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Quick Trip Report (Encore, Paris, Cosmo, 6/7-6/18)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by FountainFiend, Jun 19, 2014.

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  1. FountainFiend

    FountainFiend Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2012
    Messages:
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5

    My Trip Report

    Quick thoughts on latest 11 night trip to Las Vegas:

    * Loved the Cromwell on a weekday night, and the dealers and staff were fantastic. Bound bar was just ok, and not worth the price of the drinks, in my opinion. Absolutely beautiful, if not a bit small of a casino.

    * Sticky Toffee Pudding at Gordon Ramsay Steak. No brainer, best thing I ate on the trip. Brown butter ice cream. I need more of this immediately.

    * Went downtown for the first time. Du-pars pancakes were every bit as good as promised. Pizza Rock Chicago style thin crust was my second favorite pizza of the trip (second to Five50). Would 100% return to either.

    * Loved gambling at the D. One of the two most fun nights we spent in Las Vegas was gambling at the D. To those who haven't ventured Downtown yet, give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

    * Downtown Grand was meh. No one was in the Casino and I can get better VP pay tables on the strip. I got the requisite 3 dollar player club signup bonus. They'd have to do a lot more to get me to want to come back there to gamble.

    *Stayed at Encore, Paris and Cosmo. By far, our favorite was Cosmopolitan. Except the 'dude-bro' ******baggery on the weekend, everything about the stay was great. I loved having all of the food and dining options available right in our homebase. I really enjoyed having the terrace, but was disappointed that I couldn't hear the fountains better. I was in the west tower, 35th floor. I asked for an east tower, but they were unable to accomodate (they said they check in as people come and will not wait if you want a different tower, which I was pretty disappointed in).

    * Book and Stage seems to be moving away from craft cocktails. We asked for a menu there while playing and were told that they are more of a sports bar but they'd be happy to make us anything we wanted. Had a very well made mojito and tom collins (much better than equivalent on Casino floor)

    * Enjoyed playing at the Chandelier video poker bar at Cosmo . Drinks and service were great.

    * Disappointed that our dinner on the patio of Olives wasn't accompanied by the Fountains. Biggest disappointment of the strip that the foutains weren't going due to high winds.

    * Fountains Brunch at Jasmine was great. When they say unlimited champagne they are not lying at all. We purchased the Veuve Cliquot option (49/pp) and can honestly say that I was wishing they'd stop refilling near the end. I am fairly sure my wife and I put away three bottles on our own. I would suggest showing up/making a reservation right when they open (11am). When we came at 12 all of the great views were gone. They offered to give us one at 1-1:30, but we were quite hungry at the time.

    * It is impossible for us to enjoy a buffet without getting sick. We went to the Bacchanal at Caesars and tried our best to take eating breaks, take smaller portions, and linger between courses, and yet, the rest of our evening was spent too full to do much else.

    * Linq was better than expected, and looked nicer that I had hoped for given Caesar's usual reluctance to pay for the details. Blvd Cocktail Company was just ok drinks. I really wanted to like it more than we did, but just couldn't get that excited.

    *Hit Bar at Monte Carlo was a 'hit'! We never made it to the happy hour, but the drinks were as good as we have had at any cocktail bar. Everything they make is a classic, so don't expect any original creations, but there is a reason that classics are classics. Pegu Club, Ramos Gin Fizz, Vieux Carre, if these names excite you, run, don't walk. For 9 dollars a drink during the happy hour, it would be an excellent value.

    * Yusho at Monte Carlo. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic food. Highly recommend the 2x Fried Chicken. Their drinks are some of the best of the strip as well.

    * Sambalatte - Excellent, Excellent coffee. It's not cheap, but some of the best espresso I've had anywhere, much or less on the strip.

    *Sage at Aria. We have had the best dinner of our Vegas going careers here previously, and decided to try their drinks this time. Wife had a myVegas comp for a free glass of absinthe, which was presented in a very interesting and specific glasswear that has you blowing water over sugar to mix with the absinthe, and then drinking out of the other side. Very hard to describe, but if you are interested at all in trying it, I would highly recommend. Their cocktails were also top-notch.

