Vegas in Fall
First off, the colors were beautiful.
So I got two replies to my last question, one yes and one no. Tie goes to the sycophant.
We got in on a Wednesday afternoon and had good weather throughout. As we entered the taxi queue, we saw one scofflaw try to beat the system, but the taxi Nazi put him in his place, big time. We told the driver to take us to The Venetian. A few minutes later we got a call and were re-directed to The Bellagio. We had a reservation at The Venetian but my brother-in-law was worried about the smell. I often worry about smells too, but I'll try not to get off topic.
The deal was that The Venetian pumps in perfume to counteract the smoke in the casino. So the casino is OK but the lobby smells like a French cathouse, at least according to my brother-in-law. Since he is a well-connected individual, he thought we'd check out The Bellagio and try to make a switch. As it turned out, it was not necessary since the odor did not bother my mother-in-law, which was our main concern. It was all for show anyway. My brother-in-law doesn't really have any pull in Vegas, or anywhere else.
We were in Vegas for my mother-in-law's 80th birthday. We were following family tradition, as her parents frequented the place, starting in the 40s. They likely would not recognize the place now. But we heard some good stories.
I was in charge of the dinner reservations and the first night brought us to Bouchon. The wife and I had been to the one in Yountville and 4M, The UK and I had previously dined at the Vegas location. No one was disappointed. $15 cocktails gripe me slightly but that is de rigueur, and the food was top notch. My wife and MIL split the lamb shank but nobody walked away hungry.
The next day BIL and FIL played golf and I headed downtown to find the $5 blackjack tables. There seemed to be fewer than last time but I happened upon a few ladies in skimpy bunny suits at Binions dealing from a single deck. I won a few bucks there but found myself distracted from my goal by the blonde dancing on the pole, so I headed back to The Strip.
That night we caught Jersey Boys, after a cocktail in MIL's room I grew up listening to Frankie Valli but we all loved the show. We then stopped in for a light dinner at Pinot. It was pretty empty around 10pm. I think they overbuilt restaurants like everything else there. Afterward I hit the blackjack tables at The Venetian with my ex-dealer wife, as opposed to my dealer's ex-wife. She provided the guidance I needed to survive, no, thrive at the $15 table. She kept pulling the chips off as soon as I brought them in. We had a few Jim Beams and walked away ahead.
The next day FIL, BIL, MIL and I headed downtown. FIL and MIL needed to get their penny slot fix. BIL and I headed back to Binions, where we spent the time playing blackjack, drinking Heineken, and averting our eyes. No major damage was done to our wallets. I should have brought BIL a few blocks east, where you can find $1 tables. There you see quite a slice of life.
Dinner that night was at B and B, as in Batali and Bastianich. $26 for a buck's worth of pappardelle bolognese was a bit much, but the food was excellent. I did have a new dining experience there though. Perhaps my friends 4M or The Belgian would have known what was going on, but I was clueless. We had ordered a bottle of red and a bottle of white. The sommelier brought our glasses with just a soupçon in each. Most of us chuckleheads drank it down but my savvy sister-in-law was expecting more of a taste, which she got. You see, the smidgen in our glasses was to “prime” them.
As I recall, our last full day there was a pretty lazy one, at least for me. I did get a swim in everyday. The deck was always crowded but few folks actually go in the pool, which was to my advantage. We wrapped up Saturday at Stripsteak, another one I sampled with my buds on one of our earlier trips. I went for 3 for 3 in the restaurant picks. This is a big steak crowd and the meat was outstanding. They started us out with some complimentary duck fat fries. Good eating! I went against the trend and got the Kurobuta pork, but got to eat half of my wife's rib eye. We can usually pull off the mid-meal switch without rancor.
We flew out Sunday. I made a new friend before I left. I had gone downstairs for some reason and when I got back to my room, the key would not work. I kept trying, and knocking on the door so my wife would let me in. By the time the door was being unlatched, I realized I was one floor off. As my new bud said, “Get the f.....”, I sheepishly apologized and scurried away.
That's all I'm telling ya. The rest stays in Vegas.
