Vegas for New Year's 2011: Raku, Signature at MGM - December 30, 2010

I know what you are thinking...Las Vegas AGAIN?!?  This would be my fourth trip to Sin City, all within the past five months.  It's a convenient destination, with yummy food abound and things to see.  I definitely am Vegas-ed out now.  We spent four nights here; I think three nights is best.

My last blog post was about doing a mileage run to earn a pair of domestic upgrade coupons.  Well, turned out that I miscalculated how many miles I needed...by 127 miles.  Ugh.  I mistakenly counted my EQM's (elite qualification miles) rather than actual BIS (butt-in-seat) miles.  I was supposed to fly 10,000 BIS miles.  Fortunately, it was not the end of the year yet, and I had this trip to Vegas.  I was originally going to fly one-way on an award ticket (got a cheap Southwest ticket back), but canceled it and bought a paid ticket using the $200 discount I got for the delayed Chicago flight.  With a stop in LAX, totaling 609 miles, I was finally going to get those darn coupons.

My LAX to LAS flight ended up delayed over one hour.  When I had made reservations at my favorite restaurant Raku, I was bummed that they gave me an 8pm arrival, as I was originally supposed to arrive in LAS at 6:15pm.  But it turned out to be perfect.

My flight was on a jet that had a first class cabin, and I was already upgraded 2 days prior to departure so I didn't have to vulture around the gate to hear my name. :)  Babe had already arrived in LAS at 4:30pm; he had to wait 3 hours for me to arrive, what a trooper!

We rented a car from National; it helps a lot to have Emerald Club membership.  You can bypass the lines, choose your car from the parking lot and drive off, just like Hertz #1 Club Gold.  You can sign up for free here (courtesy of MouseSavers.com).  You have to fill out the entire profile and give credit card information in order to bypass the lines.  If you reserve an intermediate car, there's a special "Emerald Aisle" in the parking lot where you can choose any car and just pay the intermediate price.  Usually they do have intermediates, but sometimes there are choice options...I've gotten an SUV and a Prius before.  (Note, driving a Prius is like operating a video game!)  I also found good discount codes from carrentalsavers.com.

We arrived at Raku right at 8:15pm, whew!  (Raku gives a 15-minute grace period)  Dinner was delicious as usual.  The only thing that sounded appealing from the no-price-listed chalkboard menu was a blue crab miso soup.  We had our usual items such as raw Kobe beef liver, grilled duck, Kobe skirt steak, Kobe beef tendon, and of course, the foie gras.

love love love this raw liver

must have foie gras

tendon is to die for

New items we tried included sashimi salad, grilled lamb chop, and the blue crab miso soup.  The sashimi salad was huge and could serve four people.  The spinach in it was so fresh, we couldn't stop eating it.  The lamb chop was done perfectly.  The miso soup tasted good, but it was so much work to eat the blue crab.  We passed on dessert since we were so full. So glad we were able to eat here this night, as they were to be closed January 1-3, and we already had dinner plans for NYE.

duck and lamb chop

After dinner, we checked into our home for the next three nights, the Signature at MGM Grand.  I had searched everywhere for a deal for New Year's Eve, and every decent hotel on the Strip was charging $499 and up for December 31st.  Even Priceline wasn't much help.  For the price, it made sense to get a condo as I like having a kitchen.  I ended up renting a penthouse junior suite (aka studio) with Strip-view balcony from a private owner off of vrbo.com.  You can save 25% or more off MGM's online rates if you go through an owner.  We were in Tower 3, and we got a bit lost getting there as we drove into the MGM Tropicana Avenue entrance thinking it would be close by and had to drive through the back alleyways of the hotel.  It's best to go east on Tropicana from the Strip, make a left on Koval, then left on Harmon and the entrance is on the left.  I can envision taxi cabs wanting to make a few more bucks by taking you through the MGM grounds.

Valet parking was complimentary and they offered to take our bags up to the room, but we didn't have much to carry.  We checked in with no problems and went up to our 29th floor penthouse junior suite.  The 29th floor is the lowest floor of "penthouse" level.  The top-most floor is 38, which is considered the "upper penthouse" level.  The junior suite is a good size, and it was nice to have a balcony to enjoy the views.  The sitting area contained a sofa bed, lounge chair, table and two chairs.  The kitchen had a two-burner halogen cooktop, microwave oven, fridge, sink, coffee maker, toaster, blender, and all plates/glasses/pans/utensils, very fully equipped.  Bathroom had a jacuzzi tub and separate shower.

