Meteornotes

^^You have earned yourself a beer in Scandinavia! dt

That was amazing. I hope there's a third one coming some day! dt

OK, so breakfast the next day was again at the Grand Lux Cafe, since it was right there. I had an omelette that was full of peppers and other spicy stuff, and it was amazing. Since I ate at the same place as in my previous update, we'll continue this round of "WOULD FALAFEL EAT HERE?". So keep playing at home! dt Yummy breakfast! Nice and spicy!

Amazing idea. This must happen! dt

OK, time for some comments: Sadly, I did not take a picture of the INSANE GAUNTLET OF PORN SNAPPERS! At one point on my strip walk (I put in ten miles that day!), there was a section where there were about ten porn slappers on each side of the sidewalk, all attempting to hand out their wares to people. Never has so much porn been thrust at humans at one time! Seriously, this was amazing, and I am really annoyed at myself for not getting a picture of this. It seemed like there were a lot more porn slappers out this time than the last time I visited. There is usually only this level of activity when something like NAB is in town, so it was a bit surprising. I wouldn't subject prisoners to that piece of crap. On an unrelated topic, hope you noticed the quote in my signature... I did eat breakfast there (that's where the waffle picture came from). I had heard from many different people that the breakfast is the best in Vegas, and they might be right, as it was just amazing. Bouchon is on my list to get dinner at the next time I'm there. I also want to try and get to Nobu. And Mesa Grill still rules. This is probably true. At the same time, from my totally unscientific observations, some places were just crazy busy. The Venetian casino was PACKED at all hours, and all the restaurants were full every time I ate at one of them. Some places were busier than others (The Wynn seemed kind of dead), but in general, there just seemed to be a lot more people around than the last time I was there, which was at pretty much the same time of year. Room rates are down, though. My Venetian room was less than it was the last time, which I was not going to complain about. I did indeed take your advice, and greatly enjoyed my lunch at the Pink Taco. Photos of the food will show up later in my Food thread. I agree, the salsa there is really good! Thanks again for the recommendation. Hopefully the steakhouse at the Hard Rock that you recommended will be re-opened the next time I visit, so I can try that out. Sadly, I suspect that Ice Bat would be far more popular with the ladies than I ever have been or will be... I agree. Except for the Donny & Marie show. I think I'd rather ride Manhattan Express... As we both know, our preferences for hot/cold weather are one of the very few differences we have. It wasn't that hot when I was there, but compared to the stupid cold/damp/near constant rain/no sun of Maryland that I've been putting up with since November, it was awesome. And I am still sad that we never got to do our evening of infomercial viewing. This made me laugh and also made me sort of sad at the same time. Hopefully you'll get out there and have an awesome time. And remember, if I'm ever in your area, you get a tasty steak! Glad people enjoyed this little slice of nonsense. I'll try to post another PTR this week... dt

Awesome photos. I can't believe the parks were empty! Lucky... dt

That was amazing. dt

When we were on the Japan 2007 TPR trip and at Space World, Chris asked if a model space shuttle was "the real space shuttle". Asking something this dumb meant that he would be tormented about it forever, and so it continues! dt

OK, time for some updates. As you may or may not know, I went to Las Vegas a few weeks ago, and when I go to Vegas, I go there for one main reason: To Eat! Vegas is PACKED with awesome restaurants, and I visited quite a few while I was there, which I'll be documenting for you over the next week or so. We're also going to start playing a new game here. And that game is called... WOULD FALAFEL EAT HERE?!? Yes, you can now guess whether or not Falafel would be able to find something on the menu that she would actually eat. The answer will be revealed with each following update, so you can keep track of your score at home. Hope you enjoy. If not, blame her, as it was her idea! Seriously, you guys should see the ideas we come up with on AIM. Actually, you probably shouldn't, as most peoples' brains are not equipped to handle our extreme nonsense... Anyway, for the first Las Vegas update, we'll take a look at THE GRAND LUX CAFE AT THE VENETIAN. If you have checked ou the Dave Goes To Las Vegas update, you'll know that I stayed at The Venetian on my latest trip to Vegas. The Grand Lux Cafe is in the hotel, inside the casino. It's run by the same company that runs Cheesecake Factory, and features an equally huge menu. The other advantage is that it is open 24 hours, so it's always easy to get something decent to eat. Anyway, after arriving at the hotel around 9 PM and dumping all my stuff in the room, I headed down for a late meal, which I've photographed below. Don't forget to guess if Falafel would eat here! Enjoy! dt My meal was cedar plank salmon. And it was tasty! And huge! I pretty much only ate the fish, ignoring the other stuff, as the portion size was just insane. Next update soon!

