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Wooing My lil'hottie-Stupidly Long

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by peanutmnm, Jun 17, 2008.

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  1. peanutmnm

    peanutmnm Scotchy

    Joined:
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    My Trip Report

    Champagne, Russian Caviar, The Scotch Tasting Event of 2008
    Some Fine Dining, Diamonds and a Little Baccarat

    In case you have never read one of my trip reports you should be warned I write them stupidly long and this one is no exception. We spent 7 nights in town celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, an achievement I am really proud of. This ended up being one of those trips where almost everything went better than planned. In fact I’m a little hesitant to write this report out of fear I won’t be able to do the trip justice. Normally I shy away from making reservations to restaurants and shows as we’re just happier to go with the flow and live in the moment. Fearing the normal and wanting to make this memorable for my wife, I caved in and made a few this time. As it turns out I’m glad I did. Even the weather cooperated with temps averaging in the low 90’s the whole time we were there. If I didn’t know better I’d think all the planets and stars had aligned themselves to aid in our celebration.

    By the way, we’re both 45 years old and live near Tucson AZ. I’m proud to say my 1st and current wife was my date to the senior prom from back in our high school days. Throughout the report I refer to her as my lil’hottie, a nickname she seems not to hate. (There are many) I also use MLH, L, wifey, lil’wifey and call her by her actual name, Lynne. I don’t know what the deal is with all the silly nicknames but I’m not going back to edit, sorry.

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    I'm the one in the baggy trousers.

    Our trip started on Friday June 6th. We ended up with a room in the Roman Tower at Caesar’s Palace with a nice view of the strip, mainly Flamingo, Bills and Bally’s. BTW they’re already removing Tony Braxton’s lovely mug from the Flaming-O. The room at Caesar’s, while in one of the older towers was fairly modern with a snazzy little TV in the bathroom and the AC was so cold that it about ran us out of there. Nothing else really stood out good or bad about the room. It did serve its purpose of giving us a decent and moderately nice place to stay until we moved to a penthouse suite at the Mirage on Monday. We booked this room as a comp from our good friend in Tampa that we have gone out there with around 20 times in the past 2.5 years. Thanks v3gasjunkie!

    We didn’t arrive in town until about 7 pm due to some shopping my lil’hottie needed to do on the way through Phoenix. We had a big lunch kind of late in the afternoon so neither one of us was hungry that night so we skipped dinner. We did enjoy some drinks in the room before MLH called it an early night around 10 pm. I waited for her to fall asleep before heading downstairs to the casino to smoke the 1st cigar of the trip and have a couple more scottish single malts. Is there anything better than watching a beautiful woman fall asleep under the lights of the strip while enjoying your favorite single malt? I don’t think there is and she looked so at ease in her sleep. BTW, your about to find out, I’m a bit of a scotch enthusiast.

    I hung around the Pussy Cat Dolls Lounge Casino at Caesar’s for maybe 30 minutes. Since I was smoking a cigar I didn’t play any blackjack. As it ended up I didn’t play a single hand of blackjack in the 7 nights we were there. I’m not sure that’s ever happened before. Just before my drink ran out I headed over to the Bellagio to check out their scotch selection, which BTW blows away what they offer at Caesar’s.

    Once inside I grabbed a seat at the Caramel Lounge. I was surprised to find they had .25 cent VP machines. The bartender quickly set me up with a nice pour of Glenfarclas 12 year old. I was still working on a Montecristo #2 from that little island south of Miami. (ISOM) Yeah, life is good at this point and time. I stayed long enough to get a second drink and lost about $10 at the machine despite getting off to a good start. This ended up being the only gambling I did outside the friendly confines of the Mirage the entire trip. I checked out the other bars inside the B for their selection of scotch but didn’t find anything else I was looking for, so I just grabbed a seat at a near by slot machine and played spot the hooker while I finished my stogie and glass of Glenfarclas. I eventually had enough of the scene inside the Bellagio and walked back over to Caesar’s where I called it a night around 2 am.

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    Snow on Mt. Charleston June 7th, 2008

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    The view after you climb 1300 Feet up to Catherdral Rock.

    We woke up early as we had set up a hike with LVNorm for Saturday morning. Norm was kind enough to play chauffeur picking us up at the valet area at Caesar’s and whisked us away to Mt. Charleston to hike up to Cathedral Rock, which was a short 30-35 minutes away by car. It was a coolish 60 degrees or so at the base of the mountain, which is at 7650 foot of elevation above sea level. It was about 80 around the strip at this time. It took about 90 minutes to hike up the nearly 1.5 mile long trail which includes a climb of about 1300 feet. As you can see there was still quite a bit of snow up there which kind of shocked me considering Las Vegas topped 100 degrees almost 3 weeks ago. As usual Norm played tour guide pointing out all the history and naming all the foliage along the trail. This was a great time and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the strip. It’s hard to describe how crisp and fresh the air is on top of that peak, it’s more something you need to experience for yourself. If you know Norm I encourage you to contact him for details.

    After the hike we stopped by Santa Fe Station for lunch. MLH and Norm decided on the buffet. I was pretty worn out from the hike and didn’t really pay much attention the food, but it was fine. I remember thinking it wasn’t as nice as Red Rock’s buffet but then again most buffets are not. After lunch Norm dropped us off at Caesar’s where we showered and took a nap as all that fresh air wore us out.

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    My own little Snow Bunny.

    Around 9 pm we were finally hungry again so I took MLH to Payard at Caesar’s Palace for dessert. If you have never seen Payard inside Caesar’s it’s located on Appian Way. The chef there is famous for his desserts, so much so that they close down the regular menu starting at 9 every night and only serve desserts the rest of the evening. They offer a dessert tasting menu for $45 per person, which in reality is kind of silly since all of the desserts are $15 each. There is absolutely no advantage to commit to ordering 3 of them (each) at the start that we could see anyway. Every dessert we saw looked more like art than food. Don’t get me wrong, these desserts are very good. Service at Payard was on the slow side and if I do say, disappointing. There didn’t seem to be that much going on in there and they had 2 people serving so I’m not sure what the problem was. The restaurant is quite small and very intimate with a round shape(d) design. The lighting was low to set the mood but not so dark it was hard to see. This should have been a way better experience than it was. I’m pretty sure we’ll give them a second try as my lil’hottie thought this place was the bomb.

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    Dessert at Payard-Not actual size.

