VEGAS: A Woman’s City

One could easily argue that women have it harder than men, in general. I won’t go into the details of the monthly visits, trials and tribulations of packing clothes with complementary accessories and shoes when travelling, or that its harder for us to lose weight. I will say that ladies, I went to Vegas in honour of my month-long birthday celebration and discovered that finally there is a place where it seems to always be better to be from Venus and not Mars.

There were three major elements to my bday weekend that can be summarised using the 3F model – Food, Frolic & Fun. Under the circumstances I did well with each F, although I could have always had more food. There are so many restaurants in Vegas that can be difficult to know where to go. Personally there were days where I had little or no sleep and therefore my internal clock was thrown off.

To break it down, I had great foie gras, not once but twice, first at Aureole at Mandalay Bay. My main course was the braised lamb shank and the sampler for dessert. The portions were quite large, the food was good even though the service was lacking. If you are interested in visiting this restaurant you might want to go soon because on a Saturday night there were not many people, who knows how long they’ll be around.

Roasted Rouge Valley Farms Foie Gras, fruit compote, toasted brioche, petit greens

The second place worth mentioning is Anthony’s at the M Resort (off the strip), the service was good and their foie gras with compote was so yummy I didn’t need to eat anything else. Word of advice, do not eat at food courts if you have taken a trip to Vegas because you’re wasting an opportunity to discover yumminess. Having said that, also be wary of reviews, I went to Gabi Mon Ami for brunch and was highly disappointed with the food, especially the pain au chocolat. I fell in love with pain au chocolat when I lived in France, and this supposedly freshly made chocolate filled croissant did not carry me back to my indulgent-worth-the-weight gain experience of Paris.

Prime Steak Spring Rolls, caramelized onions, port-soy reduction.

The party scene in Vegas seems to never have a dull moment. Once again women you don’t have to pay for entry. Just turn up looking amazing (as I am sure you always do) and enjoy free entry to various hot spots. Pure, at Caesars, was great for the first night because it was convenient. The DJ had an “interesting” style that was disjointed but I appreciated that he would alternate between genres to accommodate different guests. Men ask to take random pictures with you, men and women are not stingy with their compliments; if you’re ever having a rough period go to Vegas and boost your self-esteem.

XS at Encore, supposedly one of the best clubs in the world was a nice visit, for sightseeing purposes. The club has a pool, gaming area, all the amenities you can imagine and if you are a fan of house music or prefer to go out to take pictures and people watch definitely stay here, otherwise look around and leave. We ended up at Marquee at the Cosmopolitan, which had a room that featured Hip-hop, thankfully. But what is a Vegas trip without a pool party? Soaking up the sun at Encore Beach Club is the way to go, just bring extra lotion or baby oil because Vegas soaks the natural oils from your skin leaving you with “ashy-nasia”.

A friend (left) and me (right) at Encore Beach Club

Lastly, if like me you thought Vegas was a city only for gamblers you were wrong! However, I recently learned blackjack and where better to practice your skills (especially without having to lose your own money ladies)? Hopefully you will not come across a mean dealer like Linda who doesn’t want to ask other players questions about the game but instead recommends that you buy a blackjack chart at the gift shop. Warning: when inside hotels you have no recollection of time and could end up playing blackjack till 8 a.m. (like some people).

I can’t wait to go back to Vegas with my girlies and have fun all over again. There are restaurants I want to visit, hotels I want to see, parties to enjoy and more gambling to be done. Vegas is not a family vacation spot, it is a space to relive or celebrate your youth.

Live, Love, Eat!