Thursday, May 13, 2010

VEGAS!



Vegas Babies

The first week of May, Jeffrey and I went to Vegas. It was spectacular.

That's the short version. The longer version looks something like this:

Day .5
Drive to my sister-in-law's to be closer to the Philadelphia airport, and also to say hi :) We haven't seen her or her lovely boyfriend Mike since Christmas, when the graciously let us sleep over.

Day 1
11:30 am flight out of Philadelphia International Airport.


Let me just say a few words about this airport. Seriously fly out of here if it's an option for you. If you've ever flown out of one of the other NYC area airports, this will feel like a vacation in itself. No lines, friendly TSA screeners (I KNOW! AMAZING!), and terminals with food you actually want to eat. Serious win for everyone.

We boarded our US Airways flight on time, had a very uneventful journey, and got to Vegas ready to start our vacation!

Day 1 (continued)
We got a crazy good deal on our flight and hotel which had us staying at the MGM Grand so upon arrival we grabbed a cab and headed straight over to check in.


















Contrary to the photo, we checked in at like 2pm. I just liked this one because it shows you how awesomely GREEN our hotel was!

We were offered a room in their newest West Wing tower which is non-smoking and a little further from the casino floor which was fine with us, so of course we took it!


The bathroom was really cool and had a TV in the mirror. Sooooo Vegas! Once we were slightly settled we took a walk to grab some water and stuff for the room, and by stuff I mean wine :)


Where did we find this wine so quickly you might ask? Well at ABC! I couldn't believe my eyes! ABC is a convenience/souvenir chain store from Hawaii and I never thought I would see one anywhere else, and here it was less than 2 blocks from our hotel! They had so many of my favorite things from HI that I have been craving: Chocolate Mac Nut Coffee, Pineapple Wine, Maui Onion Potato Chips! I couldn't have been more excited, I swear.




Evening 1
We had Craftsteak reservations for our first night. We were running a few minutes late and the Hostess was quite nice about holding the table for us. We sat down and were presented with menus and these little gems....

Now let me tell you how amazing they are. Brace yourselves. I honestly think this might be the single most delicious example of bread and butter I have ever eaten. Ever. They were perfectly browned, had a bit of sea salt on top and even had the knife wedged in between to keep it warm, which made it oh so easy to spread that insanely creamy butter all over them. I would consider going back just for these. True story.





Then we decided on a wine. Red has been giving Mr. Rega massive headaches so the logical choice would be a rose or white. We landed on a 2006Merlot/Sangiovese Rose from Solo Rosa in California. So refreshing yet still had enough body to keep it interesting. Perfect :)

We had a really tough time deciding what we wanted to eat. Thankfully we decided against an appetizer because after devouring those little gems there was barely room for dinner! The decisions we made were the 24 Hour Braised Short Ribs for me, a Dry Aged NY Strip for Jeffrey, Roasted Asparagus & Frites to share. Heaven.


I forced myself to finish the last of my short ribs. And I manage to find the energy to soak up the braising juices with the frites. Best dipping sauce ever created! It still amazes me how much cheaper this meal was in Vegas. If you're going there, eat here. Simple.

I've decided to break this trip up a little. Reading about this all at once might be too much to take.

Day 1 = SUCCESS

xo
h