Since we were renting through a private owner, there wasn't any maid service.  There were plenty of towels to use and I brought my own toiletries (the ones in the room weren't super great anyway), so it wasn't a problem for three nights.  Looking forward to tomorrow:  New Year's Eve steak dinner and mingling with thousands of people on the Strip for the countdown...

Mileage run to Kansas City - December 19, 2010

I had secured Premier Executive (1P) status for 2011 when I flew to Nashville on December 4.  Then I realized that since I was still 1K until the end of the year, if I flew 10,000 miles this quarter, I would receive 2 Regional Upgrades (CR-1s).  Since I wouldn't be able to collect any more CR-1's as a 1P next year until I flew 75,000 miles, it was worth it to me to find a reasonably cheap flight to cross the 10K mark before the end of the year.  Some of you savvy readers may remember that being an elite flyer on United entitles you to free unlimited domestic upgrades (UDU) for yourself and one companion, so why do I bother collecting CR-1's?  Sometimes you don't want to wait until the 100 hour (or less) window before departure to secure a space in the front of the plane...if there is upgrade allocation at time of booking, using a CR-1 will work immediately.  Also, if I am traveling with more than one companion, I can upgrade the other with the CR-1.  Or I'll feel generous and gift the upgrades to a friend.  (oh, so *now* you want to be my friend...) 

I checked the Mileage Run Deals forum on flyertalk.com and saw a deal to Kansas City.  The price wasn't exceptionally cheap, but I had a 10% off coupon from playing one of United's iPhone games that was going to expire at the end of the year, plus my friend Ed had an expiring $150 voucher that needed to be used...how could I say no?  This would be the sixth straight weekend that I had flown on an airplane...Karen's bash, Thanksgiving week, Nashville MR, $175 LV weekend, and now Kansas City.  Crazy, I know!  I even bailed out on two holiday parties just for this mileage run.  Hello, my name is Kat Kong, and I am a mileage run addict.

There was a problem with using the voucher.  It was a paper voucher (Type AB, for those interested...sounds like blood), not electronic, so I couldn't use it on united.com.  I had to either ticket-by-mail (can't do that last minute) or go to the airport to redeem it.  But how do I hold a ticket online so that I could pay it the airport?  united.com didn't officially have a hold option anymore and I didn't want to waste time on the phone.  I searched through flyertalk's United Airlines forum and pieced together what to do.  (email me if you need to know...)  I reserved my December 19 flight late in the night on December 17 and had until 11:59pm December 18 to ticket.  It was raining cats and dogs on the 18th, plus I had to wait 45 minutes in line to get my flight ticketed, and pay $4 in parking fees!  Not sure if I want to do that again unless I happened to already be at the airport. 

Since I bought my ticket last-minute, I was on the upgrade waitlist for all of my flights.  I had low hopes that I would clear the waitlist as there weren't very many first class seats left, but at least all of my seats were exit row.  Early the next morning, I was at the airport trying to print out my boarding pass and the machine said I had to see a United representative.  I was worried that my ticket didn't really go through.  Turned out I was upgraded. :)  When I boarded the plane, I was about to take my window seat in 3D, but apparently a husband and wife were seated in aisle seats 3B and 3C (probably upgraded that morning as well), so the wife asked if I would take her seat in 3B so she could sit next to her husband.  Normally I like to have a window seat on early morning flights so I could lean my head against the wall of the plane to keep myself upright and lessen the odds of snoring and drooling over my fellow seatmate.  But I relented here, because the first class seats aren't super close to the wall of the plane to begin with, and the seats have built-in adjustable headrests to keep my head within the confines of the seat.  It was actually a blessing to move seats, as I got to meet a very nice man in 3A who was (gasp!) a 2-million-miler (2MM) on United.  He had been a 1K ever since the program started.  You all think I fly a lot, but I'm nowhere near breaking 200K, much less 2M!  We spent the 2 hour flight having breakfast and talking about flying, destinations, life in general.  He shared some valuable tips with me, which I am very grateful.  When we arrived in Denver, he asked if I wanted to go into the Red Carpet Club (RCC) with him.  I had 2 hours before my next flight, so I was game!  I don't get the privilege of entering United's lounge unless I am traveling internationally.  As a 2MM, my new friend had lifetime membership to the RCC and could bring in a guest.  So instead of parking myself at the gate and munching on granola bars that I brought, I enjoyed hot cups of tea along with veggie appetizers and Pepperidge Farm cookies. :)  His next flight was in 30 minutes, so he didn't stay long, but I stayed until it was time to vulture at the gate, waiting to find out if my upgrade cleared to Kansas City.

