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| - My friend drove all the way here from LA to get oxtail at California Hotel's cafe. Having had it 4 nights earlier I really wasn't looking forward to it. But we went and ate. It was not that good. It wasn't salty enough as Saturday, and the carrots, etc., were not cooked long enough. Some of the oxtail were chewy as the meat did not fall off the bone. Not to mention, the fat was not trimmed at all. I stared into a bowl of heart attack. So, instead of ordering a second bowl we decided to go for stop #2...Fremont Casino.
My Hawaiian friend has been telling me about Fremonts competing oxtail for months but I've never dared diverge from the old reliable. It's been close to 10 years since I've eaten at the Fremont's Lanai Express cafe. If you want old Vegas, come here. You will reek of cigarettes like you were the poster child for chain smokers.
The oxtail was not too bad. It's served in a classy Korean ramen plasticky bowl and a separate bowl of rice. The rice is really sticky and clumped together. I didn't bother to try it. The oxtail is cooked with cilantro on top, and shitake mushrooms. Problem is that the mushrooms probably would have enhanced the flavor but it was cold and thrown on it as garnish more so than taste, or else they would have cooked it in the broth. I did get 2 Heinekens for $2 tip as there were slot machines right next to the long line. So, as my friend waited, I played $0.05 poker. I was confused by the screens of 3-6 row poker and how to hold cards. I pressed all over the screen but nothing happened (I assumed it was touch screen, yeah?) So, the beer came before I even lost a nickel. Yup, this college grad got out-smarted by the numerous seniors chained to the machines who figured out how to lose their social security checks while I sipped a beer and stared dumbfounded at the screen. (Just as well, I won't get a SS check when I retire anyway. No need for the early practice.)
Aside from a smallish bowl, plastic, and lacking the magic ingredient of ginger, the broth was tasty and the oxtails were generous. If you don't want to wait until 11pm, this is a viable alternative. It's not a restaurant environment like California so it's weird eating it amongst the hot dog eaters. Almost all of the the tables were sticky and had the previous occupants eating utensils. I was amazed at how many thoughtful people must have came before me who believed in recycling utensils for the next guy to sit down. Thoughtful. Not deserving of their thoughtfulness, we trudged to the Dunkin Donut side and planted our tookishes on there. I looked at other peoples food and it looks like they were pretty good and were large heaping portions. The foot long hot dogs used to be $1.50 for weiner and soda but it's now at $2.99 I think. The old $0.99 shrimp cocktail is still there, minus the celery that used to be underneath it looks like. It used to be served in a plastic wine glass and now it's served in a plain plastic urn looking contraption. Oh how the mighty have fallen, just kidding.
So all in all, it was not a horrible alternative. It was pretty good but it's just too smoky. Personally, I hate smoke and try to avoid them whenever possible. California has been remodeled to look like the Golden Nugget, and doubled their air intakes, but Fremont is still panning for gold in plaid shirts and long johns.
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