I Like It Hot

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Those who visit Las Vegas in the middle of June are there for one of three reasons: one, work-related convention or conference; two, a special occasion; or three, for the sheer heck of it. Unabashedly, I fall in the last category. I LOVE hot, especially dry weather.

Being outdoors too long certainly didn't make any sense. At Mandalay Beach, I spent more time in the pool (20 minutes) than I did in the water at any other point this year. Within seconds of exiting the pool, I was already dry. The sand was hot and obviously the asphalt was hotter. Two hours and multiple applications of suntan lotion later, I retreated inside and stayed there until after sunset.

On Saturday morning, we shuttled to the Black Canyon area of the Colorado River where we launched kayaks across the cove and back. We had expectations of going up or down the river and seeing hot springs and waterfalls, but it wasn't meant to be. At least, a small handful of us had an opportunity to hike while others took advantage of swimming and cliff diving.

The city in general wasn't as crowded as we're usually accustomed to seeing. The "hot" event this past weekend was the WSOP tournament at Rio. On Saturday evening, we dined at Cut, a steakhouse in the Palazzo, the newest tower on the Venetian campus. By the time our entrees came out, the restaurant appeared to be at 50% capacity... and it was still fairly early in the evening. My Nebraska-raised, 35-day-aged NY sirloin met my expectations... I ordered medium-rare... it was cooked medium-rare. None of us ordered the true Japanese wagyu beef. I would think beef experts are the only ones qualified to taste the difference between a $140 steak and a $50 steak (or, for that matter, the $12.95 steak at Arthur's in NJ) in the same context a wine or cigar aficionado would be able to distinguish product quality. Overall, I was very impressed with three appetizers we ordered as a group that I probably would not have had anything to do with if on my own: pork bellies, steak sashimi (not to be confused with tartare), and BONE MARROW FLAN! Holy cow, literally and figuratively. To put in perspective, one would take a small spoonful of the marrow flan and put on a quartered piece of toast AND top the concoction with mushroom puree. Yum! I envision vegans everywhere feeling sick all of a sudden....

On Sunday afternoon, I accompanied three others to Chinatown for what would be the 3rd meal there that weekend and ate lunch at Champions Gourmet, an authentic Taiwanese restaurant on the 2nd level of 5115 Spring Mountain Rd. The food was excellent and the prices were very reasonable. Order the combo shaved ice for dessert and prepare to split it with three of your hungriest companions. Huge.

When are we going back?

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Photos

The Crew
Yes, we were the ones willing to wake up in time to meet at 7am on a Saturday morning... in Vegas.