A Review of Las Vegas: Rosemary's

Last weekend, the Lumberjack and I celebrated his birthday by taking a trip to Las Vegas. We drove out Friday morning, spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool, and enjoyed a perfect meal at Rosemary's, a quaint restaurant located about 20 minutes from the strip.

When you enter the restaurant, you step into a world that is beyond the simple strip mall you entered. The scenery is romantic and classy. A bar on the right boasts top shelf liquors, along with a few specialty beers on tap. A cocktail before dinner is the perfect start to the evening, and I suggest any beer lover enjoy a pint of the Tripel Karmelite.

The dining room reveals comfort and luxury paired with exquisite service. Rosemary's offers all dishes a la carte, or you can enjoy their prix-fixe dinner, containing three courses, for $55. Everyone in our party of four opted for the prix-fixe dinner as most entrees were priced between $30 and $45, so it seemed to be the best deal.

For my appetizer, I chose the Tasso Ham and Crawfish Risotto with Smoked Tomato Jus. The dish was moist but not mushy, with a subtle smokiness from the tomato jus and the perfect amount of salt from the tasso ham. The crawfish was perfectly cooked and decadent--not fishy. I also sampled the Salmon Tartar, which was very fresh and perfectly seasoned. The Twice Baked Parmesean Souffle and the Panko Crusted Crab Boulettes were both rich, indulgent dishes best for sharing. Overall, the consensus was that the risotto was the favorite appetizer of the night.

For the salad course, the Arugula, Endive & Radiccio Salad came with Maytag Blue Cheese, a Riesling Poached Pear, Toasted Hazelnuts & Port Wine Syrup. The pepper in the arugula complimented the tart blue cheese and the sweet poached pear for a perfect combination of flavors. The Caesar for Mark salad came with Parmesean croutons and a fresh Caeser dressing with anchovies. While some of the diners at my table found it to be too fishy, I thought the dressing was exceedingly fresh and a perfect combination. The croutons, while tasty, were too large to be eaten in one bite, and therefore a challenge.

For the entree, I chose the Seared Sea Scallops with Parsnip Potato Puree, Apple Cider Beurre Blanc, Crispy Prosciutto & Fried Parsnip Strips. When I dine out, I often try to stay away from beef, even though I love it, because I am usually disappointed after being spoiled with the Lumberjack's cooking. The scallops were the right choice. They were perfectly cooked--tender on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside--and the parsnip potatoes were rich and creamy. However, I also sampled the Grilled Veal Tenderloin, served with a Sauté of Asparagus, Prosciutto & Maitake Mushrooms & Roasted Garlic Reduction Sauce. The veal was tender and succulent, cooked to perfection and complemented with the reduction sauce. Though not a traditional steakhouse, Rosemary's Roasted Filet of Beef stood up to the rest of the menu after being seasoned and cooked perfectly with a bourbon green peppercorn sauce, and complemented with horseradish souffle potatoes.

For dessert, I enjoyed the chef's special of the night--a Passion fruit cheesecake with pomegranate sauce. I also sampled a platter of miniature desserts, including a lemon bar, peanut butter crisp, and mint chocolate fudge. All were delicious, and the perfect cap to an excellent meal.

In addition to the fabulous food, the service was wonderful. The sommelier was attentive and helpful, as was our waitress. The waitstaff presented each course in sync, serving each dish at the same time and allowing ample time in between courses. Water and wine glasses were kept full, napkins placed gently on laps and every other need met graciously.

Overall, Rosemary's provided one of the most exquisite meals I have ever enjoyed, and it is a Las Vegas restaurant not to be missed.

A Reflection: Traveling

Two months after we got engaged, the Lumberjack and I moved to London to study abroad for a semester. It was a life-changing experience. There's something about seeing the world outside of yourself -- outside of your friends, your family, your country, your customs--that gives a real perspective about how finite and insignificant we can be.

