May 3-17, 2006
Caution: drooling may result in a sticky keyboard.
Abbreviations: ACG = American Casino Guide
LVA = Las Vegas Advisor Pocketbook of Values
CP = Casino Player funbook
R.com = restaurant.com gift certificate
E = Entertainment book
May 3 - We decided to take the non-stop SWA flight out of Hartford
departing at 3PM rather than our customary early morning flight with
a connection. It turned out to be a wise decision because we only
gave up a few hours in Las Vegas for less time in the air. A side
benefit was we were able to drop Max-the-Schipperke off at the
kennel on our way to the airport and avoided the long lines at check-
in and security. As usual, Ms. Westie was flying free on a Rapid
Reward and I was paying full freight. We arrived at about 5:30PM
local time and proceeded directly to the Alamo shuttle. I had
reserved a mid-size for $254 for 2 weeks, but was upgraded to a full
size Impala by the lot attendant. Since it was late, we did not stop
at the Wal-Mart on Eastern and proceeded directly to the Fiesta-
Henderson.
Check-in was a breeze and we quickly dropped off our bags before
departing for dinner at Ventano's Italian Corner & Oyster Bar.
http://ventanoitalian.com/.
This beautiful restaurant located in Henderson has views of the Las
Vegas Valley. We once again decided to share a warm spinach salad,
eggplant rollatini and crème brulee. We declined the fresh out of
the oven bread and were shortly served our spinach salad
outstanding as usual. We were a bit surprised when our entrée
arrived on one plate surrounded by penne. Usually it is served on 2
plates with a side order of linguini no problem as we divided up
the eggplant and penne. We each were thinking there was not much
ricotta in the dish, but everything was delicious. Just then the
waitress returned with another dish explaining she accidentally
served us eggplant parmesan. She said she was the owner's daughter
and had never tried either eggplant dish. No problem as we proceeded
to make a sizeable dent in the second dish. Last, but by no means
least, was a delicious, and, no doubt, calorie free crème brulee.
($11.68, R.com, 4.5 Forks).
Note: all prices shown include gratuity except those for buffets.
Ms. Westie retired to the room, but I could not pass up the
opportunity to play a little video poker. I lost, enough said.
May 4 In spite of the 3 hour time change I am up and raring to go
at 4AM. Almost 3 hours later I am still up physically, but down
financially. We decided to give the new Firelight breakfast buffet
at Sam's Town a try. http://www.samstownlv.com/dining/firelight.cfm.
The room was beautiful, but the food disappointing. The fruit was
unripe, most offerings were your typical steam table fare and dishes
were not turning over fast enough to keep them fresh. I also noticed
that at 9AM a chef was already grilling hamburgers for lunch
nothing like a dried out burger for those arriving at noon. Overall
this buffet was several notches down from the comparably priced
buffets at the Orleans and Gold Coast. ($6.45, LVA, 1 Fork).
We stopped at the Wal-Mart on Eastern for provisions, before
returning to our room. After reading the LVRJ, we headed off to the
Aladdin to use our $20 free slot play coupons from Casino Player. We
hunted high and low for the 4 slant tops with 8/5 bonus poker, but
only located a single upright near the Sport Book bar that we shared
while managing to cash out at $19.50 (me) and $12.50 (Ms. Westie)
a win!
Our first full day in Las Vegas and $31.50 jingling in my pocket, is
there a better way to start off our trip then the $18.80 3-course
lunch at Commander's Palace?
http://www.commanderspalace.com/las_...il.php?menu=13.
We tried both starters: cream of wild mushroom soup topped with
truffled chive Chantilly (Ms. Westie) and the house made andouille
sausage - pecan smoked and grilled and served with a red bean puree
and four-tomato salsa (me). For entrees we chose the broiled Oregon
sole lemon drizzled and broiled and served over herb marinated
lentils and green split peas, finished with roasted artichoke aioli
and young greens. Our desserts of choice were bananas foster an
original creation of the Brennan's and soooooo good. With 3
Commander's Palace and 2 lemon drop martinis under our belts, more
under mine, we departed the restaurant with smiles on our faces and
pralines in hand. Commander's Palace continues to garner numerous
awards including 10 Best American Continental Restaurants (Las
Vegas). http://www.10best.com/Las_Vegas/Rest...n_Continental/.
