Vdara 9/24-10/1

I took notes during the trip, but haven't been motivated to organize them into anything. Post-Vegas Depression kicked in, and going back to work sucks after any vacation, never mind a Vegas one.

As always, it was just my husband M and me. We get one trip a year, and the past 4 years have been to Vegas. I won't do a day by day report, since our days have plenty of downtime, and I doubt anyone will find it interesting.

Flight:
We flew Southwest. I always get Early Bird both ways, since I'm just not going to be prowling the SW site exactly 24 hours before the flight, especially on the way home. We got between A15 and A25 on all legs. On the first leg out, the flight wasn't full (first time I've been on SW flight that wasn't full or oversold), so we actually got a whole row to ourselves. That plus the drink coupons for being a SW Rewards Visa cardholder made for easy flights. There was a delay on the way home due to the fire in the Air Control Tower in Aurora, but only an hour. Didn't stop some people from bitching about how they'd "never fly Southwest again!" Seriously. As if SW set the fire, or was the only airline affected.


Hoover Dam from the plane

Car rental: I booked Hertz for the gold service. We do tend to splurge on the car (if you've gotta drive on vacation, at least drive something fun!), so this time we tried the Cadillac ATS/ Infiniti G37. It's a "reserve this exact model" category, but lists 2 different model as the exact one you're reserving. When I first booked, it only had the Cadillac listed, but then when I added the flight number it changed. The price went down too, so not a big deal overall. We ended up with the Infiniti, which was nice enough, but is another one added to the list we've rented but wouldn't buy. The key wasn't an actual key, which led to our not remembering to actually hand it to the valet once. Oops.

Hotel:

I booked a One Bedroom Penthouse suite at the Vdara through the Mlife site. This is our third stay there, as we really just love how relaxing and easy it is there, as well as the location. I had put a request in for a view of the fountains. We arrived to the hotel at about 1:30, and hoped the room would be ready. The agent who was checking us in, Kali, saw the request, and asked us to wait for a minute while she checked with her manager and housekeeping to see if a room with a really great view would be available soon. It took a while to check everything and hear back from housekeeping on the timeframe, but she kept us informed of what she was doing, how long it may take, and made sure he had water while waiting. In the end, the room would be ready about 3. We decided to go ahead and wait for the better view. She got us checked in and gave us the keys so we'd be able to just go up to the room. I gave her a $50 as a tip at the end of this process. (Yes, I over tip. I am in customer service for a health insurance company and get screamed at for a living, so I would rather err on the side of being overly generous. I know how much people can suck when you deal with the public for your job.) After killing some time in Bar Vdara (get the strawberry smash - it was excellent!), we went up to room 54008, and were blown away by the view. The rest of the room was great, as always. I love going barefoot in the kitchen and bathrooms - the tile feels almost soft. Beds are super comfy, and having the fridge and extra powder room is very handy.









Also, (I think because of the tip), when we came back to the room the 2nd night, there were chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne for us. Such a nice touch!



And chocolate covered strawberries and mimosas make a lovely breakfast.


Gambling:

We are fairly low rollers. I budgeted a bankroll of $2100 for the week, and came home with about $1000 of that left - from not playing it rather than any winning. I play mostly slots, and mostly the Lord of the Rings slots. I did play a bit of 50- or 100-play JOB video poker. I probably should have played more of that and less LotR, but I tend to get bored when there aren't any video-clip bonus rounds to hope for. I did try a couple new slots (Wonder Woman and Ironman), but lost too much too quickly to be entertained. M played only VP, also 50-100 play JOB, except when we were in the Cromwell. He couldn't find VP he wanted to play, so he sat next to me, playing the LotR Mordor slot. He must have hit a bonus round at least once a minute, but it didn't make him enjoy the game.

