25th Anniversary Tour (3/8-3/13) aka Doing Our Part

Well, anyway, we were among the relative few there to do our part in stimulating both ourselves and the local LV economy during our splurge-inspired, 25th anniversary celebration stay at Encore 3/8-3/13. It was a great trip, with a near overload of flavorful dining, joyful entertainment, wonderful company, artful accommodations, and generally pitiful gambling (expect for my wife, the brand new VP player, of course). ;-)

Disclaimers/Warnings: First, my write-ups are always long, so either grab a cup-o-coffee for the long haul, or bail right now, instead. I will try to break this up by day so there isn’t so much all at once. I post these observations solely on the basis of how we perceived them from our experience, recognizing and respecting that others might have the polar opposite reaction to the same activity at a different time. In other words, IMHO, YMMV, and all that, so if you don’t agree with us, let’s agree to disagree without rancor. Second, I took hundreds of pictures, some of which I will be posting very soon on another, linked site. I know that everyone loves pics, so please be patient until l can get them all posted. There are pictures of Switch during its three, separate metamorphoses, as requested by a member, some fabulous shots of the nightclub XS (albeit during the day), and a number of the Encore rooms and Encore/Wynn public spaces.

The TR will discuss, among other things, a five-day trail of wining and dining that, surprisingly, resulted in only marginal weight gain (must have been all the effort we made winding our way through the hoards of card-slappers during the day). For those looking for a quick summary, the Encore is a beautiful, fabulous place with discreet but decidedly “unstuffy” service. The spa is one of the best my wife or I have seen. Rooms are quite nice and the décor/materials of deceivingly high-quality. The casino is attractive and comfortable, but small and quiet, with a teeny, tiny sports book (the Wynn casino was consistently more “hopping” – though LV as a whole was generally S-L-O-W during our stay). We ate at the following restaurants, on- and off-site, and provide summary reviews on a 0-10 scale below (more details later – we are TOUGH graders):

RESTAURANTS:

ON-SITE:

Switch: Food – 8.5; Décor - 8.5; Service - 8.5 (SUPER fresh seafood - Best Gratin Dauphin, EVER!)

SW Steakhouse: Food – 6.5; Décor – 6.0; Service - 5.0 (GREAT steaks, else it was so-so)

Bartolotta: Food - 9.5+; Décor – 8.5; Service – 9.5 (A top 5-10 all-time meal experience – DO NOT MISS)

Daniel Boulud: Food – 8.0; Décor - 8.0+; Service – 8.5 (Not up to Daniel NYC standards but still excellent)

Alex: Food – 8.5; Décor – 9.5; Service – 9.5 (Alex was a bit precious, IMHO - trying to bring TOO much Asian fusion influence to classic French recipes but, still, sumptuous).

Country Club: Food – 7.5; Décor – 9.5; Service 7.5 (Fabulous setting and tasty, if not overly exciting, lunch choices.)

Tableau: Food – 8.0; Décor - 7.5; Service 7.5 (Very enjoyable, but very pricy breakfast in a quaint setting)

Red 8: Food – 9.0; Décor – 7.0; Service - 6.5 (Outstanding dim sum and Pad Thai)

Society Café: Food - 8.5; Décor – 8.0; Service – 8.0 (Eclectic, fun menu. Extremely well-balanced flavors in each dish.)

The Buffet: Food - 7.0; Décor – 7.0; Service – n/a (Food rated relative to other on-site offerings – Compared to most all other buffets, we give it an 11 out of 10.)

OFF –SITE:

Mon Ami Gabi: Food – 7.0; Décor 8.5/7.0; Service – 6.0 (Outside seating can be fabulous (inside nothing special), food can be very good, but never great)

SHOWS:

Fab Four Live! A nostalgic trip back, full of memories. Very cool to see how Sgt. Pepper’s music and beyond might have been performed live (since the Beatles never did these songs in concert).

Cher. What a remarkable woman. Looks and acts 35ish. Went in feeling old – came out feeling…well, at least younger.  Her banter was over the top “self-love”, but that has always kinda been her shtick. We enjoyed the tribute to Sonny (seems she correctly figures that she’d probably just be a skinny, old “unfamous” woman without him/each other). All in all, a very impressive performance that was very well worth seeing.

KA (Cirque du Soliel). OK, these folks are flat out UNREAL. Extremely talented, strong, and well choreographed acrobatics and dance. These are modern day daredevils – with a story. Simply outstanding.

