Vegas Baby!

I went to Vegas for Memorial Day weekend last week. It's a crazy city full of excess and seemingly where anything goes. I was an honorary member of Team Australia for the weekend. I flew with Pen, Clint, Brad and Chel from Newark to Vegas on the Friday night. As we got off the plane we were confronted with slot machines in the airport and then, a little more disappointingly, an hour long queue for a taxi to the strip.

We met Jay and Kath in Vegas who had arrived from LA to join us from the weekend.

The first thing that strikes you as walk down into the casino at 9am in the morning is that there are people drinking and gambling. Have they been there all night? Or did they start early?


Saturday

We started with brunch at Bouchon in the Venetian casino. Which has the same head chef as the famous West Coast restaurant the French Laundry. I had the homemade granola which was very good. All of the others had more substantial / traditional brunch dishes like waffles, pancakes and French toast. Jay had a steak which I am not sure I could stomach for breakfast! As I was to discover it was a bit more formal and straight laced than the rest of Vegas, but was an excellent start to the weekend.

We spent most of the day visiting casinos along the strip. After the Venetian we went to the Wynn (very cool, one of the newest and the most expensive to build), Treasure Island, walked past the Bellagio and visited the MGM Grand which has two lions in in a glass enclosure in the lobby. I was shocked to see two handlers in with the lions regularly turning their backs on the animals. You wouldn't catch me doing that!!

In the evening we went to see Jubilee at Bally's casino. Honestly I thought it was dreadful. It had no discernible plot and there was no flow. Rather than an interval, there were interludes between the four acts by completely unrelated artists to the dancers. The coolest of which were the Former Polish Hand Balancing Champions, which despite the rather strange billing, were excellent. It was apparently a classic Vegas show girls show. Perhaps I should have gone with the flow a bit more..........

After the show we went for dinner at a cafe style restaurant in the Belagio. The the water fountain outside of the Belagio provides a great show every 30mins as the fountains majestically sway to a different sound track.


Sunday

We were hoping to have a craps lesson on the Sunday morning, but the tables were very crowded so we gave it a miss. We decided to visit the Luxor (not as a cheesy as I thought it might be, with excellent photo opportunities outside) and smart Mandalay Bay before getting a taxi down to the far end of the strip and the Stratosphere casino. The Stratasphere is one of the cheaper hotels on the strip, but is the tallest building west of the Mississippi and has fantastic views over the whole of Las Vegas. Apart from the views there are three scary fair ground rides, two of which dangle you over the edge of the building 100 floors up!

In the evening we went to Downtown or old town Las Vegas were all of the original casinos are based. It was my favourite part of Vegas and the whole holiday. Despite only being a couple of miles from the main strip it seems that most tourists don't make it there, certainly not all the drunk party goers. It was more relaxed, less intimidating and a bit more civilised.

The casinos have an absurd number of coloured light bulbs and neon signs illuminating themselves. Every hour the casinos are plunged into darkness and the world largest screen, which doubles as a canopy over the road, puts on a 10mins light display.

After dinner in the Golden Nugget we went to the Freemont casino and hit one of the cheap roulette tables. Betting on the numbers that were inside a fortune cookery I got at dinner I managed to hit a winning streak and was soon up about $80 (not bad on an initial stake of $100). I can see why people become addicted to the buzz of winning when gambling! I started losing a bit of money and a high roller arrived on the table throwing large numbers of chips around. I got a bit intimidated so decide to cash out before I lost my shirt.


Monday

Monday was the travel day from hell. Our plane was delayed for 5 hours and we spent the day sitting in the terminal at Las Vegas airport. There are only so many times that you can walk round the terminal and I had my fill of slot machines by that stage in the weekend. I didn't get home until 4am on Tuesday morning. Work was a bit rough that day..........

Hat Tip to Pen for the photo.

Yankees Game

I went to see a Yankees game last week. The Americans love their sport and to see a live game was on the to do list before I left.

Unfortunately I arrived in the fourth innings and all of the excitement had taken place in the second and third when the Yankees and taken an unassailable 6-0 lead over the Orielles. To be honest the subtleties of the game were lost on me and I was a fish out of water, like an American would be at the Test Match.

I did manage to fulfill the cliches of buying a hot dog and beer from the guys that walk round the stands.

Restaurant Review: Maze at the London NYC

I went to Maze on Tuesday night with a friend from work, also called Richard.

It was the first time that I have been to one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants and was very excited at the prospect. I was lucky enough to do some work experience with Ben O'Donoghue and Jamie Oliver once and there were lots of respectful comments in the kitchen made about Gordon's food. Other professional chefs seem to respect him a lot, which I find quite surprising considering how rude he is about everyone else!

Maze is the less formal of Gordon Ramsey's two restaurants at the London Hotel. The menu is based around the concept of tasting dishes. Small, but elegant, plates of classical French food that are designed to wet your appetite.

Having recently been in the papers in the UK for saying there should be a law banning restaurants serving fruit and vegetables out of season I had a quiet chuckle to myself seeing tomato and mozzarella salad as the first dish on the menu. Are tomatoes in season? I think not...

