Posts Tagged: las vegas
Dining in Vegas
Spinach and Grilled Salmon Salad
There is no shortage of people who are willing to pay a lot for their meals in Las Vegas. That must be the case, because there was no shortage of places charging very high prices for mediocre food. Being a complete Vegas newbie, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had always heard that everything was cheap in Vegas because they make all their money fleecing the players. I guess that was before the city became a more broadly marketed vacation destination with high-end entertainment, food, art, etc.
Not knowing the ins and outs of eating on the strip, we had our share of over-priced, dull food. But we did have a few outstanding meals. The very first meal we ate after landing and getting settled was at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris, Las Vegas. It included a spinach and salmon salad, artisanal cheeses, frite, and a couple other appetizers that the four of us shared around. Not to mention a really nice bottle of wine. And it was all reasonably priced.
Perfect over-medium eggs and crispy hashbrowns!
Chicken Crepe at Mon Ami Gabi
Having been so lucky on our first, perfectly random selection of a place to eat, we got the idea most places in the nicer resorts would be really good. It was with breakfast in the Wynn the next morning that we started to learn otherwise. And so it went for the next couple days with nothing comparing to that first meal.
We even at dinner “affordably” at the Cuban place on Fremont St. Yes, it was fun and funky and loud, and while the food was priced more appropriately, everthing beyond the opening chips and salsa was somewhat uninspiring.
Our sushi dinner at Japonais before the show (“Love”, which as fantastic, BTW) was pretty good at the price we paid, which was about half off for happy hour. At full price, I would have been disappointed. That goes for the drinks, too.
Finally, on our last morning there, we went back to the frenchie joint, where we had a great breakfast on a beautiful sunny patio while watching the water show across the street at Belagio.
Yes, maybe someday we’ll go back for another show or two. And we’ll be sure to do better job getting the intel on where to eat.
Lion Gate
Gate to Caesar's Palace
I won’t pretend to have any grasp of the history of architecture. Nor will I assert that I know much of anything about principles of, contemporary trends in, or prominent figures of architecture. But, as is often asserted by the ignorant, I know what I like. And now I will admit that I was surprised to find that I enjoyed strolling the strip and experiencing some of the excessive, overblown buildings that bring so many people to this desert city year after year.
I’m not so much talking of hotels like Treasure Island, with its campy pirate ships, or the Mirage and its volcano. Nor do I mean the Disney-like settings of New York or Paris. Rather, I’m thinking of the tributes to classical achievements like Caesar’s Palace, or the interiors of the Venetian. There are some great scenes to experience. While over-the-top in their own way, they yet manage to recall something of architecture’s ability to inspire awe while bearing testament to the human spirit. Great buildings are a necessary expression in any culture’s attempt to establish some degree of permanence and project itself into the future.
The irony here is that the continual tearing down and rebuilding in the competition to be the latest and most outrageous, luxurious, or spectacular, undermines the sense of human triumph over mere mortality that grand architecture was traditionally able to inspire. The vanity and greed of these buildings’ origin and the decadence in and around them obscures this aspect in the narrative about Vegas and hides it from us.
Nonetheless, the fact that they still impress is testament to the fact that grand works feed the human spirit. That makes me just a little hopeful.
Lost in Las Vegas
Caesars Palace
I’m having a bit of a reflective time here on this, my first real visit to Sin City. My presence here explains why this post is a day late. And why tomorrow’s post will likely be late. And the day after that, too. In any case, my former tendency to be dismissive in absentia of everything Vegas as a symptom of a sick culture is undergoing substantial scrutiny and reevaluation. Since I’m here now, and my typing is impaired, I won’t go into the details. Instead, I leave you with some images from which to draw your own conclusions. And I promise to get my thoughts down in a future post.
Angels
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