So I got two replies to my last question, one yes and one no. Tie goes to the sycophant.
We got in on a Wednesday afternoon and had good weather throughout. As we entered the taxi queue, we saw one scofflaw try to beat the system, but the taxi Nazi put him in his place, big time. We told the driver to take us to The Venetian. A few minutes later we got a call and were re-directed to The Bellagio. We had a reservation at The Venetian but my brother-in-law was worried about the smell. I often worry about smells too, but I'll try not to get off topic.
The deal was that The Venetian pumps in perfume to counteract the smoke in the casino. So the casino is OK but the lobby smells like a French cathouse, at least according to my brother-in-law. Since he is a well-connected individual, he thought we'd check out The Bellagio and try to make a switch. As it turned out, it was not necessary since the odor did not bother my mother-in-law, which was our main concern. It was all for show anyway. My brother-in-law doesn't really have any pull in Vegas, or anywhere else.
We were in Vegas for my mother-in-law's 80th birthday. We were following family tradition, as her parents frequented the place, starting in the 40s. They likely would not recognize the place now. But we heard some good stories.
I was in charge of the dinner reservations and the first night brought us to Bouchon. The wife and I had been to the one in Yountville and 4M, The UK and I had previously dined at the Vegas location. No one was disappointed. $15 cocktails gripe me slightly but that is de rigueur, and the food was top notch. My wife and MIL split the lamb shank but nobody walked away hungry.
The next day BIL and FIL played golf and I headed downtown to find the $5 blackjack tables. There seemed to be fewer than last time but I happened upon a few ladies in skimpy bunny suits at Binions dealing from a single deck. I won a few bucks there but found myself distracted from my goal by the blonde dancing on the pole, so I headed back to The Strip.
That night we caught Jersey Boys, after a cocktail in MIL's room I grew up listening to Frankie Valli but we all loved the show. We then stopped in for a light dinner at Pinot. It was pretty empty around 10pm. I think they overbuilt restaurants like everything else there. Afterward I hit the blackjack tables at The Venetian with my ex-dealer wife, as opposed to my dealer's ex-wife. She provided the guidance I needed to survive, no, thrive at the $15 table. She kept pulling the chips off as soon as I brought them in. We had a few Jim Beams and walked away ahead.
The next day FIL, BIL, MIL and I headed downtown. FIL and MIL needed to get their penny slot fix. BIL and I headed back to Binions, where we spent the time playing blackjack, drinking Heineken, and averting our eyes. No major damage was done to our wallets. I should have brought BIL a few blocks east, where you can find $1 tables. There you see quite a slice of life.
Dinner that night was at B and B, as in Batali and Bastianich. $26 for a buck's worth of pappardelle bolognese was a bit much, but the food was excellent. I did have a new dining experience there though. Perhaps my friends 4M or The Belgian would have known what was going on, but I was clueless. We had ordered a bottle of red and a bottle of white. The sommelier brought our glasses with just a soupçon in each. Most of us chuckleheads drank it down but my savvy sister-in-law was expecting more of a taste, which she got. You see, the smidgen in our glasses was to “prime” them.
As I recall, our last full day there was a pretty lazy one, at least for me. I did get a swim in everyday. The deck was always crowded but few folks actually go in the pool, which was to my advantage. We wrapped up Saturday at Stripsteak, another one I sampled with my buds on one of our earlier trips. I went for 3 for 3 in the restaurant picks. This is a big steak crowd and the meat was outstanding. They started us out with some complimentary duck fat fries. Good eating! I went against the trend and got the Kurobuta pork, but got to eat half of my wife's rib eye. We can usually pull off the mid-meal switch without rancor.
We flew out Sunday. I made a new friend before I left. I had gone downstairs for some reason and when I got back to my room, the key would not work. I kept trying, and knocking on the door so my wife would let me in. By the time the door was being unlatched, I realized I was one floor off. As my new bud said, “Get the f.....”, I sheepishly apologized and scurried away.
That's all I'm telling ya. The rest stays in Vegas.
posted by DJ @ 7:19 AM
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