Shows/Entertainment:

We spent the first 3 days at the Barrett-Jackson auto auction, drooling over all the great classic and custom cars. I've decided I need a Daytona blue '63 Vette, as well as a pickup from the 40's or 50's. And some classic muscle car in Plum Krazy, because that's the only way M would get in a purple car. Link to my shutterfly album from the auction, for those interested: https://alhanalasa.shutterfly.com/pictures/193

We also saw Blueman Group at the Monte Carlo. We've seen them before when they were at the Venetian, and enjoyed it. We had great seats, right on the center aisle, and far enough back from the poncho zone to be safe. It was a good show, but there were technical difficulties right before the finale. It completely stopped the show for a good 15 minutes, and completely killed the energy. I feel bad for the performers.

The highlight of the trip was a private tour at Roos-n-More zoo in Moapa. It's exit 90 of I15, and we had to dodge some flood damage repair on the highway and local roads to get there. For $250, up to 10 people get hands-on, up-close interaction with several animals. Exactly what you get to touch depends on the current rescues as well as the moods of the animals. Lots of fun, but the best part was the baby Ring-Tailed Lemur, King Julian. He was very friendly, and so soft. He had a great time licking M's hands (salty from sweating), and fell asleep in my lap. The tour guide was the head zookeeper there, and she lives on the property. She had lots of great information about each animal, and stories about what they are like at night and things like that. The zoo's website isn't very up to date, but you can book a tour there. Anyone who likes animals should do this.





The rest of the report is going to be about the restaurants, which is the primary draw for M and me. Bankroll budget was $2100, food budget was $3375. And whereas I had $1000 left of my bankroll, I only had about 400 left of the food budget. This will give you some insight on my priorities, and help to explain why I gained 6 pounds in a week despite walking 12-15 miles a day.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your report, especially the foodie portion.

 

Enjoying your report and I love the photos so far. I'm very interested in Vdara and am glad to get some info on that hotel.

 

Great trip so far. The zoo sounds like great fun! I'm an animal lover and would love it. I'll have to plan that for a future trip.

You mentioned SW drink tickets for cardholders. I recently got the card but don't know anything about drink tickets. How many do you get and how do you get them? Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

Thank you!

Thanks for reading. I have been very happy with the Vdara. Besides this type of room, we've also had a panoramic suite and an executive corner suite. This room was my favorite.

I have only had the card for about a year, so I don't know how often they give out the tickets. I got a mailing in February for Valentine's Day with 4 drink coupons, good through the end of the year. Made me feel like a big shot.

It was our 2nd time doing the private tour, and it is so worth it. It's about an hour from the strip, and it's easy to swing by the Valley of Fire on the way back (not that we've gotten it together to actually do that, but whatever).

 

As the first 3 full days of the trip were pretty much devoted to the auction, the back end of the trip was pretty much devoted to restaurants we either wanted to try or that were a favorite spot. We did have some good meals during the first part of our trip, however.

Breakfasts were mostly done at the Aria Cafe. Prior to this trip I was about 25k tier credits from gold level with Mlife, which gets you into the shorter lines at the Mlife cafes. At 25 TC per $1 at hotel and restaurants, I figured about 3 days to hit gold. Much to my surprise, I had already hit Gold the first morning. We head to the Mlife desk in the Aria first thing to get the gold cards so we can save time at the cafe. Sparkly new cards in hand, we got to jump ahead of .... nobody. We went in the VIP line anyway, just because we could.

Anyway, breakfast is always solid there. M generally gets scrambled eggs and sausage, occasionally a short stack of pancakes as well. I like the smoked salmon platter and bowl of berries (huge bowl, very fresh berries, love it), or the garden egg white scramble (tasty, and I can pretend to be virtuous). I had the granola parfait one day as well, also yummy. It's a very busy place, no matter what time we manage to wander over for breakfast, but they do have the service down to a science. It's not fine dining, but it's very good for what it does. The only gripe I have is that toast usually isn't warm by the time it reaches the table. The top piece is usually too cold for butter to melt. The bottom piece is still fine, and I should only have one piece anyway. All in all, a minor issue. The bagel that comes with the smoked salmon doesn't suffer from the same problem.

We did the Bellagio Cafe one morning (and got to skip a HUGE line with the gold Mlife card). Also solid for breakfast. The mango smoothie was very fresh, and I like the way they plate the smoked salmon platter a bit better than the way Aria does it. Everything is more compartmentalized and easier to get on the bagel. Aria's has more capers, though, so it's a tough call.

