Thank you Work for sending me to Vegas!! I haven't been here in over a year, maybe two, and it's everything I remembered and more. It was slightly tamer than my normal trips (sorry folks) but I was able to hit up some AMAZING restaurants and pool parties.
MGM Grand
Stayed here Thursday and Friday night in a beautiful suite (room 1909). It was huge (especially after living in New York for the past year) and spotless. There were automatic shades for the windows and the staff could not have been more helpful. They called three times just to make sure I had everything I needed. My only issue was the room was pretty dark (not a lot of lighting) and the hot water in the shower took FOREVER. I took an entire bath while I waited for the shower to heat up. It was a great bath though!
Cosmopolitan
Then Saturday night I ended up at the Cosmopolitan in a GIANT suite with a wrap around terrace that looked out over the strip and the Marquee Day Club. This suite was incredible, especially the views from the terrace, however both the phones and the TV stopped working so gonna have to lower my opinion based on the technology. It also took the repairman 40 minutes to show up. Bad.
Blue Ribbon Sushi
Thursday night I was CRAVING sushi and it was one of the only places in the Cosmo serving post-11pm that wasn't a diner. I was starving from the half day at work and plane ride so I DUG.IN.
For starters there was the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno which was delicious but pretty standard.
The grilled Shishito peppers which were some of the best things I have ever tasted. I don't know what seasoning they put on these but they were perfectly grilled with a little spicy and piping hot. I ate this entire bowl and was still hungry for more. I will literally dream about these for years to come. In fact I'm headed back to Vegas for a bachelorette this weekend and may take a taxi to Cosmo just to get these to go.
Next up where where the "shumai" or homemade pork dumplings. I thought they were a little chewy and the sauce didn't add much. Not upset I ordered them but I'd skip them next time.
The "shumai" was followed by smoked pork belly kushi yaki with pickled onions and baby watercress. THAT was delicious. The pork was perfectly crispy and the watercress had a little dressing to add some sauce and the pickling of the onions added just enough spice to the dish.
Lastly I chowed down on the spicy tuna with tempura flakes and cucumber and the Dragon roll which was eel, avocado and radish sprouts. Both were very good although when it comes to sushi it all tends to taste the same to me if the fish is fresh.
Marquee Day Club
So my friend had a $750 credit for food and drinks at the day club so we um... made a lot of friends? The day club is absolutely awesome. In comparing it to my favorite pool party location, Encore Beach Club, it is much more intimate although that also means it can get CROWDED (see above photo taken from the hotel room terrace). Luckily since we were there on a Friday afternoon it was popular enough to be fun without being claustrophobic. You'd have to be pretty drunk on a Saturday to survive the crowd...You MUST order the strawberry mojitos - they are one of the best drinks I think I have ever had. Also the burger was pretty good as well for a hotel pool! I would definitely come back. I had so much fun I slept right through dinner at Scarpetta. GRR.
Bamboo Pool
Post-shoot I scrambled to the Bamboo Pool at the Cosmopolitan in an attempt to squeeze a few final rays of sun out of my trip. Unfortunately all the chairs were taken so I ended up on one in the shade. Oh well. I was also famished so I ordered the beef sliders and the chicken lettuce cups. The sliders were good but the usual, but the lettuce cups were incredible. There was this sweet tropical sauce and the chicken itself wasn't ground up like usual it was full-on chunks of grilled chicken. It was messy and finger-licking good. I was SUPER surprised since pool food again is usually terrible. I would've ordered that in a restaurant!
Also they have this purple drink that tastes like a raspberry popsicle (I can't remember if it was the mojito or not; I just pointed at what I wanted). If you can figure out which one it is I highly recommend. Overall this pool was much more laidback than Marquee which was a welcome change considering how tired I was. Nap time!
STK
Last night in Vegas and I'm exhausted from our shoot this morning for work so I was falling asleep over my meal. I also for whatever reason had a TERRIBLE stomach ache. The place has awesome decoration (very Vegas) with molded walls, twinkly lights and cushy booths. For whatever reason it was 90s DJ night because he was playing just about every song you've ever sung at a karaoke bar. This resulted in drunk guys getting up and fist pumping in between bites of steak. It was definitely a show and free haha.
All that being said I still fell in love with this meal and this restaurant. For appetizers, there was the carpaccio and the foie gras french toast. The carpaccio I could barely even stab with my fork it was so soft. The cheese and the balsamic dressing made it heavenly. The foie gras on french toast was sinfully rich, the green apple adding just enough sour to make me gobble it down.
Then for the main courses, we went with the bone-in filet (maintains more flavor that way) with a piece of foie gras on top (extra) and the Colorado lamb chops with olives, artichokes and pomegranate vinaigrette. The lamb was pretty standard I thought. Good, but standard. The filet on the other hand was so juicy and flavorful - I couldn't stop eating it and it wasn't even my dish! The foie gras was total overkill but my friend loves it and couldn't resist. Overall, I was so full from stuffing my face we didn't even bother with dessert. I would 100% eat here again. God it was good.
Chandelier
After an amazing dinner at STK we wandered downstairs to the infamous Chandelier Bar. Basically it is a three story bar surrounded by walls of shimmering, glass beads that make you feel like you are literally drinking inside of a giant chandelier. It's like art exhibit meets drinking venue. The bottom floor is a little faster pace like a casino bar, the middle section feels like more of a Mad Men cocktail bar and the top floor is more of a waiting lounge type area where you can glimpse down into the meat of the experience. It was very cool although I thought the drink menu was pretty limited...