($20.90, R.com, 4.5 Forks).
The afternoon was devoted to video poker, reading and napping. Later
in the day we departed for downtown to see Elvis impersonator Steve
Connolly's Spirit of the King show at Fitzgerald's.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho...y/6022470.html. The ACG
coupon good for 2 free tickets stated on the reverse side to bring
it to the showroom wrong. After standing in line for 15 minutes we
were told to bring it to the nearby box office wrong. I was then
told to bring the coupon to the slot club right. I quickly
returned to the showroom and we took seats about 6 rows back. Steve
has a small band and 2 back-up singers who provided relief by
impersonating Tina Turner and Diana Ross. The show is fun and well
worth our time. (Free, ACG, 2.5 Claps).
We had sufficiently recovered from our lunch time excesses so we
returned to the Fiesta and shared a club sandwich at the Baja Café.
($8.50, comps, 2 Forks).
May 5- My early morning VP session resulted in both a royal and quad
deuces. I returned to the room with a song in my heart and money in
my pocket. It was Cinco de Mayo and where better to have breakfast
than the Village Buffet at Paris?
http://www.caesars.com/Paris/LasVega...lageBuffet.htm.
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, spinach quiche, apple-
chicken smoked sausage, andouille sausage, dried figs, imported
cheeses, more berries, OJ, wine poached pears etc. I moaned, I
groaned, I started kissing everyone in sight. ($6.32, LVA, 4.5
Forks).
It was back to the room, but it hadn't been made up. No problem with
video poker machines waiting downstairs for us. Ms. Westie proceeded
to hit her first quad deuces of the trip. In the late afternoon we
drove to the Gold Coast where we (me) ordered a lemon drop martini
(poor) and 3 glasses of merlot (me and she). (Free, ACG).
Next stop was Hannah's Neighborhood Bistro located in Boca Park on
Rampart Boulevard in Summerlin.
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2005/09/08/taste.html. This upscale
Vietnamese, multimillion dollar restaurant is drop dead gorgeous
with beautiful art work displayed throughout, a waterfall and fish
swimming under a section of the floor. We were under time
constraints so we decided to pass on appetizers and salads. I
ordered the grilled tiger prawns served with their famous garlic
noodles. Ms. Westie's entrée - Mama's ginger steamed sea bass served
with fresh ginger, shitake mushrooms and scallions was on the bland
side. Overall we loved the restaurant's décor as well as the
service, but felt the food was slightly disappointing given the MSRP
on the menu. ($43.37, R.com, 2.5 Forks).
It was a short drive to the Suncoast where we had tickets for the
Tony Orlando show, but first we grabbed a pair of Smirnoff Ices
(Free, ACG) which we brought into the showroom. His opening act was
Sammy Shore who is the original dirty old man. Tony quickly sang his
hits and then turned much of the remainder of the show over to his
excellent band which featured a fantastic harpist as well as an
excellent singer/impressionist. Tony never possessed much of a
voice, but he excels as an entertainer. Overall the show was much
better than expected. (3 Claps).
May 6 The Fiesta began the process of recovering the money they
lent me in earnest at this morning's video poker session. We went to
the Village Pub and Poker on Eastern at Wigwam for breakfast this
morning. http://ellisislandcasino.com/pub/index.html. Of the 3
Village Pubs we have visited, this is by far the nicest. The owners
also own Ellis Island so you will recognize the booths, paintings
and menu. Ms. Westie ordered pancakes while I settled on poached
(overdone) eggs, toast and hash browns. ($6, LVA daily deals coupon,
2.5 Forks).
We decided a little exercise was in order so we walked along the
jogging trail at Sunset Park before our 10AM session on the
computers at the Green Valley Ranch Library. These were reserved
from home prior to our departure. In the afternoon Ms. Westie hit
her first Royal in 2-3 years as well as #2 quad deuces of the trip
yeah!
