Restaurant Review: PBR Rock Bar & Grill at Planet Hollywood

The Miracle Mile entrance (inside)

Yum!

Kickin' Coleslaw is a little too red for me...

The PBR Rock Bar & Grill is located both inside and outside the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.  The main restaurant is situated just inside the entrance to the Miracle Mile Shops, and their patio is immediately outside the mall entrance and impossible to miss.  The indoor restaurant and outdoor patio areas have separate hostess stands, so be sure go to the correct one before you ask to be seated. 

When you are facing Planet Hollywood from the Strip, PBR Rock Bar & Grill is on the right-hand side of the building, not the left; trying to find it from the left-hand side would cause you to either A) walk through the casino (which could be confusing), or B) walk through the Miracle Mile Shops to the other entrance (which would be tiring and pointless, as it really is a mile long from beginning to end).

It was after 5 p.m. when we arrived, and we decided to sit out on the patio to enjoy the late March weather since the sun was already behind City Center and we wouldn’t be burning ourselves in it.  It was perfect weather, a little breeze blowing, and the eclectic mix of music being played was not loud at all.  

PBR sort of has a sports bar feel to it, but with a Country twist.  There were all sorts of people – young and old, country and punk – all through the place, so we fit right into the "un-mold", and we were able to people-watch from our seats, listen to the music and enjoy the big screen TV's as much as the people-watching opportunities available all around us.

My cousin ordered the Catfish Po-Boy and Kickin’ Coleslaw.  She said the hoagie bun was a little too hard for her (she has dentures), but all the inside parts were good, and she ended up eating everything with a fork.  Mom and I both ordered the half-pound Fried Dill Pickle Burgers cooked medium – mine with fries, hers with Kickin’ Coleslaw – and even though the massive amount of fried dill pickles were a little overcooked, it was a really good cheeseburger and I finished ¾ of it and most of my fries.  The fries were long and thin, crispy and salty on the outside and hot on the inside.  They are my preferred type of fries, so I was pleased.  They served a horseradish/ketchup dressing with them that gave a nice, tangy kick, too.  It was nice to get the burgers made just as we asked for them.

I wondered why the coleslaw was called “Kickin’” Coleslaw and figured it out immediately when the dishes were brought to the table: the little red bits on top were…Pop Rocks!  You could almost hear them popping from the next table.  I tasted my mom's coleslaw, but it was way too sweet for me, even without the Pop Rocks (which I avoided – that just seemed gross).  I am a tart and tangy coleslaw kind of gal, and I avoid sweet coleslaw at home, too.  

We were able to sit and enjoy ourselves, drinking several glasses of iced tea while we ate and talked, and we were not rushed by anyone even though almost every table was full.  The entire staff was very pleasant and engaging, and they were all very young, too (late teens or early twenties).  I'm guessing they are probably staffed by lots of college students, since UNLV is only a couple of miles away from the Strip.  But no bad experience with anyone, which is most 

enjoyable.

Mom paid for dinner, which included 3 iced teas, and the bill was $49.50 + tip.  I'd give this restaurant and dining experience a solid 8.  I would've preferred to have the dill pickles a little less well done, but they were certainly edible, as we made quite a dent in our baskets.  I'd love to try this restaurant again and try some of their other selections.

To view their complete menu or hours of operation, go to http://www.pbrrockbar.com/. 

Drink Review: Sugar Factory at Paris Hotel and Casino

The specialty drink menu

Hubba Bubba martini

Blow Pop martini

A sugary creation in the Chocolate Lounge

There are three Sugar Factory locations in Las Vegas, but this particular review is for the new, larger location at the Paris Hotel and Casino.  Sorry my photos are so blurry - I was apparently unable to hold a camera still and keep the flash off at the same time.   


This location was opened in late 2010 and includes a bar, a restaurant and a club attached to the Sugar Factory store at the front of the Paris casino.  A second, smaller location is at The Mirage, just inside the Strip entrance, on the right-hand side, and it offers sweets and souvenirs to the public from its storefront.  The third location is in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and is easily accessible from the right-side entrance to the shops, about halfway up on the right.  It is also a smaller, storefront location with limited products and souvenirs.


