Wine Pairing Dinner

My group of friends here in Las Vegas do a weekly dinner/game night. A different person hosts every week, and everyone brings a dish or wine. This week was Leigh's birthday, and her birthday wish was for us to do an actual wine pairing dinner, where each course was paired with an appropriate bottle of wine. It was my turn to host, the first time at my new place, and I was thrilled at the night's theme.

The menu:
- Goat cheese Camembert and baked brie with a Pinot Noir (and a Petit Sirah while we waited for the next course)
- Grilled salmon on a bed of sautéed spinach and mushrooms with a Grenache Blanc
- Salad tossed with tomatoes, artichokes, avocados, and goat cheese topped with roasted duck with a Chateauneuf du Pape
- Cider-glazed lamb chops served on mashed potatoes with a Zin
- White chocolate cake (compliments of Sam) with an orange Muscat

I had so much fun cooking, well, helping Brad in the kitchen. The food was delicious, which was Brad's doing, and the wines went perfectly with each dish. We never got around to playing a game because we were having such good conversation, and before we knew it, it was 1am. Leigh, Brian, and Sam turned it in to a sleepover, and in the morning Sam made a soothing cinnamon bread custard.
Brad discovered that the dogs love roasted duck:
Bo was still hungry after her duck and was eyeing the lamb ribs:

Obama Rally

Tonight, Brian, Ron, and I headed downtown to Cashman Field to hear Barack Obama speak. Traffic was awful getting down there, which was exciting to see that many people congregating to support him. It was so exciting to be in such a diverse, energetic crowd.
He spoke for about 30 minutes and had some exciting things to say, though I'm much more interested in what he will have to say during the debates.
I found the message on this billboard particularly ironic considering the news of the day.
After the rally, we stayed downtown for dinner. We parked next to one of Las Vegas' famed drive-through wedding chapels.
We had dinner at Chicago Joe's, an Italian restaurant near Charleston Blvd. It's in a small house and has about 10 tables. The food wasn't anything special, but the place has really neat ambiance that is worth experiencing at least once. This is definitely one of those spots with more old time personality than you would never expect to find in Vegas.

Mmm, birthday cake!

My friends Leigh and Brian had me over for a pre-birthday dinner last night. I walked in and saw that they had baked me a cake, and I got teary-eyed. It is so special to have friends like them in town.

Kirsten's Visit, Version 3

Kirsten is a great friend - she has come to visit me three times since I moved out here! She was here for three days this weekend, and us girls had a crazy time on the town. The night she got here, we went to Stoney's for some country dancing and were out until 2:30am.

On Friday, she did the tourist thing on the Strip while I was working. Fortunately, she wasn't hanging out on the roof of the Monte Carlo hotel, which went up in flames.
That night, we met Leigh, Brian, and the LA boys at MGM for drinks at Rouge and dinner at Fiamma (not on the list of places I would eat again). Afterward, we went to a comedy show at Tropicana that I slept through.
On Saturday, the seven of us went to the Neon Museum to check out some Vegas history. Although it's essentially a junk yard, it's incredible to have so many famous signs gathered at one place. It will be very neat when they restore the signs.
Afterward, we got another taste of old Vegas at the Peppermill restaurant. My Cobb salad was the largest salad I've ever seen in my life. Three days later, I still have two boxes full of it.
That night, Kirsten and I shopped at the Miracle Mile Shops while Leigh, Brian, and the LA boys played in the Planet Hollywood poker tournament. Aaron and Scott joined us afterwards at Trader Vics for some tasty island cocktails.
Kirsten and I took a break from the LA boys to meet up with Brad and Rob at Firefly for some mojitos. After they wimped out, we met the boys back at Paris for some Let It Ride and much needed coffee. We finally hit the road at 4am.