23 thoughts on “Five Hundy by Midnight 164: Why I Don’t (And Shouldn’t) Do Impressions”

1. Good to have you back, looking forward to listening to this weeks show.

2. The only worthwhile ventriloquist act.

3. A very informative, albeit sad, podcast. As a Star Trek geek, I’m crushed to hear the Hilton has not renewed The Experience; I hope they reconsider. That’s the only reason the missus and I stay at the Hilton. While nothing could compare to getting drunk at Quark’s, does anyone have some suggestions for a fun alternate venue along The Strip?

   On an unrelated note, when are we going to see some pics of Zoey the Wonder Dog?

   BHBH

4. Jackie Gaughan is one of the last (if not the last) original Vegas gambler/owners. Jackie was part owner of the original Flamingo. He was a real player at the birth of Las Vegas. Trust me, somebody will make a movie based on his life. Sad that the Jakie Gaughan era, is completely over.

5. I think the Hilton wants to renew the contract, the other side doesn’t. This is a down time for Star Trek, with no new product coming out. I wouldn’t be surprised if something is worked out.
   I wonder how much MGM is paying for Terry Fator (Sounds like fader), since the Hilton was paying him a reported $100,000 per show. My friends who have seen him swear that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They were cynical, rich attorneys, so I tend to give some credence to their opinions. I think they were drunk, though.

6. Here’s Zoe.

7. The restaurant with the bus-stop advertisements featuring a circa-1983 Jon Lovitz* holding a lobster the size of Gary Coleman is something called “Alan Alberts” and if memory serves it is somewhere near the Hawaiian Village area on the east side of the strip. That dude’s been holding that damn lobster ever since I’ve been regularly going to Vegas – so at least since 2001. They even seem to change out the ads every once in a while as they fade. I’ve never eaten there because how many steak and lobster places do you really need on the strip? Maybe the money they save on never updating their print advertisements and apparently not having a website goes into their food – joke’s on me if it is really good.

   *It probably isn’t Jon Lovitz, but if you’ve ever seen the ad, you’ll swear it is!

8. It also appears that the “Rosewood Grille” is owned by the same people as “Alan Alberts”, and is right next door – and Jon Lovitz holds his lobster for them, too.

9. shit-hammered

10. I’m excited to see that Terry Fator has a permanent gig. I too am not really into ventriloquists but when I saw Fator I as in awe. What he does with his voice is amazing and when you couple that with not moving his lips it’s unreal. I will definitely be going to his show next time I’m in Vegas.

    I am also sad that Quark’s will be leaving. I always go there to get a nice cold Klingon Blood Ale. 😉

11. Rosemary’s is worth a visit sometime. Much to like about this small restaurant 7 miles off the Strip. The prix fixe menu presents a good deal. The dishes are somewhat hit and miss on flavor, and in a couple instances preparation, but the quality of ingredients and standards of table service are certainly on par for a fine dining experience.

    Here is a long review from a trip in January of 2008:

    Set in a strip mall, Rosemary’s features a bar running the width of the store front, and behind the bar, the larger dining area, including seating at a countertop facing the open kitchen.

    The bar offers a drink menu with a selection of Belgian beers, complete with helpful descriptions. The bar is also stocked with appropriate branded glassware for the beer on offer, a really nice touch reminiscent of bars in Belgium and other European spots.

    Rosemary’s offers three dining styles, which the waiter described in detail.

    1. A la carte dining
    2. The prix fixe menu of any two appetizers and one entree from the menu, including daily specials, for $50 (dessert may be substituted for one of the appetizers).
    3. A tasting menu of specific dishes selected by the chef, representing 5 courses somewhat smaller in size than by the other two options, for $75. Wine and beer pairings available (I don’t recall prices).

    It is very flexible that any menu items are available with the prix fixe option, but a good half dozen or so selections such as foie gras, rack of lamb, or steak, result in surcharges.

    The menu seems rooted in traditional technique, with a healthy amount of experimentation with flavor pairings.

    There were three of us, and we opted for the prix fixe menu. With the extensive list of choices, it was very easy to get 9 different dishes.

    Before the food arrived we were served an amuse bouche of asparagus bread pudding with an onion relish. It was delicious. Also bread made in house, a white potato roll and a sweet roll with white chocolate chips and nuts. The white potato roll was great. I don’t care for sweet rolls with dinner, but my dining companions gave it high marks.

    Of the appetizers, we had a a few standouts.

    The foie gras was seared perfectly, and serving it on toasted citrus brioche was great idea. The bread soaked up the drippings, letting nothing go to waste.

    Also executed to perfection was the parmesan souffle. It was served on a bed of chanterelle mushrooms, which made for a nice pairing. Even without that, the airy texture of the souffle and the bright taste of parmesan would have made this a winner all by itself. Highly recommended.

