BWOF 5-2010-105: Vegas Dress, Retro Style (and a Vegas recap)

Soooo, this is my very first pattern from Burda Magazine!

[jumps around]

[throws confetti]

This dress has been made by several bloggers recently, to great results. We planned a mini-trip to Vegas for July 4th weekend and were originally only going to be there for two nights. I had dresses to wear for both, but when we added a third night at the last minute, I scrambled to find a quick dress that I could whip up that was comfortable, cool and still Vegas-y. After seeing Trena's version, it felt like a perfect fit.

I pretty much completely copied her dress, right down to eliminating the facing around the neckline (using a twin needle to finish it off), cutting the skirt to mid-thigh and adding a lining. Thank you Trena for doing all of the hard work first and summing it up so I could just follow your instructions. ;) Since the other two dresses I was planning to wear were black, I did opt for an emerald/teal green rayon jersey, since my travel wardrobe was feeling very dark and a bit boring.

This dress pretty much sewed itself. It's only 3 pattern pieces and a bit of elastic. Super simple, even with the added lining. Yet, for such a simple design, it yields a very cute result. I cut the smallest size for the bodice (36) and instead of grading down, I just didn't add seam allowances and went from there. While not technically correct, the end result was fine. I did add an inch to the bottom of the bodice to allow a bit of extra room for making the elastic casing, but wish that I had added another inch or so because it didn't blouse over as much as I would have liked. Ah well. I was pleased to have a great experience working with a twin needle this time around, too. I tried to work with one on a knit dress just a couple of months after starting to sew and it was a hot mess. I've obviously increased my skills since then, as it was so easy to use this time and I was very pleased with the finished result.

I wore this dress our first night - it was very comfortable and I felt cute and hip in it. I knew that I'd be killing my feet in heels the next two nights, so I opted for a small wedge sandal and lots of gold jewelry for accessories. Total win!

I think this was a great first foray into the world of Burda patterns. I already have another skirt cut out (just needs to be sewn up) and a few other things that I have my eye on. I've found that tracing out the patterns and adding seam allowances doesn't really bother me. In fact, it's something I can do while I watch TV with Jim and accomplishes two tasks at once - hanging out with the husband and working on sewing stuff. :)

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I didn't take enough pictures for a full Vegas recap, but here are a few tidbits and pictures that sum up the trip:

* This was our first time at Bartolotta and the food was really fabulous. Any time you have that much fish in one dinner and don't taste like fish at the end is huge. We both thought the main fish dish was the best we have ever had. However, it was the dessert course that was so freaking amazing to me - 9, count them 9 individual scoops of ice creams were brought to the table. Three granitas, three gelatos and three sorbets. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! There were two other dishes served, too, but those 9 scoops of frozen deliciousness were so freaking delicious!

* However, there was a huge downside to Bartolotta - the poor service. We were met with a chilly reception upon checking in for our meal and things didn't get any better. We had a small, like amuse-bouche size, pasta dish brought to our table shortly after ordering. We thought it was, indeed, an amuse-bouche and started to eat it. Not two minutes later, our waiter ran up to us, exclaiming "Did you touch that?!" Um, yes, and if we'd said no, were you really going to take it from our table and deliver to the table where it belonged?! EW! We said yes, he gave us a disgusted look and went away. We felt horrible and didn't know whether to continue eating or what. The waitstaff stood behind us whispering and pointing before finally coming back and saying "Well, since you're eating it, here is what you're having." Seriously?! We were at an incredibly expensive restaurant, ordering the tasting menu (+ alcohol) and that is how you treat your patrons? I mean, it's not even acceptable service if we were at a Denny's but damn! This was just ridiculous. The rest of the dinner was awkward and I don't think either one of us really settled into the meal. The guy that brought dessert was incredibly sweet and gracious and was the only bright spot in a dinner otherwise marked by a waitstaff that was both pretentious and quite rude. I'd love to highly recommend the place, but frankly, there are plenty of other restaurants in Vegas that do fabulous food AND have servers and staff that are kind and generous to their patrons.

* In fact, Le Cirque and Carnevino would both fall into that category! It was our 2nd time at Le Cirque and our *mumble mumble* time at Carnevino. We had many of the same servers at Le Cirque and they were again excellent. The food was fantastic and the vibe of the restaurant was formal, but not at all pretentious. We had a French couple sitting next to us and it was really cool that our waiter went back and forth between our tables, speaking english one moment and french, the next. I told Jim that I want all of our dinners to be like that - the accents and european language gave the whole dinner a very sophisticated air. While all of the food was delicious, the indiviual 'fruits de la mer' platter and the dessert wine tasting flight were the highlights. We let the sommelier know we would be splitting the dessert wines and he specifically mentioned that he poured us a bit extra so we'd have enough to share. See what I'm saying? Now that is service done right!

