Caesar's Palace But in Calgary

 Calgary, AB

Me, My Grappa, and My Very Nice Server

Great Alberta Steak in Calgary

Today it was raining so we took a Lyft to downtown Calgary.  We were planning on walking but we didn't want to be soaking wet for our fancy steakhouse dinner.  I found out about Caesar's Steakhouse by reading Reddit.  It's an old school, red leather, steakhouse founded in 1972 after Gus Giannoulis visited Caesar's Palace in Vegas and loved the look and feel.  He did a great job because I felt like I was in Caesar's Palace the moment I entered the steakhouse without knowing the backstory.  

The Reddit Thread said to make sure you get a seat near the Open Flame Grill so I asked for it in our reservation.

The entry area really felt like Caesar's Palace Vegas.

That's the open grill right there!

Our reservation was at 5pm on a Monday and it was packed by the time we left.

Donna started with an Aviation Cocktail.  The cocktails in Canada tend to be a lot smaller than cocktails in The US, which is good.

Dinner started with our waiter making us Steak Tartare tableside. 

It was fantastic!

Then a different server fixed us Caesar's Salad tableside.  Caesar's Salad wasn't invented here but they do a great job making it.

The server asked if he could take our photo for us so we obliged.  The service here is so fantastic.

The guy cooking our steaks posed for me!

I had one of their famous barrel aged Manhattans.  It was fantastic as well.

As the evening progressed the queue for the steaks got longer and the meat started piling up.

For dessert, Donna ordered a flight of old Tawny Port.  The one she is pointing to is older than me!  It was a 1970 Single Harvest.  The other two were 20 and 30 years old.  They were all fantastic.

The last course was Cherries Jubilee.  Donna caught the perfect moment for the photo.

The Cherries Jubilee went great with my Grappa from Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island.

Donna carries our leftovers.  We will have steak for the next few meals.

It was a fantastic Dinner.  Probably one of the most fun dining experiences I have ever had.  The service was great and really fun, and the food was delicious.  Also, where else can you get Port Wine that's older than me?  It was a pricy evening, but totally worth it.  

That's it for today.  If you missed, Victoria -> Calgary Along the Trans Canada Highway, check it out.  We drove about 600 miles across parts of Canada and saw some great stuff.

An Evening to Remember

 Las Vegas, NV

I had dinner with The Bellagio Fountain

Fancy Dinner and a Show

Yesterday our friends flew in from Orange County and joined us for a few days.  We have a 3 bedroom place so we have plenty of room to host friends.  Brenton and Gordon arrived around 5pm so I went to Harry Reid and picked them up while Donna prepared a happy hour for us all.  We have met up with Brenton and Gordon in Los Angeles and Orlando and we have met up with Gordon in Kansas City.  Gordon takes the prize for meeting up with us the most on our travels so far through planning as well as happy accidents (we didn't plan Kansas City, he just happened to be there while we were there.

Happy Hour kicked off with "99 Cent" shrimp cocktails and plenty of water.

Soon we were on our way to The Bellagio for our adventures.

Gordon booked us all dinner at The Mayfair Supper Club.

The bar is beautiful!  Unfortunately it was reserved for a private party.

We were seated right next to the lake that The Bellagio Fountain is on.

The view from this side is very different.  Also that CVS sign needs to go away!

My cocktail was delicious and the clear ice was perfect.  I am a sucker for clear ice.

Brenton offered to take a photo with us while the fountain was fountaining.

I was feeling extra fancy so I ordered Truffle Fries as my side.

Donna's steak was delicious

Brenton has his dessert wine but is excited to see our shared dessert.

What could it be?

As the smoke cleared, our dessert was revealed!

A cigar in an ashtray.  Actually a chocolate cigar on a bed of fruit and chocolate panna cotta.  

Donna had to take a photo op with the chocolate cigar.

During dinner there was a show going on pretty much the whole time.

After dinner we walked The Bellagio for a bit and looked at the Conservatory and then headed to our next stop, The "O" Theater.  We were seeing "O" by Cirque Du Soleil.  Donna and I have seen the show once before probably right around when it opened in 1998.  

We have seen Chihuly Glass just about everywhere we have been but this is the old school Chihuly Art Blossom Lobby 

The lobby at The "O" Theater is filled with original artwork based on the show.

There was no photography allowed once the show started so I snapped this just before.

At the end there was a photo op so I got this, not that great, photo.

Both Donna and I had forgotten just how great the show is.  It's really fantastic and doesn't seem at all like a show that has been going for 20+ years.  

That's it for today.  If you missed, More Pinball in a Furniture Store, check it out.  I played pinball, for free, in a furniture store.

A Visitor from SoCal

 Las Vegas, NV

Having a Friend In Town

Over the past few days we have had a visitor.  Darrin drove out from SoCal and stayed at The MGM Grand and we ended up hanging out for quite a bit.  We showed him some of our new spots and he showed us some of his spots.  He comes out a few times a year so he has good knowledge of the area.

Some of the highlights over the past few days included:

Dinner at Cornish Pasty

We introduced him to Stray Pirate

A brunch at Makers and Finders

Walking around looking at antique malls in The Arts District.

Darrin treated us to a fancy steak dinner at Bavette's Steakhouse at Park MGM

Everything was delicious

Breakfast at Wicked Spoon, one of Darrin's favorites. It's a great Vegas buffet

A trip to Frankies Tiki Room

A trip to Golden Tiki

And a trip to Starboard Tack, a locals bar with a great happy hour and Taco Tuesday

It was a really fun few days.  Now we have 2 days to relax and catch up on chores before new guests come into town.  

That's it for today.  If you missed, Free Stranger Things Store in Vegas, check it out.