Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Planet Vegas

Stardate 041107 –The first night of each new voyage is always characterized by my inability to adjust to the time difference so I was up at 0200 hours and proceeded to the casino where I got beaten to a pulp. An hour into the session a man tapped my on the shoulder and inquired if I was Westie. I feared my cover had been blown, but it turned out my name had been drawn for a chance to win free play. He was carrying a shopping bag containing plastic eggs presumably left over from Easter egg hunt. I selected one that contained a coupon for $75 in free play. This was the 2nd highest amount offered so I was feeling pretty good, but as sure as night follows day I managed to lose the entire amount plus a few additional macaroons over the next several hours.

The accountants at the Federation’s home office have cut back on our expense accounts so we were required to sign up for the breakfast and pre dinner drink package at Ellis Island. http://www.ellisislandcasino.com/ This morning we each ordered the excellent vanilla French toast served piping hot and a solo coffee for Ms. Westie. ($4.25, ACG, 4 Forks).

We walked back to the Tuscany and drove to the nearby Clark County Library to make computer reservations for later in the week as well as to borrow a few books. Next stop was the Las Vegas Premium Outlets where I purchased much needed socks and Ms Westie acquired a less needed jersey and purse. The little red Saturn’s next stop was the Wal-Mart on Flamingo for some sundry items, but we noticed Mrs. Walton’s cupboard was nearly bare and prices deeply discounted. At check-out we were told the store would be closing the following Tuesday.

On our return to the Tuscany we discovered our room had not been maid (sic) up so we proceeded to the casino. The Tuscany was running a promo where for each 1,000 base points recorded in a day you receive a bottle of Tunnel of Elms wine so an hour later I was the proud owner of a $6 bottle of merlot costing us just a tad over $60.

On Wednesday nights Todd’s Unique offers free corkage so our choice for dinner this evening was a forgone conclusion. Todd’s happens to be my favorite Las Vegas restaurant though physically situated on Sunset Road in nearby Henderson. Our karma was good this evening as we were assigned to one of Sheena’s tables. She appeared to be suitably impressed when I unveiled our bottle of Tunnel of Elms that sported a plastic cork. We allowed her to recite the daily specials, but our minds were made up beforehand. We shared a baby spoonleaf spinach salad with cranberries, goat cheese and candied walnuts tossed with a warm bacon dressing that was nothing short of sublime. Our entrees were teriyaki halibut served over steamed rice and baby bok choy. I have ordered this entrée at least 5 times in the past and it has never been anything short of exceptional and I don’t even like teriyaki. Todd, owner/chef extraordinaire, stopped by the table and recognized my name from the Chowhound board and thanked us for our continuing support. Meanwhile Sheena managed to keep our glasses filled while also attending to several other tables including a large party of 10. We passed on dessert, but Todd sent over 2 complimentary aperitifs. ($50.74, R.com, 5+ Forks)

Our itinerary included stopping at the Orleans to see Elvis impersonator Brandon Bennett this evening, but it was too early and we were too tired so we returned to the Tuscany. I continued my losing ways while adding two more bottles to our rare and increasingly expensive wine collection.

Stardate 041207 – My very early morning session proved to be an exercise in both futility and humility. The Orleans buffet received the call this morning - grapefruit and orange segments, OJ, skim milk, an eggbeaters spinach and cheese omelet and home fries filled the bill and belly. ($6.41, ACG, 2.5 Forks)

We drove over to the Sahara to pick up tickets for the Musical History of King show. I had originally planned to stop at the Las Vegas Hilton to pick up our Joe Piscopo tickets, but I learned a Star Trek conference was in progress and was concerned that we might be recognized.

We returned to the room for R&R before heading out to Pho So 1 at 4745 Spring Mountain Road for lunch.
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2002/1...ood_taste.html We shared a bowl of pho tai (rare steak) accompanied by very fresh basil, herbs, lemon and bean sprouts. A liberal squirt of Sriracha chili and I was happy. We also shared a delicious order of goi cuon (steamed egg rolls with shrimp, noodles and veggies) with a peanut dipping sauce. ($12, 4.5 Forks).

I was tired of doing an Abe Lincoln impersonation as I tried to read by the scant light provided by the bedside candles so we stopped at a Walgreens to purchase a few 100 watt bulbs before returning to the room. Later in the day we earned two additional bottles of wine so I upgraded to a bottle of Beringer cabernet by turning in 3 bottles of Tunnel of Elms. http://www.beringer.com/beringer/index.jsp This bottle was barely in the room before we started imbibing.