After breakfast with a group of friends in March, my friend Claire and I were off to visit the new location Strip-side at Paris Hotel and Casino, where Claire gave me the 50-cent tour of the main floor.  She’s a great tour guide, and we took photos as we walked around and checked out the restaurant, the Chocolate Lounge and the shop on the first floor.


The Sugar Factory is the "new and hip" place to be seen.  Advertised by everyone from Kim Kardashian to Britney Spears,  there's no shortage of beautiful people in the place, whether they are visitors or photos of the stars staring back at you while you dine and shop. 


The Chocolate Bar is located at the back of the store, away from the Strip, and it is a darker area with plenty of cushy chairs and smaller seating areas, which would be great for meeting friends.  Their bar top has fondue warmers embedded in the counter top, which is a really neat touch.  They offer a wide selection of fruits, nuts and salty snacks to use with their fondue.  There's something I'd love to try on another trip!


The restaurant area is pretty and airy; two rooms, open to the natural light and containing lots of small 2-top and 4-top tables, are decorated in black and white.  While we were there, construction workers were completing a patio area that overlooks the Strip.  Another great place to sit and people-watch while enjoying a drink, a snack or a meal in Vegas!


We did not visit the upstairs club because it was closed, but Claire told me it's a pretty spot, too.  It can be accessed by an elevator from inside the restaurant or from a staircase located just inside the Paris casino.  Several security guards were on hand throughout the entire store, restaurant, bar and club because of the prices on some of the "bling". 


We had a seat at the bar and ordered two candy-flavored martinis from their specialty drink menu.  I had the Hubba Bubba martini: a bright pink concoction with a huge piece of Hubba Bubba gum for the garnish.  Claire had the Blow Pop martini: green and sticky sweet, with a Blow Pop as its garnish/swizzle stick.  


Pop rocks and small pieces of gum were used on the rims instead of sugar, and the drinks were delicious, too!  I definitely felt my drink was stronger at the bottom of the glass, but it could be that I'm just a lightweight drinker.  At least I had some Hubba Bubba gum to chew on after I was finished!  It made a cute garnish, though.


At $16 apiece, those drinks were definitely pricey, but there were many other options on the menu, including larger drinks for sharing...or pretending you're sharing.  Claire really wanted me to try one of the specialty drinks, though, and I'm glad I did.  I probably would not have set foot in the place if it hadn't been for her suggestion, because I was dead-set against Paris taking out the beautiful fountain that stood in that location previously.  But it's such a cute place I'd love to go back to have a light lunch someday, and there are a couple of other drinks on the specialty drink menu I'd like to try, like the Root Beer Float (which looks BETTER than a regular root beer float).


A visit to the shop after our drinks were finished gave Claire the opportunity to replace a gift for one of her boys, while I just marveled at the sparkles on most of the merchandise.  I will not, however, be buying a $25 lollipop holder, no matter how cute and glittery it is.  Unless, of course, my daughter decides she has to have one...   


Thank you again, Claire, for taking me to the Sugar Factory, and buying me a martini to boot!


To check out the store and view the menu or see their merchandise, visit them at http://www.sugarfactory.com/

Link to bus schedule: Westcliff Airport Express connects the airport to downtown Las Vegas for less

For those of you who like to stay in downtown Las Vegas - or visit a couple of the outlying casinos or outlet malls - there is a new bus route that connects you from McCarran Airport to those outlying areas.


Started in December 2010, this new bus route extends from McCarran Airport to the Suncoast Hotel and Casino, the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (very popular with visitors from other countries), to the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard near the Tropicana, MGM, Mandalay Bay and other surrounding casinos, and back to the airport again.


Get on the bus!

A list of the departure times - as well as a map of the route - are included, which should help passengers to "visualize" their trip and plan accordingly.


I am hoping that the website owner will continue to update this bus schedule if it changes.  If anyone notices that things are NOT being updated, please let me know with a comment.


