Posts Tagged ‘las vegas’
Yeah, yeah, I know it’s been quite a while since my last post. Life has been very busy, in a good way, but busy none the less. Posting on the site has not been a top priority, and honestly there have been few instances that would be of general interest to publish. But while I was transferring images from my camera today I found new photos of Hoover Dam that were taken about three weeks ago during our drive to Las Vegas, Nevada. I had taken a few photos of the Dam in September when Pete and I went to Vegas for our tenth anniversary, but just a few short months later the progress that has been made, on the bypass bridge especially, is impressive. I have to tip my proverbial hat to the people who built that bridge, as it spans a huge canyon with nothing but a very long fall below. There were no signs indicating when the new bypass and bridge are to be opened, but I can report that the bypass road is under construction but there remain many places where it does not connect. Obviously there is much work left to be done, but I think that it will eventually provide a much needed route around the Dam for those who have already seen it and are just trying to get somewhere.
Okay, back to the fourth and final installment of our 10th anniversary trip to Las Vegas in early September. (Read Part I; Part II; Part III) The last two places we ate at were Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill at Caesar’s Palace and Yellowtail at the Bellagio where we were staying. Mesa Grill was on the list before we left home, and we were both really looking forward to eating at one of our favorite celebrity chef’s restaurants. So was it good? Yes, the food was excellent as we thought it would be. We started with the Squash Blossom appetizer. They were very good and disappeared quickly. (We love these and always get them at any restaurant that has them.) For dinner I ordered the Fire Roasted Veal Chop with horseradish maple glaze and a wild rice tamale with sage butter. The veal chop was perfectly cooked and so tender; and the horseradish maple glaze was really good, a little heat and a little sweet – just right and not overpowering on the veal. It was wonderful. The wild rice tamale however was really dry, I did not finish it. Pete’s entrée was the Southwestern Spiced Duck Breast with carrot habanero sauce and a chorizo & goat cheese tamale with thyme butter. He said the duck was very flavorful and good, but it was a tiny bit dry and could have used more sauce. The chorizo & goat cheese tamale was much better than mine; he said he could have eaten another one. We enjoyed the food but there was something missing from the overall experience; the ambiance felt like that of a chain restaurant and frankly we felt a tad rushed through the dinner by the servers. Who, by the way, were very nice but a bit cold at the same time. Would I eat at Mesa Grill again? Probably not.
Our final meal in Las Vegas was at Yellowtail in the Bellagio hotel where we were staying. I have to say that this restaurant and Olives, both in the Bellagio, were our favorites of the entire trip. We started with the Big Eye Tuna Pizza, a thin almost cracker like “pizza” drizzled with truffle oil and topped with big eye tuna and micro shiso – it was fantastic! Pete also ordered Akira’s “Shooter” – a Kumamoto Oyster in Blueberry Infused Vodka with Wasabi. I didn’t order one because I don’t like oysters, but the blueberry vodka in that shooter smelled so amazing I doubt I’d even taste the oyster. Pete said Akira’s “Shooter” is probably the best oyster dish he’s ever had! Next we ordered a Strawberry specialty roll (spicy tuna & cucumber), a Soft Shell Crab roll (a must have for me at any sushi restaurant!), an Unagi roll (another must have, we both love eel!), and a Yellowtail Kampachi sashimi plate with cilantro and yuzu-soy sauce. Every dish was gorgeous, as well as being a wonderfully balanced harmony of flavors and textures, and the restaurant itself had a great ambiance. The lighting was very nice, dim but not too dark. The decor is modern and yet traditional Japanese; minimal and artistic. The wait staff was very attentive and pleasant. Oh, and I almost forgot the piece de la resistance of the entire meal was this fabulous custom cocktail they have called a Shiso Sunset – Absolut Mandarin vodka, pink grapefruit juice, and blood orange juice with a shiso leaf garnish. (Shiso is the Japanese word for Perilla, an annual herb in the mint family whose taste is similar to that of mint or fennel.) Let me tell you this is one great cocktail; it’s my new favorite drink. A few days after we returned home our server, Carol, sent us a thank you card – how sweet! Yellowtail was a great dining experience and we would eat there again in a heartbeat. It was a terrific way to spend our last evening in Las Vegas!
