Minibreak: VEGAS!

I LOVE Vegas. The lights, the glamour, the energy, the over-the-top tackiness, the gambling, the shopping, and the food, and the food, and the FOOD. The Vegas of old with its $1.99 prime rib served lukewarm in a dreary downtown bingo room is no more. In the span of a mile you can now find 16 world class Michelin starred restaurants. Vegas has enticed nearly every well-known chef to open a restaurant.
Recently Big N and I decided last minute that we'd crash our friends' H+M's trip to Vegas to visit friends who live there. We booked a room at our new favorite hotel, the Palazzo. The Palazzo, an all-suite hotel, is on a great spot on the strip, sandwiched between the Wynn and the Venetian. It boasts modern (read: not too tacky) design, and a decent offering of restaurants and shops. On our last trip to Vegas, the Palazzo upgraded us to a 1500 sq. foot suite just for frequenting their hotel on a dead weekend; no such luck on an upgrade this time but even the suite for the masses is spacious and decked out in brown marbles and red velvet furniture, with soft linens and 3 flat screens, plus samples of expensive face creams from the Canyon Ranch Spa (for my ladies out there).

For dinner on Friday I attempted to reserve a table at Vegas's only three Michelin starred restaurant, Joel Robuchon in the MGM Grand, but not surprisingly, we couldn't impress the hostess at the best restaurant in town by regaling her with tales of our last minute weekend jetsetting. So we "settled" for one starred Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn, where I dined on a lovely duo of beef, filet and short ribs, and a crab salad starter. Unfortunately, I got a little happy on wine and neglected to take a single photo, but I do recommend the restaurant. It's upscale but not snobby. They also make a fabulous fig bread (most of mine however ended up on the floor in an unfortunate mishap with the butter).
On Saturday we joined our friends at Hank's, a steakhouse located about 20 minutes off the strip at the Green Valley Ranch Resort. If you dare to drive to Vegas and have a car with you, Hank's is a must-dine. The restaurant is a classy joint with crystal chandeliers and velvet booths, but jazzes it up by pumping live rock music into the dining room. Steaks are cooked to perfection, and the side dishes are phenomenal. My favorite accompaniments to the petit filet were the mac & cheese and creamed corn. Plus the cocktails are pretty fabulous as well. The wine list isn't the greatest but you won't have trouble finding a good cab to go with that steak. We settled on a cabernet sauvignon from the Howell Mountain area of Napa, though the name of the producer is escaping me.

Though I restrained myself on the shopping (even resisting picking up something at the fab Catherine Malandrino store in the Palazzo shoppes), I did manage to leave a winner thanks to my new favorite game: Three Card Poker. Taking advantage of my beginner's luck, I scored a three-card straight flush, which paid me 40 to 1 odds on the bonus. I love that town!

Divine Beef: Wagyu Tri-tip with mushrooms and home grown carrots

My neighborhood Bristol Farms sells Australian Wagyu beef. Now I know that beef connoisseurs out there love to whine about the kobe/wagyu debate, (what is the real Kobe? didn't the Americans steal bovine sperm from the Japanese? etc. etc.). As for me, I just like good meat, and I'm not particular about where it comes from, as long as it's not riddled with hormones and antibiotics, the cow had a relatively good short life, and grass actually passed through his stomachs at some point. I don't get too caught up in organic snobbiness, because anybody who's read The Omnivore's Dilemma knows that a lot of the "organic" industry is a crock.
Anyway, last night we tried the Wagyu Tri-Tip and as skeptical as I was about cooking successful Wagyu at home, I have to admit the difference was huge. Big N handled the tri-tip, and I provided the assist with sides. He seasoned it simply with my homemade dry rub (created with brown sugar, kosher salt, and a plethora of seasonings in my pantry) and a little olive oil, let it sit for 30 minutes (no overnight marinating required for this beauty) and cooked it to perfection on the grill.
For sides, my mother-in-law blessed us again with home grown carrots from her garden, which I boiled until soft and added a little butter, apricot preserves, fresh nutmeg, lemon zest, a little lemon juice, and parsley. I also sauteed fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms in olive oil, butter, and garlic, and added white wine and some finely diced greens from the tops of the carrots.
The meat was delicious, perfectly marbled and fatty, and soft and juicy. The carrots tasted fresh as only home grown produce can taste, and the mushrooms were tasty (but I admit I got a little happy with my celtic sea salt).
Big N paired our meal with a Pertimali Sassetti Livio 2003 Brunello di Montalcino, made from sangiovese. The wine smelled of stewed cherries, cedar, and eucalyptus, with a full but approachable palette of licorice, leather, dark fruits, and a little smoke.