Dinner this evening was at Penang (Malaysian) restaurant on Spring Mountain Road http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2006/06/29/taste.html The restaurant is located on the second floor of Pacific Asian Plaza, almost adjacent to Hue’s Sandwiches. There were only 6 customers on this Thursday evening which had me a bit concerned, but we are operating under strict orders to seek out new restaurants so we made do. We shared orders of roti canai (Malaysian/Indian bread served with curry chicken as a dipping sauce), Penang satay (marinated and grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce), nasi lemak (coconut rice flavored with cloves and screwpine leaves served with chili anchovy curry chicken and hard boiled egg) and kari ayam (chicken and potatoes with red curry in coconut mild curry). The roti, satay and nasi lemak were all very good, but the curries were largely indistinguishable. The bill was net of a $15 gift certificate from KSHP. http://www.kshp.com/ ($12.89, 2.5 Forks).

Our next stop was the Orleans where we listened to a few songs by Brandon Bennett performing “Elvis My Way” at the Bourbon Street Cabaret. http://www.elvismyway.com/ It is a shame this tribute artist has not been blessed with either rhythm or Big Elvis’s voice. (1 Clap).

Jean Scott, The Frugal Gambler, posted on the VPFree board that she would be handing out pull tabs (coupons) good for free meals and drinks at the Silverton this evening immediately outside the Orleans showroom. It was serendipity that we would also be attending this evening’s Temptations’ show. I could hardly believe my eyes she showed up lugging a shopping bag half full of pull tabs. The showroom was packed and the Temptations put on a fantastic performance that showcased many of their biggest hits and trademark choreography. On the negative side, their outfits looked like piano keyboards and could only have been designed by Stevie Wonder. http://www.thetemptations.com/ (4.5 Claps).

Immediately following the show we used the ticket stubs for free drinks. I needed to reconnect with my feminine side so I ordered my first ever toasted almond –so fine, my drink was so doggone fine, sendin’ chills up and down my spine. Okay, I am getting carried away, but it was delicious and provided a much needed boost to my calcium level.

Stardate 041307 That rascal RNG (Random Number Generator) finally favored me this morning with quad deuces – dealt no less on this Friday the 13th. Our breakfast was at the Original Pancake House at Green Valley Ranch. http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/ We each ordered the Grand, a senior special featuring 2 eggs (your choice), 3 pancakes, 2 strips of bacon or sausage. Neither of us finished. ($5.44, R.com, 3 Forks).

We swung by the Fiesta-Henderson for a little play to keep our points current and then stopped at Sam’s to use a play $20 get $10 coupon before returning to our hotel. We played a bit more earning yet another bottle of wine. It was during this session that I ran into Jean Scott as well as Tom Ski who was watching his mother on the same bank of FPDW machines. Lastly, I managed to hit #2 quads of the day and trip.

Later in the afternoon we broke out another bottle of merlot before departing for Texas Station where we dined at San Lorenzo. http://www.texasstation.com/template...pid=487&bp
Entrees include a choice of soup or salad so we each ordered a mediocre Caesar salad which was accompanied by a bread basket. Ms. Westie ordered salmon alla spinach with a side order of spinach – yes folks she’s strong to the finish cause she eats all her spinach. The salmon filet was large and perfectly prepared while the spinach was both fresh and bountiful. My entrée was chicken carciofi – sautéed skinless chicken tossed with fresh artichokes in a lemon white wine sauce, but the sauce was too acidic for my taste. I too wanted to be strong to the finish so I requested a side order of spinach. We finished the meal with a more than decent crème brulee. ($21.06, R.com, 3 Forks). Note: I was not allowed to pay the balance with points.

We departed for the Cannery to see the Lon Bronson Band performing in the Club with directions in hand, but I spent way too much time meandering over hill and dale. http://www.lonbronson.com/ We were lost, arrived late, the place was packed and Lon started without us. On the positive side an usher found 2 seats for us at a table near the back and during the first break we relocated to a table immediately in front of the stage. The Club is an excellent venue for Bronson’s big band – 6 piece horn session, 5 other musicians, and lead singers Rick Friedman and Lisa Mayer. He also had 2 dancers, as well as a Tina Turner impersonator with him this evening. (4 Claps).