I just returned today from a really quick Vegas trip, the main purpose of which was to meet the parents of the man I've been dating for the past year. It was his parents' 50th wedding anniversary so there was a dinner party for them at Roy's in Summerlin on Sunday evening. That part of the trip went fine, especially after 3 martinis.

This was my first time staying at the Wynn. I have stayed at the Venetian many times and most recently have stayed at Paris due to getting deals there. However, I think I'm a convert. The Wynn was fabulous. I thought the rooms were quite elegant, spacious and comfortable and the little touches like a flat screen in the bathroom made you feel like you were somewhere special. I give a lot of credit to Steve Wynn -- his joints are classy. Speaking of Treasure Island or the TI, what a total dive that place has turned into. I remember the beautiful carpet in the old Steve Wynn days -- now's it's filthy. Just the whole place was tacky.

If you're looking for an outstanding prix fixe meal at a very reasonable cost, I suggest you try Daniel Boulud at the Wynn. We were looking for a place for dinner somewhere between the Wynn and Treasure Island where we were seeing Mystere later on and first made a reservation at the Country Club at the Wynn. After taking a stroll down there to check out the menu, we thought it was outrageously priced for something that looked like a fancified coffee shop. For goodness sakes, an entree of fish was in the high $40s and we weren't even on Rodeo Drive. We saw a group of people reading the menu at the nearby Daniel Boulud and began chatting with them. They were sooo enthusiastic about this place and the $48 prix fixe daily special. These two guys couldn't stop raving about it so we decided to sign up. The deal is just until 7 pm and it's every day. You get three choices of starters, entrees and dessert. My food was awesome. I started with a chilled English pea soup with asparagas and brie quiche, then had a steak with delicious french fries, and finished with a tiramisu dessert. The price of the steak on the regular menu was $42 and these guys told us that it was the same size as the prix fixe meal. We really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Later that evening, we saw Mystere. It's one of the few shows that I haven't seen yet on the Strip -- an oldie but a goodie. It was very good; some parts were very exciting and amazing while some parts were sort of silly and annoying. Overall, it was worth it.

We did stop by the Tickets4Tonight place at the Fashion Square mall just to check it out. Okay, it was a Monday night in June but they did have tix to every show you could think of as well as tours and museum tix. At noon, we saw a line of about 20 people but later in the day there was no line. We checked on the Mystere tix (already bought them that morning at the box office) and it would have been $10 cheaper but no choice of seating. We got our tix that morning and had probably the best seats in the house. But it was definitely a good thing to know about.

It's been a while since I rented a car in Vegas. That new rental center is monolithic. I can't say I liked it. Since I wasn't paying for the trip, I didn't have any say in which rental agency to use, but his choice was Dollar (3 days for $50). First we waited in line for 20 minutes, then the totally obnoxious clerk spoke to us like we were risking our entire financial future (and that of my kids) if we didn't sign up for his darn insurance. The facial expressions of pure disgust that he made at our ignorance was enough to make me sick. But, I wasn't the one planning this trip so I kept my negative thoughts to myself.

My "date" is a horseracing broadcaster on ABC and ESPN so he took me to the Race Book and explained how that all worked. While we were sitting there, one of his buddies happened to call on his cell phone. It's the race announcer at a famous racetrack and he was in between races. My date told him we were sitting in the Race Book at the Wynn watching this on one of the the many big screens showing races all over the country. It was hilarious because as the horses were being loaded into the gate, all of the sudden my name is being broadcast in every race book int the country . . ."A special welcome to Gail A. enjoying her first trip to the Wynn Las Vegas." We cracked up.

The little video poker I had time to play was unsuccessful so we're better off not discussing that. Let's just say I made a very small contribution to Steve Wynn's massive empire.

That was a little quicker of a trip than I thought you were going to take. It sounds like a good time. I like the Wynn a lot. They have a lot of nice little touches. I like the rock and flower decor as approach the elevators as well as the elevator area of each floor. It still cracks me up about the spare toilet paper roll with a wrapper that says Emergency Backup.

Have you ever eaten at Roys on Flamingo? I wonder how they compare. The prix fixe at Daniel Boulud sounds good too. I looked at their on line menu and the steak wasn't on the prix fixe side. I wonder if the steak was a special or if the online menu is outdated.

It doesn't sound Mystere did much for you. Yep, it's kinda strange. I'm sure it could be hard to be overwhelmed with Mystere after seeing Love. That ticket place comes in handy for certain shows. Now that you've seen the list, you have much better idea what to expect next time.

I've had a couple of great meals at the Country Club. They were both lunches. It is one of the few places in town to get a gourmet steak for lunch. It has a great waterfall view of the 18th green. It's not fancy and works for a clubhouse restaurant to grab a bite after a round of golf. Going there dinner would take away almost every positive as there are more options for a gourmet steak, you can't see outside, and the inside isn't fancy.

Thanks for the trip report. I hope you get back soon for some live jazz.

Thanks for teh report Gail.

I made my first trip into Wynn a couple months ago and thought it was very nice.

I'll certainly add Daniel Boulud to my 'to-do' list.

Roy's is also on my list, what did you eat there?

The steak seemed to be a regular part of the prix fixe menu nowadays according to the two guys that were recommending it. The other entree choices were salmon and chicken.

I think you are right about lunch at the Country Club being a better option than dinner. Daniel Boulud worked nicely for us as a romantic type of dinner place.

Of course, the final news on the trip report is that I broke up with the boyfriend on the drive home from the airport after a year and half. I didn't mention that.

Thanks Gail. Sorry to hear about that final news. I hope it doesn't put a damper on future Las Vegas trips.

Gail - thank you for a great read. It sounds like you had a good time but I'm sorry about the final outcome. I'm a big horse racing fan and your story about having your name announced was really fun to read! Glad you enjoyed Mystere and had good seats. I ate at Daniel Boulud several years ago to celebrate my 50th birthday with friends. I remember the food being good but we had a bad waiter who sort of ruined the whole thing for us. I should, however, give the place another chance sometime, based on your recommendation. Thank you again!

Mike, if you're a horse racing fan, you would have enjoyed my life for the past year and a half. It's a world I never really knew existed. I'm sure you know my bf. I went with him to the Kentucky Derby, hung out with all the famous owners and trainers, actually sat next to them during the race itself. I'm actually going out to dinner with my friend tonight so we'll see what we can do to repair the situation.

Gail - I've been to the Kentucky Derby twice in my life but never even got close to the grandstand - it was the in-field for me! I go to Arlington Park here in Chicago a few times per month but unfortunately the quality of horses and jockeys isn't what it used to be. I get very tired of maidens and claimers all the time.

Good luck to you with your friend!

Ah Relationships....what a PITA....LOL

What a kick to get a welcome like that over the race!
It all sounded like a great trip up untill your final note. Sometimes the quick trips are the best, it limits your possibility for a big loss (gambling that is). If you do win, it's a lot better chance you'll take something home with you!

Sorry so tardy in reading, but this trip served as a pre-trip pick me up, for me. Thanks for a great report!

On a personal note, I hope everything works out the way you would like it too. (what ever that is)