    By 10:30 we were back in the room. Like most nights of the trip I went to bed with MLH and slept for a few hours before getting up to get my gamble on. I fell asleep sometime before midnight and was gambling in the Mirage high limit room by 3 am, which would become my sanctuary for the rest of the week. I gambled in there on Super Bowl weekend with my buddies for a little while but it didn’t really leave much of an impression on me at the time. This trip was different, way different in fact. I’ve played in most all of the high limit rooms on the strip with v3gasjunkie and because of that I do get recognized in some of them but this is the 1st time they referred to me by name. I don’t think I can describe the feeling this gave me. From Sunday morning every time I walked into to salon to play or get a drink, the pit bosses, dealers, waitresses and bartenders referred to my by my 1st name. I’ve written many reports where I joked about different things that gave me a Vegas Woody. This wasn’t so much a Vegas Woody kind of thing, more like a warm fuzzy feeling that lasted for 5 days. I kind of like getting my ass kissed, so shoot me.

    I only played for about 90 minutes this session. The limits in there are a touch above my comfort level so I offset that by keeping my sessions short. I cashed out up a meager $200.00 before ordering that 1st drink. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work since I was no longer playing but the waitress named Joanna took good care of me in the lounge area serving me Macallan 18. I had 3 singles to go with the cigar de jour, a Davidoff Anniversario #2 that was gifted to me in the Mansion Bar last trip from my bartender buddy, Bob. Joanna and the graveyard bartender named April are both totally awesome and took great care of us all week. I hung around in the lounge until about 7:30 chatting with both of them before huffing it back down to Caesar’s to see if MLH was awake.

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    Unlike most high rollers I like to gamble in dirty sneakers.

    We lounged around in bed until 9 or so. It was nice not to feel the need to hurry to do anything all week since we were in town for a full 7 nights. By about 11 we were dressed and walking around the strip. We stopped in at Chipotle by Harrah’s and shared one of their burrito bols. The serving sizes there are huge and my wife eats like a baby bird so no since in throwing away a lot of food. Sharing entrees at some places has become a habit for us and it allows her to enjoy her passion for desserts and still remain thin. Me, well not so much with the thin part but I’m working on it when I’m not in town.

    After lunch she dragged me shopping for what seemed like hours. Going out to eat and shopping are what she enjoys most about Las Vegas and she likes it when I tag along to keep her company. I think she spent maybe 15 minutes gambling total this trip if you count the 12 minutes she watched me play baccarat the night of our anniversary. Other than that she ran $20 or $30 through the Mega Bucks machine at the Mirage and nothing else. She did do well in the Coach store, Abercrombie and I saw bags from Hollister as well. We didn’t really do much the remainder of the day other than hanging out together and walking around before cleaning up and changing for dinner.

    We had an early reservation for Craftstreak at MGM. Marvin was our waiter, well he seemed to be the head waiter. We had 2 other waiters along with 3-4 various other people waiting on us that night. As an aperitif I enjoyed a glass of AH Hirsch 16 year old pot distilled bourbon. This may be the largest single pour I have ever paid for as it was close to a 4 oz pour that took me the better part of 90 minutes to finish. It was a relative bargain at $15 a glass as the bottle price has sky rocketed to $170 as supplies diminish. Lee’s on Flamingo has a bottle for $189.99. The only bourbon I’ve sampled to date in this caliber would be Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old, high praise to say the least.

    We did the regular beef tasting menu that also came with a dessert tasting menu for $100 each. We’re not wine drinkers so that kept the bill from getting to far out of hand. This ended up being an all you can eat feast of very high end offerings. The 1st course included: Quail, Prosciutto San Daniella, mixed lettuce salad and a plate of roasted red peppers. My lil’hottie was all over the quail and ate almost all of the small pheasant, I ate all of the roasted peppers and both were to die for. For our main course the chef prepared: Grilled rib eye steak with some sort of pepper rub, braised beef short ribs, twice whipped mashed potatoes and a variety of mushrooms including Shiitaki, White Japanese Shimeji and something they called Hen of the Woods. I’m not big on ribeye steak as I’m to lazy to trim off all the fat and fat is not a texture I enjoy in my mouth, but I have to say this was one awesome steak. The braised beef ribs were almost like pot roast if you can imagine the best tasting and most tender roast you ever tasted in your life.

    After dinner they brought out 6 small desserts and I thought my wife was going to orgasm right at the table. There was a small plate of mixed berries that she quickly pushed in front of me. Lol, we shared the cinnamon monkey bread, liquid chocolate cake (I only got 1 bite), espresso ice cream, caramel ice cream, chocolate sorbet and pineapple sorbet.

    This was our 1st tasting menu experience. It’s a little odd going to a restaurant and letting the chef pick what he will prepare for you. Even though I enjoyed it, I won’t them serve me another rib eye. Before dinner MLH mentioned she wanted to try the quail. I thought it was awesome that Marvin picked up on that and had the chef prepare it for her. The overall experience was a full 5 stars out of 5 for us. I felt cheap tipping only 20% which came to around $50 for the evening. The total bill was just shy of $280 thanks to just having just the one drink. I highly recommend Craftsteak to anyone looking for a nice place to dine for a special occasion. Everything about the place oozes class, including the prices.

    After dinner we walked over to the Mansion Bar for a couple of drinks. We didn’t stay long but I did stay long enough to smoke the best cigar of the trip, a Patron 80th Anniversary Maduro that I paid $30.00 for back before Christmas. If you are thinking of indulging in one of these cigars, do it. You’ll be glad you did. I drank Macallan 25 like usual here. Bob slipped up and put ice in my 1st drink for the 1st time ever. He broke his toe earlier in the week so my guess is he was on pain killers because he knows Woody no like the ice in his glass. He offered to pour it out and bring me another one but I wouldn’t let him.

    We eventually met up with airball who tried a cigar. I’m not so sure he liked it. It may have been a little strong for him as it was one of my after dinner sticks and I like stronger cigars after dinner. I should have known better so I apologized to him. By now my lil’hottie was fading fast and wanted to go back to the room and crash. Airball and I were going to hook up with Joe Schmo for drinks and some gambling at TI so we offered him a ride down there after a quick stop at Caesar’s to drop off my sleeping beauty. Joe & Airball played some pai gow poker while I watched. They were losing at the table but seemed to be making it up in drinks.

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    The Mirage High Limit Room Bar.

    After a while we ended up inside TI high limit room and sat at the bar. I was really nervous about this idea as I didn’t know if we could buy drinks in there and I have hardly played in there at all.