Prior to dinner we drove to the Gold Coast where we downed a few
glasses of merlot (Free, ACG) before dinner. Table 34, formerly the
Wild Sage, on Warm Springs Road was our choice for dinner.
http://www.usmenuguide.com/table34.html. Ms Westie's entree this
evening was char-broiled prime beef tenderloin with roasted potatoes
and veggies. I opted for the seared Maine scallops with sautéed
spinach, potato puree and orange glazed veggies. Everything,
including service was good, but a whisker short of expectations.
($42.83, R.com, 2.5 Claps).
Next stop was the ever so upscale Jokers Wild on Boulder Highway.
http://www.jokerswildcasino.com/. The Huck Daniels Review was
scheduled to play and we had enjoyed their performances at the
Stratosphere a number of times so I was really looking forward to
tonight. Times have not been kind to the Huckster as this venue is
marginal, very marginal. Lawrence T., former lead singer, has
apparently departed for greener pastures, and his female replacement
is oh so mediocre that we soon departed for our own pasture. (0.5
Claps).
May 7 It was off to Casino MonteLago this morning since 5 x points
were being offered on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays in May.
http://www.casinomontelago.com/. Unfortunately I did not realize
until several days later that I had to register for the points. I
subsequently was able to have them go back and credit my account.
After 2 hours of sheer punishment I cried uncle and drove to
Einstein Brothers on Sunset for a bagel that we enjoyed with cream
cheese previously pilfered from, hush now, Sam's buffet and OJ
(purchased).
We returned to MonteLago Village where the spring arts festival was
in progress. As one of the first 300 visitors to stop at artist Mark
Vranesh's booth, we each received a print modestly valued at $275
oh yeah. Mark has been a staff selection as best local artist in the
LVRJ's Best of Las Vegas poll.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/db/bolv...ay?bolvid=1379. Ms. Westie
stopped by a booth operated by Expressions by Leslie and added a new
hand painted jersey to her growing collection.
http://www.expressionsbyleslie.com/.
I had read glowing first hand reports on Egullet.com as well as a
few published reviews of Settebello, a new pizzeria located in
Henderson. http://www.settebello.net/.
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2006/01/26/taste.html.
We arrived shortly after 11:30AM to find an empty parking lot and a
sign on the door advising of its 12:30PM Sunday opening hour. We
started to head elsewhere, but decided it would probably prove to be
a waste of gas and time so we returned about noon. An employee waved
us in and we were soon seated and ordering this days first pizza. We
ordered 2 sodas and shared a Margherita pizza which topped with
crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. One minute, yes 60
short seconds later, our pie removed from the 800 degree wood fired
oven and on our way to us. We opted for the traditional serving
method, uncut, and devoured the pizza in another minute or two. We
both agreed the pizza was good, but overpriced and not in the same
league as those from several places in New Haven, CT. ($15.99, 2.5
Forks).
We returned to the Fiesta where the remainder of the day was devoted
to dozing in the room or lounging at the pool and Jacuzzi. Prior to
departing for dinner we enjoyed a few Blue Hawaiians in the room.
Dinner tonight was at the nearby Costa del Sol in Sunset Station.
http://restaurant.com/microsite-menu...av=menuima ge.
It has been a few years since we last dined here, but prices remain
moderate and a very good salad/soup bar is included. We enjoyed our
mesquite grilled salmon, green beans and Cajun mashed potatoes.
($15.99, R.com, 3.5 Forks).
Next stop was Brendan's in the Orleans to see John Windsor, but he
was replaced this evening by Killians Angels so we went to the
lounge to see Bruce Conte. Oops, he did not start until 9:30-10PM
and we were too tired to wait. Ms.Westie locked me in our room so I
wouldn't lose any more money while she went downstairs to play. She
returned after hitting her 3rd quad deuces of the trip.
May 8. My money was "slip sliding away" during this morning's video
poker session, but the 3 x points coupon from a mailer provided some
small measure of comfort. It was the Paris breakfast buffet redux
this time I loaded up on the best Belgian waffles this side of -
envelope please - Belgium. ($6.36, LVA, 4.5 Forks).
It was too early to visit the Premium Outlets so the tour bus took
us back to the Fiesta. I was still bleeding greenbacks and so once
again I am locked in the room. Ms Westie returned an hour later
after hitting her 4th quad deuces. We decide to splurge for luch by
going to Vons for a bowl of very mediocre chicken noodle soup.
