October 10-24, 2012
October 10th – Me, my machez amio and Max-the-Schippeke departed Bayou St. Westie on our pirogue at around 10AM. We dropped Max off at the VCA Cromwell Vet where he had reserved a luxury suite on Alligator Alley.
Max is a member of their frequent guest club so he earned enough points on this stay for one free night. https://www.vcahospitals.com/cromwell
I had a prepaid parking voucher good for 50% off the MSRP at Executive Valet Parking so our all in cost for 15 days was $66.14. As a member of the Express Club, I earned points good for ½ off one week of parking. https://www.executivevalet.com/
As usual Ann was flying on a reward ticket and I paid full price ($390). We paid $10 each for Early Bird check-in and received boarding passes A 24 and 25.
Bradley is a small airport so clearing security was a breeze in comparison to larger airports. Our flight was delayed by inclement weather, but we managed to gain back some lost time after making a connection in Chicago so we arrived in Las Vegas only 20 minutes late.
As we were exiting the plane, a woman immediately in front of us pulled out a cell phone and told someone she had just arrived in Chicago where she would be making a connection to Las Vegas. She was obviously experiencing something stronger than a Rocky Mountain High. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwARpaKHx_w
After retrieving our luggage we caught the rental car shuttle and then a 2nd one to the Fox rental car lot. Fox has recently instituted a $1.50 per day shuttle usage charge that is onerous for anyone renting for more than a few days.
The rental process went smoothly and we were soon on our way in a Mitsubishi Galant with 8,135 miles on the odometer at an all in cost of $309.21. https://www.mitsubishicars.com/MMNA/jsp/galant/12/showroom/overview.do
Check-in at the South Point went smoothly and we were soon situated in room 1557, a room with a king size bed at the far end of the hallway as requested. After unpacking, we immediately headed to the showroom with our funbook coupons for the Déjà vu show that we exchanged for free entry, a free drink coupon, a drawing ticket and a certificate for $5 in free slot play. We are not fans of this band, so after picking up our merlots and giving away the drawing tickets, we retreated to the relative calm of the Silverado Lounge.
Prior to exiting for dinner, we stopped by the box office to redeem a certificate for 2 free show tickets that Ann won on our last trip. In addition, we requested free tickets to Thursday afternoon’s Dennis Bono show, but were told there were no more tickets available. Bummer!
The rain was beginning to fall more heavily as we exited the parking garage. We made an intermediate stop at a nearby Walgreens for a case of water and a few sundry items before continuing on to the Garden Café.
https://www.allmenus.com/nv/las-vegas/304725-garden-cafe/menu/
This Mediterranean restaurant looked to be closed as we arrived, but a waitress indicated it would remain open for another hour. This restaurant was large, plain and totally empty at 9PM this Wednesday evening though one customer arrived for take out.
We each ordered a chicken kabob plate that included rice, pickle, a mayonnaise/lemon sauce and house baked pita bread. The small pieces of chicken were not on kabobs and the longer we lingered, the more dry each morsel became.
($17, Groupon, 2 Forks out of a possible 5).
Note: all prices cited in this TR include tax, gratuity and the cost of any certificate used.
We were exhausted after the long day so we called it an early evening.
October 11th – I am an (very) early riser so it came as no surprise that I was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 2:30AM this morning. The rain had continued overnight so driving conditions were less than ideal for my long trek to Sam’s Town where I would be earning 5 x points. Over the course of 4.5 hours of play, I managed to break even after hitting my #1 quad deuces of this trip.
I am sure many will question the wisdom of my frequent cross town travel to Sam’s to play video poker (VP), but it is the closest casino offering full pay deuces slant tops with the exception of Green Valley Ranch which I find too noisy.
I made an intermediate stop at a nearby Albertsons to pick-up some fruit and OJ before returning to the room at around 8AM.
We subsequently learned that 2/3rds of an inch of rain had fallen which broke the existing record of 0.12 inches. Back on the bayou we consider anything less than an inch to be a drizzle.
We decided to jump start our engines by visiting the Garden Buffet this morning. I had a small orange juice, fresh fruit with yogurt, easy over eggs, hash browns, bacon and a blueberry crepe. Everything was okay, but I am rapidly becoming disenchanted with buffets in general. ($9.50, funbook, 2.5 Forks out of a possible)
We decided to avoid the rain to the extent possible and spent much of the remainder of the morning at the Paseo Verde Library on the internet.
