NFC caved but didn’t cave… Jul 22 - Aug 3 @ Aria, Downtown/Sapphire, Laughlin, Plaza

I did that once upon a time when I was a beginner. I doubled a 12 against a 6. The dealer had to call over the pit boss. I drew a 9. F*ck them.

 

Another great NFC TR. Thanks for sharing your trip! Your reports never disappoint! Already looking forward to the next one!

 

Very enjoyable! You packed a lot of stuff in. I'll DM the next time I'm visiting my daughter in Toronto.

GG

 

Great trip report. Just loved following along. Thanks for sharing it all with us.

 

Ok, let’s round up Thursday onward

Couple photos from the pool area







This cabana is goals



I finished up at the pool and headed up to @DockEllis suite at the Cosmo. Man, this place is impressive. Between the pool, the staff, and the general feel of this room (this is my first time in any Cosmo room), it’s apparent to me why so many people are Cosmo die-hards













We headed down to the Talon room to check it out. Considerably different vibe from the main casino floor, more like a James Bond movie setting than anywhere else I’ve been in Vegas



Interesting artwork



Apparently, loyal high rollers store their own personal liquors in these cabinets. Now that’s baller!



Then we went down to the high limit bar on the main floor to have some drinks and play some video poker. I’ll just do a photo dump, it speaks for itself









Started off with mojitos. I actually wasn’t wowed, personally. Though I’m glad I had this, because it affirmed my decision to do DIY mojitos, both knowing exactly how I like them, and not having to skimp on ingredients like mint or limes



Then some Clase Azul. Muuuuuch better! That is some damn good tequila. One of my friends back at home is doing her WSET (basically a wine and spirits expert certification course) and she loves this stuff so I gladly sent her this photo to make her jealous



Then off to the slots







Dinner recap to follow, so as to not make for one posting too long.

 

My original plan was to go to Mon Ami Gabi for dinner. Though Dock and I contemplated going somewhere in Cosmo instead... so we did, and decided on Milos.

This was a very impressive meal. The service and atmosphere were impeccable, and the experience of getting to pick out your own fish from an ice display was really great. I’ve done that before in a “market” type setting, but not in a fine dining restaurant.





We started out with the ceviche, Greek salad, and octopus... and had two fish (one snapper, and I forget the name of the other but it was similar to sea bream) as well as some lamb chops

You’ll be surprised at what my favourite part of the meal was

Oregano for the olive oil snipped tableside



Ceviche was ehh. A bit too complex of a flavour to get much of the fish. As good as the feta was as a cheese, that messed with the texture too IMO. The freshness of everything did shine right through though.



Octopus was amazing. Dock and I were both commenting that it had a mild flavour note to it that was similar to pork. The texture was like none other. The fava bean purée, capers, and onions really made for a lovely flavour profile.



Greek salad was very good. Those were some top notch tomatoes, and this is the type of feta that ruins non-Greek feta for you



Now for the main course.

Lamb chops were cooked perfectly, great sear on the outside with an ideal redness on the inside. A bit salty though, and it felt kind of plain without some flavouring. Lamb I’ve had almost anywhere else has had some kind of flavouring incorporated, whether that may be carrots and celery, mint, rosemary, or some kind of nuts. It was a very good quality lamb too, so I feel like it could have been quite a bit better



The fish were about as amazing as you could imagine. If I remember correctly, one was grilled and the other was salt baked. Both were de-boned and plated tableside







Had this wine to drink. Definitely on the sweeter side, but it was a perfect pairing with the fish and the octopus



Great view from the patio outside too







My favourite part of the meal? Our waiter captain was telling us about the tzatziki and how remarkable it was, so he brought us some. I’m not sure if it was the full fat yogurt, the garlic, the cucumber, or whatever else it may be, but god DAMN this is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I will be running, not walking back to Milos to get me some more of this



Rest of the night to follow in the next post

 

Was it that particular tzatziki sauce or that you’ve never tried it?? I’m interested

 

Headed back to the suite to drop the leftovers in the fridge. Got some of these views, just amazing



We decided we’d take a ride downtown. But first, the VIP check-in area on the way down



Yes, that’s free Bailey’s, Kahlua, and champagne



Nice dishes



The gameplan was to hit a couple of dive bars, one for a show, and the other for a rave type atmosphere. First stop though was Plaza, to drop off my backpack I had for the pool.

Dock had the idea to go down the stairs from the nineteenth floor. I’ve never taken the stairs at the Plaza before. Turns out, the transition from the hallway to the staircase takes you out to a balcony! I thought these were all closed off









We lasted about two floors going down the staircase before resigning ourselves to the elevator. Walked east on Fremont and stopped into Dock’s suite at the D, which he was still checked into. Thought that suite was pretty cool, especially for the reasonable rates the D charges for it









Then did some exploring, of which I don’t have many photos. Though I do have these from Corduroy





Thought this was a very cool approach to venue security there



Dock also randomly got me to pose for this photo just outside the El Cortez



Got to the bar with the show (Bunkhouse Saloon), and sadly arrived too late. Though it is a very cool dive bar with an outdoor area that looked like a scene out of Woodstock.

Walked on over to Oddfellows, which felt like the kind of bar your mother warned you about. Kind of trippy music, and an atmosphere to match. We had a couple of these White Claw grapefruit seltzers... never had this before, it was amazing. Too bad you can’t get them up here in Canada





Last shot from the night, we went into Golden Nugget and I watched Dock play craps, which sadly put him -$3,500. The pit bosses recorded his buy-ins incorrectly, and when Dock challenged them on it they “suddenly” found the correct figure but still took an attitude about it. I cannot stand that place.



With a need to get up early, I had been making a point that I had to be back at my hotel by 2:00 am or so. Ended up doing so around that time. Dock got into a taxi back to Cosmo, and that’s where we parted ways after some amazing times in the past 24 hours.

Friday morning, y’all know how that went. A couple photos for texture though

The rest of my rum for the mojitos, which I had to leave behind. Didn’t feel like drinking it.



Forgot all about this thing, lol



Some rather “interesting” garbage from the past few days



And that pretty much does it! Thanks so much for following along everyone Grilled cheese and other “finally at home” footage to come shortly. I’m still in bed, but about to get up and ready for the day.

 

Also, here’s my tour of the Plaza Luxe room for anyone who wants to get a detailed look at it...

 

I’ve had lots of tzatziki before, and quite like it. It was this particular one though... like nothing I’ve ever had.

 

I figured that (Danforth). Now I’m even more curious......

I’m actually going to go out of my way to try it.

That’s why TRs are the best...you get to see almost everything.

Welcome back!!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I’ve enjoyed it every day and will miss it now.

 

Also managed to get this nice shot of the sun setting from the plane

 

Anybody else agree that NFC should compile *all* of his trip reports into one document, clean it up, and sell it on the Amazon Kindle store for 4.99 with bonus pictures and stories?

 

Few things in life can match a proper and well-executed tzatziki.

 

Thank you for this report. I’ll miss having your stories be part of my day. But you had to go home someday...
Hope you can be there for NFR. I won’t be able to make it this year (first in 3 years that I’ll miss it). I am sure it’ll be fun living it through your eyes though

 

Great trip report....looking forward to that at home Grilled Cheese finale as well!

 

Congrats on another epic Vegas trip and thank you for another enjoyable trip report.

 

Now that was some content. Cheers. Thanks for sharing and for making the wait for my October trip seem that much closer.

 

Congrats on another successful trip!