When I arrived at the gate 15 minutes before boarding, I checked the monitors for my name.  There were around 10 people on the upgrade waiting list, with my name on top and one first class seat remaining.  That last person could check in and there would be 0 seats.  I wasn't holding my breath; the flight was only an hour and 30 minutes anyway.  At 2 minutes before boarding time, the gate agent announced, "If your last name isn't Kong, please board with your original seat assignment."   He then called my name a minute later to exchange my exit row seat with...3D!  I don't know why I keep getting seat 3D.  Ah, I will miss being 1K in 2011, since obviously priority was how I got the last seat in first class, even though I booked my ticket the day before.

The flight to Kansas City was uneventful.  I had two hours to kill before the next flight.  When I exited the gate area, I was wondering why security people were opening doors to let us out.  Then I saw how small this airport was.  The gate was right next to the ticketing counters.  I had no idea that I had left the "airside" of the airport and had to go through security again, argh!   I purchased and ate half of a Subway sandwich for lunch, and drank the water in my water bottle, since I had to go through security again.  My next flight on a CRJ-700 (small jet) and though it had a first class cabin, there were only 6 seats and I didn't think I'd clear.  It was only 1 hour 30 minutes to Chicago so if I didn't get it, it would be fine.  On the monitors, my name was the only one on the upgrade list, and 1 seat remaining.  Cool.  :)  I got seat 1D (since there was no 3D available...) and as I boarded the plane, there was an Asian man sitting in 1D.  I remarked, "I see you like to have the window?"  He looked perplexed and said, "Oh, is this not my seat?" and I said that it didn't matter and took 1C.  Seat changing seemed to be the theme today.

We landed in Chicago into Concourse E.  My last flight was in Concourse C and boarding was to begin in less than an hour.  United ran a shuttle from E to C, but the line seemed long.  As tempting as it was to walk from E to C (didn't seem far on the map), I was glad that I waited in line for the shuttle, as I saw how far it really would've been, and I definitely wouldn't have made it to my gate faster by walking.  When I arrived at the gate, I saw my name was already on the cleared list. :)  I batted 3 for 3 on a last minute flight, very lucky.  Guess what seat I got?  3D!  Very peculiar.  However, at 8pm, the gate agent announced that there was a sensor malfunction on the plane and mechanics were looking into it, with next update at 9:30pm.  Our flight was to have taken off at 8:40pm.  It was going to be a long night.  At around 9pm, the gate agent announced that they didn't have the parts to fix the sensor, so we had to wait for an incoming plane from Washington DC, which was arriving at 11pm.  Ouch.  People were totally grumbling.  We wouldn't get home until after 2am; I could hear people calling their friends/loved ones picking them up at the airport that they'd be really late.  Remember, this was Sunday...I was thinking how tired I would be coming into work on Monday. 

I ate the other half of my Subway sandwich for dinner and found an AC outlet to charge up my phone.  Finally 11pm came around and we were able to board and take off by 11:45pm.  "Second dinner" was a choice of a cold chicken salad or a hot ham and cheese sandwich; I took the sandwich.  Here is the one and only picture I took on this run:

I finally got home around 3am, went to bed at 3:30am and woke up at 7am to chair my morning meeting at 9am.  I'm sure I looked like a zombie.  When I checked my email that morning, I received a note from United apologizing for the mechanical delay and to choose a token of appreciation:  $200 off a future flight, 10% off a future flight, or 7000 redeemable miles.  I took the $200.  That made my flight almost free, yay!  So when is the next future flight?  There won't be a 7th straight weekend of flying, as I'd be home for Christmas, but I would be flying again for New Year's...to Las Vegas.  Yes, AGAIN.  This trip was planned many months before.  Don't worry, I always find something new to keep myself and readers entertained...stay tuned!

