I have recently discovered that my favourite fresh salsa, Rojo's Restaurant style is not available at my local grocers(I recently moved, hence the sudden inaccessability).
As a result, I have been forced to wander into the salsa unknown. My first foray: Santa Barbara Hot.
Stay. Away. From. Santa Barbara Hot Salsa. It's not hot, at all, this "hot" would qualify as mild in any other brand. I'd hate to see what their mild is like. It also has a vaguely overpowering taste of ... I'm not entirely sure what it is, I'm thinking it's unripe tomatoes. It's chunky and watery, it's not blended at all.
I know this review is short, but honestly, there's only so much you can say about unmanageable salsa that only tastes like unripe tomatoes and has no kick.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ka (or kaka?)
I will preface this review by saying I participate in combat arts and I grew up watching various Cirque du Soleil shows.
That being said, this show was very average, for Cirque. I was more entranced by the sets, costuming, and lighting than by most of the show itself. In fact, parts of the show were serious yawners. I wasn't at all impressed by the physical abilities of the performers, not when the very traditional Cirque show Mystere is still running, and IMHO, superior in that aspect.
The set, I loved it. I loved the whole theatre. I want to own that theatre as my personal playground. During one part, when the lighting shifted to a blue/green theme, there was a very Borg atmosphere(which I love as a Star Trek fan). The techincal/engineering aspect is spectacular. It integrates so many different (relatively) new technologies that it really is a marvel of engineering. The stage is in multiple parts, all controlled by massive, and I mean massive, mechanics that have very fine control. There is a huge (for an indoor stage) array of fire effect machines. And, the best part, is the main stage section. The floor/wall/whatever of the stage shifts images depending on the scene. And, it's interactive with the performers. If you've been to someplace that has the interactive floor displays by silicon graphics, it's the same kind of thing. Examples of this technology can be seen at MGM's Studio Walk in Las Vegas, the Metreon(if memory serves) in San Francisco, and at the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum in San Jose, CA. Beyond the main stage there are walkways and column structures that just look like a souped up, techiee version of the Swiss Family Robinson playground at Disney. I want them. I want to play on their walkways and swing from column to column. I can't emphasize enough how impressed I was with the entire theatre.
The staff was excellent. The ushers all were in character and very charismatic. When the ushers spotted small children, they grabbed their gophers, also in character, and sent them to get booster cushions and deliver them to the children. Everyone was in costume. The "guards" did not speak and the explanation was that they had taken vows of silence. Random staff members were scattered around to do nothing but create atmosphere.
The costumes were very impressive. All the initial characters seen wore t-shirts that blended so seemlessly with them that they all looked heavily tattooed. The costumes were very heavily Japanese influenced, except for the main characters whose costumes were very heavily Chinese influenced. I'm actually thinking of going as one of the initial characters for Halloween this year. Beyond the costumes, the shirts they have for sale in the Ka store are really, really cool. The only problem is the price. $65 for a cotton long sleeve tee? No.
The show. Ah, the show. Well, obviously a great number of people who have seen the show before and a great number of people who saw the show at the same time I did were very impressed. I wasn't. Non-martial arts fanatics may be impressed by the sloppy Wushu and stylized fights, which comments from the exiting crowd seemed to indicate. I wasn't. People who have never seen Cirque may be impressed by the, seemingly, amazing physical feats. I wasn't. The story was interesting, if a bit choppy. And the dialogue, which was a sort of bastardized Japanese sounding collection of strung together noises, was pretty interesting to listen to. The sort of intro randomness was entertaining, and looked like a lot of fun. The music was good, as is typical of a Cirque show, although this was a lot more modern and rock than their usual fare, which I preferred. But, really, that's about it. The physical feat aspect was incredibly sub-par for Cirque. Baton twirling? Please, if I want to see that, I'll watch a parade. There are better examples of Wushu drills in Soul Caliber. And almost everything was wire work. Yes, I know it's not as easy as they make it look and takes quite a bit of physical control. BUT, using your hands to "walk" up a vertical pole while holding your body perfectly horizontal takes a heck of a lot more than flipping yourself around in a wire harness and making sure you don't go splat against the wall you're twirling next to. And lets be honest about what sets Cirque apart from other shows. It's the physical feats. They produce great music and have very original costumes, but no one, and I mean no one, would pay over $100 for a ticket to Cirque if that was all they were getting.
Now, if you have minimal martial arts familiarity and minimal Cirque du Soleil familiarty, you may really enjoy this show. A lot of people love it. It was highly recommended to me by several people. However, as someone who knows what real martial arts can look like and as someone who knows just what the performers at Cirque are capable of, I didn't like it. If you're looking to see it, get the $69 ticket, don't get tickets in the top two price tiers. If you really want to see a good Cirque show, my recommendation remains O at Bellagio. Mystere I also really like, and it is probably the cheapest Cirque show in Vegas. If you are not familiar with Cirque du Soleil at all, I would recommend seeing Mystere first as it is basically a compilation of all the best parts of their traveling show(which changes every year or so).
That being said, this show was very average, for Cirque. I was more entranced by the sets, costuming, and lighting than by most of the show itself. In fact, parts of the show were serious yawners. I wasn't at all impressed by the physical abilities of the performers, not when the very traditional Cirque show Mystere is still running, and IMHO, superior in that aspect.
