Not impressed....

Thursday night we decided to try Veloce Cibo at the M Resort. It's supposed to be sushi/tapas in a cool atmosphere at the top of the casino. Unfortunately, it did not go well, beginning with the hostess. We ended up being with a bigger group of people than I had anticipated, which was annoying. I hadn't made a reservation in advance since I didn't know how many we were going to be or what time we would be having dinner. I was at the mercy of the rest of the bachelor/bachelorette party that was in town from LA--all people I didn't know and being that I was hungry, really didn't give a shit about. Anyway, we strolled over to Veloce Cibo a little after 8 pm with 10 people. Now, I can't hold it against them that they didn't have a table for 10, as I would normally book that in advance, but the hostess was an idiot. It was like pulling teeth to get an answer out of her. We asked if we could split up our party and get a couple of tables, as we all didn't really care if we were sitting together. She stared at me blankly and finally said something about being able to eat in the bar area. Apparently that meant that no, they could still not seat us if our party split up. She just seemed extremely dim, which does not set a good tone for the impending dining experience. Anyway, we all went upstairs into the bar area, which seemed pretty full as well. Next thing I know, we are standing outside on the terrace, which has a lovely view, but quite obviously is not where the food is served. The boys volunteered to go back in a find out if we could order food out there and disappeared. The cocktail waitresses weren't all that helpful so I decided to go back in and find the BF and get a drink at the bar. I was not about to just wait outside forever. Of course, I go inside and the boys are all watching the game and probably hadn't even asked anyone about the food situation. The group I was with was pretty disorganized, but I was starving so screw them. I sat at the bar, where the BF had already found a spot, and asked for a menu. The bartender was nice, but not the most efficient guy. We ordered a couple of drinks while we were deciding on the food. I ended up getting edamame, spicy tuna roll and stir-fried eggplant. The eggplant was very salty and I have had better spicy tuna rolls from the grocery store. Not impressed. And it's not cheap either. I didn't think it was overpriced until I got my food....it just wasn't worth it. My friend got their signature M roll, which looked even more skimpy and amateur than my spicy tuna roll. Oh well. Maybe I would have had a better experience in the actual dining room and if I had been able to order a main course (as only sushi and appetizers are available at the bar). I doubt I'll go back to find out though.

I challenge Bobby Flay to a throwdown...

Now that the bf is back in town, I've been getting out to eat more instead sitting at home watching the Food Network and Bravo while eating cheese & crackers (which is my current favorite snack). A couple nights ago we collected on the sushi dinner my brother owed us. We are not a fan of the all-you-can-eat sushi joints, but my bro went on and on about how great this place Oyshi is, so we broke down and agreed to give it a whirl. Besides, last time we picked the place and took him to Sushi Roku it was a debacle, so I'd rather not repeat that experience. Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised by Oyshi. It's over on Rainbow and Robindale and looks pretty new. I'm sure it helped that one of the guys we were with is friends with the owner and everyone that works there, so we didn't have to abide strictly to the AYCE "rules." The sushi was pretty good and they even let the bf create his own roll. It's really hard to beat $26 per person, so we might have to go back at some point.

Last night, we had to go to a party over at Caesars for the Dream Team Poker Tournament that the boys are playing today. After standing around for a couple of hours, chasing down cocktail waitresses for drinks and contemplating eating from the antipasto bar they had set up, we decided to grab some dinner at Mesa Grill. Now, I have a special place in my heart for the ole Mesa Grill, since it was the first place my bf and I shared a meal just the two of us. It's always super busy and when we rolled in around 10:20pm, they told us it was going to be about a 25 minute wait. Oy. So we sat at the bar and had a drink while eavesdropping on the guy trying to hit on a couple chicks next to us. So pathetic, yet highly amusing for us. About 20 minutes later we checked back with the hostess and she seated us. Damn! The table was probably ready the whole time, they just want to make you wait. Should've gone and checked back in after 10 minutes. I hate it when restaurants play that stupid game. Anyway, we decided to try the wild mushroom quesadilla with truffle oil and white bean hummus as an appetizer. Our waitress told us she thinks it's the best quesadilla in the world, but I would have to disagree with that. The dollop of hummus that they put in the middle was cold and it was really off putting. It made the whole quesadilla seem lukewarm and just odd. It certainly didn't enhance the flavor. We weren't fans. Usually I think hummus makes everything better, but not this time. Anyway, on to the main course. I got a pork tenderloin with and ancho bourbon bbq sauce (or something like that) and a sweet potato tamale. The bf got black grouper with a chile tomato sauce and avocado. My pork was pretty tasty--very tender and moist. I did have a little mishap with the tamale though. I took the first bite off the top not realizing it was the pecan butter, so basically I had a mouthful of butter. It was gross and I was tempted to spit it out, but it kinda melted in my mouth before I could. The butter was the same color as the tamale so it totally blended in and was difficult to differentiate. That being the case, they should at least spread it around instead of putting a lump of it on top so you get butter and tamale instead of just butter in your first bite. Unfortunately, I was too full to get dessert, because there were 2 items that looked very tempting--a warm chocolate cake and a chocolate espresso layer cake. I usually have a totally separate stomach for dessert, but I was wearing my tighter going-out jeans and wasn't in the mood to be uncomfortably full. Especially since it would be a little while before I would be home and able to crawl into the I'm-too-full fetal position. I have decided that Mesa Grill is just really hit or miss these days. I wonder when the last time Bobby Flay was actually in the kitchen and if he approves of the cold hummus on the wild mushroom quesadilla. If so, I'd like to challenge him to a quesadilla throwdown. The bf and I would take him down for sure....