MGM Grand
Stayed here Thursday and Friday night in a beautiful suite (room 1909). It was huge (especially after living in New York for the past year) and spotless. There were automatic shades for the windows and the staff could not have been more helpful. They called three times just to make sure I had everything I needed. My only issue was the room was pretty dark (not a lot of lighting) and the hot water in the shower took FOREVER. I took an entire bath while I waited for the shower to heat up. It was a great bath though!
Cosmopolitan
Then Saturday night I ended up at the Cosmopolitan in a GIANT suite with a wrap around terrace that looked out over the strip and the Marquee Day Club. This suite was incredible, especially the views from the terrace, however both the phones and the TV stopped working so gonna have to lower my opinion based on the technology. It also took the repairman 40 minutes to show up. Bad.
Blue Ribbon Sushi
Thursday night I was CRAVING sushi and it was one of the only places in the Cosmo serving post-11pm that wasn't a diner. I was starving from the half day at work and plane ride so I DUG.IN.
For starters there was the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno which was delicious but pretty standard.
The grilled Shishito peppers which were some of the best things I have ever tasted. I don't know what seasoning they put on these but they were perfectly grilled with a little spicy and piping hot. I ate this entire bowl and was still hungry for more. I will literally dream about these for years to come. In fact I'm headed back to Vegas for a bachelorette this weekend and may take a taxi to Cosmo just to get these to go.
Next up where where the "shumai" or homemade pork dumplings. I thought they were a little chewy and the sauce didn't add much. Not upset I ordered them but I'd skip them next time.
The "shumai" was followed by smoked pork belly kushi yaki with pickled onions and baby watercress. THAT was delicious. The pork was perfectly crispy and the watercress had a little dressing to add some sauce and the pickling of the onions added just enough spice to the dish.
Lastly I chowed down on the spicy tuna with tempura flakes and cucumber and the Dragon roll which was eel, avocado and radish sprouts. Both were very good although when it comes to sushi it all tends to taste the same to me if the fish is fresh.
Marquee Day Club
So my friend had a $750 credit for food and drinks at the day club so we um... made a lot of friends? The day club is absolutely awesome. In comparing it to my favorite pool party location, Encore Beach Club, it is much more intimate although that also means it can get CROWDED (see above photo taken from the hotel room terrace). Luckily since we were there on a Friday afternoon it was popular enough to be fun without being claustrophobic. You'd have to be pretty drunk on a Saturday to survive the crowd...You MUST order the strawberry mojitos - they are one of the best drinks I think I have ever had. Also the burger was pretty good as well for a hotel pool! I would definitely come back. I had so much fun I slept right through dinner at Scarpetta. GRR.
Bamboo Pool
Post-shoot I scrambled to the Bamboo Pool at the Cosmopolitan in an attempt to squeeze a few final rays of sun out of my trip. Unfortunately all the chairs were taken so I ended up on one in the shade. Oh well. I was also famished so I ordered the beef sliders and the chicken lettuce cups. The sliders were good but the usual, but the lettuce cups were incredible. There was this sweet tropical sauce and the chicken itself wasn't ground up like usual it was full-on chunks of grilled chicken. It was messy and finger-licking good. I was SUPER surprised since pool food again is usually terrible. I would've ordered that in a restaurant!
Also they have this purple drink that tastes like a raspberry popsicle (I can't remember if it was the mojito or not; I just pointed at what I wanted). If you can figure out which one it is I highly recommend. Overall this pool was much more laidback than Marquee which was a welcome change considering how tired I was. Nap time!
Photo Credit: foxrentacarblog.com
STK
Last night in Vegas and I'm exhausted from our shoot this morning for work so I was falling asleep over my meal. I also for whatever reason had a TERRIBLE stomach ache. The place has awesome decoration (very Vegas) with molded walls, twinkly lights and cushy booths. For whatever reason it was 90s DJ night because he was playing just about every song you've ever sung at a karaoke bar. This resulted in drunk guys getting up and fist pumping in between bites of steak. It was definitely a show and free haha.
All that being said I still fell in love with this meal and this restaurant. For appetizers, there was the carpaccio and the foie gras french toast. The carpaccio I could barely even stab with my fork it was so soft. The cheese and the balsamic dressing made it heavenly. The foie gras on french toast was sinfully rich, the green apple adding just enough sour to make me gobble it down.
Then for the main courses, we went with the bone-in filet (maintains more flavor that way) with a piece of foie gras on top (extra) and the Colorado lamb chops with olives, artichokes and pomegranate vinaigrette. The lamb was pretty standard I thought. Good, but standard. The filet on the other hand was so juicy and flavorful - I couldn't stop eating it and it wasn't even my dish! The foie gras was total overkill but my friend loves it and couldn't resist. Overall, I was so full from stuffing my face we didn't even bother with dessert. I would 100% eat here again. God it was good.
Chandelier
After an amazing dinner at STK we wandered downstairs to the infamous Chandelier Bar. Basically it is a three story bar surrounded by walls of shimmering, glass beads that make you feel like you are literally drinking inside of a giant chandelier. It's like art exhibit meets drinking venue. The bottom floor is a little faster pace like a casino bar, the middle section feels like more of a Mad Men cocktail bar and the top floor is more of a waiting lounge type area where you can glimpse down into the meat of the experience. It was very cool although I thought the drink menu was pretty limited...
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