Divino Gelato

**Updated

The weather has been absolutely perfect for enjoying a noon time stroll around the city. And with it being August, planters are full of gorgeous foliage and everything looks great. I did a few laps last week through downtown while deciding what I wanted for lunch.

There are quite a few options for lunch, many of which I frequent, but I forgot that a place that serves up some of Waukesha's favorite cold treats has lunch options too!

The place I am referring too is Divino Gelato Cafe - located in the Avalon building on the east end of downtown. Though most people go there for the amazing Gelato, they have pizzas and an Italian beef sandwich on the menu too. I decided I would order the sandwich, and it was extremely hard to resist the Gelato, but I did (somehow!)

It was just a few minutes for my sandwich to be made, so I took a seat and relaxed. The inside of Divino Gelato makes you feel like you are outside, the walls have buildings painted on them and the ceiling looks like a sky.

Two freezers are full of Gelato flavors just begging for you to try them. If you have never had Gelato, it is worth the slightly higher than ice cream charge - very creamy, even though it has less buttermilk than ice cream!

My sandwich was ready and I took it back to the office to enjoy-- I was not disappointed. The beef was thinly sliced and piled high, the cheese was melty, and the seasonings were spot on. The au jus soaked into the bun just enough to add flavor but not a soggy mess. I asked for the mild gardinieara (hot is available too) on the side as I'm not much of a spice person. It was good, but even that was a bit much for me. I'm glad I asked for it on the side.

I'll have to keep this place on my radar and come more frequently! They have locations in Racine and Brookfield Square Mall, but those are just Gelato. They also own Sloppy Joe's Soda Fountain in downtown Waukesha on the Five Points. **Allo! Chocolat on Main Street sells Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, headquarted in Madison. It's a premium ice cream that is very smooth and creamy. I haven't tried it yet, but I think the next time I'm downtown, I'll have to stop in and get a cone! 


So when its warm out and you looking for a frosty, delicious treat, or hungry and want a sandwich, Divino Gelato is where it's at!

People's Park Roof Top Dining

People's Park has been a staple in downtown Waukesha for over 7 years, and I really enjoy the atmosphere and quality of food. After a fire in February of 2011, the restaurant expanded to include a second floor bar and eating area and rooftop dining. I have been on the roof a few times and the views of downtown are really cool. In addition to tables with umbrellas, they have heaters for cooler summer nights and a full bar with stool seating.

Last week, my coworker and I decided to grab lunch outside because the temps would be in the high 70s. We knew that People's was going to be a great destination because they have the rooftop tables, sidewalk tables and they open the windows throughout the restaurant for fresh air. It was a rather windy day, but as we walked to lunch, we saw customers already on the roof and hoped one table for two would be left for us.

We were in luck and got the last table on the roof in the corner. It was pretty windy but the temps were perfect for us to enjoy our lunch and get out of the office for an hour. There were two servers managing both the diners and the bar. One had a radio walkie-talkie to let the hostess know if tables were available or if they needed anything - very smart!

Our server was really friendly and brought our lemonades over to us right away. Lunchtime can always be a little hectic for restaurants because everyone comes at the same time and needs to get in and out quickly. My coworker and I just ordered salads so we know our food wouldn't take too long.

We sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere while chatting about work and non-work things. Our salads arrived pretty quickly and they looked excellent. I ordered Frankie's Garden because of the goat cheese that I love so much. My coworker ordered the Caesar salad and it looked amazing. The only problem I was having was that the wind was launching my lettuce at the patrons at the table next to us. Whoops! They didn't notice luckily.

I did my best to tame the salad and block it from the wind but a few did still manage to take flight. The breeze felt amazing and the sun was out our entire lunch. I got a little tan (OK more like a burn as I barely ever tan) on the back of my neck -- my first color of the season! It was absolutely gorgeous and I didn't want to go back to work.


We really enjoyed our quick lunch break from the office and definitely will make this a regular stop with the warmer weather. (Hey Wisconsin, bring back that warmer weather please!). The salads were nice and refreshing and just the perfect size. We were both able to finish them and didn't feel overly full.

My coworker told me she was recently at People's for brunch and it was really good. I told her of a few other spots to check out for brunch but I too agree that People's is really good.