After departing the library, we drove to Sam’s Town to attend the Variety Toast of the Town show. https://www.samstownlv.com/whats-new/events/variety-toast-of-the-town
Entry is free for B Connected Club (slot) members who need only to swipe their cards at a kiosk prior to entering. Bill Fayne continues as musical conductor with this week’s theme being Latin music. Hosting the show were singers Louis Martinez and Roseanne Talont (SP?) who performed a variety of songs including ones originated by Carmen Miranda and Tito Puente.
Comedian Peter Vaccarrelli (SP?) and singer Mark (I dropped the ‘) OToole also appeared. ($0, 3.5 Claps)
We stayed and played a little video poker (VP), but ended up losing. After returning to the room to don our party clothes, we were off for our much anticipated first visit to Ellis Island Casino & Brewery. https://www.ellisislandcasino.com/
Ellis' new BBQ
In addition to our customary glasses of merlot, courtesy of an American Casino Guide (ACG) coupon, we ordered a $2 basket of chicken wings, a special during NFL games. There were 5 of the smallest (parakeets per chance?) wings in a basket along with a blue cheese dressing. The only positive was the special came with a 12-ounce glass of any in-house brewed beverage. ($3, 1 Fork for the wings)
Dinner this evening was at Weera Thai, a small mom and pop restaurant that excels at dishes from the Issan region of Thailand. This was our 3rd visit this year so we are obviously fans. https://www.weerathai.com/
We shared orders of Pad Thai and kai soi with chicken. The latter, also known as Chiangmai, is made with wide noodles, coconut milk, chili paste, fish sauce, ginger, curry powder and a touch of sugar.
Both were very good renditions of these popular entrees, as was the service. ($15, Yelp, 4 Forks)
October 12th – My early morning at the Fiesta was highlighted by quads #2 and #3.
On my return, we enjoyed our usual OJ and grapefruit in the room before departing for the Grand Café at Texas Station. I was surprised at the large size of this coffee shop that includes several booths, a large counter and many tables. https://texasstation.sclv.com/Dining/Grand-Cafe.aspx
We opted for counter seating to facilitate our request for separate checks in order to use a pair of Las Vegas Advisor (LVA) $5 off a $10 purchase coupons.
We each ordered the bananas Foster French toast, a house specialty.
In order to meet our purchase requirement, Ann ordered a coffee while I requested a fruit cup. The French toast was good, but the whipped cream topping was a bit excessive and the sauce was completely devoid of any rum or banana liqueur flavor. Service was very good and everyone from the cashier to the manager was very friendly. ($4, LVA, points, 2 Forks)
We then made our way to the downtown premium outlets where I picked up a fleece jacket at Izod and Ann purchased a few gifts for our nieces’ children. Our next stop was Sam’s Town where we played some VP and ended up losing.
On our return to the South Point, I read and slept while Ann read and played VP.
It was Friday evening when all drinks at the South Point were just $2 so we headed to the Grandview Lounge to listen to Wes Winters ($0, 2.5 Claps). https://www.facebook.com/wes.winters.31
I used a combination of free drink coupons, one from the funbook and another someone left behind after cashing a paycheck, for first round of merlots.
As we sat listening to Wes and enjoying our wine, I noticed a sign on the bar indicating the popular $2 Friday night happy hour was being discontinued after a 2-3 year run. For our second round, we each ordered our last $2 Cosmo – sigh.
($6, funbook, paycheck, 3 Sips)
In a related news event, 2 of Wes’ fans went into cardiac arrest after being informed of this change.
Our plan was to dine at the nearby Shabu Grill, but the doors were shuttered and the lights turned off. We beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel and dined at Don Vito’s Italian Restaurant. https://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/don-vitos.php
We typically pass on bread baskets, but that would mean we would have to forego the accompanying olive oil, tomato, spices and roasted garlic dipping sauce. No way!
Entrée prices are very reasonable and include a choice of soup or salad. Ann opted for a cup of the always excellent minestrone while I chose the always mundane house salad – will Westie ever learn?