Sunday we did the Jazz Brunch at the Country Club at the Wynn. This was our third time at this brunch, and it was as good as ever. I love that it is upscale, but smaller, so less of a free-for-all. The service is impeccable, and the food is heavenly. I am still craving the croissants. If you like seafood, you can do enough damage to the oysters, shrimp, crab, etc to get your money's worth. The carved meats, cheeses, veggies and fruit are all delightful. There is a New Orleans theme to the food, so gumbo, crawfish, andouille sausage, etc are available as well. The small plates are all well-executed. My favorite is the Eggs Versailles, a benedict with smoked salmon and caviar. I went with the Infinite Veuve Cliquot, which doubled the priced, but (much like the Sterling Brunch) you can get your money's worth there as well. I know I did. Besides the food and drink, the setting is very elegant and posh. Plus, there's live music. We prefer indoors, because I like to hear the jazz trio, but there are tables on the patio over looking the golf course as well.

Lunches were pretty laid back. We ate twice at Rira, one of our faves and close to Mandalay Bay where the auction was held. M had the Kilcooley the first time (Wednesday) - turkey, bacon, cheddar, apple and cranberry mayo on sourdough. The second time (Saturday) he had the fish and chips. I had the salmon cake sandwich on Wednesday and the Dubliner - lamb burger with goat cheese and curry sauce on Saturday. Also on Saturday I had the special dessert, Guinness Ginger cake. I'll have to see if I can find a recipe for that, I love a good gingerbread cake when the weather gets cold.


Didn't get any pics of the food at Rira, but this sign caught my eye.

Thursday we had lunch at Burger Bar. I have been dying to try the Rossini, and I am so glad I did. The meat was very flavorful, cooked exactly as specified (medium rare). The portion of foie gras and truffles was very generous, and the sauce was addictive. I also enjoyed the zucchini fries, which are very much like mozzerella sticks, except you can pretend you are being healthier. :evillaugh I had the Nutella shake for dessert, because Nutella. Also addictive. Service was friendly, despite how crazy busy it was. Patrice (our server) never made us feel rushed or as if we were wasting her time. M asked how often people order the Rossini, and she said average she serves one per day. It's the kind of thing people go to the restaurant to try. I know I'll be back for another one. M got the sliders with Swiss cheese instead of American, and a Chocolate shake with vanilla Stoli for dessert. I think he was happy with his meal, but I wasn't paying much attention to anything else but my meal. LOL


The Rossini, $65 for a slice of heaven. Seems like a bargain to me.

Friday we ate a bit late, and hadn't planned anything. After looking around at Mandalay Bay for a bit, we decided to try Fleur for lunch. It was a solid choice. I felt a need for a big salad, so I went with the Chopped Greek-style salad. The dressing was a very tasty lemon oregano vinaigrette. M had the Mahi tacos, and declared if I ever wanted to try a fish taco, this would be the one to try. I did, and they were good. Not too spicy (I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy foods), and good flavors.I had the brownie lollipops for dessert. I would absolutely go back to Fleur just for these. They are more like a truffle with a bit of cake than a brownie. And they are cute. Didn't stop to take a pic, but Yelp had tons if you need a visual.

Tuesday we grabbed lunch at Todd English's PUB in Crystals. Our third (or fourth?) time here. I got the Chicken BLT, which I hadn't tried before, and was impressed with the flavor and with how juicy the chicken was. M got the lobster rolls, which come 3 mini rolls to an order. As a Maine native and granddaughter of a lobsterman, I approve of the execution here. Plus they are cute. Usually we don't seek out lobster in Vegas, cause we can get it year round for cheap here in New England, but this was pretty good. We like the onion rings here as well. They are huge, as if they just cut the onion in half and took a bit off each end to separate the rings.


Ok, now I'm making myself hungry. I'll get to the dinners after I start tonight's dinner.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write about your trip. Great view from your room!

Restaurants are also a big draw for me when we go to Vegas, so I'm enjoying your write-ups on the food. Went to Fleur for lunch on our last trip and one of the things we shared was the fish tacos. They were delicious, as was the Cuban sandwich. Definitely want to try dinner there some time.