The set, I loved it. I loved the whole theatre. I want to own that theatre as my personal playground. During one part, when the lighting shifted to a blue/green theme, there was a very Borg atmosphere(which I love as a Star Trek fan). The techincal/engineering aspect is spectacular. It integrates so many different (relatively) new technologies that it really is a marvel of engineering. The stage is in multiple parts, all controlled by massive, and I mean massive, mechanics that have very fine control. There is a huge (for an indoor stage) array of fire effect machines. And, the best part, is the main stage section. The floor/wall/whatever of the stage shifts images depending on the scene. And, it's interactive with the performers. If you've been to someplace that has the interactive floor displays by silicon graphics, it's the same kind of thing. Examples of this technology can be seen at MGM's Studio Walk in Las Vegas, the Metreon(if memory serves) in San Francisco, and at the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum in San Jose, CA. Beyond the main stage there are walkways and column structures that just look like a souped up, techiee version of the Swiss Family Robinson playground at Disney. I want them. I want to play on their walkways and swing from column to column. I can't emphasize enough how impressed I was with the entire theatre.
The staff was excellent. The ushers all were in character and very charismatic. When the ushers spotted small children, they grabbed their gophers, also in character, and sent them to get booster cushions and deliver them to the children. Everyone was in costume. The "guards" did not speak and the explanation was that they had taken vows of silence. Random staff members were scattered around to do nothing but create atmosphere.
The costumes were very impressive. All the initial characters seen wore t-shirts that blended so seemlessly with them that they all looked heavily tattooed. The costumes were very heavily Japanese influenced, except for the main characters whose costumes were very heavily Chinese influenced. I'm actually thinking of going as one of the initial characters for Halloween this year. Beyond the costumes, the shirts they have for sale in the Ka store are really, really cool. The only problem is the price. $65 for a cotton long sleeve tee? No.
The show. Ah, the show. Well, obviously a great number of people who have seen the show before and a great number of people who saw the show at the same time I did were very impressed. I wasn't. Non-martial arts fanatics may be impressed by the sloppy Wushu and stylized fights, which comments from the exiting crowd seemed to indicate. I wasn't. People who have never seen Cirque may be impressed by the, seemingly, amazing physical feats. I wasn't. The story was interesting, if a bit choppy. And the dialogue, which was a sort of bastardized Japanese sounding collection of strung together noises, was pretty interesting to listen to. The sort of intro randomness was entertaining, and looked like a lot of fun. The music was good, as is typical of a Cirque show, although this was a lot more modern and rock than their usual fare, which I preferred. But, really, that's about it. The physical feat aspect was incredibly sub-par for Cirque. Baton twirling? Please, if I want to see that, I'll watch a parade. There are better examples of Wushu drills in Soul Caliber. And almost everything was wire work. Yes, I know it's not as easy as they make it look and takes quite a bit of physical control. BUT, using your hands to "walk" up a vertical pole while holding your body perfectly horizontal takes a heck of a lot more than flipping yourself around in a wire harness and making sure you don't go splat against the wall you're twirling next to. And lets be honest about what sets Cirque apart from other shows. It's the physical feats. They produce great music and have very original costumes, but no one, and I mean no one, would pay over $100 for a ticket to Cirque if that was all they were getting.
Now, if you have minimal martial arts familiarity and minimal Cirque du Soleil familiarty, you may really enjoy this show. A lot of people love it. It was highly recommended to me by several people. However, as someone who knows what real martial arts can look like and as someone who knows just what the performers at Cirque are capable of, I didn't like it. If you're looking to see it, get the $69 ticket, don't get tickets in the top two price tiers. If you really want to see a good Cirque show, my recommendation remains O at Bellagio. Mystere I also really like, and it is probably the cheapest Cirque show in Vegas. If you are not familiar with Cirque du Soleil at all, I would recommend seeing Mystere first as it is basically a compilation of all the best parts of their traveling show(which changes every year or so).
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas is ... hollow. There is expense without luxury, beauty without class, quaintness without culture. At the end of the day all you want to ask is: Where's the beef?
Lake Las Vegas is a failure as an upper class community. That's not to say that it won't be a financial success, but it is very, very Vegas. Everything is a facade. The shops are cute and the landscaping comfortable, but the utilitarian underbelly is, unfortunately, readily visible. Even looking beyond that, it's no Bellagio. The facade, well, it fails. Even from a distance, you can tell that the doors to "The Avid Dubliner" are not wood, just badly painted to try and look like it. Flat painted surfaces are everywhere, there is no texture. Bellagio gives you marble and wood paneling. Lake Las Vegas gives you manufactured paving stones and plywood. Despite Paris Hilton's best efforts, there still remains a difference between new money and old. Bellagio is old money, Lake Las Vegas is definitely new.
Grand homes should have grand gardens, vast yards, lots of landscaping. Homes in the various developments around the Lake have giant houses stacked right on top of each other. Nothing kills the awe of an impressive mansion like looking out your bedroom window ... into your neighbor's kitchen. One of the advantages of having money is you can buy yourself space, privacy. These are not available at Lake Las Vegas. Famous upper class areas like those in New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong are tightly packed due to space constraints. However, they work within these constraints and have large condos and varied architecture. Lake Las Vegas has space, they should take advantage of it and a hint from San Luis Obispo and sprawl a little. To make things worse the developments have beautiful, albeit obviously fake, gated entryways, covered with Home Depot bought "Open House" signs.
The place is supposed to be a master planned community. Well, they didn't plan very well. Paved walkways quickly become cheap dirt paths. Grass strolling areas have obviously been abandoned by the gardening staff, and dead plants and half completed shrubery are everywhere. Even in the "complete" areas. Beautiful scenery is backdropped by electrical wire towers and faced with hastily thrown on cheap metal balconies. Wiring for this area or that is thrown out windows and run down to electrical boxes, rather than run through the walls where they should be. The Venice-inspired "shop-covered" bridge across part of the Lake has loading dock industrial rolling doors. I'm not sure how the big rigs are supposed to back into these areas since, well, they're on a bridge over a lake! And everywhere, I do mean everywhere, you look you can still see the barren, rocky, harsh, nothingness of Las Vegas's natural landscape. It does create an interesting dichotomy, but it really ruins the illusion.
