Waimea Canyon, Napali whale-watching, Smith Family Luau - February 14-16, 2011

For Valentine's Day, we headed up to Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific".  It was on the west side of the island, with a winding, narrow, twisty road.  I was surprised no one got car-sick on the way there, though I made an effort not to take the hairpin turns too quickly.  We met up with Ed and Angela at the first of several lookouts.  This one was called the "Waimea Canyon Lookout".  There was some fog here; I did not have high hopes that we'd get a good view at the Kalalau lookout.

We were able to see some sights at the next lookout including a little piece of Ni'ihau island, however, as suspected, the other lookouts were fogged in.

Had it not been fogged in, we would've seen this:

taken during Nov 2009 Kauai trip

Afterward, we drove back into town and hit the Farmers Market in the Kukui Grove shopping center.  It was a bit hard to find as it was hidden in a sunken parking lot next to Kmart.  There were lots of vendors selling fresh vegetables like eggplant, bok choy, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, and also fresh fruit such as papaya, rambutans, longans, and citrus.  We bought some fixings for salad as well as papaya and longan.  This was Valentine's Day 2011...not exactly romantic, but it was good to spend time with family.

Tuesday was a lazy day in paradise.  We just relaxed at the Waiohai; Sheri and I spent some time at the shore laying out, with the parents playing mahjong in the villa.  Sheri had been very good during this vacation and waking up every day at 7am to work out.  I slept in as usual. (though I kept waking up at 4am due to jet lag)  Ed and Angela did a helicopter ride this morning!  They had won a 2-for-1 discount at their timeshare meeting.  According to them, it is a "must-do".  I'll try it out one of these days.

view from my lounge chair

On Wednesday, Sheri and I woke up real early to drive over to Port Allen to meet up with Ed and Angela for our 8am Napali snorkel sail with Holo-Holo Charters.  The tour included continental breakfast, deli lunch, beverages (including beer and wine).  During the sail would be opportunities for whale watching.  Maui is apparently the best place to whale watch in the Hawaiian islands, but Kauai gets some whales too.  I was looking forward to this as I wanted to see whales breaching.  The parents stayed behind since they didn't want to get sea-sick, not that they didn't mind playing mahjong all day anyway!

There were reports of sea-sickness in reviews, and I also read of people getting sick from taking Dramamine itself, so I was wanting to try my luck with not taking any meds, as the worst I had ever felt was a terrible headache and slight nausea on a very rocky ferry between the UK and Ireland many years ago.  But Ed convinced me and Sheri to pop a pill, so we did.  I didn't get sick, so I cannot say if the pill worked or not.  I only saw one kid get semi-sick, but he recovered pretty quickly and was found riding the trampolines on the way back to the harbor, bouncing up and down.  Not bad that 1 out of 35 got sea-sick.  I was expecting more.

no lack of food here, even with 35 people on board

I wasn't sure how the food situation would be, if there would be enough for 35 folks, but there was plenty to go around.  Either that or people were afraid to eat in case of sea sickness.  The blueberry and cranberry scones were really good, as well as the banana bread.  I think I inhaled 1 of each scone and 3 pieces of banana bread.

The nice thing about this tour was that we were on a catamaran that could truly sail.  It used motors for a while to get out of the harbor, but once the sails were up and the motor turned off, it was quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the waves.  The Ultimate Kauai guidebook did not recommend this boat ("Leila"), but I thought it was perfect.  Even Ed and Angela thought this boat was good, compared to the "recommended" bigger catamaran they took to Ni'ihau, which did not have a sail.  I also liked that you could lay or sit on the "trampoline" portion of the catamaran and watch the boat surf on the waves.

