Mon Ami Gabi

This is my last post on Las Vegas at least until our next trip. Mon Ami Gabi was a exciting, scrumptious restaurant right on the strip. We elected to seat outside on the patio to experience the  delightful view of the Bellagio fountain. The food was outstanding. The onion soup was overflowing with cheese and had a savory flavor. I forget now which steak I ended up ordering, but it was one of those steaks where you really try to eat slow and chew 50 times just to extract every possible moment of taste. This was one of the few restaurants that I would probably come back to and try again. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere and location superb, and the food was quite remarkable.

Gondola at the Venetian

I knew before we came to Las Vegas that hitching a ride on the gondola, at the Venetian, was a must for us. Our ride almost got scratched from the list, but at the last minute we made work. It should be noted that there are actually two gondola rides at the Venetian hotel; one outside which does a weird little circle 8 or something and then the one on the second story which travels through the heart of the mall and back with fake mood lighting for effect. We opted for the inside ride; lovely, romantic and pricey! Almost as pricey as the cab fare in the city. The 10  minute ride was a whopping $16 a person- that's a little over half the cost of a romantic helicopter ride over the city... not including tip and the company trying to sell you a photo at an outrageous cost (even our tour guide warned us to stay away from purchasing a picture).

I'm complaining a little, when overall I enjoyed the ride. Our guide stayed in character with accent and all; sang us a couple songs, told a couple jokes, and even invaded our photos. It was a lovely stroll and I can finally say I did it, but I can also finally say I would probably never do it again, simply because the cost was too high.

'wichcraft

I've been a Top Chef fan for sometime now. It's probably my favorite show on TV these days; if it wasn't for this show I would have probably dropped my Satellite along time ago. Suffice it to say, I was very excited to try Tom Colicchio's sandwich shop 'wichcraft, which is a play on names after his very successful Craft restaurants as well as a more affordable shop for us "regulars" to enjoy. 

The interior of the place looked like Tom had hired Pink Berry's designer to do his makeover. Though you probably couldn't tell by the pictures I posted, everything was neon greens mixed with light wood. Honestly, great decor for yogurt but not so much for a sandwich shop.

The sandwiches were not all that great either. I ordered the slow roasted pork with red cabbage and jalepenos on a ciabatta roll. Sounds exquisitely tasty, right? Turns out not so much. The pork was dry and the only thing that had and flavor was the jalepenos.  

My wife for some odd reason my wife chose the egg concoction above. She was unimpressed and thought it was only slightly above an egg McMufffin. 

In The words of Mr. Colicchio, "The food just wasn't that good and it was not properly executed."

In the words of Top Chefs other host Padma, "Tom, please pack your knives and go."

Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar- Paris

It's closing time

After attending Love and walking the strip we found our way to Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar. Prior to our trip, I looked up Cigar Bars on the web and this seemed to be the main one. However, once we arrived in town I found a couple of others that were probably a little more focused on Cigars. Napoleon's had a nice comfortable atmosphere, but very limited on their cigar selection. The Dueling Pianos were entertaining but as far as a piano man taking request the best I have found thus far was in Memphis. The couple here played some descent songs, but when we requested Bob Seger they only knew one song and played a bad rendition of it. Still, I would probably comeback just because I liked the easy going atmosphere that was maintained in the hustle and bustle of Vegas.

Cirque Du Soleil's -Love

While in Las Vegas we went to see Cirque du soleil's LOVE. The show is centered around the Beatle's music and is a loose interpretation of the Beatle's biography from their early days to the band's breakup. 

We decided to wait until we got to Las Vegas to pick up tickets for a show. It was a gamble, but it paid off. I wasn't sure which Cirque show to see, but this was certainly at the top of my list. However, I thought I would see whichever show was being offered at a discount. Some of my co-workers had suggested checking out Tix 4 tonight. One of my co-workers had been to Vegas the week before and told me there was a couple of Cirque shows being offered, but to get there early. So immediately after we arrived at our Hotel we headed across the street to find some tickets. The line was building up and was already out the door. I was honestly surprised to see they were offering Love tickets at a whopping 40 percent discount (and yes! I checked the standard show rates prior online prior to purchasing tickets). So, we quickly snatched out seats up. 

