Welcome to Thunderdome

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 11:38 am Any place at/near Mandalay Bay you'd recommend?

I don't go that far south. The closest restaurant I've been to MB is Julian Serrano Tapas at the Aria. Highly recommend.

Citizens in Mandalay Bay is a cheaper and more casual place. Good food. Not great, but good.

The Truffle parm fries were meh though.

In Manadalay Bay:

Cantina [something German] - yep, a German Mexican food place. Great atmosphere. Wife says the margarita was great. Good salsa. Everything else is desperate for salt. Guacamole was meh, again, needed salt. I’m guessing the owner or their spouse is a health nut because they have a massive vegan menu. So they probably poo-pooed salt too. Bland food.

Ri Ra- Irish pub. LOUD restaurant. Live music and loud people. Fun vibe and really a pub feel in the first two rooms. I have great hearing but I can get overwhelmed by sound. I couldn’t hear my wife across the table. Food was good. Not great though. I would definitely revisit, but wouldn’t get the fish and chips. It was good and a large piece perfectly cooked, but Bag of Nails in Toledo has kind of ruined that dish for me because their version is so good (the spicy one).

Retro - You can tell this restaurant was in the space of another failed restaurant. The atmosphere screams, "This place is too big to do the whole thing in our theme..." The concept is old school taste, but in new world style. Big old 80s glassware. The plates were the coolest part. They were an odd design, but then I realized they were exact replicas of paper plates. We ordered four items (it says "Family Style", but it's not really - per our waiter). Cheesecake creme brule was delicious. Green Bean Casserole had the taste, but was missing the texture (There was no crunch.). Pepperoni rolls were desperately missing pepperoni, but all the rest of it was on point. Finally was the pot roast, which was beef cheek. My wife loved it. It's a dish I should have loved. The cheeks were as tender as could be, but unfortunately, I had a weird reaction. You know how some people can't eat cilantro because they think it tastes like soap? Or how the Chinese Sweet and Sour Soup smells like rancid garbage juice to some people (myself included)? Well, for some reason, I was VERY aware I was eating cheeks. I wasn't even remotely worried about eating them, and I swear I had them previously. However, the taste of these made me almost vomit. It tasted like fat mixed with a ton of spit.

DTW is heading back to the Venetian next year, so I probably won't be staying at MB again anytime soon. Although, I was told that if you're an out of towner coming for a game, MB is the place to stay as there's a walkway directly to the stadium.

Heading to Capos for dinner tonight. - Capo's was good as always, but a minor drop off on this visit. They painted the outside and redid a lot of the inside. Looked great. The meatball app was still amazing. My wife got the Uncle Pauly's as always and while good, she said it was missing the spiciness that it had on previous trips. It still is a POWERFUL garlic sauce. I got the sawed off sausage and peppers. The sausage was really good, but the dish was done in a demiglaze, and that didn't work for me. Had it been in their spicy marinara, like the meatballs, it'd be a perfect dish.

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 1:12 pm Ri Ra- Irish pub.

You don't need to go to Vegas just to visit a chain restaurant! We used to have one here in Raleigh, but it burned down.

Ri Ra is a chain or just a coincidental same name situation?

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 8:24 pm Ri Ra is a chain or just a coincidental same name situation?

Chain. But it's a very small chain. I think there's only a handful of them.

Updated my previous post.

House of Blues - Yes, I know this is a chain. Good food. Ate there three times, once for breakfast and twice for lunch. First two visits were by invitation for the conference. The last visit was my wife's pick. Food was good each time. Too many items to cover, but a solid experience.

Santana was there all week too.

Nobu - My favorite restaurant in Vegas. Went in February, but about $1k for 4 people.

Joe's (Caesers) - Just really like the old school atmosphere, great crust on your steak.

Delmonicos - Great steaks, and love the popovers.

Mon Ami Gabi (Paris) - Delicious.

Vanderpump a Paris - I don't know who Vanderpump is, but the drinks + desserts were fun. And I loved the heavy decorations.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:31 pm I don't know who Vanderpump

All I know is, she rules. According to the shows my wife watches.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:50 pm

TheCatt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:31 pm I don't know who Vanderpump

All I know is, she rules. According to the shows my wife watches.

Yeah, doesn't seem like my kinda show. But I appreciate... setting. And the place committed. Hard. Too many restaurants are sterile + boring these days.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:50 pm

TheCatt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:31 pm I don't know who Vanderpump

All I know is, she rules. According to the shows my wife watches.

Ditto. My wife watches those in bed and they'll still be playing when I come in.

I've told her of all the shows, that one is the one I despise the most. I'd rather her be watching one of the Housewife shows.

Two notes:
1. Did I mention we ran into Housewife Teressa two trips ago? Tell your wives and see if that means anything to them.
2. A vendor, a fellow Italian, recently called me out of the blue to say he went to Capo's on my recommendation. He and his wife loved it.

Maybe someday Catt will trust me...

Thanks for the Delmonico recommendation though. I'm going to call for reservations tonight. (We're there again in May.) I was supposed to go there years ago, but my wife and I were both passed out.

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 2:41 pm 1. Did I mention we ran into Housewife Teressa two trips ago? Tell your wives and see if that means anything to them.

That will not mean anything to my wife. I already know. Her guilty pleasure reality shows are dating shows.

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 2:41 pm Maybe someday Catt will trust me...

I'm going tomorrow. Thursday is planned, no chance. Friday is planned, no chance. Saturday is the concert, no chance. Sunday is planned, no chance. That leaves Monday right before a red eye flight... maybe. flight's not until 11:30pm, so plenty of time.

Delmonico - bone-in bacon appetizer, the pop-overs (free!), lobster bisque, and ribeye are things I've tried and really enjoyed. Have never had room for dessert.

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 2:41 pm

OK, you bastard, it's on. Monday 5:15pm.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:31 pm Delmonicos - Great steaks, and love the popovers.

"What the hell is this?"

"This is what they call a popover."

I didn't get that reference.

This is the best A/V I could find.

https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/19e9 ... 958eda1868

Ah.... only saw it once, when it came out

Everyone thinks they have a sense of humor, but then they don't all.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 3:54 pm

Leisher wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 2:41 pm

OK, you bastard, it's on. Monday 5:15pm.

I really hope you enjoy it. The meatball appetizer is awesome and my wife loves the Uncle Paulie's (I think that's her typical). Food is really good, and that's from an Italian, but the atmosphere really makes the experience.

I just made reservations at the Delmonico. It's our last dinner on our next trip in late May.

Also, My Blue Heaven is a classic.