Live Blog: Las Vegas Road Trip

Yes, I'm doing a lame "Live" journal type thing for my Vegas Road Trip. I s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y thought about doing one on my L.A. Trip, but didn't and kinda regret it. A LOT of stuff happened in L.A. that would have been fun to save for posterity, so I guess Vegas will have to do instead. It may suck like a Hoover or it might make for awesomely snarktastic cheesy goodness, IDK. We'll see how it goes...

07.30.09

11:58 A.M. - The Foodie is a Happy Panda! While buying my $50 Gift Certificate for miX at restaurant.com I notice that they have a slot for discount codes so, on a whim, I Google 'restaurant.com discount code' and find a code (NAPKIN) for EIGHTY percent off! So my fifty dollar credit costs me all of FOUR DOLLARS! That's, basically, a main and an app for the price of one of The Hottie's Grande Skinny Vanilla Lattes at Starbuck's (and at a Michelin starred restaurant no less). Can you say steal? On top of that, I was going thru the Shopdiscover.com site and get 20% cash back too boot. Granted, 20% back on four bucks aint much...but I'll take it ;p

1:18 P.M. - WTF is wrong with Southwest? I go to use their on-line check-in and copy the confirmation number directly FROM the e-mail they sent me and the website keeps telling me it's not valid because it doesn't have the proper/correct number of characters o_O Really? You SENT me that combination of numbers/letters Southwest!!! But when I finally manually TYPE in the exact same characters it takes it no problem /smack

6:32 P.M. - While looking over the menu on-line @ Memphis Championship BBQ, I start SERIOUSLY considering packing some heavy-duty Tupperware so I can snag some BBQ to-go on SUN and pack it in the checked luggage on the way back. I've got a limited number of meals to enjoy over the weekend and it's not like I can take Wing Lei's Duck Tasting Menu home with me, now can I? Plus, it's supposed to be 106 this weekend in Sin City, so while The Hottie's wardrobe will still be vast it will also be...well...tiny. As a result, there will be more available room than normal in the luggage! This idea is starting to make more and more sense to me...

8:59 P.M. - No, this pic isn't staged. Whenever we pack for a trip, The Puppy leaps into the open luggage as if to say, "Okay Mommily, I'm all packed. Let's Go!". Granted, it's kinda weird...but mostly cute.

And, yes, I realize there's no pic here at present...I don't have what it takes to post pics on the road, so just IMAGINE a super-kawaii pic of a Peke sitting in a giant piece of pink luggage :p

07.31.09

12:31 P.M. - The Kia Spectra sux. That is all.

1:04 P.M. - My Angus Burger topped with Swiss, Prosciotto and Foie Gras arrives. Nom nom nom. The Hottie, being the Egg Slut she is, went for a burger topped with Cheddar, Bacon and...a Fried Egg. It's been a while since I've been to Hubert Keller's Burger Bar and I'd forgotten a couple of things. One - The server's outfits are HOT (as are most of the servers) and Two – Their beer selection is insane: two dozen beers on tap and over one-hundred bottled beers.

2:38 P.M. - It takes The Hottie less than 3 hours in Vegas to suggest we go to Sonic. She definitely has a Sonic fixation - so sad. Then again, it is 106 degrees and half-price drink happy hour, so the idea of a super-sized, cold, refreshing beverage isn't without merit.

4:30 P.M. - Upgrade! The Hard Rock must really like me! Not only is our room comped for our stay, but I got upgraded to a Pool View Room on the Third floor. My room is closer to the pool than some of the “poolside” cabanas. Seriously, I could TALK to people at the pool from my balcony if I wanted...

8:33 P.M. - I check the A's score while waiting for Glasvegas to start @ The House of Blues. My $100 bet looks pretty secure as Oaktown has an 8-1 lead. BTW, this also means that, over a ten day span, I will have seen Ada Maria, La Roux and Glasvegas live. This means diddly squat to 99.9% of the Americans reading my blog, but to any music-loving Euros it will prolly impress them /flex.

