The Excalibur
We arrived in the afternoon and went straight to our hotel, the Excalibur, and checked in. The room was modest, but comfortable. Basically just like every other room I've ever stayed in. (Have I already mentioned that I hate paying for hotel rooms because they're almost all exactly the same?)
The Strip (part 1)
After putting our stuff away we walked down the strip. We walked through the Monte Carlo and took the tram to the Bellagio. (I would come to hate this particular route because we took it so often during our trip.) We were ultimately headed to the Venetian, but along the way it was the top of the hour so we watched the volcano erupt in front of the Mirage. (The main reason I wanted to go to the Venetian was the last time I was in Vegas the Davidoff store in the Venetian had a cigar case that blew me away. It was a two finger case made out of highly glossed burl wood which had very sexy rounded edges.)
We finally reached the Venetian and looked at a store specializing in fine (and not so fine) art. I was getting hungry, but being single minded, headed straight for the Davidoff store. It turns out that either I remembered the cigar case incorrectly or they've since stopped making that particular case because the only case that was even remotely similar didn't look very good. It looked plastic, with a very unconvincing one-dimensional wood finish, and had hard edges. Oh well. I decided to look at their cigar selection. They had a decent selection of harder to find cigars that thoroughly tempted me. (The prices were reasonable, and these were cigars I couldn't find in Phoenix.) I was doing fine until I noticed that they had Fuente Fuente OpusX "PerfeXion #4"s. (I've never had an OpusX, but I've naturally heard a lot of good things about them.) The price of the OpusX was steep for a cigar ($32.50), but I decided that it would be worth it, once. I also got an Ashton Virgin Sun Grown "Illusion" (for a more respectable $12.10). After the Davidoff store it was time to search for some food. During our food trek we happened across the Godiva store. (I'm not a big fan of their chocolate, but Lynn loves their truffles.) We ended up buying about 10 pieces of chocolate, most of which was mine. (I may not be a fan, but I like to be thorough when it comes to chocolate. You never know, they might make something good.) After walking around for a couple more minutes and not being to think straight from being hungry, we went to Tsunami to eat dinner.
Tsunami
Before we started eating we had a flight of Momokawa sweet sakes in pear, black raspberry, hazelnut, and citron flavors. [In reality the brand is Moonstone and the flavors are asian pear, black raspberry, hazelnut, and yuzu, but I wrote it how it appeared on the menu.] The flavors were nice and very subtle. You could smell the flavor more than you could actually taste it. Of the four, we liked the pear and black raspberry the best. (The citron was nasty and the hazelnut was good, but hazelnut is more of a complimentary flavor than a primary one.)
Dinner started with an order of miso soup and kaibashira sushi. The miso soup was earthy and tasty. The kaibashira sushi consisted of bay scallops, masago [smelt roe], sesame oil, red chili oil, mayonnaise, and radish sprouts. It was served reverse roll style and it looked a little sloppy when we got it, but it was tasty and my favorite sushi to date.
For our entrees we both went with specials of the day. I had an aged New York strip steak with asparagus, cilantro mashed potatoes, and tempura onion and Lynn had the halibut with green tea noodles and some vegetables which had a sweet and lobster sort of taste to them. My steak was excellent, and the sauce which accompanied it went with it pretty well. The tempura onion was also excellent and made me want to try their tempura dishes. The cilantro mashed potatoes were a disappointment though. They really didn't taste like anything, and they had to soak up the sauce from my steak to taste halfway decent. Lynn's halibut was good, but the green tea noodles were too strange to enjoy. I don't think actual green tea has a strong flavor, but these noodles had a very strong green tea flavor which was disconcerting. I also found the lobster infused vegetables disturbing, but Lynn liked them.
Our dessert was a ginger creme brulee. The service was pretty good all night, but it took them forever to get the creme brulee to our table. I was just about ready to cancel the order when they brought it out. The creme brulee was excellent. The sugar wasn't burnt (like it tends to be all too often) and there was a just a hint of ginger to make it unique. The only complaint I had, and it was a minor complaint, was that it wasn't quite firm enough. I'm pretty sure they made the creme brulee after I ordered it, hence the reason it took so long to bring out. (Creme brulee needs be made ahead of time, because it needs to be refrigerated to get firm.)
The Strip (part 2)
We walked from the Venetian back to our hotel and saw the water show, which was choreographed to "She's the One" from "A Chorus Line", at the Bellagio along the way. It was pretty cool. [Just to make something clear, I didn't know what the song was because I don't like musicals, so Lynn had to tell me.]
The Strip (part 3)
We woke up late Saturday and went to the Luxor. I'd never been in the Luxor before, but I didn't care for their Egyptian theme. We looked through their mall and I wasn't really impressed with that either.
