Vegasjuhl: August 2011

August 31, 2011

Goodsprings Trail

Sunday, we took my mom and mike out on the RZR. We thought we'd ride up to Mount Potosi to beat the heat, but after staging at the turn off from Hwy 160 across from RRNCA we never found our way. Instead we came upon the Goodsprings trail system. This area is still healing from the massive Goodsprings wildfire in 2005. We had a great ride, we had a picnic lunch, we saw wild burros, a stallion and petroglyphs.

We also had ourselves a little adventure when we attempted to climb a very steep mountain. It was too steep for our weight load. The RZR was beyond capacity and couldn't make it up. We all hopped out, but as Frank backed down the mountain he slid off the trail. From 200 ft above him, I wasn't able to spot him. With my bum ankle there was no way I could manuever the climb up or down, so I slid down to him on my butt... Leaving Mike and my mom. I got in the driver's seat and Frank guided me back on the trail. He wanted me to try to get up the mountain but I let off the gas when I got spooked - I've watched too many youtube videos where people roll their vehicle. It broke momentum and there was no way. I did not feel comfortable enough with my skills to proceed so we backed up the whole way down the mountain. We got to safety, but we still needed to get Mike and my mom down to solid ground. It was slow going, but soon we were all safe and sound. This served as a lesson that I need to learn to drive the RZR. I gave it a whirl when it was brand new, but had little interest as I prefer to be a passenger. I now understand that developing those off-road skills will be beneficial especially for those times we find ourselves in a pickle.

Enjoy the sights we spotted during the ride...

We found petroglyphs on the backside of this rock

See?

The horse got excited while I was photographing the burros. Didn't intend on shooting XXX, but there it is.

August 30, 2011

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

Plans changed and we snuck in a restaurant week meal last night. We went to Roy's in Summerlin. We've had a GC since christmas and figured this was a good time to use it. We've never been to Roy's since we tend to stray from chains, but I have heard good things so it seemed promising.

$50.11 Restaurant Week menu offered us the following:

First Course
Panko Crisped Calamari with Macadamia Nuts, Orange Chili Glaze & Yuzu Aioli and Wood Grilled Szechuan Spiced Pork Ribs.

Second Course
Shellfish Sampler; Butter Poached Half Lobster Tail, Seared Crab Cake, U10 Sea Scallop & Shrimp with Macadamia Nut Pesto Risotto and Roy’s Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Maine Lobster Essence.

Third Course
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Coconut Crust, Lemon Crème Anglaise & Blueberry Syrup and Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé with Raspberry Sauce & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

We both felt "meh" about the whole experience. Service was discombobulated, I made a reservation but they couldn't find it. They were slow to attend to us at first. We were also seriously distracted by the family behind us, they thought it was a good idea to keep their kiddo occupied by watching cartoons on an iPad. Fine if you have earphones, but not acceptable otherwise especially when average checks are $50 per person.

As for the meal, we enjoyed the edamame to start. It's such a great alternative to bread. Our appetizers were ok. The calamari was very tender, but there was a hint of seasoning I didn't care for it was sweet and bitter. Frank didn't mind it as much. The ribs had a nice char and good flavor, but they were tough and had too much gristle. Frank's shellfish sampler was terrible. All of it was overcooked, and the flavor was poor. Majority has hardly edible, and the risotto was no better. I definitely chose the better entree. It was overcooked, but otherwise I thought it was decently executed. Desserts didn't impress either. The souffle was chalky. The highlight was the ice cream. My cheesecake was passable, but I really only enjoyed the blueberry syrup.

Not the best way to kick off restaurant week, but on the other hand it set the bar pretty low. I feel like it can only get better. Well, I certainly hope it can only get better.

August 29, 2011

It's Here!

Today kicks off Restaurant Week. As an added bonus this glorious week has been extended to two weeks to celebrate its 5th anniversary. Frank and I have enjoyed a different restaurant each day of restaurant week the past couple years. This year, though, we're scaling back.

Splurging on 14 meals would be excessive any way you slice it. But I did hope we could indulge in a regular week of meals spacing them out over the two week period. However, we ran into unexpected repairs and I nearly had to kiss my dreams of restaurant week good-bye. Now, that it's actually here, it looks like we'll finagle a few meals afterall. Woot!

Our first meal will be at Sirio inside Aria on Wednesday. When it first opened I heard mixed reviews, since then majority sing its praises. Sirio is run by the Maccioni family, who also operate, Circo, my favorite Italian restaurant in the city. I figure it's time to see how they compare. Restaurant week provides us with the perfect excuse to do so.

Other restaurant menus that piqued my interest are DOCG, Alize, Prime, Roy's and Sensi. Carnegie Deli also has a lunch menu for $20.11 that looks intriguing. It'd be a good time to stray from our usual corned beef rueben and try their pastrami.

We'll wait and see how these meals shape up.

Interested in the list of participates and their menus? Check them out here.