Door County Weekend Trip - Part 1

My guy decided that we needed a little getaway and asked if I was interested in a long weekend in Door County. I jumped at the opportunity for a mini-vacation with him and checking out a part of the state that I haven't been to in decades.

We headed out Friday morning and had a smooth ride up to Sturgeon Bay.

Once in Sturgeon Bay, we stopped at The Draft Haus for lunch. The bar has a nautical, sports bar feel - light fixtures made out of boat wheels and awesome etched mirrors with sports team logos on them. Our server recently moved from Milwaukee to the DC--she welcomed us and told us a bit about the area. It was at this bar that I tried the only Door County beer of the weekend, Door County Brewing Polka King Porter. It was pretty heavy with coffee and hops but it warmed me up on the cold day.

From the menu, I chose the Asiago Chicken sandwich that came topped with a sundried tomato and kalamata olive spread. It was really tasty. The warm chicken melted the spread and brought the flavors together well. 

My guy had a giant walleye sandwich, that was the special that day. It came with fresh tomato and really good tartar. I found out my guy doesn't understand the value of a pickle after a meal. That is one of my favorite parts of the meal! A crisp pickle spear is lunch's dessert. I got half his pickle from him :)

After lunch, we had some time to burn before we could check into the B&B, so we decided to drive around and explore. The Wisconsin Motorcycle Memorial is in Sturgeon Bay, so we made a stop hoping to pay our respects to a fallen rider friend. I found out from the family that this park is the only one of its kind in the US currently. Although the memorial bricks were covered with icy snow, and we couldn't find his, the park was very peaceful. You can see and feel the love that friends and family of fallen riders have put into the park.

After the memorial stop, we tried to check out a few stores on Hwy 42 but had no luck--they were closed for the season. We back-tracked to downtown Sturgeon Bay and walked the main drag, wandering in and out of stores. We found a great antique shop and picked up some unique finds, and the owner suggested we check out two other antique shops in the city that would be open this time of year. We also found a candy shop with amazing chocolate dipped pretzels, a home decor store with cute Christmas items on sale, and a really interested kitchen gadget store. You want a gadget, they had it!

Then it was time to head to the Chanticleer Guest House and check in. It's out of town a bit on a back country road. When we arrived, I already loved it. The barn building is adorable from the outside and it's the main building for the B&B. Next to it is another building with guest rooms and both face an open field where we saw lots of animal prints in the fresh snow. I'm sure in the morning, guests see lots of wildlife.
  

We met one of the owners and got the key to our cabin. Chanticleer built four cabins across the road from the main building tucked into a wooded area. My guy thought this would be a little more private for us and we would have our own kitchen to cook together in. He is always thinking about my love of food, not to mention he is a huge fan of my cooking :)

Here is a video tour of the cabin.

Because my video doesn't do justice to the beautiful sunset, here is our view from the upstairs of the cabin.

Although we had a full kitchen, we did decide to go out to eat for night one. Many friends told me we had to try Wild Tomato and to get there early so you don't have to wait. Wild Tomato is located in Fish Creek, so we got in the car and headed north up the peninsula. We arrived shortly after five pm and the restaurant was already hopping. It's not a very large place--a community table for eight, six tables of two and a bar that seats four people is the entire dining area. The wood-fired oven is viewable from all the tables. It was very awesome to watch the cooks toss the dough in the air and move the pizzas around in the oven.

The last seats left in the place were at the community table, so we joined another couple whose meal was already in progress. We picked out wine and beer to enjoy and then had the daunting task of deciding on a pizza. Everything sounded so good and the place smelled soectacular. Our server informed us that we could do half and half but substitutions aren't allowed. I let my guy pick and he made the decision to do half Fun Guy and half Sausage and Pesto.

The pizza was beyond amazing. The crust was thin and crisp at the edges but softer in the middle. Our server brought us freshly grated Parmesan too. My first piece was the Pesto and Sausage. The sausage had a ton of flavor and wasn't too spicy. The pesto tastes fresh and was a nice compliment to the sauce and sausage. I really enjoyed this slice, but it didn't compare to the Fun Guy slice I had next. The onions were caramelized perfectly and the garlic cream cheese sauce was amazing. I couldn't figure out all the different mushrooms but each held its own on the pizza. My guy loved the Sausage and Pesto the most and raved about the sausage and how much flavor it had.