In the shopping area of Montelago Village, the planning isn't followed through. There are more empty spaces than stores, and the Casino staff don't know anything about what's there. It's really more of a park to wander through with your kids or your dog than a real place to wander and shop. Another place they fail is in the area of self-containment. A good upper class community should be self-contained. It should have available all the things you need to get through the day without you having to leave and go down to the nearest Albertsons or Safeway. There is a fancy, and surprisingly well stocked, village market with both real balsamic vinegar and 409. But they don't have meats, they don't have produce. You have to go Albertsons. Since they have all these empty shops they should try to fill these need-gaps. They need to court a butcher who knows his way around a grill for a Butcher Shop/Bistro combo where you can buy organic steak and duck breast and free-range chicken, or pop to the other side and have it served to you hot off the grill and covered with a fine red-wine reduction. They need a produce shop in the European style where the day's best produce is in open cases in front and everything from apples to watercress is available inside.
There are a few more shops that would raise the class and culture level of the Lake. A good wine bar is one. A place where you can pop in and buy a bottle of a good Sonoma Merlot to take home for dinner, or where you can wander in after work and try the day's recommendations along with some manchego cheese and sopresato salame. A good, honest to goodness, cafe wouldn't hurt either. There's a Starbucks, which is sad. There should be an artisan cafe with fresh baked chocolate croissants and real espresso served by a barista who really loves their job. A Japanese restaurant, or at least a fusion sushi place, would balance things out nicely. All the restaurants currently at Lake Las Vegas are distinctly Western. Actually, other than the Dubliner and the little "cafe" that serves omelettes, all the restaurants had an Italian influence. Sushi is the current luxury food, sushi joints are so profitable they're popping up everywhere, why wouldn't a place trying to be as money as Lake Las Vegas have one?
And the Ritz. The poorly thought out Ritz. Their architecture company should be shot. The place is a maze, more because of each area's distinct lack of distinction than because of any serious failing in the layout. Although, the layout is pretty bad. There is no way to get from the lobby to the shopping area/garden without either walking through a restaurant, going around to the meeting room wing, or taking a long stroll through one of the hotel room wings. This is where the gift shop is located. And I have to say, the gift shop has a mark-up level higher than even a Ritz Carlton deserves. And when you look at the Ritz from the outside, you don't think it's a Ritz. It's very plain for a luxury hotel. The worst part of the Ritz is the aforementioned "shop-covered" bridge across the Lake. It currently houses an Audi convention center, the chapel, and a hastily thrown together fake shop. The Audi convention area is sleek and ultra-modern which looks really good but clashes with the rest of the place. The Chapel doesn't have enough area in front of it to hold a milling wedding crowd and the Chapel management office/prep area is covered in windows. Where's a blushing bride to hide herself from the groom while she's laced into her gown? For that matter, where's a nearby area that can be converted into a reception space so the wedding group doesn't have to go back out into the public areas? The fake shop is really, obviously fake. Again, the entire place is windows so you can see there is no cashier desk, there is no inventory, there are no people. The only thing in there, besides a few doodads, is a giant safe. Why they would keep a safe out in the open like that is beyond me. The rest of the bridge is completely undeveloped. The walls are bare drywall, cracking plaster, and controls to the loading dock doors to nothing. And really, it's the only way by foot to get to some of the Ritz room towers, more should be done with it. These towers have to be abandoned by the Ritz. Oh, there were cars in the little parking area meaning people must be in the rooms, but the space between the towers and the bridge was naked dirt and utilitarian railings. A construction trailer, not recently used judging by the dust, was just to the side. The plumbing and pump for the lake weren't hidden. What looked like a volleyball pit was quite a ways away down an undeveloped dirt path, past a rocky pit in the ground, and completely unlabeled. Why build a volleyball pit so far from everything else? And why build it if you're not going to let people know it's there or even make a decent way to get to it? Even if it's part of some, as yet uncompleted, grand scheme wouldn't it make more sense to roll it out with the rest of the new developments instead of having it down now?
Despite everything wrong with it, Lake Las Vegas is still an enjoyable place to go and just relax. There's a good number of fountains that are perfect for sitting at and doing nothing. A few even offer great photo opportunities, and I didn't find one that wasn't attractive. There's also horse sculptures scattered around the grounds and a really nice Audi sitting in the open for people to admire. There's enough open grass areas for people to play with their kids or dogs, and there's sitting areas everywhere for when you want to sit down, sip your drink, and chat with your friends. Currently there's a small ice rink for the kiddies floating on the lake, and it looked like quite a few of the kids enjoyed it. Bathrooms are clean, everywhere, and easy to find. There's even a pay phone clearly marked and put in a decoration that makes it look classier. The staff at all the restaurants and stores were friendly and helpful. All the patrons were friendly and courteous. The Lake marina had everything from Yachts to gondolas to paddle boats available for rent. Most of the restaurants and a good number of stores have developed their interiors nicely and price appropriately. It's far enough away from the rest of Vegas that you can forget about the hustle, but close enough that you're back in the action in less than half an hour.
With a little more attention to detail, a little more development in key areas, and a few more carefully chosen businesses, Lake Las Vegas can become a place everyone will want to visit. I'm still not sure I'd ever want a house there.