10:04 – w00t! We score one of the Austin Powers Egg Booths @ miX. If you've ever been to miX, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Also, my Beef-Topped-With-Foie-Gras-Day at The Mandalay continues as they have a beef tenderloin special topped with seared fois gras and truffles. The Hottie gets duck and, as always, the sommelier's suggestion for a wine pairing is top notch. The wine team @ miX is consistently one of the best we've encountered anywhere...

DAY ONE LUSH-O-METER:

BEER: 2.
COCKTAILS: 1.
WINE: 1.

TOTAL DRINKS: 4. Don't worry, she may be off to a slow start, but I'm sure The Hottie is just warming up...

08.01.09

12:58 A.M.– We're calling it a nite. I've been up since 5:00 A.M. And just had a r-e-a-l-l-y nice streak where, with my A's bet, I'm even after being down $600 earlier in the day. I don't WANT to leave Danielle (one of my fave dealers who knows us on sight) but even SHE tells me I should leave before giving all my winnings back. Good call. After cashing in my chips I see that they replaced Danielle with their resident Cooler. Bitch is hot as hell, has a sick body and is cold as ice. If somebody told me she was an android I wouldn't flinch. She deals cards at an inhuman clip and sucks up your chips like a Dyson. Can you tell she's taken my money many, many times before?

5:15 A.M. - I just found out The Hard Rock has no cold water. You can turn on what they CLAIM is cold water, but when the 'low' for the day is 84 degrees, the supposedly cold H2O is lukewarm at best. As for what The Foodie is doing in the oversized tub @ five o'clock in the morning I'll simply quote Barry and Levon, “Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Don't worry your pretty little head about it.”

10:58 A.M. - The pool @ The Hard Rock hasn't even been open an hour and, already, EVERY spot/lounge chair has been claimed. Fortunately, I had detected the insane influx thirty mins earlier and claimed our spots while The Hottie got ready in our room. I also realize that weeks of dieting, hours on the recumbent bike and miles walking on the sandy beach don't mean squat. With The Hottie laying next to me in her Victoria's Secret bikini, I could be a glow-in-the-dark Jabba The Hutt and nobody would notice.

3:39 P.M. - Five hours at the insanity that is The Hard Rock pool is about our limit (especially in 100++ weather). We haven't even collected our stuff or put on our cover-ups before somebody pounces on our prime seats. Bonus: Some of the Hells Belles now work as bikini-clad dealers at he pool during the summer. Amy and her buddy Susie treat me very well, as does the Cocktail Waitress. As I've said many times before, if I'm going to lose money, I'd at least like to have fun doing it!

5:05 P.M. - I make the biggest mistake of the trip so far and decide to go back down to the pool for some more Blackjack while The Hottie is resting (i.e. passed out) in our room. The $100 tables at the pool are E-V-I-L! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

7:42 P.M. - My last trip to Nobu didn't leave me terribly impressed, but I must say The Black Cod marinated in Miso is a signature dish for a reason. I skip most of the sushi selections (my mind is still haunted by the unforgettable omakase @ Sushi-Zo) and must say this is the way to go. Sushi, once ZOMGUNIQUE, is pretty commonplace now and IMHO the sushi @ Nobu is overrated - good, but not great. As a result, I am rewarded with Spicy Miso Lotus ‘Chips’ with Tuna, Three ethereal Kumamoto Oysters with signature sauces and a mind-blowingly good miso-almond cake with japanese rice puffs and...wait for it...wait for it...EDAMAME ICE CREAM!!!

DAY TWO LUSH-O-METER:

BEER: 1.
COCKTAILS: 4.

TOTAL DRINKS: 9. Ordering back-to-back Bacardi and Diets before noon (in the Super Big Gulp Sized Poolside Tiki Cups no less) took their toll early or The Hottie would have consumed more, I assure you.

08.02.09

12:21 A.M. - Pretty much the first thing The Hottie squealed when I told her (weeks ago) that Leno was playing at The Mirage was "We can go to BLT Burger!!!", so I'm not suprised at all to find myself here. And, mind you, we're not r-e-a-l-l-y here for the burgers, per se. The Hottie wants her Malibu Barbie: A vanilla shake with pineapple juice, coconut milk and...Malibu Rum. Yes, The Hottie is drinking a spiked milkshake...I'm sure you're all so very, very shocked. I try the Twinkie Boy: A vanilla shake blended with caramel sauce and Twinkies! It's even garnished with the tip of a twinkie and tastes really, really good with an interesting mouthfeel. This is the perfect food to be eating in Vegas @ 1 in the morning (which is probably why there's a line to get in at 1 in the morning, eh?)...

