Buen Apetito - Il Mulino, Las Vegas

I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas which was surprisingly enjoyable. Those who know me know that I'm not a fan of crowds, smoke, noise, gross excess...the very DNA of Sin City, but I must say that while there was all of that there were also bits of charm to be found.

My most enjoyable time was spent at Il Mulino in the Forum Shops at Caesars. This outpost of the famous restaurant in NYC was a bit of culinary perfection amid all the mediocre celebrity franchises.

My best friend, and conveniently enough, brother-in-law and I took a break from our wives and their parents to take a long lunch.

Upon entering Il Mulino at the top level of the mall next door to Tommy Bahama we found that we were transported to another place, forgetting that we were in a mall. The decor was elegant with a long bar and wine celllar flanking the entrance, tables covered in white linens impecably set with stemware, silver, and a single red rose in a simple vase. The lighting came from a great widow at the back of the restaurant with a view of the strip and a patio for dining al fresco and from a collection of gothic inspired chandaliers.

While we perused the menu we drank Peligrino and nibbled on delicious Parmiggiano Reggiano split out of a half wheel table side and fried zuccini with pepers.

We were tempted by an elaborate selection of special atinpasti, fish, pasta, and meat dishes to choose from in addition to the well edited menu of classics.

We ordered wine, the San Luigi Dolcetto di Dogliani, and two antipasti - the escargot with mushrooms and the buffalo mozzarella with proscutto and tomatoes.

Next came an amuse-Bouche of what they called bruschetta, but was really more of a panzanella as the bread was thoroughly soaked, and a single steamed mussel. The flavors were incredible, even if the preparation was a bit unorthodox.

While we were eating the bruschetta the bread basket arrived along with a plate of garlic bread. All the breads were excellent. At this point we were ready to order our pastas. I selected the lobster ravioli and my fried ordered the mushroom and black truffle ravioli.

Our antipasti arrived and were excellent. The escargot were as tender and flavorful as any I had ever eaten, and at an Italian restaurant no less, and the spicey tomoto sauce it was served with was sop-ably great. The winner though was the buffalo mozarella, it tasted of sweet cream and not salt and water like most, and had a soft but not squishy texture. I can honestly say it was the best mozarella either of us had ever eaten.

After a few minutes to enjoy more wine and conversation our pastas arrived. Two things struck us both the instant they arrived: 1) they were too large and 2) they were going to be world class. Upon first bite immediately followed by second bite we both nodded in agreement that we were not disappointed. We made our best efforts, but after 45 minutes or so of doing battle with the pasta I must confess that the pasta won, neither of us could finish.

We ordered an espresso and a coffee and turned down dessert only to be provided a complimentary dessert of berries with zabaglion and garnished with wafer rolls and a thin drizzle of caramel sauce. My expresso had a thick brown crema and a wonderful aroma.

We were also served glasses of limoncello served with a ladle out of a block of ice, this house recipe was excellent with no one element overpowering the bevearage as can often happen with too sweet, too alcoholic, or too bitter (from the pith of the lemon); I've never found too sour to be a problem.

Now we come to the most contentious issue in the reviews I've read of Il Mulino - the prices. Our bill was $300 before tip, and we felt that this was fair (it should be noted that the lunch and dinner prices are the same). The setting, the service, the food, and the beverage made this a fair value proposition. If you were inclined to save a few dollars on your meal an easy way would be to avoid the specials. Our appetizers were 150% of the cost of those on the menu and our pastas were approx. $50 each while those on the menu were in the $30s.

Our wine at $90 for a bottle was at the low end of the well edited list and was definitely NOT a bargain at 4x retail, though it was an excellent wine that paired well with all of our food. The mark-ups at the high end of the list were much closer to 2x retail making them the better value if you don't mind spending $200+ per bottle.

This was the best meal we had in Las Vegas and I definitely plan on going back, though I'm reluctant to recommend to those whose enjoyment of the meal may be dampened by the prices.

Shooting Match

"The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun." ~ P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)

The lodge at Blalock Lakes

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a day out of the office at Blalock Lakes, a new hunting and equestrian community and club south of Atlanta. The weather was outstanding and competing against yourself and friends (old and new) on the sporting clay course was a great deal of fun. The facilities were exellent and the staff very friendly and helpful for a few of our first time shooters.

This type of outing has started to become more popular as the corporate golf outing has lost whatever draw it once had for all but the most dedicated golfer.

Here are a few pictures from our sporting day out in the woods. If you've never tried sporting clay shooting you're missing out. Give it a try and enjoy a bit of competition in the great outdoors.

The great room at the center of the lodge

A den with bar off to one side of the great room

A fire pit behind the lodge with a beautiful vew of the hills.

The rustic twig furniture on the back porch

The kitchen in the lodge

The practice range

One of the 12 stations on the course

I wish I could say I won, but using a borrowed gun my performance was only middle of the pack.

Note: No animals were hurt during this afternoon of shooting,

though a few shoulders were a bit sore.

A Well Stocked Bar V

“I was brought up to believe that Scotch whisky would need a tax preference to survive in competition with Kentucky bourbon."
Hugo LaFayette Black, Supreme Court Justice 1937 to 1971

I selected this quote because it made me smile, not because I in any way agree. I feel about Scotch Whisky and Kentucky Bourbon as I imagine parents feel about their children. You love them both in something approximating equal quantities, but in very different ways based on their unique characteristics.

I’d like to focus this post on the selection of the “right” whiskey of the American variety for your bar.

A brief sidebar on whiskey vs whisky. The derivation of the word comes from Scottish Gaelic uisgebeatha and Irish usquebaugh, both meaning “water of life.” The word in its current form comes to America from colonial times; American and Irish whiskey uses this spelling while Scottish and Canadian whiskies retain the older form, "whisky."