Lake Las Vegas is a failure as an upper class community. That's not to say that it won't be a financial success, but it is very, very Vegas. Everything is a facade. The shops are cute and the landscaping comfortable, but the utilitarian underbelly is, unfortunately, readily visible. Even looking beyond that, it's no Bellagio. The facade, well, it fails. Even from a distance, you can tell that the doors to "The Avid Dubliner" are not wood, just badly painted to try and look like it. Flat painted surfaces are everywhere, there is no texture. Bellagio gives you marble and wood paneling. Lake Las Vegas gives you manufactured paving stones and plywood. Despite Paris Hilton's best efforts, there still remains a difference between new money and old. Bellagio is old money, Lake Las Vegas is definitely new.
Grand homes should have grand gardens, vast yards, lots of landscaping. Homes in the various developments around the Lake have giant houses stacked right on top of each other. Nothing kills the awe of an impressive mansion like looking out your bedroom window ... into your neighbor's kitchen. One of the advantages of having money is you can buy yourself space, privacy. These are not available at Lake Las Vegas. Famous upper class areas like those in New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong are tightly packed due to space constraints. However, they work within these constraints and have large condos and varied architecture. Lake Las Vegas has space, they should take advantage of it and a hint from San Luis Obispo and sprawl a little. To make things worse the developments have beautiful, albeit obviously fake, gated entryways, covered with Home Depot bought "Open House" signs.
The place is supposed to be a master planned community. Well, they didn't plan very well. Paved walkways quickly become cheap dirt paths. Grass strolling areas have obviously been abandoned by the gardening staff, and dead plants and half completed shrubery are everywhere. Even in the "complete" areas. Beautiful scenery is backdropped by electrical wire towers and faced with hastily thrown on cheap metal balconies. Wiring for this area or that is thrown out windows and run down to electrical boxes, rather than run through the walls where they should be. The Venice-inspired "shop-covered" bridge across part of the Lake has loading dock industrial rolling doors. I'm not sure how the big rigs are supposed to back into these areas since, well, they're on a bridge over a lake! And everywhere, I do mean everywhere, you look you can still see the barren, rocky, harsh, nothingness of Las Vegas's natural landscape. It does create an interesting dichotomy, but it really ruins the illusion.
In the shopping area of Montelago Village, the planning isn't followed through. There are more empty spaces than stores, and the Casino staff don't know anything about what's there. It's really more of a park to wander through with your kids or your dog than a real place to wander and shop. Another place they fail is in the area of self-containment. A good upper class community should be self-contained. It should have available all the things you need to get through the day without you having to leave and go down to the nearest Albertsons or Safeway. There is a fancy, and surprisingly well stocked, village market with both real balsamic vinegar and 409. But they don't have meats, they don't have produce. You have to go Albertsons. Since they have all these empty shops they should try to fill these need-gaps. They need to court a butcher who knows his way around a grill for a Butcher Shop/Bistro combo where you can buy organic steak and duck breast and free-range chicken, or pop to the other side and have it served to you hot off the grill and covered with a fine red-wine reduction. They need a produce shop in the European style where the day's best produce is in open cases in front and everything from apples to watercress is available inside.
There are a few more shops that would raise the class and culture level of the Lake. A good wine bar is one. A place where you can pop in and buy a bottle of a good Sonoma Merlot to take home for dinner, or where you can wander in after work and try the day's recommendations along with some manchego cheese and sopresato salame. A good, honest to goodness, cafe wouldn't hurt either. There's a Starbucks, which is sad. There should be an artisan cafe with fresh baked chocolate croissants and real espresso served by a barista who really loves their job. A Japanese restaurant, or at least a fusion sushi place, would balance things out nicely. All the restaurants currently at Lake Las Vegas are distinctly Western. Actually, other than the Dubliner and the little "cafe" that serves omelettes, all the restaurants had an Italian influence. Sushi is the current luxury food, sushi joints are so profitable they're popping up everywhere, why wouldn't a place trying to be as money as Lake Las Vegas have one?
And the Ritz. The poorly thought out Ritz. Their architecture company should be shot. The place is a maze, more because of each area's distinct lack of distinction than because of any serious failing in the layout. Although, the layout is pretty bad. There is no way to get from the lobby to the shopping area/garden without either walking through a restaurant, going around to the meeting room wing, or taking a long stroll through one of the hotel room wings. This is where the gift shop is located. And I have to say, the gift shop has a mark-up level higher than even a Ritz Carlton deserves. And when you look at the Ritz from the outside, you don't think it's a Ritz. It's very plain for a luxury hotel. The worst part of the Ritz is the aforementioned "shop-covered" bridge across the Lake. It currently houses an Audi convention center, the chapel, and a hastily thrown together fake shop. The Audi convention area is sleek and ultra-modern which looks really good but clashes with the rest of the place. The Chapel doesn't have enough area in front of it to hold a milling wedding crowd and the Chapel management office/prep area is covered in windows. Where's a blushing bride to hide herself from the groom while she's laced into her gown? For that matter, where's a nearby area that can be converted into a reception space so the wedding group doesn't have to go back out into the public areas? The fake shop is really, obviously fake. Again, the entire place is windows so you can see there is no cashier desk, there is no inventory, there are no people. The only thing in there, besides a few doodads, is a giant safe. Why they would keep a safe out in the open like that is beyond me. The rest of the bridge is completely undeveloped. The walls are bare drywall, cracking plaster, and controls to the loading dock doors to nothing. And really, it's the only way by foot to get to some of the Ritz room towers, more should be done with it. These towers have to be abandoned by the Ritz. Oh, there were cars in the little parking area meaning people must be in the rooms, but the space between the towers and the bridge was naked dirt and utilitarian railings. A construction trailer, not recently used judging by the dust, was just to the side. The plumbing and pump for the lake weren't hidden. What looked like a volleyball pit was quite a ways away down an undeveloped dirt path, past a rocky pit in the ground, and completely unlabeled. Why build a volleyball pit so far from everything else? And why build it if you're not going to let people know it's there or even make a decent way to get to it? Even if it's part of some, as yet uncompleted, grand scheme wouldn't it make more sense to roll it out with the rest of the new developments instead of having it down now?
