I love this place. The service is excellent and the ambiance is wonderful.  I forgot my camera yesterday so I don’t have photos but they have the best cinnamon tea after you finish dinner. Also, they offered us roasted marshmallows for dessert!

Next time I dine there, I’ll have my camera ready and my “review”.

Top Chefs and Top Shelf Whiskey at FIX. Delicious looking menu and who can turn down top shelf whiskey?

My sister and I went to Diego at MGM Grand last Friday, September 4th for Restaurant Week.

Table side guacamole. Jenn wanted it spicier so my mouth burned the entire evening. I’m a wimp.

As a thank you for all of her hard work this year, I decided to take Angelica out to dinner during Restaurant Week.  We went to Michael Mina at Bellagio for a yummy dinner.  Here’s our experience captured on my camera.

COURSE ONE

Tartare of Ahi Tuna
Sesame Oil, Toasted Pine Nuts, Garlic, Chiffonade of Mint

Shellfish Cannelloni
Sunchoke Purée, Fine Herbs

COURSE TWO

Jidori Chicken
Crispy Skin Breast, Leg Roulade
Mushroom Ragoût, Alba Hazelnuts

Certified Natural Filet of Beef
Foraged Mushrooms, House Steak Sauce

DESSERT

Michael’s Root Beer Float
Sassafras Ice Cream, Root Beer Sorbet
Warm Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Manjari Chocolate Cake

Blackberries, Lavender, Pinot Grape Sorbet

Kelly Clinton’s popular open mic night returns to The Bootlegger Bistro.  The Bootlegger Bistro used to be my second home on Monday nights.  About two years ago, Kelly ended the show but now she is back!

Tonight I was a little intimidated and didn’t sing but I can’t wait to participate next time!

Restaurant Week invades Las Vegas in September!  Restaurant Week is an annual week long event benefiting Three Square charity.

Starting August 31st through September 6th, we’ll all have the opportunity to taste some of the best restaurants in Las Vegas.  Proceeds will benefit our local Three Square charity to end hunger.

My friend Dane of Simple Elegance has recently moved into a new shop and will be opening up his shop for afternoon tea soon.  I’m so excited!  Las Vegas has limited afternoon tea options (Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, and Bellagio are the only ones I can think of) so it’s great news!  And with Dane’s previous experiences at both five star, five diamond properties at Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, I know that he’ll make this a lovely experience!

Also, beginning Wedneday, July 15th, there will be a tea tasting every Wednesday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the shop on 3655 South Durango.  Please call Dane for more information at 702-647-2253.

My dad is a difficult man to please when it comes to food.  He has a refined palate and doesn’t understand how a restaurant can get away with serving bad food.  He’s been in the food and beverage industry for over 30 years and has held jobs from a busser to bartender to chef to restaurant manager.  He was trained with a Japanese chef from Japan and is a very talented cook.  Growing up, I’ve spent weeks at our Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area.

So because of my stubbornness to not drive far from my home in Henderson, we were limited in our Asian restaurant selections in this area.  According to my dad anyway, there is one good Japanese restaurant in town – Shibuya at MGM Grand.  But it was not a night for a $700.00 dinner.

We settled for a local Japanese restaurant which will stay unnamed.  My first mistake was taking him to a restaurant with rolls named “Screaming O”, etc.  This doesn’t exactly make them authentic. Anyway, he decided to be a good sport and we gave it a shot.

I think this restaurant is having tough times. Every plate was chipped! The soy sauce tray was chipped too.  Surprisingly my dad thought the hamachi (yellowtail) and the salmon were pretty good.  The tuna was a different story. It was frozen.  Softshell crab was good but he said the sauce was terrible.  He asked for “bonito” which is used in Japanese cuisine to make sauces and stock and the chef said no which was a lie.  I learned something new today when he said that bonito is a crucial ingredient in Japanese cuisine.  Bonito is to Japanese cuisine as basil or Parmesan is to Italian cuisine.

Oh well, my dad means no harm and we’re always polite to our servers but he’s just frustrated that he can’t seem to get good Japanese food around here.   I better start saving for that Shibuya dinner.