Mastro's Ocean Club

Dinner at Mastro's Ocean Club in Las Vegas.

There are a couple of Mastro's in Orange County, but I'm not big on steak so never made it there.

Located inside Crystals at CityCenter.

The best thing about this restaurant is the interior. The architecture is so amazing and I love the simplicity of the furniture.

They start you off with a fancy bread bowl.

We ordered Sauteed Sea Scallops for the appetizer along with 2 salads. The Scallops were my favorite!

Then our food came and I was in shock. The portions here are ridiculously huge. The sides are a meal in itself. FOOD COMA!

I ordered the Fillet of Arctic Char Oreganata. This photo doesn't prove how enormous this fillet was, but it was as big as my palm!

I had never heard of Arctic Char before and the waiter informed me that it was like a blend of salmon and trout. It was good, but WAY too big.

If I come back, I'll probably order the appetizer-portioned Sea Scallops and share some sides or half-sized salads, because entrees are just too much. It has a gorgeous bar area (my boyfriend had a couple Caipirinha's which were excellent) so that might be a better option.

Silk Road

Brunch at Silk Road inside Vdara.

Silk Road is a breakfast/lunch/brunch place so they close early, at 3PM.

Exterior.

Futuristic Entrance.

While sipping on fresh French Pressed Coffee, we couldn't decide between a savory or sweet dish so we each chose one and shared.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

It seemed like the pancakes were 'baked' because the outside was crispy and the inside was fluffy. It also went really well with the lemon curd on the side.The side dish of honeycomb butter, candied rose petal and orange blossom syrup was an added bonus.

Eggs Benedict

The Poached Eggs, Spinach and Bacon were placed on a crisp potato cake (thick hash brown) instead of on bread, which I thought was interesting.

Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast dish. This one didn't disappoint.

Enoteca San Marco

After coming back to California, my sister and I took a short trip to Las Vegas. When we got there, we had dinner at Enoteca San Marco (Venetian) which is owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. I've always wanted to try a restaurant by Mario Batali, because my sister and friends had been raving about Mozza (both Osteria & Pizzeria) in LA.

We sat on the 'patio'.

Menu.

Getting along in Italian, complete with hand gestures.

We started off with 3 choices from the Verdure, or Vegetable menu.

From the left; Farro, Corn and Tomatoes, Eggplant Caponata

All of the dishes were really flavorful and delicious. My favorite was definitely the Eggplant Caponata... this is a MUST for Eggplant lovers like myself. The flavor is hard to describe, but its savory and a little sweet with balsamic vinegar and a hint of cinnamon.

Gemelli with House Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

This pasta dish was prepared so perfectly. The pasta was al-dente so the texture was chewy and the flavor was delicate and subtle so you can taste the sausage and rabe. After sharing the appetizer and this pasta, we were so full! Their dishes had pretty large portions.

We finished off our meal by sharing their housemade Gelato: Pistachio, Espresso and Mint & Chip

Julian Serrano

Dinner at Julian Serrano inside Aria.

We wanted to eat lightly so we chose this place for the tapas.

I personally enjoyed a lot of the dishes and

although I thought it was a bit pricy for such small portions,

I would definitely go back to try more of their food.

Interior.

This was my favorite.

(A thin pie crust with carmellized onions & red peppers,

chorizo and goat cheese. Mmm.)

Pan con Tomate.

Calamari.

Super light. Just how I like it.

This was interesting.. it was seaweed rolled in avocado.

Shrimp Ceviche.

Aria

Went to Las Vegas for a getaway and stayed at the new Aria inside CityCenter.

I was so excited to see the interior & decor after seeing the super contemporary exterior and since it was under construction forever.

It did not disappoint (the pictures does no justice).

And because I coudn't take pictures inside the casino,

it was very chic and relaxing with dark brown/wood interior.

Aria Entrance.

Entrance.

The waterfalls were so beautiful and serene.

Room.

You can control everything from a small

computer next to your bed. High tech.

Inside of Crystals Shopping Center.

Loved the architecture.

Another one of Crystals.

They have every single luxury brand you can imagine...