This, of course, is the latest continuation of a series of entries wherein I share tales of me "eating food" and "doing stuff" during my recent excursion to Las Vegas. Subsequently, you are invited to feel jealous and/or hungry at regular intervals. Read on, if you dare.
No Flash Photography, Please...
And so, in a state of "full up like so many fat little piggies" due to the previously described ingesting of the lamb meat, kobe beef (meat), sweet potato fries and sweet, sweet booze, my hosts and I wandered more or less aimlessly back through (the opulent) Mandalay Bay. Or did we go through Luxor first? Eh...No matter...I really should add that, while I was "wandering" and Andy's wife Andrea was "walking," Andy was "prancing." You see, something (I cannot remember what specifically) had given Andy the idea to "dance everywhere" for the rest of the day...While he needed a bit of reminding here and there, his "interpretive dance-walking" certainly added an amount of...something...to our day...Anyhow, dancing and Jazz-hands aside, following our lunch at the Burger Bar, we eventually danced our collective way toward "Shark Reef" which, if you are unaware, is a very large indoor aquarium exhibit at Mandalay Bay...I had heard of it but had never actually partaken of it's marine-related eyefuls of goodness...Thanks to a decent "locals discount," though, we were all soon taking the grand tour, greasy "audio wands" in hand...

But, sadly, without the ability to snap pictures of any kind...

You see, prior to my going on vacation, I had purchased two new digital cameras...That's right, TWO stinkin' cameras: one for me, one for my wife. I was sure that, at the same time that I was staring at marine life from around the globe (sans camera) in Vegas, my wife was probably joyously snapping pictures, one right after another, while visiting her mother in Florida. As opposed to resting usefully in my hands, MY camera was safely in it's case, next to the sleep-futon, back at Casa de Andy. It's sad, really, because during the tour I was constantly thinking "damn, I can't descibe THAT! I'd have to take a PICTURE!" So, yes: Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is pretty impressive, And when you take my word for that and go and see the stupid thing for yourself, take your camera...And send me pictures...Thanks.

And What Exactly Do They Eat in Peru?..
Having already enjoyed lunch at the Burger Bar, and after having given many a shark the "stink-eye," Andy, Andrea and I had to decide where we were going to eat our dinner later that evening before dancing over to see the magical magic that is Penn and Teller. We decided to enjoy one of the restaurants which Andy had already tried, and subsequently recommended, called Inka Si Señor. Now, every town in the USA has at least one Mexican restaurant, everyone is familiar with Chinese restaurants, many people enjoy German food and Japanese food and countless other restaurants featuring ethnic fare (I'm quite partial to Vietnamese, too)...Tell me this, though: when was the last time you sat down at your favorite PERUVIAN restaurant? Huh? C'mon, smart guy!..That's right, you are "at a loss"...While not the most widespread of the ethnically-themed restaurant fare, Peruvian is pretty good stuff...At the very least, I found Inka's Peruvian food to be very tasty (they claim that their food is so homemade, that it won't taste the same twice, so I'll let you know how it is the next time I go)...The restaurant itself is a relatively large establishment with a friendly staff and a full bar. Myself, I enjoyed a chicken and rice dish that, when delivered to the table, was not only a heaping mound of food but sported a unique shade of green...The dish itself was bursting with flavor without being spicy, which I found unique...Andrea enjoyed a steak dish, covered with melted cheeses and served along side a similar rice as the one paired with my chicken. Andy, of course, shared Andrea's plate (and sampled my chicken) and also had a side-dish of sweet plantains which were quite awesome...Because I'm a borderline alcoholic To compliment my dinner, I tried a Pisco and Ginger ale with a twist of lime. If you've never enjoyed it, Pisco is a form of Brandy and is, essentially, the national drink of Peru. Pisco tasted mostly like whiskey to me (which was just fine) and was relatively smooth without being overly fruity...While I was able to finish the drink, I was not able to finish my meal (yes, it was THAT much of a "heaping mound"). Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Las Vegas and you're thinking to yourself "all of these hip, trendy 5-star restaurants just won't do," hit up Inka Si Señor for some hearty homemade Peruvian food...You certainly won't be disappointed in the slightest...

Try, Try, Try To Understand (He's A Magic Man)...
As I mentioned earlier, following our thoroughly enjoyable culinary visit to Peru, we danced off to the Rio to witness the madness that is Penn and Teller. Andy had actually purchased the tickets (in addition to picking up the tab at Rum Jungle) as my Christmas gift (thanks, buddy!) and, truthfully, I couldn't be happier, I'd been wanting to see Penn and Teller for years...Andy had said that he saw them some years ago at Penn State and that they were pretty awesome...Without revealing too much about their show, they tend to reveal EVERYTHING. That's right, they'll do all of their magic and stuff and then, I guess because they like you, they go ahead and show you HOW THEY DID THE TRICK...Entertaining, to say the least...On top of all of that, after the show is over, they will do the whole meet-and-greet thing with you, your friends and anyone else who comes by out in the lobby...And, oh yeah...You can probably guess what I didn't bring along...

That's right...My friggin' camera...

So I didn't get a picture with Penn, or with Teller, or with Penn and Teller, but I did get their autographs and got to chat briefly with them and yes the little guy DOES speak and yes he's friendly and yes Penn is like 6 foot 6 and HUGE and imposing and funny as Hell and if you get a chance: SEE THE SHOW TWICE. or three times. Doesn't matter, that show kicked ass...

Thanks again, Andy!..

As much as I've already shared with you folks regarding MEAT FEST 2005 in Las Vegas, THERE'S STILL MORE TO COME! Oh yes there is, so be sure to join me again (soon) 'cause there's more opportunities for me to make you feel all hungry and stuff...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, lame stories