11:22 A.M. - It should surprise absolutely nobody that I find myself @ Bouchon this morning. Damn them for not taking reservations! It'll be a 30 min wait...

11:27 A.M. - I mock "Allison, Table of Three" for pulling out her best Sunday sweats for brunch. The grubby, heather grey sweat top is at least ten sizes too large, but the burnt orange jogging shorts with the peeling off Texas Longhorns logo really complete the ensemble. Somewhere, Stacy and Clinton's collective Spider Sense starts tingling...

11:55 A.M. - The Foodie is a Sad Panda : ( Being sat outside (normally a prime spot) in 100 degree weather isn't fun but, far worse, The Best. Eggs. EVAH. is no longer on the menu. Why does Keller hate me? First he stops making foie gras dog snacks for The Puppy and now THIS! I'll try the French Toast, but I'm still bummed...

12:04 P.M. - The Foodie is a Happy Panda! ^_^ It turns out that there are specials today that our in-the-weeds server didn't tell us about. I overhear him mention them to another table and my ears perk up when I hear the words "Sous vide sixteen hours". Seriously, if my head didn't rotate to maximize my listening skills, I'm sure my ears would have started springing up like some cartoon character. My order is now changed to Sous vide Steak and eggs. Also, I am informed that the Oeuf Au Gratin (i.e. Best. Eggs. EVAH.) are simply too labor intensive to have on the Brunch Menu but, I am assured, they remain on the Breakfast Menu. /cheer

2:02 P.M. - I'm at Sephora. Yay! I'm sure nobody is shocked to hear that The Hottie is some sort of Super V.I.P. in their Insider Reward Program. Thirty minutes later, $100+ is dropped on products that fit in a bag the size of a DVD case. At least the tiny bag is stylish!

3:13 P.M. - I'm at Memphis Championship BBQ! Genuine YAY! I did, indeed, pack a couple of jumbo Rubbermaid containers to fill with 'que. I go with a pound of brisket, a pound of rib tips, a bottle of regular sauce and a bottle of spicy sauce. I also get some of their sweet tea that they serve in a mason jar while I wait for the order cause, well, did I mention it's 108 degrees outside today?

3:26 P.M. - As I'm transferring the brisket from the Styrofoam take-out container to the Rubbermaid, The Hottie announces 'OMG that smells so good' as she jams her hand into the brisket and tears off a not-so-small piece. It's gone before I can blink. I'm pretty sure wolves take longer to eat meat than that. I'm not really sure if I should be proud or frightened at this moment?

5:48 P.M. - The schlubs who show up at Wing Lei in t-shirts and shorts are politely redirected to a Drive-Thru Panda Express. The amount of schadenfreude I experience from this is disturbing, but I'm okay with that.

5:51 P.M. WOW! The single-best looking/smelling duck I have EVER seen/smelled is wheeled out tableside and starts getting expertly carved up on the spot as part of our Imperial Duck Tasting. Nom nom nom.

6:21 P.M. Did I mention that The Hottie ordered a glass of champagne even though the Duck Tasting comes with two glasses of sommelier paired wine? I guess I just did...

DAY THREE LUSH-O-METER:

COCKTAILS: 1.
WINE: 3.
SPIKED MILKSHAKES: 1.

FINAL TOTAL: 14. A solid but not spectacular performance by The Hottie this trip. If The Meat Guy or Fun Bandit were there to enable her, the total would have been higher. Still, fourteen drinks is a respectable amount...

08.03.09

12:05 A.M. - The Puppy is insanely happy to see us. Nothing should have this much energy @ midnight. He'll be even happier when he finds out that The Hottie hit The Wall on course 3 of the Duck Tasting, so we have Wing Lei leftovers in the carryons. Last trip he got leftovers from Bradley Ogden. Can you say spoiled?