Considering the high price of a taxi ride from the airport to downtown, which is about $40 one way (not including a tip), this would be a great option for the Vegas visitor looking to stretch their dollars.  I have a friend who frequently stays downtown for part of her trip, and this would certainly take the pressure off of her to try and find another way to get downtown cheaply.


Happy traveling!

The Cosmopolitan in photos - March 2011

A preview when you walk in the doors...

I really enjoyed walking around the newest Las Vegas Strip resort, The Cosmopolitan.  I took some photos with my little Kodak EasyShare camera, and I am looking forward to going back for MORE, BETTER photos with my Canon Rebel soon!  I missed taking photos of so many things because I missed a few areas of the casino.


Until then, here are some of the photos I took before my camera battery died on the first night (bummer), and some additional photos I took when I went back to see it again a couple of days later with my friend, Claire.  Like the Grand Canyon, pictures can not do it justice.

Outside the entrance

Bar chandelier - with lights

Same chandelier effect without lights

Heading into the main casino...

So many unusual shapes!

Follow the sparkly road...

The Chandelier Bar covers 3 levels

Each section has its own beauty

Another view of the Chandelier Bar

 Sans flash...

Chandeliers over the gaming tables

Close-up beauty

A chandelier within a chandelier

The view of The Chandelier Bar from the second level

Smaller chandeliers surround the larger bar area

Another close-up

Color-changing art

The chandelier over the bar near the Registration Desk

The changing columns in the lobby - so cool!

New displays every few minutes.

Unusual and eye-catching

Coolest modern lobby in Vegas

Wall decor outside of China Poblano restaurant on 2nd level

Art wall outside of Holsteins restaurant on the 2nd level

Ceiling decor on the 3rd level

Restaurant Review: Cheesecake Factory at The Forum Shops (Caesars Palace)

Vietnamese Summer Rolls (front), Calamari (back)

Shrimp and Steak Diane 

Shrimp and Pasta

Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

I visited the Cheesecake Factory in The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace during my March 2011 trip.  Even though it’s a chain, neither my mother nor my cousin had ever eaten at Cheesecake Factory before, so it was a good choice for a different meal that wasn't too pricey.  I told both of them it was similar to Grand Lux (in The Venetian) and had some of the same items, but they were willing to try some new dishes for me.  

This particular location is a two-story restaurant, allowing for more seating inside the restaurant as well as on their "patio" facing the indoor fountains and giant fish tank at the back of The Forum Shops.  It was pretty crowded inside, and there was a bit of a lineup out front at the hostess stand, but the wait was less than 5 minutes at almost 6 p.m., and we were seated in the main dining room downstairs.

For appetizers, we ordered fried calamari and Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls.  The fried calamari was perfectly fried in the usual tempura batter and served with a marina dipping sauce.  Mom and I loved the huge Summer Rolls, which came with two dipping sauces: a peanut sauce (too much like peanut butter) and a Hoisin sauce, which was delicious and slightly spicy.  We ended up only eating summer rolls with the Hoisin sauce, and left the peanut sauce alone.  

For drinks, my mom and cousin ordered red wine, and I decided on a white sangria.  Their wine selections were very tasty, but my sangria wasn’t very original or flavorful (it tasted totally like mix and not at all fruity).  The waiter offered to get me red sangria, but I declined.  It didn't seem as though he was willing to replace it for free, and I didn't feel like having another $8 charge on the bill for a second drink that I might or might not like, even if I wasn't the one paying.  I ate the fruit off of the skewer and enjoyed water with dinner, instead.

After looking at the menu, we decided to have dinner there instead of just having drinks and appetizers.  My cousin ordered the Shrimp Scampi and Steak Diane.   The scampi sauce was actually creamy AND buttery and we all tried it on everything, and her mashed potatoes were heavenly and full of garlic.  The sauce on the steak was a little too sweet for all of us, but the steak was cooked as she ordered it.  


My mom ordered the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta that contained shrimp and chicken and had a fantastic, spicy sauce on it.  It had to be the best Cajun sauce the three of us have ever tasted, and the waiter brought us an extra bowl so we could put it on EVERYTHING, which we did.  (For the record, the sauce is good on mashed potatoes, too.  Yes, we tried it.)  They have a lunch-sized portion available before 5 p.m., which probably would’ve been perfect, because this was way too big for any human to finish.  I think my mom ended up eating about half of it.  