Very satisfying for a Wednesday night. Thanks to the fatty Wagyu, this meal was restaurant quality.

LCG's New Toy: Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i

Since LCG is getting serious about her blogging, my little point and click camera simply wasn't cutting it anymore, so I upgraded to a beginner DSLR. These days, you can get a pretty great camera for less than $1,000. After consulting with my fellow bloggers and photographers, I decided to stick with Canon and bought the EOS Digital Rebel T1i. If you're not into gadgets, then this post really isn't for you, but I have to gush about how sweet this camera is: 15.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating, and compatibility with the EOS System of lenses and Speedlites, the EOS Rebel T1i adds remarkable Full HD video capture at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080.
Not that this means much to me now, but it will, one day soon. I'm determined to become a better photographer. Here is my first attempt, with my cantankerous 11-year-old constant companion Kirby serving as my subject:

Monday Night Fish: Salmon with Watermelon Heirloom Tomato Salad

After a bit of overindulging in the food department in Vegas this past weekend, I knew my body needed to return to eating light. Last night's Monday Night Fish was inspired by the beautiful heirloom tomatoes that my mother-in-law gave Big N and I from her garden.

I sliced the yellow heirlooms and stacked the slices vertically with sliced watermelon, held together by a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese in between each layer. I drizzled a little balsalmic vinegar and olive oil, sprinkled celtic sea salt for flavor, and garnished with fresh basil for fragrance. The mild ricotta went well with the sweetness of the heirlooms and watermelon, and the salt provided flavor and texture to this colorful summer salad.

For the salmon I kept it light and simple, seasoning it with salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil, searing on both sides, and finishing it up in a 400 degree oven.

I placed the salmon on a bed of sauteed sugar peas, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little sugar to carmelize.

In under 20 minutes we had dinner on the table, complete with a crisp Cottonwood Canyon Chardonnay. A perfect summer meal.

Anniversary Minibreak: Santa Fe

For our first anniversary Big N and I celebrated with a mini-break to Santa Fe. Santa Fe, if you've never been there, is a completely unique experience. Nestled in the high desert of Northern New Mexico, the town stays true to its rancho roots, with old adobe buildings at every turn, and rich painted landscapes that cross the rolling desert sky. We stayed at the Encantado Resort, a brand new Auberge property just outside Santa Fe in Tesuque.
Upon checking into our "casita", a private bungalow with desert sunset views, I was greeted with a fragrant bouquet of roses and fire lilies sneakily arranged by my husband. (He's good). Our first full day we spent in the old town of Santa Fe, visiting the art galleries. Santa Fe boasts the second largest art market in the US, behind NYC. There are hundreds of galleries around the city featuring local and international artists of paintings, sculpture, and mixed media. I purchased a small modern painting by Katrin Moller, entitled Gemaltes 48, from the Gebert Contemporary gallery. Big N found a few sculptures he's considering, more on that to come. On a friend's recommendation, we ate at The Shed, which features excellent New Mexican cooking and delicious red and green chili sauce.

The next day, after huevos rancheros on the veranda, we drove up to Taos, about 2 hours from Santa Fe. The drive takes you farther north through old rancho villages along the way. We spent some time admiring amazing hand-woven blankets from artisans in the Chimayo Village. For 8 generations these weavers have mastered their craft. We couldn't resist ordering a custom multi-colored blanket for our bedroom. In Taos we visited Native American pueblos, churches, and a couple of fly fishing shops. On the way back from Taos we took the low road along the Rio Grande, ending up back at our hotel to dine at the amazing restaurant, which mixes New Mexican cuisine with seasonal faire.
On our last day, we decided to check out a ranch for sale between Santa Fe and Albuquerque before heading back to the airport. The owner, Dean (a sharp witted Texan whose office is next to Val Kilmer's, the next gubernatorial candidate of New Mexico), drove us by jeep through the backwoods alongside sleepy villages to a 100 acre ranch. Half a mile of the Pecos River runs through the canyon at the bottom of the ranch, 400 feet below a cliff that overlooks the river and thousands of acres of Spanish land grant property. The ranch, while beautiful, is obviously meant for hearding livestock by rough and tumble cowboys, and isn't quite as suited to a couple of city slickers.


Though I wish we had another day or two to spend getting to know Santa Fe and its culture, we enjoyed our mini-break and intend to return in the future. Santa Fe offers a unique opportunity to explore the history of the old and mostly untouched Southwest, but in a luxurious style to which I've become accustomed (thanks to my husband, who knows how to spoil me).