12:13 A.M. - @TSAmorons: If you INSIST of going thru my luggage and open up my Rubbermaid containers can you PLEASE at least put the lids back on?!?! WTF! Like we were trying to hide Al Qaeda Baby Bomb Ribs in the pink luggage? Thank Allah we double-wrapped them in shopping bags too. If BBQ sauce had gotten on The Hottie's Shearling Boots I'd be calling The Professional Liar for legal counsel right about now.

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Bib Gourmand: Vegas, Baby!

So, once again, The Foodie and The Hottie are headed to our home away from home this weekend which means I scoured The Information Super-Highway to see what's hot, what's new and what bargains can be had. For this trip, at least, the bargain hunting is merely so-so for me BUT I figured, hey, just because I'm “pinned” in to certain restaurants doesn't mean you are. SOMEBODY might as well prosper from my hours of research, amirite?

First off, don't cry too many emoticons for me since I'll be going to a Michelin-Starred place every night: miX , Nobu and Wing Lei . If you're reading this the week I posted it, you'll notice that (N)obu and (W)ing Lei nicely fit in the N & W category for Foodie: A to Z (as documented in the Elusive U Post earlier this month). But, I digress. This isn't a Look-At-All-The-Kewl-Places-I've Eaten-Blog this is a Get-The-Word-Out-About-Culinary-Steals-Blog. Now, normally, my Bib Gourmand blogs feature a single deal on a place I love. In this case, because Vegas is hurting so much for business, I'll just give you a summary on places with some pretty spectacular deals as long as you can plan ahead:

ALEX , DANIEL BOULUD , WING LEI (among others) AT THE WYNN.

At present, pretty much EVERY restaurant at The Wynn/Encore has some sort of Dine-At-An-Off-Time Deal in place. At Wing Lei you can have a 5-course Duck Tasting w/a glass of wine for $69 OR a 3-course Prix Fixe dinner with a specialty cocktail for $49. Do I really need to tell you how good a deal this is or remind you that they haz a Michelin Star? The “catch” is that it's only available before 7:00, but if you're catching a show or, say, taking a late flight back home and want to “sneak” in one, last good meal before heading home, it's ideal. The DB and Alex deals are similar: Eat before 7:00 and have 2-courses ($36) or 3-courses ($42) at Boulud's or 3-courses at Alex for $89. I can't personally vouch for Alex since I haven't been there but, hey, it DOES have TWO Michelin Stars. Boulud's place is one I've been to many times and that deal is DEFINITELY one I recommend without hesitation.

BTW, the Wynn stie is an EXTREMELY irritating Flashsite where Wynn wants you to hear him wax poetic about how amazing, interesting and unique he and his resorts are, so I couldn't link directly to the menus. So, much like the Mina Pre-Theatre menu, don't rely on the menus I linked if you're reading this blog a month after I posted it. YOU'LL have to take the hit and listen to Wynn's cheesy voice while you try and find the elusive Taste of Wynn promotion – I've already taken one bullet for you, I can't take the whole clip :p

AUREOLE , FLEUR DE LYS, miX (among others) AT MANDALAY BAY.

Much like the Wynn, a lot of the foodie destinations at The Mandalay (little 'f' foodie, a foodie in general, not me in particular) are having a 'Lion King Pre-Theater' dinner special which, of course, means dine before 7:00. Stripsteak and RM Seafood join the places listed above for having deals at this time. Frankly, The Aureole dinner sounds too good to be true: 3 course Prix Fixe for $45!!! Seriously, the last time we dined at Charlie Palmer's place, The Hottie spent more than that on a glass of wine and, sadly, I'm not exaggerating. It is the home of the Wine Angels after all. miX's offering is a little more vague: a half-dozen shared plates and two glasses of wine for $40/pop. So if you're looking for a “meal” this might not be for you, but if you're looking for a “steal” then go for it. miX is one of my fave places in all of Vegas: Awesome décor, creative, well-executed food and unsurpassed people watching 64-floors above the city. Bonus: This deal is offered ALL night long in the bar which, btw, is one of THE places to be seen in Vegas. Seriously, ZAGAT had it rated as their #1 destination for Nightlife in LV, no small feat. Chef Hubert Keller's SF transplant has deal similar to Aureole, 3-courses for $45, though it does lack the Michelin Star of the o/g. Still, star or not, a good deal is a good deal.

