The Market Place Cafe @ California Hotel & Casino

This is located in downtown las vegas. just drive north on the strip til the end. you will drive thru motels, wedding chappels, hole in wall eateries.

I recently spent some time in Vegas with the family. I have the opportunity to sample more of the local Vegas cuisine. Although I still consider it to be the culinary boondocks unless you go to the hotels, there are yummy dishes to be had.

A favorite of ours, and probably of most people who come from Hawai'i, is the Oxtail Soup ($5.99) at the California Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Affectionately known as "The Cal", this hotel attracts so many Hawai'i locals, you feel like you're on another island--albeit a smoky, seedy, dark kind of island. Indeed, they are promoted as "the Hotel with Aloha Spirit." Their 24-hour Market Place Cafe serves many local Hawaiian dishes, and if you're lucky you'll often have a coupon for their goodies, allowing you to dine under $3. The oxtail soup is served only during the graveyard shift--from 11pm to 9am 11am. But be warned--if you show up at 9am, don't expect the Oxtail soup to be there--they often run out by the end of the shift. So go early, um, I mean late--start lining up at 1030pm if you can. You'll find a lot of other families have the same idea, and you'll be waiting in a long queue.

But the soup is worth it. More like a hearty stew, the beefy broth is full of chunky, boney oxtails. Chopped celery, carrots, and peanuts are also in the broth, and the soup is served with two scoops of rice on the side, along with a condiment plate full of chopped ginger and cilantro. What a bite! The broth is not too salty, and the oxtails are cooked so tender that they really do fall off the bone.

And when you're done, go ahead and try the penny or nickel slots, or take in the craps table and aim for the Golden Hand--the award you get if you hold the dice longer than what's on record. But that's another story.

Although the oxtail soup isn't as good as the one on Maui, it's definitely decent. Since we visit Vegas more often than Maui now, it's always a must that we end up at the Cal one night for the oxtails. It's tradition, ya know?

The Market Place Cafe, California Hotel & Casino, 12 Ogden Avenue, Las Vegas, NV T: (702) 385-1222