I ordered Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta; the shrimp were jumbo-sized and very good, but the sauce was a little bland.  Good thing I had mom’s Cajun sauce!  I ate all the shrimp (dipped in Cajun sauce, of course) and left about half the pasta.  Looking back at the menu, I wish I'd tried their Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo, instead, as I debated between the two dishes for quite awhile.  


We were absolutely stuffed by the time we left the restaurant, and we hadn't managed to eat almost half of what we ordered.  We probably shouldn't have ordered the appetizers, but our original intention was to have appetizers only there, so how could we have known?  Maybe we should've ordered a third appetizer and skipped the entrees altogether, but then we wouldn't have had the chance to taste that delicious Cajun sauce, either.  


Our waiter was a bit of flake.  I think he was making jokes, but I wasn’t 100% sure if he was serious or not.  I tried not to engage him in conversation because he was a bit of an oddball, but he kept hovering when he'd come to check on us.  Very strange man.  The rest of the staff was great and everyone kept checking on us throughout the meal, clearing plates and refilling water glasses quickly.  My mom picked up the tab, but I saw the bill: $105.56 + tip for 3 of us with 3 drinks, 3 entrees and 2 appetizers is not bad at all.


If you can't make it for the lunch menu, which is served before 5 p.m., ask if you can share a plate for $2.50 extra.  It is an option for their entrees, and I never think about asking for this option at   most restaurants.  There are so many food choices, though, it's hard to make decisions even when it comes to my favorite type of food, seafood!


Overall, the food and service were good, but it was more of a "been there, done that" experience for me.  Next time, I think we might stick to the appetizers - as long as we can have some Cajun sauce for dipping!  I would rate this meal as a 7 out of 10.  Some parts of the meal were better than others, and some parts of the service were better than others. 





Hours of operation (very specific opening times, yes?):
Monday - Thursday, 11:10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Friday - 11:10 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Saturday - 10:10 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sunday - 10:10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.


Phone: 702.792.6888


Website: 
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

Link to article: Airfare Expert: How to save on Las Vegas flights

A recently posted article in USA Today by "Airfare Expert" Rick Seany outlines some great ways to save on airfare to Las Vegas:
Expert opinions here


Of course, this advice could be used for ANY airfare purchase.  I know I do a lot of research before booking my flights to Vegas, and I did the same for each of our family's Disney World trips, too.  Mr. Seany's comment about Tuesdays being the cheapest day to fly to Vegas applies to Disney World and other destinations, as well; apparently people don't travel as much and the airlines are trying to get us on board...literally.


If I were to add anything to the article, I would say that, especially when booking with Southwest, book your departure and return flights separately so that you can re-book one (or both) of the flights if the prices happen to go down, which is likely to happen with Southwest because they are always changing prices.  Another benefit of Southwest: no re-booking fees, which is a HUGE benefit with all the other airline fees these days.  The only caveat is that you must use your flight within one year of the original purchase date, so if you re-book a flight or have to cancel for any reason, you have one year to use the flight before it expires.  I think that's a win-win situation.


Happy booking!

Breakfast Buffet Review: Cravings at The Mirage

The Cravings Buffet was not very good this time.  I’d had breakfast at the buffet a couple of years ago – right after they remodeled it, I think – and it had been really good then.  We found the food to be very hit-or-miss this time, and we arrived around 9:00 a.m., when all the food should be fresh.  

Some of the hot foods weren’t heated well enough, and the Eggs Benedict had been sitting out for a LONG time because I couldn’t even cut a corner off of the English muffin.  After two attempts, I gave up trying.  Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast food in Vegas, and I was disappointed to say the least.

There was no line, and we were seated at a 4-top (square) table near the middle of the room, where we were equi-distance from any part of the buffet, which is only open on the sides during breakfast.

Here's a listing of the foods we tried, and our opinions:

Chilaquiles - Yum!  This Texas girl liked them and had them twice.

