Vegas Highlights

We had hoped to post daily from Las Vegas, but the hotel's internet speed was abysmal and Blogspot was likewise conspiring against uploading photos.Thus, here's a quick photo summary of highlights from our trip last month.

If you walk (or take a cab) up toward the Stratosphere and hang a right (east) on Sahara, a ways down there's a nondescript strip mall containing Lotus of Siam. Amazing Thai food. Dine early or late or make a reservation. Super busy. Really tasty.

Next up, we enjoyed a nice meal at

Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steakhouse.

I got the strawberry stout cocktail since I was determined to try new things on this trip. Surprisingly delicious (since I'm not a beer drinker). The beet and hamachi salad was the meal's highlight. Hubs had high praise for his steak, but my entree wasn't anything to write home about.Our friends seemed to like their dishes.

In the "things to do" department, the Flamingo had a fun, albeit small, show featuring impersonators of Madonna, Elvis, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, and others. We also saw Love - the Cirque du Soleil show featuring Beatles music. Their shows are always top-notch.

A visit to the Gold & Silver Pawn shop was somewhat of a disappointment. Big crowds, none of the stars from Pawn Stars, and nothing worth buying. 

Back to eats, our favorite stop on this trip was Society Cafe in the Wynn- Encore campus. Fantastic burgers, unique and delicious cocktails, and really tasty desserts. Menu highlights from the two meals we had there included The Dream - a sweet but refreshing cocktail featuring champagne, St. Germain, and a preserved hibiscus flower. Main course: the patty melt was to-die-for, with its cheesy crusty bread and juicy burger. For dessert, the donuts are not to be missed, especially with the caramel dipping sauce.

Another to-do: we were super happy with our stop into Count's Kustoms. It's a small somewhat small museum- like showroom of some phenomenal cars and motorcycles, and if you're lucky enough, they'll be doing some restorations and some filming in one of the multiple adjacent garages. (Notice the film crew behind the car on the right). You can also purchase a t-shirt, or (obviously), arrange to get work done on your car, truck or bike.

We did a fair amount of shopping - mostly at pawn shops or the SHOT show - but one day we found ourselves wandering the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, got peckish, and enjoyed a meal at Mario Batali's OTTO Pizzeria. The daily ravioli special was wonderful and the atmosphere of faux Venice sidewalk cafe was fun.

We also enjoyed a lovely hike and drive out at  Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Very pretty vistas, though somewhat overrun with families and kids the day we were there. Maybe a weekday would have been better than a sunny, glorious Sunday. All in all, a very nice trip to Las Vegas. It's a fun foodie place with enough interesting stuff to do to keep most people entertained.

Part Vegas re-cap, Part restaurant review, Part Wine review

Cuz that's how we roll...

We spent a week in Las Vegas earlier this month. Hubs had a conference to attend, so I tagged along, did a bit of antiquing, lots of walking, and we played tourist in the evenings. We ate out a lot, which has gotten very expensive in Vegas. Most restaurants were not worth it, but Circo (in the Bellagio) definitely was. We sort-of ended up there by default, having opted for the dinner-and-show combination to see Cirque du Soleil's "O". (We reviewed "O", "Phantom", and all our restaurants on TripAdvisor if you're planning a Vegas visit).

So, about Circo... We got there early, so had a drink in the bar before our reservation. The bartender was very friendly, and he suggested the espresso martini. It was excellent.

The recipe:
equal parts espresso,
Stoli vanilla, and
Kahlua. YUM!

For dinner, we got a table by the windows, so had a stunning view of the Bellagio fountains. Having signed up for the pre-show dinner, we had limited menu options. After deciding what we were going to order, we checked out the wine list. Yikes! To say it was extensive would be an understatement. And to top it off, some bottles were 5 figures. That's right, over $10,000 a bottle!

We picked a very modest bottle: a 2007 St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel.

The wine had a nice plum color. The aroma reminded me of a shady oak grove on a hot summer day...berries, light oak, and it smelled of cherry with a hint of green grass. The flavor was fruit-forward (black cherry) with a slow building of pepper.

For dinner, Hubs got the salad, which was fresh and light. I got calamari with tomato sauce, which was good. The sauce brought out the sharper tannins and pepper in the wine. We both got the ravioli, which was super tasty. The wine really brought out the sweet butter of the ravioli dish.

Our desserts were tasty and a feast for the eyes. Circo's service was attentive throughout, always keeping the wine glasses full. The fountains were lovely, and it was a great start to our evening.

Just goes to show that you needn't buy a pricey bottle to enhance a fine meal!