For four months, the Lumberjack and I lived in London. It was one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences I'd had up until that point. We had moved to a city where we knew virtually no one, except for a few classmates. There were times that were hard -- we were surrounded by the same 20 students, not only for classes, but living with them. And then there were some amazing times.

We spent evenings after dinner walking to Kensington Park, feeding the swans and marveling that we were thousands of miles away from home--together. We took weekend trips to Dublin, to Cardiff (Wales), to Paris, Venice, Lisse (Holland), and Edinburgh. We traveled to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Castle Combe, Lacock, Stonehenge and Bath (all in England). We spent afternoons exploring the tube lines and getting off whenever we wanted. We wandered Harrods, St. Paul's Cathedral, Picadilly Circus, the Embarcadero, Big Ben, Westminster, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, The National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Shakespeare's Old Globe theater, and so many other places that will forever be photographed in my mind. Afternoon teas and bottles of wine in the park, along with scrumptious Hotel Chocolat treats litter our time in Europe. We saw Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Othello, Anthony and Cleopatra, Les Miserables, Spam-A-Lot and so many other plays and musicals. We ate the food, drank the drinks, rode the public transportation, studied the culture and absorbed every moment of the culture that we could.

Traveling can either make or break a relationship. Something about having to rely fully on the other person, to be your best and your worst and have no escape, really challenges a relationship to grow or fall apart.

Toward the end of our trip, the Lumberjack and I planned a romantic trip to Venice. That Thursday afternoon, we took the tube to Heathrow airport to catch our flight. When we arrived, we realized EasyJet, with whom we were flying, didn't leave from Heathrow. Instead, I had booked our tickets for Gatwick, an airport on the other side of London. Talk about a challenge!

After purchasing two bus tickets from Heathrow to Gatwick, we arrived in Gatwick to miss our flight by 15 minutes. The next flight out was the following morning, or we could fly to Milan that night and take a train to Venice. The Lumberjack suggested we sleep in the airport and fly out the next morning.

Hah. Those who know me well know sleeping in the airport is never an option for me. Unlike the Lumberjack, I need quiet, darkness, and a horizontal soft space to sleep. So, we booked a room for the night, woke up at 4 a.m., and took a taxi to the airport the following morning. We made it to Venice by 8 a.m., and the delay actually turned out to be a blessing because we never would have found our hotel in the dark the night before.

Hiccups like this teach you a lot about your relationship. While I was freaking out, apologizing and practically crying because I was so upset about leading us to the wrong airport, the Lumberjack was calm, reassuring and not upset at all. Instead of getting mad at me, he held my hand on the bus ride over, gave me hug while we tried to find a hotel at the last minute, and kissed me good night while we stayed in a two-star hotel with a window that wouldn't close all the way (and it was November, in London, and COLD).

In fact, most of our relationship has been like that -- balanced. Whenever one of us is stressed or freaking out about something, the other is calm, and that perfect balance is something I treasure about our relationship. There is something so wonderfully reassuring about finding someone who balances you so entirely that you know you can face anything that comes your way.

That's what travelling did for us and I wouldn't trade those four months--or those memories and experiences--for anything in the world.

The Adventures of Dutch: Episode Two

So I have to apologize for the extended week long sabbatical I've taken from updating my blog. OK, it wasn't really a sabbatical, or even a vacation, it was a crazy, sleepless, emergency-filled week. And it all started about three weeks ago.

Over Memorial Day, the Lumberjack and I went on vacation for Las Vegas. Since we couldn't bring our little furkid Dutch with us, we had a very good friend of ours stay at our house. When we returned from vacation, Dutch started throwing up in the middle of the night, every night. He seemed normal otherwise, so we didn't think much of it, though we did switch his food and started feeding him smaller meals more often.

Last Friday, he threw up at about 5 a.m. and TWO PEACH PITS came out. I immediately panicked. Not only do peach pits contain cyanide, which can kill a dog, they can also easily become lodged in their intestines and kill as well.

