Tag Archives: vegas

The Tao of a Night Out

All I wanted to do in Vegas was lay by the pool, eat good food and party like a rockstar.

Last night, we ate good food and partied like rockstars.

DSCF7322.JPG

When trying to pick a location for dinner, we both wanted to go somewhere we couldn’t go in NYC. But most of the great Vegas restaurants are also in NYC. We’d heard a lot about the Vegas Tao, so we decided to give it a try, even though we’ve both been to its NYC counterpart.

DSCF7313.JPG

And we love any excuse to get dressed up.

DSCF7314.JPG

When our server told us about his picks on the menu, he mentioned a lobster wonton. Lobster (along with avocado, duck and scallops) is one of the things that I really can’t say no to on a menu. Ashley said my eyes lit up when he said the word “lobster.” This lobster wonton was made with mushrooms in a shiitake ginger broth, and it was amazing.

DSCF7315.JPG

Our reservation was at 10, but we didn’t sit until close to 11, so when we sat down, we were ravenous and needed two appetizers.

DSCF7316.JPG

We split three rolls–the Tao Angry Dragon roll with eel, a spicy lobster roll with caviar, and the chef’s roll.

DSCF7317.JPG

And each had a piece of tuna.

DSCF7325.JPG

We’d picked up a fistful of passes to clubs from a random near-toothless dude on the street, but we ended up just walking up the stairs to the Tao nightclub to continue our evening.

DSCF7327.JPG DSCF7332.JPG

We made friends.

DSCF7328.JPG

With bottle service.

DSCF7330.JPG

And each other. (Not that half-naked waitress, though.)

DSCF7334.JPG DSCF7335.JPG

Ashley is smarter than me. She brought flats for when her feet would inevitably start to hurt.

DSCF7336.JPG

After a long, much-needed night of sleep, it was nearly lunchtime by the time we were ready to roll. We went to Red, White and Blue, and I had a turkey burger–because I saw the avocado on it.

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas

[Or gets blogged about. Same thing.]

After my harrowing experience getting to the airport, all I wanted to do was sleep in yesterday morning, but my jet-lagged body had other plans and I was up by 6am Vegas time.

Not eating for almost 24 hours makes you hangry, so breakfast was all that was on my mind.

Eggs, turkey sausage and toast. Perfect.

All I had really wanted on this trip was sunshine, good food and fun at night, so I was really bummed when it was cold and windy yesterday and I couldn’t lay by the pool. Ashley was out here for work, and still had work stuff, so I was on my own.

DSCF7267.JPG

DSCF7268.JPG DSCF7269.JPG DSCF7270.JPG

I made myself walk up the strip a little bit, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I ended up stopping in New York, New York and having some sushi for lunch. And beer. It was National Beer Day after all. I had to celebrate.

DSCF7273.JPG

I walked back over the fake Brooklyn Bridge to head back to our hotel, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. I was jet-lagged, tired and cranky, so I took a fabulous long disco nap.

DSCF7275.JPG DSCF7276.JPG

Had some room service.

DSCF7280.JPG

And then partied like a rockstar. (Note to self: more makeup tonight.)

DSCF7281.JPG

Partying like a rockstar leads to a huge breakfast, of course. Lately, I’ve been craving just a little bit of sweet and savory, so this totally hit the spot. Minus the eggs. They were pre-made and gross. I asked for new eggs and they were equally unappetizing.

DSCF7286.JPG

It was a little warmer today, so we hit the “beach.”

DSCF7289.JPG

DSCF7290.JPG

It was still pretty chilly, so we rocked bikinis with jackets over them. I guess there’s a first time for everything…

DSCF7293.JPG

And drank water with elephants.

DSCF7295.JPG

We both got antsy after a few hours at the pool and headed out for a walk up the strip.

DSCF7297.JPG

MGM Hotel.

By 5pm, more than six hours had passed since we last ate, so we stopped for a bite to eat at Jaleo in the Cosmopolitan. (I like to try places I haven’t been to, and I’d been to Jaleo quite a bit in D.C., but I could not resist the siren song of the croquetas. (And clearly, neither could a million other people.)

DSCF7305.JPG

Truth. Frying is not overrated. I know it’s terrible for me, but seriously, if fried food had no calories and didn’t make me feel crappy, I’d eat it everyday.

DSCF7306.JPG

Little pieces of heaven and chicken fried and served in a shoe.

DSCF7308.JPG

Brussels sprout salad.

DSCF7310.jpg

Gambas al ajillo (shrimp in a garlic sauce)

DSCF7311.JPG

A trip to Vegas wouldn’t be complete without a little gambling, so we hit up the slots afterwards.

DSCF7312.jpg

And won big.

Tonight, we have some more good food and partying on deck. Hopefully tomorrow will be warm enough to lay out again.