January 3, 2013 - Harrah's Noodle Bar, Cherokee, NC


 Well,  here we are in our next visit to Harrah's. The first was really a good event. Lets see if this visit will be just as good. The casino is really confusing to around since the renovation. Two large parking decks, valet parking, parking lots..and you really don't know which one you are supposed to head for. Greg (for some reason) knows his way around this place, so I just rely on him to get us where we are going. We always park in the parking deck and seem to be close to the elevators that will take us to the right floor we need to be on.

CASINO PARKING LOT GOING INTO CASINO

BANK OF ELEVATORS LEADING TO CASINO FLOORS

Some of the restaurants are on the first floor and some on the second. I dont' think any are in the Hotel like they used to be. But I could be wrong. The only thing about going to the Noodle Bar is you have to cross over the Casino floor at some point. Which means, you get to breathe in all that lovely cigarette smoke, and end up smelling all stinky... like someones ashtray.

NOODLE BAR MENU

This will be mine and Greg's second visit to the Noodle Bar and the others' first visit. We are missing Beth and Robert tonite. They felt they needed a beach break and so are heading down there. Siiiggggh.... I think I need a beach break too. But not sure one in January would do the trick. Maybe I can hold off til Spring at least. As you can see from the menu, it is not an extensive one. But after this second visit, I can honestly say... you don't need a lot if the food is good. And believe me... it is!

They have appetizers, Congee (which I didn't know what that was), dishes with Sticky Rice (which is steamed rice, not fried), dishes with Fried Rice, and Noodle Soups. The Congee is apparently a Rice Soup, which has been cooked for several hours and the rice is really sticky. Our waitress advised us against it and very adamantly stated we would not like it. She even admitted she didn't like it. She felt it was a dish more for "Japanese" folks.. not regular folks like us. Apparently the Japanese have developed a liking for this traditional dish and have a great fondness for it. We took her advise and steered away from the Congee dishes.

NOODLE BAR MENU AND PICTURES 

We did take our time ordering as we really did not know what to get. The last time Greg and I were here, we just got some steamed dumplings and noodle soups. We felt we needed to stick to something we kinda knew. But this time, we were feeling adventuress. Greg ordered Kim Chee, which is fermented cabbage that has peppers in it and is typically very hot. He loves it. He also ordered the Pepper Steak. It came with steamed rice. It is really good with large pieces of steak, red and green peppers in a brown, savory juice.

STUDYING THAT MENU....HARD

THE NICE LADIES THAT WORK THE RESTAURANT

FRIED LOBSTER MEAT FRIED RICE

FRIED DUMPLINGS WITH SAUCE


I ordered the Fried Dumplings this time, which cam with a plum sauce for dipping. They were filled, fat and flavorful. Very yummy. I also ordered the Fried Lobster Meat Fried Rice. I think I read the menu wrong, cause I thought it was something different. However, I was not disappointed. There were large, tender pieces of lobster in my dish, with egg, peas and carrots. The typical Fried rice. It was really good with some of Greg's Pepper Steak juice on it. I also tried the Hoysin sauce, Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce. They were all good mixed in. The portions were large, and while the presentation was not fancy, it was pretty and just a good hearty dish. 

PEPPER STEAK WITH STICKY RICE

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN WITH STICKY RICE

Lisa ordered the General Tso's Chicken  and it came with Steamed rice. It was also presented nice, with very generous portions. She could not eat it all, so Pam and I helped her finish it off. There were Thai peppers in hers and they added just a little bite. Really nice flavor.

FRIED DUCK WITH GREENS

Rosemary was the really adventuress one tonite. She ordered the Fried Duck. It came with steamed rice and greens. I have no idea what kind of greens those were. I forgot to ask her. Hers' must have  been absolutely delish cause there wasn't nothing left of that Duck but the web between it's feet. I didn't try it but she did say it was really good. She and Lisa also ordered the Fried Dumplings and shared them. They were popular tonite cause Pam ordered them too.

SPRING ROLL EGG ROLL

Pam also ordered the Spring Roll Egg Rolls. Pam was eating light tonite. They do look pretty don't they? They  also must have been really good, cause Pam tried to fanangle another order from the waitress. She is always working an angle. But, its like she said..... You never know until you ask.

KIM CHEE 

We all tried Greg's Kim Chee and it was toasty. Greg of course loved it and we all felt our heads blowing up. That is one thing four menopausal women do not need is more heat.

SOME SATISFIED AND FULL CUSTOMERS....

Tonite was good, with only one drawback. There are no tables at the Noodle Bar. Only one counter. So we all had to eat sitting in a line. This really stifled our conversation and was very awkward. We were not able to talk to each other at all unless you were sitting next to someone. We tried, but felt we were hollering due to the casino noise. The Casino is right at your back. I don't know if you can see it very well in the pictures, but maybe  you can see the poker room no more than 10 feet  from us. The waitresses (Asian) are really funny and informative if you aren't familiar with the food. They were a bit shy about having their pictures taken, but overall were good sports.

Rosemary drew out of the hat and our next stop is Sylva. We will be at the Chinese restaurant next to Roses on Thursday, January 10th at 6:30. Come join us if you can. Greg will be the only one who enjoys that trip, as I can't stand those Chinese restaurants. But.. they do have a Mongolian Bar where they will cook your food to order. That will be what I will be getting, as I am very wary of buffets in Chinese restaurants  ( or any restaurant, really) as the food tends to sit out for quite a while.

On our way out, we checked out the Craps table. I know nothing about Craps and don't understand the table areas. Oh well... I guess I'll keep my money this time.