* The one, um, bright spot? to our dinner at Le Cirque was the gal sitting in front of us who proceeded to get completely plastered as the night wore on. At one point, I look over and she is sitting back in her seat and proceeds to lift her leg all the way up to her head. Did I mention her chair was turned to face the restaurant and she was wearing a very VERY short dress? Yes folks, that's right, the gal flashed her lady bits to the entire restaurant! Only in Vegas. You could feel the entire restaurant sort of gasp and then not know what to do. Jim told me to stop staring. I informed him that they were way past the point of having any idea of what was going on. It was like dinner and show folks, I kid you not. It was just so ridiculous that all I could do was crack up. Ha!

* Our last night was at Carnevino and it was a great way to end the trip. Another dinner full of ridiculously yummy food, great staff and a fun atmosphere. If the dinner prices make you want to run for the hills, might I suggest their lunch special burger and house-made potato chips. Literally, the best gourmet burger we've ever had. Ever. Well worth the price of admission.

* We've sorta christened one of the tables at Lavo in the Palazzo as "our table." I swear, we've sat there and had drinks more times than I can count - at least twice a trip. One night we decided that it really needed a plaque proclaiming it as such. Since we couldn't make that happen, we took pictures there instead. :)

* Vino and Spurs were able to meet us for drinks one night and it was great to see them. They had a crazy busy weekend and I'm really glad they were able to come and hang out for a couple of hours.

* Our days were spent poolside - reading, lounging, taking a dip and drinking. We both needed the break, Jim even moreso than me. It was a very nice getaway. :)

Frolicking in Vegas

**This is going to be a marathon post because I don't feel like breaking it up. There are pictures though!**

As I've mentioned before, something happens to Jim shortly after the holidays. He starts to crave a Vegas trip like a fat kid craves cake and for the past couple of years we've wound up taking a mini-vacation to Sin City shortly after the end of the holiday season. Not that I'm complaining, but it's still funny how predictable he is.

Our plan was to drive out to Vegas on President's day and stay through the rest of the week. But, just to make things interesting, Mother Nature decided it was a fabulous time to rock Los Angeles with one of the biggest storms of the season the morning we were to leave. Fun. :|

MONDAY
When we pulled out around 9am, it was pouring and even though the freeway was fairly open, it was still a bit harrowing driving through the downpour. Oh, but we would soon realize the downpour would be the least of our worries. When we got to the I-15 split, the freeway was closed indefinitely. F! To regroup, we pulled off the freeway, found a restroom at the local Denny's and then got back on the I-215, in hopes we'd figure out what we were going to do. As I'm on my iphone searching for possible flights out to Vegas that afternoon, Jim is studying the GPS map and sees a road that parallels the 15 for a ways up the mountain. Next thing I know we're off the freeway, on some backwater road, slowly leaving the train of cars waiting for the 15 to open far behind.

As soon as we pull off the freeway, the fog becomes fairly intense. Jim keeps going though. We pass 2 different entrances to the 15, both of which are blocked by a cop car. Still, we keep going. As does the fog and drizzle of rain. We finally hit the end of our little detour and it dead-ends.... but the freeway entrance right next to it is open. Jim sees a car pull on and like lemmings, we follow suit.

DUMBEST. IDEA. EVER.

No sooner had we gotten on the 15 than we're hit with what is basically a white out. Like, you can't see more than 5 feet in front of you. You could have heard a pin drop in our car, save for Jim asking every few minutes "So, do you think this is safe?" Um, if you have to ask, I'm gonna go with probably not. Needless to say, the next 30 minutes were beyond frightening. Especially when we realized the road was covered in ice and saw a camaro on the side of the road trying to get out of a ditch, but the wheels couldn't find purchase to pull the car up and over. Double F! We finally hit the summit, which was completely snowed in and as soon as we started down the mountain, it was clear as a bell. Blue skies, a slight drizzle and not a bit of fog. And hardly any cars because most people weren't as idiotic as we were. Ugh. After that little adventure, I was quite glad Vegas was our final destination because I really needed a drink. Or twelve.

I was far too freaked out to take pictures during the drive over the mountain, but this is what it looked like on the other side of the summit. Totally nuts!

The rest of the trip was easy peasy. So easy in fact, we had ample time to stop at the outlets at Primm - I got soup bowls and cleaning supplies at William-Sonoma while Jim found a whole new work wardrobe at Banana Republic, hmph! - and still make it to Vegas by the late afternoon.