    I would also recommend the signature dish of BBQ shrimp with Maytag blue cheese slaw. This dish really has an unfortunate pedestrian name, but it is anything but. The BBQ sauce is a blend of smoky flavors, free of any sticky sweetness. The natural sweetness of the grilled shrimp takes care of that. And the blue cheese slaw is a novelty that works, and pairs nicely with the smoky BBQ sauce.

    The golden beets were good, but not exceptional like the other dishes. Same with the carpaccio – a fine dish, but not a standout.

    The fried sweetbreads were disappointing. The organ meat was cooked well, and to good consistency , but served pretty much undressed. It was begging for some kind of acidic component to set off the oily nature of being fried and enhance the mild flavor of the meat. Also, it was served on a bed of underdone orzo. I like my pasta cooked al dente, but this was shy of the mark.

    As for our entrees, again there was a mixed result.

    The veal tenderloin with lentils, bacon, and sherry mustard sauce was a letdown. The mustard sherry sauce overpowered the delicate veal, which itself was overdone and dry in spots. The lentils were underdone. Not as bad as the orzo, but definitely grainy.

    The seared scallops with potato-parsnip puree, fried parsnip strips, and apple cider beurre blanc was much better. Scallops were big, sweet, and cooked only to the point of doneness. The fried parsnip strips were a delight, brightened by the apple cider butter that dressed the dish. The puree did not work as well, but overall a solid dish.

    The best entree was the crispy skin striped bass with hush puppies and creole potato hash. The owners have a background in New Orleans kitchens and it really showed in this flavorful dish.

    We were completely sated for dessert (although in retrospect we really should have gotten the goat cheese cheesecake just to try it), but we had coffee and enjoyed petits fours with it. The assortment included a peanut butter puff and a chocolate trouffle that were both excellent.

    Service was very good. The waiter knew the menu inside and out, including details of ingredients used. All staff were attentive to small details like sweeping the table when serving courses, and folding napkins when I left the table.

    There was a significant gap between courses, but arguably that’s a good thing when savoring a large meal.

    For the price, a very good dining experience, but you might want to stick with dishes that people have recommended to you. Not everything is a winner.

    The portions are large. If you go on a date I suggest going the prix fixe route, but use one of your appetizer choices as a split, and save the other to split a dessert. Half price wine night on Sunday will get the wine list issue under control, too.

12. I almost wrecked my car traveling from DC to Richmond this morning when I heard Tim perform his Clint Eastwood impression, which included a dash of that fabulous Minnesota twang: “Go ahead: Meeeeke my deeeeeey”.

    Requested impressions for next week: G.W. Bush, Martha Stewart

13. Yesterday we visited the Irish bar at Rio called McFadden’s. This place bills itself as being the greatest Irish Bar.
    Well the service was slow, their décor is lacking and their food was expensive and meager.
    In my opinion, the Irish pub at Rampart called J.C. Wooloughan, is much better. The food and drink is worth the trip. It feels and looks like an Irish pub and best of all it isn’t on a Harrah’s property.

    Of course, I am still bitter about replacing the beautiful drink ladies with the lame “beavertainers” which include !!YIKES!! dudes serving drinks. Yuck.

    Also the phone call from the guy from Maine was great. Being a transplant from there it was nice to hear somebody who can speak correct English. I almost pissed myself, too.

    The V Theater at P Ho is a big step down from the Venetian, I saw the show a few weeks ago and old Gordie seemed embarrassed by it.
    I got in free and enjoyed it .

14. Thanks for posting the Zoe pic Tim — she’s adorable! Having owned a Boxer myself, I realize the difficulty you must’ve had getting a picture “in repose” rather than “on the go.”

    Looking forward to the mid-week bonus podcast; hoping the next one bears less in the way of grim tidings.

    BHBH

15. Congrats on picking up a sponsor. I hope that offsets some of the expense of better web host.

    Rosemary’s had a second restaurant in the Rio for a short time. Wonderful food and excellent service. I was surprised that it didn’t last in the Rio location. Maybe it has more appeal as being an off strip find than just another resort dining choice.

16. The creepy people have been removed from the Lake of Dreams…i’m guessing they just creeped to many people out

17. Tim, your second attempt at Clint Eastwood sounded even more like Ronald Reagan.

18. Congrats on the new sponsor, maybe one day we will get more than 1 show a week.

19. Ask and you shall receive, HL. I just posted the second show of the week.

20. Went to Rosemary’s for lunch last week. A little more than half the dinner prices Stevie G mentioned, $23 for 3 courses using a coupon from their website. Nice side trip if you have a car.

21. “your list of top five things you wish had stayed in Las Vegas” … Is this “things that used to be in Vegas but aren’t there any more” or is it “things that used to be only in Vegas but have spread outside Las Vegas” or is it “things I did in Vegas that no one should have found out about” or something completely different?

22. Grant… it’s a play on the “what happens here stays here” slogan, but there are no right or wrong answers.

23. Ha, Harris, that second call was great. Skateboarders call that ‘Water bottling’.
    Made me laugh.