House of Blues, Mandalay Bay (Lunch)

House of Blues (4/20/08)

Our first choice for lunch after finally arriving in Vegas and checking in at Mandalay Bay was the Burger Bar, but the wait for a table was nearly an hour. After being on an airplane for five hours with nothing more than a crappy little oatmeal-apple-raisin bar to hold the rumbly-tummies at bay, neither of us were in the mood to wait longer for food than absolutely necessary. And so we found ourselves at the House of Blues, which is located on the outer edge of Mandalay Bay's casino. Regardless of the city it's located in, Jay and I have always had good meals at House of Blues and this was no exception.

We don't usually order appetizers at lunch, but we were both in "feed me" mode. Our choice was something that we've had before and which we knew would be a tasty, satisfying start to the meal:

Pan Seared Voodoo Shrimp with Rosemary Cornbread and Dixie Beer Reduction


This was a very generous portion with six peppery shrimpies swimming in a spicy beer bath. The good thing about this dish, in my humble opinion, is that the spiciness wasn't overdone - it was just enough to set my taste buds a tinglin' without scorching my tongue. The cornbread was great for sopping up the excess sauce and it was just a little sweet, which I actually prefer in cornbread. The only thing we noticed was that it was a tad on the dry side - thank goodness for extra sauce!

Jay's lunch:

Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich with Jim Beam Barbecue Sauce, Cole Slaw, and French Fries


HoB sure doesn't skimp on the portions, do they? According to Jay this was a tasty selection with plenty of tender pork and well-seasoned fries. His only negative comment was that the BBQ sauce was too sweet and I have to agree with his assessment - I had a taste of saucy pork and it was too sugary. Jay is something of a sauce connoisseur; around here we like to call him Marinade Man because he can whip up a delicious marinade off the top of his head in no time at all, and they're never too sweet.

My lunch:

All Beef "Blues Burger" with American Cheese, served on a Toasted Sesame Seed Bun with French Fries


Boring and predictable this may be, but it sure hit the spot! I requested that they cook the burger medium and it was just right, with a nice pink tinge through the middle. The fries were delicious and salty and tasted even better when dipped in cheap yellow mustard.

Aside from several glasses of water, we washed down our lunch with a shared alcoholic beverage: A Category 5, which must be HoB's version of a hurricane. This drink was made with a couple of different rums, cointreau, and fruit juices and it was very, very good. It could only have been better if it had been served in the appropriate goofy souvenir mug as pictured on the drink menu. First the Adventurer's Club stops offering the Yakoose Moose and Monkey's Head mugs and now House of Blues sells out of molded plastic funny-face mugs on a Sunday ... what do two silly DINKs have to do to get their hands on an over-priced drink in a novelty cup???

First drink of the trip, but certainly not the last!


The wacky novelty cup that our drink wasn't served in thanks to a bunch of corporate schmoes who bought them all during Gospel Brunch earlier in the day.


Well, despite the lack of a squashed blue-man mug for our drink, the meal was excellent and we left House of Blues pleased with our choices. The restaurant has been a reliable choice for good food and service over the last several years and we will continue to visit them when we can. You should too!