Planet Vegas - TR #3
May 6th, 2007, 02:42 AM
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Planet Vegas - TR #3
Stardate 041407 – This is the third consecutive morning I found myself in front of a VP machine before 3AM. I was rewarded with my #3rd quad deuces of the trip, but somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After the usual morning routine of shower and shave (me), we drove over to the Orleans for the breakfast buffet. I once again bypassed the opportunity to have huevos rancheros and settled for fresh fruit, an eggbeater spinach and cheese omelet plus a small portion of home fries. ($6.41, ACG, 3 Forks).
Earlier in the week we reserved computer time at the Clark County Library on Flamingo for 10AM so we had sufficient time to do a lap around the Orleans casino beforehand. After checking our email and a few discussion boards we returned to the Tuscany. In an abbreviated session, Ms Westie and I lost, as usual. Around noon I heard a growl and realized my stomach was demanding a tribute so we hopped in our red chariot and headed to the Daily Chicken on Maryland Parkway. This is a Greek fast food restaurant that caters to the UNLV crowd. We each ordered spinach bread which was pretty bad – no feta and frozen spinach. ($6.44, 0.5 Forks).
Following an abbreviated VP session, I picked up another bottle of wine. We then adjourned to Ellis Island, our home away from home, for a few free drinks before departing for Chandelier Mediterranean restaurant in Henderson. http://www.chandelier.isqs.info/ We started off with a mezzah (appetizer) of baba ganouj – smoked eggplant mixed with lemon juice, tahini and garlic served with warm pita, but the taste was muted compared to our previous visit. Also disappointing was Ms. Westie’s salmon with pesto. The portion was smaller than in the past and it was over cooked. My entrée, kafta kabob, also suffered a similar fate at the inept hands of the chef. At least we enjoyed our bottle of Tunnel of Elms wine. ($32.42 including $10 for corkage, R.com, 1.5 Forks).
On our return to the Tuscany Ms. Westie hit #1 quad deuces, I hit #4 and another bottle of wine was added to our expanding wine cellar.
Stardate 041507 – The early morning VP session began at 3:30 AM and resulted in a small profit after I hit my #5 quads. For breakfast we walked to Ellis and enjoyed entrees of vanilla French toast (me) and pancakes (Ms. Westie). ($5, ACG, 2.5 Forks)
On returning to the Tuscany we gave Dame Fortune another try and I hit my #6 quads before we departed for Valero’s Tropical Bake Shop on Sahara for empanadas. Try as we may we could not locate Valero and 3 different locals, including a blind man, were of no help. I finally gave up and drove us to a nearby McDonalds for “Cheeseburgers on Paradise (Road)”. ($3, 0.5 Forks)
This being Sunday our room was one of the last to be made up so we returned to the scene of the crime and played some more VP earning yet another bottle of vino. Our room was finally ready for occupancy at around 4PM so were able to enjoy a few glasses of cabernet before departing for Red Rock Station. We decided to dine at the Cabo Mexican restaurant ordering off the Pick a Meal Deal menu. The complimentary taco chips were served hot and accompanied by two salsas plus a hot bean dip. We each selected the 2-item combination of chicken enchiladas and a chile relleno. Although the restaurant is gorgeous, the food was no better or worse than any of the other Mexican eateries in Station casinos. I used comps to pay the $17.22 bill. (2.5 Forks).
We made the short drive to the Suncoast for the Frankie Avalon show. His show has not changed much in the past year – same tribute to Elvis, Ricky Nelson and Bobby Darin, same movie excerpts of him and Annette playing on the beach, same this and same that. Enjoyable, but he really needs some new material if he wants to keep the seniors coming back. (2 Claps).
This marked the end of the Tuscany’s wine promotion – we earned a total of 11 bottles, net 5 after upgrading for 2 bottles of Beringer cabernet.
Stardate 041607 – I am starting to get on a roll now and hit two quad deuces (#7 & #8) this morning. After my session I drove to Einstein Brothers Bagel shop for a pair of cinnamon raisin bagels and a coffee that we enjoyed in the room. ($4.76, 4.5 Forks).
We headed to Bill Gambling Hall & Saloon where I parked the bat mobile and walked over to the Bellagio to see the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens spring exhibition. A beautiful oversized garden that included a giant straw hat, gardener's trowel, watering can, and pots were on display with each created from thousands of individual plants and blooms. We particularly loved the pair of great egrets and butterflies, both real and imitation. Our next stop was the Jean Philippe Pâtisserie where two 7-foot chocolate bunnies are seen fishing from an animated steamboat floating on a pond. I also managed to drool all over the dessert display case before Ms. Westie led me away. (4 Claps)
On leaving Bellagio I headed to the Silverton where we attempted to use ACG coupons for free slot play for new sign-ups, but they still had a record of us last playing in 2000. Walking around the casino it was truly amazing how much the property has been upgraded since our last visit. We played a little on the Bob Dancer machines before stopping by the Sundance Grille for a snack. We ended up sharing a quesadilla and 10” high piece of chocolate cloud cake. http://www.silvertoncasino.com/categ...ance_grill.htm The quesadilla was very good, but the cake was anything but cloudlike. The bill was $15.84, but our pull tabs covered the entire balance. ($3, 1.5 Forks)
An afternoon session proved to be a loser for both of us. In a late afternoon change of pace, we drove to the Orleans for pre dinner drinks and I followed Mrs. Buddha’s lead by ordering an amaretto sour – not bad, but I prefer the more macho beer and ambiance at Ellis. This evening’s sustenance was provided by Austin’s Steakhouse in Texas Station.
http://www.texasstation.com/template...sRedirect=true
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/dining/detail/austins.htm Based on extensive pre voyage research, we shared Austin’s chopped salad, a rib-eye and baked potato. Excluding service and the bread basket, this meal was a disappointment all around. I just don’t get this chopped salad thing – is it for people without their own choppers? This salad had very little taste and was visually unappealing. The rib-eye was cooked medium rare as requested but was tough. Last and by all means not least in Ms. Westie’s opinion, the huge Idaho potato was undercooked. We did learn, belatedly, the head chef takes seafood seriously and only serves fish that is environmentally friendly and renewable so should we return it will not be for the beef. ($39.13, R.com, 2 Forks).