French toast - Good and thick, with deep holes for syrup.

Ham and cheese quizza (quiche pizza, in case you’re wondering) - Good, but it could've been hotter.  It was only lukewarm, which led to me not finishing my slice.

Scrambled eggs - I found them delicious, but I also like mine slightly underdone (but not runny), and these were.  

Sausage links - Our hands-down favorite food on the buffet.  Slightly spicy, and easy to cut with a fork.  We had several helpings  apiece.  Don't judge.

Eggs Benedict - Too hard to even cut.  The egg was  hard, too, so they'd been out for awhile.  I don't even want to think about it...but it's pictured above, in the bottom right-hand corner of my first buffet plate, if you're interested.  It obviously looked better than it really was.

Bacon - Too "bendy", and not at all crisp.  We are a crispy bacon family, and it should break when it hits the plate (in our opinions).

Pancakes - A little on the tough side, according to my cousin (she was only one who tried them).  Pancakes shouldn't be tough.  Ever.  They should be fluffy, even on a buffet.

Watermelon - Good and sweet, and served cold, as it should be.

Croissant bread pudding - It was sweet and filled with raisins.  No sauce needed to top this bread pudding.  My cousin didn't find it sweet enough, but she also likes chocolate donuts (bleh!), so use that as your guide.

Fresh pineapple - Very sweet and fresh, but they sliced it too close to the core, so we had to cut the pieces up to avoid the hard center.

Carpaccio - Cold and fresh, like it should be.  You could tell it'd just been put out, and I'm glad they didn't leave large portions out to harden.  I hate that.

Cheese Blintz - My mom said these had no taste (she was the only one who saw them, I think).  They originally put them in the space that was marked for Apple Turnovers, but there were no turnovers and these were clearly blintzes.

In addition to these items, there was a crepe station, breakfast pizzas, tons of muffins and donuts, biscuits and gravy, smoked salmon, bagels and lox, corned beef hash, hash browns and some assorted breakfast casseroles that none of us apparently found appealing enough to try.   In their defense, I don't usually eat Mexican food outside of Texas (except for the chilaquiles - they looked too good to pass up), so I didn't even bother trying any of the casseroles with Mexican names because I can find really good Mexican food in Texas.  Who knows?  They might have been really good.

Our waitress was not the best.  We had to get a hostess to hunt her down and get a coffee refill, and she forgot my juice twice before I was finally able to successfully reminded her again.  At least the bussers were quick to clean off dirty plates and replace silverware, and they were everywhere, all the time.  


I have a serious question about the Cravings buffet:  What’s with the giant, unwieldy tongs for every dish on this buffet?  The basic, 10-pound hinged salad tongs - where one side is a spoon and the other side is a fork - do NOT work for every dish, yet they were the only things available.  I felt like I was playing one of those crazy crane games where you attempt, in vain, to pick up a stuffed animal in a giant claw when I was trying to grab a sausage link, and I stabbed my French toast and couldn’t get it released from the fork end when I finally got it maneuvered just right to even pick a piece up.   Really?  You don’t just have regular tongs anywhere in your kitchen?  Invest in some basic tongs and let your customers enjoy their food while it's still hot instead of making everyone wait it out in a game of chance.  


This was the only meal I paid for on the trip: $44 + tax for three   buffets ($15.99 per person).  We only left the waitress a tip because she finally got her head unstuck from her nether regions and paid some attention to us.  We were seriously considering stiffing her the tip if she didn't get a clue.


Overall, I'd rate this buffet as a 6.  If the Eggs Benedict had been fresh and the service a little better, I might even say a 6.5, but we were disappointed by the meal and service as a whole.  With just a few bright spots in the whole experience, it's not likely we will return again.  Harrah's offers a much better breakfast buffet across the street for $2 more, and that one is definitely worth the price.


If you are interested in checking out the Cravings buffet for lunch or dinner, here is the website with their hours of operation and a phone number: http://www.mirage.com/restaurants/cravings.aspx.  They do have special menus for occasions such as Easter, Mother's Day and Christmas, so be sure to check out the website before you go if you're looking for something in particular.