VegasChatter

Poutine was one of those dishes once heard about, we wanted to try. This got us thinking about other regional, rare or just plain fantastically off-beat dishes that are, or should be, part of a Vegas experience. It might be just a corn dog (try Hot Dog On A Stick in the Fashion Show Mall) or braised pig's feet ( Bejing Noodle no 9 at Caesars.)

Not so long ago, the idea of walking into a swanky joint wearing jeans and ordering foie gras, escargot and caviar would have seemed wildly inappropriate. Not in this town. Whether you approve of the apparel, the egalitarian air, usual lack of snobbishness and encouragement for experimentation is a hallmark of Las Vegas dining.

Consider the Cosmopolitan's Wicked Spoon buffet. They now offer a previously high-end and rarely seen dish of bone marrow as a standard item among their selections. (It's not always a winner and does need the help of the sea salt they suggest you add.) And, if the thought of exotic meat works for you, how about antelope, venison and wild boar in one wild game testing dish at Mandalay Bay's Tender. Fuddrucker's in The Orleans has an elk burger and occasionally serves ostrich.

How many visitors were switched on to bone marrow by watching Food Network? That's how we were introduced to lutefisk, the delicacy from Norway. It's cod. Aged until it decomposes to smell bad enough to make your eyes water. Hey, its a delicacy. And, only available in Las Vegas once a year at the Annual Sons of Norway dinner. (We all just missed it. It's in our diaries for next year, but someone should step up and sell it all year round.)

If you visit the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay you'll be told how they fish for shark's fin soup. It'll probably turn you off. While high rollers can, nudge nudge wink wink, still order the soup off-menu in many restaurants that feel guilty about the process, it is listed on the Empress Court menu at Casears. They also offer bird's nest soup. You know the one made from swift bird saliva? It's just as controversial. (Hankering for turtle soup? Try Del Frisco's on Paradise road.)

Remember when sushi was thought to be exotic? Now it's available at breakfast buffets in town next to the cornflakes. With news that Nobu at Caesar's has been delayed till the fall, perhaps there's time for the chef's to start training to serve fugu. The poisonous puffer fish that is only available in a handful of U.S. restaurants. If Vegas coupon books advertise sky diving adventures, why not a $10 off coupon to try a dish that could actually kill you, if prepared incorrectly?

And for a real curiosity how about balut? The "fertilized duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell." Popular in the Philippines and we hear it is available off strip. We're currently not that bold.

Why can't we walk into Wynn and order a cup of Kopi Luwak, made from coffee berries that have been eaten by civets and then, um, passed on through the digestive system? Yeah, exactly what what you are thinking. But, no, seriously, we've reliably heard it is amazing coffee. And costs about $30 a cup around the world. Oddly we'd try that as a challenge. Still, not the balut.

For haggis (sheep's heart, lung and liver boiled in the animal's stomach casing.. trust us, nice!), the safest bet is to head over to the greatest supermarket in Las Vegas. The International Marketplace, not far from the Orleans.

This place may totally sate any homesick or curious food craving you might have acquired. An incredible selection of probably every regional cuisine you can think of. Truly an awesome place. But, you will have to cook the food or turn your purchases into a picnic in your hotel room. Kinda more fun. Asian, Middle Eastern, South Pacific, European. All here. From candy and fresh fish to meats and vegetables. They don't have a website and don't advertise. But it's a theme park for food and a real Vegas insider secret. We like to think that every unusual food offered in Las Vegas is sneaked out of the back of this place to the chefs on The Strip, who then claim they ship it in from around the world.

And as a matter of self indulgence, news that restauranteur Mr Chow may finally be heading to Las Vegas reminds us we read they offer fried seaweed on their menus. A staple of Chinese restaurants in London, with the bonus of ginger sprinkled on top, the taste memory still keeps us up at night. That's the one thing we wish were served on The Strip. Let us know of the rare and exotic dish you've found, or are itching to to try on your next visit to Vegas.

(PHOTO/VIDEO: VegasChatter, Wikipedia, iferneinez on flickr)