    I was relieved to walk in and see a familiar face. I couldn’t remember the bartender’s name which ended up being Mike but he remembered my face. We chatted for a while and I noticed they were out of Macallan 25. He told me the steakhouse ran out if it on Friday night so they loaned their bottle out to them. I about fell off my stool when he offered to go get it for me so I could enjoy a glass or two. I was scared to death that would draw the attention of some bean counter and they would ask for my player’s card and the jig would be up so I declined his offer. Throughout the evening he offered at least 2 more times. The only drinks we ended up paying for in there were the ones that were ordered while he was on break. Joe and Airball were getting pretty wasted and I don’t think they knew they were getting comped drinks from Mike until we were ready to leave. In the end it didn’t matter as they tipped nearly 100% anyway. It’s funny how often this kind of thing happens. Lol

    I only had one drink in the past 5 hours so I was ok to drive especially after that huge meal. We drove down to Mandalay Bay but both Mix and the Foundation Room were already closed. We ended up in the Crystal Room where Joe decided he had to play one hand of baccarat at the big table. I’ve never seen anyone buy in at a $100 minimum table for the table minimum but in Las Vegas if you hang around long enough you eventually see everything. The dealers acted like they were doing him a favor for taking his money and the young Asian guys playing at the other end of the table had something say about Joe betting his one chip on player when they had $500 and $1,000 respectfully on the banker spot. After Joe won the 1st hand the portly white guy that was dealing on the chip rack side of the table said under his breath “this is why we shouldn’t have $100 minimums in here”.

    After winning the initial bet Joe slipped out a little cheer followed immediately by an ”I’m sorry guys” comment. It wasn’t out of control and was sincere. The young Asian studlets didn’t say anything as they shoved more money in the banker circle for the next hand. Joe played another hand on player but lost this time. The young guy’s mocked Joe’s cheer followed immediately by the same “I’m sorry guys” comment that Joe had made the hand before. Okay so now they were mocking him. Later I found out he never heard what they said. He was feeling no pain and mike is such an easy going guy it wouldn’t have fazed him anyway. We slumped off to the bar like losers where they ordered more drinks. I have no idea what the hell they were drinking but it looked like a milk shake. They pulled out their cameras and tried to push their drinks in front of me for a photo. Blackmail was no doubt their motive.

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    Our Friends Airball and Joe Schmo.

    We sat around laughing at each other for another hour or so. I told them how they were being mocked back at the big table but I’m not sure they believed me. Airball was practically sitting on Joe’s lap during the short 2 hand session for whatever reason. Lol the drinks were finally catching up to Airball who had been up close to 30 hours straight by now so after Joe took care of our tab we dropped Airball off at MGM on our way to the Mirage to play some more baccarat. I got off to a bad start before noticing that every time I bet against the attractive Asian lady sitting to my left, I lost. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to quit doing that and I quickly won the next 3 hands in a row. I ended up telling her what I was doing. She kind of laughed about it and gave me a high 5 or 10. It was a two handed variety whatever you call that. Evidentially she appreciated the gesture even more than I realized. Let me try to explain what happened next.

    The way baccarat works is every time you win a bet on banker the house charges you a 5% commission. At this time I owed $15, the high rolling lady who I was following owed about $100 and the 3 other ladies playing with us owed maybe $60 between them, so about $175 total was owed by the table. I never asked her name, but this kind lady throws 2 black chips on the felt and says “commission down for the table.” I about shiat myself. My share was only $15, but that was a really cool thing to do. She tipped the dealer the remaining $25.00. The gesture cost her about $100 since the bulk of what was owed was her own commission. Needless to say from that point on no one at the table bet against her. Well sort of...

    I don’t remember what point after we started playing but Joe bought in well after I started to win. For some odd reason he bet against the lady and the rest of us with his 1st bet. Um, hello, why are you being an asshat! I was shaking my head in disbelief, I think we all were at this point. Then the High Roller reached out and pulled his bet out of the circle and told him if he wins she’ll pay him. The best part was he was on banker so it would be a commission free win. I figured no way the dealer or pit bosses who were watching the action closely would let this go on but they didn’t seem to care. The 5 of us won so mike’s loss stayed a loss. Serves you right! Hahaha! Before the hand was dealt she stacked his bet atop mine then let me keep the bonus from the win. So I won my bet and the bonus from Joe’s. It was crazy trying to keep track of what was actually going on but that seems like I have it right. He never bet against her or us the rest of the night, which made playing a total blast.

    Later on our tables luck turned for a few hands in a row and she started to feel bad about it since she was picking the side we all bet on. It must have been getting to her because she picked up a stack of green chips and gave everyone at the table one, as she dropped a chip in front of each of us she said: “Here’s your lucky! Here’s your lucky!” in that cute little Asian accent. I took that as a sign of good luck and quickly stacked the gifted chip on my bet. She must have done this 3-4 times during the session with green chips and 2-3 more times with a couple of red chips each time. It seems like it changed our luck every time she did it too.

    This was just an amazingly fun session. Not so much because we won a lot of money. I think I cashed out up maybe $400 or so but it was so cool for everyone to bet together and see this lady having fun throwing her money around like that. If I had to guess I’d say she gave the 5 of us around $200 each. It could have been less or it could have been more. As we stood up to leave Joe gave her back $30 or $40 I’m not sure maybe even $50 or $75. I simply thanked her and kept it all. While Joe’s move was a lot classier than mine, I get the feeling she enjoying being generous and showing off a bit was worth the $1,000 or so dollars she gave away. Besides that she won $7,000-$10,000 during the time I sat beside her so maybe we were bringing her good luck as well. I do know everyone at our table that night had a blast, including the dealers, pit bosses and waitresses that gathered around to watch the shenanigans, mostly of this generous lady. I will say I tipped everyone more than normal, mainly with my luckies. Lol

    Joe and I finally retreated to lounge where we enjoyed a couple of glasses of Johnnie Walker Blue and bottles of Fiji water. The service was awesome all night long especially at the tables. I got the feeling the waitress was disappointed we weren’t drinking more, of course business was on the slow side all week.

    We finally got up around 6:30 and walked outside to watch the sun come up at the front valet. That is always a site to see after a full night of gambling and drinking. I stumbled back to Caesar’s and ordered room service before waking up my smoking hot better half.

    After dessert followed by breakfast (read between the lines) we packed up and checked out. We were able to check in at the Mirage early around 11 am and our suite was already cleaned and waiting for us. In case anyone is wondering, this room I actually paid for mostly with certificates from my MGM Mirage card. I didn’t want to take a chance on getting a lucky upgrade at check-in for such a big occasion like this so I bit the bullet and booked it up front. Thankfully I gave them a fair amount of play when we stayed there for the Super Bowl so I was able to procure it at a decent price and after cashing in my MGM Mirage certificates I’ve been saving up for over 3 years, it was almost free.

    We ended up on the top floor (30) in suite E 20 which is all the way at the end of the hall on the only wing that doesn’t have that Love sign covering the windows. The end of the hall was a bit of a pain but it wasn’t that long and the view and quieter room made it worth it to us. We had invited some people we had met on previous trips for a little party for Monday night so we spent the better part of the afternoon getting the room ready. For hors d’oeuvres we kept it simple by serving gourmet chocolate from Choc a-lot and Ghirardelli, and a chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream cake from Freed’s Bakery. Yeah, my wife likes her chocolate and I like to see her happy.