I wanted to eat more but I just couldn't find any more room in my tummy. We took half the pizza back with us to the cabin. Then it was time to for us to relax after a long day of driving, shopping and eating.

My guy made us some of his Whiskey Old Fashioned Sours and we enjoyed some time in the Whirlpool tub while watching the Food Network and having the fire place going. I was in heaven and it was only day one. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the vacation coming soon!

Cafe de Arts Lunch Date

My guy works for a financial institution and gets extra postal holiday days off throughout the year. This allowed us to have lunch together on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last month. Because of its proximity to my job, and the fact that my guy had not been there yet, we went to Cafe de Arts.

I cannot say enough nice words about Ayhan, his wife and the staff of Cafe de Arts. No matter how busy they are, which is all the time, they stop what they are doing for a moment and say hi to everyone that comes in. It's that extra step of customer service that really sets them ahead of the pack.

We chose a small table with comfy wingback chairs by the front window. Menus were brought to us and I ran down a quick list of my favorites to my guy. I always have a tough time deciding because everything is consistently delicious!

I went for one of my faves, the chicken Caesar salad, and my guy chose something I had never tried before, The Fauve, a breakfast sandwich. It came highly recommended by the owner :)

While we waited for our lunch, I explained to my guy that the interior was recently painted and looks great. The warm wall colors were replaced with a refreshing blue. The owners really have a knack for design and it shows with the mural concepts inside and on the outside of the building. 

Our lunches soon arrived and looked splendid. The thing that makes the chicken Caesar salad my favorite is the perfectly grilled, juicy chicken. Just the right amount of dressing coats the salad but doesn't take away from the other flavors. Excellent croutons and Parmesan cheese complete the salad. The crusty roll with butter on the side is top notch too!

My guys sandwich was presented with a gorgeous and refreshing side of strawberries and apples atop lettuce with light dressing. The sandwich itself was a revelation in the words of my guy - something he would have never thought would go together and it did. I tried a bite and was pleasantly surprised I could taste each flavor. Just a small amount of jelly added sweetness and the warm egg and bacon made the peanut butter creamier. The egg was also cooked perfectly to my liking.

We were both really big fans of our lunch and left full but not stuffed. I couldn't finish my salad but ate up every bit of chicken and croutons I could find.

Although neither my guy or myself are coffee drinkers, the way the place smelled of fresh brewed coffee made us feel energized and happy. My coworkers grab coffee regularly on there way into work and rave about it. He sells the roasted beans by the pound as well and has a small selection of other coffee related merchandise.

This is definitely worth a stop for a cup of joe on your way into work, breakfast or lunch, or just to to have a drink with a friend and catch up. Many people also hold small meetings or do work at one of the tables while enjoying a drink and eat. The place is very conducive for those purposes. They are only open through lunch and then they begin roasting the coffee for the next day so get there early in order to enjoy!

Key Westconsin Soup N Salad

I have been trying to bring a lunch with me to work every day, but occasionally I like to splurge and head on out in Waukesha and grab a bite to eat. Sometimes it's with friends and other times I take the meal back to my office.

It was a snowy Wednesday a few weeks back when I didn't bring a lunch and craved a warm, thick, creamy soup. I scoured every soup menu in town I could think of, yet couldn't find a soup that was tempting my buds. Then I remembered Key Westconsin has soup. I called them up to find out the flavors and was told they had a Cod Chowder and Baja Chicken.

I worried the chowder would be too fishy for me, and I inquired about the spice level of the Baja chicken. Rita, the owner, told me it just had a mild kick and was really delicious. I decided on ordering their soup, salad and cheesy bread combo I saw on the lunch menu.Baja Chicken was my ultimate choice, despite the 'mild kick' warning. So, with my decision made, I began my journey.

I bundled myself up and headed over the river to the restaurant. I was able to snap a few shots of the beautiful snow covered Riverwalk on my walk over.

Upon entering Key Westconsin, I immediately regretted my decision to take my lunch back to the office. The tropical vibe was just what I needed to warm me up. (Sorry I didn't take any pics of the inside, but check out their Facebook page for the view). I still took the lunch to go, but I am definitely keeping their inside atmosphere in mind for February and March when I need a break from the gray and snow.