Thanks goes to Sheri for crowning me the "Holo Ho"

We sailed to the Napali coast, with scenery that cannot be seen on land unless you hike the Kalalau trail the whole way.  I've only hiked as far as the waterfall.  (the picture at the top of my blog was taken from the Kalalau trail)  The views were breathtaking and we saw several whales breaching, along with a mom and calf too!  We also saw a school of bottlenosed dolphins approaching the boat head on, as well as spinner dolphins popping out of the water.  It was hard to take pictures of these events, not to mention that my camera battery died halfway.  :(

The waters were calm enough for the catamaran to approach the cliffs really close.  Sometimes, it was so close that I thought we'd hit shore!  Angela was really happy that we were able to get close, as their last sail on the big catamaran could not approach the shore.  Thanks to Ed and Angela for the next couple of pics as my camera had died:

There were a couple of beaches along the coast, and as they are very hard to get to without hiking the trail, we had the pleasure(?) of seeing a naked man walk back to shore from the water's edge.  How appetizing!   The boat stopped at one point, allowing us to do a 20-30 minute snorkel, for swimmers only.  All equipment was provided, except life jackets, though they had "pool noodles" for people to float on.  Ed and Angela brought their own lifejackets and gear.  I forgot my snorkel gear at the villa, but the equipment provided worked fine.  I didn't see a ton of fish, but saw a sea turtle.  After snorkeling, we turned around and sailed back, stopping after a while to have a deli lunch.  There were baguettes and whole wheat bread to choose from, as well as different meats such as ham, roast beef, turkey, and all the fixings, including pasta salad.  There was plenty of food for everyone even with sandwiches being piled high.  The booze came out, so people were interested in imbibing beer after beer after beer.  We also got home-baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

The trip back to the harbor was pretty bumpy, as the sails went down and the motor was running full steam.  I think some people started to feel slightly sea-sick from all the ups and downs, but no one blew chunks, at least that I saw (or smelled).  We returned to the harbor 1.5 hours later than I expected (the tour was supposed to be from 8am to 1pm) so we would have to scramble to get ready for the Smith Family Luau that night.

The Ultimate Kauai guidebook recommended Smith's and the Luau Kalamaku at the Kilohana Plantation.  Smith's was more "traditional" and Luau Kalamaku was "Cirque"-like, so I went for Smith's, as a few people in our party had never been to a luau before.  We got a $10 discount by purchasing the tickets online, and as an added bonus, if you stayed at a property near Smith's, they'd come pick you up for free.  The Pono Kai was on the list, so I decided to meet Ed and Angela there and let Smith's take care of us.  We were a few minutes late to the Pono Kai lobby as there was rush-hour traffic, but I had overtaken the Smith's bus (plus it had turned into the parking lot of another property) on the main road, so I knew we'd be able to make it.  Even if we missed the bus, we could drive the few minutes to the luau.  But it was a good idea to take the bus, as it dropped us right at the front of the entrance, and there were hostesses stationed there to cattle us into the right lines.  The operation was pretty efficient and seamless.  Since I bought online, I waited in a very short line to sign a receipt.  We were informed that we had our own reserved table as we were a party of 6 or more, cool!  We then were directed to the photo line, where we received nicely made shell leis (not the usual ones you get) and took a picture with two hula dancers before getting herded into trams which took us on a short tour around the property.  There were peacocks abound as well as different kinds of foliage and floral displays.  The tram dropped us off at the front of the imu ceremonial area where kalua pig had been roasting underground for 6-7  hours.

After a brief introduction by one of the Smith family members, two young men blew conch horns and then proceeded to dig the pig out of the ground.  After the ceremony was over, we made our way to the dining area.  There was live music going on.  One by one, tables were directed to hit the six all-you-can-eat buffet lines off to the side of the dining area.  It was also all-you-can-drink, with stations where you could grab watered down mai-tais, fruit punch, or water.  There was a bar in the back if you wanted beer or hard liquor.

