Denver and I are back from our wonderful trip to the desert. It actually ended up being a little longer than we anticipated due to snow in VEGAS… not New York. Because LAS does not have deicing equipment, a little bit of snow meant a cancelled flight for us, and another 24 hours on the strip (please don’t feel sorry for us).
We had so much wonderful food on our trip. We’re not big gamblers and only played the penny slots with loose change that we have been saving for the past several months. But boy did we eat well.
On Sunday evening after checking into our remodeled room at Paris Las Vegas, we headed over to the Renaissance Hotel armed with a $75 Restaurant.com gift certificate for Envy Steakhouse. Denver indulged in a special 4-course menu, while I opted for the Spinach Salad with Fried Goat Cheese, Pancetta and Warm Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette (major yum) and the Envy Signature Tasting which consisted of Filet Mignon, Braised Beef Cheeks and a Seared Scallop. They also brought out 4 special salts to season our meals, one of them being green in color and very smoking-tasting. We were extremely impressed with the meal and service, which was a nice welcome to Las Vegas!
On the cold, rainy Monday we headed over to Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Caesars for our next culinary adventure. Denver ended up ordering Japanese Kobe Beef Carpaccio for his appetizer, and wanted another one when he finished it. It was his favorite dish of the trip. As for me, I ordered a thin-sliced pink lady apple with some sort of soft cheese. This was topped with some crisp greens and ice wine vinegar, which all melded together into a very refreshing and delicious course. This was probably my favorite dish of the trip as well. For our entrees, we both choose something very unorthodox for a gourmet restaurant. Denver got a burger and fries while I got sausage and kraut (or more specifically, Choucroute Garnie Royale). Both were outstanding and made our tummies very happy. To finish, I ordered some Chocolate Monkey tea (which was chocolate and banana flavored!) and some crème brûlée. Denver almost had to roll me out of the place when we were finished.
On Tuesday, we decided to take a breather and eat a less-fancy meal. It still ended up being great! We went to Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Bellagio, famous for their chocolates, elegant desserts, and huge chocolate fountain in the entryway. We each got a deli sandwich, while I couldn’t resist and also got a “Chocolate Imperial” along with some truffles. The dessert was decorated with edible gold leaf and was out-of-this world delicious.
Wednesday was what we were planning on being our final night in Vegas, so we had a reservation booked for David Burke in the Venetian. In the cab on the way over (we didn’t want to walk because it was wet and SNOWING), we received a message that our flight was cancelled, and we were rebooked for one 24 hours later than the original one. Score! We went on to David Burke where I ordered the Crisp and Angry Lobster Cocktail for my appetizer, while Denver ordered some more Kobe Beef Carpaccio. The lobster was spicy and succulent—although very messy! I was pleased when they brought out some hot cloths to clean my hands with when I was finished. Both of us were feelin’ seafoody for our entrée. Denver ended up getting seared tuna (which was cooked perfectly), while I got seared salmon. Yum, yum, yum. When the dessert menu arrived, I thought I knew what I was getting (cheesecake lollipops with bubblegum whipped cream), but of course they all looked good so I changed my mind and got a chocolate egg filled with brownie, ice cream, and all sorts of other yummies. Denver ordered a peanut butter dessert that was surrounded by a pineapple-banana sauce. When the server brought the check out, he also brought over some strawberry cotton candy. Loved that final touch! I adored this restaurant.
As our bodies were still trying to comprehend all of the culinary wonderfulness of the previous few days, we ended up back at Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Bellagio for dinner on our last night. Denver wasn’t all that hungry so he had a nice bowl of fruit, while I got some veggie quiche and another chocolate dessert: the Yule Log. It is a good thing that we don’t live near a place like this because I would be much larger in size if we did.
We did a whole lot of other things rather than eat, although this post so far doesn’t suggest that! On Monday we took advantage of a sweet military discount and saw Cirque de Soleil’s Mystere at Treasure Island. It was so, so impressive, and I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. It is amazing what some of these people can do with their bodies—some of it didn’t even seem real. Other than that our time was spent hotel-hopping and just taking in the sights. We ended up not going to Fremont Street just because it was cold the entire time we were there (highs in the 30s and 40s), so it seemed like we were still in New York. We were very glad that we kept our winter coats with us for the trip.
There was one downer to the trip. On Tuesday morning, I got a phone call from my mom to learn that my Uncle Jim had died suddenly and unexpectedly. He was only 67 and healthy, and they don’t know what caused his death. I was sad not to be able to make it back to the funeral, and thought about my aunt and cousins a lot for the rest of the trip. It is hard that it is so close to Christmas, and also the second death on that side of the family in just 2.5 months. I’ll miss him a lot.
And so ends our adventure in chilly Las Vegas. We’d like to go back, but we don’t know when. In the meantime, I need to lose the 5 or so pounds I put on during the trip :)
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