This was to be a trip that was half-business, half-pleasure. I had a conference at the Wynn Dot starting on Sunday so I flew out on Friday for a few days of fun.

I had hoped to stay at an off-Strip hotel for these 2 nights, as it’s been something I’ve been wanting to do. I waited for whatever offers were to come my way. Nothing much really enticed me, except a long-awaited offer from Red Rock – a place I’ve always wanted to try – for $39 per night. But when I called, they told me Friday night would be $39 but then Saturday would be $189. What?? Sorry, no deal.

I ended up taking an offer from Mandalay Bay for $69 per night at The Hotel and $100 in free play and $50 in dining credits. I’ve stayed at The Hotel before and always loved it – I think the rooms there are the best in Vegas and still do.

Friday, March 6
I had a nice, relatively uneventful flight which left Chicago at 7AM. When I say “relatively uneventful,” it was fine until about the last half-hour. I had been upgraded and was sitting amongst a group of people who I think all worked together. I spent most of the flight working on my computer and not paying much attention to what was going on around me. But about 30 minutes before landing, I realized most of these people had been somewhat over-served with alcohol and they were feeling no pain. The woman in front of me climbed on to the lap of the guy next to her and started making out with him. She was a bit loud and making a total fool of herself. It made me really uncomfortable and I thought that they’ll let just about anybody sit in First Class these days. These people were totally schloshed and when we landed in Las Vegas, it was 9AM.

The airport wasn’t busy and my luggage came out fairly fast. I got to the rental car facility quickly and soon after was driving away in a Chrysler PT Cruiser. I was hungry and knew where I wanted to eat lunch, but it was a bit early since the restaurant didn’t open until 11AM. So I made a side trip to the Orleans and donated some money there until it was time for lunch.

At JMT’s recommendation, I went to Amore’s pizza joint on Durango at Flamingo. I didn’t realize the place had a Chicago connection and the place is nicely decorated with Chicago sports memorabilia. The lone waitress there was from suburban Chicago and we had a very nice chat. I learned that the owners and most of the staff are Chicagoans. I told the waitress I’m always in search of “the best pizza in Las Vegas” so the waitress recommended a pizza with their homemade Italian sausage. I ordered the thin crust (instead of pan or stuffed) since I was starving and it would be ready sooner. The pizza was excellent and as good as anything you can get in Chicago. In fact, it tasted just like the thin crust I usually get delivered to my home from a place called Chicago’s Pizza. Next time I’ll order their pan pizza to see how it compares. Thank you again, JMT, for the recommendation!

Around 1PM I checked into The Hotel and after unpacking, I hit the casino where I began one of the worst losing streaks of my life. For 2 days, I couldn’t hit a thing. It was just pitiful and after a while, no fun at all. Since there were no movies that I wanted to see, I got in a lot of walking over those 2 days. At least the weather was glorious (sunny and a tad cool and MUCH BETTER than the miserable snow and cold of Chicago) and perfect for long walks. It was so nice to walk and feel the sun on my face!

After a nap, I got adventurous and set out for the Cannery North to see Lena Prima’s show. I'm not quite sure HOW I made it to the Cannery - I got lost several times - but made it to the show with 2 minutes to spare. It was a great show. She had a great crowd - pretty much a full house. The room where she played is a great performance space and the acoustics are excellent. Her band was excellent and her voice was in fine form. The show was mostly music from her “Louis Prima – That’s My Dad” CD and they also featured videos of Louis Prima and Lena’s mom from appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was really fascinating. I'm VERY glad I went. Oh yes, I should mention, I was bowled over that the admission was only $10. That's an incredible bargain for such a great show!!

Of course, after the show, I got lost returning back to the Strip - not quite sure how that happened - but eventually I made it back. Ended up at Harmon and Maryland and lo and behold - there was Inn Out Burger! Yes, I treated myself and it was excellent! I had the double-double and would highly recommend that instead of the single burger they offer. I wasn’t too crazy about the fries – Fatburger’s are better – but the burger was excellent.