Studio B, Zumanity, Aria, Bellagio - December 11-12, 2010

We sadly checked out of the Four Seasons at 12pm.  I unabashedly cleaned the room of all the toiletries, two pairs of fluffy white terry slippers in unopened packaging (definitely meant for one-time use), along with the stationery plus a pen.  Notably, the slippers were marked with the gold Four Seasons logo on the left edge of one slipper and right edge of the other; a nice touch, not two of the same slipper packaged together.  We did a quick tour of the lobby area before heading over to Mandalay Bay, to give more time for rooms to be available for check-in.  You could purchase one of the gingerbread houses on display for a mere $300.

love this elaborate setup

don't think this carousel was made of food, but it rotated

big fresh tree

Babe checked in at the Mandalay front desk, and we were able to get a room immediately instead of waiting until 3pm, so we didn't have to store our luggage.  The Mandalay Bay lobby was also decorated with holiday splendor.  Our room was nice, but the quality was definitely a lot less than last night's accommodations.  Even though the layout of the floor and hallways were the same as the Four Seasons, Mandalay Bay didn't put as much detail into the trim and carpet.  The beds weren't as plush, neither were the towels, and the toiletries were their house brand. :P  Plus, I wasn't a fan of the open window in the bathroom.  There was no way of shading it, so if you don't want to reveal your nakedness, this may be a concern.  It could be just a feature of  king-bedded rooms...

the "window" faces the foyer of the room.  no privacy!

After some Internet surfing time and catching up with Facebook, we were hungry and decided to try getting into the Studio B buffet at the M Hotel in Henderson, designated "Best Buffet in Las Vegas" for 2010 by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  We tried to have dinner here last August, but I gave up after an hour of waiting and moving only 10 feet.  It was about a 15 minute drive from Mandalay Bay on I-15 south.  This time, we arrived at 2:30pm and hoped the line wouldn't be so bad...it was just as long as I had left it last August. :(  But this time, I was mentally prepared to wait up to 3 hours.  I even brought an emergency granola bar to stave off hypoglycemia.  I found out from the patrons behind us in line that the buffet was offering a 2-for-1 deal before 4pm if you had a player's card, so I jumped out of line to sign up for one and came back...Babe had barely moved 20 feet.  The buffet was $29.99 and included unlimited beer and wine.  2-for-1 made the meal sweeter, especially as I don't drink very much.  After 2.5 hours, we finally made it to the cashier to pay.  It was past 4pm but they honored the 2-for-1 deal to anyone who was in line before 4pm.  Then there was another line to get seated!  We waited here for another 15 minutes.  Finally we were in!  It felt like cafeteria seating, not like the Wynn or Bellagio.  There were bright TV displays alongside one of the main walls, which showed segments of shows from Food Network and other images.  The buffet was laid out pretty well, with plates next to sections of food, so you didn't have to wait in a line just to get at a particular food item.  The description of the food was written on the glass sneeze guards.

The Asian food selection was pretty good.  I had an oxtail stew that was delicious.  The Thai curry and Korean kalbi were tasty.  Crab legs were standard, but they had hot ones along with cold!  Oysters were small, but plentiful.  The prime rib was supposed to be the best, according to Yelp, but I didn't have any room to try it.  There was a vast selection of desserts along with a gelato bar.  They were out of mango gelato though. :(  As far as unlimited drinks were concerned, there was draft beer, but it consisted of national brands like Coors Light.  There were draft ciders and a draft root beer.  Red and white wines were also available...Babe tried some and he said it was good.  I just stuck with apple juice and some sips of berry cider.  I don't think it was worth waiting almost 3 hours to eat here, but at $15 per person plus tax, it softened the blow.  I would wait at most 1 hour.  Maybe if I was more of a lush, I would like the place more since it costs $15 just to get one drink at a casino bar.  I won't be back anytime soon, unless perhaps for breakfast where I would think the wait would be just an hour or less.