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    View from Penthouse E 20
    Looking right

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    Looking left

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    We set up pretty much full bar with gin, Woodford Reserve bourbon, tequila, Grey Goose and Belvedere vodka, coconut and spiced rum along with various mixers. I even brought one bottle of Japanese Whisky. We had 2-3 different bottles of champagne sitting around in buckets of ice, nothing fancy just Veuve Clicquot, Louis Roederer Estate Brut Premier and a bottle of Asti the Mirage sent up to wish us happy anniversary which BTW, no one seemed to want. There were of course 20 or so bottles of mostly single malt scotch on hand for a little tasting event I put on for the men.

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    Well Drinks-Before we sat out the cake

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    Some of the scotch we sampled



    Needless to say we didn’t make it through all the bottles before most everyone decided we had had enough to drink. We did sample some good ones. Off the top of my head we sampled the following as a group: Balvenie 25, Glenfiddich 30, Macallan 25 Fine Oak, Macallan 25 Sherry Oak, Johnnie Walker Blue Label and everyone got a small ½ oz pour from my stash of Macallan 30 that has recently soared up to $900.00 a bottle. It was cool as hell to read the tasting notes from the boxes these bottles come in, then sit around with a group of guys and try to detect the different aromas and flavors you know are waiting inside to be discovered. Being the whisky enthusiast that I am, I do this all the time at home, but it was cool to do this as a group. We mixed it up drinking each one of them neat to start followed by adding just a touch of room temperature still water as recommended by the master distillers that represented these different distilleries. While I’m sure we don’t make up the most refined palates around, we did a pretty good job taking our time enjoying each dram for its maximum enjoyment.

    Airball and Mark favored the Glenfiddich 30 year old. This is a buttery smooth and quite sweet scotch that I’m not surprised they enjoyed. Joe Schmo was all over the Macallan 25 Fine Oak. I won this one at auction and had shipped over from the UK last October. I have yet to see this sold in the US. I know my bottle is the 70 cl size with the official UK stamp on the back. I need to spend more time with this dram. The nose didn’t seem to match the flavor, which is quite rich with hints of peach and vanilla and slightest breath of peat. Macallan does market other Fine Oak vintages here in the states, including the 30 year old. For those of you on somewhat of a budget that want to try a Macallan Fine Oak, I’d recommend the 15 year old. It’s really smooth yet rich and easier to drink than most of the sherry oaks from Macallan and comes highly rated by almost all the experts alike. MSRP runs about $75.00.

    As for me I could not pick a favorite. I waited almost 9 months for this anniversary to open the Fine Oak 25 bottle and 4-5 months on the Balvenie 25 Single Cask. I liked them all but did notice after drinking over a bottle of the sherry oak 25 two weekends ago on a golf trip with my buddy that I have temporarily lost my appreciation for this fine whisky. I guess it’s true what they say, if you have too much of anything it loses its special-ness. At over $400 a bottle, I think it’s time to give this one a rest.

    After a while people started getting a little buzzed and started hitting whatever else they saw that happened to grabbed their eye, which was cool with me and why I brought so many. Later that night I noticed bottles of Highland Park 18, Glenfiddich 21 Cuban Rum Finish, Lagavulin 16, Macallan 18, Macallan 15 fine oak and Mortlach 16 over at the tasting table. I’m not sure who got to try what as the alcohol was catching up to me as well. Hopefully everyone got to try something they liked. In addition to Airball and Joe a few others joined us for the little celebration including our hiking guide and good friend Norm, who doesn’t drink, Pebbles and my friend from Scotland Anne and her husband Mark. Pebbles husband Tony was too sick to join us. What a shame as I know he had been practicing drinking his whisky straight for the event. I hope he is feeling better now.

    The party went on a little over 3 hours before it started to break up. Norm, Pebbles, Anne & Mark went their own ways. My lil’hottie called it a night but only after washing all the plates, forks and crystal glassware we brought for the tasting. I was embarrassed and kind of pissed she did that as I know she was exhausted. My plan was to bribe the maid who seemed willing to do anything all week to make us happy. She even tracked down a table cloth for me the night of the party. The modest tip we left her everyday resulted in almost a full suitcase worth of lotions, soaps and shampoos. I’m not bragging about this, in fact it seems like an odd tradition to me. Um….here’s $5 for your trouble miss. Thank you sir, here’s $4 worth of little crap. Hahaha WTH?

    Joe, Airball and I went down to the high limit room to gamble and drink some more. I had enough Cuban Montecristo #2’s for everyone but we never did get around to smoking them together. I went back to ordering Johnnie Walker Blue. Joe and Airball went back to drinking whatever it was they seem to like the most. It looked like a milkshake to me but they did seem to catch a buzz from them. There was a Lucy Lu look alike playing at our baccarat table that night. I got a kick out of watching those two guys drool all over her. Smooooooooooth fellas!

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    My lil'hottie acting like a Go Go Girl
    at The Revolution Lounge.
    What a Blast!


    Around 2 am Airball bailed out on us. I think he had an early flight back home so I don’t blame him. Joe and I made it to around 6 am. I never slept the night before and honestly I don’t know why I stayed up that long. I’m getting way to old to party like that now but sometimes I still get that rock star mentality. After saying good night to Joe I finally smoked one of those stogies from that little island south of Miami in the high limit lounge with yet another double Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Let me tell you it was a really fine smoke that I enjoyed all the way to the nub.

    I eventually stumbled up to the 30th floor and made it down that long hall way and finally crashed for a much needed 4 hours of sleep.

    Tuesday morning rolls around and I wake up to find my lil’hottie sitting ½ naked at the make up mirror in the bathroom getting ready to go out for the day. Needless to say I could have stayed there enjoying that view all day. BUT of course I had made a 3:00 reservation for afternoon tea on the Verandah at the 4 Seasons so we snacked on chocolate cake from Freed’s for a small late breakfast. I wasn’t impressed with the flavor but MLH says it was awesome. Maybe the lack of sleep combined with excessive scotch drinking and my cigar De Jour were taking a toll on my taste buds. It takes her forever to get ready especially with me distracting her (ha-ha) then we head to the Coach store to buy her a new handbag.

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    I cut off my forehead using the auto timer
    but you ladies can see L's new Coach Bag.