I will subsequently post Day 1 through Day 6 editions throughout today and tonight for those folks still left standing…….a link to pictures will appear, too.

25th Anniversary Tour (3/8-3/13) aka Doing Our Part

Thanks for the TR - and congrats on 25 LONG years -- my 25th is today and and we couldn%26#39;t make it to Vegas because of work obligations...can%26#39;t wait to hear more - thanks to you I will be celebrating vicariously!

25th Anniversary Tour (3/8-3/13) aka Doing Our Part

I personally like the way you rate, title, and space the different businesses since it is easier for my eyes to read longer reports with that kind of format...thanks and enjoying the details :)

Laketime: Our 25th anniversary was 8/2008. We had everthing from broken bones to family deaths come up and we were JUST now able to get away. So, I KNOW where you%26#39;re coming from. ;) Funny how being married 25 years seems to be such a big deal these days. When I was a kid,it was the norm. Now, we%26#39;re the exception - as usual. Ha!

great start can%26#39;t wait to hear more,love the ratings

Congrats on your anniversary, and it certainly sounds like a wonderful trip. I very much look forward to your TR. And will try and come back and read it when it is all posted tonight.

Welcome Back. I was anxiously awaiting your TR and see what your thoughts were on Encore. Did you ever order room service?

Day 1:

Arrived at 11:30 on 3/8 from San Jose via US Airways with a boring, controlled landing at McCarran. There were neither stray birds nor a water landing in the “Hudson” at NYNY. As a lark, I booked a surprise limo through Presidential Limo and the pick-up service was efficient and very friendly. We were met at the baggage claim and did not have to walk too far to the limo. We arrived at Encore about 12:15 via the Tower Suite (TS) entrance. We were warmly welcomed and led personally to the registration desk. The door (greeting, hailing cabs, helping with packages) and bell staff (promptness, friendliness, efficiency) is among the best. The TS registration area is very tastefully appointed and well-staffed. I debated doing the $20 trick at this place, figuring it would take a 50 to even arouse interest. The clerk asked if we’d like an upper floor or a view. My wife immediately says, “BOTH!”. As she was looking for a room and getting our resort cards (Red Card) ready, we were offered hot towels for our hands and cold water to drink. She came back with a 36th floor room with a superb view of the Strip. More on the rooms later.

ENCORE CASINO HIGHLIGHTS/VENETIAN RANT

Because we secured some tickets through Travelocity, and we had ducats for Fab Four Live! that same night, we headed for a nearby kiosk (Venetian). On the way, we used our Red Cards in the Encore casino for about an hour playing video poker (VP). My wife had never played before, or gambled much at all – though she is a very good card player in not so friendly games with friends. ;) We each won about fifty bucks at dollar VP and I got that uneasy feeling of wondering whether it was a sign of good luck to come or a cruel taste before the ultimate reckoning, as it were…..The Encore casino on that Sunday at 13:30 was, however, virtually deceased. The dealers were trying their best to look interested, 2/3 of whom were standing alone and with most tables having only 2-3 players. One crap table was open and was not full. Roulette had only sporadic use. Slots and VP machines were “pretty damn quiet”, according to a host. This was a condition which improved throughout the week of our stay, but the Encore casino was always MUCH less “hopping” than the casino at Wynn and at a couple of others we saw (Caesar’s and Flamingo, in particular). As an aside, we were sorely disappointed in what we saw as a less than graceful aging at the Venetian. We stayed there when it was nearly new and it appears that they are now REALLY going the authentic route by allowing the place to become as worn and dirty as Venice, itself. ‘Nuff said, lest I make someone angry.

MON AMI GABI

We stopped after at Mon Ami Gabi, where we’ve eaten before. On a nice day, sitting outside, the place is hard to beat for people watching. The food is consistently good, but not great. Given the prices, it isn’t a bad value for the strip. My wife had the always reliable onion soup and an open-faced shrimp salad sandwich that was fresh, tasty, and generous. I had the special cod with a lemon-butter sauce offering. It was prepared very nicely but served with warming table-quality finger potatoes and carrots. An overall very enjoyable time, except for the service which, while friendly enough, was the definition of slow on this visit.