BTW, unlike the Taste of Wynn or the MGM Grand Summer Deals coming up, it almost seems like the Mandalay DOESN'T want you to know abut these deals. They pretty well hidden and most searches for said deals will send you to other blogs and websites. Weird. It's also worth noting that most of the Prix Fixes ARE still available after 7:00, you just pay more for them (~$10) which still makes them a bargain. Also, if you want a REAL steal, all of the Mandalay places have certificates available @ Restaurant.com (though the “special menus” are generally excluded from coupons). More on that below...

JOEL ROBUCHON , L'ATELIER DE JOEL RUBOUCHON , SEABLUE, CRAFTSTEAK (among others) AT THE MGM GRAND.

First things first, NO you shouldn't go to Creaftsteak. As I've said MANY times before there are WAY too many good places to go to in Vegas to dine @ Craftsteak. BUT you if INSIST on trying Colicchio's place, you might as well take advantage of their new 'Halfsteak Menu'. Think of it as a parent giving his kid protection: I don't want you going all the way with Tom Colicchio, but if you're not going to listen to me, I STILL want you to be smart about it :p

Good, got that out of the way. Now on to places worth my keystrokes...

Joel Robuchon has graced us with a couple of deals at his one and three star establishments @ the MGM. First is the new L'Unique menu at L'Atelier which runs 3 courses for $39 before 7:00. It's also his “express” option: the food is served all at one in a bento-style box within 15 mins so, if you're looking for a night out, this isn't the option for you. If, however, you're looking to taste Joel's food at a fraction of the price, then this is for you. If, however, you want to go all the way with one of The God's of French Cuisine, might I point out that he just introduced new, smaller tasting menus @ the THREE-STARRED restaurant starting at...$89??? Now, don't get too excited, $89 is the starting point for two courses. However, the fact that you can now pick the level of commitment from two courses ($89) to six ($195) is a bonus. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE Robuchon's stuff, but a SIXTEEN course menu is just a bit much - I do need to fit in my trunks the next day, after all. Nobody wants to look like a bloated whale at The Hard Rock Pool.

Lastly, if you want you some bargain Mina, both of his places @ the MGM have affordable prix fixe deals: 3 courses @ Nob Hill for $39 and 3 courses @ Seablue for $45 as part of the MGM's Summer Tasting Menu Promotion. As I've said before, I haven't gone to either place and it's unlikely I ever will simply because I'm spoiled and go to his two-starred SF namesake enough that I'm a regular. Still, anything under $50 for 3-courses at ANY Mina restaurant, regardless of it's location is a deal. Seablue's Happy Hour (5:30-7:00), however, is another story: two-dollar Stella Artois, one-dollar/pop for oysters or shrimp plus half-price on Mina's signature Lobster Corndogs and Salt and Pepper Calamari is prolly TOO good a deal fro The Hottie to pass up if we're in the area...

AUREOLE , miX , STRIPSTEAK, LITTLE BHUDDA, CAFE BA BA REEBA (among others) VIA RESTAURANT.COM.

Note: As of the time of this entry, Restaurant.com is running a promo for 80% of their certificates. In other words, you can get a $50.00 Gift Certificate for $4.00 by using promo code 'NAPKIN'. I know it sounds to good to be true, but it's not.

Now, some of you might find using a 'coupon' cheesy but, to you, I say go bury you face in the latest issue of Saveur and leave my blog alone. I hear that creepy judge from Top Chef Masters that looks like the 'Mmmkay' Guy from South Park is their editor-in-chief and he is SUCH a pretentious douchesnob that I'm sure you'll get along famously. Money saved is money saved whether it's a promotional menu or an e-mail link you clicked and, face it, you've read thru a blog about SAVING MONEY on dining out so, clearly, it interests you to some degree. Now, where was I? Oh yeah...saving benjamins. In a nutshell, you pay restaurant.com a fraction of the value of a gift certificate from participating restaurants and print them from your computer. Generally there are restrictions (the time of day or dates it can be used or minimum amout you need to purchase are fairly common) and the restaurants participating can be few and far between but, lately, they added a few more high end places that, frankly, I was shocked to see @ Restaurant.com. Bottom line, if I can pay $20 in advance for a $50 dining credit @ miX, Aureole or Fleur de Lys, why wouldn't I? We use a certificate from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba nearly every time we go to Sin City (The Hottie is a sucker for their Sangria/Tapas and the fact that's it's as The Fashion Show Mall doesn't hurt either) and the inclusion of some higher end restaurants can only makes things better. Just make sure you read the fine print and you're gtg.