    A few trips ago it dawned on me that she could wear flip flops with her jeans and mini skirts while we’re out walking around shopping and casino hopping then change into her high heels when we go out to eat or just hanging out drinking and or playing. I like the way they make her legs look and it also makes her close to 6’0 tall which for some reason seems sexy when I’m drinking. So she decided she needed a bigger purse to carry her shoes and smaller shopping bags in. I’m still catching a lot of grief for leaving a few bags full of clothes I was mistakenly left in charge of in some Abercrombie store back in December. Why she would trust me with anything still remains a mystery as I proved it over and over again I’m a boob. For the record I passed out in the leather chair and totally forgot about them when we stood up to leave. Holy crap babe, it was only clothes

    Anyway, the new bag was only $400.00. It’s funny how women seem to love getting a new handbag. The cool thing is now I don’t have to hold her little shopping bags while she’s in the dressing room and the biggest advantage is she’ll wear the sexy shoes more in LV and here in Tucson, so I’m all smiles. For the record, she slips the shoes into a plastic shopping bag then into the small beach bag style Coach Tote. The camera fits in there too. Personally I don’t see the biggy about Coach but she took me into Fendi 1st so I jumped all over the $400 bag at Coach. For some reason I get the feeling she was working me on that one. Who would think you could spend $3000 on a handbag. CHICKS!

    Before I forget I thought I’d share this tidbit with you all. As you know I hate having to be anywhere on time while on vacation and have on a few occasions not gone to dinners and shows I had tickets or reservations for because we were having to much fun and lost track of time. Ok, I was probably really drunk and just forgot to go. Since we had several reservations this time I got smart and entered a reminder alarm in my cell phone for 90 minutes before to each event. This worked great and we didn’t miss anything we had reserved this time. I entered them all in my phone before we left town.

    So on to the tea thingy at 4 seasons. I remember reading Alora’s TR from a few years ago and this seemed like such a girly thing my wife would really enjoy. The Verandah is a full service restaurant inside the 4 Seasons which is of course inside Mandalay Bay. As the name implies it’s an indoor outdoor restaurant overlooking the pool and waterfall. It’s fairly upscale but not super expensive IMO.

    [​IMG]
    Does that look like $60 worth of food to you?
    PLEASE!

    Tea runs $30 each and it is served with scones, finger sandwiches and desserts. Scones are basically a small biscuit with a little glaze on top. We got 2 scones each, one plain and one with little chocolate chips mixed into the batter before it’s baked. (Do they bake scones? I think so.) The next course was made up of small finger type sandwiches including a poached chicken salad on walnut bread, an apple wood smoked salmon sandwich served on pumpernickel, some sort of cucumber sandwich and one other one that slips my mind. These sandwiches were small and girly as hell but they were amazing and surprisingly filling when combined with the tea. The 3rd course was dessert type candies. Again little pieces of art that were both rich and sweet.

    For tea I chose a black Russian tea that was recommended to be enjoyed with cream and sweetener. I’ve never been a hot tea guy but I have to tell you this stuff was friggin amazing. I sipped it with my pinky finger erect just because it seemed to make L laugh. She ordered some sort of berry tea that Joe and Airball probably would have liked. I thought it tasted like flowers but she thought it was good. I did my best to act girly and fit in throughout the tea party, but I don’t think I pulled it off so well. Before the tea service started I was offered champagne and since we were there to celebrate all week I indulged with a glass of Louis Roederer Estate Brut Premier. At $8.00 American for a full glass it seemed like quite a bargain. I thought this was slightly fruitier than the Veuve Clicquot we have been drinking in the suite with breakfast, but for what it’s worth I am far from an expert on champagne so you might want to try it for yourself.

    The bill here came to just under $90 after tip which was again a guilt trip for only leaving 20% considering the kind of service we received. If you have never dined on the Verandah you are missing out. This is a very relaxing experience where the service and food are both top rate. After we left there we went shopping so I zoned out for 3 hours or so, sorry ladies! I was later rewarded, so all you guys that were laughing at me for keeping her company can bite me. Hahaha!

    We made it back to the room about 8:00 just as it was getting dark. I had ordered some Russian Caviar and brought it with us to enjoy in the room tonight. I’m not sure why I wanted to do this it’s not like we are really into sea food. The funny part is how excited my lil’hottie became when I let her in on the plan. I went all out buying a small caviar service set and a set of 2 mother of pearl knifes for the Crème Fraiche and 2 matching spoons to dish up this odd looking Russian roe. The fancy new serving utensils came in a little lacy carrying case. Not to sound like a metro sexual, but it was cute as punch and I think L was impressed with the amount of thought and research I put into this evening. Oh, I almost forgot I got her some new bling that I gave her before the trip in the form of a diamond necklace to go with the real present I gave her 18 months ago. Those 3+ carrots should keep her stocked up on rocks for a while. I didn’t make a big deal out of giving her the necklace.

    She has been trying to buy me a Mont Blanc pen for 2 years now. Every time she goes on with this Mont Blanc concept I find an even more expensive bottle of scotch to buy instead. I think she has figured it out. I’m enjoying the whisky more than I would the pen which no doubt I would eventually lose like I did her bags of clothing.

    While she was changing in the dressing room I set everything up on the TV that serves as a nice hutch when the TV is recessed into the cabinet. We had dark and light chocolate as recommended by the experts and Veuve Clicquot Champagne. I served the caviar on Australian water crackers adorned with Crème Fraiche. For those that don’t know, Crème Fraiche is a French cultured cream that is often served with caviar. I never did see caviar on the room service menu, I’m sure they have it. For a point of reference the same type of Russian caviar was a little over $200 for 1 oz at Alize.

    [​IMG]
    The Great Russian Caviar Experiment

    [​IMG]
    Osetra Caviar on Australian Water Crackers
    with Creme Friache.

    By now we’re both in our complimentary Mirage robes & she was wearing her hotel slippers. We were maybe ½ ways through our 1st glass of champagne and we’re enjoying the view on the little couch in the bedroom portion of the suite. It’s dark now and the lights from the strip and city are in full force, enough that we had all the lights in the room off and we could still see. This may have been the most romantic moment of the trip, hell maybe in my life and I assure there have been a few in the past 25 years. To my surprise she was really into the whole caviar thing. For the record it’s pretty salty and 1 oz went a long way between the 2 of us. We experimented with various amounts of caviar and crème fraiche until we stumbled upon what we liked the most. The Australian water crackers were of course plain and flavorless. It all worked out quite nicely and I will say if you’ve never tried Russian caviar you’re really missing out on something special.

    I know some of you think I’m cheap for bringing my own caviar & champagne instead of just ordering from room service or at a restaurant and that’s fine. I also sometimes pour my own scotch into my own crystal single malt style glass before heading to the casino. This time I hit my bottles of Mac 25 Fine Oak and Glenfiddich 30 a few times as you can’t always find some of these better drams where you’re playing. The ladies working in the high limit room came over to nose my glass of scotch every time they saw me walk with it in my hand. Those single malt glasses are kind of distinctive I suppose. Lol, I grew to appreciate their attention.