Can't wait for your dinner reviews

 

I'm enjoin' your report, but this caught my eye... my wife handles similar duties for benefits for public employees... she often tells people who ask that she, "gets screamed at for a living"!!! Bless you both!!!

 

Thursday night we had dinner at Tender Steak & Seafood in the Luxor, using the myVegas reward of $75 off when you spend $150. This was our 3rd visit, and was just as enjoyable as the other times we've been. We started with a cheese plate. Following are the descriptions from the menu:
truffle tremor goat (Cypress Grove Chevre, McKinleyville, California) – truffle speckled, velvety, creamy texture with tangy earthiness;
beecher’s flagship reserve (Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Seattle, Washington) – parmesan-style, citrusy then slightly sweet & nutty finish; and
rogue river cave aged blue (Rogue Creamery, Central Point, Oregon) – complex blue cheese, sweet & fruity with vanilla tones buttery texture.
I enjoyed all of them, but I am partial to a good blue.

This time they had the wild game trio, which I'd wanted to try last year. Again, from the menu: Nilgai antelope osso buco, axis venison medallion & wild boar loin with farro, fig chutney & cranberry venison reduction. I didn't note it, but I am pretty sure on the night it was elk, not antelope. I remember telling M I'd had elk before, and unless I just wasn't paying attention I'm not sure why I'd say that if I was having antelope.

M had a filet which he liked well enough. We got the special side: Burgandy Truffled mashed potatoes. That was excellent. Our favorite restaurant here in town does truffled tater tots, and this was like the creamy inside of those tater tots. I ate way too much of those potatoes.

We decided against dessert, though the fresh fruits sounded really good. We ended up getting gelato from Jean Phillipe in the Aria later on that night. We got gelato there several nights during the trip. It's just too close to the Vdara and too tasty to resist.

Anyway, I do recommend Tender. It's a good value, especially with the myVegas reward. The server (Juan, same server we had last year, actually) was professional and friendly, and the setting is elegant but not stuffy. We were fairly dressed up (business casual, I was in a dress I wear to work), but others were in shorts and flip flops and didn't get dirty looks or anything. Total after the comp and with tip was $143, including 2 drinks each.



Sunday night we ate at Julian Serrano at the Aria before Blueman Group. I have been wanting to try this place since it opened. I spent a semester in Madrid way back in college, and was hoping for food that reminded me of what I had in Spain. I hesitated booking a table before because I know M's tastes, and was afraid he wouldn't like anything. He ended up very satisfied with the meal. He started with the lobster salad tapa and the beef and cheese tapa (tenderloin and cheese on a slice of bread, upgraded to add peekytoe crab on it). I didn't get a taste of the beef and cheese one, but he loved it. I was focused on the Spanish tortilla (sort of like a fritatta, with potatoes and onions inside) and pata negra ham. Perfect. I got M to try a bit of the jamon, but he wasn't interested in the tortilla. More for me! I did eat most of the greens from the salad. They went really well with the tortilla.


Lobster Salad


jamon pata negra


tortilla espanola

Next round M got the Iberico sliders, and declared them the best sliders he's ever had. I had one, and I tend to agree. Excellent flavor, nice and juicy, and good portion size. I got chicken croquettes, which are a great comfort food. The inside is like chicken pot pie filling, and the outside is all crispy and crunchy. These were so good. M again declined to try them, so I got all three. (Ok, writing this I am wondering why I was so shocked at the weight gain. I don't usually finish portions in Vegas restaurants, because they are so outlandishly large, but tapas are deceptive.)


croquetas de pollo. There were 3, I couldn't wait to try one before snapping the photo.


Iberico sliders

I had wanted to try the tuna raspberry skewers, but they weren't on the menu that night, so I tried the Queso Fresco Heirloom Tomato tapa. The queso fresco was burrata, not like the queso fresco I remember (had a texture more like feta, but not at salty or sharp). Despite that, I was happy with it, since I adore burrata, and the tomato and "micro basil" pesto were great.


queso fresco heirloom tomato

I also had both the sparking and white sangrias. Both were excellent, but preferred the sparkling.

