The Vegas Strip has near endless dining options with a constant rotation of new restaurants, eateries, and food halls opening (and closing) in an intricate rhythm. The sheer magnitude of choices can be paralyzing.

We were recently in Vegas for only 24 hours, a quick stop “in-between” LA and home. A note to any readers not local to California or the Southwest: no, Vegas is not on the way from LA to neighboring Orange County. However, exceptions must be made for good food. Also, my husband was invited to an expo with media passes.

We stayed at the Sahara which has a few buzzy spots to nosh from award winning chefs (Bazaar by José Andrés, Balla by Shawn McClain) but what topped my list was The Noodle Den by Guoming “Sam” Xin.

Our trip dates shifted somewhat last minute and because of this we had secured no reservations. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were seated with absolutely no wait as walk-ins. However, please keep in mind that this was a Thursday in February.

We were whisked away to a table in the back and I instantly felt the stress and fatigue of a long day melt away.

The menu is edited but not abbreviated presenting plenty of options without sprawl. My impression is that you can do no wrong here, so order whatever strikes your fancy. We started out with the spicy pork wontons.

They were a perfect balance of spice and vinegar. I highly recommend this dish. For me, sharable plates is all about a line-up of flavors that both compliment and counteract each other. The vinegar in this dish acts as the perfect antidote to the heat.

After this, plates started arriving pretty rapidly. We ordered their crispy orange beef. I feel it is important to mention I’m not the biggest fan of crispy or battered beef. I’ve always found the flavor profile confusing – perhaps because I so strongly associate battering or breading with chicken. Well, I finally found a dish that changed my mind.

This dish just made sense. The crispiness on the outside and the tender beef on the inside came together in a way that made me reach for seconds and thirds. A good reminder to stay open to the possibilities and persuasion of food.

We also ordered the hand-pulled chicken dan dan noodles. I’m a big dan dan fan and order the dish often when it appears on a menu. A large, bouncy plate of hand-pulled noodles soon appeared topped with ground chicken.

If this looks a little different than other dan dan noodles, the sauce is hiding underneath. After a good toss, the dish really comes to life.

We rounded out our meal with steamed rice and green onion pancakes. Definitely order the green onion pancakes! If this dish is unfamiliar, don’t think of fluffy, breakfast pancakes. These pancakes are made with dough, rather than batter, so they’re more in the family of a crispy flatbread. I’m obsessed with them.

After dinner, we made our way back to the room for some photo editing (me) and video file transfers (my husband). The glamorous life of content creation. It wasn’t long before we got our second wind though! We boarded the monorail with our day passes and headed down the Strip.

White Castle is perpetually on my husband’s Vegas bucket list. While he made the trek for their famous mini burgers, I had a sweet tooth. I was thrilled to discover that White Castle has cheesecake-on-a-stick. As far as fast food desserts go, this was really delicious! So good in fact, that I forgot to snap a picture before it was gone.

The next morning we continued shooting video at the expo diligently working up an appetite for brunch. Since brunch is a Vegas staple, not having reservations made me a bit nervous. I mentally lined up a few alternates, but luckily my first choice came through. In fact, not only did Lago at Bellagio find us a table, they sat us on the patio – the most enviable seats in the whole place!

Again, I think this was February working in our favor. It was a pretty chilly day which seemed to deter a lot of guests but the sun was out and the patio had heaters.

This was our view overlooking the Bellagio fountains (which, sadly, aren’t active in the morning). Still, it was absolutely stunning! How did we get so lucky?

Any good brunch starts with coffee so I opted for a decaf, almond latte. I try to avoid caffeine as much as possible, but a warm coffee felt called for so decaf did the trick.

For any brunch aficionados, be aware that this menu is truly an even split between breakfast and lunch dishes (some brunches are just glorified breakfasts, which I’m also fine with). The table next to us ordered pizza and oysters followed by pasta and it all looked outstanding.

After some debate, I opted for a lobster benedict. There was no real twist or angle to the food but that’s fine by me. It was a classic dish executed perfectly.

Served with roasted potatoes and a drizzle of pesto (I guess that’s the Italian twist!) I could order this dish over and over again.

The balcony is a small but beautifully appointed space filled with vibrant blues that dance against the watery backdrop. I dream of another brunch here. I scheme of another brunch here. If you get the chance, don’t miss this.