($2.99, 0.5 Fork). The remainder of the afternoon was spent a
snoozin and a jacuzzin.
Feeling invigorated and refreshed we drove to Ellis Island in the
late afternoon and consumed 4 glasses of merlot (ACG). Tonight's
restaurant of choice is Todd's Unique on Sunset Road, Henderson. The
restaurant has been voted as one of the Top 10 restaurants in Las
Vegas for the past 2 years as well as being a recipient of AAA 3
Diamonds award in 2006. http://www.toddsunique.com/.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../25644662.html.
We usually pass on the bread, but they serve a warm garlicky loaf
that is almost worth the extra carbs. The shared crab cake with
remoulade sauce and Asian salad appetizer was delicious. Ms. Westie
settled on the Ahi tuna entrée with wasabi mashed potatoes and
veggies. I went for the teriyaki halibut served over steamed rice
and bok choy. We both feel these were the two best entrees of our
trip. ($43.34, R.com, 5 Forks).
My "to do" list included seeing Moanin' Blacksnakes, a local blues
band, at the Sahara, but Ms. Westie was tired, no doubt from toting
around all her winnings, so we returned to the Fiesta.
http://www.moaninblacksnakes.com/. The official countdown until I
fell asleep was 1 minute, 32 seconds and that included brushing my
teeth and tapping a kidney.
May 9 My morning video poker session netted my 2nd quad deuces of
the trip so I began thinking maybe the dam has been breached? We
decided to try the recently reopened buffet at Sunset Station for
breakfast. The room is gorgeous, but the food was only satisfactory
with turnover a distinct problem. I was able to combine a CP 2/1
coupon with a 25% discount by using our Boarding Pass points. (2
Forks).
After dropping me off at the Fiesta, Ms. Westie set off for the
Palms for a massage ($85.70, LVA) while I fed money into the video
poker machines for much of the remaining morning. We spent the
afternoon reading and relaxing by the pool.
Prior to dinner we again drove to the Gold Coast for a performance
by the classical group "Quartet Merlot" courtesy of 2 ACG coupons.
We then drove to Viva Michoacan, a highly acclaimed Mexican
restaurant, on Sunset Boulevard.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../23747908.html. Taco chips,
salsa and bean dip preceded our meal. In addition, we were served a
delicious sopa de fideo. Ms. Westie selected camarones Zirahuena,
bay shrimp butterflied and sautéed in butter with tomatoes, onions,
a bit of sour cream, paprika, and secret condiments. I ordered the
enchiladas de camaron, enchiladas stuffed with shrimp and simmered
in a red sauce. Entrees include rice, beans and a choice of fresh
corn or flour tortillas. ($19.37, R.com, 3.5 Forks).
Tonight's entertainment was a doo-wop group called the NiteKings at
Sam's Town. These are 4 rolly polly guys with minimal talent, but
lots of desire. Sorry guys, but we were heading for the car after
your first 2 numbers. http://www.nitekings.com/index.php?
o...d=3&Itemid =4.
May 10 Another early morning session at Casino MonteLago ended
with the casino getting the gold mine and me getting the shaft. On
my way back to the Fiesta I swung by Vons for a pair of apple
fritters that we enjoyed with OJ in our room. Today marked the half
way point of our trip and the question of the day was "is the glass
half empty or half full?" I was not sure, but I knew I was out of
unmentionables so we dropped off our clothes at our favorite wash
and fold. We then checked our email at the library and headed cross
town to the Fiesta-Rancho. After playing for an hour or so, we ate
at the luncheon buffet using a free coupon from a mailer. The only
thing close to decent was the Caesars salad. Ms. Westie's fried
chicken was drier than Las Vegas, the pork ribs had to be leftovers
from a previous night, lo mein worse than blah, overdone stir fry
veggies, a cheesecake with the blahs as was the cannoli. Blah, blah
and double blah. (Free, 0.5 Forks)
As we headed south on Rancho, I saw a billboard that I initially
thought read "Six New Commandments". It took a full second before I
realized it was an advertisement for "Six New Communities". Whew, I
experience enough problems adhering to the current 10. At around 6PM
we picked up our revitalized clothes and it was off to Ellis Island
for 4 more glasses of the house merlot courtesy of another ACG
coupon.
