12 Years!

Yesterday, I celebrated 12 years of marriage to my wonderful husband, Jeff.

Over the years, we haven't ever really given each other gifts to celebrate our anniversary. However, Jeff gave me a couple little traditional gifts for our 10-year, so last year we decided that each year for the next decade for our marriage, we would choose a traditional gift together. Year 11 is steel, and we bought a wine corkscrew.

The traditional gift for a 12 year anniversary is Silk. Since we are on a tight budget right now, and didn't want to buy actual gifts that we may or may not ever use like a silk scarf (for me) or a silk tie (for Jeff), I found a restaurant called Silk Road Asian Bistro.

Around Vegas...

April is off to a great start! No waiting until the last day to check off some of our 2014 goals. :)

On April 1st, we attended our neighbor's wedding. It was a fun little wedding at The Aria. That, in itself, could probably count as something New in 2014 (our first Vegas wedding), but after the wedding, we went to Kaya Sushi to check off our 2nd New Restaurant instead.

If you like all-you-can-eat sushi, this is the place for you!

Of course, if you know Jeff and me at all, you know we don't like fish or seafood, so sushi isn't exactly on the top of our list.

Instead, we ordered a few non-sushi items, like lettuce wraps.

Which still had fish or something in them, but I mustered my way through.

We also had a beef bowl (Jeff), teriyaki chicken (me) and bacon wrapped asparagus (Jeff). The food was pretty good (for us non-seafood/fish lovers).

I can't forget to mention the Strawberry Soju. I'm still not sure what it was - other than delicious!

We were in our own private room for the wedding party, but I got to check out the rest of the restaurant when I went to the bathroom. It was super cute and cozy looking! Almost made me wish I loved sushi because the restaurant just had a feel to it that made me want to come back again and again.

On April 4th, we headed to Ageless Ascension Day Spa. We'd bought a Groupon back in January, and thought this would be the perfect time to redeem.

Now, we've definitely had massages before, but this was our first time ever getting a couples massage.

Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed. Boooo.

We arrived 15+ minutes early for our appointment, and then had to wait for 30+ minutes after our appt time for anyone to come and get us. They did put us in a little waiting area, and that would have been fine for 10-15 minutes. But after 45+ minutes it was just annoying and kind of soured us to the whole experience.

The room was set-up nicely, and the massage therapists were nice enough, but the massages weren't nearly as good as we'd had in the past. :(

I guess not everything we try in 2014 will be winners.

We might try another couples massage, but we'd definitely want to check out a different spa.

Do you like sushi?
Ever had a couples massage?
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Stewart & Ogden at the Downtown Grand

If you read this post, you might remember just how fast March flew by! Suddenly, it was the end of the month, and Jeff and I hadn't done anything new!

The easiest solution would be to check out a new restaurant. It would not only count for something New in 2014...

But also checks off a new restaurant (our goal is at least 3 this year).

So, on 3/31 (nothing like last minute) I jumped on Yelp and searched for nearby Hot New Businesses. Stewart & Ogden in the new Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino sounded perfect!

Dining in Las Vegas - TREVI

I was recently invited to meet a few blogging friends for dinner and drinks at TREVI, a restaurant in Caesars Palace Forum Shops.

Unfortunately, for me, and in no way reflecting poorly on the restaurant, it just so happened to be the night after the car-to-car shooting/crash on the Strip. More than 12 hours after the shooting, traffic was still very messed up, and the 10 min drive ended up taking closer to 40 minutes.

Once I got to the Forum Shops, it took me another 20 minutes or so to actually find the restaurant. :-( The rotunda I entered didn't seem to have an exit. I finally had to ask directions from the hostess at another restaurant and then a sales person from a shop.

Pointed in the right direction, it was so easy to find! If I were more familiar with Caesars and/or the Strip in general, I doubt I would have had any issues. In fact, it's very prominently located right outside the Fountain of the Gods in the heart of the Forum Shops.

I was greeted by a couple of very friendly hosts, who pointed me to my group. They were just finishing up appetizers. I was pretty hungry by this time, so I just dug right in without snapping even a single pic before savoring a delicious Mozzarella Corroza and ordering a delicious cocktail.

Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the delectable treat, but it was super good. Isn't everything better with a sugar rim?

Meeting and chatting with new friends is always good.

Meeting and chatting with new friends while enjoying delicious food is even better!

We were seated on the faux-outdoor patio right next to the fountain. I could have practically reached out and touched it. While it was a super fun atmosphere, the rushing water of the fountain made it a bit loud. Probably not so bad if you're just dining with one or a few people, but with a party of 8 it was a little difficult.

Italian Margarita

Gooey Chocolate Cake

Next time I go to TREVI, I'd like to dine on the new mezzanine level. It has a fabulous 12-foot tall chandelier + tables overlooking the Fountain through arched windows.
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Disclaimer: All food and drinks were provided to me free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Date Night - Bahama Breeze

Way too long ago three and a half weeks, I got invited to attend a blogger event at Bahama Breeze. This was my first event like this, but not my first time at Bahama Breeze, but I somehow convinced my husband to join me.

I'm so glad that I did!

It turned out to be such a fun date night for the two of us. We hadn't had one in such a long time, and it was beyond needed. We enjoyed great conversation, delicious food, and lots of laughter.

Bahama Breeze really outdid themselves for this little shindig. They were rolling out some new drinks top left in above pic, so they invited Las Vegas bloggers out to help spread the word. I was so happy to lend a hand.