The buffet consisted of starters such as cold salads, lomi-lomi salmon, poi and breads.  No ahi poke. :(  There was purple Hawaiian sweet potato, regular mashed potatoes, fried rice, and stir-fried vegetables as sides.  Entrees included kalua pig (what was cooked underground), teriyaki beef, sweet and sour mahi mahi, and chicken adobo (which I didn't have, but was not a favorite amongst the group).  Desserts included haupia (a coconut milk jello-like pudding), rice pudding (which was apparently also cooked underground with the pig), fresh fruits including papaya, and coconut cake.  I always give poi a chance when it is available, and surprisingly enough, I really liked the poi at Smith's as it was very fresh!  Usually when I have poi, it has the consistency of thick purple paste with a sour flavor (old poi).  It went well as a dip for the teriyaki beef and also the kalua pig.  After the feast, we moved to the theater to watch hula dancing, plus performances based on Tahiti, Philippines, China, Japan, and ended with an exciting fire dance.  We took the shuttle back to Pono Kai, and drove back to Poipu from there.  What a long day!  Tomorrow, we're headed to the north side of the island for beach time and possibly surfing lessons...

First class to Kauai, iPhone retrieval, waterfalls and blowholes, Merriman's - February 12-13, 2011

February 13, 2011 was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary and I wanted to do something to celebrate.  A Caribbean cruise was considered, but my parents had just gone on one last November, so I suggested Kauai.  They had never been there, so Kauai it was!  I snagged a last-minute timeshare week at the same place I stayed at two Thanksgivings ago with Babe, at the Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club.  I got my dad a first class plane ticket with United frequent flyer miles, and hoped to get my and my mom's ticket upgraded via "UDU".  I had fallen in the ranks to "Premier Executive" status, but elites usually have no problem upgrading leisure routes like Hawaii.  That fact still didn't stop me from counting open first class seats and how many people were seated in the exit rows (an indication of elite status), making sure that indeed there were more seats in first than people in exit rows.  We ended up being upgraded on our outgoing flights at 100 hours, which is the "1K" window...I think since I bought the tickets when I was 1K, the window still stuck, otherwise I'd be upgraded at 72 hours.

Joining us on the trip was my cousin Sheri (a frequent "regular" on this blog!) and her parents Tony and May.  They were also staying with us at the Waiohai.  My brother Ed and his wife Angela were also able to work out a vacation to Hawaii (two nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, then six nights at the Pono Kai) with the Kauai portion overlapping most of our week there, yay!  My brother Allen, his pregnant wife Lisa, and their daughter Alison weren't able to join us due to busy work schedules plus the airlines have rules and restrictions on air travel while in the last month of pregnancy.

Our flight departed Saturday at 6am from San Jose International Airport, headed for Los Angeles, where we transferred planes to head to Lihue, Kauai.  The first plane was a CRJ-700 jet, with a tiny 6-seat first class cabin.  I assigned my dad my favorite seat 2A just in case we didn't get upgraded.  My mom and I ended up upgraded to 1B and 1C, bulkhead seats which I don't really prefer because I like under-seat storage, but I'll take the seat anyway!  Nothing special was served in first class, just a bag of pretzels.  I don't think coach got any snacks.  Then we landed in LAX and transferred to a 757 for our flight to Lihue.  It was the first time my parents have flown domestic first class, so they were looking forward to it.  Sheri and her parents were in coach (seated in the exit row!) not too far behind us.

Mom and Dad enjoying first class..."I can't go back to coach!"

The hot breakfast choice was eggs with sausage, country potatoes, croissant, yogurt and fruit plate.   Replace eggs/sausage/potatoes with cereal for the cold breakfast option.  We all got the hot breakfast.  I washed mine down with a bloody mary.  The flight was non-eventful for us, but was somewhat exciting for Sheri...on United flights to Hawaii, they play a game called "Halfway to Hawaii", where passengers guess the exact time to the second when the plane passes the halfway point of the route.  The captain provided useful information such as distance, head/tail wind, and air speed.   I didn't play this time (as I always lose), but Sheri submitted entries for all three of them, and her mom's entry won!  The prize was a Hawaiian music CD.  Yay for Sheri!