Dinner tonight was at Rosemary's on West Sahara.
http://www.rosemarysrestaurant.com/files/dinner.pdf
This restaurant is a perennial winner in the Best of Las Vegas poll
and was accorded a AAA 3 Diamond rating in 2006. We had called ahead
and the first available seating was at 8:15PM. Unbeknown to us
Wednesday is Ladies night where all ladies "only" tables receive 50%
off their entrées plus happy hour prices all night long. Several
ladies at nearby tables seemed to be very happy, very happy. We each
received a complementary dollop of whitefish (tunafish?) salad on a
crouton. Our entrees were honey Creole mustard glazed salmon served
with a watercress sweet onion salad, spiced pumpkin seeds and a
butternut coulis. At the conclusion of dinner we received a small
plate with complimentary chocolate and peanut butter truffles they
were out of the delicious lemon ones damn. ($31.03, R.com, 4.5
Forks).
Next stop was the vacation express was the Sahara to see the Tommy
Thompson Project (jazz). http://www.tommythompsonproject.com/. Oops,
those guys milling around the stage are members of SixtiesMania.
http://www.sixtiesmania.com/. This group has been downsized to 4
members and their impressions are not even close to being on target,
but it is hard to beat their play list. We stayed for one set before
returning to the room. BTW - the one drink minimum requirement at
the Casbar Lounge was not being enforced this evening. Free, 2
Claps).
May 11 This morning I headed to Boulder Station with a LVA 3 x
points in hand, but the quad deuces continued to elude me. Prior to
returning to the room I picked up a couple of bagels from Einstein
Brothers which we enjoyed in our room with OJ. Our next stop was the
Las Vegas Premium Outlets where we once again divided up with Ms.
Westie heading to the Chicos and Liz Claiborne shops. Ms. Westie
added another new jersey to her extensive collection. Meanwhile I
stopped without success at Seiko, Polo, Harry & David and Izod. I
then swung by the Tix4Tonight outlet in the parking lot adjacent to
the Sahara and picked up ½ priced tickets for Hairspray. Like a rube
I neglected to ask the section we would be seated in live and
learn (the hard way).
It was now time for lunch so it was off to Commander's Palace
again. .
http://www.commanderspalace.com/. The Maitre d', Santino, recognized
us from the prior week and instructed the head waiter to seat us in
his section, but I requested a table in the Garden room. I also
asked for a copy of the menu and the waiter informed us that last
week's server had informed him that I would be such a request. It is
this attention to service that make dining at Commander's Palace
such a special experience. Our 3-course $18.80 luncheon options
included Creole tomato bisque topped with chive Chantilly (Ms.
Westie) and Crawfish beignet salad with a variety of greens, shaved
onions and buttermilk blue cheese tossed with raspberry vinaigrette
served with flash fried crawfish beignets and cane molasses drizzle
(me). We each chose the Oregon sole "a la Plancha" entrée griddle
seared fillets of sole served with crispy potato gratin, sweet lemon
butter sauce and toasted garlic. Though feeling satiated we
continued on to the third course a choice of banana-buttercream
Gateau', pecan genoise layered with a rich banana buttercream topped
with white chocolate ganache and finished with chocolate and caramel
sauce (me) or French Quarter beignets, traditional New Orleans bite
sized beignets dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by warm
café au lait sauce (Ms. Westie). Does anyone remember the restaurant
scene from "When Harry Met Sally"? I am pretty certain Sally was
eating this very same meal. BTW this day's inventory of 25 cent
martinis included (2) Commander's Palace, (1) lemon drop, (1)
chocolate and (1) apple. ($24.90, R.com, 5 Forks).
I managed to return us safely to the Fiesta where we spent the
remainder of the afternoon reflecting on our soon to be adopted
diets. That evening we drove over to Luxor where we took in
Hairspray. I won't go into the story line of the show which is
covered in the following review, but we enjoyed the show.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho...y/7313973.html.
We were disappointed by our mezzanine section seats 6 rows from the
back of the theatre while the 10 rows in front of us were virtually
vacant. I would have moved forward, but we were in the middle of the
row and I did not want to disturb other people. We asked those
surrounding us and all had purchased their tickets at a discount
outlet. I recommend purchasing in advance and paying full freight
based on our experience. ($24.90, 2.5 Claps).
We were now a little hungry so we stopped at Ellis for a 2/1 slice
of pizza (Thursday nights) and a few free drinks (soda, water and
beer). ($6, 1.5 Forks).
May 12 My early morning video poker session was another loser. We
decided the Paris buffet would get the nod this day. In addition to
sundry menu items, we each enjoyed a Belgian waffle covered with
fresh berries and cream that was so light I thought mine would
levitate. ($6.32, LVA, 4.5).
We returned to the Fiesta and enjoyed wining sessions with Ms.
Westie's scoring her 4th and 5th quad deuces of the trip while I
manage to at least hold my own by hitting my 3rd. The remainder of
the afternoon was spent counting her money and dozing by the
pool/Jacuzzi.
Always a glutton for punishment, we headed to Ellis Island early
this evening for a round of free drinks courtesy of another ACG
coupon. We were tempted to stay and have BBQ ribs, but decided to
dine at El Coqui Caribbean Restaurant on Paradise Road.
http://www.elcoquicaribbeanrestaurant.com/. On past trips we have
enjoyed the excellent chicken noodle soup served at this Puerto
Rican restaurant at lunch, but this was our first visit at dinner
time. We shared an order of tostone (fried green plantains) served
with garlic in oil. I also requested habanero sauce. We each ordered
the fried chicken with mofongo (mashed plantain with garlic, pork
rind and whatever). The chicken was crispy on the outside, but moist
inside. A homemade chicken broth was included that is used to pour
over the mofongo or used as a dipping sauce. The mofongo was tasty,
but about as heavy as mortar.
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2004/05/13/taste.html. Somehow we
managed to top off this meal with an unbelievably delicious, and no
doubt nutritious, coconut flan. ($19, E, 2.5 Forks)
May 13 Another session without quad deuces was followed by a trip
to the Village Pub and Poker at Wigwam for eggs, toast and hash
browns. ($5.75, LVA, 2.5 Forks).
It was time to check our email so we headed to Green Valley Ranch
Library. The annual ArtFest was being held in downtown Henderson so
I used the back roads and parked on Pacific, about a block from
Water Street. http://www.888artfest.com/henderson/index.html. It was
extremely hot with the sun radiating off the black top so we made
our stay as brief as possible. Casino MonteLago was offering free
manicure/make-up sets after earning only 20 points so we headed out
to Lake Las Vegas. After returning to the Fiesta, we spent the
remainder of the afternoon playing video poker with Ms. Westie
hitting her 6th and final quad deuces of the trip.
This evening we drove to the Suncoast for a few complimentary
glasses of merlot courtesy of another ACG coupon. We could not dally
because of our 6PM reservations at Speidini Ristorante in the J. W.
Marriott. http://www.spiedini.com/. This is one of Master Chef
Gustav Mauler's restaurants and we were amazed how beautiful the
room was with its bold accents, lighting and shapes. Service was
initially laid back so I advised the server of our plans to see a
show later in the evening. We shared a delicious spinach salad with
pears, gorgonzola, crispy proscuitto, candied walnuts and balsamic
dressing. Ms. Westie's entrée was lobster ravioli in a lobster sauce
finished with a touch of cognac. I chose the golden squash
agnolotti roasted butternut squash, amaretti, mascarpone and
parmesan filled pasta topped with bay scallops and brown butter
sauce. ($27.55, R.com, 4.5 Forks).
We arrived at the Suncoast before the 7:30PM start of the Frankie
Avalon show allowing us to get a little exercise by making a circuit
around the casino before taking a pair of Smirnoff Ices, free of
course with our ACG coupon, into the showroom. Frankie still looks
pretty good, but his vocal cords were never all that impressive to
start with. I was somewhat disappointed to find much of his material
was a carryover from a show we saw previously in which he shared
billing with Bobby Rydell, but it was an enjoyable evening
nonetheless. (2 Claps).
May 14 Sam's Town was offering 6 x points on Mother's Day so I
saddled up the Impala and headed down the Boulder Highway. Later in
the morning we drove over to Ellis Island for their cinnamon vanilla
French toast. http://www.ellisislandcasino.com/. We have had this
dish on numerous occasions, but today's was the best. Perhaps
because it was served piping hot. It seemed one individual was
solely responsible for delivering food from the kitchen ($4.12, ACG,
3.5 Forks).
We drove to the Flamingo, parking at the Barbary Coast, in order to
participate in the Harrahs $3,000,000 promotion, but learned it is
only open between the hours of noon and 5PM each day. In mid-
afternoon we returned to Casino MonteLago in order to take advantage
of the 5 x points being offered. I recorded my 4th quad deuces of
the trip before departing for the Village Buffet at Paris'. We each
used a LVA $10 off coupon, but were charged different amounts,
$16.11 versus $18.86. I think one was charged the regular dinner
price while the other was assessed the higher "Mother's Day" buffet
price. I managed to sample the cocktail shrimp, cold crab legs, a
few mussel dishes, steamed clams, seafood paella, grilled veggies
including some giant asparagus spears, sautéed salmon, imported
cheeses and a trio of desserts. ($29.97, LVA, 4 Forks).
Next stop was the Ann-Margret & Company show at the Orleans.
http://www.ann-margret.com/. There was a nice balance between
singing and dancing, but the latter was primarily performed by a
trio of talented male performers. Videos from Ann-Margret's TV and
movie credits were broadcast on a screen allowing her to catch a
breath and make frequent costume changes. (2 Claps).
May 15 I managed to temporarily reconnect with my money at today
video poker séance held at Casino MonteLago after hitting my 5th
quad deuces of the trip. I returned to room, showered and completed
the express check-out process before driving to Sunset Station for
breakfast. Although only small amounts of each dish are put out at
the buffet, we again noticed many of the sauces and gravies had
congealed. The fruit selection was not as good as earlier in the
trip, but we made do by adding yogurt. The made to order omelets
were way too thick so we each opted for eggs over easy. The listed
price for this buffet is $7.99, but I combined a LVA coupon with the
25% discount for using Boarding Pass points. (2 Forks).
We returned to Casino MonteLago, redeemed our accumulated slot play,
and played until 11:15AM. It was time to head to the Strip in order
to participate in Harrahs' $3 million promotion. We visited all 6
casinos in just over 3 hours on this very hot day while allowing
ourselves a Michelob break at Casino Royale. We each received a
total of $30 in dining certificates plus we won a pair of valueless
fun books and (2) Flavors buffets.
We were staying these final 2 nights of our vacation at the newly
opened South Coast so I decided to try Industrial Road/Dean Martin
Drive in an attempt to avoid rush hour delays, but found traffic
backed up as we approached the Blue Diamond area. Being our first
visit I parked in the front and walked through the entire casino as
I followed signs for the Hotel. Naturally, I missed the hotel check-
in area located on the immediate right upon entering the casino.
After completing the check-in process, I inquired as to the best to
park and was told the hotel elevators were equidistant from both the
front parking lot and garage so I opted for the latter due to the
heat. Our room was nicely appointed including a 42 inch plasma TV.
After unpacking I headed for the casino and in less than 2 minutes
scored a quad that earned me a free dinner buffet using an ACG
coupon.
Prior to our departure for dinner we each enjoyed 2 glasses of
merlot courtesy of a pair of ACG coupons. Dinner was at Todd's
Unique on Sunset in Henderson. This outstanding owner-operated
restaurant has been the recipient of numerous awards including being
named a Top 10 Las Vegas Restaurant, Best of Las Vegas selection and
an AAA 3 Diamonds restaurant. http://www.toddsunique.com/. We shared
an appetizer of warm goat cheese wontons in a raspberry basil sauce.
