Another trip to Vegas
This time it was different though, as we travelled with friends. Two couples and two single guys. The first couple, S&A, have been friends of ours for a long time. S and Matt went to school together and lived practically next door to each other. It’s a very long relationship. We didn’t know the other couple J&B or the guys, but we all became friends by the end of it.
Matt and I have been travelling together for awhile. When we go to Vegas, we know exactly what we want to do and we do it. This time, there were six other people we had to consider.
I won’t give a play by play, but some of the highlights this trip was actually the food. I know, you are surprised. A foodie liking the food. But seriously? There was some spectacular food this trip! We stepped out of our comfort zone, and were surprised.
First, the Planet Hollywood buffet was really surprisingly good. We got there for breakfast, which is mostly what I ate, but since we were at the lunch crossover time, we also got to sample a small amount of lunch food. I really liked this.
Second place of note: Bon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas. Matt and I never considered eating in a French restaurant, but the others wanted to, and Bon Ami is a steakhouse, so other than small portions, what do we have to lose? I thought it was pretty funny when the menu was delivered in French. I think that was the wine menu only. Pretty much everyone chose a steak of some sort, except for me, the lone vegetarian, who is unable to get her brain around eating eggs these days. I ended up with a tomato/feta/basil salad, which was supposed to be an entree, but was more of a side, and a side of very extremely yummy macaroni and cheese that turned out to be entree sized. The mac & cheese had breadcrumbs on the top. So good. I was satisfied even though I really ALSO wanted the greens salad that J ordered.
The other place of note, was 9, a steakhouseas well. This was a high-end restaurant and probably the highest end I’ve ever eaten in. I chose to eat a green salad (when I asked the waiter how big it was, he said “not that big”, but he was wrong), which was $12! My sides were $11 each. I got pierogies (how fun!) and green beans. And yes, I got a large portion of greens beans. I couldn’t eat them all! But they were tasty. We didn’t get there until 8:00 p.m. and by the time we left, it was hopping in there and reminded me of a place that you think of when you think of New York City. Interesting.
Matt and I, but not the others, ate at a place in downtown, that had a 40’s vibe and it was really good there. All three of these restaurants had awesome bread as well, and each one had a different type. Seriously. Give me a GOOD salad that is comprised of more than just iceburg lettuce and brown tomato and cucumber, and some really really good crusty bread and butter, and I am content! 
I did get to eat at Stripburger, my favorite place. Their veggie burgers are homemade and oh so good. I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t gotten that opportunity.
We stayed at Planet Hollywood, the old Aladdin hotel. PH really jazzed it up, but I was still surprised that the room was tiny. Especially for the price. The rooms at the Excalibur, which can often be gotten for under $100 per night, were bigger. However, the theming was cool. We had the “Mommy Dearest” room with actual props from the movie in there.
We also had an awesome view!
We could see the fountain show. I did see a few daytime ones, but unfortunately, didn’t get a good night picture of the fountain. Below is Paris at night.
I also learned that the Bellagio changes its atrium each season. Every time I have visited, it has been the same. I guess that is summer? It is the one with the ferris wheel. This time, they had a garden theme and here is my favorite picture of that:
And on our last day, while waiting for our flight, we went in search of The Cupcakery, cause we heard it was good. It is located right at the new City Center tram station in the Monte Carlo. Here are the cupcakes we selected:
Matt got chocolate with peanut butter fudge icing (and it really was fudge) and I had strawberry. I couldn’t eat it all, it was too sweet and the cake really wasn’t all that great. It tasted like it had been sitting for awhile. I hope they didn’t sell me a day-old cupcake. I would think there are plenty of homeless who would eat them at night.
It was definitely a fun trip, made better by the six new friends we made. I can’t wait to do it again!