I’ve had a freelancing job the past few weeks that’s involved writing about Las Vegas restaurants and nightclubs. I’ve only been to Vegas once, and that was to celebrate my sister’s 40th birthday. Want to see a few pics? Sure you do!
View from the rooftop of where we stayed, the Marriott Grand Chateau.
The required shot of the Las Vegas Sign.
GORGEOUS Red Rock Canyon.
Anyway….
Writing about all these restaurants and clubs made me realize I didn’t get out very much while we were in Vegas. Granted, we were only there for a weekend. I think I want to go back, even though I’m not into gambling at all. The people watching was fascinating and I really enjoyed the Cirque du Soliel show we saw. We were there in the fall, and the autumn decor at the big resorts was just breathtaking. This was one scene at the Bellagio:
I could definitely enjoy a trip of just taking in the scenery at the resorts and eating at the good restaurants!
Now, on to what I’ve learned during these weeks of Las Vegas research…
1. 50 grams of Spanish caviar will set you back $225 at the Lakeside Grill inside the Wynn Hotel. That just slays me–I could feed my family of five for two weeks with $225!
2. Appetizer-only restaurants are a big deal. They like to call them “small plates.” Cute. My husband would probably call them “I’m still hungry–can we get a cheeseburger on the way home?” plates.
3. Apparently, pineapple mojitos and Brazil’s national cocktail, the caipirinha are all the rage. I never knew Brazil had a national cocktail. What is America’s national cocktail? Budweiser???
4. Actually, Brazilian cuisine is a big deal at the moment, and there’s even a restaurant called SushiSamba that combines sushi and Brazilian cuisine. What’s next, a Mexican-Mongolian cafe? Scottish-Chinese? African-Icelandic?
5. Another popular Las Vegas menu item is the charcuterie board–an assortment of aged meats and cheeses. Since I had no idea what a “charcuterie” was when I first saw the word, I had to look it up. It’s interesting: the word literally translates from French as “cooked flesh” (from chair ‘flesh’ and cuit ‘cooked’). Doesn’t that make you want to run out and order one?
6. This sounds like a neat idea: Ice Pan Ice Cream. Totally make-your-own ice cream. Sounds kind of like Cold Stone Creamery, but healthier.
7. There are a lot of Steak ‘n Shake restaurants around the country, and most of them stay open 24 hours a day. There is only one Steak ‘n Shake in the entire state of Nevada, and it’s located inside a 24-hour casino. But it closes every night at midnight. That makes me giggle!
8. There’s a restaurant and bar called Gilley’s, where the waitresses all dress in bikinis, chaps, cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Now I’m sure men would have a different take on this, but something about the thought of a woman in a bikini serving me food just grosses me out. I mean, wearing a bikini is essentially the same as a woman walking around in her underwear. I don’t want an underwear-clad stranger serving me dinner. Of course, I can’t imagine that’s a place I’d want to go anyway…
9. Las Vegas might just be the only place in America that offers Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m….and again from 3 to 6 a.m!
10. Texas Station and Santa Fe Station, two off-the-strip casino resorts, offer 18-screen movie theaters and 64-lane bowling alleys. The pictures of the bowling alley at Texas Station look really cool. I would’ve never thought about bowling in Las Vegas, but it’s neat to see that Vegas isn’t all gambling/drinking/bikini-clad waitresses–they actually have some family-friendly things to do.
Check out Amanda’s site for more Top Ten Tuesday lists.