http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn82/Marenghi42/DSC00527.jpg

I will be back in Vegas in June for my brother’s 30th birthday. We are going to do the $20 trick, so we will definitely report in & maybe do a drunk dial or two.

Great podcast, Nostradamus would be proud.

BHBH

Thanks for the clarification! It was new to me, but I don’t spend much time in poker rooms. I was kind of put off by the way she came up behind me while playing slots and just started rubbing my shoulders. I admit I just about jumped through the roof! After polietly declining, she started in with the “well, have you ever gotten one here? do you know what you’re missing?”. It was pretty much a pressure sale that I continued to decline. I just saw it as more awkwardness from Rio, but if it’s happening all over town, that’s good to know. Thanks for the info.

Also, I do agree that the happy ending would be tough in a full room.

Personally, I’m not one who likes too much meat in my burger, so what I like to get is 2 cheeseburgers “Animal Style”, although, the Double-Double IS the signature burger, a side of fries (you can order these animal style too), and an iced tea.

If you REALLY like the taste of meat in your burger, though, you can order a 4×4.

They don’t serve bacon at In-n-Out, though.

Thoughts on Chris from above.

That is the new Vegas service in town. Go into any of the Strip Casinos and just off strip Casinos and you’ll see the Massage Girls roaming the Poker Rooms. Never gotten one myself, since to me, it’s not a massage without a happy ending, and there’s no way I’m getting one of those in a room full of people, so there’s that.

More details please.

Unbelievable. Not sure why Rio continues to try to be the most awkward place to be in town.

We went with my brother who loves Chicken Pot Pie, He was amazed at the size and the quality.

We then went for lunch. I had a buffalo chicken sandwiich which great.

Finally, a brekfast buffet, which included bothe juice and coffee for $15,50 and was very good as well.

The good news is that we finally realized that we should be charging to our room, which we did and was comped on check out.

If all this sounds familiar then it should come as no surprise that the Grand Luxe is actually a glorfied Cheesecake Factory with which it is associated.

Dan

This is a location for our room at the Pilazzo.

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn311/Dshort2727/?start=all

The first one is a picture of the Barney’s flyers which advertise a personal shopper for male or female.

I am sure you are looking for that Tim.

Dan

Rosemary’s had a second restaurant in the Rio for a short time. Wonderful food and excellent service. I was surprised that it didn’t last in the Rio location. Maybe it has more appeal as being an off strip find than just another resort dining choice.

Looking forward to the mid-week bonus podcast; hoping the next one bears less in the way of grim tidings.

BHBH

Of course, I am still bitter about replacing the beautiful drink ladies with the lame “beavertainers” which include !!YIKES!! dudes serving drinks. Yuck.

Also the phone call from the guy from Maine was great. Being a transplant from there it was nice to hear somebody who can speak correct English. I almost pissed myself, too.

The V Theater at P Ho is a big step down from the Venetian, I saw the show a few weeks ago and old Gordie seemed embarrassed by it.
I got in free and enjoyed it .

Requested impressions for next week: G.W. Bush, Martha Stewart

Here is a long review from a trip in January of 2008:

Set in a strip mall, Rosemary’s features a bar running the width of the store front, and behind the bar, the larger dining area, including seating at a countertop facing the open kitchen.

The bar offers a drink menu with a selection of Belgian beers, complete with helpful descriptions. The bar is also stocked with appropriate branded glassware for the beer on offer, a really nice touch reminiscent of bars in Belgium and other European spots.

Rosemary’s offers three dining styles, which the waiter described in detail.

1. A la carte dining
2. The prix fixe menu of any two appetizers and one entree from the menu, including daily specials, for $50 (dessert may be substituted for one of the appetizers).
3. A tasting menu of specific dishes selected by the chef, representing 5 courses somewhat smaller in size than by the other two options, for $75. Wine and beer pairings available (I don’t recall prices).

It is very flexible that any menu items are available with the prix fixe option, but a good half dozen or so selections such as foie gras, rack of lamb, or steak, result in surcharges.

