A Taste Of Vegas

Yesterday we set out to the Strip to see what there was to see. Naturally there was all the staples of the Strip: Flickers, expensive chachkies, and people getting drunk. After pounding the pavement for several hours, I declared that it was time for a light lunch. Luckily, we happened to be across from the new Cosmopolitan Hotel which was somewhere I had wanted to check out. The inside was pretty impressive. There are stings of glass beads that hand from level to level and look like diamonds. This place has an awesome Victorian/Retro feel to it. After we escaped from a clothing store, where everything was around $190, we set out to search for Noms. It came down to Milkshakes or Dim Sum. I voted Dim Sum cause I was still bitter from a previous trip to Vegas where we were ditched for Dim Sum and never got any. So we ended up at China Poblano. This place was an odd mix of Chinese and Mexican, which strangely worked. There was an array of Luchador and Kaboki masks that I approved of. The menu was a bit on the pricey side and had some odd combination's. The waiter mentioned that the menu was ment for people to order several items from and share. This should have been our warning. Following my stomach, I got the When Pigs Fly BBQ pork Dim Dum. Jake got something similar, Kurtis got something that had his name in it, and Roger went with tacos. Kurtis's came first. It was in a bowl that was roughly the size of a appetizer soup bowl, with three chips in it. Suspiciously it looked like salsa. He confirmed on taste that it was just a weak salsa poured over some shrimp. Rogers tacos consisted of two, yes, 2, small tacos. The redeeming quality of Jake was that it had eatable gold flakes on them. To me the other bonus was that it had water chestnuts in it. Mmmm... loves me some water chestnuts. Mine consisted of four, plump dumplings that were roughly the sided of fat golf balls. They were alright. Not as barbaquee as I am use too. Kurtis told me that the paper they were resting on was rice paper. It was a lie. We all downed the food pretty quickly, being as there wasn't that much of it. Me, still having room left (which is rare), orderer the "Giggling Buddha in a Bubble Bath". First off, you have to admit, that's a pretty tasty name for a dessert. Second of all, it was strawberry gellitan. This dessert was actually in the shape of a happy fat Buddha (jello mold), surrounded by leeche foam that looked like bubbles! The waiter took the courtesy to wiggle the bowl and make giggling sounds. Hidden in the foam was real strawberries and some leeche slices. The gellitan was very soft and incredibly flavorful. The whole ensemble had a silly flavor zen to it. Then the checks came. Not so bueno.

Over all for this place it had a great atmosphere and awesome decor. I really dig what they're trying for. The most painful drawback it that its in a new Vegas hotel and has the prices to prove it. For Atmosphere I give it a 4. For food I give it a 3. And for cost I give it a 1.

And of course I'm going to break my rule. When I started this I decided that I wasn't going to do it on any place that I had previously been. That way my views wouldn't have been swayed one way or another.

That being said, if your in Vegas and you want the best Irish food and great beer, you have to go to McMullans. This place it amazing! The food has that incredible 'home cooked' taste. Found out last night that they do indeed bake their own bread. Not going to go into much details, but I'll just say, this place alone is worth the trip.