Planning a vacation is a personal endeavor, a reflection of an individual’s priorities and passions. Some people gravitate toward luxe hotels with soothing spas; others opt for adventure destinations and thrilling activities. For Emily Romero, the focus of her travels is often food, and to experience the best that a location has to offer, her preparations are rigorous.
“I travel for food,” says the 37-year-old Las Vegas resident, who works in communications for a timeshare company. “I plan a lot of my vacations around where we’re going to be dining during the day.” On a recent trip from Portland to Vancouver, Romero typed out an hour-by-hour itinerary with stops at places like Portland’s Great Notion Brewing and Le Pigeon, a tried-and-true French bistro from James Beard winner Gabriel Rucker. The photos show up on her Instagram feed @eatmelasvegas—a glorious porchetta sandwich from Vancouver’s Meat & Bread, a brownie-studded scoop from Salt & Straw in Portland.
The images blend easily with her usual fare, blistered pizzas and spilling strands of chile-flecked noodles from some of Las Vegas’s best eateries. “I will definitely try anything,” says Romero. “There’s no limitation.”
Romero’s shots of local eats have earned her more than 19,000 followers, who report back on trying new restaurants and dishes based on @eatmelasvegas’s recommendations. “I just love it,” Romero says of hearing someone enjoyed a dish she suggested. “That’s everything.”
At this time of year, the Southern California transplant says she’s always on the lookout for a bowl of posole and homemade tortillas that live up to what her grandmother used to make during the holidays. She hasn’t found it yet, but when she does, you can bet Romero will post it on Instagram. “I just do it because I love it and I love food. I’ll still be here taking photos of my food till I’m a little old lady.”
Click here to follow Emily on Instagram.