For dessert, M had the crema catalan (like creme brulee without the brulee). It was good, but I didn't catch the orange blossom flavor that was supposed to be in there. Neither did M. I went with Santiago's cake and turrone ice cream. Another favorite from my time in Spain. It's an lemon almond cake, not too sweet. The portion was huge. I only ate a third of it.


torta de Santiago.

No pics of M's dessert. I love my husband, but I was just not focused on his food this trip. Total with tax and tip (and 2 drinks for M) was $248.


Monday night, we had dinner at Giada in the Cromwell. I made the reservation in June, and got a table for 7 pm. We went over early to pick up total rewards card and inquire about using points I'd earned through Social Rewards towards the dinner. I had thought I need to get voucher, but the rep at the desk said points were accepted at the restaurant now, at 1 per $, and all the kinks were worked out. I have to say I really like the atmosphere of the casino in the Cromwell. Very elegant and classic.

Anyway, we went up the escalator about 10 minutes early, and were told it would be about a 20 minute wait. The bar/lounge was packed, so we just waited on the bench in front of the photo booth. We ended up at a table next to the windows, looking straight across to the Bally's sign. We couldn't see the fountains, but I was fine with that considering how well we could see them from our room. Of course the place is lovely, and if I had to do it over, I'd probably go when dinner first starts to get a better view of the restaurant when it wasn' completely full. It was a lovely night, so the windows were open, and between the Strip traffic and the conversations of all the diners, it was very, very loud. There are tons of pics on Yelp of the ambiance and place settings, and once again I got too distracted by the food to take many pictures of my own. Despite how busy it was, the service was very attentive, and we didn't feel rushed at all. Diego, our server, took time to go over the menu in general, and gave us some suggestions.

For drinks, I had the La Strada, which was light and refreshing, like pink lemonade. M stuck with grey goose and tonic.

We started with 3 antipasti: lobster arancini (fried rice balls, very tasty, especially with the spicy tomato sauce), gorgonzola dulce (very creamy. I really liked this) and cacciatore tartufo (a truffled pork cured sausage, excellent).

For the pasta course, M had the spaghetti, (lemon pasta with 2 giant shrimp) and I had the ravioli (lobster ravioli in a citrus tarragon sauce). Both were excellent, but the spaghetti lives up to the hype and then some. It was perfectly cooked, not over-sauced, and very light. M liked it so much he told me several times I needed to find the recipe. I did, by the way, on foodnetwork.com, and made it last night for dinner. It's a fairly simple recipe, but of course my execution is nothing like Giada's. M was pretty happy, regardless.

I've seen online where other people didn't like the ravioli because they were expecting a cream sauce. I liked this sauce better than a cream sauce. I love tarragon, anyway, so it was exactly to my tastes.


spaghetti - seriously, it was like a lobster tail under there rather than shrimp, they were gigantic.

M went with the filet for his main course. Excellent flavor, which is sometimes lacking in a filet (not sure what they add, but it was good!). The crispy polenta was ok. I don't typically care for polenta, but this was nice. If you like polenta, you'll probably love this. I had the salmon. It was so yummy even the lima beans were good, and I usually hate those.


7oz Filet with salsa verde & crispy polenta

And of course, Giada's Dolce Cart. It was parked close to our table, so we got a lot of glimpses at the treats on there. It was really hard to narrow down what we wanted. I decided on the chocolate amaretti, which seemed like a flourless torte, very dense and chocolately. I also got wild strawberry sorbetto. This was a great complement to the chocolate. I'm glad I got both. M got the mini chocolate tiramisu, and enjoyed it. I didn't get a taste of that, which shows how much he liked it.

The only glitch of the evening was that I didn't get a chance to let the server know I wanted to use points towards the meal. I only had about $50 worth, but it would have been nice to use them. I don't know if I'll be able to keep that balance active till the next trip.