OK, as always, before we begin, it is time to review Dave's Rules Of Engagement for his PTRs: - I am a writer. I like to write, get paid to write, and think people should read more. So there may be more text here than you might expect. Think of it as a learning opportunity. - I am completely insane, and many of these captions will make zero sense and/or likely offend someone. As always, I apologize in advance. - I am not a great photographer. Some images of "questionable" quality may make it into this PTR. You have been warned! So ready? Let's begin! So about a month or so ago, I was supposed to go off to Maine for almost a month to take a variety of video/animation classes. Well, these classes ended up being canceled, which left me with a large hole in my schedule. Deciding that sitting around and watching infomercials for days on end was probably NOT a good idea ("Really, I can buy and sell real estate with no money down?!? Clearly I need to know more!"), I decided to take a trip. And since I had not been to Vegas in two years, it seemed like the perfect place to visit. So off I went! Now, most people go to Vegas to gamble, but not me. I go there to eat! Seriously, the town is PACKED with all sorts of awesome restaurants, some of which you'll see here, and all of which that will be covered in more detail in Dave's Restaurant & Food Thread (you are reading this thread, correct?!? If not, start doing so now, as it is very educational and entertaining!). I managed to make it to a couple of new places this time around, along with a visit to one of my all-time favorite restaurants. There were also a number of margaritas consumed (shocking, I know!), and I walked all over the place with my trusty companion. I do have to comment on the supposed "deadness" of Vegas in this economy, which I found out is A TOTAL LIE! Seriously, the place was packed. You could barely walk up and down the strip at some spots, and I could not believe how busy some of the hotels were. Talking to some of the people working at the various restaurants, they all said their business is off a bit, but it's not as bad as people are making it out to be. I'm sure this is not the experience of every place, but I was amazed at how busy things were. Good for Vegas, bad for me, as people generally annoy me (again, I know, shocking!). Anyway, here are some photos of random things I saw, including a coaster. Enjoy! dt And we conclude this update with a photo of the Monte Carlo. Why, you ask? Because this is the hotel for the LAS VEGAS ADD-ON FOR THE WEST COAST TRIP!!! Yes, I and many other people will be descending on Vegas in August! Hilarity should ensue. Thanks for viewing! Hope you enjoyed this update! Until next time, have a giant carnivorous bee-free day... FIRE RULES! I saw this show one night. While I think the Cirque show in Orlando might be a little better, this was still entertaining. It was no Ice Bat's Strippers & Chainsaws Revue (Now With More Napalm!), but really, could anything compare to that? I thought not... Hey Elissa! Margarita! Feel free to make your own jokes here... Diablo's Box Of Angry Calamari is the BEST MENU ITEM NAME EVER! I hate calamari, and yet I'd almost order it just to support them coming up with such an awesome name! Ice Bat was also amused by this. I tried to line up the shot so it looked like he was being poked by said devil girl with said pitchfork, but failed. I really should not be allowed to own a camera... I did not eat here, but had to take a picture of the place, since it features a devil girl with a pitchfork BEST. WAFFLES. EVER. This makes me think of Sharks In Venice! Which needed more sharks and less Venice. And less Stephen Baldwin. That's my movie review for the day. More Venetian hotness Random waterfall That salad was just one of the tasty things I ate at the Delmonico Grill, which is located inside The Venetian. One of the best places to get steak ever! Hey Elissa! A Smart Car & Ice Bat are two of Falafel's favorite things. If there was also a box of Chik-Fil-A nuggets in this photo, she would achieve orgasm just by looking at it. Hey Falafel! THERE'S A GIANT PEPSI SIGN ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING! No wonder Manhattan Express blows. Pepsi is horrible, and infects anything near it like some sort of space plague. Mystery solved! I did figure out why the ride sucks, though. Letting Ice Bat feast upon your brain would be a lot less painful than riding this piece of crap. Seriously, this thing is, um, not good Hey, look what's hiding back there - DEATH! Just like being in Pennsylvania! Coming soon - Ice Bat's Casino Of Horror & Fear. Make your reservations now! So I'm walking down the street, and...OMG! CONSTRUCTION UPDATE!!! Strip shot Further evidence that hell exists Again, once you've seen the real thing, this doesn't quite impress. Not as impressive as the real thing, mainly because there are not 5000 cars all driving around it in complete chaos, which is still one of the most insane things I have ever seen. Ice Bat is also enjoying the nice weather. More random outside stuff One of the items I ate while here, a chicken quesadilla. A much more high-end one than you'd get at Baja Fresh, obviously. And oh so tasty... Margarita! ...THE MESA GRILL! This place was one of the main reasons I returned to Vegas, and it did not disappoint! Caesar's Palace, which is the home of... Random statues So after the fog rolled in, the sea monster came up from the depths and began to feast on the unsuspecting...OK, no, actually this is just some sort of fountain show. But the whole "sea monster eating people" thing would entertain. ...SINCE IT WAS REALLY NICE OUTSIDE! Stupid Maryland has been freezing cold since like November, so it was nice to be outside without some sort of gore-tex survival parka on. Lower half of the room. I brought my laptop so I could annoy people on the internet even if not at home. I actually did not spend a lot of time in the room... Since I annoy pretty much everyone on the planet, I find myself once again traveling with Ice Bat, who is already hogging the bed... And it features rooms that are twice the size of my old apartment. And also does not feature neighbors that get hauled off by the police on a weekly basis, again like my old apartment complex. So I stayed at The Venetian, which is a great place and I highly recommend staying here. And as you can see, it's sort of nice...