Stardate 041707 – This morning I hit quads #9 and #10 plus a ROYAL. This was day 7 of our voyage so we proceeded to our favorite wash and fold to have our uniforms cleaned before heading to Ellis Island for breakfast. We ordered the special of 2 eggs, whole wheat toast and home fries for $1.95. Unfortunately my poached eggs were seriously overdone. ($3.12, ACG, 1.5 Forks)
Casino Royale was our next stop. After exiting the casino we removed our gas masks and proceeded to the Venetian where we received $15 in free play for signing up online for a slot card. The free play was effectively tossed to the wind on their 8/5 JOB machines, but I managed to make the effort worthwhile by netting a whopping $5 for our combined efforts. We returned to the Tuscany and lunched at Marilyn’s Café on bowls of navy bean soup. These bowls were the worlds smallest and the soup was almost devoid of beans, but otherwise a great dining experience was had by all. The bill came to $7.44 which was paid using comp dollars. (0.5 Forks)
I was too pooped to pop, but Ms. Westie extracted a pound of flesh from the Tuscany’s bottom (line) by hitting her #2 and last quad deuces of the trip. She came back to the room and announced she may have seen Bob Dancer at the 10-cent FPDW machines – I don’t think so. We once again chose Ellis for pre dinner drinks. I had now come to the conclusion that what I initially considered to be a positive of staying at the Tuscany has turned out to be a negative – Ellis is just too convenient.
Dinner tonight was at Border Grill. http://www.bordergrill.com/BGLV/bglv.htm
I secured advance reservations using opentable.com, but requested patio seating on our arrival on this beautiful spring evening. Our request for ice water, tap is fine thank you, was soon filled and we received warm taco chips accompanied by 3 salsas (tomatillo, chipotle and some type of fruit) – all were excellent. We both ordered the cochinta pobil - achiote marinated pork slow roasted in banana leaf with cinnamon, grilled onions, black beans, homemade tortillas, rice and plantain orange salsa. ($29.63, R.com, $4.5 Forks)
We next drove to the Las Vegas Hilton to see Joe Piscopo in the Shimmer Cabaret. http://www.joepiscopo.com/ Joe doesn’t draw well outside the New Jersey/NY corridor so full priced tickets went begging as did a subsequent offer of half-priced tickets, but I jumped on an offer of free tickets. The room was almost full this evening and his show was pretty good for what is basically a lounge act. He sang many old songs (mostly Sinatra), did impressions (mostly Sinatra, but also an excellent Letterman) and told some inside (amusing and not so amusing) SNL stories. (2 Claps)
Stardate 041807 – After the good luck I experienced on the VP machines yesterday, I was fully expecting to pay the piper today – pay the piper I did over the first 1.5 hours, but as I approached hour two I started hitting 5 of kinds (5OAKS) and natural quads. As the bell was about to ring in hour 3, I was dealt my #11 quad deuces and 5 minutes later was dealt 3 clubs to a royal. I held my nose, I took a breath, I even prayed and BANG!! I caught both of the needed cards for my 2nd ROYAL in 24 hours – a personal best.
We celebrated at the Paris buffet where I ladled copious amounts of food on my plate – berries w/yogurt, Lyonnaise potatoes (disappointing), egg Benedict (overcooked), dried dates, brie, and Cajun sausage.
($8.60, LVA, 2.5 Forks)
We returned to the Clark County library to check our email. It has now been 7 days since I picked up S. J. Rozan’s book, Stone Quarry, and I am currently on page 6. I checked the schedule of fines and realized I am going to have to spend more time reading or the library penalties are going to cost us a fortune. Ms. Westie took the car and went to the Palms for a very much overpriced massage ($97.50, LVA, 2 Claps) while the VP machines called , but it proved to be a wrong number because I could not hit anything.
Jean Scott again posted that many pull tabs were still available and she would be at the Tuscany this afternoon. I stopped by later that afternoon and picked up a few more for entrees at the Sundance Grill and margaritas at Mi Casa. We then adjourned to our home away from home at Ellis Island for a few free drinks before heading off to the Silverton for dinner. On arrival we again stopped by to view and take pictures of the large aquarium and waterfalls at the Bass Pro Shop. (2 Claps)
http://www.silvertoncasino.com/categ...2/aquarium.htm
We started off with an appetizer of spring rolls that were sliced in half lengthwise and served over dry noodles. Our entrees were 14-ounce cuts of prime rib cooked medium rare as requested. These turned out to be a notch above typical coffee shop fare. Being gluttons we also shared a very large piece of cheesecake that was pretty good, but would not have played well in NY. The bill with gratuity totaled $54.59. ($11.39, 2.5 Forks)
On our return to the Tuscany I stopped by the Piazza lounge to listen to a few tunes by Bill Mac. He aspires to look like Kenny Rogers, but that is where the resemblance ceases. (1.5 Claps) We concluded the evening with an unprofitable and, thankfully, abbreviated VP session.
