Vegas... Again!

Hello again from Las Vegas, Nevada!  This trip I headed to the City of Sin for a bachelorette party.  I booked it through the company, Las Vegas Nightlife Group, who did a fantastic job.  There are a variety of packages which you can see here - we went with the Encore Premium which was about $80 per person (we obviously didn't make the brides pay so it was slightly more).  I'm also providing the name and email of the person who helped me - Kelly Malone at Kelly@lasvegasnightgroup.com.  

There were eight people going so I booked two Double Bed Resort Suites at Encore Casino.  I may choose this casino because it's got a young vibe and we wanted to go to Surrender and Encore Beach Club as part of the bachelorette.  For those of you going in large groups to Vegas I highly recommend staying at the same place as where you want to go out clubbing or gambling because the taxi situation just gets annoying for large groups.

That being said the package I went with was about $150 per person and included:

1. Three Course Meal plus one free glass of champagne at Encore Society Cafe
2. Free escorted entry into Surrender Nightclub
3. One hour of bottomless champagne at Surrender
4. Free escorted entry into Encore Beach Club
5. One hour of bottomless mimosas at Encore Beach Club

Overall it was a GREAT deal for all the above, especially because we had one guy with us which would've made getting into places a pain.   

So let's start with the rooms...  They were plenty big enough for everyone to get ready but I had been under the impression they were two queen beds not two double beds which made it a cozy fit for all of us.  One person in each room ended up opting for the couch instead which provided to be fairly comfortable.  They also helped us out a ton and gave us adjoining rooms which was nice because we could easily access each other without keycards.  

 

 After checking in and getting ready on Friday, we went to Encore Society Cafe for our three course meal.  The meal was price fixe in a sense.  

We got three appetizers which included:

A pepperoni flatbread pizza which was just crispy enough with large pieces of basil for added taste.

Shishito peppers and edamame with sea salt and yuzu dressing - The shishito peppers were delicious (they are a favorite of mine) although the edamame was a little too salty for my taste.

 

Iceberg wedges with crispy bacon, tear drop tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing.

 For my main course I had the petit filet with potato and bacon cake which was DELICIOUS  - perfectly cooked and very juicy.  

I was honestly very surprised since I usually have low expectations for both price fixe meals and meals as part of a package.  The brulee cheesecake with strawberry compote was also good although nothing unique.

 

  From there we were picked up immediately at the front of the restaurant and escorted straight into Surrender Nightclub where we were given wristbands for our free drinks.  The restaurant ran long in terms of getting us our check (additional drinks are not included) which meant that we technically had missed the free drinking hour (10:30-11:30).  However, our host was totally cool with it and just said our hour could start when we arrived which was awesome and really nice of them.

 

 

  Unfortunately the free champagne was the "Popov" of champagnes and managed to give at least one bride (it was a double bachelorette) and an assortment of bridesmaid horrible stomachaches that lasted into the next day because it was so cheap.  Most of us just went ahead and paid for other drinks rather than drink those.  The DJ was amazing though and we danced the night away until about 3am at which point my feet could no longer support my weight.  A definitely highlight of the night was one of the brides being forced to get up and pole dancing in front of the entire club with the half-naked stripper.  Awesome.

Back at the room, the lone guy bridesmaid and I were restless and far from sleepy so we ditched all the sleeping beauties and headed to KRAVE, a notorious Las Vegas gay dance club near MGM Grand.  I opted for flipflops and was glad I did because we got.our.dance.on.  Probably one of the best club nights of my life in Vegas.  I will definitely come back here.  I feel like there was a cover...maybe but it wasn't significant.  

The next morning we woke up bright and early for the second half of the bachelorette package - Encore Beach Club.  Nothing makes a bachelorette like day drinking by a pool with a DJ if you ask me.  Again we were escorted straight into the day club without a problem.  The only issue that arose is that as a "day club" instead of a "pool" there are no free lounges/chairs to use, they all require bottle service, which was a little bit of a bummer.  We found out we could get the cheapest daybed for $1000 which wasn't horrible when split across eight people but the only ones left were in the shade which wasn't worth it.  So we posted up on the walkway that crosses the two pools and just hung out there.  They have a free bag check for your stuff anyway so all you really need is some cash and a towel.

The rest of the day at Encore Beach Club was awesome.  We had a ton of fun and ended up just buying pitchers of mojitos instead of utilizing the free hour of mimosas for the most part.  I think I had a few mimosas but they tasted just as a bad as the champagne from the night before.  

After hours by the pool we headed back to the room to change for dinner at Max Brenner's in Caesar's Palace Casino.  For those headed to Max Brenner's ask for the taxi to take you to the valet entrance of the Forum Shops as that will get you closest to the restaurant for those of you wearing painful heels :-)

I have to say I went in with low expectations because living in NYC you become pretty snobby about chain restaurants.  Yet again I was pleasantly surprised.  For starters we had:

• The Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Fondue with warm chili dusted tortilla chips for scooping which was pretty good (nothing ever beats California Pizza Kitchen on this one unfortunately)
• The Black & Tan Beer Battered Vidalia Rings with Dark Chocolate Ranch Dressing were really good although I thought the dressing tasted weird.  The onion rings were big, juicy and nicely breaded.
  
• The Crispy Spice Dusted Pita Chips with creamy hummus and roasted red peppers which was REALLY good.  The roasted red peppers added the perfect sweetness to the kick of the spicy chips.

Then one can't go to Max Brenner's without indulging in a little chocolate alcoholism so we tried out the Mocha Madness made with kahlua, fresh brewed espresso, milk and dark chocolate served up and the Intoxi-Cake made with cake flavored vodka, frangelico and your choice of: white, milk or dark chocolate.

The Mocha Madness not only looked like a work of art but it tasted phenomenal.  It was icy cold and not too chocolatey.  I could've had at least three!  

The Intoxi-Cake was also good but not nearly as exciting as the Mocha Madness although it did come with marshmallows on top...

Lastly, for actual DINNER, I had the Max’s Sunday Mood Pasta with fresh tomatoes, spinach, ricotta cheese, and tomato-pesto and then I added chicken.   It was really good.  Better than your average pasta although not the best I've EVER had.

Overall I was really pleased with this dinner and would totally go to the one in NYC at some point.

The rest of the trip involving telling racy stories at our lingerie party and passing out early because everyone had early flights (yes I know how lame of us) so here-in lies the end to my latest Vegas excursion!

Vegas!!!

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!

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...