    Anyway, the champagne and caviar lasted the better part of an hour. We sat reminiscing and soaking in the view and ended up spending the whole night in the room just hanging out before being a tad bit naughty. We eventually fell asleep and the magical night was over. I ordered room service around 9 am. This is easily the longest time I’ve ever spent in a hotel room in my life. We had a second jar of the Russian Roe but she decided to save it and bring home to share with the kids for fathers day dinner. They were supposed to fly out and join us for dinner Wednesday night but my son got this great job as an intern at Raytheon and full scholarship, so he had to work. Since he couldn’t make it my daughter made other plans. The caviar made it home safely in a cooler full of ice the same way it rode up there. Lol, it was kind of a hassle but that’s what mama wanted to do. Our kids ended up not liking it a whole lot, but Phoebe our Rat Terrier loved it. Yes, I shared my steak with her too. The funny thing is she didn’t seem to like the champagne. WTH, goofy dog!

    Ok, back to the story.

    We enjoyed another glass of champagne with room service. Those little vacuum bottle sealers do a decent job preserving the bubbles. I got directions on mixing mimosas from April my new bartender gal pal. By the way, April looks like a slightly older and slightly heavier sister of the lead singer of Sugarland. I think her name is Jennifer Nevals.
    It became apparent at the party Monday night that I suck at making mixed drinks, so I decided to ask her for directions. Hahaha, I’m pretty skilled at pouring out exactly 2 oz’s of whisky at a time though. The mimosas were pretty good, orangie tasting.

    For dinner Wednesday night we had a table reserved at Alize at the Palm’s. This is a French Restaurant on the top floor so the view up there is a site to see. When you walk into the casino they have a small podium with a greater over by the pool. We walk up and are warmly greeted and promptly escorted to the private elevator that takes you up there and also to some night club. They even pushed the button for me, ah more ass kissing. We get upstairs and get seated immediately. This ends up being my only complaint with Alize and something I won’t let happen to me ever again. We get a table by the window on the side of the restaurant. Lynne was seated with a great view of the strip. My back was to the strip, which sucks even though I had a great city light view I didn’t go to Las Vegas to see more or less the same view I have at night from my back patio here in Tucson. I should have demanded a better table but it never entered my mind until it was time to share dessert and L asked me to move my chair over next to her. The other thing is it is so much more romantic and enjoyable to sit next to her during the meal both for conversation and sharing of food. When we left I noticed there were plenty of empty tables with a strip view for the both us. FRIGGIN ASSHATS!
    (Rant Over)

    As an aperitif I ordered a Glenfarclas 21 year old single malt scotch. Glenfarclas is one of the few remaining distilleries in Scotland that is family owned rather than being run by a large corporation. I kind of like the idea of a mom and pop business so I try to support their cause since I discovered they are still independently owned and operated. It was a relative bargain at just $18 a glass anyway.

    [​IMG]
    Dessert tray from Alize.

    After going over the menu we decided to split the warm duck salad which came adorned with a quail egg on top. Interesting presentation to say the least and we both really enjoyed the salad. I wanted to order something I’d never make at home so I tried the Roquefort Cheese Crusted Chicken Breast, Smoked Bacon Sausage, Sautéed Potato Gnocchi, Fiddlehead Ferns, Baby Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Chicken Jus. Believe it or not, this was just one entrée. It was just okay. I think they need a milder cheese or less of it as it over powered the flavor of the chicken. This is a common complaint of mine at these fancy French places, their sauces over power the meat. The Smoked Bacon Sausage was a little bland, everything else was pretty good.

    My lil’hottie ordered the roasted duck. The duck came in 2 parts, a wonderfully seasoned tenderloin breast and a leg. I had a bite if each. Both were almost the same flavor wise but as you would expect the breast was way more tender. I can’t remember if we ordered dessert or if they just gave it to us I’ll have to check my receipt. Either way they brought us out a plate with a bunch of little fancy candies and berries and the chef wrote “Happy Anniversary” in chocolate sauce on the plate. I noticed it said Happy Anniversary on the menus as well which was a nice touch.

    The other thing that was kind of cool was when they brought out our entrees they had the stainless steel globes covering the dish to keep the food warm. They sat the plates down and removed to globes at exactly the same time. It was kind of a cool presentation that I’ve only seen on TV. Maybe I just don’t get out enough. Lol

    We didn’t do wine here either so the bill was low at $145 including the standard 20% tip. The restaurant and service were really good bordering on great, but I’m not really into fancy pants French food so I won’t go back unless she twists my arm. BTW, she wore a black snug fitting top as a mini dress with black high heeled shoes to this restaurant. I wonder how many people thought I paid her to go to dinner with me. Hahaha, seriously though, she looked wicked hot and way younger than her years. We get some stares as I look like an old fart. Ah, let look and wonder! Hahaha

    We made our way back to the Mirage. The plan was to play at the at the big baccarat table. I brought $2000 cash just for this session. Don’t laugh I know it’s a $100 minimum but I’m just a low roller. This ended up being the worst session of the trip. I lost $1000 in maybe 10 minutes. I got that sick feeling you get when you know you can’t win so I decided to stop. I lost 6 different times with a 7 when I was on the player spot during this session alone and all 6 times I was ahead going into the draw. If you don’t know the high score in baccarat is 9, so 7 is a usually pretty high. You would think the odds would have been in my favor being ahead going into the draw but instead I got spanked. I jokingly called my lil’hottie a jinx as we got up and left the table.

    [​IMG]
    OK, Now I'm just showing off my Trophy Wife. Lol
    She's So Fine!

    The pit boss, dealer and both of us laughed about it as she and I walked into the lounge for a couple of drinks. In reality I was a little pissed for losing so fast. I played almost flawlessly the first 5 days and was ahead about $500 until now. We chatted with the bartender named Sanchez for a few minutes and he promised he had a new fruity drink my hot lil’wifey would love. He called it “I Lean” and served it in a martini glass which we brought home as a souvenir, a $1,000 souvenir at that. The drink is made with 2 shots of Malibu Rum, 2 shots of Hypnotiq and splash of pineapple juice. He says it makes you lean to the right and then to the left after you drink it. L said it’s pretty good and it did give her a decent buzz from just the one drink. BTW, you shake all the ingredients in a martini shaker then serve in a chilled martini glass.

    I stuck with JW Blue label since this was the best scotch they stocked and passed on smoking a cigar tonight in favor for one later that night when L was sleeping, which meant early the next morning. We raided some cookies off the mini buffet. I figured those 4 cookies cost me $250 each but I’m not bitter. I pounded down 3-4 doubles of blue label in about 90 minutes and it did make me less pissed about losing $100 a minute earlier that evening. While in the lounge we got a phone calls wishing us a happy anniversary from each of our parents. That timing was strangely convenient. By the time we made our way back up to the room the mood had improved dramatically.

    [​IMG]
    Playing Footsies

    [​IMG]
    Another view from the bed

    After some in suite dessert (read between the lines again) I got about 3 hours of sleep then headed back down to the scene of the crime. I logged in about 1 hour of play before cashing out up $320. I tipped away the $20 for 2 more double shots of JW Blue which finished off their bottle. I was a little worried but April promised she’d have another bottle down there for me within 30 minutes and she was true to her word. The guy that brought the bottle was apparently the beverage manager at the Mirage and although he looked to young for the job was a cool spiky haired guy.

