Sushi Samba

More Vegas reporting for all of you!Our last night in Las Vegas, we ate at this fab sushi joint in the Palazzo Hotel called "Sushi Samba". It was soooo yummy! (even their website plays fantastic brazilian music!) It's actually a Brazilian steak and sushi spot, so they had a very diverse menu. We started out by ordering some edamame, california rolls and tuna tartare, because initially we were just stopping in for some appetizers. But we were hooked from the first bite. We ended up ordering a little of everything: barbequed sea bass, filet mignon, more sushi rolls, more tuna, these little crab "potato chips", as our waiter referred to them, sea urchin...and the most magnificent chocolate banana molten cake and fruit compote for dessert. Mmmmm I would fly there just to have that dinner again. It.was.that.good. As a bonus for all of you sports fans out there, they have big flat screens all around the restaurant for you to catch the most important football, baseball, hockey and basketball games. Cause you wouldn't want to miss those!

My current two favorite Vegas restaurants:
1.Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill
2.Sushi Samba


This was after the sea urchin. By the looks on our faces it probably doesn't look too appetizing, hah. But the rest of the food really was fabulous! More to come whenever I go on my next trip :-)

N9NE

I took a little vacation last weekend (and into early this week) to fabulous Las Vegas. While I was there, we saw some fabulous sights, stayed at a fabulous hotel and ate some really fabulous food.

One of the nights while we were there, we ate at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms, and it was soooo yum. As an appetizer, we ordered some calamari (wonderful) and a crock of both their french onion and pumpkin soups. Tot Delish. For an entree, the guys got steak, and I ordered roasted chicken. Oooh how I love roasted chicken. And lobster mashed potatoes. But not so much the creamed spinach, that was a little too rich for my taste.

The atmosphere at the resataurant was really cool. I think that it may have originally been a club of some kind. They had these tall, mosaic, mirrored columns around the joint, and a circular bar in the middle of the restaurant. And there was an area that was kind of separated from the central restaurant, like it had once been a VIP section.

The gambling at the Palms is really fun, too. All of the dealers are super friendly, and they have a live band some nights during the week. We never made it up to the Ghost Bar, but it sounds like that's kind of the spot to be. AND they film the celebrity poker tournaments there! One of our friends stayed in the rooms, and it was really, really nice. The view was beautiful - and the bathtub was a jacuzzi (a nice jacuzzi, not a cheesey one)! Definitely a good spot to stay.

And by the way - if you're planning a trip to Las Vegas, now is the time to do it. There are a ton of deals out there, because their occupancy rates are really low. If you're going to do any shows, definitely get your Las Vegas show tickets in advance. You don't want to get crappy seats or left out in the cold once you're out there!

Addiction

I have a huge secret addiction. I call it my anti-drug. Most of my friends share the same addiction. We're terrible influences on each other, it's become our main social activity over the years. I call it my anti-drug. Most people call it Lifetime Fitness.

I love that place. I get a rush just walking through the door. It's a very strange addiction that we have. But the place is phenomenal. All of the equipment is state of the art, and they have tons of machines so that you don't have to worry about waiting for one. Their classes are the tops, my favorites are Strike! (kickboxing with weighted gloves), the Mixx (kind of like Tae-Bo) and Hip Hop. They have a salon spa, a place to drop off the kiddies while you work out, and pools indoors and out. The outdoor pool is fabulous for Sunday people watching, by the way. And they have auctions where you can bid on items signed by Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins players a few times a year! Plus, everyone is super friendly!

The best part about this addiction? You feel fabulous! If you're looking for a new hot spot to check out, or a great holiday gift for someone special, check out Lifetime. They're everywhere around the cities, so no excuses!

Rascal Flatts Concert

Hey ya'll!