Stardate 041907 – Some of my disposable income was disposed of this morning during a lengthy VP session. We decided to go light this morning so it was apple fritters from Albertson’s and OJ in the room. We then took a drive to Sunset Park where we visited the dog run and walked the jogging trail. Ethel M’s is but a short drive away so we grabbed our samples and toured the cactus garden.
http://www.ethelschocolate.com/jump....ORY&itemID=196 (0.5 Claps)
Our next stop was Opus Too at the Art Institute of America, off Green Valley Parkway. The culinary school operates a student run dining room that offers 3-course lunches for $9.95 Tuesday – Thursdays from 11:30AM-1PM – reservations suggested. http://www.artinstitutes.edu/lasvega...y.asp?facid=60
The menu changes weekly, but you have a choice of 3 appetizers/salads, 3 entrees and 2 desserts. I chose the Vidalia tart with red pepper coulis, seafood Newberg over basmati rice and poached pear with vanilla ice cream. Ms. Westie opted for the Caesar salad, seafood Newberg and apple bread pudding, but was advised that several tables of red hats had disposed of the bread pudding. I have never seen Ms. Westie more disappointed – the red hats were fortunate her taser was in the shop for repairs. Service was very attentive and friendly though a little less than professional and the food very good with the exception of the rice which had dried out. ($24.43, 4 Forks)
A well deserved afternoon nap was followed by an equally well deserved round of Hefe Weiss’ at Ellis Island. We drove to the Tropicana where we parked and crossed over to the MGM for the 7PM performance of Ka. http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/cirquedusoleil/ka/ On entering the theatre, I immediately ran into Panto the gatekeeper (aka Gary, GVNV or Gary the Mime) who gave us general directions to our seats. We went absolutely gaga over Ka – the 90 minutes passed in a flash and there was not a single moment that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. (5 Claps)
Feeling wired and a bit hungry after seeing the show we drove to Yokohama Kagerou across from the Hard Rock and Hofbrauhaus. Lt. Sulu highly recommended this small Japanese restaurant and we were delighted with our shared orders of ramen curry (spicy) and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). ($18.55, 4 Forks).
Stardate 042007 – I hit an amazing number of natural quads during this morning’s 3 hour VP session, fortunately 2 of them represented my #12 and #13 quad deuces of the trip. We departed the Tuscany and returned to the Silverton for breakfast at the Sundance Grill. We both opted for eggs Benedict – the tab including tax and gratuity totaled $20.79, but most was covered by our pull tabs. ($4.89, 2 Forks).
On exiting we drove to the Las Vegas Art Museum on West Sahara for the current exhibition featuring the works of Kaz Oshiro and Sush Machida Gaikutsu. http://www.lasvegasartmuseum.org/ Each artist’s works were quite unique and interesting. There were several groups of school children this day and the docents spent considerable time explaining several of the pieces. ($10, 3 Claps)
On our return to the Tuscany I enjoyed a nap followed by a less than enjoyable VP session. We cracked a bottle of Tunnel of Elms cabernet, 2004 vintage. I asked Ms. Westie if she detected a rich berry, blackberries and currants, flavor with overtones of vanilla with a structure of subtle tannins? She replied “are you out of your Vulcan mind”
It was off to Café Mastrioni on Rainbow for dinner. We had reservations which on entry we realized were not needed. The waiter irritated me immediately by leading us to a small table when other couples were seated at larger tables. I told him a larger table would be where Captain Westie and his first mate would be seated this evening. We were served warm, but industrial Italian bread followed by cups of pasta fagioli brimming with beans, but not much else including flavor. Ms. Westie ordered the eggplant Parmigianino that was virtually tasteless and accompanied by a terrible marinara. I cast my lot with the penne with chicken and spinach in a pink sauce. Blah, blah, double blah. Our waiter continued to earn his paltry gratuity by failing to check back with us to see how we were enjoying our meal or if the water glasses needed replenishing. ($18.00, R.com, 1 Fork)
A short VP session at the Tuscany recouped my earlier losses. On returning to the room I settled into bed with a book and checked the clock - 9PM. How lame is that?
Stardate 042107 – Three and a half hours of VP this morning made me feel like I was working along side Sam Cooke on the chain gang – (hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!) My efforts were eventually rewarded when I hit quad deuces #14 and #15. I have now officially broken my all time record for deuces on a 14 day trip so I returned to the room singing “Lord it is hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way”. Ms. Westie seemed less than impressed and voiced the opinion that the Klingons most certainly have been messing with the RNG chip in her machines.
I felt a return visit to the Orleans’ breakfast buffet was warranted. This time I mixed things up a bit by having pancakes following my usual order of fresh grapefruit and orange segments plus a small portion of both corned beef hash and chorizo. We had time and energy enough for only one full circuit around the casino before it was time to depart for Lake Las Vegas for the spring Fine Arts and Crafts Festival. http://www.lakelasvegas.com/ The number of exhibitors had diminished since last year both in terms of quantity and quality so we did not spend much time or money before returning to the Tuscany. (0.5 Claps)
It took less than a ½ hour in the afternoon for me to again extend my Dimaggio type streak to #16 quads. Ms. Westie was beginning to turn ugly so I beat a hasty retreat to the room for fear she would taser me.
Ellis Island was offering the usual special on pre dinner drinks (ACG) so that was our 5:30PM destination this evening. Dinner was at Origin of India courtesy of a 2/1 coupon celebrating their first anniversary.
http://www.originindiarestaurant.com/ This restaurant is located in a small strip mall on Paradise Road, but the owners have obviously spent considerable dollars on the interior. Our waiter served us papadum accompanied by tamarind and cilantro sauces. We decided to experience the high end of the menu sharing orders of Jhinga Dum Sunerhri (queen prawns simmered in coconut milk, yogurt and a touch of cashew nut sauce) and Goshet Rajawri (boneless lamb cooked in spices, tomatoes, egg, yogurt and a cashew paste). Entrees included basmati rice, a choice of naan or paratha (we tried both) and lentil side dishes. This was probably the best Indian meal we have had in Las Vegas. ($29.81, 4.5 Forks)
Our show du jour was the Musical History of the King performed by the Dream King, Trent Carlini.