The flight was pretty smooth, and we landed in Lihue early.  Ed and Angela were also landing around the same time, though coming from an inter-island flight.  I thought I'd give Ed a call to see if we would intercept each other at baggage claim.  That's when I found that I lost my iPhone and iPod on the plane.  I had placed them on the side of my seat when electronics had to be turned off for landing.  When the plane landed, everyone was in such a rush to get off, I had forgotten to put my electronic items into my bag...very unlike me!  I had already passed the "point of no return" at the security checkpoint, so Sheri accompanied me to the ticket counter to ask for help.  One of the ticket agents radioed someone and responded back that lost items would be returned to baggage claim.  So we went to baggage claim and I waited in front of the un-manned baggage assistance window while Sheri rejoined the rest of the family to wait for luggage.  At least five minutes passed until someone came by.  The gentleman radioed to the "clean-up crew", asking if they had gotten to my plane yet.  It was the next plane to be cleaned.  I told him what seat I was in and description of my items.  Then he asked, "Can I get your cell phone number to reach you when we locate the items?"  Uhh...my cell phone was one of the lost items!  I flagged down Sheri to give him her cell number.  He suggested I go get the rental car while the clean-up crew was working.  Fortunately during this debacle, our luggage hadn't come out yet, so it was all happening in parallel. :)

Mom and I went to rent the minivan; shuttle buses picked up from the back of the rental car shack.  Rental cars can be very expensive...I had checked all the official rental car websites and applied all the discounts I knew of, but I ended up finding the best price through Hawaii Car Rentals.  It still booked through official car rental sites, but at their special discount rates.  We got a nice minivan from Budget that had automatic side door openers (too bad no automatic trunk open/close) with less than 3000 miles on it.  I drove it up to the curb at baggage claim; Sheri comes up to the van holding up my iPhone and iPod, proclaiming that I was so lucky!  I had high hopes that I'd get my stuff back because we were in Hawaii where everyone's relatively nice, and it'd be easy to find as things don't drop through those bucket seats.  It would've been sad to have lost them, but I'm glad it all worked out, hooray!!!  We loaded up the van, then met Ed and Angela at Costco for some lunch and to stock up on food.  Then we were off to the timeshare.  The exchange paperwork claimed it was "oceanview" so I was stoked, but view was "not guaranteed".  We did end up getting an oceanview villa, though you had to be on the balcony/lanai to see the ocean. :P

I didn't take pictures of the inside of the villa, but here are some photos stolen from the Marriott web site (and it does really look like that):

The villa was 2 bedroom; the parents got the bedrooms while Sheri and I slept on the sofabed in the living room, which left much to be desired.  Putting the mattress on the ground helped some.  Mom cooked dinner and we just stayed in for the rest of the night.

On Sunday, we went out sightseeing to a couple of waterfalls.  The first was Wailua Falls, always an impressive sight, and we were able to get some nice rainbow shots.  It looked almost a twin to Yellowstone's Lower Falls.

Uncle Tony and Aunt May

Yellowstone Lower Falls, taken last July

compared with Wailua Falls

The second waterfall was Opaeka'a Falls, with its twin falls.  The flow was kind of weak, so it wasn't as impressive.  We also walked across the road to look at the Wailua River.

We grabbed some lunch at the Korean BBQ restaurant in Kapa'a.  The food was rather salty that day, but prices were cheap.  We met up with Ed and Angela at their timeshare, the Pono Kai.  It was ideally situated in Kapa'a along the eastern coastline, with lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance.  Here are some pictures stolen from the Pono Kai website.  I especially liked the herb garden and the koi pond.  There was a gargantuan one which I pretty much hand-fed since his open mouth was at least 3 inches wide.

Then we all drove back to Poipu to view the Spouting Horn blowhole.  The ocean wasn't very choppy, so it took a long time to wait for a good wave to activate the blowhole.