The menu seems rooted in traditional technique, with a healthy amount of experimentation with flavor pairings.

There were three of us, and we opted for the prix fixe menu. With the extensive list of choices, it was very easy to get 9 different dishes.

Before the food arrived we were served an amuse bouche of asparagus bread pudding with an onion relish. It was delicious. Also bread made in house, a white potato roll and a sweet roll with white chocolate chips and nuts. The white potato roll was great. I don’t care for sweet rolls with dinner, but my dining companions gave it high marks.

Of the appetizers, we had a a few standouts.

The foie gras was seared perfectly, and serving it on toasted citrus brioche was great idea. The bread soaked up the drippings, letting nothing go to waste.

Also executed to perfection was the parmesan souffle. It was served on a bed of chanterelle mushrooms, which made for a nice pairing. Even without that, the airy texture of the souffle and the bright taste of parmesan would have made this a winner all by itself. Highly recommended.

I would also recommend the signature dish of BBQ shrimp with Maytag blue cheese slaw. This dish really has an unfortunate pedestrian name, but it is anything but. The BBQ sauce is a blend of smoky flavors, free of any sticky sweetness. The natural sweetness of the grilled shrimp takes care of that. And the blue cheese slaw is a novelty that works, and pairs nicely with the smoky BBQ sauce.

The golden beets were good, but not exceptional like the other dishes. Same with the carpaccio - a fine dish, but not a standout.

The fried sweetbreads were disappointing. The organ meat was cooked well, and to good consistency , but served pretty much undressed. It was begging for some kind of acidic component to set off the oily nature of being fried and enhance the mild flavor of the meat. Also, it was served on a bed of underdone orzo. I like my pasta cooked al dente, but this was shy of the mark.

As for our entrees, again there was a mixed result.

The veal tenderloin with lentils, bacon, and sherry mustard sauce was a letdown. The mustard sherry sauce overpowered the delicate veal, which itself was overdone and dry in spots. The lentils were underdone. Not as bad as the orzo, but definitely grainy.

The seared scallops with potato-parsnip puree, fried parsnip strips, and apple cider beurre blanc was much better. Scallops were big, sweet, and cooked only to the point of doneness. The fried parsnip strips were a delight, brightened by the apple cider butter that dressed the dish. The puree did not work as well, but overall a solid dish.

The best entree was the crispy skin striped bass with hush puppies and creole potato hash. The owners have a background in New Orleans kitchens and it really showed in this flavorful dish.

We were completely sated for dessert (although in retrospect we really should have gotten the goat cheese cheesecake just to try it), but we had coffee and enjoyed petits fours with it. The assortment included a peanut butter puff and a chocolate trouffle that were both excellent.

Service was very good. The waiter knew the menu inside and out, including details of ingredients used. All staff were attentive to small details like sweeping the table when serving courses, and folding napkins when I left the table.

There was a significant gap between courses, but arguably that’s a good thing when savoring a large meal.

For the price, a very good dining experience, but you might want to stick with dishes that people have recommended to you. Not everything is a winner.

The portions are large. If you go on a date I suggest going the prix fixe route, but use one of your appetizer choices as a split, and save the other to split a dessert. Half price wine night on Sunday will get the wine list issue under control, too.

I am also sad that Quark’s will be leaving. I always go there to get a nice cold Klingon Blood Ale.

*It probably isn’t Jon Lovitz, but if you’ve ever seen the ad, you’ll swear it is!

On an unrelated note, when are we going to see some pics of Zoey the Wonder Dog?

BHBH

- It’s not a good time currently for many of the free sights in Vegas either - the animated fountains in the Forum Shops are both out of action due to renovations and so was the rainstorm in the miracle mile shops, although some may think that’s a good thing !

- The Mirage volcano is under renovation and I assume that the show in the sky is also not currently running if the previous reports are true

We’ve seen all of those before, but it’s bad timing for many of the ‘attractions’ to be down at the same time.

- On a brighter note, there was water around the statue of liberty