http://www.elvismyway.com/ We have seen Trent 3 times previously – twice at the Boardwalk accompanied by a karaoke machine and once at the LV Hilton where he was backed up by a big band. Tonight Trent left the karaoke machine at home and brought the big band. We enjoyed the show, but felt it was missing something compared to his Hilton performance. The show lacked continuity because of the number of costume changes plus song arrangements were weak. He also used video footage from his Hilton performance that included former band members. Fortunately I purchased our pair of tickets for only $33 during one of KSHP’s sales. (2 Claps)
Stardate 042207 – It took less than a minute to hit #17th quad deuces, another 20 minutes for #18 and then just in over 2 ½ hours to give much of it back. We returned to Sundance Grill this morning with pull tabs in hand. I chose ham and eggs and Ms. Westie went for the Belgian waffle with strawberries. Service was very uneven with us waiting far too long for our waitress to appear, but she was very attentive once she found us. We also requested slices of tiramisu and carrot cake as takeout. The bill including tax was $29.52, but once again we used our pull tabs courtesy of Jean Scott. ($6.23, 2 Forks)
At around 2PM we shared the carrot cake which was pretty decent compared to the other desserts from the Sundance Grill. We also had a losing VP session before departing for the Society for Seven (SOS) with Lani Misalucha show at the Flamingo. http://www.societyofseven.com/
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../12981433.html
We saw this same cast minus Lani a few years back and they are using the same bits when Lani is not on stage. In addition, their spokesperson seemed intent on boring me and totally destroyed whatever continuity there was to the performance. On the positive side Lani possesses a fantastic voice and proved to be a showstopper. http://lani.eradioportal.com/index_events.htm ($33, KSHP, Lani 4.5 Claps, SOS 2)
Mi Casa was our Su Casa this evening. This restaurant located in the Silverton is very upscale in terms of both menu and décor. We started off with a matched set of margaritas, the usual chips and salsa, and mini empanadas with roasted ancho chicken in white corn pouches accompanied by a spicy sauce. I ordered the shrimp Belize please (6 shrimp with caramelized onions, peppers, avocado and lime) while Ms Westie chose the margarita scallops (5 pan fried scallops finished in tequila, mango and mint salsa). Our dishes included the obligatory refried beans and rice. We concluded the meal with bread pudding and a Kahluha flan. I brought a piece of the bread pudding back to our starship for our scientists too analyze as a possible weapon of mass destruction. Everything with the exception of the bread pudding was pretty good though pricey. Our bill weighed in at a hefty $74.95 before credit for the pull tabs. ($10, 2.5 Forks)
Stardate 042307 Though I hit quads #19 this AM, I returned to the room singing the blues because my money I did lose. We were feeling like Fearless Fosdick this morning so we headed to Terribles for the breakfast buffet. The buffet is available for only 250 points for two. I was a bit hesitant so I scoped it out before making a commitment. We enjoyed the fresh fruit including both grapefruit sections and melon plus cooked to order eggs done easy over. Just like Douglas Mac Arthur, we will return. (2.5 Forks).
We drove to the Clark County Library where we returned our books and printed out boarding passes. On returning to the Tuscany I redeemed most of my cashback and comps with the latter applied to our hotel bill. For lunch we shared the tiramisu cake which was a total waste of calories. (1 Fork)
Later that afternoon we met Tiger of LVTalk fame and his wife Shirley for drinks at where else but Ellis Island. This was one of those Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus type meetings. Tiger and I exchanged emails for two years so meeting him was like renewing a friendship. We easily picked up on our usual discussions of Las Vegas, coupons, stock market and college basketball. Meanwhile Ms. Westie and Shirley were introduced for the first time, but easily fell into conversation covering family, pets and their dopey husbands. Time seemed to fly and next we knew Tiger found himself at the bottom of a very long list for a table at both the restaurant and BBQ. Belatedly it dawned on us that we didn’t have reservations anywhere and we were two sheets to the wind and working on the third. We tried to join Tiger and Shirley for dinner, but their assigned table was for two so we headed back to the Tuscany and dined at the Cantina restaurant. For those counting this marked the fourth Mexican meal of our trip, but I managed to avoid huevos rancheros for the past 2 weeks. The chips were mediocre, but the salsas and hot bean dip were comforting. We each ordered a combination platter of cheese enchilada and chili relleno. The bill approximated $10 after applying a 2/1 coupon from a mailer with the balance paid by comps. ($4, 2.5 Forks).
Stardate 042407 – My quest for quads #20 this morning ended in failure at 5:30AM. We quickly showered and dressed before heading off to Terribles once again. This time the Bougainvillea coffee shop received the nod because the buffet doesn’t open until 7AM. The wait staff seemed a little sleepy so service was very slow. I started acting like I had ants in my pants as the clock ticked down and then finally after a 10 minutes wait our waitress appeared. We each ordered the deuces wild special – 2 pancakes, 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon. The pancakes were way too thick, but the eggs and bacon were very good. The $10 bill was covered with comps. ($2, 1 Fork)
I was now in a slight panic as we proceeded to the consolidated rental facility and damned if I didn’t take a wrong turn into long term parking garage. I drove up one level, down another before arriving at the exit gate. I explained Ms Westie must have taken a wrong turn and the attendant allowed us to exit without paying. We took a few turns before ending up on I-215 and were at the consolidated facility moments later. Check-in went smoothly and we were soon whisked away on an airport shuttle. Our return to Hartford was uneventful and pretty boring.
I hesitate to use the phrase “mission accomplished”, but we managed to win at the Tuscany though Ms. Westie and I found ourselves on polar ends of the video poker bell curve. We dined at 15 new restaurants, enjoying most, and saw 9 show/lounge acts.
Thanks for taking the time to read and Nanoo Nanoo to one and all.