We ate at the buffet for about 2 hours (not even past the time we waited) and returned to the Mandalay Bay by 8pm.  We had tickets to the 10:30pm Zumanity show at the New York New York hotel.  I saw a discount offer on Travelzoo and bought the cheapest seats I could get, as I hadn't heard a lot of good reviews and the theater seemed on the small size.

No car needed tonight; there was a tram that went from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, and then a pedestrian bridge across Tropicana Boulevard to get to the NYNY.

useful Strip map courtesy of vegas.com

I wasn't a fan of the hustle and bustle of the NYNY hotel; it was so crowded and the walkways in the casino were narrow.  There was also some renovations going on, so some corridors would be blocked.  There was a huge line to get into the Zumanity theater.  The 7:30pm show was just getting out.  We fought our way through to the will-call counter to pick up the tickets, then waited off to the side for the line to dissipate.

view from my seat, last row of center section, not too bad

There was a pre-show going on and lots of sexual references were being used, along with flowery language.  People in the front rows were getting accosted, as expected in Cirque pre-shows.  Another plus to sitting way in the back.  I couldn't take any photos during the show of course.  It was a cabaret show, Cirque-style.  There were still acrobatics and strong people; however, the performers could be topless.  Some of the men were wearing G-strings.  One segment of the show became "orgasmic", haha.  Then at the end of the show, two lucky audience members got to take part in an "orgy".  Quite embarrassing.  One who was selected to go on stage was a young man from Iowa, who was with his stepdad and mom.  Why would you go to this show with your parents?  He ended up having his shirt taken off, and a never-before-seen shade of white was exposed!  All in all, I thought the show was fun to watch, and something different than the usual artsy nature of Cirque shows.  Plus, I only paid about $50 a ticket; a nice way to end a Saturday night.  Unfortunately the tram was closed after 11pm, so we had to walk back to Mandalay Bay through Excalibur and Luxor.  It had been years since I had stepped foot in Excalibur, and it had transformed itself into a country-western theme.  It was weird to hear country music and still be surrounded by "castle".  The Luxor also transformed itself from its Egyptian roots to a more contemporary theme which reminded me of the inside of Aria.  At least their lobby remained Egyptian.

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and drove over to Fashion Show Mall to do some shopping.  I got a couple of nice sweaters for Babe from Macy's, and I bought a bra using a $10 coupon that I got from purchasing at Victoria's Secret during Karen's birthday weekend.  I was getting hungry, so we drove over to Bellagio to get some fries from the snack bar and a delectable crepe from Jean-Philippe Patisserie.  It's a tradition now to stop at J-P.  Adding the extra scoop of gelato for $2 is one of the best deals in Vegas.  The fries may also become a regular occurrence, as they are to die for and a good portion for the price.

Bellagio was very decked out for the holidays, especially in the conservatory.

We walked over to Aria to check out the decorations, the buffet, and to do a little bit of gambling.  I hadn't gambled the last two times I was in Vegas, so I was getting an itch for my beloved game, video poker.  I didn't win any money, but I had fun and Babe got several bottles of beer out of it.

We passed by the Aria buffet and considered eating there, but it was $36.95 for dinner (which included 1/2 a Maine lobster per person and unlimited wine) and we only had 2 hours before departing for the airport.  I didn't want to feel rushed, plus if I was paying $36.95, I'd want to stay as long as possible and enjoy it.  We ended up going to the Bellagio buffet and waiting only 10 minutes to get in.  It was $29.95, but at least I knew the quality was good.  I will try the Aria buffet (despite mixed reviews) when I am next in town...New Year's Eve weekend!  Yes, another trip, but it was planned in advance, and this $175 trip was spontaneous.  You'd think Vegas was our favorite place, but it's just a convenient destination.  Hope Raku is open New Year's Day!