Overall, we'll definitely be back. I like Giada's cookbooks, and I'm impressed that she's taking such control of the restaurant, more than I usually see celebrity chefs take in Vegas. And the food is to-die-for good. It's all well-balanced and I like the combination of authentic Italian and Californian influences. Total with tip was $470. I don't have my copy of the receipt handy, but I'm pretty sure it was $320 before the tip. Besides the above, I had a glass of wine and coffee, M had another drink and coffee, and we got bottled water. (M wanted it, I didn't fight it. Normally I prefer regular tap/iced so I can drink as much as I want.)


Ok, one more dinner and some miscellaneous notes to go, but I need to go ahead and post this. Sorry for the wall of text.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read it. Fleur is also on my list of places to try for dinner. List keeps growing, and I don't get to Vegas nearly as often as I'd like. Looking at all the menus and photos keeps me going through the winters, anyway.

I love that someone else says this. I feel for her!

 

Great report so far! Thanks for sharing!

 

Tuesday night, our last in Vegas, we ate at SW Steakhouse at the Wynn. This is another place we've been before, and once again it was perfect. When I made the reservation, i requested a table inside, (rather than on the patio) but with a view of the waterfall. We got a fabulous table, just inside the glass separating the dining room from the patio,


View from our table.

Previously we've been too far inside to see the little shows, but this time we had a great view, and it was a nice change. Between the appetizers and main course, they opened the glass doors. The weather was perfect, maybe 75 degrees, and with the sun setting it was a very nice way to spend an evening.

I got "The Dream" cocktail, which has sparking wine (I forget if it's champagne, prosecco or what exactly) with St. Germain Elderflower liqueur (my favorite) and a hibiscus flower. I love this cocktail. It's pretty and very tasty.

M started with the crabcake (his go-to starter) and I got the burrata and heirloom tomato salad. I adore burrata and never see it around here, so I tend to get it a lot in Vegas.


Burrata and heirloom tomato salad. Om nom nom.

M went with the filet, of course. I opted for the cheese crusted lamb chops. When ordering, M was sweet enough to ask about roasted bone marrow for me (I get shy about odd things. Been wanting to try it, but the trend seems to be over, so it wasn't on the menu anymore). The server let us know that the Kobe butter option would be the best replacement. It's butter with tallow from Kobe beef (with herbs and stuff), and it's heavenly. My lamb chops were the best I've ever had - very tender, juicy and the cheese/herb crust was excellent. We also got the sauteed mushrooms for a side, highly recommend. Many different varieties of mushrooms, expertly sauteed.


Cheese crusted lamb chops over eggplant caponata.

For dessert, M got the key lime square. It was good, but I was not down with the greenery on top. It tasted like cilantro, and I am not a fan. To me, it just tastes like soap. I went with Nutella hazelnut praline ice cream, brambleberry (raspberry) sorbet and vanilla ice cream. The nutella and brambleberry were excellent. Vanilla was good too, but I only ordered it to fill out the "choice of three".


Key Lime Square


Ice cream/sorbet trio

Total was $455 with tax and tip. Fantastic food, fantastic service and a fantastic setting. This makes me hope the Wynn project in Everett, MA goes through. I'm excited to see what restaurants would be included. Which makes me despair of my annual eating out budget, but I'll make it work.

Miscellany:

After dinner at Giada, we walked over to the Linq and did the High Roller. It was a neat experience, and I liked the views, but our room was higher, and I enjoyed watching the High Roller from our room more than looking out the High Roller. We probably won't spend the time/money again.


Inside the High Roller


Passed this truck on the way to the Roos-n-More Zoo:

That's not a smartcar next to it, it's a normal sized car. I have no idea what those tires go on, but it was an interesting sight.



There's still a ton of things on my Vegas to-do list that just didn't fit in this trip. I haven't been Downtown in a while, haven't made it to the Mandarin Bar for a drink, didn't make it to Holly Madison's burlesque place. *sigh* We're planning a mini-trip to Orlando in February for my 40th birthday (yes, I want to spend it in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Yes, I'm a dork.), so not sure how elaborate our fall trip will be. We'll see what I can talk Hubby into.

Here's a link to more pics, you can see how much time we spent staring out the windows of our room, more zoo pics and other things:
https://alhanalasa.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

Thanks for reading.