Earlier in the week we reserved computer time at the Clark County Library on Flamingo for 10AM so we had sufficient time to do a lap around the Orleans casino beforehand. After checking our email and a few discussion boards we returned to the Tuscany. In an abbreviated session, Ms Westie and I lost, as usual. Around noon I heard a growl and realized my stomach was demanding a tribute so we hopped in our red chariot and headed to the Daily Chicken on Maryland Parkway. This is a Greek fast food restaurant that caters to the UNLV crowd. We each ordered spinach bread which was pretty bad – no feta and frozen spinach. ($6.44, 0.5 Forks).
Following an abbreviated VP session, I picked up another bottle of wine. We then adjourned to Ellis Island, our home away from home, for a few free drinks before departing for Chandelier Mediterranean restaurant in Henderson. http://www.chandelier.isqs.info/ We started off with a mezzah (appetizer) of baba ganouj – smoked eggplant mixed with lemon juice, tahini and garlic served with warm pita, but the taste was muted compared to our previous visit. Also disappointing was Ms. Westie’s salmon with pesto. The portion was smaller than in the past and it was over cooked. My entrée, kafta kabob, also suffered a similar fate at the inept hands of the chef. At least we enjoyed our bottle of Tunnel of Elms wine. ($32.42 including $10 for corkage, R.com, 1.5 Forks).
On our return to the Tuscany Ms. Westie hit #1 quad deuces, I hit #4 and another bottle of wine was added to our expanding wine cellar.
Stardate 041507 – The early morning VP session began at 3:30 AM and resulted in a small profit after I hit my #5 quads. For breakfast we walked to Ellis and enjoyed entrees of vanilla French toast (me) and pancakes (Ms. Westie). ($5, ACG, 2.5 Forks)
On returning to the Tuscany we gave Dame Fortune another try and I hit my #6 quads before we departed for Valero’s Tropical Bake Shop on Sahara for empanadas. Try as we may we could not locate Valero and 3 different locals, including a blind man, were of no help. I finally gave up and drove us to a nearby McDonalds for “Cheeseburgers on Paradise (Road)”. ($3, 0.5 Forks)
This being Sunday our room was one of the last to be made up so we returned to the scene of the crime and played some more VP earning yet another bottle of vino. Our room was finally ready for occupancy at around 4PM so were able to enjoy a few glasses of cabernet before departing for Red Rock Station. We decided to dine at the Cabo Mexican restaurant ordering off the Pick a Meal Deal menu. The complimentary taco chips were served hot and accompanied by two salsas plus a hot bean dip. We each selected the 2-item combination of chicken enchiladas and a chile relleno. Although the restaurant is gorgeous, the food was no better or worse than any of the other Mexican eateries in Station casinos. I used comps to pay the $17.22 bill. (2.5 Forks).
We made the short drive to the Suncoast for the Frankie Avalon show. His show has not changed much in the past year – same tribute to Elvis, Ricky Nelson and Bobby Darin, same movie excerpts of him and Annette playing on the beach, same this and same that. Enjoyable, but he really needs some new material if he wants to keep the seniors coming back. (2 Claps).
This marked the end of the Tuscany’s wine promotion – we earned a total of 11 bottles, net 5 after upgrading for 2 bottles of Beringer cabernet.
Stardate 041607 – I am starting to get on a roll now and hit two quad deuces (#7 & #8) this morning. After my session I drove to Einstein Brothers Bagel shop for a pair of cinnamon raisin bagels and a coffee that we enjoyed in the room. ($4.76, 4.5 Forks).
We headed to Bill Gambling Hall & Saloon where I parked the bat mobile and walked over to the Bellagio to see the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens spring exhibition. A beautiful oversized garden that included a giant straw hat, gardener's trowel, watering can, and pots were on display with each created from thousands of individual plants and blooms. We particularly loved the pair of great egrets and butterflies, both real and imitation. Our next stop was the Jean Philippe Pâtisserie where two 7-foot chocolate bunnies are seen fishing from an animated steamboat floating on a pond. I also managed to drool all over the dessert display case before Ms. Westie led me away. (4 Claps)
On leaving Bellagio I headed to the Silverton where we attempted to use ACG coupons for free slot play for new sign-ups, but they still had a record of us last playing in 2000. Walking around the casino it was truly amazing how much the property has been upgraded since our last visit. We played a little on the Bob Dancer machines before stopping by the Sundance Grille for a snack. We ended up sharing a quesadilla and 10” high piece of chocolate cloud cake. http://www.silvertoncasino.com/categ...ance_grill.htm The quesadilla was very good, but the cake was anything but cloudlike. The bill was $15.84, but our pull tabs covered the entire balance. ($3, 1.5 Forks)
An afternoon session proved to be a loser for both of us. In a late afternoon change of pace, we drove to the Orleans for pre dinner drinks and I followed Mrs. Buddha’s lead by ordering an amaretto sour – not bad, but I prefer the more macho beer and ambiance at Ellis. This evening’s sustenance was provided by Austin’s Steakhouse in Texas Station.
http://www.texasstation.com/template...sRedirect=true
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/dining/detail/austins.htm Based on extensive pre voyage research, we shared Austin’s chopped salad, a rib-eye and baked potato. Excluding service and the bread basket, this meal was a disappointment all around. I just don’t get this chopped salad thing – is it for people without their own choppers? This salad had very little taste and was visually unappealing. The rib-eye was cooked medium rare as requested but was tough. Last and by all means not least in Ms. Westie’s opinion, the huge Idaho potato was undercooked. We did learn, belatedly, the head chef takes seafood seriously and only serves fish that is environmentally friendly and renewable so should we return it will not be for the beef. ($39.13, R.com, 2 Forks).
