I wanted Bob to introduce us to Japanese food, he said he’d be happy to, but I had to find a place that had authentic dishes and that had Japanese owners. It sounded easy enough, but I quickly realized it was much more difficult task than I thought. Many options are run by other Asians or Americans. Sushi is so trendy that there are hundreds of options, but few that serve up traditional cuisine. Anyhow, we narrowed down the possibilities to two: Osaka Bistro and Sen of Japan. The latter isn’t open for lunch, therefore the decision was easily made; we had lunch at Osaka Bistro.
Bob spoke to the waitress in Japanese and he felt right at home. I felt like a fish out of water initially, but I got more comfortable once I saw some familiar items on the menu. Frank and I were willing to try anything and we trusted Bob to point us in the right direction. Frank ordered a teriyaki bowl and I had chicken teriyaki and shrimp tempura. Bob ordered the lunch box, which had tonkatsu, tuna, and pickled veggies, salad, rice, etc. We also ordered two types of maki-sushi: unagi and “Oh my god” which consisted of tempura shrimp, avocado, scallions and a tasty sauce. Frank and I tried everything and had sampled all items included in Bob’s lunch box, it was all real good. I’d never order eel on my own, but I’m glad Bob introduced me to it, because it was delicious. The “Oh my god” sushi was tasty, too. Bob liked it despite it not being a traditional type of sushi. All in all, we enjoyed the meal. Frank and I won’t hesitate to eat Japanese cuisine again and Bob was thrilled to have familiar tastes since Louisville doesn’t offer any good Japanese eateries. Osaka reminded him of many meals he had while he lived in Japan, so props to the owners for keeping it authentic.
After lunch we headed to the strip. Bob’s friend Elaine drove in from Pasadena to see him. They worked together in Japan and became friends; they haven’t seen each other since they were Thailand over a year ago. Elaine brought along three of her Japanese students (they’re living abroad, she teaches English). We met them at New York-New York. Bob went off with them to catch up and Frank and I went to MGM because he wanted to play poker. Frank put his name on the waiting list and we played Sigma derby to pass the time. Long shots were coming in left and right, it’s too bad we kept betting the favorites. Frank checked to see if a seat was available, and encountered the same deal he experienced at TI on Friday night… there were open tables and enough interested players to open a table, but both TI and MGM refused to do so. Frank was peeved that they were running the room so poorly. We left; I suggested we check out the CityCenter Residential Gallery. We walked over and checked it out. I was upfront with them and said I work for the contracted roofing company on site and I was curious about the interiors of the project. I did so, because I didn’t want to deal with any sales pressure or be bored by details I already know. Fortunately, they were great and they happily showed us the interiors on display. The Harmon will have a gorgeous bath and shower combo. I’d love to have one just like it. Vdara will be a condo-hotel like the Signature. I have no doubt we will check it out once it opens. All the condos were beautiful. As much as I want the high-rise life style I wouldn’t want to live at CityCenter. It seems like it’ll be too congested, nevertheless I can’t wait to see it complete.
From the gallery we went to Monte Carlo. Frank added his name to their poker waiting list. We waited in the sportsbook, he bet on a couple horses; both tickets were losers. He finally got on a table so I left him and played penny slots and quarter video poker. I had no luck at all. Bob called, he, Elaine and the Japanese entourage met up with me. They played misc slots, it was interesting trying to explain how the pays work, although, we eventually gave up and opted for a simple “win” or “lose” after each spin. It was fun to watch their excitement when they won twenty or thirty cents and their dread when it was a losing spin. Elaine and the entourage left to check into their hotel and Bob and I walked over to Bellagio to see the conservatory.
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| From Bellagio Conservatory |
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| From Bellagio Conservatory |
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| From Bellagio Conservatory |
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| From Bellagio Conservatory |
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| From Bellagio Conservatory |
Frank called shortly after we arrived saying he was ready to go, so I didn’t take many pictures. Bob and I met Frank at the car which was parked at New York New York. I never realized that there were two walkways to the parking garage until Saturday, Bob and I happened to be in one and Frank was in the other. It had me confused for a bit. We rested at the condo, watched TV and napped a bit. We didn’t want to fight Saturday night crowds for dinner so we settled on Buffalo Wild Wings. We played buzztime and ordered a slew of wings: hot, mango-habanero, and blazin’. It was Frank and my first time trying the Blazin’ they were damn hot, too hot, really. We’ll happily stick with the hot and mango-habanero. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we gorged ourselves. Frank and I curled up and watched TV the rest of the night and Bob took the monte carlo and met back up with Elaine and entourage at Bellagio. They gambled and saw the sights until five in the morning.
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