Vegas for Old People

So what do married people in their late 30s do in Vegas? In my world, the answer is: EAT. Weekend "benders" now involve obscene amounts of food instead of alcohol. And I'm fine with that.

Whenever we go to Vegas we try to stay someplace new. This time we ended up at The Venetian. I like the fact that all their rooms are suites, most with a large sunken living room and an L-shaped couch. Our suite had a view of the Strip hotel pools below.

Our King bed.

The first order of business upon arriving on Saturday afternoon was to get some food. After failed attempts at Noodle Asia at the hotel (closed for renovation) and i♥burgers at the Palazzo side (long wait time), we ended up at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. We all opted for the day's specials: lasagna for my husband and a friend, ravioli for another friend, and artichoke pizza for me. All the food was incredibly YUM.

Evil, but divine.

While the  guys drank Italian beers, we drank blood orange cosmopolitans.

Potent, but oh so yummy.

After lunch, we raced around a bit so the guys could secure a place to watch football on Sunday. Take note: if you want a reservation at Lagasse's Stadium, book a couple of months in advance. (They'll just laugh at you if you walk up and ask for seats the day before.) While at a pit stop at the Wynn to figure out what to do, Barry the bartender at the Stratta bar concocted a Blackberry Bliss for me.

Fresh blackberries count as a serving of fruit!

After finally securing a spot for Sunday, we did some light gambling before dinner at Tao. The place was busy, which wasn't surprising since it was Saturday night. We had reservations at 6:30pm, although I don't think we got seated until closer to 7:30pm. I do like the fact that they had a lobby with plenty of couches and drink service while we waited.

We sat next to this guy.

We opted to go family-style for our food, sharing everything between the six of us. For starters we got Lobster Wontons with Shittake Ginger Broth, Kobe Tartare Tempura, and Pork Potstickers with Chile Sesame Glaze. They were all very good, but I was surprised at how much I loved those mushrooms that came with the wontons! For our main dishes, we got Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, Kung Pao Chicken, and Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon with Tempura of Onion Rings. Again, all were simply scrumptious, but  if I had to pick a "winner" it would have to be the Chilean Sea Bass. That glaze was to die for!

Even though the plates weren't very big, I think we ordered just the right amount for our group. Their dessert (and tea) menu looked very promising — especially that Lemongrass Creme Brûlée — but the rest of our group wanted to venture someplace else. We ended up at a bakery that was also in the Canal Shops where I picked up a few small pieces of pastry.

Sunday was mostly about football, Vegas-style. We got a spot at Blondies in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. While the guys got out there to catch the early games, I took my time to get ready and met them there around lunchtime. I got some wings and a Bloody Mary, which were good, but I think all the spiciness did a number on me because I felt bloated and gassy for most of the day afterwards. Later, for the afternoon games, I got a ginormous margarita and some donut dippers. The dippers were great, but I think they forgot to put the alcohol in my margarita. For something that large, I should have been stumbling over myself, but I felt surprisingly sober.

After Blondies, I headed back to The Venetian to get a hot stone massage at Canyon Ranch SpaClub. For one thing, the facility is HUGE with lots of hallways to walk through. I was a little bummed that I didn't have all day to just laze about and check everything out. My massage therapist, Tanya F., did a lovely job though and those 80 minutes seemed to fly by. (Maybe because I kind of dozed off?) I did have time to check out the Salt Grotto and the Wave Room though; the Salt Grotto was nice, warm, and potentially relaxing if it weren't for the chatty couple who were already in there when I stepped in. I wish a staff member poked in to tell the guy to use his inside voice. Oh, and to stop snorting his snot. Not exactly the sound I wanted to hear while attempting to relax. The Wave Room, thankfully, was nice and quiet, and the moving water images projected on the ceiling added a nice touch. Overall, not a bad experience, but I'd have to rank this place third behind the spas at the Wynn and Aria which were much more Zen for me.

After my time at the spa, it was time to stuff our faces again. This time, we headed over to SushiSamba over at the Palazzo. I love the idea of mixing Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisine, and they certainly had plenty of offerings to satisfy anyone's curiosity. Our servier recommended a drink called Sad Samurai for me, which is how I felt after trying it since it didn't live up to the fruity concoctions from Otto and Stratta the day before. We all decided to get our own dishes this time, and I opted to try some of their Samba Rolls (Maya, Green Envy, and a special Kobe Beef).