Stardate 041707 – This morning I hit quads #9 and #10 plus a ROYAL. This was day 7 of our voyage so we proceeded to our favorite wash and fold to have our uniforms cleaned before heading to Ellis Island for breakfast. We ordered the special of 2 eggs, whole wheat toast and home fries for $1.95. Unfortunately my poached eggs were seriously overdone. ($3.12, ACG, 1.5 Forks)
Casino Royale was our next stop. After exiting the casino we removed our gas masks and proceeded to the Venetian where we received $15 in free play for signing up online for a slot card. The free play was effectively tossed to the wind on their 8/5 JOB machines, but I managed to make the effort worthwhile by netting a whopping $5 for our combined efforts. We returned to the Tuscany and lunched at Marilyn’s Café on bowls of navy bean soup. These bowls were the worlds smallest and the soup was almost devoid of beans, but otherwise a great dining experience was had by all. The bill came to $7.44 which was paid using comp dollars. (0.5 Forks)
I was too pooped to pop, but Ms. Westie extracted a pound of flesh from the Tuscany’s bottom (line) by hitting her #2 and last quad deuces of the trip. She came back to the room and announced she may have seen Bob Dancer at the 10-cent FPDW machines – I don’t think so. We once again chose Ellis for pre dinner drinks. I had now come to the conclusion that what I initially considered to be a positive of staying at the Tuscany has turned out to be a negative – Ellis is just too convenient.
Dinner tonight was at Border Grill. http://www.bordergrill.com/BGLV/bglv.htm
I secured advance reservations using opentable.com, but requested patio seating on our arrival on this beautiful spring evening. Our request for ice water, tap is fine thank you, was soon filled and we received warm taco chips accompanied by 3 salsas (tomatillo, chipotle and some type of fruit) – all were excellent. We both ordered the cochinta pobil - achiote marinated pork slow roasted in banana leaf with cinnamon, grilled onions, black beans, homemade tortillas, rice and plantain orange salsa. ($29.63, R.com, $4.5 Forks)
We next drove to the Las Vegas Hilton to see Joe Piscopo in the Shimmer Cabaret. http://www.joepiscopo.com/ Joe doesn’t draw well outside the New Jersey/NY corridor so full priced tickets went begging as did a subsequent offer of half-priced tickets, but I jumped on an offer of free tickets. The room was almost full this evening and his show was pretty good for what is basically a lounge act. He sang many old songs (mostly Sinatra), did impressions (mostly Sinatra, but also an excellent Letterman) and told some inside (amusing and not so amusing) SNL stories. (2 Claps)
Stardate 041807 – After the good luck I experienced on the VP machines yesterday, I was fully expecting to pay the piper today – pay the piper I did over the first 1.5 hours, but as I approached hour two I started hitting 5 of kinds (5OAKS) and natural quads. As the bell was about to ring in hour 3, I was dealt my #11 quad deuces and 5 minutes later was dealt 3 clubs to a royal. I held my nose, I took a breath, I even prayed and BANG!! I caught both of the needed cards for my 2nd ROYAL in 24 hours – a personal best.
We celebrated at the Paris buffet where I ladled copious amounts of food on my plate – berries w/yogurt, Lyonnaise potatoes (disappointing), egg Benedict (overcooked), dried dates, brie, and Cajun sausage.
($8.60, LVA, 2.5 Forks)
We returned to the Clark County library to check our email. It has now been 7 days since I picked up S. J. Rozan’s book, Stone Quarry, and I am currently on page 6. I checked the schedule of fines and realized I am going to have to spend more time reading or the library penalties are going to cost us a fortune. Ms. Westie took the car and went to the Palms for a very much overpriced massage ($97.50, LVA, 2 Claps) while the VP machines called , but it proved to be a wrong number because I could not hit anything.
Jean Scott again posted that many pull tabs were still available and she would be at the Tuscany this afternoon. I stopped by later that afternoon and picked up a few more for entrees at the Sundance Grill and margaritas at Mi Casa. We then adjourned to our home away from home at Ellis Island for a few free drinks before heading off to the Silverton for dinner. On arrival we again stopped by to view and take pictures of the large aquarium and waterfalls at the Bass Pro Shop. (2 Claps)
http://www.silvertoncasino.com/categ...2/aquarium.htm
We started off with an appetizer of spring rolls that were sliced in half lengthwise and served over dry noodles. Our entrees were 14-ounce cuts of prime rib cooked medium rare as requested. These turned out to be a notch above typical coffee shop fare. Being gluttons we also shared a very large piece of cheesecake that was pretty good, but would not have played well in NY. The bill with gratuity totaled $54.59. ($11.39, 2.5 Forks)
On our return to the Tuscany I stopped by the Piazza lounge to listen to a few tunes by Bill Mac. He aspires to look like Kenny Rogers, but that is where the resemblance ceases. (1.5 Claps) We concluded the evening with an unprofitable and, thankfully, abbreviated VP session.
Stardate 041907 – Some of my disposable income was disposed of this morning during a lengthy VP session. We decided to go light this morning so it was apple fritters from Albertson’s and OJ in the room. We then took a drive to Sunset Park where we visited the dog run and walked the jogging trail. Ethel M’s is but a short drive away so we grabbed our samples and toured the cactus garden.