I made a brief attempt at gambling before going to bed but it was futile. One of the things I dislike about the Mandalay Bay casino is that the music is way too loud at night. No matter where you go, the music is blaring. So between the loud music and continued losing, I called it a night.

Saturday, March 7
I was up around 6AM, grabbed some coffee and settled in at a VP machine. But again, it was lose, lose, lose so I gave up and headed over to Egg Works (at Sunset and Eastern) for breakfast. I have to say this is now my absolute favorite place for breakfast in all of Vegas. I had an omelet with American cheese, potatoes, wheat toast, and also ONE biscuit with gravy. Everything was EXCELLENT.

After breakfast, I headed over to check out the new M Resort. I was really impressed with this place. It reminded me a lot of Red Rock and I wonder if it had the same architect. Some of the restaurants look really good (especially the Italian place) and they have a nice selection of VP choices. I spent quite a bit of time exploring the place but never actually sat down to play. The line at the player’s club booth was REALLLY LONG and I just didn’t feel like waiting in it. I did see some 9/7 Double Bonus and 10/6 Double Double Bonus video poker available on some machines.

After that, I ended up taking a drive out to Red Rock, donated some money there, and eventually ended up back at home base. Back at The Hotel, I lost more money, went for a nice walk and then napped.

Saturday night I had a ticket to see Terry Fator at the Mirage. I got there early and dined at the Carnegie Deli for dinner. The food is exactly like what they have at the original Carnegie Deli in New York City. I had the beef brisket with brown gravy, potato pancake, and veggies. It was really excellent.

I’m not quite sure what to say about Terry Fator. I didn’t really know who he was other than he won America’s Got Talent last year and the Mirage signed him to a multi-million dollar deal to replace the now departed Danny Gans. Plus my friend Charlie had seen him on TV and said he was really talented. I got a 2nd-row seat on line for a very “cheap” price of $69 which almost seemed too good to be true. It was. It was a HORRIBLE seat and probably detracted from my enjoyment of the show. I was all the way to one side and they way the stage is set up, I couldn’t even see the live band (there were 6 or 8 of them – I couldn’t tell) behind Fator. They also project Fator on a large screen on both sides (so the people in the back can see him and his puppets up close) and I had to crane my neck to see that as well. At least Fator performs in front of the stage at a podium so I could watch him live. But I had to turn my head all the way to the right and that was really uncomfortable. About halfway through the show, I contemplated leaving but then saw some ushers chairs about halfway up the aisle that were empty so I moved up there. That position was much more comfortable but I still couldn’t see the band.

The show itself was enjoyable but I can’t say it was all that great. Fator is a ventriloquist and performs with about 7 different puppets. He does jokes with them and sings a lot, doing impressions of a lot of famous people – very much like Danny Gans. His impressions were good and he’s got a great voice, but after a while, the act seemed to get a bit repetitious.

The opening was impressive – his Emma Taylor doll does a spot-on impression of Etta James’ “At Last” but that’s all she did. I could have used more of her. Next was Winston the Turtle who sounded a lot like Kermit the Frog. Winston made 2 appearances in the show but he wasn’t all that interesting and was on for too long. Perhaps the best doll was a cowboy named Walter who was very funny and was very much in the old-time Charlie McCarthy-style of ventriloquism. Fator did some great material with him and the C&W songs were impressive. Walter also made 2 appearances and was probably the best part of the show. Less impressive were Vicki the Cougar (an “older” female doll with a “thing” for young males) and a Beatle doll who sounded like Ringo Starr. Julius the Soul Singer looked and sounded like Louis Armstrong and was pretty good. There was also a Stoner doll that did a great job with his impersonations of Guns N Roses and Z Z Top.

The show is very family-friendly and the audience genuinely seemed to like it. But if you go see it, be careful where you sit – definitely NOT along the extreme sides of the theater.

Back at home base, I didn’t even try to gamble since the casino was noisy and my pockets were empty.

Sunday, March 8
I was up early to get some coffee and make one last stab at the VP machines. No luck so I headed back to Egg Works. I had the same table and the same waitress and she remembered me and everything I ordered from the day before. “Yes, I’ll have it all again” and it was great!