Despite everything wrong with it, Lake Las Vegas is still an enjoyable place to go and just relax. There's a good number of fountains that are perfect for sitting at and doing nothing. A few even offer great photo opportunities, and I didn't find one that wasn't attractive. There's also horse sculptures scattered around the grounds and a really nice Audi sitting in the open for people to admire. There's enough open grass areas for people to play with their kids or dogs, and there's sitting areas everywhere for when you want to sit down, sip your drink, and chat with your friends. Currently there's a small ice rink for the kiddies floating on the lake, and it looked like quite a few of the kids enjoyed it. Bathrooms are clean, everywhere, and easy to find. There's even a pay phone clearly marked and put in a decoration that makes it look classier. The staff at all the restaurants and stores were friendly and helpful. All the patrons were friendly and courteous. The Lake marina had everything from Yachts to gondolas to paddle boats available for rent. Most of the restaurants and a good number of stores have developed their interiors nicely and price appropriately. It's far enough away from the rest of Vegas that you can forget about the hustle, but close enough that you're back in the action in less than half an hour.
With a little more attention to detail, a little more development in key areas, and a few more carefully chosen businesses, Lake Las Vegas can become a place everyone will want to visit. I'm still not sure I'd ever want a house there.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Where to go in Sin City - Turning Japanese
I decided to seperate this from my previous post because it really does deserve it's own section.
Inaka Sushi: This is a local's place through and through and is one of the two sushi places I eat at somewhat regularly. The staff is very friendly and they know most of the people that walk through their doors. The food is good, and they have a wide variety of sushi to choose from. I highly recommend getting the all you can eat sushi. This place is by no means spectacular, but I have yet to eat at an Asian restaurant here that is.
Sushi Hana: Another good sushi place with a good selection of sushi and a highly recommendable all you can eat sushi set-up. Another great example of friendly staff, although the service is not quite as good as Inaka. They do have a frequet flyers type card where you get 10 all you can eats, and the 11th is free. Try the 215. It's a hands down favourite.
Shuseki: Although they have sushi, I recommend this place for it's dishes. I love Katsu Don and they have a very good version, although I have yet to try anything there that wasn't good. I would also recommend the Sukiyaki Don. The lunch chef is much better than the dinner chef.
Hyakumi @ Caesar's Palace: If you absolutely need to stay on the strip to eat Japanese food, I would recommend Hyakumi. But, keep in mind you will pay tourist prices. It has been here forever and is very beautiful with good service. The food is good, but pretty standard selection wise.
Ra @ Fashion Show Mall: This is one of those places that I would recommend going if you just want to snack while you drink and hang with friends. The food is good and I highly recommend the tootsie roll, be careful though, one of the sushi chefs messes it up. The menu is limited and not very authentic, but the food is good regardless. This is definitely for a younger crowd.
Inaka Sushi: This is a local's place through and through and is one of the two sushi places I eat at somewhat regularly. The staff is very friendly and they know most of the people that walk through their doors. The food is good, and they have a wide variety of sushi to choose from. I highly recommend getting the all you can eat sushi. This place is by no means spectacular, but I have yet to eat at an Asian restaurant here that is.
Sushi Hana: Another good sushi place with a good selection of sushi and a highly recommendable all you can eat sushi set-up. Another great example of friendly staff, although the service is not quite as good as Inaka. They do have a frequet flyers type card where you get 10 all you can eats, and the 11th is free. Try the 215. It's a hands down favourite.
Shuseki: Although they have sushi, I recommend this place for it's dishes. I love Katsu Don and they have a very good version, although I have yet to try anything there that wasn't good. I would also recommend the Sukiyaki Don. The lunch chef is much better than the dinner chef.
Hyakumi @ Caesar's Palace: If you absolutely need to stay on the strip to eat Japanese food, I would recommend Hyakumi. But, keep in mind you will pay tourist prices. It has been here forever and is very beautiful with good service. The food is good, but pretty standard selection wise.
Ra @ Fashion Show Mall: This is one of those places that I would recommend going if you just want to snack while you drink and hang with friends. The food is good and I highly recommend the tootsie roll, be careful though, one of the sushi chefs messes it up. The menu is limited and not very authentic, but the food is good regardless. This is definitely for a younger crowd.
Where to go in Sin City - Eat Your Heart Out
In hindsight I realized that my bars listing was also a listing of some of my favourite food spots so this will be coming from a slightly different tack and have more of a touristy flair.
Bellagio Buffet: I go for the dinner buffet. I've eaten at this buffet since the first year Bellagio opened. It's pricey, so I don't go very often and usually only when someone else is paying, but it's my choice for best buffet here in the land of buffets. The dinner is good, don't get me wrong, it's one of the better ones in town, but I go to the dinner buffet for dessert. The dessert selection is large, even for a buffet, and every last thing is worth having again and again. If you like dessert, this is the buffet to go to.