New Drinks

Yaka Hula Hickey Dula, Hawaii

Daisy de Santiago, Cuba

The Yaka Hula Hickey Dula was not only fun to say, but it was right up our alley - fruity, sweet and strong! :) Jeff slurped his down right away and tried to start on mine.

The Daisy de Santiago wasn't exactly our cup of tea. It was too minty and not as easy for us to down. These ended up sitting on the table, relatively untouched. *sigh*

Then they also brought out their Ultimate Pina Colada lower left in above pic, which I'd had on a previous visit. Now, this is a drink we could definitely get on board with. It's basically a mix between a pina colada with a strawberry daiquiri. They top it with Myers Dark Rum and fresh coconut. Jeff loved this drink and raved about it from his first sip.

We were also treated to some divine appetizers.

As you might know, we try to eat as little meat as possible, but we also believe strongly in not letting food go to waste, so we tried everything they provided.

They first brought out Jamaican Chicken Wings and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sliders. We normally do not like eating anything off the bone - particularly chicken wings. Seems too barbaric to us. Still, we gave them a try. It was awkward, but the flavor was wonderful. I wonder if they'd make these boneless? The sliders, of course, were absolutely delicious. We couldn't get enough of them.

Next they brought out Beef Empanadas and  Coconut Shrimp. These little pastries, filled with beef and potatoes, were perfection. So much flavor in both the filling and the flaky crust.

I was really hesitant to try the coconut shrimp. I'm not a lover of seafood. In fact, nothing about it usually appeals to me. The smell. The look. But, I wanted forced myself to try these.

WOW! I couldn't believe how much I liked these. I seriously couldn't stop eating them. Probably because they were coated enough that I couldn't smell them and the shrimp taste was well masked.  Warning: These were pretty sweet, especially dipped in the accompanying sauce.

Sharing these four appetizers between the two us was way too much food. We had our fill - and then some. We got to take some home with us, and it was a delicious lunch for me the next day.

Oh, when I visited the restroom before leaving the restaurant, I saw this.

Yep, a mouthwash dispenser. Ha! A nice little touch. :)

In addition to the great good and fantastic drinks, we got goodie bags. Including a hawaiian shirt for each of us. A hulu doll. Plus some gift cards for next time.

And there will be a next time.
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Disclaimer: All food and drinks were provided to me free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. And my husband's.

Hola Arepa Food Truck

I didn't have time this morning to make grab anything for lunch. Plus I was feeling a little adventurous, so I decided to try out this foodtruck phenomenon. My boss and I walked over to Marquette Ave and the first one we came to was Hola Arepa.

The Chicken-Avocado Salad Arepa caught my eye, so we decided it would be a good place to stop. Plus, they accept credit cards, which was good for me since I had no cash.

Anyway, you may be wondering what an arepa is. Well, at least we were. From their menu: It's a cornmeal patty cooked on a griddle, split & filled with deliciousness.

They weren't lying! The chicken-avocado salad arepa really hit the spot and was oh, so tasty! And filling.

My only recommendation would be to try and find a place to cop a squat (do not look this up on urban dictionary. gross. I mean it in the Pretty Woman sense of simply taking a seat) nearby and eat outside. The salsa I added to the arepa and the mayo in the chicken salad made it a little bit messy by the time I'd walked the 4 1/2 blocks back to work to eat at my desk.

chicken-avocado salad arepa with cucumber lavendar lemonade

Like I mentioned, I was feeling a bit adventurous, so I also ordered the cucumber-lavendar lemonade. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's definitely different. Not sure I'm too crazy about the flavor combination. Oddly, though, as the ice all melted and I've been nursing it for the past two hours, it's actually kind of grown on me. Still not sure I'd order it again, though.

All in all, it was a great experience. The guy taking our orders was very personable and answered all our questions with a smile. When you order, he gives you a playing card as your order number (I was 9 of Hearts), which I thought was a very clever idea.

Great job, Hola Arepa! I'll definitely come back. :)

Vic's On the Minneapolis Riverfront

Last night, I had a company dinner at Vic's. Our whole office went out (12 people) as a little thank you for all our hard work. Boy have I got them fooled. lol.

I love this little area of Minneapolis, and I wish I were able to spend more time down there. It had been pretty rainy all day yesterday, so the patio was very wet! Sitting outside would've been fun, but I prefer to stay warm and dry. The patio is pretty large with great views of the river and the Minneapolis skyline.

If you're into wine, they have a pretty incredible happy hour. $2 bottles of various house wines at 2pm, $3 bottles at 3pm, and $4 bottles at 4pm. After 5pm, their bottles go back to regular prices, which are still very great prices.

I got a BLTA Salad with extra bacon. It was really tasty! And, I got. so. very. full. Oh, the A is for avocado. Yum! Most everyone else got steak or pork or chicken. Something a little meatier. haha! I kill myself. Many of the entrees that were ordered were huge and some still resembled the animal a bit. Ew. I much prefer my meat off the bone and no longer resembling the animal from whence it came. I love meat; I just don't like to work very hard to get my meat.

I didn't mean to get all political. This is supposed to be a restaurant review afterall, so this is just a warning to be careful what you order. :)

The service was pretty good - despite how busy it got and how large of a group we were. The bruschetta and pepperoni flatbeard were delicious appetizers and came out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it did seem like our food took a. long. time to arrive.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant!