Vegas Valentine

I went to Vegas. I now want to go back to Vegas because it felt too short. Being that this was a work trip, I don't have a lot of exciting things to report, but we did have a fabulous Valentine's dinner at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

It's obvious, right? The place is gorgeous. The food is amazing. The kitchen runs like clockwork. The service is fantastic. Chef Robuchon, himself, was even expected on the premises that evening, so things were probably even more on-point than usual - or not. I have a feeling that place is always run with precision.

We were very tempted by the 9-course Seasonal Discovery menu, but chose the more sensible Club Menu, which was 4 courses, but actually 5 because we started with a crazy foie gras amuse bouche.

Because I have the most annoying stomach in the universe (it tells me I'm starving and then becomes full after 3 bites), I was ready to burst by the time the entree came. The salmon was amazing, of course, but the most memorable part was the signature Pommes Puree, which is a fancy way of saying Best Mashed Potatoes in the World. They were like velvet and whipped cream babies...plus, they came in tiny casserole dishes! I wanted to climb inside the dish and swim around in the potatoes. So good.

Dessert was also lovely, as we shared the selection of tartes and housemade ice creams and even had after-dinner espressos like real adults...adults who were hoping to stay awake past 8 p.m.

All-in-all, the perfect Valentine's Day dinner. So perfect that my husband and I are ready to crown Vegas our official Valentine's Day destination going forward. Neither of us is sure why we never thought of this before...why spend money eating out here, when we could be there? Plus, it aligns with my whole "escaping Minnesota in February" mental well-being philosophy. That's right, going to Vegas is good for me.

The only downside of our dinner was the realization that there is just no way in hell I'm going to make it through Joel Robuchon's 16-course menu (#3 on my 40 by 40 list). Is there a training regimen that one should put their stomach through before undertaking such a meal? I can't just not eat for two days beforehand, as my husband suggested, because my stomach will shrink and I'll get full even faster (not to mention that I'll pass out from low blood sugar). Is it better to take just one bite of everything or just admit that you're going to have to vomit somewhere between courses 5 and 10? (Don't worry! I'll be back for dessert!)

Yes, these are the problems I have. Life is good.

It's Practically Business School

For years now I've been preaching the necessity of taking a warm, sunny vacation in February to my fellow Minnesotans. February tends to be brutal month, as the shine of the holidays has completely worn off and you're left with dark and cold and spring is still a good 2-3 months away.

Unfortunately, I've been pretty bad at following my own advice...we went to Hawaii last New Year's, which was awesome, but it was a little bit too early in the season to properly alleviate the winter doldrums (or "the greys," as I've decided to call them).

That was all just backstory to help you understand exactly how much I'm looking forward to getting on a plane tomorrow to sunny LAS VEGAS!

I know what you're thinking: But you always look forward to Las Vegas.

And you're right -- I love Las Vegas no matter the season. But I am particularly excited about the timing of this trip because I have a serious case of the greys that I know will be washed away by just 10 minutes in the desert sun (and by the sweet, sweet sound of the slot machines).

This trip will be a little different because I'm going for work (have I mentioned that I love my job?), but my husband is coming too, and the work part doesn't start until Tuesday, which means nothing but fun between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning! And then a little more fun Tuesday night!

We're having Valentine's dinner at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, which is not to be confused with Joel Robuchon, where they have the 16-course tasting menu that's on my 40 by 40 list. (We were actually going to make this the trip where we spent nearly a mortgage payment on dinner, but we couldn't get a reservation, which I took as a sign.) I'm actually hoping that we'll make it Paris for our 10-year anniversary (!) this year and eat at the original L'Atelier, too, so you know, this is like research...very important research.

In fact, we should really think of the entire trip as educational. I will attempt a historic recreation of the Rat Pack era at the Seahorse Lounge. Anyone with suggestions on what a lady of that era would have ordered from the bar are appreciated - I always end up ordering a cosmo because the pink is so pretty against the sea blue interior.

I will once again attempt to answer the question of whether the staff at Centrifuge are bartenders-forced-to-dance or dancers-forced-to-bartend.

And, of course, there will lots of financial skills training in the form of Monopoly, Price is Right, and 99 cent margaritas.

Yes, yes and I'll also be honing my expertise on social media and organizational communication. I'll even demonstrate my knowledge by posting photos of all of the above to Facebook.

I will no doubt return from this trip as a smarter, more well-rounded person.

Viva

This is where I'll be eating dinner tonight...because I will be in LAS VEGAS! I'm continuing my tour of celebrity chef restaurants with Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Last trip, we hit Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak (it was awesome!), maybe next time we'll try one of Mario Batali's spots...or maybe that will be the trip I realize my dream of partaking in Joel Robuchon's 16-course tasting menu. Or maybe not.

Unlike most of my Vegas trips, there is no real itinerary planned for this visit to Sin City - in fact, our reservations tonight at Mesa are pretty much it. I'm tagging along on my husband's work trip and it's unclear how long his work days will be, so I haven't been able to plan much...this will likely result in me having endless hours to slot-hop...

All my friends should be on the lookout for a midday call announcing that I've tapped into my inner Hunter S. Thompson and will not be returning until the book is finished.

I debated bringing my laptop so I could blog about my solo adventures, but I figured it would be too tricky to balance my laptop and a cocktail while winning millions at a Price is Right slot machine, so you'll have to wait until I get back for a full report. However, there's a good chance that I'll photo blog from my phone over here. 

Viva Las Vegas!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

By now you’ve all come to know (and love, no doubt) my obsession with Las Vegas. Back in August, I mentioned that my Vegas fever was on the rise again, even though I was just there in May. I also mentioned that I would be tagging along on my husband’s business trip to Vegas in October…

Well, that day would have been today. Sadly, airfares to Vegas are so insane that they cancel out the benefit of having a free place to stay. And since the trip was only a Friday through Sunday deal, it just wasn’t worth it.

So here I sit in my living room with two little boys fighting over the Wii, while my husband is on a plane to Sin City…one of my happiest places on earth. *Sigh*

To lift my spirits, I thought we could review a few of my favorite things about Las Vegas (your indulgence is appreciated):

Circus Circus

Shown here in its heyday, Circus Circus is a charming/sleazy remnant of old Vegas. Where else can you gamble while trapeze artists fly above you? But the main reason I love it, of course, is that it contains the site of one of my favorite scenes in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (the book and movie): the Horse-a-Round Bar. In reality, the bar more closely resembles a prop in a high school play than a cultural landmark. And yet, I cannot contain my giddiness as I sip my Mai Thai in this spinning wonderland...unable to stop myself from muttering, "It's not ever going to stop."

The Slots

I've mentioned my love of The Price is Right many times. These remain my favorite slots, but they seem to be a dying breed (although I'm hoping the release of the Wii game might signal a revival). In order to properly feed my slot obsession, I've had to expand my love to include other game-based slot machines. Deal or No Deal is good. LIFE is good. Wheel of Fortune is acceptable. But when forced to choose a slot machine other than The Price is Right, my first choice is Monopoly. There are a lot of varieties of Monopoly slots, but the Big Event slots increase your chances of winning by giving you a bonus every time anyone in your bank of slots hits a bonus...I want to play right now.

Fine Dining

Two out of three of the best meals of my life were had in Las Vegas and I'm still holding out for the 16-course tasting menu at Joel Robuchon. Vegas knows how to make fine dining fun and exciting, but the most important part (to me) is that it's accessible (assuming you've got the cash). In a tourist town, you can't pull any 3-month waiting list nonsense. Here, anyone can call up and get a reservation -- and it's always been worth the hefty price tag.

Oh, Vegas, how I miss you. But even though I can't be with you this weekend, things are looking good for the beginning of December...my husband has another work trip and some quickly-accruing airmiles with my name on them. I've never seen Vegas at Christmastime...