Stage Deli @ Ceasar's Palace Forum Shops: I ate at Stage Deli my first trip to Vegas as a teenaged tourist over a decade ago, and I made sure that every other trip here as a tourist included a stop at Stage Deli. Now that I live here, every trip to the Strip includes a stop at Stage Deli for corned beef and matzo ball soup. I have never been to New York and so can't speak as to comparison and accuracy, but in my dreams of corned beef, the delis of New York are clones of Stage Deli. Lots of food, good selection, good prices, and friendly staff just make this place even better.
Lucille's @ The District, Green Valley: I was born in the South and I eat BBQ just about every meal when I go back to visit. I lived in California's BBQ area for a few years(and yes, it does have one, did you think all those cows were just for making cheese?). I love me good BBQ. Lucille's is good BBQ. Everything I've had at Lucille's has been superb. The tri-tip is excellent, the pulled pork is divine, and the sides are spectacular. I usually get a two meat, two sides combo, and have one meat and one side packed to go since the servings are really two meals masquerading as one. I've had BBQ from quite a few places in town and I was sorely disappointed each time, but Lucille's redeems Vegas.
Bellagio Buffet: I go for the dinner buffet. I've eaten at this buffet since the first year Bellagio opened. It's pricey, so I don't go very often and usually only when someone else is paying, but it's my choice for best buffet here in the land of buffets. The dinner is good, don't get me wrong, it's one of the better ones in town, but I go to the dinner buffet for dessert. The dessert selection is large, even for a buffet, and every last thing is worth having again and again. If you like dessert, this is the buffet to go to.
Stage Deli @ Ceasar's Palace Forum Shops: I ate at Stage Deli my first trip to Vegas as a teenaged tourist over a decade ago, and I made sure that every other trip here as a tourist included a stop at Stage Deli. Now that I live here, every trip to the Strip includes a stop at Stage Deli for corned beef and matzo ball soup. I have never been to New York and so can't speak as to comparison and accuracy, but in my dreams of corned beef, the delis of New York are clones of Stage Deli. Lots of food, good selection, good prices, and friendly staff just make this place even better.
Lucille's @ The District, Green Valley: I was born in the South and I eat BBQ just about every meal when I go back to visit. I lived in California's BBQ area for a few years(and yes, it does have one, did you think all those cows were just for making cheese?). I love me good BBQ. Lucille's is good BBQ. Everything I've had at Lucille's has been superb. The tri-tip is excellent, the pulled pork is divine, and the sides are spectacular. I usually get a two meat, two sides combo, and have one meat and one side packed to go since the servings are really two meals masquerading as one. I've had BBQ from quite a few places in town and I was sorely disappointed each time, but Lucille's redeems Vegas.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Where to Go In Sin City - Drink Drink Drink
I am not a true local, but I have been living in Sin City for the past three years and have a lot of social circles here. As the New Year is approaching and many, many, many people come out here to party, I thought I'd mention some of my favourite places to hang out, eat, and drink.
I'll start with the bars.
Crown And Anchor: A British pub that appeals both to displaced Britons and college kids. It is located near the UNLV campus and at night gets a mostly college crowd. However, go early in the day and you'll find older couples taking their afternoon tea there or families getting together over yorkshire pudding and trifles. The C&A offers a good collection of alcohol, both from the UK and elsewhere, and a good selection of food. Every night of the week has some special going on. Sunday has a special roast meat meal, Monday is all you can eat fish and chips, Wednesday has a special pork dinner, Thursday has a trivia contest, and Saturday has a band in the evening. I know there's something offered Tuesdays and Fridays, I just can't recall them.
The Freaking Frog: The Freaking Frog offers the biggest beer selection in Las Vegas and a pretty decent wine list as well. A recent addition is a whiskey club upstairs, but I believe it's membership only. The food selection is limited but everything is good. The one drawback is the price of beer, although if you get one of the 2 for 1 options during happy hour, it's acceptable. It's become something of a bohemian hangout and you'll see the same people everytime you go in. It's located across from the UNLV campus and, as such, caters to the college crowd.
The Dispensary Lounge: Laid-back, casual, and friendly sum this place up. It doesn't have a great drink selection, the food is good but limited, and there's not much to entertain you, but this is the kind of place you like to hang with your friends and just chill.
McMullans: An Irish pub that looks like you think an Irish pub should look. The food is good and they give you a lot of it, which makes the prices more palatable. The staff is friendly and good at what they do, although I did have problems with my order the last time. There's a ton of little private booth type spaces in addition to the bar and restaurant sections. Whether you're there with one person or a big group of friends, you get a sense of privacy.
The Peppermill: If you've ever seen those "local's favourites" shows about Vegas, you've probably heard of the Peppermill. I was actually introduced to it via a sister restaurant in California. The Vegas Peppermill is actually two different places, the lounge and the restuarant. The restuarant specialty is burgers. Big, wonderful burgers. There's other things on the menu, but I go for the burgers. The lounge is the kind of place you want to take your make-out partner. There's low, heavily padded booths. There's a fire pit. There's plants between the booths to add some privacy. If you want to hang with friends, this is a great place. Even if this sounds like it's not your kind of place, it's one of those places you should still go to at least once. I'm sure you'll be won over.
Big Dogs Draft House: The only problem with the Big Dogs Draft House is that it's so far away from me. And they're Packers fans. But hey, no bar is perfect. The Draft House as it's generally referred to makes some great beer and a lot of really great food. And we're talking ribs-sticking, you leave happy kind of food. My favourite menu item is the steak and brats sandwich. With your order you get a selection of condiments beyond the basic mustard and ketchup and steak sauce They bring out a little serving thing holding sauerkraut, horseradish, onions, and something else I can't recall because I don't ever get past the first three. Love this place. And if you like dogs, particually Labradors, you'll love the decor. There are a couple other Big Dogs locations, but this is the one to go to.