We then headed to Mandalay Bay. We were starving, but almost none of the restaurants at Mandalay Bay served lunch. We basically had two choices: the Mexican place and another place called Rock Lobster. I tried to avoid Rock Lobster because of their too cute lobster/guitar logo, but when we got to the Mexican place, it was a hole in the wall. While I don't mind (and even enjoy) eating at hole in the wall Mexican places in Phoenix, I wasn't in the mood to do it in a resort in Vegas, so Rock Lobster reluctantly won.
Rock Lobster
I didn't like the look of Rock Lobster when we first saw it, and I still didn't care for the look of it after we decided to eat there. I thought they seemed to be a place more concerned with their appearance (with their bastard cute logo and hip art deco interior) than their food . I was about to be proven wrong.
We started with their soup of the day (smoked gouda and zucchini soup) and a lobster chop salad (lettuce, mushrooms, blue cheese, bacon, red onion, and lobster). I was disappointed with the salad since it sounded really tasty on paper, but it just tasted ok. Lynn really enjoyed it though. The soup was amazing. It was thick, rich, creamy, and smokey with delicious chucks of zucchini to chew on. I'm surprised it's not a regular on the menu.
We were trying not to eat too much since we had dinner plans so we just had a trio of crab cakes (regular, sun dried tomato, and cilantro) served with mustard and an order of fish and chips (they used Tilapia for the fried fish so I had to try it). The crab cakes were really good, with both of use going crazy over the cilantro crab cake (and Lynn doesn't even like cilantro). The fish was delicious and the fries that were served with it were great.
The Strip (part 4)
After we ate lunch we looked around Mandalay Bay for a while. There was an import store with Bali in it's name, but they didn't seem to have much from Bali. There was also a cigar shop where I saw, for the first time, an Atoll table lighter; an old fashioned looking nickel lighter wrapped in burgundy crocodile skin. I was considering buying it, but the clueless girl at the counter annoyed me so I decided to hold off on it (until maybe some other time when she wasn't working).
We walked to the MGM Grand and saw the lions. There were two lionesses in the large enclosure, and one was napping on top of the plexiglass tunnel which goes through the enclosure. It was amazing how absolutely large the sleeping lioness was.
We went to Caesar's Palace so I could show Lynn the Atlantis show and their very cool mall. Before we ever got to the mall I saw the Atoll lighter again at Colosseum Cigar and decided to buy it. (It's funny that I didn't see the lighter at all on Friday, but saw it four different times on Saturday.) We eventually got to the mall, saw the Atlantis show, and even found a mask shop. I spent far too long in the mask shop, but even though they had a large selection I couldn't find anything I liked.
We returned back to our hotel and got changed for dinner.
Emeril's New Orleans Fish House
We had reservations at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House for Lynn's birthday dinner. I wanted her dinner to be something she wouldn't forget and Emeril's restaurant NOLA, in New Orleans, is always good for great food, so the NO Fish House seemed like a good choice. It turns out that dinner was something neither one of us will forget.
We arrived at the restaurant a little early, and were seated immediately. We were given menus and while I was trying to find something interesting the waiter pointed out the 6 course tasting menu. The rest of the menu became immediately illegible for me. (The tasting menu sounded so good that the rest of the menu went completely out of focus.) We both ended up ordering the tasting menu; Lynn ordered her's with the wine pairings.
Before we received any of our courses some bread and room temperature whipped butter were brought out for us. I was avoiding the bread at the NO Fish House because the bread at NOLA isn't that good, but Lynn tried one of the honey wheat rolls and raved about it. I decided to give a sourdough dinner roll a try and I also had some of Lynn's honey wheat roll (which was sticky with honey). Both of them were absolutely delicious and after spreading the butter on top of them they were just too good to deny devouring.
[I still have a copy of the tasting menu so I've actually got an accurate description of the food and wine.]
The first course was a lobster remoulade salad served with mixed greens, fresh avocado, infused oils, parmigiano-reggiano, and capers served with Veuve Clicquot NV Brut Champagne. The salad was a good opener; easy to take with just a bit of spice. The Veuve Clicquot was dry, but it was very nice.
The second course was baked oysters on the half shell with creamy leeks, applewood bacon, and a fresh herb breadcrumb crust served with Loft House 2001 Sauvignon Blanc. The oysters were absolutely amazing (just like they are every time I've had oysters at NOLA). The wine had sort of a green grassy taste which was very well matched with the oysters. (To test the pairing I tried this wine with the next course and it almost sucked my face in.)
