4.24.16-- Wicked Spoon, WS + Bacchanal Comparison, Downtown: Beef Jerky Store, Vic + Anthony.
| We started the day quite late today since my legs were ultra sore and I had to limp out of bed. Is this what it feels like to be training for a marathon; or did a ghost spirit come to beat me up in the middle of the night for inhabiting their room? Once up, I busted out the ironing board. I have never ironed on vacation-- until now. There's a first for everything right? |
| Since L+ E would be in Vegas for the remaining half of the day, we decided to have brunch together. As they've never been to the Cosmo until this trip, I thought it would be fun for them to try out the Wicked Spoon (WS) buffet. BRUNCH....again? It's Vegas, why not? (I do admit, brunch on consecutive days is probably a bit over-kill). |
Egg's Benedict + Signage.
| The line to get in wasn't too bad. About 10 mins. wait (the dinner wait time is generally much, much longer). At the cashier, they asked us if we wanted to use our slot balance from Identity (I didn't even realized we had a balance from last trip). SWEET-- $20 bucks off! Ok, so it's not really free since we had to work for it by playing slots. Such hard work! Once inside, we had a really nice female server. Let the free flowing Mimosas begin! (L+E treated us to drinks since we got the meals. Thank you!!) |
Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings.
| So what do I do? I head to the Sushi station. (It's an odd habit I picked up from buffets). Their selection was quite small, but taste-wise was pretty good (especially for a buffet that has to mass produce items). I'm not exactly expecting Sushi Bar quality here though. |
 Sushi, Hash browns with Cheese & Chives, Salad, Kung Pao Chicken? |
I do admit- our picks are a bit random.
 A little bit of everything. |
Dessert time!
Red Velvet Donut.
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake.
They have some Sugar-Free or Gluten-free desserts too:
 I can't believe this is sugar-free. Really delicious Chocolate Mousse. The texture was really light and fluffy. |  Panna Cotta (Sugar & Gluten-Free). |
 Lemon Blueberry Madeleine; Gluten-Free (GF). They also had GF Chocolate Chip Cookies. |
Coconut Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting (Gluten-free).
I didn't see that they had snow crab this time (since we usually grab some if there is).
I do remember that they usually have it.
Now that our meal is wrapping up, I thought it'll be fun to do a
Brunch Show Down:
Brunch showdown sounded much cooler in my head. :)
Wicked Spoon (Cosmopolitan) Vs. Bacchanal (Caesars's Palace).
I hear comparison of them both often, so I might as well do a fair review (in this case, trying both brunches one day apart). Here's my contribution to society for this month. Full disclosure: This is my 4th or 5th visit to WS in the last 18 months. WS was always good (4/5), in my book. Until now, I've been let down by their desserts (I felt it looks prettier than it tastes), but for some reason, (could it be all the Mimosa's I've had?), this visit seemed really good. I'm laying out all of my pre-conceived notions so you know how I came up with my ratings:
| Selection: Presentation: Service: Food: Other: Price: | Bacchanal (with over 500 items). My review here. WS has a slight edge with more creative dishes. Bacchanal, since from past experiences, we've gotten a whole range of service (from good to, not so great at WS; seems like a hit-or-miss). Almost a tie. Though WS is pretty consistent across all visits. WS does brunch everyday, whereas Bacchanal only has it on weekends. WS- $27 (+ $12 pp. with unlimited Sparkling wine/ Mimosa/ etc.; $42). Bacchanal- $49.99 (+$7 pp. with unlimited Sparkling wine/ Mimosa/ etc.; $56.99). |
Overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy Wicked Spoon.
Everything tasted great today, but everyone seemed to loved the Prime Rib
(sorry, I just realized I don't have a picture).
| Tea Time!  The Honey is from Austria, but they offer teas from Mighty Leaf. |
More food:
Pad Thai, Orange Chicken, and Biscuit & Gravy.
Wicked Spoon- Drink's Menu.
After the meal, we had to say goodbye to L+E; they had a long drive ahead of them back to CA.
We really loved their company and look forward to more Vegas meetups in the future.