Rum Runner: This is a chain of, I believe, 5 locations and it should not be confused with that snooty casino trap called Rum Jungle(which actually has a good Argentinian steak that almost makes up for the rest of the place). I go to the Rum Runner at Spencer and Tropicana. There's a restaurant section for the underaged, but there's never anybody in that part of the place. This is a place for pool players to play them some pool. The staff are friendly and the patrons are equally so. You need pointers on your game? Just ask and they'll help. Good, greasy, bar food, real cheap. The burgers are good as are the wings, and they have a dozen different wing flavours to choose from. Only drawback is it's cash only. And it's also a Packers bar. Oh well.
Note: It's not that I don't like the Packers, but where I grew up Joe Montana is God.
I'll start with the bars.
Crown And Anchor: A British pub that appeals both to displaced Britons and college kids. It is located near the UNLV campus and at night gets a mostly college crowd. However, go early in the day and you'll find older couples taking their afternoon tea there or families getting together over yorkshire pudding and trifles. The C&A offers a good collection of alcohol, both from the UK and elsewhere, and a good selection of food. Every night of the week has some special going on. Sunday has a special roast meat meal, Monday is all you can eat fish and chips, Wednesday has a special pork dinner, Thursday has a trivia contest, and Saturday has a band in the evening. I know there's something offered Tuesdays and Fridays, I just can't recall them.
The Freaking Frog: The Freaking Frog offers the biggest beer selection in Las Vegas and a pretty decent wine list as well. A recent addition is a whiskey club upstairs, but I believe it's membership only. The food selection is limited but everything is good. The one drawback is the price of beer, although if you get one of the 2 for 1 options during happy hour, it's acceptable. It's become something of a bohemian hangout and you'll see the same people everytime you go in. It's located across from the UNLV campus and, as such, caters to the college crowd.
The Dispensary Lounge: Laid-back, casual, and friendly sum this place up. It doesn't have a great drink selection, the food is good but limited, and there's not much to entertain you, but this is the kind of place you like to hang with your friends and just chill.
McMullans: An Irish pub that looks like you think an Irish pub should look. The food is good and they give you a lot of it, which makes the prices more palatable. The staff is friendly and good at what they do, although I did have problems with my order the last time. There's a ton of little private booth type spaces in addition to the bar and restaurant sections. Whether you're there with one person or a big group of friends, you get a sense of privacy.
The Peppermill: If you've ever seen those "local's favourites" shows about Vegas, you've probably heard of the Peppermill. I was actually introduced to it via a sister restaurant in California. The Vegas Peppermill is actually two different places, the lounge and the restuarant. The restuarant specialty is burgers. Big, wonderful burgers. There's other things on the menu, but I go for the burgers. The lounge is the kind of place you want to take your make-out partner. There's low, heavily padded booths. There's a fire pit. There's plants between the booths to add some privacy. If you want to hang with friends, this is a great place. Even if this sounds like it's not your kind of place, it's one of those places you should still go to at least once. I'm sure you'll be won over.
Big Dogs Draft House: The only problem with the Big Dogs Draft House is that it's so far away from me. And they're Packers fans. But hey, no bar is perfect. The Draft House as it's generally referred to makes some great beer and a lot of really great food. And we're talking ribs-sticking, you leave happy kind of food. My favourite menu item is the steak and brats sandwich. With your order you get a selection of condiments beyond the basic mustard and ketchup and steak sauce They bring out a little serving thing holding sauerkraut, horseradish, onions, and something else I can't recall because I don't ever get past the first three. Love this place. And if you like dogs, particually Labradors, you'll love the decor. There are a couple other Big Dogs locations, but this is the one to go to.
Rum Runner: This is a chain of, I believe, 5 locations and it should not be confused with that snooty casino trap called Rum Jungle(which actually has a good Argentinian steak that almost makes up for the rest of the place). I go to the Rum Runner at Spencer and Tropicana. There's a restaurant section for the underaged, but there's never anybody in that part of the place. This is a place for pool players to play them some pool. The staff are friendly and the patrons are equally so. You need pointers on your game? Just ask and they'll help. Good, greasy, bar food, real cheap. The burgers are good as are the wings, and they have a dozen different wing flavours to choose from. Only drawback is it's cash only. And it's also a Packers bar. Oh well.
Note: It's not that I don't like the Packers, but where I grew up Joe Montana is God.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Olympus and the M:Robe
I will disclaim this review by saying that I have only owned, to the best of my recollection, one Olympus product, the one I am reviewing here: the M:Robe.