I let my inner cowgirl out last weekend. My friend Molly and I went to the Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts concert at the Xcel Energy Center and it was fan-tab-u-lous! We've both been fans of Rascal Flatts forever, and T. Swift isn't so bad, either. before the concert, we hit up one of our favorite pre-Xcel spots, the Eagle Street Grill, then hung out at the Xcel for the rest of the evening. Neither of us ate dinner, so we just kind of planned on getting snacks at the show in between the Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts sets. And let me just tell all of you who haven't experienced the ice cream at the X for yourselves: you need to. It's so yummy, and they give you a HUGE waffle cone full of the stuff. Of course, since we were only two rows off of the catwalk, we couldn't let the RF boys see us scarfing down this fabulous ice cream instead of dancing to the music, so we only made it about halfway through our cones. But....the next time you're there, GET THE ICE CREAM! And that's an order, mister (or missus, whichever you prefer).

-City Girl

Salut Bar Americain

On Saturday night, right after the Minnesota Wild game started, my friend Cathy and I met at Salut, the new restaurant on Grand Avenue, to see what all the fuss was about. And boy, were we pleasantly surprised! The ambiance was great. We hung out in the bar to drink some wine while we waited for a table, and there was some really fabulous people watching to be had. Apparently some other people had the same idea, though, and we became their watchees, which was kind of a strange feeling.

Anyway, we had heard only great things about their pomme frites (french fries), which were recently voted the best in the twin Cities by Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, and that was surely a good choice! They come with a bernaise sauce, which I am generally not a fan of, but it was alright with the fries. Although, I do have to say that a homemade ranch may have been a better choice. We both got their "pizzas", which are more of a flatbread. Cathy ordered the shrimp pizza, which came with a pesto sauce, and I ordered a chicken and artichoke pizza. Both were pretty good!

Only complaints: the pizzas were slightly greasy (even though pizza is supposed to be greasy, right?), a little overdone on the garlic, and could have been a little crispier. The seafood and steaks looked super yum (they own Manny's so they're probably pretty good!) And overall, a good place to grab a bite to eat with a glass of wine. Oh, and their red velvet cake looked phenomenal, I wanted a piece but we were too full to get one...maybe that will require a return trip!

Marathon Party!

One of my favorite events of the year is the Twin Cities Marathon. Fall is my favorite time of year, and the route the runners take is sooo pretty. Plus I usually have friends that run in the marathon (that's my friend Anne wearing the black shirt in the picture), and a group of us usually find one or two places along the route to cheer them on. The best part about the Twin Cities Marathon, though, is found at mile twenty, right on the river. It is precisely at mile twenty that the Ticket King Marathon Party takes place - the best party on the entire 26.2 mile trek (and I'm not biased, it's actually been voted the best party along the marathon route).

And here's a list of what makes this party so great: Bloody mary, coffee and bagel bar. DJ that plays fabulous pump up music. Noisemakers and candy to cheer the runners on. Pony rides and a blow up jumper for the kids. The best face painter in the Twin Cities. Mini-donut guy from the fair. A photo booth. Pizza and lawn games after the race is over. Shirts to take home to commemorate the annual event.

So now...any questions on why this is one of my favorite parties of the whole year?

W - Minneapolis

On Saturday night, after a fabulous surprise birthday party for my friend Mandy at McCormick and Schmick's and a stop at Barrio for some tequila, we made our way over to the lounge at the W Minneapolis in the Foshay Tower. I've been there once before, and it was enjoyable both times I visited. It's nice to have a chance to sit down and chat, the lounge (on the main level) is basically designed for just that. It's a very glam looking lounge, and I like that they have a lot of little sitting areas so that you can be part of the crowd but still have an intimate conversation and actually hear the person you're with. But...I do have some reservations about going back. The crowd is a little older, I think that's partially because the lounge hooks up with Manny's Steakhouse, so it's kind of a natural transition to go from dinner to drinks next door - and as much as I love a diverse crowd (it's great for people watching), it just didn't quite fit. We weren't super big fans of the DJ. Although we did consider requesting some Britney, just to see if he would play it. So it's a fun place, just not quite what my friends and I were down for this Saturday night.

:p.s. if you're wondering what the strange look on my face is from...well, I was slightly concerned that the photo taker, who will not be named :), was going to topple over.:

Try-Outs

Well, I'm officially the lazy bum that hasn't been anywhere worth writing about for the last week and a half or so. Actually, that's not true, I went to the Metro Top 100 party at Chambers last Thursday, but more on that later. Since it's almost the weekend, I want to throw some fun, new options on the table that are on my top ten list of places to check out around the cities.