 L bought the art in the vending machines at Cosmo ($5). Very interesting. I had previously mistaken them for matches/ cigarettes. |
| Back to just the two of us, we walked through Miracle Miles Shoppes in Planet Hollywood. Good thing too, the fountain was about to go off. |
Honestly, it was a letdown.
I would not waste time looking for it, because after seeing the Bellagio one, this just seems really sad.
But it's neat that it's in-doors.
We returned to the room to rest our feet a bit.
While watching TV, I managed to take a short nap
(all while sitting up--takes some skills right?)
When I woke up, we decided to go to Wynn on foot to burn off some calories.
It was around 63 degrees Fahrenheit (~17 C) + very windy, which means I was extremely cold
(But I'm a special case, since sometimes I wear sweaters in the summer...at home).
To my Fiancé, it was really nice T-shirt weather.
A quick glance from the room window showed that today was definitely not pool weather
(since no one was out below, or across at the Cosmo pools).
But why do I care, I don't (actually...can't) swim.
Such a contradiction since I live on an Island.
It was around 63 degrees Fahrenheit (~17 C) + very windy, which means I was extremely cold
(But I'm a special case, since sometimes I wear sweaters in the summer...at home).
To my Fiancé, it was really nice T-shirt weather.
A quick glance from the room window showed that today was definitely not pool weather
(since no one was out below, or across at the Cosmo pools).
But why do I care, I don't (actually...can't) swim.
Such a contradiction since I live on an Island.
On the way to Wynn, we took a slight detour to Palazzo.
There's lot of things I love about the overall property here,
but we are just not ready for a return stay yet.
There's lot of things I love about the overall property here,
but we are just not ready for a return stay yet.
Pretty butterfly display.
Palazzo Atrium near the check-in lobby.
| We originally planned to play inside Wynn a bit, but checking the time, it was way later than we had wanted to venture to DT. So we took an Uber to the Plaza hotel. |
Uber/ Lyft pick-up + drop-off point at Wynn. It's outside of Christian Dior by the high heels sculpture (in the middle Island; looking towards Palazzo).
| We've always done it this way for convenience sake. Then, we walked to the D to play a bit of slots. There's no photos, because there were no wins. Just my sad face all around. I know many people say slots in Downtown Vegas are much looser, but my personal experience tells me I do better on the Strip. Next, we stopped off at the Beef Jerky Store. This will be a regular stop now. We know better this time to not traverse through the alley. But hey, if walking through the alley will enhance your Vegas experience, I say go for it. But otherwise---just say no. We were looking forward to stocking up on their Sweet & Sour Peach + Pork Jerky. They were both out-of-stock. We doubled checked with the staff to see if maybe there's a hidden stash. NOPE! So much for that awesome plan. I guess we'll have to order it online. Not wanting to leave empty-handed, we grab a basket anyways, and added a bunch of (random) things to fit the medium flat-rate box to ship home.  A few of the items we shipped home. For directions to The Beef Jerky Store, please refer to my last trip report. I sometimes get the name confused with the Las Vegas Jerky store at the Plaza, which we like as well but for different reasons (Cinnamon Bagel Chips, or Card-shaped Beef Jerky; if available). Apologies for those that live abroad (especially in the UK); they don't do international shipping + Jerkies are a prohibited import anyway). BUT...you can eat it while you're in Vegas! You know... a drink in one hand, beef jerky in another. ;) They had these really neat card-shaped cookies (in 2 or 12 oz.), and really inexpensive too! We hand carried the cookies for fear of it being smashed in transit. We think it's a fun edible to share because you can pretend like you are playing poker/ blackjack, but eat it afterwards.  Vanilia card cookies. $0.85 for 2 oz. I think it was under $4 for the 12 oz. (shown in picture). After picking up some snacks, we walked to The Golden Nugget. We finally managed to pick up a player's card this time around since there was no one in line (we gave up last time because the line barely moved). Behold- the world's biggest Golden Nugget on display: Now how did we manage to miss this all those other times? Somehow... I imagined it to be way bigger and shinier.  The story behind the Nugget.