I returned the car to the airport and headed back to The Hotel to pack up and move to Encore. Although my conference was at Wynn Dot, I got a much better rate at Encore. The “conference rate” at Wynn was $279 and I thought I could do better than that with my player’s club card. But $279 was the best rate I could get at Wynn. So I checked Encore and got my room for $169. Apparently this is the standard rate as they’ve priced themselves lower than other luxury hotels – I’m not sure why, but it’s a great deal. A few of my colleagues also attending the conference didn’t know about the lower rate at Encore and were somewhat upset over paying more at Wynn. But those of us at Encore had a longer walk to the conference rooms!

I wasn’t crazy about Wynn when I stayed there in 2007. Check-in was a nightmare, service was bad, and the room was just okay. My experience at Encore was 100% different. Although check-in was busy when I got there, it was well organized and I got checked in fairly fast. The room was excellent. It’s about 600 square feet and divided into 3 parts – a very large bathroom with 2 sinks, separate bathtub, shower stall, TV in the wall, and separate room for the toilet. The bedroom is in the middle with a large king sized bed and a flat screen TV. Then there is the living room with a desk and couch. The bedroom looks into the living room and the TV swivels so you can watch from either place. The windows are floor-to-ceiling and the room is equipped with devices that can automatically turn on and off all the lights everywhere, plus open and close the drapes. I was on the 29th floor and looked south, with a great view of the Wynn Dot, Trump Tower, Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island, Mirage, and Rio (love the lit Rio at night – it reminds me of my early days in Vegas where I could see it from my window at the Flamingo and the Rio seemed SO FAR AWAY!). I could also see the Wynn golf course, and the pools of both Wynn and Encore.

I have to say everything about my stay at Encore was good. I like the casino (although the music is too loud) and all the game choices they have. There is a lot of VP choices and the table limits seem reasonable ($10 blackjack and craps tables). Service was good all around and cocktail waitresses were plentiful. Unfortunately, with the exception of one run on a VP machine, my luck was awful and my losing streak continued throughout the trip.

My conference started at 2PM and after that, I headed to dinner with my colleague Marianne. I wanted to try some new restaurants on this trip and she was game to go with me. Dinner was at B&B Ristorante at the Venetian. This is a Mario Batali place. He’s a chef you’ve seen on TV – big guy with blonde hair and a pony tail. I’ve always been interested in trying one of his restaurants but I wasn’t crazy about this one. We had a bad table – sort of thrown into the middle of a noisy room – and the wait staff wasn’t all that great. I had an excellent grilled octopus for an appetizer but my pasta with a pork sauce was a bit flat. (I can’t remember what Marianne had.) We skipped desert in favor of a stroll through the Venetian shops and got some gelato at St. Mark’s Square.

Monday, March 9
I was at the conference pretty much all day. We dined at the Country Club at Wynn for lunch, where I had an excellent salmon. We had a great table with a view of the golf course. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was at least good to see the sun for a while.

Dinner was at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT restaurant at the Palazzo. The place has a nice vibe to it and we had a great table in one of the booths along the wall. The waiters were great – very friendly and efficient. M and I had the same things – a honey-crusted apple salad with a nice vinegrette dressing for an appetizer (which was excellent) and filet mignon as a main course. We also had potato au gratin and creamy spinach. Everything was pretty good although the filet was a bit salty and I have to say, CraftSteak at MGM Grand still has the best filet mignon in Vegas. As we were very full, we skipped dessert.

It was a beautiful night so M and I walked up to Bellagio to see the fountains and also the conservatory, decorated for Chinese New Year and then walked back (yes, we both like to walk).

Tuesday, March 10
The conference went all day until 3PM. After that, I gave a colleague of mine a video poker lesson but I think my bad luck rubbed off on him as his money evaporated very quickly. But then I finally got on a good triple play machine where I won back a small amount of the money I had lost previously over the past 4 days.