We ordered our usual eggplant Parmesan that is baked with marinara sauce, mozzarella and ricotta. This dish melts in your mouth and, even though I was not overly hungry, I managed to finish every morsel earning me a gold star.
Neither of us could handle dessert, but we had free dessert coupons from our funbooks so we asked to have two tiramisus packaged up for later consumption. These turned out to be very large and exceedingly runny, but tasted pretty good.
($5, points, 4 Forks)
The night was young, but we aren’t, so after dinner we walked around the casino a few times before retiring to the room.
October 13th – The Fiesta-Henderson was offering double points so that was my destination this morning. I could not hit the quad deuces so I ended up losing and am now all even for the trip.
Breakfast this morning was our usual OJ, grapefruit and a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel from the Del Mar Deli. https://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/quick-bites.php
This deli consistently serves good food and our bagel today was no exception.
($1.46, 2.5 Forks)
We made a short stop at the Paseo Verde library this morning to purchase a few books for Ann and check our emails. As non residents, we have access to the computers, but cannot borrow books. ($3, 3 Books)
I was a little hungry so we drove to downtown Henderson and visited the Detroit Motor City Coney Island Restaurant for hot dogs. The restaurant is covered from wall to wall to ceiling with Detroit memorabilia. We each ordered Coney Island style - natural casing hot dogs served on steamed buns and topped with all-meat chili, onions, and yellow mustard. We also shared a Faygo, “The Original Party Pop”, diet root beer that was very good. https://www.faygo.com/ ($6.13, LVA, 3 Buns)
We headed west to the Fiesta-Henderson for an abbreviated and losing session of VP. On our way back to the South Point, we stopped off to purchase another case of water. What remained of the afternoon was spent restfully.
In the late afternoon we decided it was too early to “Party with the Clydesdales”, so we headed for the Grandview Lounge and a few merlots. Much to my disappointment we learned that show ticket stubs good for a free drink must now be used on the day of issue. Plan B was a pair of funbook free drink coupons.
I am sure someone is wondering how Westie was able to amass so many funbook free drink coupons. Well – earlier this year I broke our 2-week stay into 4 consecutive reservations and received 2 funbook for each. Most of those coupons were saved for a rainy day. Note: the South Point subsequently changed its policy to limit each party to a total of 2 funbooks regardless of the number of reservations held - sigh.
We could dally no longer as it was now time to party so we headed off to the equestrian center for a meet and greet with the Clydesdales. On entering we listened to a country band perform while nursing complimentary Budweiser Lights.
At a separate table, we were served mini shots of Spicebox whisky with grapefruit juice. https://spiceboxwhisky.com/
($0, 2.5 Sips)
Ann pulled me away from the Spice Girls and directed us toward the arena where the crowd was still waiting for the Clydesdales to appear. Though the doors opened at 5PM it was 6:15 before a stage coach pulled by the Clydesdales came through the doors and traveled no more than 200 yards before pulling to a halt. After a few minutes, the public was invited Price Is Right style to “come on down” and join them for a photo opportunity. ($0, 2.5 Hoofs)
I managed to drag Ann away and it was off to Black Mountain Grill for dinner. We had an excellent meal at this lodge-like restaurant on our last trip. https://www.blackmountaingrill.com/
Once again we were not overly hungry so we bypassed the salad and appetizer section of the menu and only ordered entrees. Ann chose halibut stuffed with crab, rock shrimp and brie accompanied by a mushroom risotto and julienne vegetables. The halibut steak was moist and delicious.
I ordered the evening’s special, beer braised short ribs in a veal stock with sweet potato mash and Asian slaw. Another winner though the mashed looked and tasted more like regular potato.
($44, KSHP, 4 Forks)
Our last stop of the evening was the Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch Resort to see Michael Grimm. https://www.michaelgrimmmusic.com/ He was born in the swamplands of Mississippi and grew up listening to the blues, funk and soul of New Orleans. Tonight’s show ran 75 minutes and featured cuts from Gumbo, his latest album, as well as cover songs such as You Don’t Know Me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7MIaIain7I ($10, 4.5 Claps)
10/14 My morning session at Fiesta-Henderson netted me #4 quads and little else.
The recently opened New Day Café on Silverardo Ranch Blvd received our patronage this morning. https://www.newdaycafe.com/ This is a large, clean and bright coffee shop that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We each ordered eggs Benedict that came with a choice of home fries (Ann) or hash browns (me).
