Vegas By Day

This post is for all you rockstars who party so hard that it's nearly impossible to get out of bed while the sun is shining... Don't ask me how I did it, but I managed to crawl out of our fabulous Hard Rock suite (mainly to stuff my face at the Mandalay Bay buffet), and take some pictures for you. Here's a quick glimpse of what Sin City looks like during off hours...

Hard to tell the difference between day and night right? Aaahh but that's the beauty of Vegas! Stay tuned for my Vegas nightlife post next.

Sin City Essentials

A trip to Vegas is like a free pass from reality. You can be whoever you want to be and nobody would ever know, nor would they care. So when it comes to packing for my getaway to sin city this weekend, I have to ask myself... who do I want to be? I'm not sure that there's a single answer to that question, but what I do know, is that I'm all about the glitz and the glam. Below are a few essentials that are bound to end up in my carryon..

My beloved Balenciaga clutch and a few of my favorite D&G perfumes.

Big city, bright lights... BCBG skirt, vintage Christian Dior necklace and some oversized bling. 

It's all about going to the extreme.. Lancome traveler compact, Bad Gal Lash mascara and a set of false lashes.

Sin City? Leopard is always a must! Jessica Simpson Waleo pumps.

What do you think? I think whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

Lurking at the Merk

Last night I met a friend for a well overdue happy hour at The Merk bistro italiano. Located inside the Keating hotel downtown, The Merk offers a selection of fine Italian dishes infused with a California twist.

We started the night off with a bottle of the Masi Campofiorin '07 wine (which was muy delicioso!!), and followed it up with the Keating insalata and some Cappelini Arrabiata. Everything was delicious, but perhaps just a tad bit overpriced... Either way, I really enjoyed myself, and if I didn't have to go to work the next day, I would of definitely bounced right over to Sway Lounge - another little gem located inside the Keating hotel. Psstt.. here's a tip, show your dinner receipt from the Merk, and get into Sway for freeeee! 

Happy Hump Day my sweets!

El Dorado

I personally love the rain, so the fact that there's a storm going through San Diego this weekend won't stop me from stepping out on the town. The only downside is the fact that my choice of outfits shrinks down by about three quarters. Anyway, last night we took a few curious friends to The Currant, (yes, I know it's only been a week since the last time we've been there, but this place is seriously good!), for some bistro grub and cocktails, before heading over to El Dorado to kick back for the rest of the night. It's one of my favorite craft cocktail lounges in San Diego, and the fact that it's only a couple of blocks away from my house is just an extra plus!

I'm wearing CR jacket, Alexander McQueen scarf and Armani Exchange sweater.
Photo cred: itwasthelight.com

Feeling pretty tired today, so I think a night full of rentals, junk food, and blankets is in order. It is a three day weekend however, which opens up a whole realm of opportunities for tomorrow night. Stay tuned and drive safe!

The British Are Coming!!

Last night I attended another sundown series event at the San Diego Museum of Art called Culture & Cocktails. The featured event treated us to a taste of London, as we strolled through Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman and Howard Hodgkin: Time and Place 2001-2010 exhibits. The art wasn't the only thing going off last night - music from live artists and DJs filled the halls as curious attendees sipped on their signature cocktails and partook in various activities. What type of activities? Whatever fancies your interests, really. While some received free makeovers and eyebrow threading services, others got crafty as they created signature chokers and handmade paint brushes. If all of that wasn't enough, the visitors also had a chance to peruse the haute fashions presented by the night's fashion sponsor, Westfield UTC.

I'm wearing Ann Taylor velvet jacket, Twelve by Twelve top, Steve Madden Caryssa pumps, and Chanel purse.
Photo cred: 944

It was a great Thursday night, filled with fashion, cocktails and art. You wanna know what else is great? The weekend's just begun! 

Cheerios ol' chap!

An Object of Beauty

After reading numerous great reviews about Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty, (yes, the Steve Martin from Father of the Bride), I decided to swoop up a copy on my most recent trip to the book store. The reviews were right - I inhaled the whole book within a few hours, and the aftermath left me aching for art.. and lots of it. The timing really couldn't be better - I'm heading out for some Culture & Cocktails at the Museum of Art tonight, and I hope to see some of you there! I promise to take some fun pictures and share them with you this weekend. Tootles!