I got back to work with piping hot soup and a delightful salad. The soup definitely had a kick of spice but I liked it - it warmed me up! I could have used a dollop of sour cream, for both the creaminess it would add to the soup and to help mellow the spice a bit. Any person that likes some spice would find this soup excellent. I chose the mango dressing for the salad and was pleased with my choice. It was the perfect amount of sweet to counter the spice of the soup. I was definitely a member of the clean plate club that day!

And the cheesy bread!! I remembered this from other times I have dined at Key Westconsin. It is crispy, melty, and full of yum!

I have dined at Key Westconsin for the Fish Fry, lunch and dinner and it's always consistently good - so full of flavor. A friend of mine keeps mentioning that we need to go back and her birthday is coming up, so I think we are due for another visit very soon.

They are also really well known for their Gluten-Free menu. Some of my fellow blog friends have mentioned this place in their writing about dining Gluten-Free in the Milwaukee area.

From their Facebook page, I saw they just celebrated their 4th Anniversary. Congratulations to them - well deserved! I have also read that the Shrink N Drink dinners are extremely popular and sell out regularly. From what I have read, a doctor or psychologist gets anonymous questions from the diners and using her knowledge and some cunning wit, she answers them. I have been told it is a laugh out loud event. Pair that with some amazing seafood dishes and this sounds like a fun evening.

The Key Westconsin bartenders come up with some great tropical cocktails, Card Game Night looks to be a new feature, and live music on the weekends brings in the crowds. There's a little bit of something for everyone - all decked out in Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Bahama style!

Curry Chicken Salad - I'll Leave it to the Pros at Sprizzo's

Last Fall, I met my friend for lunch at Sprizzo's in downtown Waukesha. She had never been so I wanted to introduce her to someplace different and delicious.

Sprizzo's happened to have a curry chicken salad lettuce wrap as a special that day. Both of us said it sounded wonderful but (and these are her exact words) "something doesn't like chicken right now. I love chicken but something else doesn't." With a small point to her stomach, it was my friend's super cute way of telling me that she was going to be having a baby! The baby was anti-chicken at that point in her pregnancy. I jumped up and hugged her immediately and was so excited for her.

I still ordered the curry chicken lettuce wrap and was majorly impressed. I even went so far as to review Sprizzo's on Facebook and told them to keep it around.

I'm embarrassed to say but even the ridiculously cold weather kept me out of downtown Waukesha more than I wanted it to this past winter. I shouldn't have let it be an excuse, but I did, and I apologize to the city for my lack of support during those frigid months. 

BUT, last week was gorgeous finally and I took full advantage of walking downtown and seeing what's new and changed. More on that in a future post.

I ended up stopping into Sprizzo's after doing a mile walking loop around downtown and saw that Chicken Curry Lettuce Wrap as the special. SOLD! No doubt about it - I knew I was having that for lunch.

It was just as wonderful as I remembered. Not to spicy, a good amount of sweet and the chicken was so nicely chopped up.

I decided to try making this at home with a recipe I found online that seemed to have similar ingredients to what I could taste in Sprizzo's version. I would say that I made a solid effort and liked the outcome for the most part, but I overdid it on the curry powder and it overwhelmed my 'buds. When I tasted it right after I made it and didn't allow the flavors to meld, it tasted bland, so I added some more curry. That was my mistake. I had to have it with crackers or on bread and couldn't just have it with lettuce wraps. I needed something to help absorb the spice.

I do have more sensitive buds than the average mouth so maybe this recipe will be fine for some, but I think I am going to leave it up to the chef at Sprizzo's to make my curry chicken salad from here forward. This doesn't mean I won't try again with less curry or a sweeter curry powder, but I do know that Sprizzo's knows what they are doing and I will definitely keep ordering it from them.

Here is how I altered the online recipe:
-I started with 1 1/2 Tbsp. curry and added just 1 more tsp. It ended up really peppery so I would suggest 1 1/2 Tbsp. or use a sweet curry.
-I used 1/2 cup Miracle Whip and 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt. I ended up added 1/4 cup more Miracle Whip to reduce the peppery spice. 
-Didn't have mango chutney, so I took 4 frozen peach slices, 1 Tbsp. strawberry preserves and a Tbsp. of sugar and pureed it in my blender. I ended up adding more strawberry preserves to help kill the pepper of the curry.
- I didn't have whole peppercorns, so I used black pepper on the chicken, but I tasted the chicken and it wasn't peppery then.
-I didn't have cloves, so I used all spice and it worked well in this instance.