We returned to the villa to rest and freshen up before the anniversary dinner at Merriman's tonight.  It was tough trying to find a restaurant to celebrate.  Yelp reviews were mixed for many eateries.  It was either dine at a local place, with reasonable prices but not an atmosphere for a celebration, or go to a nicer place, knowing that the prices would be $$$, but better atmosphere.  I chose the latter, and selected Merriman's, as I had a great experience eating at their original restaurant on the Big Island and it's known for farm-to-table cuisine, so the food is all local.  Roy's was nearby, but as we have many Roy's in California, I didn't want to eat there.  The restaurant presented my parents with a couple of leafy leis for the occasion.  (no free dessert :( ) 

Of course, the requisite food photos. :)

shared "pupu" taster: crab cake, ahi poke, lobster mac 'n cheese, tomato papaya salad

my scallop entree, over "creamless" creamed spinach and asparagus

shared "chocolate purse" a la mode

This Merriman's was a lot different than the one on the Big Island, as there was hardly any red meat offered and no chicken; the entire menu was mostly seafood.  The Big Island is known for cattle, so there were more meat choices there.  At this restaurant, the ahi poke is to die for, silky smooth with good flavor.  The lobster mac and cheese was also superb.  I could have eaten a bowlful as my entree.  A bunch of us had their signature Mai Tai, using local Koloa rum.  I think mine was heavily poured as I did a little number with the drink umbrella.  (what happens in Kauai stays in Kauai)   My scallop entree was a bit salty, and the scallops a little overcooked for my taste, but I think Gordon Ramsey may have let it through the pass.  Angela really enjoyed her shrimp risotto.  The other fish entrees were a bit overcooked, but was still soft.  Dessert was very rich...it was basically chocolate mush encased in puff pastry, a sweet ending to the anniversary dinner.  Happy 40th anniversary Mom and Dad!

Tomorrow, we head to Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"...

Best Thai food in North America, duck fat fries, Luxor, Wicked Spoon Buffet - January 1-2, 2011

Saturday was the first day of the year 2011 and how did we ring it in?  Ate the most expensive take-away food I've ever had and spent the afternoon watching football on TV.  The steaks and side dishes from last night remained delicious, even after nuking them in the microwave.  Babe won 4 out of 6 football bets, so it was a good day.  That evening, we decided to try out Lotus of Siam, supposedly the "best Thai food in North America", as rated by Yelpers.  It was located in a scary strip mall east of the Strip.  The reviews suggested to make reservations for dinner, but I called them at 5pm and they said that I didn't need reservations if I was coming in around opening time.  The restaurant got really full when we left, so definitely make reservations if arriving at peak hours.

Was it really the best Thai food ever?  I've never been to Thailand, so I cannot compare, but the food was pretty good.  The menu was pages and pages long...if I didn't have an idea of what to order based on Yelp reviews, I would have been lost, or needed help from the server.  Babe and I had Thai ice teas to start.  It tasted good, but I could not tell that it was really exceptional.  The dishes came 15 minutes later:  drunken noodles with prawns, green curry with chicken, crispy panang duck.  The green curry was ordered "Thai hot" as Babe likes it that way.  The other dishes were mild so I could eat it and still be able to taste the flavor.

drunken noodles with prawns

crispy panang duck

green curry with chicken, Thai hot!