The eggs were cooked “easy over” as requested, but we thought the English muffin would have benefited from a little more time in the toaster. Also, the Hollandaise sauce was a little out-off-balance due to an excess of lemon juice. ($15, LivingSocial, 2 Forks)
We stopped at a farmers market in the Sansoni Plaza on Eastern Avenue where we purchased a few more presents for our nieces’ children. Sugar’s Bakery had a tent where we purchased a small loaf of raspberry cream cheese bread for the following day’s breakfast.
https://www.sugarsbakerylv.com/home/
We continued on to the Fiesta where we put in a short VP session before returning to the room. I spent the remainder of the pre happy day reading and snoozing while Ann managed put in another almost even VP session.
Ellis Island received the happy hour nod this day with us enjoying a pair of merlots using an ACG coupon.
Panna Thai was our dining destination this evening. The atmosphere is a bit more upscale than most Thai restaurants while menu prices are more than reasonable given the quality of the food. On this evening over ½ the restaurant was set up for a large party, but our karma was good so we were able to order before most of the guests arrived.
https://www.pannathairestaurant.com/
We began with yum-wood-sen, glass noodles with ground meat and shrimp with Thai spice and lime juice on lettuce.
For entrees we shared orders of scallop tamarind and spicy eggplant. All three dishes made our taste buds jump for joy.
($21.30, Restaurant.com, 4 Forks)
It was back to the South Point for the Winter Dance Party. https://www.winterdanceparty.com/ This show is a tribute to the memories of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jay Richardson (aka Big Bopper).
I owned two of Buddy’s albums back in 1959 and can remember “the day the music died”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U ($0, 4 Claps)
Since the South Point wouldn’t be accepting our ticket stubs past this evening, we were “forced” to order a pair of Kahlua and creams.
On our way back to the room we decided to check out the conference center area where encountered a pair of inebriated women with wine glasses in hand. They were looking for a restaurant and I suggested they had gone up the wrong elevator and offered them directions to the Primarily Prime Rib. When last seen they holding each other up and staggering off in the general direction of the restaurant.
October 10th – Me, my machez amio and Max-the-Schippeke departed Bayou St. Westie on our pirogue at around 10AM. We dropped Max off at the VCA Cromwell Vet where he had reserved a luxury suite on Alligator Alley.
Max is a member of their frequent guest club so he earned enough points on this stay for one free night. https://www.vcahospitals.com/cromwell
I had a prepaid parking voucher good for 50% off the MSRP at Executive Valet Parking so our all in cost for 15 days was $66.14. As a member of the Express Club, I earned points good for ½ off one week of parking. https://www.executivevalet.com/
As usual Ann was flying on a reward ticket and I paid full price ($390). We paid $10 each for Early Bird check-in and received boarding passes A 24 and 25.
Bradley is a small airport so clearing security was a breeze in comparison to larger airports. Our flight was delayed by inclement weather, but we managed to gain back some lost time after making a connection in Chicago so we arrived in Las Vegas only 20 minutes late.
As we were exiting the plane, a woman immediately in front of us pulled out a cell phone and told someone she had just arrived in Chicago where she would be making a connection to Las Vegas. She was obviously experiencing something stronger than a Rocky Mountain High. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwARpaKHx_w
After retrieving our luggage we caught the rental car shuttle and then a 2nd one to the Fox rental car lot. Fox has recently instituted a $1.50 per day shuttle usage charge that is onerous for anyone renting for more than a few days.
The rental process went smoothly and we were soon on our way in a Mitsubishi Galant with 8,135 miles on the odometer at an all in cost of $309.21. https://www.mitsubishicars.com/MMNA/jsp/galant/12/showroom/overview.do
Check-in at the South Point went smoothly and we were soon situated in room 1557, a room with a king size bed at the far end of the hallway as requested. After unpacking, we immediately headed to the showroom with our funbook coupons for the Déjà vu show that we exchanged for free entry, a free drink coupon, a drawing ticket and a certificate for $5 in free slot play. We are not fans of this band, so after picking up our merlots and giving away the drawing tickets, we retreated to the relative calm of the Silverado Lounge.