$175 Weekend in Las Vegas: Raku, Mandalay Bay - December 10, 2010

Thanks to flyertalk.com (specifically the "Mileage Run Deals" forum) and Expedia.ca, Babe and I were able to spend a weekend in Vegas including flights and 2 nights at Mandalay Bay, for a total of $175.00.  Someone reported on the forum that Expedia.ca was offering a coupon worth CAD$300 off any vacation package for travel between Nov 20 and Dec 30 to Las Vegas, New York or Cancun.  Unfortunately for the company, the coupon at the time did not have a minimum purchase, nor was it restricted to Canadian departures.  People living close to these destinations were putting together $0 trips.  Also, if you chose specially selected hotels, you'd also receive bonuses like a $50 SpaFinder gift certificate or $50 off show tickets!  Usually these kinds of mistakes disappear after a few hours, but since the deal was posted on a Friday, and it took time for people to experiment with their itineraries to come up with the most bang for $0, Expedia didn't feel the brunt of it until late Friday, probably after people with any authority to change anything went home.

I read about people booking trips for $0 just to collect the SpaFinder certificates and not showing up for the flight or hotel.  There were also people who booked mileage runs to Vegas or New York for little to $0, and throwing away the hotel portion.  After some research on Expedia.ca's website early Saturday afternoon, I booked two packages containing airfare plus one night of hotel each person to split the cost to use the $300 coupon.  I read later on in the forum that Expedia changed the wording of the terms and conditions to be only from a Canadian origin a couple of hours before I booked, so I was a bit worried that we wouldn't get the discount.  But everything went fine...later on, I read that Expedia had made changes to the website to not accept the coupon if a non-Canadian airport was entered as the origin.  So I think I made it through a grace period (ie. time it took for the programmer to make the code change).  Las Vegas, here we come!  It pays to have an email subscription to the forum to keep track of deals.

We arrived in Las Vegas around 9:30pm and I had made reservations at our favorite restaurant Raku for 10pm.  I rented a car through Priceline with bidding guidance from betterbidding.com, and snagged a Hertz rental car for $10 a day + taxes.  You had to take a shuttle from the airport to the off-site rental car center.  Hertz had a self-serve kiosk that worked with my Priceline reservation, yay!  (The Alamo kiosk does not let Priceline clients self-check-in, at least the last time I utilized it)  I might have been able to add my Hertz #1 Club Gold number for even faster service (just look up your name on the display board to find your car stall and drive off) but I forgot.  If you don't have a Hertz #1 Club Gold membership, you can get one for free (a $60 value) if you are a Delta SkyMiles member.  If you're not a SkyMiles member, you can sign up for free at delta.com and then go to this link to sign up for Club Gold using the program name "Delta Skymiles" and promotion code 5765. Oh, and I got a free upgrade from a compact  car to a mid-size (Jetta).  Woohoo!

We made it to Raku at 10:02pm but our table wasn't ready yet as the previous diners were given the check but not in a hurry to pay.  (just like what happened at Joel Robuchon...)  After waiting 10 minutes, the server directed us to a private dining area and sat us at a big table meant for 4-5 people.  We knew this area existed behind the main dining room from the first time we were here, and now we got to check it out.  We also saw there were two individual dining rooms as well, and it looked like Japanese VIP were seated in there.  The server brought out the usual blackboard of specials with no prices (meaning $$$).  There were rare fresh offerings such as unmarinated mackerel sashimi, Hokkaido scallop sashimi, and two shellfish that the server did not know the English name for.  We went with the mackerel sashimi...how many times do you get to eat pure mackerel without salt or vinegar?  Then we ordered other items off the menu, which you will see soon.

Raku's chef makes the condiments.  I wanted to empty the contents into my own containers, they're that good.

I barely used any soy sauce on the mackerel...it tasted very good on its own.  Next, we had raw Kobe beef liver, topped with thin slices of raw garlic.  We wanted to try this the first time we were here, but they were sold out.  Now I could understand why.  It barely tasted like liver, and since it was raw, the chalkiness that usually accompanies beef liver was not present.  Even though I hate garlic (especially raw), it went well with the liver.  At least both Babe and I were eating it. ;)

Next up was oden, a type of Japanese stew that's comfort food in the winter.  There are many different items that make up oden, and I chose beef tendon and meat intestines.  Yum!  The broth was good too.  There was a smidgen of Japanese mustard slapped on the side of the bowl if you wanted to use it.

Then our grilled items (robata) were delivered.  I wanted my own duck skewer. :)  We shared the other skewers of chicken wing and pork cheek.