Absinthe-Minded Fridays

I'm always up for trying something new and crazy, so when I spotted absinthe on the menu at The Currant, I knew I had to have it.

Mussels & Fries - steamed mussels and thyme fries with french curry

Bison Burger - spicy bacon jam, wisconsin yellow cheddar, onion confit & thyme fries

I've heard numerous myths about green fairy sightings whenever absinthe was involved, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The taste, (very similar to green NyQuil), wasn't my favorite part; however the overall experience was pretty awesome, and it went something like this: the shots of Lucid Absinthe were poured over a sugar cube, which was then lit on fire and melted into the green liquor. After that, a spicket of water was opened just enough to allow a little bit of water to drip into each glass, in order to dilute the drink.. the cocktail was then consumed, and let me just tell you... I don't remember seeing any green fairies, but perhaps that's because I don't remember much of anything at all! This stuff is pretty crazy, and I only had one shot! I do recall the food to be excellent though, and the decor simply swiped me off my feet...

Still trying to figure out if this whole absinthe buzz was a fluke. I'm going back on Friday to investigate. Won't you join me?

Gluttony

Socrates once said, "worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live." I couldn't agree more. So, with this in mind, we went to Chicago... and we ate.. and we drank... and you know what? It was one of the most amazing weekends of my life.

I wish I could have taken pictures of everything that we consumed within a period of four days, but unfortunately my stomach thinks faster than my blogger brain most days.. nevertheless I managed to snap a few photos of some of the deliciousness that we devoured during our weekend getaway. 

Alright, so here we go. First up is a little gem called Burts. Now, if you're a loyal follower of Anthony Bourdain, like me, you know that he doesn't mess around with his restaurant choices! Once again, AB didn't disappoint. The place is still ran by the original owners (Burt was wearing his signature overalls and I almost peed myself of excitement), who make one hellaofa deep dish pizza. We called-in our order a few hours in advance and were happily stuffing our faces within minutes of walking in.

Ok, so the decor may be a little tacky, but it also gives the place a little character, don't you think?

Moving on... Here's a fun fact: did you know that Chicago is home to the biggest Mexican community in the U.S. after East L.A.?!?! Crazy right? I meeaaaaaan I felt right at home! Of course when my husband heard of this, we just had to test out how the east coast Mexican food compares to the west coast.. and the verdict? It was muy delicioso! 

Of course nothing compares to my mother-in-law's home cooking, but still! I was pretty impressed!

Ok, so this is where it gets good. Reaaaaally good. We happened to be in Chicago during the week of both my husband's and our dear friend's birthday, so we decided to go somewhere ultra special to celebrate. We picked a tiny little place called Bonsoiree, and it. was. amazing!

Located on the west end of Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, the restaurant offers inventive seasonal cuisine in a sophisticated fine dining atmosphere. We salivated as our waiter brought out plate after plate of deliciousness.. oil poached tako seaweed salad, porcini bisque topped with truffle oil, pork belly and so much more. Seven courses and three hours later we were basking in our post meal satisfaction. This restaurant has the potential to make anyone feel like a food connoisseur. Enough said.

The next night we chose a slightly different route, heading over to good ol' China Town. Mmm how I love Chinese food. We chose MingHin's because we were enthralled by Tasting Table's Macau pork belly recommendation, but were far more impressed by the restaurant's hot pot selection. The sizzling crab with ginger and green onion was by far our favorite... in fact I wish I could go back for more right about.. now.

And now, for the grand finale, I bring you... Hot Doug's!! Like I mentioned earlier, I'm pretty much obsessed with AB, so when his 13 Places to Eat Before You Die list was published, I made it one of my life goals to visit each and every place mentioned. To my satisfaction, our Chicago visit gave me a chance to cross off number twelve! Now I know that paying $9 for a hot dog sounds a little extreme, but when a hot dog is made of Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur De Sel, it's no longer just a hot dog. This joint had a line so long that we were beginning to wonder if we could make it in before it closed, but to our pleasure (and the few freezing fellas behind us), Hot Doug's stayed open way longer than it was supposed to just so everyone could get their wiener fix that day.

And that my friends is all I got for the day. Go ahead, call me a glutton! I'll take it as a compliment.