http://www.ethelschocolate.com/jump....ORY&itemID=196 (0.5 Claps)
Our next stop was Opus Too at the Art Institute of America, off Green Valley Parkway. The culinary school operates a student run dining room that offers 3-course lunches for $9.95 Tuesday – Thursdays from 11:30AM-1PM – reservations suggested. http://www.artinstitutes.edu/lasvega...y.asp?facid=60
The menu changes weekly, but you have a choice of 3 appetizers/salads, 3 entrees and 2 desserts. I chose the Vidalia tart with red pepper coulis, seafood Newberg over basmati rice and poached pear with vanilla ice cream. Ms. Westie opted for the Caesar salad, seafood Newberg and apple bread pudding, but was advised that several tables of red hats had disposed of the bread pudding. I have never seen Ms. Westie more disappointed – the red hats were fortunate her taser was in the shop for repairs. Service was very attentive and friendly though a little less than professional and the food very good with the exception of the rice which had dried out. ($24.43, 4 Forks)
A well deserved afternoon nap was followed by an equally well deserved round of Hefe Weiss’ at Ellis Island. We drove to the Tropicana where we parked and crossed over to the MGM for the 7PM performance of Ka. http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/cirquedusoleil/ka/ On entering the theatre, I immediately ran into Panto the gatekeeper (aka Gary, GVNV or Gary the Mime) who gave us general directions to our seats. We went absolutely gaga over Ka – the 90 minutes passed in a flash and there was not a single moment that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. (5 Claps)
Feeling wired and a bit hungry after seeing the show we drove to Yokohama Kagerou across from the Hard Rock and Hofbrauhaus. Lt. Sulu highly recommended this small Japanese restaurant and we were delighted with our shared orders of ramen curry (spicy) and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). ($18.55, 4 Forks).
Stardate 042007 – I hit an amazing number of natural quads during this morning’s 3 hour VP session, fortunately 2 of them represented my #12 and #13 quad deuces of the trip. We departed the Tuscany and returned to the Silverton for breakfast at the Sundance Grill. We both opted for eggs Benedict – the tab including tax and gratuity totaled $20.79, but most was covered by our pull tabs. ($4.89, 2 Forks).
On exiting we drove to the Las Vegas Art Museum on West Sahara for the current exhibition featuring the works of Kaz Oshiro and Sush Machida Gaikutsu. http://www.lasvegasartmuseum.org/ Each artist’s works were quite unique and interesting. There were several groups of school children this day and the docents spent considerable time explaining several of the pieces. ($10, 3 Claps)
On our return to the Tuscany I enjoyed a nap followed by a less than enjoyable VP session. We cracked a bottle of Tunnel of Elms cabernet, 2004 vintage. I asked Ms. Westie if she detected a rich berry, blackberries and currants, flavor with overtones of vanilla with a structure of subtle tannins? She replied “are you out of your Vulcan mind”
It was off to Café Mastrioni on Rainbow for dinner. We had reservations which on entry we realized were not needed. The waiter irritated me immediately by leading us to a small table when other couples were seated at larger tables. I told him a larger table would be where Captain Westie and his first mate would be seated this evening. We were served warm, but industrial Italian bread followed by cups of pasta fagioli brimming with beans, but not much else including flavor. Ms. Westie ordered the eggplant Parmigianino that was virtually tasteless and accompanied by a terrible marinara. I cast my lot with the penne with chicken and spinach in a pink sauce. Blah, blah, double blah. Our waiter continued to earn his paltry gratuity by failing to check back with us to see how we were enjoying our meal or if the water glasses needed replenishing. ($18.00, R.com, 1 Fork)
A short VP session at the Tuscany recouped my earlier losses. On returning to the room I settled into bed with a book and checked the clock - 9PM. How lame is that?
Stardate 042107 – Three and a half hours of VP this morning made me feel like I was working along side Sam Cooke on the chain gang – (hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!) (hooh! aah!) My efforts were eventually rewarded when I hit quad deuces #14 and #15. I have now officially broken my all time record for deuces on a 14 day trip so I returned to the room singing “Lord it is hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way”. Ms. Westie seemed less than impressed and voiced the opinion that the Klingons most certainly have been messing with the RNG chip in her machines.
I felt a return visit to the Orleans’ breakfast buffet was warranted. This time I mixed things up a bit by having pancakes following my usual order of fresh grapefruit and orange segments plus a small portion of both corned beef hash and chorizo. We had time and energy enough for only one full circuit around the casino before it was time to depart for Lake Las Vegas for the spring Fine Arts and Crafts Festival. http://www.lakelasvegas.com/ The number of exhibitors had diminished since last year both in terms of quantity and quality so we did not spend much time or money before returning to the Tuscany. (0.5 Claps)
It took less than a ½ hour in the afternoon for me to again extend my Dimaggio type streak to #16 quads. Ms. Westie was beginning to turn ugly so I beat a hasty retreat to the room for fear she would taser me.
Ellis Island was offering the usual special on pre dinner drinks (ACG) so that was our 5:30PM destination this evening. Dinner was at Origin of India courtesy of a 2/1 coupon celebrating their first anniversary.
http://www.originindiarestaurant.com/ This restaurant is located in a small strip mall on Paradise Road, but the owners have obviously spent considerable dollars on the interior. Our waiter served us papadum accompanied by tamarind and cilantro sauces. We decided to experience the high end of the menu sharing orders of Jhinga Dum Sunerhri (queen prawns simmered in coconut milk, yogurt and a touch of cashew nut sauce) and Goshet Rajawri (boneless lamb cooked in spices, tomatoes, egg, yogurt and a cashew paste). Entrees included basmati rice, a choice of naan or paratha (we tried both) and lentil side dishes. This was probably the best Indian meal we have had in Las Vegas. ($29.81, 4.5 Forks)
Our show du jour was the Musical History of the King performed by the Dream King, Trent Carlini.