Dinner was at the Nobhill Tavern at MGM Grand. I’ve always wanted to try this place. It’s a Michael Mina restaurant. Michael Mina usually specializes in seafood and I’ve eaten at his Seablue and Aqua restaurants in Vegas. Nobhill is more American/comfort food and I really enjoyed it. I started with a tasting trio of soups (consume, lobster bisque, and some creamy pork concoction) which was great. Then M and I split a whole roasted chicken which came with truffled macaroni and cheese and veggies. The chicken was moist and tender and everything was great. No dessert – we were full.

After dinner, we had KA tickets which came with the price of the conference. This was my FIFTH viewing of KA and I have to say, while it’s a great show, 5 times is enough. Our seats weren’t that great – 2 rows from the very back – but since I had seen it already, it really didn’t matter. Still, it was good to see it from a different perspective (I usually like to sit up close).

The people I was with seemed to enjoy it immensely – none of them had ever seen a Cirque show before and I think they were mesmerized. I like the fact that Cirque tries to change things up with their shows but I was disappointed that they cut the jungle sequence in half (one of my favorite parts) in favor of a lame acrobats on ropes sequence that just didn’t work for me.

After the show, many people went gambling. I showed some people the ins and outs of craps but no one won anything.

Wednesday, March 11
The flight home was fast and quick with no problems whatsoever.

I’m very glad I got to stay at Encore and I’d stay there again. I really liked my room, the casino, and the service. I’m also glad I tried some new places to eat. I’d definitely return to Nobhill.

Next trip is April – back to NYNY.

Wow Mike, That's a busy trip.

I'm glad Amore did was not a disappointment. There is a solid Chicago connection. Sorry I didn't emphasize that. I like that it still has a solid Las Vegas feel too with the pictures on the tables and the view of the strip from the windows or parking lot. One of these days, I will try the pizza. One question, do the places in Chicago cut the pizza into squares like Amore does?

Lena's show with the full band has been almost exactly like the CD, except for the videos, the talking between songs, and the parade march though the audience for "When The Saints Go Marching In". This show we saw very different. I've never heard her do Sunday Kind Of Love with the full band. I've never seen her play a drum with the full band, although she is a very good drummer. If you are in town in late April, I'm sure she would love to talk to you at the art show in Summerlin. It's a big shopping center, and the art show is a health walk as artists are displaying their wares in front of the stores all the way around. And it's in a nice neighborhood with great walking trails. I used to go every year but I'll be at work this year.

I've been trying to figure out if Egg Works or Maple Tree is my favorite breakfast. I actually had Maple Tree this morning. It was a great breakfast. Service was very good and personable, but the service was not up to the level of Egg Works. I like having the huge variety of quality breakfast options in town, and there's still more on my to-do list. Was your waitress at Egg Works a tall athletic girl named Cheri or Sheree or something like that? There's a girl that works at the Sunset location that is a SWA supervisor. I haven't seen her in a long time.

I really like the Country Club. They have a great view. And when the weather is nice, there is a long winding patio with an even better view. Too bad there isn't a big demand for upscale lunches.

Nobhill Tavern sounds interesting. It might be a little to fancy for me. They do have an excellent locals offer of buy one, get one free.

Sorry you gambling wasn't very good this time. You've been around long enough to know it will come back. Sometimes those beatings are hard to take though.

Terry Fator just doesn't do much for me. Sure it's talent. It takes talent to install tile in a shower but I wouldn't pay to watch it. I think I'd be mad if I paid big money to see a show and the best view was on a big screen TV. I guess it's not my kind of show. FWIW, Danny Gans has a Kermit The Frog puppet.

There are some great deals on show tickets now. I'm hoping to catch some more acts that I haven't seen yet.

Thanks for another great trip report. I especially like reading about your dining.

Hurry Back!

JMT - I WILL be in town in late April. Please tell me more about the art show in Summerlin. And will Lena be performing there?

I LOVED her version of "Sunday Kind of Love." It was nice to hear something that wasn't on the CD and she did an excellent job on it!

Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of my waitress at Egg Works. And there were several girls who looked tall and athletic!

I'll probably return to Maple Tree in April at least once since I like that place too.