    I headed back to the table and hit the best streak of the trip. The cut card was the 2 of hearts and my rule is if the cut card is any number I bet on player. If it’s a face or an ace I bet on banker. The 1st 7 hands in a row were player, then one banker which cost me dearly as I was pressing my bets way up by now. Then there were 4 more banker hands in a row. I checked my stack and quit immediately. When the dust settled I had made back the $1,000 I lost earlier plus another $100 worth of tipping money for the girls in the lounge.

    I played 2 more sessions on Thursday night breaking more or less even after dealer and drink tips which were getting increasingly more generous by this point. I liked my position so I stopped playing before midnight to avoid the Friday the 13th curse. I finished the trip up just over $500. Considering all my drink tips for the trip came out of my gambling funds I probably won closer to $800 or $900 as I drank my share and since it was all good stuff, it was a $10 minimum tip every time.

    The $500 in cash covered the 2 fancy meals we enjoyed plus the little tea party at the 4 Seasons. Irv the accommodating pit boss introduced me to a host who wrote off all the food we had at the Mirage, which granted was just a couple of room service meals and 2 meals in the café. He also took care if our visit to the dolphin habitat and secret gardens. I asked the host if he could give me any help with the room bill but he said I got a smoking deal on that penthouse and he couldn’t help me with on the room bill. I got the feeling we could have eaten better and still got that free, so next time we’ll try to eat at least one nice meal where I’m playing. This is the 1st time I got anything free on the strip from my play. I did gamble more this time but really it wasn’t that much.

    [​IMG]
    White Lion-There are also White Tigers

    [​IMG]
    Baby Dolphin at The Mirage named Sargent Pepper

    After the host took care of my room charges I went back into the lounge and had one more double JW Blue and one double Martell XO Cognac while smoking an Opus X Churchill. That was a super relaxing way to wind down the trip from 3 to 5 am on Friday morning. Those two friendly ladies kept the conversation going as we all looked through the photos on my camera. I think they saw me as a teddy bear type because when I stood up to leave they each came over and gave me a little hug.

    A few hours before we left I was grabbing some ice down the hall when I spotted 4 security guards hovering around a roll way bed in the hallway. As it turns out some 20 something’s pitched in and booked a penthouse and then drank a little too much. I guess the guy that was sleeping on the roll away bed was snoring so loudly his friends pushed him and his bed out into the hallway. Some other guest called security and they came right up and started busting this poor kids balls.

    I was afraid they were going to have him arrested or at least kick them out. For some reason I stayed there and talked them into to cutting him some slack. Poor kid didn’t even have a key on him to get back in and now his buddies were passed out. I know what they did was classless, but it’s not like they really hurt anyone. I felt bad for that kid and they were really giving him a lot of crap for the prank his buddies played on him. I’m surprised they didn’t 86 all of them off the property. Talk about an only in Vegas moment.

    Various other room photos

    [​IMG]
    Freed's Cake after it sat out and melted
    [​IMG]
    Shower and jetted tub
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Dining Room with Bubbly
    [​IMG]
    Small Walk in Closet
    [​IMG]
    Living Room, Bar & Foyer
    [​IMG]
    We totally violated that couch!
    [​IMG]
    Bed with old recessed style TV
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Dressing Room
    [​IMG]



    I forgot I bumped into to Phil Hellmuth the poker brat at Caesar’s Palace. I was surprised he was about 6’4 maybe even 6’5. He was actually nice about me bumping into him, nothing like the way he behaves on TV.

    That’s about it. I didn’t take a single note but I think I remember most of what happened. I know I gave Joe and Airball a fair amount of crap for drinking girly drinks cause that is what guys do and well, mostly because I’m kind of a smart ass. In reality those 2 guys are cool as hell and were a total blast to hang out with. I’m really glad they were able to make it up for the little tasting event and I’m a little shocked they wanted to hang out with an old guy like me. Thanks again men!

    [​IMG]
    The same water fall and snow as before minus the snow bunny

    [​IMG]
    Catherdral Rock, 1.5 mile trail with a 1300 ft elevation gain.
    Yeah, it kicked my arse!

    For the 1st time in 3-4 years we have no T-time. It will be at least December or possibly sometime in 2009 before we take another trip Vegas Land. I want to let this trip settle into the memory banks before we go back.

    Thanks for reading!
    Woody
     
  2. DonD

    DonD VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Thanks for a wonderful trip report. You make a beautiful couple and know how to enjoy life. Great report and pictures. :nworthy:
    I too bring my drink down from my room to the casino (bud light.)
     
  3. btodd

    btodd High-Roller

    Joined:
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    Winnipeg, Canada
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    Great report!! We will be in Vegas in October to celebrate our 20th!! Hope our trip goes as well......................Thanks
     
  4. rowEn

    rowEn Tourist

    Joined:
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    Awesome trip report! Way jealous of your room! If we can get even half as nice a room when we're at TI, I'll be thrilled! Glad you and your wife had some great meals, great drinks, and decent gambling :)
     
  5. bigbam

    bigbam Tourist

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    Congratulations on being married to the same hottie for 25 years. Being a woman I must say it was nice to hear about the romantic details. My husband would die before he went to a tea party. It was a wonderful TR to read. Congratulations.
     
  6. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    Awesome TR - Great Photos

    Randy - congratulations on 25 years of bliss! Your TR is great and humorous as usual. Always a good read. Seems you showed your lil'hottie a fine time. Sure wish I'd sent you a message to see if you were going to be there the same time we were. Seems we both like to be in Vegas early June. I had the thought a few days before we left, then...senility. We had a really fun time. The gambling was good to us this trip. Maybe catch you in December - another time we both like to be in Sin City.

    later, GVJ
     
  7. peanutmnm

    peanutmnm Scotchy

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    Thanks for the kind words everyone. I was afraid the report was so long or I joked around about how hot my wife was so much that no one even respond.

    BigBam, I didn't mind the tea service in fact it was quite relaxing but I can see where some men would be turned off. To me it was better than a trip to the mall, less expensive too. Since it made my wife happy, it was worth it.

    Scott,
    I wish I had known you were going to be there. I even had a whole humidor full of really good cigars to share. What a shame. Let's try to remember to stay in touch for December.
     
  8. Hoopswife

    Hoopswife Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Wow, that was a fabulous trip report! Must have taken HOURS to type, thank you so much for doing it. You are a beautiful couple, I hope my husband still thinks Im hot after 25 years! Too funny!
     
