Stone Temple Pilots

Jen and I went to see Stone Temple Pilots in San Diego last summer, and the show was phenomenal. When I heard they were coming to the Pearl at the Palms, I immediately bought two tickets to see them again. Leigh and I went together, and the show was again great (though the lighting wasn't as impressive as at the San Diego show). The Pearl is an intimate concert venue with great acoustics and no bad seat in the house. I managed to take some decent photos with my iPhone.

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:

Puppy Playdate

Leigh brought Maddie over to play with Ajax and Bo. I wouldn't say Ajax and Bo are "bad" with other dogs, but their play tends to be quite aggressive. And Maddie is a passive dog.
They chased her all around, and she held her own. But she much preferred to be in Leigh's lap.
After a night of being chased around by two wild Jacks, poor Maddie was pretty rough looking.
I don't know about Maddie, but Ajax and Bo passed out as soon as she left. It was a successful first date!

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.