Thanks for reading!

mike always a fun read about your trips,you do stay busy,but i always have to go out and eat after reading<G> i hate to tell you of the people i have talked to that have had losing trips to vegas,makes you wonder about the machines! mucho better luck next time!! was your pt part of the wildcard rental or a midsize?

Mike, You always eat well. Even if the gambling gods weren't smiling on you this time, it still sounded like a good trip too me.
So you enjoyed Encore, but still believe "The Hotel" @ Mbay is the best?
If I have that correct, that is kinda a shame, when you think about Encore and how it's supposed to be the best of the best. But then, different strokes for different folks. I love the Hotel, but not the price, without an offer, we won't be staying there any time soon. Speaking of offers, I got one from the four seasons last week. Kinda makes you wonder, but no trips for me till after tax time.
JMT's mention of Lena's art show and performance sounds like an excellent reason to make a late April trip to Vegas.
Who knows, maybe I'll see ya there!

Mike, Thanks for a fun read, I always enjoy your trip reports. Although, DAG isn't the only one that gets hungary for a good meal after reading these! LOL I got a feeling I'm going to have to settle for cheap italian food tonight!

Thank You for typing it all out for us.

DAG - the PT Cruiser was a basic mid-size rental.

Lee - I still think The Hotel is the best there is. I love the fact that you have 2 separate rooms. I'm a very light sleeper and sensitive to noise so at The Hotel, you can close the door to your bedroom and there is no hallway noise. In fact, I've never heard any noise there.

Although Encore advertises itself as "all suites," it's not really a suite. It's just one very big room, with the bedroom separated by the sitting room by a semi-wall where the TV is. I do have to say, though, Encore was pretty quiet. The door to the room was very heavy and I heard very little hallway noise.

Mike just curious, have you ever stayed at the Four Seasons at Mandalay bay?
149 a night sure sounds like a bargain, and they throw in a 25$ toward the spa.

I forgot to ask, when exactly are you expecting to make your next trip back to the neon jungle?

As for quiet, I'm guessing the place wasn't booked solid?
One last question, how where the crowds? I'd really like a vegas vacation, where I can easily get reservations at a nice restaurant without planning so much in advance. Add to that the bonus of not being jammed up against so many other vp players. I know I like a little space sometimes when I'm playing. And we've all had bad seats at a VP carousel.

Lee - no, never stayed at the Four Seasons. I know someone who did once and she said it was very nice. She was there for a business trip and is not a gambler so she said it was ideal for her. There's supposed to be a nice steakhouse there too.

I'm headed back to Vegas at the end of April.

The crowds were moderate. There was a conference going on at Mandalay Bay and they told me the place was 90% booked but the casino was never jammed.

In the other hotels, they all seemed busy but not overly crowded. I never had a problem getting a seat by myself at a VP machine.

I sure hope your conference went better than your gambling on this trip<g>.

I've only seen Lena's show once in the Casbah Lounge days, but I really enjoyed it, and it sounds like you got most of the same things I liked. It's nice to know they have good acoustics out at the Cannery since they seem to bring in a lot of the old-timers groups that I would enjoy.

LOL, got to commend you for ONLY having ONE biscuit with those breakfasts! As usual, I'm hungry after reading the rest of your dining<g>.

Do you think you've found your new home at Encore if NYNY continues to change? The rooms sound a lot like Palazzo or the Venetian.

Daisy - Yes, ONE biscuit with gravy is me displaying my willpower!

You raise a good question about Encore being my new home. I was just thinking about that the other day. It's certainly possible. I'm headed back to NYNY at the end of April so we'll see how that goes. Beyond that, who knows?

The rooms at Encore are somewhat different from the Venetian (I've never seen the Palazzo rooms). First of all, there is no sunken living room. And the bathroom is behind the bedroom, whereas I think at the Venetian, the bathroom is across from the bedroom.

The Encore room is a long, rectangular design. The Venetian room (if memory serves me correctly) is wider but not as long.

The acoustics were great. The back wall of the venue opens up to the outside where more people could watch a bigger show in better weather. Look at the Cannery website under Entertainment and you can see what it looks like with that wall open.