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Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse
| We both got the Distinctive Dining Deal (3 course Pre-fixe), and added on wine. I had a glass of Whitehall Lane Merlot, and my friend picked the Peju Cabernet Sauvignon (which I liked better actually). |
Distinctive Dining Deal
Caesar Salad.
Lobster Bisque with Cognac. Flavorful-- my only critique is the lobster pieces were a bit tiny.
 Onion Strings. Pairs well with steak.  Filet Mignon (8 oz.) I thought this was really good and seasoned well (I had a small bite). But my Fiance (who was actually eating it) said it was slightly overdone. I don't grill steaks so can't really throw in my 2-cents there.  Au Gratin Potatoes. Very rich and creamy.  Fresh Fish Ala Nage. Salmon was the fish of the day; topped with crab meat. I really liked this a lot. I make Alaskan Salmon regularly at home but this was done really well. The flavors in the sauce were quite harmonious. From what I could taste (butter + Worchestershire). The Salmon was great as is, I think the crab meat isn't really necessary. Distinctive Dining Deal- $52 (price may fluctuate depending on menu items; +/- several dollars).
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| [PROS]
| [CONS]
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 Creme Brulee. Wow this was huge. Very rich but tasty.  Croissant Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. Really good with caramel sauce. I'm just sad I had to leave a lot on the plate since I was really stuffed by this point. We really enjoyed Vic & Anthony's and highly recommend it. I was quite surprised at their wine pricing (since I couldn't find their wine menu online) and was pleasant to find it wasn't ridiculously priced. You could actually buy a decent bottle for $60 (Justin Winery, Cabernet). With a glass of wine each, our bill came to $150 for 2 (before tip). I noticed on some of the reviews of V&A's, some sign up for their Landry's Select membership ($25 off your meal, and another $25 off on your birthday) as they pay their bill. We didn't use it as we don't really visit Landry's establishments much. But I can see if you time it right--i.e. go on your birthday-- it's like getting $25 off + free membership (after the reimbursement). |
| Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse 129 E. Fremont Street The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino (next to Hotel Check-in area) Las Vegas, NV 89101 Reservation can be made on-line on their website or Open Table.
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Display case at the entrance showing their gigantic lobster tails (market price) + steak.
| After dinner, we decided to make our way back to the Plaza. Suddenly I needed to use the restroom. So I dropped by Mermaids Casino . That was NOT such a bright idea. No offense to anyone that likes Mermaids. The casino looks fine and all, but the bathroom stalls were really unclean with trash all over the floor. Afterwards, I felt like I needed to get tested. I doubt I will be trying out their deep fried Twinkies after this. So the Fremont Street Experience (FSE) starts. I guess this was our first time actually watching it because we generally by-pass it. It's something uniquely Vegas yes, but I'm not 100% sold that this was an amazing experience. How do you guys like the Fremont Street Experience?  If you are into Instagram, you can take your picture there, tag them and get your photos featured on their mega screen. Once FSE ended, we continued walking and saw a Dancing DJ. She would pose for some of the guy spectators. But I'm not a guy so yup, this is as good of a picture I could get. |
| We were going to go back to the Plaza to get an Uber, but their porte cochere area were coned off now. Plan B, we headed to California Hotel instead.  Since were were here, we checked out their slot selections. But the only one that seemed to take a liking to me was Celestial Celebration. Since my luck seemed really lacking, I didn't feel confident in max-betting. I slipped in a $20 bill, chose minimum bet (60 cents). 5 spins later---BONUS! Woohoo! $60.52. Time to cash out!!  Now that I think about it, my "win" just covered the tip for dinner. You can play Celestial Celebration for free on Konami Slots mobile (MyVegas), but the icons and bonus on this machine seemed slightly different. After walking around a little, we Ubered back (is that a real word?) to Planet Hollywood for an early night. When I mean early... it's barely 9pm. ^_^ Sleep was really catching up with us. My night cap: |
Black Box is always a safe backup, not to mention it fits perfectly inside the hotel ice canisters.
| What can I say-- I can be a cheap date (if I wanted to). |
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