    * Craps at Bellagio. I got a 'Hey kid, what's your brithday? You just made me a lot of money!' from another player after a pretty good roll, much like Nick Pappageorgio from Vegas Vacation fame.

    * Las Vegas Club is a stinkhole. Avoid at all costs.

    * Had a Holsteins vs Burgr taste test. I preferred Holstein while wife preferred Burgr. I must say the shakes and fries were much better at Burgr, while I preferred the burger itself at Holsteins more. Either way, you cannot go wrong. The long lines at Burgr would mean a no-brainer decision for Holsteins, though.

    * Rose Rabbit Lie was probably the most fantastic dinner of our trip, but I would say that I preferred Absinthe to Vegas Nocture (the show part of Rose Rabbit Lie). I would 100% return to spend time at the bar and get some dinner, however. Also it appears you can watch most of the show from the bars on the side of the stage, and that would make more sense to me instead of paying for seats. Drinks and food were fantastic and worth the money.

    * Mirage Secret Garden. We went for free using our platinum card. It is currently undergoing some construction, however, we have been in the past where paid outright for it. In either case (comped or not), I would not suggest going. It is fairly boring with a limited selection of animals to see and not a lot going on.

    * I did not once in 11 days get tired of being in Vegas. I would return this weekend if I could.
     
  2. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
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    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
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    Great report. Enjoyed reading it!
     
  3. M_ILIS

    M_ILIS VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2012
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    Nice report! I'd be interested in hearing more about Yusho if you have more to say. Will be at MC for a couple days in August and considering it for a dinner.
     
  4. FountainFiend

    FountainFiend Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Sure! It all comes out as small plates, which is not normally my favorite style of dining, but in this case was a great option because of the variety. If you are interested in Japanese/asian food, or really good food in general, it is worth your time.

    Here is what we tried:

    SCALLOP PINK PEPPERCORN, SOY SALT, YUZU - Similar to Sashimi. Raw scallop with a very velvety buttery flavor offset by the salt which was a bit like a cross between salt and soy sauce (hard to describe other than that). I liked the dish, but probably wouldn't order again just because I'd rather try some of their other sushi-like options.

    DUCKBREAST SHITAKE MARMALADE, SCALLION - Yummy but wasn't that memorable to me. Shitake marmalade didn't taste like mushrooms that much. The duck was very well prepared, and was skinless.

    2XFRIEDCHICKEN KANZURI, GREEN TEA LIME - Ok damn, that is some good stuff. Crisp, moist fried chicken. It was served boneless which I know is a point of some contention among fried chicken lovers, but retained that moist chicken flavor that you get with the bone. The sauce was a bit spicy but rich and complemented the chicken very well. Some of the best food I had all trip. Would be awesome as a late night eat after some drinks as well.

    The three small plates were enough to fill us up (although we had a buffet 10 hours earlier that was still keeping us full). We also had a Last Word and a Daiquri which was served in a tall glass and precarbonated to make it more like a soda. Amazing crisp flavors, where the sweetness of the rum and sugar cane flavors showed behind the crisp lime flavor.
     
  5. TimLion

    TimLion High-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2013
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Wonderful TR. You've basically given me a "to-do" list for October!

    Santé,
    TL
     
  6. sindustry

    sindustry VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Excellent TR! Is the Jasmine Brunch still free for Platinum? I keep wanting to go, but either always forget about it, or just don't have time for it.
     
  7. FountainFiend

    FountainFiend Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    No, it's not free at all. I tried to use my status to get better seats when I called before and no-can-do. I am sure mileage my vary depending on how mlife views you. They don't really give a hoot about me, I think :)
     
  8. Mandiferous

    Mandiferous Tourist

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Western Washington
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    Thank you so much for the detailed trip report. I was curious about Yusho and I think you've convinced me to try it!
     
  9. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Excellent TR. I preferred Absinthe to Vegas Nocturne as well. VN was so random. I have a craving for a Holsteins Golden Standard or Arising Sun.
     
  10. Lsucrazyman

    Lsucrazyman Tourist

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    I got the same vibe from book and stage......nice TR
     
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