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Tiki Time!

With Summer in full effect, The Foodie has found himself bitten by the Tiki Bug. Why? I'm not sure. We do have a solid Tiki history here in The Bay, what with Trader's Vic's originating here and that tradition being carried on with places like The Forbidden Island (arguably one of THE best tiki bars on the left coast) right here on Silicon Island. In fact, while merely prepping to write this blog entry last nite, I got the urge to GO to Trader Vics's so, just one hour later, there we were with a Suffering Bastard and Coral Reef in hand. Bonus: It happened to also be a 1000 point OpenTable rez. Cha-Ching! But I digress...

So hot days need cold drinks so, without further adieu, here are a few adult beverages for you to enjoy that are Hottie (and Meat Guy) approved. Plus, with them posted here, The Meat Guy can stop calling me and asking for the recipes :p


So why not start with the Mother of all tiki drinks, the venerable Mai Tai, invented by Trader Vic himself. Now many, many people have tried to figure out the EXACT blend of juices and syrups he used for the mix but, to that, I say eff it. Argue on your tiki forums all you want, but just buy a bottle of the mix for $5 at your local supermarket or specialty store and be done with it. If you follow the directions on the mixer it claims to use Trader Vic's Dark Rum, which you can, and it turns out tasty. HOWEVER, below is the recipe for what you'd be served if you were to actually have it at a Trader Vic's:

- 2 oz. Meyer's Dark Rum
- 1 oz. Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix
- Juice from 1 lime (~1 oz.)
- Splash of Demerara 151 Rum (optional)

Put the Meyer's, mixer and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake vigorously. Pour contents into a rocks glass (adding more crushed ice if necessary) and splash a floater of the 151 rum. Garnish with a mint sprig and skewered pineapple chunk and stemless maraschino cherry.

The Banana Cow, on the other hand, is not something you can have at Trader Vic's any longer. They have an extensive drink list to be sure, but just because is isn't served any longer doesn't mean it's not tasty! This recipe is s-l-i-g-h-t-y modified from Vic's original because I use Trader Vic's Banana Rum instead of the generic “light rum” it calls for and I also add a couple drops of Tahitian vanilla in it as well. Feel free to omit it.

- 1 banana
- 1.5 oz. Trader Vic's Banana Rum
- 3 oz. Milk
- 2 tbs. Powered sugar
- Dash of vanilla (optional)
- Plenty of crushed ice (his words, not mine. I'd say ½ cup crushed or 4-5 big ice cubes)

Put the mess in an electric blender and mix hell out of it. Pour in a large glass and have at it.

Best. Instructions. Ever. Seriously, those are the instructions. I use my Magic Bullet and put it into a Trader Vic's Coconut Mug but, whatever. As long as it fits in the glass and you “have at it”, it's all good.


So this drink is one that I stumbled upon @ the tikitender site while searching for new “beachy” type drinks. He calls it a Suntanned Surfer Girl but, when I read the ingredients, I said to myself “Hey! That's really just a Malibu Barbie, but with a spray-on tan.”. DING! DING! DING! The lightbulb went off and it had a new name. A Malibu Barbie is a well-established drink of pineapple juice and Malibu (coconut) rum over ice. This adds a splash of (Diet) Coke for a little cola/caramel flavor and color (hence the “spray on”). A Malibu Barbie is normally 8 oz. juice to 2 oz. Rum but I scaled it down a teeny bit simply because the small cans of pineapple juice are 6 oz. and most people making drinks at home don't have large amounts of pineapple juice sitting around in their fridge ;p And regular cola is fine too, I just use Diet Coke 'cause what else would Barbie drink? Duh!

