| Northwest Wine Fan Viva Las Vegas! |
| Talk to the Cellarmasters: Tim & Carolyn Sinniger northwestwinefan@msn.com |
 |
 |
| Northwest Wine Fan goes to Las Vegas The Vegas I remember visiting in the 70's was mostly the Vegas of old, with some of the original hotels and casinos. $1.99 buffets abounded and you could drink for free at most of the gaming tables. Carolyn has been a few times over the last few years. She was of course prepared for this modern Las Vegas. For me, it was a whole new town! Join us for the highlights of our trip to the Fun Capital of the World... All photos copyright Tim Sinniger & Northwest Wine Fan |
 |
| The New Las Vegas is like an adult Disneyland. Yes, the casinos are still there, but the restaurants, sights and shops are so over the top and fun we spent most of our time exploring and enjoying these attractions. We had not planned on any gambling till our driver from the airport reminded us of the city ordinance requiring at least a $20 wager in a casino while visiting. Of course we complied ;-) |
| There are more great restaurants in Las Vegas than most anywhere we have traveled. With only 3 days and nights we had to choose judiciously amongst these gems as they are all by our standards, expensive. We highly recommend Mon Ami Gabi and Thomas Keller's Bouchon as our favorite dining experiences. |
 |
| Mon Ami Gabi At the Paris Las Vegas 3655 S.Las Vegas Blvd. 702-944-4224 Sunday - Friday 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM Saturday 7:00 AM - 12:00 AM Chef Gabino Sotelino website: www.monamigabi.com |
|
| Roll your mouse over the pictures... |
| Enjoy the music!... |
|
 |
| Tim & Carolyn |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Free ZZ Top Songs | Free ringtones at EZ-Tracks.com |
 |
 |
 |
| The Food! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| This was a wonderful spot for lunch! With seating available in the restaurant, the atrium and the patio we chose the atrium. We started with Oysters Du Jour (shallot-black pepper mignonette) and a glass of Marquis De La Tour Cremant De Loire. We then shared a Petite Salad Maison (mixed greens with olive vinaigrette). For our Main courses we ordered the Onion Soup Au Gratin and Mussels Mariniere (white wine and herbs) paired with Marquis De La Tour Sparkling Rose. We really enjoyed and highly recommend the Paris as a spot to spend time! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
| Eiffel Tower Restaurant After the tasting we made our way to the 10th floor to see the water show and enjoy cocktails! We met Linda the day before and she gave us a tour of the restaurant complete with hor d'ourves and tales of old Las Vegas. We had the "Autumn in Paris" and "The Eiffel Affair" cocktails and enjoyed actually two presentations of the show. Next trip back to Vegas...lunch or dinner here. A big thank you to Linda for such a great time! |
|
 |
 |
|
|
| Maison Louis Latour Tasting Ok! So walking out of the restaurant we peer into a private dining room and what do we see? Burgundy! We introduced ourselves and were cordially invited by Louis Latour Regional Sales Manager, Guillaume Akouka to join their tasting of Simonnet Febvre Chablis, the Henry Fessy line of Beaujolais and of course the always great Louis Latour Burgundies, all 2009s. Every single wine tasted was noteworthy or great. 2009 will be a Burgundy vintage to pay serious attention to. Thank you Guillaume! |
| Bouchon Bistro At the Venetion Resort 3355 S.Las Vegas Blvd. 702-414-6200 Open Daily 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM Saturday & Sunday Brunch 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Chef Thomas Keller Chef de Cuisine: website: www.bouchonbistro.com |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| A night at Bouchon. Bistro style perfection in food and ambience! Starters included Bouchon Cocktails (Vodka, Lillet Blanc & Peche), Bouchon bread and Escargot (Topped with puff pastry served in Staub). 1st courses consisted of Laitue (Bibb salad with green herbs) and a wonderful Soupe du Jour (Lentil soup with creme fraiche). We had a lovely 2007 Perrin & Fils Gigondas "La Gille" with our entrees, Boudin Blanc (White sausage w/potato puree & French prunes) and Gigot d'Agneau (Roasted leg of lamb with a cassoulet of pole beans) which is the best leg of lamb I have encountered! We ended with a lovely cheese course, Profiteroles and my favorite dessert, Creme Brulee. A big thank you to our waiter Joseph for a memorable evening! |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| The shops and attractions of Las Vegas are truly something to see. Our favorites were the shops at the Bellagio and the Forum shops at Caesars. Prices, expensive. Fun Quotient...Fantastic! Here are some of our favorite experiences... |
|
| Attractions! |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
| Transportation! |
| The monorail system on the Vegas Strip was a great way for us to get around. It is only 4 miles long, but has stops at regular intervals. At $28 for a three day pass it was a real deal! The stations are located behind the casinos or hotels so you do have to walk a bit, but the exersize was good and the monorail was never crowded. Saved a bundle over taking Taxis. We hear they plan to extend it all the way to the airport which will be really cool. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
