Alrighty…so, I returned from my most recent Vegas visit last Tuesday and figured it was high time I got around to sharing all the boring details of the trip with my VMB homies. On this trip, it was me and my pops and we stayed at Wynn. It was hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell and dad’s knees apparently date back to the Triassic, so we did not get around much. Plus, we’re both pretty damn boring in Vegas – gambling, food and booze is about all that’s ever on the agenda. So, don’t say I didn’t warn you when you finish this TR and say, “well, that’s 15 minutes of my life I’ll never get back!” I’m going to try to keep the prose to a minimum because a) that would require a lot of remembering (is that a word?) and b) you guys just don’t want to read all that. If you would like me to expand on anything, speak up. I’d be more than happy to go into more detail if anyone cares. I think I’ll do this chronologically and I’ll break it up into a few different posts to make it easier to digest. Day one will follow shortly...
August 3 Sadly, Podunk Regional Airport does not offer direct flights to Vegas. So… First stop was Hot-lanta. After a few Greyhounds and a nice chat with a couple who were also on their way to Vegas, we headed west. Getting close… Closer… Closer still… I see a casino! Woo-hoo! Views from the room: They’ve made quite a bit of progress on the old, rich, white guy habitat since my last visit in March! Some construction pics (thru dirty windows ): I got off to a good start on the gambling front, hitting this nice multiplier on the last spin of my freeplay: Unfortunately, things went south in a hurry. While dad and I were able to mostly tread water at BJ and craps, I couldn’t get a thing going on VP. I didn’t hit a single quad or any other hand pay for the rest of the night. Food, though, was quite a bit better. Dinner the first night was at Bouchon. Dad started with the onion soup, while I had the Lyonnaise salad. We split the deviled eggs (okay, I had 3.5 of them.) For the mains, dad went with the Moules Frites and I had the Poulet Roti. All the food was very good though service at the bar was a bit lacking. I do like how Bouchon changes their dishes with the seasons and this was definitely my favorite version of the chicken so far – the mushrooms were off the charts good. I’d give the meal a solid B. After dinner gambling continued to be brutal and I went to bed in the hole by a fairly substantial margin. But tomorrow is another day… (that’s very clumsy foreshadowing, if you’re not paying attention.)
August 4 The good food continued as we started day two with the Jazz Brunch at Lakeside. Unfortunately, I didn’t take too many pictures, but here’s what I have… We each ordered the crab cake benedict off the menu and split an order of the lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry butter (okay, dad had a bite and I polished off the rest.) Additionally, we enjoyed a few of the hors d'oeuvres that the servers brought around (avocado toast, croque monsieur, some tart thingy with salmon and cream cheese) as well as some of the pastries offered. I had the pain au chocolat and blueberry muffin – so good! This was the absolute best experience I’ve had at the Jazz Brunch and a phenomenal breakfast (dad said it might have been the best breakfast he’s had.) It was worth every bit of the $68 price tag. An easy A. After brunch, my luck started to turn a bit. I hit this beauty to put me exactly $25 in the black! And the hits kept on coming! Then, a quick, mid-day stop at Parasol Up for a Passion Fruit Paloma The rest of the afternoon was spent jumping around BJ and craps tables. Both dad and I were rolling the bones decently and made a few bucks there. But BJ was mostly a wash. Then I headed over to Encore where I managed to score one more nice hit before dinner. At about the same time, I was able to cash in my winning ticket from the NASCAR race (thank you, Chase Elliot.) Though, when one picks the driver who won this race last year and was sitting on the pole, it’s hard to feel like too much of a badass sports handicapper. Unfortunately, while my gambling luck had turned for the better, my food luck went the other direction. Charlie’s was the first of a few dining disappointments this trip. Space Dust, Charlie Burger and fries. Mediocre beer, bland burger and soggy fries. Dad’s wings and onion rings were a bit better but certainly nothing to write home about. C. After dinner, pops went slotting while I headed back to the VP grind. I managed to bag a few more nice wins, erasing the first night’s deficit and finishing ahead for the trip by a decent amount. As long as the last day wasn’t a complete shit show, I was going to be heading home even or better! (Picked the wrong time to switch games…)
THAT is my PERFECT way to Vegas! Excellent TR Carve, and I LOVE your food and drink pics, as you always sniff out the best meals/places. The crab bene looked amazing....and all the meals (except Charlie's) were drool-worthy. I also LOVE that you do trips with your pops! I'm due for a mother daughter trip soon.. Love my time with her, and so glad you and your dad have a blast together too! Can't wait for round deux! And lots of foodie pics!