Kobe, Maya, and Green Envy Rolls.

My husband and one of our friends got the five-meat Churrasco plates, which, if you've never tried it, is a shit-ton of food. These guys are full-fledged carnivores, and even they will tell you one plate would have been good enough for both of them. I guess considering how small the plates were at Tao the night before, they assumed these would be similar, and it would have been nice if our server warned them about how much meat was involved in those dishes.

Five-Meat Churrasco with dipping sauces.

That aside, the food was pretty damn tasty, and it was a shame we couldn't finish it all. After dinner (and a quick change into looser clothing), a few of us stayed up for a bit of gaming before calling it a night.

Monday was our last day in Vegas and we had time for one more meal. After rave reviews from another couple of in our group, we decided to try Bouchon Bistro off the 10th floor in the Venetian Tower. This time we were warned that the plates are fairly generous, so we split a Pain au Chocolat and a Croque Madame with Pomme Frites.

Dip the frites in the mornay sauce, yum!

Now, we're back in LA and reality. I'm slightly poorer and heavier now, but overall it was a lovely trip spent with good friends, new friends, and great food.

Thank you, Steve Jobs

As most of us found out yesterday, Apple co-founder and chairman Steve Jobs passed away. And I'm sure many found out the same way I did — by reading about it on a device that Mr. Jobs pioneered. In fact, I was at my son's swim lessons; I was about to take a video of his progress when I decided to check in on Twitter and saw the flood of posts about his death.

Now, I normally dislike commenting about any famous person's death. I have never met them, I am not family, so I always think that any words other than a curt, "My condolences," serve only the purpose of feeding the writer's ego. A way to force oneself into a topic, so to speak.

But Steve Jobs is different. No, I have never met him either, and even I'm shocked at my emotions. Why am I so bummed about his death? Enough that I feel compelled to write about it? Because unlike "celebrities" like Amy Winehouse or Elizabeth Taylor, Jobs wasn't just a public figure to me. He's been, in one way or another, a part of my life since the late 80s.

I mourn the loss of Steve Jobs because he helped create a company that truly introduced me into gaming when I played the heck out of Ultima IV on our Apple IIe in all of its pixelated glory. Then, in the late 90s, I celebrated his return to the company by purchasing my very first computer: a PowerBook G3. Now, as a parent, I watch with awe and pride as my young child reads an interactive book on our iPad. I easily record his life's stories by taking photos and videos on my iPhone, and then quickly share them with family and friends through social media. As I sit here typing this on my iMac, my son came up and asked if he could play with the iPad. We are, by definition, an iFamily.

In 1997 Apple revealed its Think Different ad campaign and the "Crazy Ones" commercial, narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss. Below is the unaired version of the commercial in which Steve Jobs provides the voice-over. In reflection of his life and death, he is undoubtedly the embodiment of whom the ad speaks.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Like him or not, one cannot deny his charisma nor his role in shaping how we communicate today, or for some like me, how we run our daily lives. So thank you, Steve, because your contributions have been a big part of my life, and now in the life of my own child.

Crafts: Halloween Candle Jars

I love Halloween. Even though I don't go all out on the decorations, I really do love the the holiday. (Maybe it's just the candy ... and having a kid suddenly gave me an unquestionable reason to go out trick or treating again.)

A few years ago, I saw this craft on Skip to my Lou. I loved the simplicity — it was something even I could do to make our house a little more festive. All you need are some small jars or glasses, votive or tea light candles, orange streamers, black construction paper, and some kind of adhesive (I used Mod Podge).

First, cut out some shapes to make faces out of black construction paper; eyes, noses, mouths (and accessories, if you are so inclined). Apply a thin layer of glue on the outside of the jars, wrap streamer paper all around, then paste the faces on.

Halloween Candle Jars by day ...

Light up some candles, drop them in, and you're done! Easy!

... Halloween Candle Jars by night!

I only have four of these made, but I plan on making some more this year. Our mantle is currently 90% empty and I think a few of these spread out would make nice non-perishable, low-cost, and out-of-reach-of-my-curious-and-rambunctious-child Halloween decorations.