- 6 oz. Pineapple juice
- 1.5 oz. Malibu (coconut) rum
- Splash of Diet Coke

Stir ingredients together with ice cubes in a collins glass, and serve.


Midge, of course, is Barbie's redheaded best friend...or at least, she was until they shipped her away to the same place McDonald's sent Uncle O'Grimacey and Hasbro banished Spike Witwicky before resurrecting him as Shia LaPoof. If Midge were still around today, everybody would know her as Barbie's anchor 'cause, frankly, she was. She had red hair, a little pug nose, lots of freckles and while she was cute in her own right, she had nothing on The Blonde Bombshell. This drink, however, is no anchor. It's the same basic concept, but with the new Bacardi Dragonberry/Strawberry rum (don't let the “Dragonberry” part fool you – it's strawberry rum. I'm guessing the marketing geniuses at Bacardi thought Dragonberry sounded more “exotic” or something. Whatev, it's strawberry.), and splashes of oj and pomegranate for a different flavor combo. Plus it comes out redheaded, rather than blonde :D If you don't have pomegranate juice handy, you can use a cosmo mixer in it's place OR a few drops of grenadine if really in a pinch, but be careful not to use TOO much.

- 6 oz. Pineapple juice
- 1.5oz. Bacardi Dragonberry Rum
- Splash of Orange Juice
- Splash of Pomegranate Juice
- Splash of Diet Coke

Stir ingredients together with ice cubes in a collins glass, and serve.


Yes, this drink is decidedly NOT tiki, but it's summer and it's good on a hot day. Now most of you prolly think I'm insane for suggesting you mix beer and...7-Up?!?!? I mean what insane culture would do such a thing to beer? Would you believe...the Germans? Yeap, that's right, the same country with the centuries old “Purity Act” that prevents you from using anything but four ingredients in beer (water, barley, hops and, later, yeast) are perfectly happy with mixing it with lemon-lime soda. I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried! Anyways, The Hottie tried this at the local German place (Speisekammer) on a particularly hot day while we were eating outside and was immediately sold. It also makes a hefty 20 oz. drink (or 2, 10 oz. if you're the sharing kind) which is convenient because the drink calls for a 3:2 ratio of beer to soda and, of course, beer comes in 12 oz. bottles and the little half cans of soda stocking bar fridges across the nation are 8 oz. Traditionally, a Radler is made with a medium-dark beer (like the marzen pictured) but, these days, is commonly made with light beers, which is particularly good for summer months. We'll be using a local microbrews summer offering but any light/summer beer would work. He||, you can use Bud Light Lime and Diet 7-up for all I care 'cause pretty much ANYTHING added to Bud Light would make it taste better :p And, duh, since there's no shaking with ice in a shaker nor any ice IN the drink (that would just be crossing the line, amirite?) make sure both the beer and soda are ice cold before mixing...

- 12 oz. Pyramid Curve Ball
- 8 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda

Pour into a large, frosty pilsner glass and enjoy.

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Foodie A to Z and the Elusive U

Well, it's July first and we're officially halfway thru the year which means I've had six months to work on my Foodie A to Z “challenge” which was pretty much the impetus for this blog to begin with. If you've been tracking it on the sidebar this year you'd know that, by nearly anybody's standards, The Foodie has had a pretty spectacular half-year. All total, I've eaten at 23 Michelin Stars worth of restaurants with an average ZAGAT rating of 24.7 (and, yes, I did the math, time consuming as it was). And that's even with places like In-n-Out (21), Hofbrauhaus (20), XYZ (20) and, inexplicably, One Market (21) dragging down the average. Also, I went to a handful of brand spanking new places (The Bazaar, Luce, Gordon Ramsay, Palette Food + Wine, etc.) that don't even have ZAGAT ratings yet and would have likely moved the number higher.

Even more impressive to me, is how much of the alphabet I've destroyed! 18 of 26 letters down in six months, including some really difficult letters like E, G, J, X and Z. Sadly, even though I've run through 70% of the alphabet in 50% of the time allotted, I definitely have my work cut out for me. Most of the letters left are belong to places I never go to or are simply weird/rare letters, so they will be extra, EXTRA out of the way for me (which, of course, was the whole point of this exercise). So what's a Foodie to do?