Overall, I modified a bit to try to get the flavor I was looking for and definitely gave it my best effort, but Sprizzo's, you make it better and I'll keep coming back for it. Don't take this special away :)

Pat's Rib Place

So many people have told me to go check out Pat's Rib Place in Waukesha and I just never got around to it. Luckily, I have foodie friends in Waukesha that like to check out places too, so I finally checked it out and was crazy impressed with the place.

Pat's Rib Place is across from the (now closed) K-Mart in the blue strip mall (between East and Big Bend Road) on Sunset. It's located in a former Subway location, as Subway moved down the strip mall into part of the former Dollar Discount I used to work at. Oh those were the days!  The other part of the dollar store is Robert's Specialty Meats - an amazing butcher shop that you must go to for the brats in summer!

But I digress.

Pat's was smaller than I thought it would be but the counter that would have had all the toppings for a sub, was changed into a counter with tall stools. You order at the far end and then pickup is where ever they can get the tray to you through the crowd (usually the other end of the bar).

Both Katherine and I went for the pulled pork dinner which included the sandwich, coleslaw, beans and a side. Fries are the typical side but for a small upcharge, you can get many other options. I chose fries and Katherine went for the fried okra.

While we waited for the food to be ready, Katherine and I caught up a bit. She recently started Katie's Gourmet Instant Oatmeal and so our lunch was part enjoying a new-to-us place and we part business. It was about food, so it was the perfect sort of business to talk :)

She has been really successful with online sales, having a farmer's market presence and she is in the Albrecht's Sentry in Delafield and O' What a Day Cafe. And I am now happy to announce that her oatmeal can also be found at the Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly's in Hartland and Oconomowoc. Go Katie!

She provided me samples of her oatmeal to try and share my thoughts of them on my blog. So look for those posts coming soon!.

Ok - back to the food at Pat's Rib Place. The food came out and I could not believe the amount of pork on the sandwiches.

 

I took the lid off my coleslaw and used it to try the five different sauces on the table.  My favorite was "Alisha's Special Sauce" and I mixed that with the "Brown Brown" to get a little more sweet than hot flavor on my pork The sandwich was scrumptious! I wanted to eat it all, but I knew there was no way I could without needing a nap and being gluttonous. The fries seemed to be double fried and were crispy outside and soft and mushy inside - perfect fries to me.

 

The coleslaw wasn't overly creamy and didn't have a vinegar taste either. I added just a little pepper and it was good. The beans were tangy and sweet but I couldn't finish those either so I took those home as well. 

Katherine loved the sandwich too, and with it being the first time trying fried okra, it was a hit. The little nuggets tasted sort of like fried green beans - but better :) I would definitely order those next time.

We both asked for boxes to take home the leftovers and added a bit more sauce before we left. Our only suggestion would be to toast the buns. My bun got really soggy and with a toasted bun, it will add another level of awesome to an already great sandwich.

I can't wait to come back and try more off the menu. I recently checked out Smoke Shack in Milwaukee. I think Pat's Ribs Place has them beat except for the custom cocktails, but I don't need those to enjoy a great meal. Pat's has beers to choose from if you needed a little something extra with your meal, but honestly, it's really all about the smokey meats and Pat's excels at that!

In the Milwaukee A-List - Pat's Rib Place was voted 5th out of 25 restaurants (most being in Milwaukee). I think this really shows just how excellent of a place this is to check out.

Andrea's Red Rooster

A few weeks ago, my coworkers and I ended a meeting at a client's office right at lunch time. So what else was there to do but to go out for a bite. I suggested Andrea's Red Rooster and neither had been there before. They were in for a treat.

My history with the Red Rooster goes back to my junior year of college and looking for a part-time summer job to fill my days with while making some easy cash.  I was told of this job opening and that they even suggested me for the job from fellow industry coworkers and I became the summer hostess. Lunches could get pretty hectic as I had to manage the phone, place to-go orders and make sure tables were cleared and ready to go quickly. I even refilled beverages and took a few orders when we got really slammed.  I served a few dinner shifts but it really wasn't my thing at that time.

