Viva Las Vegas!

Ah, I love going to Vegas. Give me 3 or 4 days of a sweet depature from reality and I'm good to go for a long while. I don't end up gambling much, as I have WAY more important things to spend money on - delicious food and tasty brews. This recent trip was for a CPE conference (Tax Planning for the High Income Individual - i.e. clients, not me) and, while the conference was at the Bellagio, I had trouble paying $200 a night when I could pay $80 across the street at Planet Hollywood. And if you know me, you know I have no problem walking EVERYWHERE on the strip. The room I had reserved was just a standard room, which is more than satisfactory to me. Instead, I ended up getting the Boulevard Suite....1,400 square feet of overpriced luxury...including an air hockey table, but more importantly, this awesome view.

But really, suites aside, the more important thing was the beer. After a nice dinner, I headed over to New York New York, where I enjoyed a tasty pint of Rogue Shakespeare Stout at Pour 24. This beer bar is located on the upper level above the casino, sorta where the overpasses from Excalibur and MGM Grand meet, right next to the classy Coyote Ugly. At $7 a pint, not cheap, but from what I will find out, pretty standard for Lost Wages. They had a really nice offering of beer - Alaskan Amber, Abita Purple Haze, Big Sky Moose Drool, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA... I'd check this out if you were on this end of the strip and wanted a nice variety.

The next day, I went over to Monte Carlo for a quick bite at Rubio's Mexican Grill in the Monte Carlo food court. This is one of my favorite places for a tasty fish taco...so good. Near the tram station is their beer bar, The Pub, which was formerly the Monte Carlo Brewpub, which made their own beer. The Pub has morphed into a junior Yard House - offering about 70 beers on tap. They had some of the standard Micro/Macro Brews (Blue Moon, Widmer, etc...), but did offer a bunch of local things and more obscure beers. I was really in the mood for an IPA and ended up with a Stone IPA. Should have tried something more local, but my brain had been a bit...zapped by hours of continuing education.

Tina surprised me by showing up on Monday night and we had a nice, pre-anniversary dinner at Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palance. Get the Wild Mushroom Quesadilla...BEST quesadilla....EVER. We started off with a margarita and I ended up getting a Schneider & Sons Weizen-Eisbock with dinner. Pretty tasty beer - lots of malt taste to it and went well with the lamb I got. If you are ever out here, do try Mesa Grill.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to go to one of my favorite beer/food joints, which is Burger Bar over in Mandalay Bay. They have a great selection of beers and nothing goes better with a beer than a burger. After this quick trip (less than 48 hours....oy), I'm ready for a trip back, but with less "learning" and more "lounging and enjoying".