TRADER (ED) VIC’s

We then proceeded to Trader Vic’s in Planet Hollywood to have a couple of drinks before Fab Four Live. I don’t know whether it was the long wait for service, the weak drinks (a WEAK Mai Tai???) or the otherwise total bastardization of what was once Trader Vic’s, but we had only one drink, served in a thin plastic cup on a nondescript patio that could have been anywhere in the world unless you are seated on the glass rail facing Las Vegas Boulevard next to the drunk guy with the sailor hat that sorta, kinda sings karaoke to a variety of odd music, or unless you are watching the two young ladies at the bar making a point of showing everyone their tongues as they “share” their mojitos and looking over their shoulders to see the crowd reaction. Anyway, gotta go to a real tiki bar next time and leave Trader Vic’s to fond and distant memories.

FAB FOUR LIVE!

Off to Fab Four Live!, which I’d highly recommend if you are a Beatle fan. I say that from the prespective of someone who once thought Beatles knock-off bands were about as lame as it could get. However, given the perspective of the years and the deaths of both John and George making any thought of a “reunion” impossible, being able to see songs done live (i.e “A Day in the Life”, “The End”, “Revolution” and other post-Sgt. Pepper’s tunes) was immensely enjoyable to us. I found John and Paul to be the most dead-on, musically and vocally, and Geoger the weakest. The exception was “Here Comes the Sun” which he did beautifully. We bought our ticket through Travelocity and paid by category. Our seats wound up being front seats, right stage. The place was maybe half full, but they still rocked the place. Bottom line? A good one to see once for any Beatle fan. Though we were literally on top of the action, I didn’t see a seat in the place in the somewhat smaller venue that would have been “bad”, should someone want to save dough on the tickets.

SWITCH RESTAURANT

We went back to Encore to rest and fresh before a 21:00 reservation at Switch. Switch is the place you’ve heard about where the décor changes three different times (every twenty minutes) during the course of a meal. It is pulled off with aplomb - as the lights dim and a tone sounds, the ceiling panels shift and/or cantilever, the light fixtures expand or fold, pictures and mirrors fall in place over the last, and the far wall changes from all windows overlooking the gardens, to a stone wall, to a tapestry draped parlor-look. Amazing. Pictures will follow later.

The food at Switch is first-rate. We had the Seafood Tower for two after seeing it recommended. It was served on a piece of sculptured metal art work which emitted vapors from the top (dry ice) and had a story that is now lost in the swirl of my martini. I do recall that it bore the freshest and sweetest of seafood. Oysters, clams, king crab, cavier, lobster, tuna tartare (super good), two kinds of excellent cerviche, multiple sauces, etc., etc. Even moderate eaters could make a “before the show” meal out of the tower, alone, it was that generous. Since we were there AFTER the show, we ate more. ;)

Wife had the Arctic Char in a complex Pinot Noir reduction, served with spinach. I had Ahi Tuna, plainly grilled with lemon. In both cases, the fish was perfectly fresh and done just right – flaky, but still juicy for the Char (salmon-like) and just seared on both sides for the tuna (melt in the mouth). I found the Pinot an odd match for the fish sauce, but it was quite good and very carefully seasoned. With the main course we enjoyed at 2007 Kistler Chardonnay (Sonoma County). We had the seared foie gras which was wonderful, seared to a “snap” on the outside and creamy nothingness (aside from the rich and wonderful flavor) on the inside. Worth the $12 extra. We had wanted to find a place with lyonaisse potatoes, but “settled” for the gratin dauphin, instead. No mistake! These gratin potatoes were the best we’ve had ANYWHERE. They have that luxuriously rich buttery, cheesy flavor that is infused in the uniformly thin slices of perfect doneness. Really, the kind you envision when you read the French cookbook and which never seems to live up in practice (at least in my kitchen). We forced ourselves to order the Milk Chocolate Crunch Bar to share with coffee. Our waiter, Bradley, who in addition to the sommelier, provided helpful and dignified service throughout, brought us an extra Crème Brulee which had “Happy 25th Anniversary” decorated on the top. M-O-A-N….

COMA

We went back to our room, called to postpone our breakfast reservation from 8:30 to 9:30, looked at our chocolate from turn-down service and “retired”.

Girl, after all my questioning, we DID NOT order room service. Can you believe it?! Actually, we went to bed so D A M N full every night that the thought of room service was more in the lines of nice big pot of Milk of Magnesia.

LOL. Its okay. As long as you enjoyed yourself. Did you press the button so you wouldn%26#39;t be disturbed or at least try the doorbell? LMAO.

Oh, we used the privacy button. Ha!

When we first arrived, the bellman rang the doorbell. If not for your earlier TR, I would have been fooled - as I then allowed my wife to be. ;)