So I guess I should stop with the procrastination and actually post something. Now, I know that today is Wednesday and, as such, it'd be pretty darn cool if I could stick to my self-imposed schedule and post an audio ANYTHING...but...Well...How about a recap of my recent trip to Las Vegas? Huh? How about that?...

You know you want it...

Anyway, yeah...On Sunday of last week, my wife and I got up early and hit the road for (roughly) 12 hours en route to Sin City, USA. We stayed with my wife's sister and her fiancee Big Al who have a house out in Henderson. Due to the fact that so many birthdays are clustered so close together (my buddy's wife had one earlier in march, mine was the 25th, his was the 26th and my wife and her sister's birthday is April 6) we decided to all get together the first night we were in town at the Steak House at Circus Circus for a big-time birthday celebration eat-fest...Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Circus CIRCUS!? eww!" If you WERE thinking that, you'd be right...Circus Circus is a lousy place...Lousy, that is, EXCEPT for the Steak House, which has been rated the best Steak House in Las Vegas for like...17 years running. They feature Prime beef, aged 23 days and, of course, cooked to order on a mesquite grill. I enjoyed the surf and turf, an Australian lobster tail paired with a petite filet (medium rare) with the garlic mashed potatoes. Throw in some Macallan 18-year-old single malt scotch (neat, thank you) and it should be quite obvious that I enjoyed my dinner, as did everyone else at the table. I'd heartily recommend the Steak House at Circus Circus if'n you got a hankerin' for some high-falutin' dining...

Just don't stay there OR play there...Seriously...

On Monday, the wife and I went to a few casinos and wasted some money along with some time. Dinner that evening was BBQ chicken pizza which I made with help from Big Al. Man, that was some good pizza...

Tuesday evening, we met up with my buddy Andy and his wife for Pub Quiz at MacMullan's which is very near to the Orleans hotel and casino. I wrote a bit about Pub Quiz after my last Vegas trip so you should already know that it's a ton of fun and that there are prizes involved. Long story short, our team (the Angels of Def) emerged victorious on that evening and were the proud recipients of a one hundred dollar bar tab (which JUST covered all of the stuff we ate and drank)...

On Wednesday, we all had dinner at Geisha, which is a teppinyaki joint (you know, where the fella' comes around to your table and cooks your meal with fanfare and shenanigans). Despite the fact that the place was short staffed and we had to wait a considerable amount of time before we got out dinner (and a show), I found Geisha to be quite enjoyable and certainly worthy of a return trip somewhere down the line...Following the dinner, Andy and I went to the Sahara to see the Amazing Johnathan do his thing...I had purchased "VIP" seating for the show, expecting to be pretty close to the stage, but the joke ended up being on me: more than half of the seating at the Congo Room (where Big John performs) is VIP seating...regardless, I thought that the show was pretty good and certainly worth the money. It did get me to thinkin', though...While the Amazing Johnathan is billed as a comedy and magic show, he's essentially just a prop comic since he actually can't do any "magic." Essentially, Carrot Top with a big ol' gut and a headband. Still, his show is one that's on the list to see again...

Thursday evening, we enjoyed dinner at Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe. Actually, I shouldn't say that we ALL enjoyed our dinner...My wife's food (pastashemolionch, or some such shit) was on the side of strange and unenjoyable while mine (trio o' kabobs) was good, but the meat was all overdone. Dessert was pretty tasty, though...Following the food, we all went to the Flamingo to catch the the Second City show which, since it was completely improv, was a bit hit-or-miss. With that said, it was a real fun show and, like other stuff I've mentioned, is one the "let's do that again" list...

On Friday, Big Al and Shannon slaved all day to produce a barbecued meat-fest of biblical proportions. The smoked ribs (Al's third attempt so far) turned out awesome and the pulled pork that shannon concocted was excellent. My wife's dad and stepmom chose not to join us, so they missed out (big time) and poor Catholic Andy had to wait until midnight to enjoy some meat because it was a Friday during lent. I admired his fortitude, though...Admired it while I was stripping rib bones clean....

Following a short night of sleep, my wife and I hit the road early on Saturday and headed home, another big fun Vegas trip in the books. Our road trips aren't finished yet, though: we're going to St. Louis to see my wife's favorite team (the Blues) play this coming weekend. 12 more hours on the road (each way), albeit in a different direction...Should be fun...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, lame stories, stagnation, tales of triumph