Press releases are always manna on a slow news day but sometimes you get one (OK, many) that make you want to pull your hair. For instance, I received such a specimen late yesterday from an agency that shall remain nameless -- last name rhymes with "Coke" -- breathlessly informing me of a new restaurant at Luxor. There was all the usual, meaningless verbiage: "fun, high-energy vibe," "rock-n-roll flair," etc.

The kicker was the announcement that aforesaid restaurant would be "Exploding at Luxor in mid-September." And when did I get this super-urgent blast? That's right, September 29, the next-to-last day of the month; this Tail End Charlie goes right back there with the time that Tilman Fertitta didn't announce the grand opening of his Golden Nugget steakhouse until two weeks after the event. (P.S., The food was greasy, Tilman.)

As for all that "high-energy," "rock-n-roll" mierda, if I'm going to this place (called T&T), my intention is to enjoy my dinner at a pace and in an ambience that don't give me indigestion, not to shake my booty 'til I puke. If want to rock out, I'll go home and put on my ABBA at Wembley Arena DVD (if the climactic rendition of "Hole in Your Sole" doesn't get you moving, check your pulse). And when I want to eat ... I probably still won't go to T&T after this lame-ass promo.

One more thing: The press release also mentions that the Titanic exhibit, still anchored at the Tropicana, will be making port at Luxor "in 2009." Which could mean 14 weeks or 14 months. (Translation: Luxor has no idea.) But at least we know we shouldn't expect its trans-boulevard voyage to happen anytime soon.

Pleasant surprise. I was able to tag along for a tasting menu at DJT, in Trump International, which is subdued and even posher than it looks on the Web site (the restaurant, that is). At the moment, it's also the best-kept secret in Las Vegas, judging from the handful of diners on a Friday night. The recently repriced menu is quite affordable, depending on how closely you watch your budget: You could also find yourself dropping $75/person here without even trying.

The hotel lobby, too, is quite restrained by Vegas standards, although the superabundance of gold leaf, gold glass and onxy would scream "TRRRUUUUUUUUUUMMPPP!!!!!" even were his name not already writ large on the building. The main problem it faces boils down to three words: location, location, location. Unless your prime directive is to log considerable quality time at Fashion Show Mall (Trump's porte cochere is directly opposite Nordstrom's), you're a bit of a hike from anything else. And, if and when Elad Properties gets started on redeveloping the vacant land where the New Frontier once stood, you'll be on the backside of a construction site, too.

One doesn't normally equate the words "Trump" and "bargain play" but the hotel's saving grace may be its room rates. Our top-notch research team vetted a series of October-December dates and found Trump to be consistently competitive with -- and sometimes cheaper than -- Paris-Las Vegas. It's also less expensive, whether by $40 or $170, than Wynn Las Vegas. Then again, my hunch is that customers would probably pay the extra $40 for the cachet of staying at a Steve Wynn property and right on the Strip -- not to mention being at the front door of Fashion Show Mall rather than the back one.