Prior to exiting for dinner, we stopped by the box office to redeem a certificate for 2 free show tickets that Ann won on our last trip. In addition, we requested free tickets to Thursday afternoon’s Dennis Bono show, but were told there were no more tickets available. Bummer!
The rain was beginning to fall more heavily as we exited the parking garage. We made an intermediate stop at a nearby Walgreens for a case of water and a few sundry items before continuing on to the Garden Café.
https://www.allmenus.com/nv/las-vegas/304725-garden-cafe/menu/
This Mediterranean restaurant looked to be closed as we arrived, but a waitress indicated it would remain open for another hour. This restaurant was large, plain and totally empty at 9PM this Wednesday evening though one customer arrived for take out.
We each ordered a chicken kabob plate that included rice, pickle, a mayonnaise/lemon sauce and house baked pita bread. The small pieces of chicken were not on kabobs and the longer we lingered, the more dry each morsel became.
($17, Groupon, 2 Forks out of a possible 5).
Note: all prices cited in this TR include tax, gratuity and the cost of any certificate used.
We were exhausted after the long day so we called it an early evening.
October 11th – I am an (very) early riser so it came as no surprise that I was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 2:30AM this morning. The rain had continued overnight so driving conditions were less than ideal for my long trek to Sam’s Town where I would be earning 5 x points. Over the course of 4.5 hours of play, I managed to break even after hitting my #1 quad deuces of this trip.
I am sure many will question the wisdom of my frequent cross town travel to Sam’s to play video poker (VP), but it is the closest casino offering full pay deuces slant tops with the exception of Green Valley Ranch which I find too noisy.
I made an intermediate stop at a nearby Albertsons to pick-up some fruit and OJ before returning to the room at around 8AM.
We subsequently learned that 2/3rds of an inch of rain had fallen which broke the existing record of 0.12 inches. Back on the bayou we consider anything less than an inch to be a drizzle.
We decided to jump start our engines by visiting the Garden Buffet this morning. I had a small orange juice, fresh fruit with yogurt, easy over eggs, hash browns, bacon and a blueberry crepe. Everything was okay, but I am rapidly becoming disenchanted with buffets in general. ($9.50, funbook, 2.5 Forks out of a possible)
We decided to avoid the rain to the extent possible and spent much of the remainder of the morning at the Paseo Verde Library on the internet.
After departing the library, we drove to Sam’s Town to attend the Variety Toast of the Town show. https://www.samstownlv.com/whats-new/events/variety-toast-of-the-town
Entry is free for B Connected Club (slot) members who need only to swipe their cards at a kiosk prior to entering. Bill Fayne continues as musical conductor with this week’s theme being Latin music. Hosting the show were singers Louis Martinez and Roseanne Talont (SP?) who performed a variety of songs including ones originated by Carmen Miranda and Tito Puente.
Comedian Peter Vaccarrelli (SP?) and singer Mark (I dropped the ‘) OToole also appeared. ($0, 3.5 Claps)
We stayed and played a little video poker (VP), but ended up losing. After returning to the room to don our party clothes, we were off for our much anticipated first visit to Ellis Island Casino & Brewery. https://www.ellisislandcasino.com/
Ellis' new BBQ
In addition to our customary glasses of merlot, courtesy of an American Casino Guide (ACG) coupon, we ordered a $2 basket of chicken wings, a special during NFL games. There were 5 of the smallest (parakeets per chance?) wings in a basket along with a blue cheese dressing. The only positive was the special came with a 12-ounce glass of any in-house brewed beverage. ($3, 1 Fork for the wings)
Dinner this evening was at Weera Thai, a small mom and pop restaurant that excels at dishes from the Issan region of Thailand. This was our 3rd visit this year so we are obviously fans. https://www.weerathai.com/
We shared orders of Pad Thai and kai soi with chicken. The latter, also known as Chiangmai, is made with wide noodles, coconut milk, chili paste, fish sauce, ginger, curry powder and a touch of sugar.
Both were very good renditions of these popular entrees, as was the service. ($15, Yelp, 4 Forks)
October 12th – My early morning at the Fiesta was highlighted by quads #2 and #3.