Our first dinner was at Todd English’s Olives inside the Bellagio hotel where we were staying. The restaurant had a great ambiance, and perfectly dim dinner lighting. (I think lighting plays a huge part in a dining experience, and good lighting is always a treat that I appreciate.) This was where Pete had a fabulous Salmon BLT (pictured at left) and I had the Sea Scallops with wild mushroom risotto and spinach. The Salmon BLT was so pretty, and Pete said the fish was perfectly cooked. He also really enjoyed the flavorful heirloom tomato, much different than the unripe tomatoes we get in B.F.C., and the apple wood bacon was the perfect topper. My scallops were also perfectly cooked, tender and moist, and the wild mushroom risotto was delicious. I have not had a good risotto since I worked in West Hollywood and was eating at all the wonderful restaurants in the area. It made me remember how much I like risotto, when it is made correctly, and mushroom has always been my favorite. The spinach was slightly wilted and tossed in champagne vinaigrette; it was wonderfully light and fresh tasting.
The next day we took a drive through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 20 miles northwest of the Strip. It’s a 13 mile scenic loop, and costs $5 to enter but it is well worth it if you have never been there before. Of all the rocks I have seen and taken photos of I have never seen rocks like these before. We stopped at the first view point where the sign was to find out what these rocks were all about. It turns out that about 180 million years ago the area was one of the largest sand dunes that has ever existed on earth, and covered almost the entire Southwest. Over time underground water washed away the red color and left calcium carbonate, turning the sand into rock. The plant life was also very interesting; desert plants that look like they lived under water at one time and even pine trees in one area of the park. Pete and I both really enjoyed the time we spent at Red Rock Canyon, where I took lots of photos of rocks that you can see here, but we were getting hungry so we headed back into town and had lunch at a local sushi restaurant called Yama Sushi. It was really good; we especially enjoyed their house special Harry Potter roll. There were other great names like Hand Job, Who’s Your Daddy, Happy Ending, and Strip Tease! (I’m not kidding, just take a look at their menu.) They also had a yummy spider roll (soft shell crab), and an excellent unagi roll (barbequed eel). Mmm, makes my mouth water just writing about it. Okay, I have to stop now. Next up: Mesa Grill and Yellowtail.
Where do two foodies go on vacation? To a place with ridiculous amounts of fabulous restaurants, of course! There are probably several destinations that fall in that category, but for us Las Vegas is the closest so that’s where Pete and I spent our ten year anniversary last week. When we arrived we found out it was also Restaurant Week, how perfect! We stayed at the Bellagio, and ate several meals in the hotel restaurants which turned out to be my favorites of the trip. The first morning we went down to have breakfast and chose the Cafe Bellagio, where we had an incredible Bellagio Classic omelet stuffed with lobster and asparagus. It was sumptuous; I could definitely get used to this every morning. The coffee was very good, dark and strong but not bitter. And they served real cream. Yum. We’re off to a great start.
Outside of the Café is the botanical garden so after breakfast we walked around and checked it out, along with the pretty birds in the aviary – click here to see the Bellagio photo album. The animals they made out of flowers and plants were so cute! Then we were off for a walk around the Forum Shops @ Caesar’s. It was the first time for both of us, and we had a great time looking at everything; all the shops and restaurants, the blue sky ceiling, and even the moving statues show on the third floor. Yes, it’s a bit corny and the “statues” are more like moving mannequins but it was entertaining nonetheless, and the fire explosions at the end of the show were pretty damned big for being in what is basically a mall. Our favorite was a store called Villa Reale; it was filled with things that Pete and I both loved. We started talking to a sales man and when I mentioned that the store reminded me of Arte de Mexico he told us that it is a division of Arte De Mexico – I nailed it. Not surprising though. Arte is one of my favorite home stores in So Cal and a place I frequented often while decorating the NoHo house, and I never missed their annual sale. Anyway, after the Forum Shops we walked over to Treasure Island to see if the statue I posed for years ago was still there – and it was! That story is for the next post, along with photos and more tales of good eats.
Last week Pete and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. (Wow, it’s still hard to believe that he and I have been together that long!) We went all out and got a suite at the Bellagio on the 29th floor in the newer Spa Tower. The room was in front of the famous fountains, and we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower across the street at hotel Paris Las Vegas. It was fabulous! We has some incredible food while we were there, did lots of walking around at the hotel shops and on the Strip, took the scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon, and (of course) did a little gambling. I have to sort through the photos we took so I grabbed an image of the world famous Las Vegas sign for this post; plus I definitely will be writing more about the food that we enjoyed while we were there – that was the primary reason we chose Las Vegas for our trip. We are total foodies, so what better place to go than Las Vegas? There was not enough time to go to all the restaurants on our list, which was almost a page long, but we did our best and ate as much as we could. Not ones to give up, we’re already planning which places to eat at on our next trip!