The third course was barbecue shrimp with a rosemary biscuit served with Robert Eymael "Monchhof Estate" 2001 Riesling. I thought the barbecue shrimp were decent, but Lynn really loved them. The barbecue sauce tasted like it was a roux base with a hint of molasses; Lynn was really crazy over it. I was crazy over the rosemary biscuit and the riesling. I don't like wine, but the riesling didn't have the bitter alcohol flavor I normally taste in wine. It also wasn't syrupy sweet like the dessert wines I've had before.
Some time during our meal a woman stopped by our table and asked us if we wanted our pictures taken. I knew Lynn wanted to, so we had our pictures taken to commemorate the occasion.
The fourth course was pan roasted Hawaiian King Moi on jumbo lump crab meat, sweet corn, onion, and heirloom tomatoes on celery root puree with applewood bacon served with Kistler 1999 Chardonnay. I wasn't impressed with the fish, but the corn salsa was one of the best things I've ever had! Everything about it seemed to be extremely well thought out. The flavor of each of the ingredients presented themselves one at a time, then melded to form an amazing taste experience. The only thing I remember about the wine is that I didn't care for it.
The fifth course was a tenderloin served on a cedar plank with trinity and mashed potatoes served with Grazier 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon. The tenderloin was an excellent piece of meat and tasted really good, but I didn't like the trinity or mashed potatoes. Lynn was crazy over the trinity.
While we were waiting for the dessert course the photographer came back with our pictures. The color was off in the pictures, but they looked good. We decided to keep most of them. While we were looking at the pictures I was really feeling the wine. I didn't drink that much, but it was a lot more than the one beer I usually drink, so I felt the need to get some fresh air. When I came back Lynn looked at me and smiled. So was actually smiling so much that I thought it was odd and asked her why she was smiling so much. She said it was because she wanted to live the rest of her life with me and then asked me to marry her. I was shocked! The only thing I could think of was to ask her if she was drunk. (I had only been sipping the wine pairings and I was pretty buzzed so I figured she must have been really drunk.) She told me she wasn't and that she was really serious. I was touched, but I just didn't know what to say since it was completely unexpected, so I just told her I'd have to think about it.
Dessert was a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla bean ice cream served with Warre's 1992 Traditional Late Bottled Vintage Port. The dessert sucked. The ice cream was great, but the chocolate chip cookies weren't good. They were thick, hard, and just not tasty. It would have been better if they just served the ice cream with fresh berries or some sort of fruit. I didn't try the wine since I was still pretty buzzed, but Lynn tried it and loved it.
So with dinner completed, it was one of the best meals I've had. It was even better than some of the meals I've had at NOLA! (NOLA doesn't offer a six course tasting menu so they only get four chances to impress me at the most, and while their salads and entrees are great, they've only got one dessert that I know of that's good and I only found it the last time I was there during Mardi Gras.) I did notice a couple of similarities between the two Emeril restaurants though: one, the food kicks ass, and two, the sommeliers kicks ass (I've never had anyone get a wine recommendation at either restaurant and find it disappointing).
Afterward
As we walked back from the restaurant, I was basking in the afterglow of a great meal and thinking about Lynn's question. By the time we got to the hotel I knew what my answer was. While Lynn was opening the room door I told her, "Yes." For a second she didn't know what I was talking about, then she realized what the yes was about and burst into a great big smile and threw her arms around me.
When we were in the room I took out a bottle of Moet et Chandon 1993 Brut Cuvee Dom Perignon and a pair of crystal champagne flutes that I bought especially for Lynn's birthday. I put the champagne on ice, but we never got around to drinking it.
Champagne Brunch (Ok, really just champagne and chocolates)
We woke up late Sunday morning and we were going to get ready to go out, but we still had the bottle of Dom Perignon that I couldn't let go to waste. We opened it up and started eating the rest of the Godiva chocolates Lynn bought earlier. I found three chocolates that were worth eating: the creme brulee, rum, and amaretto truffles.
It was the first (and still only) time that I've had Dom Perignon and it was interesting. It had sort of an earthy flavor and was semi-dry. I liked it as much as the Veuve Clicquot we had the night before, but not as much as the Moet et Chandon Nectar Imperial demi-sec nv. I definitely didn't think it was worth the price.
Koreana BBQ
After we were done with our champagne and chocolate we decided to eat a little cheaper than we had been. We went to a Korean restaurant, Koreana BBQ, I saw when we drove into Vegas. I'm a big fan of Korean since it's the only type of food that's guaranteed to be good no matter where you find yourself. (Really, I've been to Korean restaurants all over the place and they're almost always great. Koreana was no exception.)
We ordered kalbi and bol kogi, and while we were waiting for them to bring out the meat, they set our table with a large bowl of salad and several bowls of condiments. The salad was great and they served us the best kim chi I've ever had! Our meat came out and both of them were great too (although I liked the kalbi more). When we got our check they brought it out with two sticks of melon gum. I thought it was pretty cool idea since I don't care for starburst mints. If I'm ever in Vegas with a car it's guaranteed that I'm going to eat at Koreana again.
