4 States
7 ½ Days
4,149 Miles
$0.00 Amount spent gambling
34 Restaurants
28 Bakeries
13 Ice cream shops
3 Drink places
2 Chocolate shops
6 Sonics
5 Whole Foods Markets
Even with time spent in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas there was A LOT more of Nevada to see. Plus, there have been a lot of celebrity helmed restaurants opening in LV.
Of note #1: Vegas is tied to Nevada and Vegas is hot. However, the rest of the state is quite temperate. During this trip statewide it was 65-85 degrees with lows in the morning and/or at altitude starting at 35. It was 95-108 in Vegas.
Of note #2: No amount of prose or pictures could fairly capture the beauty of nature. Gorgeous. Incomprehensible. Incredible. Vast. Spiritual. Spellbinding.
Of note #3: Looking at the map that represents pretty much every road in Nevada.
Monday, March 31st, 2010
Olives
Hotel: The Bellagio
Chef: Todd English
Chef’s claim to fame: Chef English’s meteoric rise started with Olives in Charlestown, Massachusetts and he presently has 17 restaurants. Awards from James Beard, Gourmet, Zagat and Travel + Leisure.
Brick Oven Roasted Free Range Chicken
Country Mashed Potato Cake, Green Beans
There was more moisture in my socks than in this flavorless chicken.
Took a long drive through Nevada to California returning to Vegas for dinner.
Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare
Hotel: Wynn
Gourmet Top 50: #21
Chef: Paul Bartolotta
Chef’s claim to fame: Trained in Italy, numerous James Beard Awards, esteemed Spiaggia in Chicago, brother and consultant to Milwaukee restaurateur Joe. He flies in fresh seafood from Italy each morning.
Pagara With Acqua Pazza
An exquisite marriage of silkiness the snapper was perfectly cooked with the sauce (made of pomini tomatoes, garlic and peperoncino) good enough to require mopping up with bread. But was it worth $55? Probably not.
While driving north on Las Vegas Boulevard to my 4 star accommodations downtown I enjoyed soaking in the character of old Vegas of motor hotels and wedding chapels all vying their wares with fantastic neon signs.
Being from custard country I felt duty bound to try the Black Cherry from Luv-It Frozen Custard. Passable, but I would have preferred chunks of cherry.
Having seen the Fremont Street Experience only during the day, after settling into the too frou-frou for me room I headed downstairs to take in the show.
Deep Fried Oreos. Actually ate an entire one.
Wonderful neon! This street always reminds me of the memorable James Bond chase scene from Diamonds Are Forever.
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Out for a run at 4AM it was neat to see Fremont Street without the throngs. Temp at this time? 78.
Before heading to The Strip for breakfast ventured into the real Vegas to Ronald’s Donuts. This Apple Fritter was a maze of glaze, dough, sugar, cinnamon, apples, moistness, crunch, chew, softness.
Bouchon Bistro
Hotel: The Venetian
Accolades: Savaur Top 100 Favorites, many Las Vegas Epicurean Awards
Chef: Thomas Keller
Chef’s claim to fame: The French Laundry in Napa Valley is one of the best in the country; Chef Keller followed with this Bouchon and per se in New York.
You see, the fruit in this tart from Bouchon Bakery makes it healthy. And it was enjoyable to munch on while ambling through The Venetian’s canals.
Palazzo.
Located on the other side of I-515 Freed’s is the illustrious bakery of Las Vegas. These are Marble Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting.
Over in Henderson Ethel M Chocolates has a factory tour, gleaming store and botanical gardens.
“This could be worth getting fat for”, I contemplated while mowing through this Lobster Tail from Albina’s Italian American Bakery. The interlocking crunchy scales yielded to more layers of soft dough retaining a texture countering creamy and cold filling.
Time to get outta Sin City and head north.
A rough mining camp in the 1870s Pioche grasps on to both its past and the mountainside.
Cathedral Gorge
An 1868 mining town Ely blossomed from 500 to 3,000 when the railroad came in 1906
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
The day’s route started in north central Nevada and took a swing through Idaho. The rising sun cast a wakening glow over the eastern facing mountains.
Last time in Buhl, Idaho this was Smith Dairy allowing another stop. Their Very Berry was not only intensely flavored but served at satisfying softer consistency.
Back in Nevada.
Small and remote Eureka is proud of its historic past and buildings.
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Today slope side Austin’s population is 340. In 1863 a Pony Express horse kicked over a rock uncovering silver triggering a rush of 10,000 prospectors.
Fallon is a homogenization of Old West and Main Street U.S.A.
And they have a panaderia and Sonic!
Sourced from Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives a healthy spinach salad was welcome at Dish Café.
50 year Reno landmark.
Out of the many car museums I’ve been to Reno’s National Automobile Museum places in the top 3.
Four galleries arranged by era are separated by street scenes reflecting those eras.
Gallery 1
Gallery 2
Gallery 3
Gallery 4:
The variety of cars and their condition are most impressive.
These are some of my favorites:
1950 Porsche 356
1956 Mercedes Benz 300SL
1923 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost
1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost w/ custom copper body
1925 McFarlen
1930 Franklin
1933 Auburn
1938 Packard 1607
Doesn’t the gleaming glass and chrome tray supports make this a work of art? Valentine built and installed this diner in 1947.
The harrowing road from Reno to Virginia City has tremendous views.
Despite being totally turned over to tourism Virginia City retains it rough edges earned from the from silver miners, gambling and taverns. Today it has gambling, taverns…and fudge shops.
Undulating sidewalks glide you past wonderfully weathered storefronts.
The tradition in force at Carson City’s capitol.
Dayton is part of the historic Comstock District and was the filming location for Clark Gable’s last movie- The Misfits (which also starred Marilyn Monroe).