The drunken dish was very pretty...so pretty that one of the patrons came to our table and asked what it was so they could order it. :)  The prawns were colossal-sized and deep fried so the shells could be eaten.  I normally don't eat the shells, but it was almost unavoidable the way it was prepared, so I went for it.  It wasn't too bad, though I drew the line at eating the prawn tail.  The drunken noodles were delicious, as well as the crispy duck.  I like panang (roasted red) curry and the skin was fried to a pleasant crunch.  There was a lot of meat too.  I decided to try a little bit of the green curry out of curiosity, as I have never had "Thai hot" before.  I put a small dab of the curry on some white rice and had no problem eating it, experiencing a slight tingle.  Then I tried a piece of chicken, no problem there and the heat was bearable.  I then put a slightly larger dollop of sauce on rice and ate it.  No prob...uh oh.  I think I must have eaten a chili seed or oil as suddenly my eyes watered and my mouth went up in flames.  I futilely fanned my mouth with my hand.  My eyes were darting all over the table, searching frantically for relief.  I glanced at the glass of ice water, which was a no-no, as chili oil doesn't mix with water and ends up spreading the heat everywhere.  (something I learned while watching Solitary 2.0)  White rice was available, but it'd wouldn't instantly quaff the heat.  Then I spotted my glass of Thai iced tea, which contained dairy...I only had half a glass left.  I slurped mine down as Babe handed me his glass.  The flames were somewhat abated.  All this time, I was exclaiming to Babe, "Why do you do this to yourself?!?"  "How can you eat this?"  "WHY??!?!"  "I totally can't do Man vs. Food!"  He just laughed at me as he drank spoonfuls of the curry sauce in front of my face.  Before we turned in for the night, we drove over to Aria to get some gelato from J-P and let Babe catch some football at the sports book while I tried my luck at video poker.  No royal flushes tonight.

We checked out of the Signature the next day...to lower the total cost of lodging, we decided to spend Sunday night at the Luxor for $42.  I had never stayed in the pyramid before so I was looking forward to it.  Check-in was at 3pm, so we drove over to Aria looking for food.  We ended up taking the tram to Bellagio in search of yummy fries, but Babe reminded me that we had passed a restaurant during our tour of the Cosmopolitan hotel on New Year's Eve that offered duck fat fries.  The fastest way to get there was to walk out the front of the Bellagio and the Cosmo would be to the right.  The restaurant was on the second floor, called Holstein's, and was a trendy burger joint.  On the way there, we saw a crowd of people in front of a Chinese/Mexican restaurant called China Poblano that seemed closed off to the public.  There were bodyguards surrounding a couple whom we could only see the backs of their heads: the gentleman had short dark hair and the lady had layered long blonde hair.  We didn't know who it was until someone screamed out "Seattle wants him back!" and Babe figured out it was the back of A-Rod's head, and the lady must have been Cameron Diaz.  I don't know if I could handle being famous, having people gawking at you, not being able to eat in peace.  I suppose if I was paid millions of dollars, I could possibly overlook that. ;)  Fortunately, no one recognized us as "rock stars" and we were able to make it to the front entrance of Holstein's without detection.  I didn't want to wait 20 minutes for a table, so we sat at the bar and ordered a pail of duck fat fries and a black and white milkshake.  The fries sounded better than they tasted, but the milkshake was to die for.  The milk tasted so good, full of flavor, and probably full fat!  The chocolate covered mini "crunch" balls sprinkled on top were a nice touch.  The tin was included too! :)  Patrons would walk up to the bar and order milkshakes to go.  I would probably do the same next time I'm around.

We headed back to the car, passing by the Bellagio Conservatory.  It was in a state of disassembly.  I had never been there on a day where they were changing up the decorations.  Here is what it looked like when we were there mid-December:

And now it was being taken apart (poor naked polar bear):

Machinery and trucks were being driven in through the walkway from the Spa Tower to the Conservatory.  I had no idea that big trucks could make it through there.

We checked into the Luxor.  Unfortunately, no pyramid rooms were available, so we were upgraded to the Tower Deluxe Room.  If this was a better room, then the pyramid rooms must really be basic.

who uses bedspreads anymore?

For dinner, Babe reminded me that the Cosmopolitan offered a buffet called the Wicked Spoon Buffet.  It hadn't even crossed my mind to try that buffet, even though we had passed it a couple of times while taking a "scenic tour" around the hotel.  He truly knows food is near and dear to my heart. :)  Especially when he looked it up on Yelp and told me that the buffet was tapas-style.  Cute little portions of food plated in tiny saucepans, baskets, and bowls?  Chocolate covered strawberries?  Count me in!  We drove over to the Cosmopolitan.  The parking lot was underground, so it was spooky to drive down several levels (and hoping there wasn't going to be an earthquake).  The garage was separated into a west and east side, and we knew the buffet was on the west end.  It was 5:30pm, so there wasn't anyone in line, yet the buffet was two-thirds full.  $27 per person wasn't too bad.  Wicked Spoon has now become my favorite buffet in Vegas.  Even though the buffet doesn't offer pounds of crab legs or oysters, you will see why.

