So sorry for the long delay. Life gets in the way sometimes!
Steve wisked me off to Las Vegas for a very needed break. He attended the National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while I laid out at the pool and just relaxed. We stayed at THEhotel at The Mandalay Bay this time around. It did not turn out to be our favorite hotel in Las Vegas. We still prefer The Bellagio and both decided that the next time one of us talks the other into a different hotel, we'll talk each other out of it and pay the extra few dollars to stay at the place we love.
Not to say that THEhotel was all that bad, but we have gotten spoiled in the past. Especially after our last trip to Las Vegas where my dear husband put me up in a Penthouse suite in The Bellagio. We had a nice business meeting there, and it was a nice write-off! :)
So back to THEhotel....the room itself was very nice, but no turn-down service. Yes, we are spoiled! The other thing lacking is a pool. Guest at THEhotel have to use Mandalay Bay's pool, which is like a block away from THEhotel. You either have to walk outside and through the garage or you have to walk about a mile through the casino and restaurant area. Once you finally get to the pool, it is mostly sand. Maybe I am just getting old, but if I want to lay out in sand I will go to Laguna Beach. There were two pools nearby where there was cement, but there was sand in the pools. So I guess if you are a fan of sand, then this is the place for you!
Monday night we had dinner at one of our favorite Las Vegas restaurants, Red Square. It's located in Mandalay Bay. It's the one time we can splurge and order Beluga Caviar. We both went for the tasting menu paired with wine. Our main course was a Roquefort Crusted Filet Mignon. I like my filet rare and it was superb! No complaints here, we had such a nice evening. We ended our evening by going over to The Bellagio and both winning at Blackjack. There haven't been too many times I can say I came home with money from Las Vegas, but this time we did well at Blackjack, and came home with an extra few dollars in our pockets.
One of our other favorite restaurants in Las Vegas has become Todd English's Olives, located in The Bellagio. It has become a tradition for us to have lunch there before we have to leave and drive back home to California. As I am an olive lover, I enjoy the complimentary appetizer of flatbreads and olives, along with both black and green olive tapenade. Delicious! We haven't yet had a table out on the patio or by the window overlooking Lake Bellagio, so I suggest if you go there, to call ahead for reservations and ask for a table by the Lake. Along with excellent food, you will have a exquisite view of The Fountains of Bellagio water show that takes place on the lake. You won't be sorry that you ate here. We keep coming back for more every year.
Last but not least, I can't go on a trip without bringing home a cookbook or two. This time around I picked up Wolfgang Puck's Live, Love, Eat- a collection of the best of Wolfgang Puck. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I also found The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook - the back cover says C.B. "Stubb" Stubblefield's Austin restaurant is a barbecue shrine! It says Stubb never let a friend leave his house hungry. Sounds like a plan to me!
So all and all it was a nice needed break. To my dear husband, thanks for a wonderful time away from our hectic lives! I love you more than anything!
