asked the waitress to cancel the rest of my order and let me have my fill in this soup alone.  Luckily I didn't finish all of my half and I had enough to bring home to savor another day.  (Note to self:  Though this soup is delicious, do not eat prior to a run.  I did and by mile three I was beginning to burping up the garlic that resides in this soup.  Not fun.)

Left to right:  Chicken on a Stick and Pork Belly on a Stick

Next came the (Insert Meat Option) on a stick portion of our meal.  For Aunt D it was chicken and for me pork belly.  Personally, I think I made the better choice, but as she wouldn't try the pork belly I don't have another persons word to compare the two.  So you will just have to take my word on it - the pork belly was by far superior to the chicken.  Though, the chicken was beautifully marinated before it was cooked and never stood a chance at becoming dry.  It's simplicity lead to the possibility to try the many hot sauces they offered.  My favorite was the KoMex hot sauce.  It delivered some nice heat that brought sweat to my brow but not so much as to test my taste buds in a battle that they were never going to win.  See all hot sauce options below.

Clockwise from Top Right:  Korean Sweet and Spicy, KoMex, Salsa Roja and Salsa Verde

That brings us to my last selection of the Fusion Nachos with Bolgogi beef.  What I liked most about this is that the beef was marinated beautifully and was married to the tortilla chips with a mozzarella cheese that pulled to a glorious strand when lifted off of the plate.  The one complaint that I had about this dish is that the Pico de Gallo was a little too sweet or the Korean Hot Sauce is what was explained to be as the Korean Sweet and Spicy sauce.  Either way, I feel that the KoMex would have been a better choice, but other than that loved every bite.

Fusion Nachos with Bolgogi Beef - Meat, Mozzarella Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Jalapeno & Korean Hot Sauce

At the end of the meal you are presented with a fortune cookie and a half of an orange slice up and served with little spears to share.  It brings the meal to the most amazing end as the oranges are so refreshing and cold that there is no way that you could not enjoy your meal here.  The thing that I like about this place so much is that there is a great amount of ability to customize any meal to different meats and non meats alike.  It is virtually friendly for all types of eaters.  Maybe not 100% vegan friendly, but can totally be customized to vegetarians and meat lovers alike.

Hands down I will be back for the Wonton Soup alone and may venture further into their menu, but can now say that a Korean-Mexican Fusion Restaurant is no longer the beginning of my culinary nightmares.  Try it for yourself.  I think you will also be pleasantly surprised.

KoMex
633 N Decatur Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89107
(702) 646-1612

Mon-Sat 11am - 8pm
CLOSED SUNDAYS


KoMex Express
Buffalo & Flamingo 
4155 S Buffalo Dr. #103,104 
(702) 778-5566

Tue-Sat 11am - 9pm
Sun 11am - 8pm
CLOSED MONDAYS


Hope you guys and gals enjoy this as much as I did.  Remember to Comment, Share and Visit some of the sponsoring sites.

And, until next time....
Happy Snacking!

Luke

Crockpot Fig Apple Butter

The other day I polled my Facebook friends about what kind of things they would like to see from a food blog like mine.  As it has been two years since my last post I figured revamping it would be necessary.  The responses I got were that some just wanted straight up recipes, some wanted restaurant and food reviews and one very excited friend just screamed, "CROCKPOT RECIPES!"

I love crockpots.  They are time savers, easy to use and easier to clean.  It's the best way to make food when you are having a lazy day.  Also, it will fill your home with the scent of awesomeness.  And the best part is that there is no end to the number of recipes you can find for the crock pot.  For me, the first one that came to mind was a Fig Apple Butter that I made a month ago.  

That day I wanted a pizza, but didn't want a typical pizza and was feeling adventurous with toppings.  Looking into my fridge to see what I had to work with I started to cry when I realized that I had nothing.  It was my day off from work and I was exhausted. Going to the store isn't something that I wanted to do.  Then I noticed that I had some goat cheese near the back of my top shelf (don't worry, it wasn't THAT old).  Having some apples for an apple butter that I wanted to make I began to look up other recipes that might go with the goat cheese when I came across PaleOMG.com and their Crockpot Fig Apple Butter.  Having all of the items I threw it into the crockpot and went about my day (which then turned into running to the store for pizza dough and prosciutto) and then taking a nap because I had actually RAN to the store.   The rest was up to the crockpot.  So, as to fulfill my friend's wish (and to stop my mother from directing people to other blogs) here is my first recipe for the crockpot.  ENJOY!!

Fig Apple Butter Pizza with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Crockpot Fig Apple Butter - Recipe found at PaleOMG.com

Ingredients

• 20 dried black figs, stems removed, cut in half
• 6 apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener such as maple syrup)
• 3 TBS cinnamon (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Mix well.
2. Put the slow cooker at low and cook for 6-8 hours until apples are completely soft and almost mushy.
3. Place ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.  You may have to do this in a few batches.
4. Store in refrigerator in a glass jar.

This stuff is seriously amazing on almost everything and has a hearty cinnamon flavor to it.  Keep in mind that this recipe can be tailored to your palate especially where the cinnamon comes it.  Some people will love it as it is and some of you will probably want a little less cinnamon in it.  That is okay.  Recipes are meant to be like maps - they only offer suggestions, nothing is definite and the possibilities are endless.  So, eat your heart out Julia Child.

Until next time...

Happy Snacking!!

Luke