We didn't want to fill up on juice or alcohol, so we had water and tea.  The bottled water was "Aquahealth" brand.  The tea was very fragrant too.

There were very few "food service" trays where you scooped your own food (like mashed potatoes); most of the time, the food was served in small plates or small portions.  This was great as the presentation looked better and you didn't have to touch too many serving spoons.  Babe and I found that even these smaller portioned servings were too much and we ended up eating most of them "family style", which confused our server, who kept trying to pick up the dishes in the middle of the table, thinking we discarded them since they weren't on our main plates.

salads were all portioned out

reminded me of the bread cart at Joel Robuchon

cute little saucepans of food

the sign said "fries with eyes": fried smelt with dipping sauces, along with gyros and charcuterie

braised short rib, lobster pasta, shrimp cocktail, and bone marrow(!)

shrimp dumpling, xiaolongbao, CA roll, lamb baby back ribs

lots of gelato!

I could eat $27 worth of fresh berries

and huge chocolate covered strawberries, dipped in cookies and candies

mini candy apples

fudge towers and chocolate bark

there were trays of different trifles

gold leaf chocolate chip cookies, fresh berries, gigantic chocolate covered strawberries, and mint chip gelato

There was so much other food, and proteins like prime rib, turkey, leg of lamb, pork, etc...I couldn't take pictures of everything.  There was even a mini "pho" station, with tiny bowls of noodles, and you could spoon broth into it and add fixings!  My tummy got full before I even sampled half of the offerings at the buffet.  I wasn't disappointed at all that there weren't any king/snow crab legs or oysters; in fact, I was glad not to be pressured into eating a lot of crab and oyster to "get my money's worth".  But at $27, I think this buffet offered plenty for the price and highly recommend this buffet.  Just as long as you are aware of the lack of mass quantities of crab.  There was plenty of shrimp available, and king crab was offered, already shelled and tossed in a Cajun butter sauce.  Some Yelpers complained that they couldn't carry pans on their plate because it took up too much room and were heavy.  I admit that it could get heavy, but how much food do you plan to eat at once anyway?  There was another complaint, that some of the food didn't have labels.  I agree here too, and they need to improve on that.  The hotel has only been open since December 15, so I'm sure they're working out the kinks.  One other annoying thing had nothing to do with the food, but that the restroom nearby had only four stalls.  Four stalls?!?  Next to a buffet???

The two ladies sitting at the table next to us ended up being a source of amusement.  Those pretty mini candy apples pictured above?  Babe and I read on Yelp that they weren't worth eating, because the apples were very "sandy" (like an old Red Delicious).  Babe got one anyway, took a bite, and spit it out since it was true.  One of the ladies flagged down our server and complained to him, "These apples are so bad.  Why are they bad?", and so forth.  Like the server would know.  She insisted that he ask the chef why they were so sandy.  He relented and went into the back of the kitchen; he returned to tell them that the chef said that they were sandy on purpose because the texture worked well with the chocolate.  The lady did not agree and kept giving our poor server an earful about why the apples should be better and how the chef didn't know what he was talking about.  The server just stood there and shrugged as the lady went on and on.  Poor guy.

Besides the few hiccups, the buffet was a pleasure to eat at, and I am looking forward to eating there again on a future trip to Vegas (which should be very very very far into the future).  This was our last night in Vegas...back to work the next day.  Gotta pay for the travel, right?  My next big trip isn't until middle of February...one week in Kauai with the parents!  In between now and then, I'll dig up some Time Machine entries...stay tuned!