I left at the start of the school year and since then, there is no longer a hostess position and it's seat yourself style! They have a beautiful back patio (that was freshly constructed when I worked there) to have a drink or a meal on. Some walls have been removed and high top tables have been added.

My friends stumbled across this place when they lived at The Meadows on Springdale in Waukesha and we would meet for evening drinks on a nice warm summer night. Now none of my friends live in The Meadows, so it's not as convenient for us to go there. :(

Ok - back to current times. We walked in for lunch to a pretty packed restaurant but found a high top that worked perfectly for our trio. We were happily greeted by our server and supplied menus with a lot of options.

I decided on the Grilled Chicken Portabella with chips, John got the triple stacked club with fries and CT chose the Cajun Chicken with sweet potato fries.

The food came out really quickly for a lunch hour and all of us were really impressed with our meals. John and CT commended me on my selection of restaurants as they tend to stay pretty mainstream. The last place I did guide them too no longer served lunch but they tried another place in downtown Waukesha and enjoyed it.

I'm hoping to do lunches with some of my coworkers once a month. It's good for us to get out of the office and talk about life instead of always just work stuff.

And maybe I can get my friends out there for Monday or Tuesday night wing specials that they have. We have our favorite place for wings but maybe it's time to branch out!? And the fish fry sounds great too - I am always up for a fish fry!

Key Westconsin For Lunch

Image courtesy of Key Westconsin

I just had to take in the beautiful weather on Friday, because it might be close to one of our last beautiful Fall days in Wisconsin. I decided I was going to multi-task on my lunch by placing my lunch order, getting an errand done and then picking up the lunch, all while enjoying the colors of the trees, the warm sunshine, and the awesomeness that is downtown Waukesha.

I chose Key Westconsin for lunch as the lobster rolls that I feasted on last time popped into my head last week and I decided it was time for them again.


I checked out the lunch menu and decided instead of just Lobster rolls, that I was going to try two sliders. I got one lobster roll and then a crab cake on a pretzel bun.  I chose the potato salad as my side because I remembered it to be quite creamy and very delicious. The cool thing was that when I placed the order, the server was nice enough to ask if I needed anything prepared gluten free. They have an entire gluten free menu and really strive to serve those with allergies to food the best they can.

I hopped out of work, ran my errand, snapped a few Fall pictures in Waukesha and walked into the tropics.

Image courtesy of Key Westconsin

Key Westconsin has a great theme on the inside that really brings the "Keys" to Wisconsin. A sunset is painted on the walls with palm trees and very tropical colors in the place make it lively and fun.

I was greeted by Rita, the owner, and she enthusiastically brought me my food and told me I was going to really enjoy it. I saw a few other entrees coming out of the kitchen while I was paying and everything looked so tasty. The place smelt really good too!

I got back to work and popped open the box to reveal the lobster roll, crab cake slider, potato salad and a lemon wedge.

I started with the crab cake as I knew I was going to like the lobster roll (just in case I was saving the best for last). However, the crab cake outdid the lobster roll but not by much. The cake is pretty much all lump crab meat with a little lime aioli. It was outstanding. It was moist and went perfectly with the pretzel bun.

The lobster roll was excellent again, overfilled with lobster, a little mayo and celery to add crunch. And the toasty, butter roll it was on just finished the sandwich off perfectly.

The potato salad was just as creamy as I remember with red potatoes, a little onion and celery for crunch.

I highly suggest you check this place out for lunch or dinner or whenever. I have had the fish fry, seafood casserole and scallops and I loved every dish. The shrimp cocktail even comes up in a martini glass - so classy! So with the cooler days coming our way, step into the tropics and try out Key Westconsin.

Eating Las Vegas: Part 1

My company is celebrating 30 years in business in 2013 and back in January at our company Christmas party, my boss surprised us with a trip to Vegas! We were even invited to bring a guest!

I brought my friend Carolyn on the trip and we had a blast eating our way thru Vegas while site-seeing, relaxing and exploring.

Day 1:
We left on a Saturday morning and arrived in Vegas around noon their time, 2 pm our time. We were definitely hungry already!!!!!