Ms. Westie entrée was seared wild troll salmon served with green
onion polenta and green onion vinaigrette. I once again opted for
the teriyaki Alaskan halibut over steamed rice and bok choy. Mine
was every bit as good as the first time, but Ms. Westie's salmon
received only a pretty good rating. ($41.19, R.com, 4 Forks). Wild
Troll King Salmon, green onion polenta and green onion
We returned to the South Coast and each of us earned a free dinner
buffet, ACG coupon, before calling it a night. I was told these
buffet coupons have no expiration dates so we will use them on a
future trip.
May 16 - An early morning bonus poker session resulted in several
quads, but I only redeemed a single free dinner buffet coupon. On my
return to the room I recognized hotel security guard Ed Brown from
the Orleans. Many of you may remember Ed as the guard who collects
toys for needy children. He was toting a plastic alligator when last
seen.
The airport Village Pub and Poker on Sunset was our choice for
breakfast. We once again enjoyed the 2 eggs, toast and hash brown
special. ($5.78, LVA, 2.5 Forks). It was time to print out our SWA
boarding passes so we returned to Green Valley Ranch library. We
subsequently visited the Aladdin with intention of redeeming 2 more
$20 free slot play coupons, but the slot booth attendant said it was
1 coupon per trip with 18 days constituting a trip. Oh well, you
know what they say about the "best laid plans of mice and men."
While standing in line we met Kelly and Christine, two 20 plus year
olds from Austin who were each in process of polishing off giant
bottles of Smirnoff Ice. Christine was celebrating a birthday and I
was asked to pose for a picture while giving her a kiss. Many moons
have passed since I last kissed an attractive young lady over the
age of consent that wasn't kin, so what am I going to say - no? They
also asked if we wanted to hang out with them, but we politely
declined their offer. As you may have guessed, these two were about
2.5, on their way to 3, sheets to the wind.
We then walked to Paris and completed a mini run (Paris, Bally's and
Flamingo) thereby earning us $20 in dining certificates, (2) George
Wallace tickets and another useless funbook.
We decided to go light for lunch by ordering soup at Ellis Island,
but this day's offering was split pea so we ended up with tuna fish
sandwiches with fries. ($8.41, ACG, 2.5 Forks). On returning to the
South Coast we quickly proceeded to the pool area which is quite
nice, at least by Fiesta standards, but the water in the Jacuzzi was
only tepid.
Prior to departing for dinner we enjoyed complimentary glasses of
merlot at the lounge bar courtesy of another pair of ACG coupons. It
was around 8PM by the time we arrived at Fukuda Tepannyaki Japanese
Bisto on Sunset in Henderson. We were told it would be 30 minutes
before seats would be available, but the same meal could be prepared
for us in the kitchen. We opted for this alternative rather than
wait which turned out to be a big, big mistake. We started out with
the edamame appetizer. This represented our first and last
experience with boiled salted soybeans totally tasteless. Ms.
Westie chose the halibut dinner while I requested chicken. She
received two decent sized pieces of fish, but each was overdone. My
chicken, cut into ¼ inch cubes, was dry. Each entree included miso
soup, noodles, veggies, rice and salad. The soup was hot, but
everything else was served cold. Service was affable, but slow.
($23.08. R.com, 0.5 Forks).
Returning to the South Coast we proceeded to redeem 2 more ACG
coupons for free dinner buffets before we retiring to our room.
May 17 The funbook received at check-in contained a 2/1 for the
breakfast or lunch buffet coupon which we used this morning. The
buffet opened at 7AM, but it was apparent that most of the buffet
had been prepared a few hours prior. It was a typical Coast Casinos
buffet with a little more variety and a better selection of fruit.
($6.45, 2.5 Forks).
Drop off at the Alamo lot was efficient and we were quickly shuttled
to the airport. Our nonstop SWA flight departing at 10AM arrived in
Harford at 5:15PM, approximately 15 minutes late.
Gambling results - me:
Last trip: 1 Royal, 11 quad deuces in 14 days
This trip: 1 Royal, 5 quad deuces in 12 days (last 2 days played
bonus poker)
Gambling results - Ms. Westie:
Last trip: 0 Royal, 1 quad deuces in 14 days
This trip: 1 Royal, 6 quad deuces in 12 days
Weight gain:
Ms Westie 0
Me I didn't weigh myself so it must have been 0
Bon appetite and thanks for reading.