The standard, and probably the first whiskey tasted by many of us, is the obligatory Jack Daniels. There is no shame in having a bottle of this on the bar, and in some circles it’s more than merely acceptable, it’s a badge of honor. I’ve toured the distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee and can assure you that they take the production of their product very seriously. If you and your guests would never consider imbibing whiskey without Coca Cola stick with good ‘ol Jack.

For those with more discriminating palettes and noses I might make a few suggestions. The first, though odd, has generally held true – purchase whiskeys whose names begin with the letter ‘B’. In order of my personal preference these are: Blantine’s, Booker’s, Basil Hayden, and Bulleit. The second is to avoid animals in the name or on the label (as is generally true for wine as well with a few notable exceptions); I am not generally a fan of: Buffalo Trace, the Wild Turkey line, or Eagle Rare. And finally read the labels, if they’re proud of the spirit they produce, and most are, they’ll tell you why it’s special whether it be single barrel, cask strength, a unique grain content, the barrel aging process, etc.

My personal preference, despite the aforementioned rules is 1792, with Blantine's a very close second by taste, but not by value.

For a bourbon tasting I would suggest ordering a glass neat with a cup of ice on the side at a good watering hole. Put 1-2 good sized cubes of ice in your glass and swirl it under your nose for a solid minute. If you are given a glass of terribly small, aerated ice, proceed to a nicer bar after downing the shot they just delivered. Once you’ve smelled, allowed a bit of the alcohol to evaporate (you broke some of the surface tension by adding the ice and by moving the spirit), and admired the color move on to the tasting. Take enough in your mouth to fully cover the front half of your palette. Let it sit there for a moment before allowing it to pass further back and down your throat. Take in a steady breath through a barely opened mouth and savor the finish. If you can pick out interesting flavors and aromas you have a worthwhile spirit, if not move on.

What are your favorite whisk(e)ys?

Slaandjivaa!

A Celebration

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." ~ Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Today should be a day of celebration for all Americans. Whether your candidates won or lost we as Americans won as another election passed signaling the latest peaceful transfer of power. We should not take for granted that what we accomplish in voting booths in gymnasiums, libraries, and churches across America takes place with tanks and rifles in the streets of many nations.

Tales from the Crypt

I know, it was a really horrible show in the 80s(?), but I thought that on Halloween the title was quite appropriate for this post dedicated to the beauty of the Cementario General in Santiago de Chile.

I'm a frequent cemetery visitor on vacation looking for the final resting places of local legends and perhaps even more so, just looking for a quiet place in the city to appreciate the unique beauty of grave markers and mausoleums. Cementario General can in some ways be likened to the more famous Recoletta Cemetery in Buenos Aires made even more famous as the final resting place of Eva Peron. Certainly at its best the statuary, mausoleums, and foliage are comparable; however, Recoletta is the domain of the very rich and important while Cementario General is the final resting place of over a million folks both rich and not so rich.

Here are a few pictures from a recent trip to Cementario General:

Anywhere but Chile this would be creepy as it looks an awful lot like a vulture, but it is a condor the national bird.

Two beautiful mausoleums on a high-end "street" in the cemetery. The wealthy like to be close to their own in life and in death.

A "new money" tree lined street. Cementario General is said to have more than 4,000 varieties of trees, including a number of orange trees (no one seemed to be interested in the free fruit).

Another Beautiful street, I'm always a fan of graves that include seating for the living. The very clean lines of the center mausoleum appealed to my minimalist side.

These mausoleums had a very 60s/70s style to them. Another common feature in the cemetery are these underground mausoleums with steps below grade. I'm not fond of the thought of walking down a flight of steps to a below-grade crypt to visit.

Angel statuary wasn't as common in Cementario General as it is in Recoletta though they had some beautiful seraphi.

Another that includes a clever planter.

This part of the cemetery was the "China Town" and included this amusing see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil statue. A good reminder to the living.

This grave was very touching. It now housed both the husband and wife. He outlived her for some time, I can imagine him standing in life looking at the memorial imagining their reunion.

This was perhaps the most touching memorial. Under a beautiful tree we both shed a tear when we rounded the corner and saw this lovely piece of sculpture.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is more than a part of your elementary school education or taking the SATs, it's the mark of a true lady or gentleman. It's rare that I run across a word I don't know, unless I go looking for one, but it's always fun to add a word that's inevitably more descriptive of something than the word I had previously used for it. So when I find a fun way to accumulate a few new words I like to share it. I heard about FreeRice.com on NPR some time ago. It started as a way for a father to help his children prepare for the SAT, then he decided to use his tool to help do some good in the world. That's where the name came from. For each vocabulary word you get right a 20 grains of rice are donated to hungry people throughout the world. I know you're thinking what's a few grains of rice really do, but it really adds up if enough people use the site. It's fun to rack up some rice and maybe learn a thing or two.

Here's what FreeRice.com has to say about their mission:

"FreeRice is a sister site of Poverty.com. Our partners are the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the United Nations World Food Program.

FreeRice has two goals:

Provide education to everyone for free.

Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.
Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you."

I find it's an enjoyable way to take a quick 2 minute break between tasks at work and feel good about it. Give FreeRice.com a try and do some good for yourself and for some very hungry people.

Investing

Today I received an e-mail from Brooks Brothers. It was an add from the 1940s, which seems quite timely today.

It's always a good idea to buy truly quality things, for they are almost certain to last longer and remain more fashionable than their lesser quality substitutes.

In this regard I certainly endorse Brooks Brothers as a quality purveyor of both off the rack clothing and made to measure.