I'll probably be there in June, and I'll have to try and remember to visit this place. dt

^Haven't been there. I'll have to go there at some point, though I won't be eating the mussles, as I don't like them. There should be an update here today, as I made it out to CR WINGS in Bel Air for some awesome wings, but forgot the camera! Oh well, I'll make it back there again. I just know Robb will enjoy seeing the photos, as we used to eat there all the time. Anyway, more updates this week, including a new fun game you can play along at home! dt

Go O's! Of the two stadiums, I like the baseball one a lot more. Probably because the Raven's stadium is usually full of drunken idiots! I have a ticket plan (have nad one for years) with seats in the club level. I always forget to take my camera to a game, but I'll have to try and do it some time this year. The O's usually lose, but I still have fun at the games. Thanks for the pics! dt

Update time! Today we take a look at a somewhere I had never been before, OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD IN FELLS POINT! This is another place that made the top ten in the recent "Best Restaurants" list in Baltimore magazine. Known for it's super fresh seafood, this place also features portions much larger than usual at most seafood places. The fish is excellent, some of the best I've had in the area, and this is a place I'll be visiting again. Anyway, enough of my yammering, let's go to the visuals! dt And for dessert, how about some fresh chocolate chip cookies? They were fresh from the oven, and were probably the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. I only ate one, saving the others for later meals. Thus concludes today's update! Stay tuned for the next one, which will feature one of Robb's favorite local places! And how about a giant slab of seared rare tuna? This might be the best tuna I've ever had at any restaurant. They are not kidding here about their extra-fresh fish. The quality of the food is stunning. Crab dip, a Maryland staple. Extra tasty, but huge, so most of it went home to be re-heated for dinner the next night. And it was still tasty then! Let's start with some raw fish. I can't remember what the fish was, but it was something from Australia. Raw fish rules! Any place that puts a can of Old Bay right on the table is going to be extra awesome! Restaurant sign!

Post Of The Day. dt

You want some loud noise?!? YOU GOT IT!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP_EhEpPHjY dt

^I am so taking you to Pazo! You will be amazed. dt

^That is the truth. Especially when it comes to chinese food or pizza. Anyway, Falafel reminds me that it's time for another update. Today's restaurant is AN POITIN STIL IN TIMONIUM, MD! This is our local Irish Pub place, and the food here is really, really good. They have all sorts of the sort of stuff you'd expect here, but the thing I order 99% of the time is the godly Shepard's Pie, which is huge and tasty. It is pictured below. Enjoy! dt Shepard's Pie. So tasty...

TPR Scandinavia TPR Deep South TPR Texas TPR West Coast This will give me many, many opportunities to do my favorite thing in the world: TORTURE ELISSA! Of course, Ice Bat will be accompanying me on all these trips, as he's far more popular than I could ever hope to be... dt

Well, so much for me ever posting a PTR ever again... Remember, kids, I SUCK AT PHOTOGRAPHY! But I do try to make up for it with the captions. And Ice Bat. dt

Fun Fact: Norman Greenbaum has managed to live off the royalties from "Spirit In The Sky" since the '70's. That song gets used a lot in various TV shows and films. dt

MC obviously stands for...METAL CHURCH! dt

I only watch/pay attention to the Orioles. I would have a difficult time naming players on other teams. And I can't get into watching random games on TV, like I can with football or hockey. I have no idea why this is, but it is... dt

^Always remember that the trailers are not made by anyone associated with the show, but network goons. So the show producers don't really have any control over them. I really liked last night's episode. Hurley is awesome! dt

^It's some sort of pasta salad. I never eat it, as I don't like pasta salad. Pasta should be hot! And covered in garlic. dt