Friday, June 4th, 2010
Northwest Nevada. Winnemucca. The Griddle. 1948. Green vinyl. V shaped counter. Hanging plants. Cool.
Negotiating a twisting Oregon mountain plateau all of a sudden the ground opened up and one of the most incredible vast vistas appeared.
Ripples of time in Lakeview.
California
Alturus had not one, not two but three bakeries. Apple and blueberry turnovers.
A hand lettered sign boasting of “HANDMADE MAPLE ROLLS” at Adin Supply Co. pulled me off the road in this one business town. The bakery was forgettable but check out those wooden fridge cases, green meat cases, hardwood floors and mounted game.
Heading back into Nevada I realized an hour of drive time could be cut off using a gravel road. Turns out besides time savings it also rewarded by being a fulfilling immersion into nature.
There were wild horses and cattle grazing.
Back in Nevada
Pyramid Lake, just north of Reno.
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
During the morning run in Sparks spotted a panaderia returning for what could best be called a cross between a flan and cheesecake.
From Reno drove back into California heading north then swinging back south.
Paralleling railroad tracks, downtown Truckee was a pleasant surprise.
A 1940s diner moved from Philadelphia in 1992.
Glorious, oh glorious stainless steel.
Having skied Tahoe I’ve always been curious to see it in summer. The brilliantly blue alpine lake set a backdrop for an assortment of agreeable towns and countless mountain vistas.
Closer to healthier bakery from the charming Brockway Bakery- Blueberry Whole Wheat Bran Muffin sweetened with applesauce.
The bakery mania continued in South Lake Tahoe with a Guava Empanada, Macaroon and something Mexican.
The wait indicated the popularity of Sprouts Café where I took advantage of their natural and organic bent with a bountiful salad.
This behemoth Buttermilk from Tahoe Donuts had it all going on- sugar glaze, thick crust, pockets of oil and a medium density dough with a fantastic buttermilk flavor without the tang. Combining a mouthful of all of these elements put it on my best donuts list.
On the way out of Lake Tahoe more of.....
Once on southbound Highway 49 duplicated a March 2005 trip’s route passing through Placerville (top right), Sutter Creek, Jackson, San Andreas, Angels Camp (bottom left) and Sonora.
During that trip I regretted winter road closures only allowed seeing half of Yosemite. This time I was able to finalize driving all the roads in the park taking Highway 120 all the way across.
Perched on a rock overhang I ate dinner relishing the ideal temps, rustling wind and discrete bird noises. Serenity.
Swiveling the head and frequent stops became the MO.
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
The skier in me wanted to see Mammoth so spent the night there checking out the village during this morning’s run (top right). Today’s route headed north through Bridgeport and back into Nevada through the 2 block Yerington and southeast through Hawthorne, Tonopah (bottom left) and semi-ghost town Goldfield (bottom right).
Turns out the inhospitable environs of Death Valley are not flat offering a geological variety of dessert, mountains, sand dunes and valleys. No water though!
The lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea level.
From Death Valley made a beeline to Vegas to pick up friends and frequent travel buddies Monika & Rodolfo. They had taken the 40 minute flight from their home in Southern California just to have dinner with me.
That dinner was at Mesa Grill.
Mesa Grill
Hotel: Caesars Palace
Chef: Bobby Flay
Chef’s claim to fame: The ubiquitous Food Network star with many books started with Mesa Grill in NYC (also ate there) and now has half a dozen restaurants. 4 diamonds.
Grilled Mahi Mahi
Roasted Pineapple-Cascabel Chili Sauce, Caramelized Pineapple-Green Onion Salsa and Creamy Green Chili Rice
The food was great...but the company was better.
After dinner we strolled back through Caesars Forum Shops, through The Mirage and back to the parking garage for a drive to Whole Foods for gelato.
At 8PM, a mere 4 hours after picking them up, I dropped them off at the airport feeling sad to part, grateful to know there are such first-class people in this world and blessed to call them friends.
Monday, June 7th, 2010
The breakfast destination several miles to the east of The Strip allowed exploring of that vast area. Buffets are as synonymous with Vegas as gambling and shrimp cocktails. Firefly has the usual spread and is priced at $7.02.
It wasn’t that good, but was fun.
Lake Mead Recreational Area surrounds the lake created by Hoover Dam to the southwest and stretches for miles to the northeast featuring Nevada’s greatest commodity- natural beauty.
108 degrees. Butter Pecan was needed.
Back in suburban Vegas to conclude exploring the incomprehensible spread of endless strip malls, chains and big box stores. Stops included Whole Foods, Sonic, Middle Eastern bakery and clothes shopping.
Back on The Strip stayed in AC as much as possible in Paris, Miracle Mile Shops, Planet Hollywood, New York and CityCenter.
Bradley Ogden
Hotel: Caesars Palace
Chef: (duh)
Chef’s claim to fame: Michelin Star, 4 Mobil Stars, 4 AAA Diamonds, James Beard awards
Organic Farmers’ Market Greens
If every salad could be this artfully arranged. Alas, the dressing overwhelmed it. Alas, it was sixteen bucks.
Hawaiian Ahi Tartare
This showcased why this tuna is a buttery delight. Alas, there was an unidentified element overpowering it.
Back downtown to stay at the same hotel as the first night. Settled into the room and headed down 21 floors to soak in that neon. Lovin’ the neon!
Shrimp cocktails are as synonymous with Vegas as gambling and buffets. Du-par’s started it in 1938.
The cheap eats continued with a 99 cent Deep Fried Twinkie and a Chocolate Coated Frozen Banana.
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
With a 9:15AM flight there was only enough time to head a few miles off The Strip for breakfast at Hash House for….what else?
Turkey Hash, Grits, SSU, Fresh Fruit