I will speak first to the M:Robe. It has two things going for it. It's cheap(if you can still find it) and it's color scheme is black and red. Supposedly it also displays pictures downloaded to it, but I have yet to push my luck in that regard. The M:Robe supposedly has a 5GB hard drive, but I have been unable to get more than about 3.12GB on it at any given time. Attemps to put more than 3.12GB of mp3s on the device always results in errors. The thing is buggy. When it works, it works quite well and is easy to pick up and use(provided there's already music on it, I'll get to that later). Unfortunately, it appears to be a 50/50 chance of whether the thing will work the first time you turn it on after recharging it. Hard resetting it via the little hole in the bottom specified gets it to work, but you need the tip of a mechanical pencil or a small paperclip. I, for one, don't make a habit of carrying around a small paperclip to bend out of shape to reset my mp3 player everytime I plan on listening to it. The software you have to use with the M:Robe is the worst aspect of the player. You HAVE TO USE the software. No two ways about it, no bypassing it, no choice. The software is hideously slow. I have a 2.81Ghz processor. It takes about 10 seconds to process even the slightest thing I try to do. Even when I have absolutely nothing else running and I just started the computer. The software is completely counter to any logic and is very clunky to use. Most of the time you think you've told it to do something and it decides you haven't done anything at all. To add music to the M:Robe you have to not only add it to the playlist, you then have to manually check the box next to it. To remove music from the M:Robe you have to LEAVE IT ON THE PLAYLIST, UNCHECK THE BOX NEXT TO IT, and then do a COMPLETE SYNCHRONIZATION. Synchronization usually takes at least half an hour if you go over 1.5GB. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the inherent fact that 3.12GB worth of mp3 files is a lot of files to sort through. Did I mention that most of the time the software doesn't recognize that the M:Robe is hooked up? The best part of the software is the fact that if I'm listening to anything on my computer when I'm running the M:Robe software, when I ask the software to do anything, the music/movie/animation I'm listening to pauses until the command finishes processing. That's right, something designed to assist in the enjoyment of music disrupts the enjoyment of music.
Now, onto my experience with the department masquerading as Customer Service. When I got the (first) M:Robe, it didn't work, right out of the box. OK, I sent it in since it was new and the warranty was supposed to be in effect. Two weeks later I finally get a letter saying that they determined my warranty was void. All I had done was charge the thing and then try to turn it on(it froze during boot up). I tried all hours of the day all different days of the weeks for another week and a half to get someone from "customer service" to PICK UP THE PHONE! I'd like to mention that I was calling the phone number that answered with a recording saying you had reached the customer service line for Olympus and is the number that was listed on the warranty as the customer service line. I had to call the marketing department to find out that the number I had been calling WAS WRONG. Not just a little wrong, completely wrong. So, finally, I've got the right number and I call and they tell me the warranty was voided by a dent. There was no dent. The thing was NEW and hadn't impacted anything with any force of any kind. They refused to do anything and two weeks later finally sent the M:Robe back. When I got it, I checked the entire thing over. THERE WAS NO DENT! And it still didn't work. I sent it back to where I got it and got a replacement within the week.
In short, Olympus "Customer Service" is SO BAD, and the M:Robe SO BUGGY, and the software SO UNWEILDY that I will never spend another dime on an Olympus product.
I will speak first to the M:Robe. It has two things going for it. It's cheap(if you can still find it) and it's color scheme is black and red. Supposedly it also displays pictures downloaded to it, but I have yet to push my luck in that regard. The M:Robe supposedly has a 5GB hard drive, but I have been unable to get more than about 3.12GB on it at any given time. Attemps to put more than 3.12GB of mp3s on the device always results in errors. The thing is buggy. When it works, it works quite well and is easy to pick up and use(provided there's already music on it, I'll get to that later). Unfortunately, it appears to be a 50/50 chance of whether the thing will work the first time you turn it on after recharging it. Hard resetting it via the little hole in the bottom specified gets it to work, but you need the tip of a mechanical pencil or a small paperclip. I, for one, don't make a habit of carrying around a small paperclip to bend out of shape to reset my mp3 player everytime I plan on listening to it. The software you have to use with the M:Robe is the worst aspect of the player. You HAVE TO USE the software. No two ways about it, no bypassing it, no choice. The software is hideously slow. I have a 2.81Ghz processor. It takes about 10 seconds to process even the slightest thing I try to do. Even when I have absolutely nothing else running and I just started the computer. The software is completely counter to any logic and is very clunky to use. Most of the time you think you've told it to do something and it decides you haven't done anything at all. To add music to the M:Robe you have to not only add it to the playlist, you then have to manually check the box next to it. To remove music from the M:Robe you have to LEAVE IT ON THE PLAYLIST, UNCHECK THE BOX NEXT TO IT, and then do a COMPLETE SYNCHRONIZATION. Synchronization usually takes at least half an hour if you go over 1.5GB. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the inherent fact that 3.12GB worth of mp3 files is a lot of files to sort through. Did I mention that most of the time the software doesn't recognize that the M:Robe is hooked up? The best part of the software is the fact that if I'm listening to anything on my computer when I'm running the M:Robe software, when I ask the software to do anything, the music/movie/animation I'm listening to pauses until the command finishes processing. That's right, something designed to assist in the enjoyment of music disrupts the enjoyment of music.
Now, onto my experience with the department masquerading as Customer Service. When I got the (first) M:Robe, it didn't work, right out of the box. OK, I sent it in since it was new and the warranty was supposed to be in effect. Two weeks later I finally get a letter saying that they determined my warranty was void. All I had done was charge the thing and then try to turn it on(it froze during boot up). I tried all hours of the day all different days of the weeks for another week and a half to get someone from "customer service" to PICK UP THE PHONE! I'd like to mention that I was calling the phone number that answered with a recording saying you had reached the customer service line for Olympus and is the number that was listed on the warranty as the customer service line. I had to call the marketing department to find out that the number I had been calling WAS WRONG. Not just a little wrong, completely wrong. So, finally, I've got the right number and I call and they tell me the warranty was voided by a dent. There was no dent. The thing was NEW and hadn't impacted anything with any force of any kind. They refused to do anything and two weeks later finally sent the M:Robe back. When I got it, I checked the entire thing over. THERE WAS NO DENT! And it still didn't work. I sent it back to where I got it and got a replacement within the week.
In short, Olympus "Customer Service" is SO BAD, and the M:Robe SO BUGGY, and the software SO UNWEILDY that I will never spend another dime on an Olympus product.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