Turns out, over Memorial Day, my friend took Dutch over to her house and let him play in the backyard, where she has peach trees. Somehow, he ate some.

So Friday, I took Dutch to the vet for an x-ray. Two-hundred dollars later, they tell me there is something wrong, but they can't actually see the pits, so we need to wait until the pitts make him sick and then do an ultrasound.

Saturday and Sunday, Dutch was miserable. He didn't want to play or go for a walk. He just wanted to sleep, and even that was challenging. He was getting up between four and eight times each night because he was so uncomfortable. Monday night, I called the vet and told them that he was very lethargic and throwing up even more often, and we scheduled an ultrasound for Tuesday. Dutch, above, over the weekend, moping on the sofa with his duck comforting him.

Tuesday morning, he was even sicker and clearly in pain. Luckily (or not, I guess), the $700 ultrasound showed a peach pit in his stomach that was basically acting like a plug to his intestines (hence the vomiting) AND making his stomach hemorrhage because of the roughness of the pit.

That afternoon, Dutch had emergency surgery and was anesthetized. The animal internist stuck a camera down his throat into his stomach and pulled out not one, but TWO peach pits. Apparently, the going rate for peach pit removal surgery is a cool $1,000--making Dutch's peach pit ordeal cost $1,900, and all for a few mouthfuls of peaches.

Within three hours of the anesthesia wearing off, our Little Dutch was back to 100% and causing trouble as if nothing had happened to him.

Luckily, we have pet insurance, which will help with some of the ridiculous cost, but we will still owe a pretty penny for this accident. Next time we go on vacation, we're putting him in daycare!

Las Vegas, Here We Come!

In celebration of our one year wedding anniversary, the Lumberjack and I are taking a very last-minute, sexy trip to Sin City--Las Vegas. Of course, to us, it's not really Sin City. We hardly gamble (penny slots only, with a $20 limit), and we drink in moderation (mostly because I can't hold my liquor at all). To us, Las Vegas is about the food, the shows, the pools, the shopping, the nightlife and the overall extravagance of the city.

The Hotel

We booked a room at the MGM Signature, in one of the three new towers right behind the MGM Grand. The rooms are timeshares, privately-owned condos, and hotel suites. Using one of my favorite freebie/almost freebie sites, I booked a junior suite over Memorial Day weekend for $170 per night. Gotta love Vacation Rentals by Owner.

The room, as seen below, overlooks the strip, has a king-sized bed, a queen sofa pullout, a kitchenette and, the best part, the hugest marble and granite bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel suite.

The Transportation

In the past, the Lumberjack and I have driven to Vegas. From San Diego, it's only about 5 1/2 hours. The drive there is always great--snacks, music, cheesy driving games--but, the drive back is brutal. Dehydration, too much sun and exhaustion do not make good companions for a drive back through the desert. This time around, we've decided to fly.

Flying is both good, because we save 3 hours of time each way, but bad, because the first leg of our flight takes place in a 10-ROW plane. From Carlsbad to Los Angeles, we are flying in a plane that is about the length of two cars. OK, maybe three. And. That. Scares. The. Crap. Out. Of. Me.

I don't mind flying. It's the falling part I mind. Specifically, I despise taking off and landing. My poor Lumberjack nearly loses the circulation in his hand each time we fly because I am gripping it so hard during takeoffs and landings. I know it's a short flight, but I'm still nervous.

The Plan
This weekend will also be the first that we are not with Dutch. In fact, he has not had a night apart from us since we got him, over 6 months ago. Usually, he travels with us. After much debate of whether we should bring him to The Animal Keeper (where he goes for daycare), leave him with my parents or hire a house sitter, we decided to invite our dear friends Drew and Christine, more commonly known to Dutch as "Uncle Drew" and "Auntie," to spend a weekend at our place and watch over our little boy.

Clearly, he's a bit attached. And, he knows he's cute--a troublesome combination.

So, Las Vegas, here we come. My Lumberjack, I can't wait to spend the weekend with you!