We shared nine of the tasting plates. Six main course, two deserts and a cheese course. The dish that sticks most in my memory was the cured duck breast with crispy tongue and foie gras. I've never eaten duck tongue before!

We also ate our way through tasters of seared tuna, lobster, roast lamb and pork. All delicately put together and a delight to east. You know you've been in America too long when you look at the portions and think they are a bit small! However, after sharing nine courses I was pleasantly satisfied by the end of the meal.

My only criticism would be over the rather pricey wine list.

On the way out we saw the long suffering Jean-Baptiste, who wished used a pleasant evening as he gave us our coats.

NY Updates: Stuffed again

I've just got back from dinner at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants here in New York. Too tired to write a full review now, so I will need to fill you in later.

Tomorrow night I am off to see a Yankees game and then I am flying to Vegas for the long weekend. Not sure when I will next have a chance to post, but there will be a lot to catch up on!

Brooklyn

I went to Brooklyn for the first time today. Very pleasant suburb with a completely different feel to Manhattan. There are lots of trees lining the roads which gives the area a more open and laid back feel than the bustling city. Coupled with lots of trendy cafes and shops, I can see why so many people seem to be drawn there at the moment.

Pen, Clint and I went for brunch at the Applewood cafe near Prospect Park. We all agreed that it had more of a Sydneyside rather than New York feel. The cafe was in the converted ground floor of a house, with an open, stripped wood feel. The restaurant uses mainly organic and farm fresh produce. Pen had some excellent pancakes, Clint a lobster omelet and I had braised short rib hash with scrambled eggs. We all enjoyed the food. Pen also had a vanilla, rhubarb and champagne cocktail which went down a treat.

I have started a May photo album, which I'll continue to add to during the month.

Korea Town

I went out for dinner with some colleagues and their room mates last night. We went to Korea Town, which is basically a small road of Korean restaurants on 32nd street between Broadway and 5th Avenue.

I've eaten quite a bit of Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese food before, but I think this was my first visit to a Korean restaurant. What really impressed me was that after we ordered about 10 little taster dishes arrived for us to share. They were all excellent. Apparently in Korea it is quite common for restaurants to complete on the quality and variety of the taster dishes they offer. I think I'll go back to sample some more!

I tried to go to the United Nations this afternoon, but unfortunately they don't offer tours on a Saturday.

Summit, New Jersey

This weekend I was very kindly invited to stay with my friends Pen and Clint in Summit, New Jersey. Apart from my quick sojourn over the George Washington Bridge it was the first time that I have left Manhattan since arriving six weeks ago.

Roots Steakhouse

On Friday night we went for dinner at Roots in Summit, which is a smart local restaurant. The service is formal, but not stiff. On learning that they brew their own beer we all started with a class of amber.

Rather than serving bread rolls they come round with freshly baked Yorkshire puddings, not at all greasy, and slightly beadier than those we get with roast beef at home. Unlike anything I have seen before, they were innovative and tasty. For main courses we all, unsurprisingly, had steaks that were wheeled to our table on a trolley. Possibly because they are too big to carry!

The steaks were beautifully tender and well seasoned. I had an enormous rib eye, and ridiculously over indulgently, about half of Pen's fillet which she could not finish. A move I have regretted since, as I am still feeling stuffed! All accompanied by a good bottle of zinfandel from an slightly over complicated wine list.

When we left the restaurant I discovered that I had been victim of a crime. Someone had stolen my umbrella! Which was ironic, as when I told a colleague at work that I was going to Jersey for the weekend, the first thing he replied with was that Jersey was full of beautiful little towns that had zero crime. And highly annoying, as it was raining I got wet on the walk home!


Summit Diner
On Saturday morning we went for a much anticipated breakfast at the Summit Diner. It was completely different from Roots, but in many ways I enjoyed it a lot more. You can have a great steak anywhere in world, but the true diner experience can only be had in America. Especially New Jersey which is the home of the diner.

The Summit Diner is the stereo typical American experience. From the outside it looks like an old railway carriage. Inside it's small and atmospheric, with booths, stools at the counter, cooks in full view frying on the hot plate, brusk waitresses and chipped crockery.

After extensive research Clint had told me that the best order was corn beef hash with two eggs over easy, which is what we both ordered. To continue the stereo types the portions were hearty and the prices cheap. I enjoyed the hash, although Clint thought it was one of the weaker visits. I suppose diners are also about variation!


Summit Playhouse - Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
In the evening we went to the Summit Playhouse, which is a small and intimate theatre close to Pen and Clint's apartment. The theatre, which has been open since 1918, seats about 100 people. The stage takes up roughly half of the building and is the same size as the seating area. Giving a completely different perspective to any other play I have seen and means that you are very close to the actors.

I was very impressed with the production of A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Ideal for the small theatre as it doesn't require a large cast or any complicated set changes. The play rotates around three central characters who all have lengthy monologues and I think were very well acted considering it was an amateur production.

