Posts Tagged ‘United States’

I Love Las Vegas: Public HouseThere are countless restaurants in Las Vegas, so whatever it is that sets one apart from another is important. At Public House in The Venetian, that difference is the gourmet bar-inspired menu created with a European twist.

The menu at Public House consists of several dishes that offer a hint of familiarity served up with a high-end touch. I recently had the chance to taste a variety of dishes on the menu. Here are the highlights:

The short rib sounds simple enough … until you realize it’s served in a puff pastry with butternut squash purée. The crispy oysters, served in a half shell, come with foie gras, golden raisins and cider gastrique. For the most part, I like seafood, and I loved the oysters as well as the octopus, which was served with white bean salad.

In addition to tasting a variety of the sea-inspired dishes, I tried my taste buds on a few other things as well. The Welsh rarebit was a favorite at our table. This dish, which consisted of sliced bison on cheddar-beer sauce toast, has a great mix of flavors. There were other dishes that also perfected the right mix of sweet with savory, such as the country pâté, which was served with mustard sauce and fruit compote. I also tried escargot, which was a new experience for me, and I found it to be a bit salty but quite tasty when served on a small puff pastry.

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What SUP on Lake TahoeThe paddle boards were lined up on the shore, picturesque and bright white in the morning sunlight. My toes curled in the cool sand, which had yet to heat, though I was told that it was never exceptionally warm on the banks of Lake Tahoe. Because it was already September, the season’s hottest temperatures were long past.

Long and imposing, the stand-up paddle boards might have looked like surfboards or even snowboards, but I had no way of knowing. With fins sticking out of the back, they might even have resembled sharks, but the life jackets set on each board were a worthy reassurance that I would stay on top and not beneath when I finally worked up the guts to push mine away from the shore. I snapped on a red jacket and tightened the straps around my chest.

I dipped a toe into the water.

Cold.

Very cold.

Stand up paddle boarding (or SUP) has become an increasingly popular sport, our instructor explained before launching into the basics. Stand with two feet in the middle of the board. Got it. Stroke through the water evenly. Yep. Use the core muscles to help stand and steer. Okay.

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Some people say that Las Vegas has no history because city officials are quick to tear down anything that isn’t new, shiny and flashy. If it belongs to yesteryear, then it doesn’t belong in Las Vegas … or so the thought goes.

But everything ends up somewhere, and in Sin City, that place is the Neon Boneyard. Run officially by the non-profit organization that manages the Neon Museum, the Neon Boneyard is the showcase piece of all that has been in the city. Visiting the Neon Boneyard is complicated and requires an advanced reservation of at least two weeks and a required minimum donation of $15.00. Once inside, though, I think it’s easy to understand why it’s worth all the hassle.

It’s in this little corner of Las Vegas that history is stored. Have you ever wondered what happened to the giant genie lamp on the Aladdin, or where the old signs for the Golden Nugget ended up? What about all those motels that have closed, or neon images that have gone out of style and been replaced with something flashier?  They’re right here, in all their broken-bulbed glory. Rusty wire, busted glass, falling off bits of metal. This is where Las Vegas comes to die.

Images: Neon Boneyard | Las Vegas, Nevada

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I Love Las Vegas: PEEPSHOWThe concept of PEEPSHOW has intrigued me since it opened in Las Vegas. The story is basically this: Little Bo Peep (aka Holly Madison) travels through a variety of nursery rhymes in search of the perfect boy. PEEPSHOW is a burlesque show, with dancers dressed in scantily clad costumes that represent nursery rhymes ranging from the Three Little Pigs to Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.

And that is where the allusion to nursery rhymes ends.

PEEPSHOW is less about the storyline and more about the dancers, who shake their stuff not to the spoken word but popular songs like “Milk Shake” and “Feeling Good.” Some of the dancers are particularly good while others are fairly mediocre. Holly Madison is far from being the highlight of the show. Though she is an awesome community member in Las Vegas, she can’t dance well and her singing leaves a bit to be desired. What she has is a track record of being a Playboy Bunny, and audiences are treated to a viewing of those two girls that have made her famous.

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Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than Crater Lake, one of the cleanest and deepest lakes in North America. Situated in the interior of Oregon, Crater Lake National Park is quiet, serene and surprising.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Serenity on Crater Lake

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I Love Las Vegas: AbsintheI’ve been to a lot of shows in Las Vegas and none have been as laugh-out-loud hilarious, precarious, fun or dirty as Absinthe. It is an adults-only playground where raunchy jokes are the norm, gut-splitting antics sneak up on viewers and everyone seems to leave wanting more.

Open only since mid-2011, Absinthe is equal parts Cirque-esque acrobatics, comedy routine and burlesque show, and it executes all three with perfect precision. The show is an allusion gone awry with a shot of absinthe. In this hazy dream, The Gazillionaire and his overzealous assistant, Penny, present a cornucopia of performers in a variety show manner. There are countless talent shows on the Las Vegas Strip, but what’s so awesome about this one is that it encompasses acts not found anywhere else. No where else is there a high wire act where the performers do a balancing keg stand. You can look hard in Las Vegas, but you won’t find another tap dancer in a body-sized balloon. And I absolutely guarantee there isn’t a sock puppet performer who can outshine Penny and her overzealous unicorns.

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