  9. sailor53

    sailor53 Tourist

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    PNut - have to say again awesome report. Congrats on your 25th. If I'd stayed married I'd be celebrating my 34th. As it is, I finally married the right gal and am celebrating my 15th this year! Thanks for posting!
     
  10. pebbles

    pebbles Micro Roller.

    Joined:
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    Thanks for the great report. It was good to meet you and Lynne again. I really enjoyed visiting with you, and would have liked to stay longer. Unfortunately we had an early flight back to England. (The Freed's chocolate cake was awesome BTW!!)
     
  11. Souette

    Souette Tourist

    Joined:
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    Smoooooth!

    What a good husband & friend you are to your wife.
    Nice to hear after 25 years, the fire is still there. It's nice that you aren't afraid to express that to the world.
    We've dated (4yrs) and married (29yrs) and hubby is still very kind to me in the compliments.

    Man 'o man!...your selections of drinks and "snacks" in the room sure beat the hell out of my Wheat Thins and Sam's Colas!
    Mental note to myself: try scotch for the first time when I visit Vegas next. I'll say a little toast to the two of you since you describe each drink like it's an event rather than a simple liquid beverage.

    I guess your trip can be summed up in one word: Smoooooooth.

    Thanks for making time to share the details.
     
  12. MikeE

    MikeE The Shah's Slightly Hairy Cousin

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    First of all, a white Russian is not a girly drink and after, oh, I don't know, seven glasses of scotch, you can't blame me for craving a Stoli martini even if it came in the most flamboyant martini glass you've ever seen. But yeah, that berry tea at the Four Seasons does sounds appealing :).

    What a great trip and great report! I could go on and on about how much fun I had, but I think only two words will suffice: Thank you.
     
  13. peanutmnm

    peanutmnm Scotchy

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    Thanks everyone for the kind words.

    Pebbles I'm glad you liked the cake. A lot of things seem disappointing to me if I have to wait 5-6 year to try them.

    Souette,
    Be forewarned scotch is an acquired taste. You may want to try one of the sweeter ones to start with, I'd recommend one finished in a port wine pipe/cask.

    Hoopswife,
    I type really fast! Lol, I'm sure your husband thinks your totally hot and will for some time to come.


    1st of all, you're welcome! It was a pleasure.

    2nd-you know I was just yanking your chain.

    BUT

    3rd-Your drink of choice is number 5 on the list below. They did say it was strong though, for a chick! Hahahaha

    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/46979/girly_cocktail_recipes_that_will_leave.html
     
  14. rje

    rje High-Roller

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    Chicago
    Great report. Good to read you had a great time...

    Did you bring all that Scotch from home?

    Reading the report made me thirsty. I don't think I have ever had scotch before, but reading this I think I have to give it a try. I'm going to Vegas in September... what do you recommend I give a try (that is reasonably priced..?)
     
  15. mdhill

    mdhill Tourist

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    WOW! I can't wait for my husband to get home and read this TR. I hope he takes some notes ! I know he'll be all over the scotch details :) I didn't see mention of the Louis XIII from Joe's TR, I would love to hear more on your tasting of the Louis, did you warm it ? You have reason to be so proud of your wife, she is beautiful and I have a feeling she considers herself very blessed to have married you, your seem like a great husband.
     
  16. peanutmnm

    peanutmnm Scotchy

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    rje,
    Yes I lugged 5 cases of booze from Tucson to Las Vegas in the back seat of my car, including over 20 bottles of single malt scotch, 3 of which are not sold in the US. I also took and 6 bottles of champagne and about 15 other bottles of rum, vodka, bourbon, tequila and gin for the party. If you wanted something to drink at that party there was a good chance it was there.

    If you are going to try scotch at a bar and want to try something inexpensive you probably be stuck choosing between Johnnie Walker Black, Glenlivet 12 and Glenfiddich 12. JW Black is a blend and rated the highest of the 3 by most experts. At this level it's kind of like comparing Bud to Miller. If it were me I'd spend the extra $3-$4.00 and order a glass of Macallan 12.

    If you are going to buy a bottle, I have 2 bottles I recommend to people wanting to give scotch a try.

    Dalmore makes a kind of sweet tasting single malt for about $30. It's a 12 year old Single Highland Malt Whisky, not to be confused with their cigar malt which is not for beginners. You almost never see this in bars. The bottle says: Dalmore 12. This has hints of orange, honey and sherry and finishes with just a breath of smoke.

    My other bargain recommendation is a blend for about $20.00 called The Famous Grouse, which is the number 1 selling blended scotch in the UK. The Famous Grouse blends immature single malts from The Macallan and Highland Park with a very mild grain whisky. The result is easy to drink or some might say smooth, factoring the cost it's hard to beat for someone new to scotch. The Macallan and Highland Park are highly thought of by almost all the experts which adds to the value Try this one with some ice and/or a splash of water.

    Most new scotch drinkers won't like anything from the Islay region. These are mosty very peaty flavored scotches that should be avoided for the 1st few years in my opinion.

    I hope this helps,
    Cheers!
     
  17. peanutmnm

    peanutmnm Scotchy

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    I wasn't with Joe when he had the Louis XIII but I have had it a few times in the past. In fact I had some Louis XIII and Hennessy Richard comped to me in the same night after my buddy did some major high rolling at the Mansion at MGM.

    As a general rule I'm not in favor of heating or chilling of high end spirits. Trust me when I say I've done extensive research on the matter, both practical and by reading almost an unhealthy amount on the subject.

    Heating coganc is actually an outdated practice, that causes the alcohol to shoot out of the glass and burn your nose. If they are still teaching this in bartenders school, they should stop.

    Not to bore you but the reason the Brandy snifter is shaped the way it is, is so you can gently cup the glass in your hand warming the drink slowly and softly. When you combine this slow gentle warming of the liquid with a few slow swirls of the glass the nose will come right to the top. In fact as you raise the temp slowly just a few degrees you can actually smell the nose change. If you over heat the drink at the start you miss out on the transformation completely.

    Unlike cognac, most experienced whisky drinkers don't swirl their glass as it doesn't have the same effect.
     
  18. mikenhe

    mikenhe VIP Whale

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    Nice!

    Great report thanks for that – could have been longer though…




    I’m not going to argue with such an experienced whisky drinker but I’ve drank plenty of grouse whilst still living in the UK and it is a good whisky for the price. However for a very smooth introduction to whiskey I’d put Tullamore Dew ahead of Grouse anyday. Its Irish but smoother in my humble opinion and a great way into the whiskey world.

    I’m still drooling over your selections that you brought with you – very nice. Most would be wasted on me. In fact after the first few tasters I’d revert to Tullamore so as not to waste the others.
     
  19. mdhill

    mdhill Tourist

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  20. doctor_al

    doctor_al VIP Whale

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    Interesting romp, sir, and a nice read (although I admit I bought the Cliff's Notes version).
     
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