Next was egg custard with foie gras.  Except the "foie gras" was really a piece of duck breast with the skin on it.  Probably mis-labeled.  Oh well...it was still delicious.  It reminded me of a steamed egg dish that I make at home.

Babe had his skewer of Kobe skirt steak with roasted garlic.

This time, I ordered a green tea sake cocktail.  It had a refreshing taste, not sweet at all.  The waitress somehow remembered me from the first time we were here in August; she asked why I didn't want to try the lychee cocktail again, haha!  I don't know why we're so memorable.  I suspected it was because of all the picture taking.

Then finally, the piece de resistance, what I was waiting all night to ingest...the grilled foie gras.  We didn't want to share a skewer because we remembered how heavenly it was.  It was just the right amount of foie gras too; any more would have been too rich.  This tasted so much better than the one I had at Joel Robuchon and was double the size and probably a third of the price.  The sauce was deeeeelicious and the liver melted in my mouth.

For dessert, we decided to try the bubbly brown sugar pudding.  The brown sugar pudding was kind of like creamy jello.  It was at the bottom of the cup; the waitress told us to scrape the bottom and eat together with the cold sweet milky soup and bubbles.  It was a unique dessert, but I probably wouldn't order it again.

Our tummies were satisfied, and the total bill cost less than the 2-course meal at Joel Robuchon.  Raku is one of my favorite restaurants and I'll try to eat here at every opportunity...I highly recommend this place.

It was around midnight by now, and we drove to Mandalay Bay, our home for the weekend.  The parking garage was pretty far away from the lobby.  The first night's accommodations was paid for by my Expedia package, so I checked in.  The front desk agent typed my information into the computer and then handed me back my ID and credit card.  "Please check in at the Four Seasons down the hall."  What?  Did I hear correctly?  No way.  I asked innocently, "Am I in the right place?" and she said yes.  No way.  What was funny was that I had considered staying at the Four Seasons for New Year's Eve as Kayak was showing a great price, but when I clicked on it, the total jumped in magnitude, so I dropped the idea.  And now I got my opportunity!  We walked towards the hallway that took guests to the Four Seasons lobby.

I'm laughing on the inside because we only paid $175 total for the flight and hotel, and we got upgraded.  The Four Seasons front desk agent explained that the Mandalay Bay ran out of rooms and because I was a "committed customer" (meaning I paid for my room upfront), Mandalay Bay paid the difference to put me up in the Four Seasons hotel.  "This is a five star hotel," he proclaimed; he must have interpreted my strained composure not to jump up and down as disappointment.  I told him, "Oh, I know."  :P  Then it got better...he gave me an envelope and explained that because the Four Seasons spa was under renovation, if I would please take this coupon for $50 off an 80 minute service at Spa Mandalay as a consolation.  Uh, free $50???  I was about to burst out laughing, this can't be real.  Then he asked, "Would you care for a bottle of water?  Warm or cold?"  I almost lost it here.  I get to choose warm water?!?  Wow!  I got a warm one and Babe got a cold one.  We walked down a quiet elegant corridor to the elevators.  The Four Seasons was located on the top four floors of the Mandalay Bay and the elevators are express.  Our room was on the 35th floor.  My ears popped at around floor 25.

We entered the room and shut the door.  Then Babe asked why I wasn't so excited.  I explained that I was, but I didn't want to jinx it by jumping up and down from the Mandalay Bay lobby to the hotel room!

The Four Seasons hotel has been around for a while, so it's not a huge suite like at the Palazzo.  But what they lack in space, they make up in quality and amenities such as plush robes and slippers, fancy toiletries, etc.

the bar had all sorts of nice wines and spirits, at a not-so-nice $$$

comfy plush bed

nice bathroom

"cup" coffee maker

L'Occitane toiletries

Too bad we were only going to be here one night, actually, 12 hours.  We wouldn't be able to peruse the pool facilities.  Babe had the other night booked at the Mandalay Bay, and I figured he wouldn't be as fortunate, since we needed to try to get a room before we checked out of the Four Seasons to make luggage stowage easier.  That night's sleep was heavenly...aaaahhhhhhhh...