Las Vegas

Went out to Vegas on United Airlines to enjoy a long weekend and visit some friends. I was doublebooked one night at the Encore and Elara due to an existing work conference trip and the Hilton timeshare minimum three night requirement.

I have never stayed at Encore and the junior suite is very nice. The hotel room has a lot of tech amenities - built in ports in the nightstands and desk, lights controlled by tablet, an Amazon Alexa. Although, I'm not sure whose account is connected to Alexa....

For the location and amenities, I like the Elara. Easy to get to other parts of the strip and still stay central. Also, the rooms are nicer than the traditional timeshare styles.

Meals

DW Kitchen - I was able to convince a friend to pick me up and eat at this restaurant in the suburbs of Vegas. Jamaican influenced, I enjoyed the pesto torte and new mexican pork bowl. The portions can be large so prepare yourself. The fruit tart dessert was good but a little too sweet. The filling was more jelly like than whole fruits so it may explain why sweeter.

Pizza Rock - I happened to be in town during their happy hour and the menu is very reasonable. Four adults and two kids for under $100 is pretty good deal to me. On this trip, I tried the quattro carne and decided maybe I am not a fan of napoletana pizza. The crust was a little too soggy. Otherwise, the fries, green beans, garlic bread, personal pizzas, and mud pie hit the spot. Also $4 PBR and $2 off draft beer is a good price.

Searsucker - inside Caesar’s near the sports book, the restaurant was an ideal location to watch sports and eat. The dining area doesn’t have the greatest views of TVs but the bar is good. The old fashioned here is spot on, I generally find old fashioned drinks a bit strong but this bar made them well. The secret is the type of cherry used. Shared a couple of plates - duck fat fries as appetizer, flat iron steak and pasta with wild boar as entrees. For dessert, I had the rock road bread pudding and tasted the milk and cookies. Overall, I enjoyed my meal very much. Definitely get the duck fat fries.

Earl of Sandwich - I attempted to find PinkBox Doughnuts but the strip location closed. As a consolation, went by Earl and got a breakfast sandwich before heading to the airport.


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