Las Vegas - Round 1

If I ever right a book there WILL BE a chapter about the time I went to Vegas with my Dad. Yup, that's right I went to Vegas with my father. We went to see a fight. We gambled, drank, took in a show and oh, that's right got referred to as a married couple. Luckily I find myself a rather well adjusted person and figured it would happen so the mental scarring will hopefully be minimal.

So, if you haven't been ... you've gotta get to Vegas, even if it is with a parental unit. (In all honesty, I think I liked being introduced to the idea of Sin City, I'll be that much more comfortable drunkenly gambling when I go back on my own.)

 Dad & me at the Mayweather v. Mosley fight. This whole thing started over some Bourbon & Diet Cokes and the idea that we always said we'd go to a UFC Bout. (There weren't any coming up in Vegas soon and Dad flipped when I mentioned this fight was taking place.)

Caesar's Palace ... ate at the bar in Rao's (make sure you order the Antipasto della Casa.) My first try at Black Jack ... we made money. 

Other memorable places we ate ... 

- Segundo (Mexican) had a very interesting cucumber margarita and a pretty good quesadilla. They also had some good salsas. 

- Cabo Wabo Cantina, yes we ended up getting Mexican again, but I couldn't resist.

Almost won $7000 playing "Let it Ride," had to settle for about $350 because the dealer had a 3 of spades instead of a 4. 

And Priceline is the way to go for finding hotels. That whole "name your own price" thing is amazing. We stayed (in separate rooms of course, haha) at the new Trump Towers. Hands down nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. You could live in one of these rooms. Huge bathroom, euro kitchen, tons of storage, would make a very nice home away from home if you were one of those people that frequented Vegas.

 

 

You can see more pictures on my Facebook.

A New Meal at my Favorite Restaurant

Located at 44 North Market St. in downtown Frederick (not more than 1 block away from my apartment) is Isabella's Taverna & Tapas Bar, an incredible restaurant serving Spanish cuisine. Their specialty is tapas (small plates) meant to be shared. Of course sharing isn't necessary and after tasting I doubt many people want to. A couple weeks ago I joined my parents and younger sister there for dinner. It was unmistakeably summer at this point so my usual meal seemed a little too warm. 

With one exception ... there is no way to visit Isabella's and not order their Esparragos Fritos con Salsa Alioli. These are crispy panko crusted asparagus "fries" with Smoked Tomato Alioli and could make anyone like asparagus. Really if you're ever in the area, you must visit and try these, they will change your life! 

But I felt it was indeed time to try something new, so to round out my meal I picked out two cold dishes. The first was a special, was a heirloom tomato salad with jalapeno slices to give it a little kick.

 Perfectly refreshing, with cucumber and red onion to add more crunch.

The second was Salmon Curado de la Casa. Organic Salmon cured with White Truffle on Red Onion and Grilled Bread

Absolutely delicious and now something I regularly order. This is definitely something to try if you love smoked salmon (like I do.) I am hoping to try and recreate something like this at home.