The Strip (part 5)
We returned to the hotel and I wanted to find a place to smoke my OpusX. Those cigars have quite a reputation and I was anxious to see for myself how much of it was hype and how much was based on truth. We knew of a nice lush green area in front of the Excalibur that would be perfect so we walked down there and I noticed that my legs were sore from all the walking around we'd been doing. I was happy to be done walking for a little while as I sat on a rock and smoked my first Opus. (You can read the specifics about the cigar on the Cigars page.) I thought the flavor of the cigar was good, but not worth the price. Earlier I noticed that the cigar shop in the Mandalay Bay had an OpusX "Belicoso" for a more affordable price so we immediately took the tram to the Mandalay Bay.
Cirque du Soleil "O"
That night we went to see "O". I hadn't heard anything about it except that it takes place in a big pool so I didn't know what to expect. We arrived an hour or so before the show started and had plenty of time to kill. Our seats were in the loggia section, which is basically a section below the balcony and above the floor, and they were great because they overlooked the stage. The only thing we didn't like about them was that because of the shape of that section, in order for both of our seats to point towards the stage they couldn't be next to each other. We passed the time looking at the O Theater (which was beautiful) and discussing their possible intentions for naming the show "O".
Eventually the show started and it was amazing, but difficult to describe. The music, sets, and acts were all too much to take in. The tickets were expensive, but they were worth it in the end. When the show was over we decided that "O" was short for "Oh wow!"
Cafe Bellagio
It was past midnight when the show let out and we were both hungry. Options being limited at that time; I was willing to eat anywhere. It turns out that Cafe Bellagio, next to the Bellagio's famous garden, was open.
When we were ordering our food we talked with the waitress about the show. She'd said that most people say you have to see the show three times to take it all in. We could believe it.
Our late meal started with onion soup which was pretty good (but it's hard to screw up or make great onion soup so no surprises there). I had a steak sandwich and homemade chips with onion dressing and Lynn had a New York strip steak with mashed potatoes. Everything was pretty decent, but not good enough to warrant ever returning back to Cafe Bellagio.
Bellagio's "The Buffet"
Somehow Lynn talked me into eating at the Bellagio's buffet. She insisted it was better than most buffets. It wasn't. There was a large selection of food to choose from, and the items sounded really good, but ultimately it was buffet food. It wasn't fresh enough, good enough, or, at times, even made correctly (you should have seen the sushi). I should have just stuck to my food rule of not eating at buffets. At best they're ok, and at worst they're unsafe (or in my case, lead to my first experience with heartburn).
The Star Trek Experience
We checked out of our hotel and were ready to leave Vegas, but we had one final stop. One of Lynn's friends at work gave her two tickets to The Star Trek Experience so we stopped at the Hilton before leaving town. The Star Trek Experience was a trekkies dream. It was filled with all sorts of Stark Trek memorabilia and there was even a timeline that tied the original Star Trek tv series with the rest of them. I like Star Trek, but even though I'm not a trekkie I enjoyed looking at all the props. There was also a ride, which was one of those faux 3-d, moving platform sort of rides. It was pretty fun and all the live actors did a really great job, but it looked like the film they were projecting was just out of focus, and it made me slightly nauseous.
After the ride we walked around the gift shop and saw a Klingon speaking with a couple of Ferengi. It was pretty amusing. After the Klingon told one of the Ferengi to charge the "duck tape" to the empire a guy behind the counter at the gift shop decided to chime in "Don't you mean the Klingon empire?" The Klingon replied, "Oh, he knows which empire I'm talking about. He's charged me dozens of times." Then he said in a louder voice (so the Ferengi might overhear), "He's probably overcharged me." If that was all improvisation, it was pretty damn good.
Overall I would say that The Star Trek Experience was fun, but not worth the regular price of admission.
The Drive Back to Phoenix
We finally headed out of town, and while Lynn was driving I was reading "A Cook's Tour". Lynn was getting bored and sleepy driving so I started reading out loud from the book. I was on the Russia chapter, which turned out to be one of the most fun chapters of the book, and I was having a blast reading it. The strange thing was that after a while of reading out loud, in my head it sounded like I was speaking with Anthony Bourdain's voice . I mentioned it to Lynn and she said the exact same thing! (I guess that's one of the benefits of having watched the tv show.) As I kept reading I visualized everything. When I got to the part at the frozen lake, both me and Lynn were laughing hard as we both saw in our minds' eye Anthony Bourdain's naked skinny ass running out onto the frozen lake and jumping in. That little shared hallucination was one of the oddest and coolest things I've experienced and it was a good way to end the trip.