http://www.elvismyway.com/ We have seen Trent 3 times previously – twice at the Boardwalk accompanied by a karaoke machine and once at the LV Hilton where he was backed up by a big band. Tonight Trent left the karaoke machine at home and brought the big band. We enjoyed the show, but felt it was missing something compared to his Hilton performance. The show lacked continuity because of the number of costume changes plus song arrangements were weak. He also used video footage from his Hilton performance that included former band members. Fortunately I purchased our pair of tickets for only $33 during one of KSHP’s sales. (2 Claps)
Stardate 042207 – It took less than a minute to hit #17th quad deuces, another 20 minutes for #18 and then just in over 2 ½ hours to give much of it back. We returned to Sundance Grill this morning with pull tabs in hand. I chose ham and eggs and Ms. Westie went for the Belgian waffle with strawberries. Service was very uneven with us waiting far too long for our waitress to appear, but she was very attentive once she found us. We also requested slices of tiramisu and carrot cake as takeout. The bill including tax was $29.52, but once again we used our pull tabs courtesy of Jean Scott. ($6.23, 2 Forks)
At around 2PM we shared the carrot cake which was pretty decent compared to the other desserts from the Sundance Grill. We also had a losing VP session before departing for the Society for Seven (SOS) with Lani Misalucha show at the Flamingo. http://www.societyofseven.com/
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../12981433.html
We saw this same cast minus Lani a few years back and they are using the same bits when Lani is not on stage. In addition, their spokesperson seemed intent on boring me and totally destroyed whatever continuity there was to the performance. On the positive side Lani possesses a fantastic voice and proved to be a showstopper. http://lani.eradioportal.com/index_events.htm ($33, KSHP, Lani 4.5 Claps, SOS 2)
Mi Casa was our Su Casa this evening. This restaurant located in the Silverton is very upscale in terms of both menu and décor. We started off with a matched set of margaritas, the usual chips and salsa, and mini empanadas with roasted ancho chicken in white corn pouches accompanied by a spicy sauce. I ordered the shrimp Belize please (6 shrimp with caramelized onions, peppers, avocado and lime) while Ms Westie chose the margarita scallops (5 pan fried scallops finished in tequila, mango and mint salsa). Our dishes included the obligatory refried beans and rice. We concluded the meal with bread pudding and a Kahluha flan. I brought a piece of the bread pudding back to our starship for our scientists too analyze as a possible weapon of mass destruction. Everything with the exception of the bread pudding was pretty good though pricey. Our bill weighed in at a hefty $74.95 before credit for the pull tabs. ($10, 2.5 Forks)
Stardate 042307 Though I hit quads #19 this AM, I returned to the room singing the blues because my money I did lose. We were feeling like Fearless Fosdick this morning so we headed to Terribles for the breakfast buffet. The buffet is available for only 250 points for two. I was a bit hesitant so I scoped it out before making a commitment. We enjoyed the fresh fruit including both grapefruit sections and melon plus cooked to order eggs done easy over. Just like Douglas Mac Arthur, we will return. (2.5 Forks).
We drove to the Clark County Library where we returned our books and printed out boarding passes. On returning to the Tuscany I redeemed most of my cashback and comps with the latter applied to our hotel bill. For lunch we shared the tiramisu cake which was a total waste of calories. (1 Fork)
Later that afternoon we met Tiger of LVTalk fame and his wife Shirley for drinks at where else but Ellis Island. This was one of those Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus type meetings. Tiger and I exchanged emails for two years so meeting him was like renewing a friendship. We easily picked up on our usual discussions of Las Vegas, coupons, stock market and college basketball. Meanwhile Ms. Westie and Shirley were introduced for the first time, but easily fell into conversation covering family, pets and their dopey husbands. Time seemed to fly and next we knew Tiger found himself at the bottom of a very long list for a table at both the restaurant and BBQ. Belatedly it dawned on us that we didn’t have reservations anywhere and we were two sheets to the wind and working on the third. We tried to join Tiger and Shirley for dinner, but their assigned table was for two so we headed back to the Tuscany and dined at the Cantina restaurant. For those counting this marked the fourth Mexican meal of our trip, but I managed to avoid huevos rancheros for the past 2 weeks. The chips were mediocre, but the salsas and hot bean dip were comforting. We each ordered a combination platter of cheese enchilada and chili relleno. The bill approximated $10 after applying a 2/1 coupon from a mailer with the balance paid by comps. ($4, 2.5 Forks).
Stardate 042407 – My quest for quads #20 this morning ended in failure at 5:30AM. We quickly showered and dressed before heading off to Terribles once again. This time the Bougainvillea coffee shop received the nod because the buffet doesn’t open until 7AM. The wait staff seemed a little sleepy so service was very slow. I started acting like I had ants in my pants as the clock ticked down and then finally after a 10 minutes wait our waitress appeared. We each ordered the deuces wild special – 2 pancakes, 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon. The pancakes were way too thick, but the eggs and bacon were very good. The $10 bill was covered with comps. ($2, 1 Fork)
I was now in a slight panic as we proceeded to the consolidated rental facility and damned if I didn’t take a wrong turn into long term parking garage. I drove up one level, down another before arriving at the exit gate. I explained Ms Westie must have taken a wrong turn and the attendant allowed us to exit without paying. We took a few turns before ending up on I-215 and were at the consolidated facility moments later. Check-in went smoothly and we were soon whisked away on an airport shuttle. Our return to Hartford was uneventful and pretty boring.
I hesitate to use the phrase “mission accomplished”, but we managed to win at the Tuscany though Ms. Westie and I found ourselves on polar ends of the video poker bell curve. We dined at 15 new restaurants, enjoying most, and saw 9 show/lounge acts.
Thanks for taking the time to read and Nanoo Nanoo to one and all.
May 8th, 2007, 12:51 PM
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Dukey - back and forth to where? I guess you are either a local who never ventures far from home or a tourist who has only been on the Strip or Downtown. We don't travel to different parts of Las Vegas to save money, but to have different dining or cultural experiences.
May 8th, 2007, 01:21 PM
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What a fun trip report! You made Las Vegas sound fun - and I live here! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy SOS - I've known them for almost 35 years and have always loved their show. Maybe they were just "off" that day.
May 9th, 2007, 04:44 AM
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bashful - The first time we saw SOS it was pretty good, but we would never have gone back without Lani performing. Thanks for the nice comments.
BoniseA - thanks for reading and enjoying - it makes the writing worthwhile.
BoniseA - thanks for reading and enjoying - it makes the writing worthwhile.
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