1. Salut on Grand: the hot Edina "Bar American" has opened a second location in St. Paul where Sindey's used to be. Looks like a great patio spot to grab some food or a cocktail (under a heater, of course!), followed by a little window shopping along Grand Avenue, or a great Sunday brunch (they serve crepes!). Bonus: Salut is now a part of the Parsole Dining Club, which offers restaurant rewards just for dining at a smattering of my favorite local eateries: Manny's Steakhouse (now located in the new W in the Foshay Tower), The Living Room and Prohibition - also located in the new W, Chino Latino and Figlio in Uptown and the Good Earth in Edina and Rosedale.

2. Nick and Eddie's: it's been described as "a new restaurant with an old soul" and I'm literally salivating to go check out Loring Park's most recent foodie addition. Apparently the bread alone is to die for. It's artsy, reminiscent of The New French Cafe (mmm I miss their chocolate volcano cake...) and must be tried.

3. B.A.N.K.: It's one of the newest additions to the scene in dtown MPLS and everyone has been raving about it. Their seafood concoctions are rumored to be tot. fab. (yes, I'm speaking in abbrevs today), although their website seems to be having some issues. Anyway, they're located in the Westin off of 6th, check it out and tell me what you think.

4. Punch: They just opened up a new location on Grand Avenue, and yes, I know they've been around since before I was in high school, but I'm a pizza addict and it's just oh-so-good. Plus it looks quite a bit bigger than the Highland Park location, so perhaps there won't be as much waiting-for-a-table action.

5. Meritage: This new Brasserie is supposed to be just plain phenomenal: phenomenal food, phenomenal service, phenomenal people watching. I know that it will be phenomenal because Chef Klein used to be the head chef at W.A. Frost's, one of my favorite local spots since the age of three (I used to live at the Commodore, basically right across the street). Whew, that's a lot of usage of the word "phenomenal" (although usage is with good reason!). I'm tuckered out.

So get your booties out on the streets this weekend and check out some of these new hot spots, I'll be anxiously awaiting your reports!

Barrio Tequila Bar

This weekend I tried out the brand-spankin' new tequila bar on the Nicollet Mall: Barrio. It's located right next door to The Local, and it super fun! It's a pretty narrow place, with two levels indoors and a fabulous patio (obvi, it's literally right next door to The Local). The decor felt kind of modern gothic with their deep red walls and huge candelabra on the bar. The drinks were fabulous, and they have more kinds of tequila than you could dream up. We didn't eat there, just stopped in for a few drinks, but the guacamole looked phenomenal and their enchiladas are supposed to be amazing! The only thing that I would be worried about is how packed it's going to be once the patio is unusable. They don't have a ton of space available inside, so I'm wondering if they'll just have a really long waiting list or if people won't go there during the winter because it'll be so crammed inside? I'm planning on hitting it up again in the next couple of weeks for dinner - I'll let you guys know how that goes :)

Spill the Wine

I had my second experience at Spill the Wine, a relatively new wine bar in Minneapolis on Washington Avenue, last weekend for my friend Kristi's birthday. I love that place. There are two sides - the more mellow restaurant side and the (slightly) more rowdy wine bar side. We had reservations for the restaurant side, even though we didn't end up ordering any food. So here we are, first drinks in hand...notice anything funny?

Perhaps that we were at a wine bar and only one of us actually drank wine? Haha...I was in a martini mood. The other girls ordered apple martinis and pomegranite cosmos, which were quite tasty (I tried them, obvi), but I don't like my martinis to be sweet. So I ordered a Grey Goose martini with green olives straight up, so yum!

Although we didn't eat there that night, I do know that their food is pretty good. We've had some of their appetizers before, and their hummus platter is phenomenal. The only complaint I would have is the service - it's pretty slow. It took about 20 minutes for our first round of drinks to arrive, and I remember it being a little on the slow side when we were there before. My guess is that this is probably due to the number of large groups they have at one time. Our group was about 12-15 people, but there were also two groups of 25 in the dining area alone. Once they have those kinks worked out, they'll be fine.

Check it out if you're looking for a great spot to gab and grab drinks with friends!