August 5 Since my offer came with two free buffet passes each day, we figured we ought to take advantage of Wynn’s largesse at least once. So that was our breakfast on the final full day of the trip. If you read my last TR, you’ll know that my last experience with Wynn’s buffet was downright horrible. Fortunately, this time around it was quite a bit better…though still a buffet, so nothing to get excited about. Sorry, no pics as my buffet plates always look pretty ugly. The winners, if you’re keeping score, were the eggs benedict, roast beast, spring rolls, chocolate covered marshmallow pop and pineapple upside down cake. As it was free and I never expect too much from buffets, I’ll grade on a curve: B. After breakfast, I gave a good chunk of my wins back to the house until the STP gods bestowed unto me this lovely multiplier! And back to Parasol Up to celebrate. Don’t mess with the Rascal gang! After our fancy cocktails, dad and I spent a bit of time on the craps and BJ tables. We couldn’t get a damn thing going with the dice – I was a damn PSO machine - but we did have a very nice run at BJ that netted us each a few blacks over a grand. But just as the gambling continued to be great, the food continued to disappoint. The usually reliable SW was pretty awful. Here’s the wedge salad (I forgot to get any more pics but you’re not missing a thing, unfortunately.) The steaks were incredibly tough and sinewy, the green beans were limp and overcooked (though reasonably tasty) and the bartenders were uncharacteristically aloof. I do have a video of my dessert, the rocky road, but I don’t know how to post it. It was a fun presentation (google it, there are videos) but maybe the worst dessert I’ve ever had. Absolutely nothing about it worked. I’ve had umpteen great meals at SW. But this one will have me searching for a new north strip steakhouse for the foreseeable future. I’ll be generous and give it a C-. After dinner, it was back to the BJ and craps tables for more break-even action but plenty of free G&T’s. By this point in the trip, the old man was running on empty, so I bid him adieu a few hours after dinner and made my way back to HL room for one last run at the allusive royal. The royal continued to allude me, but I did manage to pad my lead with a few more nice hits. By now I was drunk and tired AF but I realized that I hadn’t used the freeplay that I’d accrued over the course of the trip. So, on my way to bed, I tried about a half dozen slots trying to use up my freeplay to no avail (not sure if the machines wouldn’t allow it or if I was just too damn drunk and tired to figure it out.) Finally, I just found the nearest VP with reasonable pay tables. Fortunately, it allowed me to use the FP. And after a very nice run of flushes, full houses and non-premium quads, I landed one last W-2G for the trip. August 6 Our flight left around 10:30 so about the only thing I had time to do was pack and do a little bookkeeping: Not too shabby! Our flights home were on time and mostly uneventful. Home again, home again, jiggity jog So that concludes the first part of the TR. Part Two soon…
How do you handle going through security with your cash? I was stopped and strip searched for having my br in a money belt that they had to inspect. But, I don't like carrying thousands and thousands in my pockets.
Yikes! That doesn’t sound pleasant. I just bury the cash in my carryon. While I don’t like the few minutes when it isn’t in my possession, it beats a strip search!
Try Delmonico at Venetian if you haven't already. Steaks are superb. Especially the bone-in ribeye. Husband likes the strip. Service attentive and knowledgeable. Food goooood. Cocktails, yum. Just go. Nice run on video poker. Congrats, @thecarve. That SW wedge looks sadder than sad. What is going on there? Last one hubs enjoyed was fantastic.
It’s been ages since I tried Delmonico. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t wow me the way Carnevino, next door, did. I probably need to give it another try, though. It seems like my experience was an anomaly - everyone else I talk to loves the place. And how many places on the strip have been open as long as Delmonico? They must be doing something right. Plus, now that I think about it, my first go at Carnevino was less than stellar and it turned into my favorite steak joint before Batali was outed as a scumbag.
Thanks, @JeJas . Yeah, I couldn’t catch the royal this time around but it did end up being my (I believe) 4th largest win ever so I’m not going to whine! My upcoming trip - which will hopefully include a royale with cheese - will be included in part deux [1] of the TR. References: [1] @Multifarious5 . “BOGO: thecarve’s TR Twofer”. [Online]. Available: Vegasmessagebaord.com. [Accessed August 15, 2019].
If I knew you were there, I would come by and say hello, maybe have a drink. I was a tour guide Aug 5-8, we visited Wynn/Encore on Monday.
@thecarve bummer on some of your meals. But looks like you got all the bad gambol out of the way on your first night. Thanks for the write up