We took the long-way to the Red Rock Casino and did a touristy trip down the strip with a great comical shuttle driver that entertained us on the not-so-well known history of Vegas as well as the new things being built. Our room wasn't ready when we got to the hotel, so what else do we do on vacation, but drink some beers and eat some yummy food! First stop - The Yard House.

I had stopped here with my dad on my trip to Vegas three years ago and loved the place. They have well over 100 beers on tap that run from the cooler room through yards of tubing around the restaurant and are poured at the perfect temperature for you to enjoy.

I started myself with a Rogue Hazelnut beer and stuck to just the pint size, though they did have larger (and smaller) options. Vacation was just starting - not time to get wasted!I found the Rogue Hazelnut at Woodman's today and added it to my "must-buy" list.  We decided to split a few appetizers instead of get a real meal. The menu had snacks and appetizers on it, so we chose from those areas as well as suggestions from our server.

Gouda Chicken Flatbread - The gouda was nice and melty and the peppers and chicken were good. I wished there was more cheese, but what Wisconsinite wouldn't?

Crab, Lobster & Artichoke Dip - Can you really go wrong with a dip? I think not - this was perfect on my palette. I preferred it spread on the pita pieces over the chips, but I'm pretty sure we cleaned the plate completely on this.

Ahi Poke - I had just watched an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that featured this place in Hawaii. The closest I'm going to get to Hawaii for a few years it probably through that show and the Travel Channel, so when I saw this on the menu, I had to try it. It is marinated raw ahi tuna with avocado, carrots, daikon radish, macadamia nuts & crispy wonton to put it on. I am glad I tried it - it was nicely marinated and now I want to try other varieties. Anyone know where there is local Poke in Wisconsin?

 Our favorite was the crab, lobster & artichoke dip by far and all of it was a great start to our trip.

After a few more beers (Tripel Karmeliet, Rose Garden, Abita Purple Haze...and...?) and a few samples, we were full, feeling great and on our way to our room. It was time to get our vacation started! (PS - All of the beers we had were for the first time and I'm glad that I an find them in Wisconsin at Woodman's)

Day 2:
We started the morning with Starbucks (I know - not too exciting) and packed some water and granola bars for our Pink Jeep Tour in the Red Rock Canyon in open-air jeeps. (more on this soon). We were starving when we got back to the hotel at lunchtime and craved large juicy burgers. We were told by my coworkers that we had to check out LBS (pounds) for a good burger and had to have the Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

Of course, drinks were first! I went for a Raspberry Blush wine drink and Carolyn got a jalapeno bloody mary.

The buffalo chicken dip was spectacular. The chips were made in-house and the dip had just enough kick, when I avoided the peppers in it. The blue cheese was barely melted into the dip and cooled down the spicy-ness for me perfectly.

By the time the burgers came, we were pretty full. (scraping the dish completely clean and contemplating licking the plate will do that) . I got the Perfect Burger with Gruyere cheese, smoked bacon, frisee, roasted tomato, onion marmalade, their special sauce and herb mayo. They ask if you want pink or no pink for your meat and I went for pink so it wouldn't border on too dry. The burger was plenty juicy, the herb mayo and special sauce are awesome!
 

Carolyn got the Kansas City BBQ which is a burger topped with BBQ Pork, fire cracker onions, coleslaw and pickles. It was stacked sooooo tall. 

I was getting so full and needed more liquid to wash down the delicious, "hits the spot" burger, so a XXX drink was ordered. Yep - didn't finish my first drink before the second came so I was two-fisting. I ended up eating half of my burger on the bun and the other half, I took the bun away. Carolyn loved her burger as well and we were so glad we found this spot. 

Because we gorged on burgers and had spent a ton of time in the fresh air that morning, we decided to relax by the pool (in the shade because I'm so pale). We got a beer and chillaxed. We also had the evening and large portion of the next day off so some downtime was in order before our venture to The Strip. 

The Strip and the remainder of the trip are "to be continued." Yes we ate and drank more!!!! And I'll tell you now, even though Red Rock is 11 miles off the strip, I highly recommend staying there. The casino had everything that I could have wanted and probably more because I didn't even explore it all in the four days we were there. 

Viva Las Vegas!