On my return, we enjoyed our usual OJ and grapefruit in the room before departing for the Grand Café at Texas Station. I was surprised at the large size of this coffee shop that includes several booths, a large counter and many tables. https://texasstation.sclv.com/Dining/Grand-Cafe.aspx
We opted for counter seating to facilitate our request for separate checks in order to use a pair of Las Vegas Advisor (LVA) $5 off a $10 purchase coupons.
We each ordered the bananas Foster French toast, a house specialty.
In order to meet our purchase requirement, Ann ordered a coffee while I requested a fruit cup. The French toast was good, but the whipped cream topping was a bit excessive and the sauce was completely devoid of any rum or banana liqueur flavor. Service was very good and everyone from the cashier to the manager was very friendly. ($4, LVA, points, 2 Forks)
We then made our way to the downtown premium outlets where I picked up a fleece jacket at Izod and Ann purchased a few gifts for our nieces’ children. Our next stop was Sam’s Town where we played some VP and ended up losing.
On our return to the South Point, I read and slept while Ann read and played VP.
It was Friday evening when all drinks at the South Point were just $2 so we headed to the Grandview Lounge to listen to Wes Winters ($0, 2.5 Claps). https://www.facebook.com/wes.winters.31
I used a combination of free drink coupons, one from the funbook and another someone left behind after cashing a paycheck, for first round of merlots.
As we sat listening to Wes and enjoying our wine, I noticed a sign on the bar indicating the popular $2 Friday night happy hour was being discontinued after a 2-3 year run. For our second round, we each ordered our last $2 Cosmo – sigh.
($6, funbook, paycheck, 3 Sips)
In a related news event, 2 of Wes’ fans went into cardiac arrest after being informed of this change.
Our plan was to dine at the nearby Shabu Grill, but the doors were shuttered and the lights turned off. We beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel and dined at Don Vito’s Italian Restaurant. https://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/don-vitos.php
We typically pass on bread baskets, but that would mean we would have to forego the accompanying olive oil, tomato, spices and roasted garlic dipping sauce. No way!
Entrée prices are very reasonable and include a choice of soup or salad. Ann opted for a cup of the always excellent minestrone while I chose the always mundane house salad – will Westie ever learn?
We ordered our usual eggplant Parmesan that is baked with marinara sauce, mozzarella and ricotta. This dish melts in your mouth and, even though I was not overly hungry, I managed to finish every morsel earning me a gold star.
Neither of us could handle dessert, but we had free dessert coupons from our funbooks so we asked to have two tiramisus packaged up for later consumption. These turned out to be very large and exceedingly runny, but tasted pretty good.
($5, points, 4 Forks)
The night was young, but we aren’t, so after dinner we walked around the casino a few times before retiring to the room.
October 13th – The Fiesta-Henderson was offering double points so that was my destination this morning. I could not hit the quad deuces so I ended up losing and am now all even for the trip.
Breakfast this morning was our usual OJ, grapefruit and a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel from the Del Mar Deli. https://www.southpointcasino.com/dining/quick-bites.php
This deli consistently serves good food and our bagel today was no exception.
($1.46, 2.5 Forks)
We made a short stop at the Paseo Verde library this morning to purchase a few books for Ann and check our emails. As non residents, we have access to the computers, but cannot borrow books. ($3, 3 Books)
I was a little hungry so we drove to downtown Henderson and visited the Detroit Motor City Coney Island Restaurant for hot dogs. The restaurant is covered from wall to wall to ceiling with Detroit memorabilia. We each ordered Coney Island style - natural casing hot dogs served on steamed buns and topped with all-meat chili, onions, and yellow mustard. We also shared a Faygo, “The Original Party Pop”, diet root beer that was very good. https://www.faygo.com/ ($6.13, LVA, 3 Buns)
We headed west to the Fiesta-Henderson for an abbreviated and losing session of VP. On our way back to the South Point, we stopped off to purchase another case of water. What remained of the afternoon was spent restfully.
In the late afternoon we decided it was too early to “Party with the Clydesdales”, so we headed for the Grandview Lounge and a few merlots. Much to my disappointment we learned that show ticket stubs good for a free drink must now be used on the day of issue. Plan B was a pair of funbook free drink coupons.
I am sure someone is wondering how Westie was able to amass so many funbook free drink coupons. Well – earlier this year I broke our 2-week stay into 4 consecutive reservations and received 2 funbook for each. Most of those coupons were saved for a rainy day. Note: the South Point subsequently changed its policy to limit each party to a total of 2 funbooks regardless of the number of reservations held - sigh.
