Now that I have recovered from our long weekend in Vegas, I wanted to share some of the highlights.
The last time we went to Vegas was September 2016. We headed out to see Lionel Richie's show at the Planet Hollywood. I honestly didn't think I would ever need to go back. My husband and I don't drink or gamble, so one would think, why would you even go to Vegas?
We went the first time for Lionel and this time for Luke Bryan. I heard Luke Bryan announce a Vegas residency in 2021 and I immediately jumped online to look at the dates.
And we have found that Vegas has way more to offer than alcohol and gambling. We have fallen in love with the food scene. So let me highlight our dinner dates and then I will tell you about the show.
Thursday night we dined at
Sinatra's at the Encore. The Italian Restaurant was warm and inviting. The menu had classic Italian dishes with a contemporary Vegas flare. I stepped out of my comfort zone a little and ordered Caramelle - described as "candy shaped pasta filled with butternut squash, amaretto cookie crumble, brown butter and sage". The pasta literally melted in your mouth and was the perfect combination of savory and sweet. My husband went with the Branzino and we split tiramisu for dessert. Dessert was delicious!!! Our waiter was amazing and made the whole experience delightful.
Friday night before the concert we dined at
Mizumi. Ran by star chef Min Kim, the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Award winning restaurant is located in the Wynn resort. Pretty sure they gave us the best table they had. We dined in front of a large glass wall that overlooked a beautiful waterfall and koi pond. Sushi is my husband's #1 food choice and I'm pretty sure he ordered half the menu. I went with the Sweet Sakiyo Miso Glazed Toothfish. It was so light and flavorful. I never had anything like it before. And that's why I love the food scene in Vegas. We chose not to have dessert at Mizumi and later grabbed some vegan ice cream at Resorts World while we were waiting for the Luke show to start.
Our last dinner, was my favorite. We dined at the first Chinese restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin Star. The
Wing Lei is located in the Wynn. We really didn't plan out all three meals being in the same resort but I guess the Wynn and Encore just really know how to do food. Although my husband didn't follow dress code policy, they were very accommodating. The service was top notch including gifts from the chef and warm towels to wash our hands. My husband went with the table side carved Peking duck and I went with a King Crab salad and General Tao's. We glanced over the dessert menu and decided not to get anything but they still brought out a chef's tasting of mini desserts and they were delicious! We ate all 5!
So back to the whole reason we flew 5+ hours to Vegas. The Luke Bryan show. I have seen Luke Bryan at least 5 times at local Philly venues. Maybe closer to 8 shows, I lost count. But seeing him in Vegas was a whole different experience. For starters, the Vegas venues are much more intimate compared to the stadiums I'm used to. When I see live music, I rather be in a smaller space and as close to the stage as possible.
The production was amazing. The lights, the stage, pyrotechnics and Luke's stories kept the energy high all night long. I took so many videos, as I rewatch them, I'm reminded just how much I danced. My videos were so shaky because I could not stand still. That's how you know it was a good show.
Major credit goes out to Luke and his Vegas production. I always knew he deserved Entertainer of the Year awards but this show solidified that for me. Luke is a true performer and all around good guy.
We clocked over 15,000 steps each day we were there. We ate some of the most delicious food. We enjoyed our stay at Aria and our massage and spa experience there as well. Our plan is to go back in 5 years and bring the kids. Hopefully catch another amazing show and explore more great food spots.
Celebrating 11 years clean with a Luke Bryan Vegas show filled me with so much gratitude. We do recover.
Till next time Vegas.....