The only thing I thought was a negative at the time of purchasing tickets was that the ticket agent showed me my seats and I thought they were really high up for the price I was paying. But when we entered the theater my worries were dispelled. We were only six rows behind the stage. Honestly, I think all the seats had a pretty descent view and we probably could have gotten away with purchasing cheaper seats. 

The show itself was... well, it was a Cirque show, so you know, it's was amazing. Very well thought out, visually stunning, whacky characters, and too top it off it it had Beatle's  music. What more could you ask for? My wife and I loved it. If there were not other Cirque shows in town to see then I would probably say I would go back again. But since this was our first Cirque experience, I will probably venture out to the other ones (when we come back in ten years). 

Pictures were not allowed in the Theater, but I snapped this quick pic on the way out.

Siegfeid and Roy Statue

This is the Siegfried and Roy Statue near the Mirage.

After looking at some of the photos on google, I'm beginning to think my last one of the lion eating my hand might have been in bad taste, but that's what happens when you try and pick a lions nose.

Paris

I don't know why I am posting these really, but my daughter had read a book about the Eiffel Tower around the time we were going to Vegas, so I told her that I was taking her mom to see it. Of course, my wife kept clarifying that it was only a replica.

Daniel Boulud Brasserie at the Wynn

We went to Daniel Boulud Brasserie for three reasons: 1) The restaurant was located at our hotel 2) It had a Michelin Star 3) The Chef is world renowned and was a guest judge on Top Chef.

Apparently, I only took pictures of the dessert. I suppose, this was because the meal was so good that I couldn't stop to put my fork down and pick up the camera. My wife and I loved the entire evening at the restaurant. The staff were friendly and helpful. They could tell we were out of place, or maybe I just told them upfront (probably a little of both), thus the waiter took the time to share with us each part of the dish and some helpful hints on eating the courses. My main course, the rack of lamb, being the ultimate in savory and though the desserts look a little strange were heavenly with each little nibble.

Bellagio Garden

This is at the Bellagio's garden, the powers that be seem to change this area quite often, this time around it was a weird fall, Wizard of Oz meets Lord of the Rings style happening in the area.

Hand of Faith Nugget

The Hand of Faith golden nugget is on display at the Golden Nugget Hotel. The official site states that the nugget was discovered in Australia in 1980 by one of those annoying people combing beaches with short shorts and metal detectors. At 61 pounds it weighs in as the Largest nugget in existence today, the second largest ever discovered. The Casino payed over a million dollars for the nugget. While we were standing there admiring the thing, a person who was into the gold exchange came up and starting figuring out what the going price of the nugget would be on that day, as it turns out The Casino overpaid by a hundred thousand or so. But, I suppose you really can't put a price on holding a treasure like the Hand of Faith.

On a side note... what is it about me and throwing my thumbs up every time I get around valuables. It's a good thing I'm not a bank robber or I would be tagged the, "Thumbs up Bandit."

Binion's Millions

I don't know, this picture just makes me sad. I mean I am that close to a million dollars and yet, I can't get my hands on it... literally.

Berlin Wall Toilet Stall

Stand up America! Stand Up from freedom and Democracy! Be bold and let the world know you are not a communist, socialist, fascist, or any other kind of ist. How does one make such a proclamation? Well, how about going to Las Vegas and whizzing on the Berlin Wall. That's right, the Main Street Station Casino brought pieces of the Berlin Wall back just so you could feel like a real American.

Actually, I did feel kinda cool peeing on a bit of history. Oh, I know there are urinals there, but c'mon, who wants to tinkle in the porcelain  when you have concrete history backing it up. 

On a side note, I did come reasonably close to getting into a fight while snapping these shots. While I was standing there looking strangely weird taking pictures of the men's urinal, a drunken Tap-Out thug came out of the stall taking on the phone (which might be just as weird as me taking pictures in the boys room) upset because his favorite UFC star lost that very night. In a drunken rage he shouted into the phone, " Man I'm so pissed, I'm going to kick someone's ass tonight!"  So, I put away my baby blue camera and braced for the sucker punch. Thankfully, blaster MMA guy stumbled by and walked out the door.