Well, there's a decent chance we'll be going to Vegas later this month and, even if we don't, Labor Day and X-Mas are other “traditional” times for us to go to Sin City. Vegas tend to be less crowded with more bargains to be found in the off-season although, apparently, I now rate at the Hard Rock and get comped rooms even when they're at their busiest. Either way, that should leave more than enough time to hit up, at the very least, (N)obu , (R)estaurant Charlie or (W)ing Lei from the Michelin Starred set. Other potential Michelin non-starred targets include: (K)oi, (N)ob Hill (but only if r-e-a-l-l-y desperate. Seriously, going to a Michael Mina S.F. “themed” restaurant in Vegas when I'm practically a regular at his two-star namsake?!?), (V)alentino (although, if I really wanted to go there, I would have hit the o/g on my L.A. Road Trip) and (Y)ellowtail. This is where the letter limitation really starts to be a pain – The Vegas Michelin guide doesn't have a SINGLE entry for Q or U o_O. Frankly, I'm lucky that XYZ and Quince are in The City or I'd really be hosed.

Locally I've got more options – we simply have more places to eat in the Bay Area and, obviously, I spend a lot more time here (duh!), so I don't have to try and squeeze 6 restaurants into 2-night, 3 day weekenders. Sadly, the alphabet pwns me on the Michelin Star front even on the domestic front. There are no starred K, N, Q, U, W or Y's. Of the letters I need, only (R)edd and The (V)illage Pub rate stars. Redd's a no-brainer and, honestly, I had to go back and look at my OpenTable history because I couldn't believe I HADN'T gone there yet this year (for the record, we went there 12.28.08...so really late last year). But despite the lack of bonafide starred places, there are still plenty of good places to be had. (Q)uince is a no-brainer -it's just a little more out-of-the-way than I like to go- and the same can be said of (Y)oshi's in San Francisco which I find amusing that it rates MUCH higher than their original location at Jack London. The same is true the aforementioned (N)obu – the Vegas outpost has a star while the o/g has none. That's just plain weird, but I digress. A more likely candidate is (Y)ank Sing (the biggest, baddest dim sum place in a city FULL of great, authentic Chinese food) which I've really wanted to go to for a long time and this would be the perfect excuse.

The single ickiest, annoying letter has turned out to be one with a Scrabble value of...1??? Yes, the dreaded U >_< While it might be used (it that a pun? U-sed /shrug) IN a lot of words, it rarely seems to START them...at least for the names of restaurants anyways. The only starred restaurant in the entire U.S. with a U is (U)rasawa in BevHills and I already wrote that off. Waaaaaay too hard to get in even if you dismiss the uber-uber-price tag. Some day, yes - I'll want it for my culinary Bingo Card. This year, not gonna happen. Heck, I was lucky to get reservations at the bar at Sushi-Zo on a SAT night. So, if it's not a starred place, what else is out there? Honestly, there are only a handful of U's that would even qualify for consideration, so the choices are carpaccio thin, but (U)nbuntu seems like the likely candidate. Granted, I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a vegetarian place (i.e. never) and it'd take a t-r-e-m-e-n-d-o-u-s amount of will on my part to drive up to Napa and NOT go to one of the places on Washington Street or thereabouts, but it does make the michael.bauer Top 100 list and is the highest rated ZAGAT 'U' with a 24. My guess is I'll kill two birds with one stone and have SUN brunch @ Redd (which is beyond awesome, btw. Get the breakfast pizza and made-to-order "donuts" and you'll be happy the rest of the day), hit some wineries on the Napa side and then head to Unbuntu for a late lunch/early dinner. Yeah, I guess that's a sacrifice I'll have to make!

NOTE: The Foodie would like to deny the rumors that Michelin and ZAGAT Guides were harmed in the writing of this blog entry. There was no furious page turning, spine bending or a haphazard pile of dark red guides plopped two feet from my chair. And not once did I b|tch about Michelin's idiotic way of breaking S.F. Into forty-six different areas that are THEN broken down in alpha order which makes it oh-so-easy to find restaurant listings. None of this occurred. Screencap or it didn't happen!

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