The play first opened in 1955 and must have been quite controversial at the time with strong language and overtones of homosexuality.


Sunday: More Food!
The over indulgence continued on Sunday morning. As we headed to Summit's other diner, the Broadway Diner for lunch. It didn't quite have the style of Saturday morning, but did have the crowds with the locals out in force for Mother's Day. For one of the first times since arriving in America I had the will power to not clean my plate. I may yet avoid obesity, but I think it is going to require some concerted action!

On the walk home from the diner we stopped at the Magic Fountain ice cream parlour. I'm not really sure how to describe the Magic Fountain. It's open to 10pm each night, is something of a local hangout and reminded me of Happy Days.


Clint is a great photographer so I took my SLR along for the weekend. It feels rather strange having to wait for a film to be developed and not being able to immediately view your digital photos.

Dry Cleaning

After wrestling with the useless iron and ironing board here in my flat for the first three weeks I decided that I could take it no longer and I would get my shirts laundered.

I have to say it is the BEST thing in world; ever. I don't have the feeling of dread on a Sunday evening knowing that I have to iron shirts for the week ahead. The dry cleaner does a much better job than I can do myself, the shirts come back beautifully clean and crisp. They deliver for no extra charge and it is cheap!

I am not sure what I will do when I am back in the UK where it is at least three times the price.

Spoilt for choice on a Thursday

For this first time since coming to New York I actually wish I was back in London this Thursday night.

Thai Superstar John Dang is playing in London this Thursday at Ginglik in Shepards Bush, 8pm Thursday.

If you fancy a quiet drink, Brockley Central Drinks III, are taking place at the Talbot from 8pm. I really enjoyed the last BC drinks, so I am quite gutted to be missing these.

The Credit Crunch Hits

Like many people I am on a (relatively) short term mortgage deal. My two year offer expires in a few months so I have been looking around and doing a few sums.

If I do nothing, I will be moved onto my mortgage providers standard variable rate. When I worked it out I was quite surprised how much of an increase it was. Enough to cause pain and force me to make cut backs in other areas. (Try it for yourself, most banks standard variable rate is Bank of England + 2%; 7.25% at the moment.)

A friend of mine is a mortgage advisor and suggested that I speak to HSBC as they are one of the few banks still lending money and have a reasonably decent rate. I gave them a call today and they will (only) lend me 2.75 times my salary.

Imagine if I had taken out a 5 times my salary mortgage two years ago? I would be completely stuffed, unable to remortgage and forced to pay the standard variable rate of my current provider.

In many ways the credit crunch hasn't really hit the wider economy yet. The value of our pensions will have fallen with the stock market and we have underwritten Northern Rock for a couple of grand each, but this are mainly indirect effects. However, as people roll off their mortgage deals, it will hit their wallets. If they are unable to find a solution the consequences might be quite dire.

I am not going to give my personal financial details on the blog, but I would encourage everyone to think about it. Have you borrowed more than 2.75 times your salary? Use the CML mortgage calculator to see what your monthly payments would be at a 7.25% interest rate. I don't mind admitting I got a bit of a shock toady.

Expect to see a few adverts appearing on the blog soon as I desperately seek other revenue sources! ;-)

Whole Foods and the Guggenheim

I started the day with a haircut and a trip to Whole Foods in Union Square. I've been to the Whole Foods in Clapham at home and it wasn't that exciting, appearing overpriced and not that much different from a Waitrose.

In New York the average supermarket is much more expensive than London and the quality of the fresh produce isn't that great. The over sized apples are also a bit concerning. Growth hormones anyone? Whole Foods didn't seem that much more expensive than the local competition here. The quality, range of produce and the shopping environment are all good. The escalator to carry the shopping trolleys between the basement and ground floor was cool. There is also a warm glow knowing that everything you have bought is organic, locally produced or ethical in some way. Sucked in by the marketing? No, not me...................

In the afternoon I met up with my friends Pen and Clint and we visited the Guggenheim Museum. For those that haven't visited the Guggenheim, it is an iconic building with a central atrium and a large spiral around the outside displaying the art. There is currently an exhibition by Cai Guo-Qiang on display. My favourite two exhibits were an installation of nine cars suspended in the atrium filling the whole height of the building and a series of life size clays figures that were made on site and are currently decaying as clay dries out and cracks.

After the museum we went for a short walk in Central Park and popped into the Metropolitan Museum before heading to the East Village and a bar called Against the Grain where we may have had one too many beers on empty stomachs. They were nice beers, the bar was small, dark, atmospheric and had a pleasant little community park next door; so all is forgiven.

Birthday Muffins

Each day on my way to work, I walk past a really interesting deli that I have been looking for an excuse to visit.

On Monday I decided to buy some muffins for my team and thought it was the perfect excuse to pop in. On my way home I was a bit perturbed to see that it had been closed by The Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene. (What is mental hygiene? Any ideas?)

Its been 48 hours and no one has been struck down by food poisoning so I think I am in the clear........

UPDATE: The deli was open again on my way home from work. After a deep clean I am sure!