We could dally no longer as it was now time to party so we headed off to the equestrian center for a meet and greet with the Clydesdales. On entering we listened to a country band perform while nursing complimentary Budweiser Lights.
At a separate table, we were served mini shots of Spicebox whisky with grapefruit juice. https://spiceboxwhisky.com/
($0, 2.5 Sips)
Ann pulled me away from the Spice Girls and directed us toward the arena where the crowd was still waiting for the Clydesdales to appear. Though the doors opened at 5PM it was 6:15 before a stage coach pulled by the Clydesdales came through the doors and traveled no more than 200 yards before pulling to a halt. After a few minutes, the public was invited Price Is Right style to “come on down” and join them for a photo opportunity. ($0, 2.5 Hoofs)
I managed to drag Ann away and it was off to Black Mountain Grill for dinner. We had an excellent meal at this lodge-like restaurant on our last trip. https://www.blackmountaingrill.com/
Once again we were not overly hungry so we bypassed the salad and appetizer section of the menu and only ordered entrees. Ann chose halibut stuffed with crab, rock shrimp and brie accompanied by a mushroom risotto and julienne vegetables. The halibut steak was moist and delicious.
I ordered the evening’s special, beer braised short ribs in a veal stock with sweet potato mash and Asian slaw. Another winner though the mashed looked and tasted more like regular potato.
($44, KSHP, 4 Forks)
Our last stop of the evening was the Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch Resort to see Michael Grimm. https://www.michaelgrimmmusic.com/ He was born in the swamplands of Mississippi and grew up listening to the blues, funk and soul of New Orleans. Tonight’s show ran 75 minutes and featured cuts from Gumbo, his latest album, as well as cover songs such as You Don’t Know Me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7MIaIain7I ($10, 4.5 Claps)
10/14 My morning session at Fiesta-Henderson netted me #4 quads and little else.
The recently opened New Day Café on Silverardo Ranch Blvd received our patronage this morning. https://www.newdaycafe.com/ This is a large, clean and bright coffee shop that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We each ordered eggs Benedict that came with a choice of home fries (Ann) or hash browns (me).
The eggs were cooked “easy over” as requested, but we thought the English muffin would have benefited from a little more time in the toaster. Also, the Hollandaise sauce was a little out-off-balance due to an excess of lemon juice. ($15, LivingSocial, 2 Forks)
We stopped at a farmers market in the Sansoni Plaza on Eastern Avenue where we purchased a few more presents for our nieces’ children. Sugar’s Bakery had a tent where we purchased a small loaf of raspberry cream cheese bread for the following day’s breakfast.
https://www.sugarsbakerylv.com/home/
We continued on to the Fiesta where we put in a short VP session before returning to the room. I spent the remainder of the pre happy day reading and snoozing while Ann managed put in another almost even VP session.
Ellis Island received the happy hour nod this day with us enjoying a pair of merlots using an ACG coupon.
Panna Thai was our dining destination this evening. The atmosphere is a bit more upscale than most Thai restaurants while menu prices are more than reasonable given the quality of the food. On this evening over ½ the restaurant was set up for a large party, but our karma was good so we were able to order before most of the guests arrived.
https://www.pannathairestaurant.com/
We began with yum-wood-sen, glass noodles with ground meat and shrimp with Thai spice and lime juice on lettuce.
For entrees we shared orders of scallop tamarind and spicy eggplant. All three dishes made our taste buds jump for joy.
($21.30, Restaurant.com, 4 Forks)
It was back to the South Point for the Winter Dance Party. https://www.winterdanceparty.com/ This show is a tribute to the memories of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jay Richardson (aka Big Bopper).
I owned two of Buddy’s albums back in 1959 and can remember “the day the music died”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U ($0, 4 Claps)
Since the South Point wouldn’t be accepting our ticket stubs past this evening, we were “forced” to order a pair of Kahlua and creams.
On our way back to the room we decided to check out the conference center area where encountered a pair of inebriated women with wine glasses in hand. They were looking for a restaurant and I suggested they had gone up the wrong elevator and offered them directions to the Primarily Prime Rib. When last seen they holding each other up and staggering off in the general direction of the restaurant.