We were staying at The Venetian this trip because, well, here's another funny story. Jim and I really aren't big gamblers. Jim plays a bit of video poker, while I like the penny slots because $20 lasts a long time. For some reason though, on our last trip, I seemed to find the machines that paid out little wins consistently throughout the time I was on the machine. We're talking $2 here, $5 there. Nothing major, but I played the whole time we were there, used the player's card, Club Grazie, associated with The Venetian/Palazzo and only lost maybe $40. Skip to January 2009. I get a card in the mail from Club Grazie that invites me back to their hotel during the Friends and Family Value Days. After calling and finding out what this was, the short version is that we had our 4 night stay at The Venetian comped! Like, a free room people - and a nice one at that!! Jim and I were shocked as were Vino and Spurs when we told them at dinner during the trip. I was then dubbed "The Shark" for the rest of the trip. Yeah, I still shocked. Like Jim said, Vegas has to be hurting if they're comping rooms for folks that play the penny slots. :/

The first night for dinner we wanted to go casual, so we hit up Le Burger Brassiere at Paris. Neither of us had eaten there before, but we were really happy with it. The place would be great for a group of guys on a bachelor party as it's burger joint and sports bar all rolled into one. We started with chicken wings and potato skins as appetizers and cocktails. The chicken wings were absolutely delicious! But, as you can see, we liked them both quite a bit.

For our main course, we decided to split their "777" burger, minus the Dom Perignon. ;) Kobe beef burger, topped with Maine lobster tail, 100 year aged balsamic vinegar, melted brie and crispy prosciutto. OMG. Jim just thought it was okay, but I LOVED it! Ridiculously decadent, but so damn yummy. Oh, and we also had a side of fries, which were tasty, but the burger was the real star.

After dinner, we headed back Palazzo and had tequila flights at Dos Caminos. Too dark to take pictures, but just know the tequila made a real fun night for me. Wheeee!

TUESDAY
We woke up at a fairly decent hour and rolled downstairs to grab pastries and coffee from Bouchon Bakery, which was literally feet away from our elevator. Score!

From there we took a cab to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We'd been a few years ago and it's surprisingly fun for being such a small aquarium. The animals they have are quite cool and not things you see at a lot of other animal exhibits.

Albino Crocodile

Komodo Dragon

Spotted Rays

Lion Fish

Sting Rays

Jellyfish

Octopus! This guy was moving all over the place! The picture isn't great, but seeing it in person was the highlight of the aquarium.

There were also a bunch of sharks which were huge and scary and very cool. I was too busy looking at them though to remember to take any pics. Oops.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking back along the strip to our hotel, stopping here and there to shop, snack or just frolick.

That night we met up with Vino and Spurs for dinner at Le Cirque at The Bellagio. I was so happy they were able to meet us out on a weeknight for a fun dinner. They are both foodies, like Jim and I have become and are always game for a fancy dinner with decadent food, copious amounts of alcohol and great conversation. The night definitely did not disappoint. We all opted to have the 3 course menu after the boys debated doing the tasting menu. Jim started with the hamachi, Spurs and I had the fruits de la mer, and Vino had the scallops and langoustine with a cute monkey on the plate. ;) The seafood platter was fab-u-lous. Ugh. I could have that every night and never tire of it.

For the entree, Jim, Vino and I all opted for the potato-crusted halibut that the restaurant is known for. Spurs branched out and had a trio of rabbit. Two thumbs up all around.

Dessert encountered a bit of a bobble. Spurs had a chocolate ball thinga-majiggy, I had their take on a "raspberry milkshake" and Jim and Vino both opted for creme brulee. Except that Jim's never appeared. Um.... Instead of sending for it again, he just dug into the petite four tray. hehehe.

Aside from the dessert snafu, the meal was excellent. The service was immpecable, from our waiter who was on top of the food allergies at our table, to the sommelier who recommended a wonderful wine that fit the bill, both money and taste-wise. Vino and I even left with a small box filled with truffles - so cute! I'd go back in a heartbeat and would highly recommend it if you're looking for fancy dinner while in Vegas.

After dinner, Vino and Spurs were great sports and accompanied us to a lounge, where us girls had more champagne and the boys ended the evening with vokda and cigars. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to them after drinks as Vino had to be up at 6am the next day for work. How she rallied like she did is majorly impressive. We had such a fun night and are so happy they were able to come out and party with us while we were in town. Love you guys!

Jim and I headed back to our hotel and instead of heading to bed, we opted for more drinks at Tao. While the drinks were yummy, I was really underwhelmed with Tao as a club. Meh.

WEDNESDAY
Woke up again without a hangover. Always a surprise and a relief when you're in Vegas. ;) Had a yummy late breakfast at Grand Luxe Cafe and then we were off to Ceasar's Palace for spa appointments at Qua Spa. Jim and I love this place. It was particularly less crowded this trip so it was even more relaxing than usual. I was even able to snap a couple of pictures in the roman bath area as I was the only one in there for a long time.

I tried a deep tissue massage for the first time and it was much better for me than the swedish massage. I have so many knots in my shoulders and back that the relaxation massage doesn't do much for me. All in all, another great afternoon at Qua.

For dinner, we tried yet another new restaurant, B&B Ristorante by Batali and Bastianich. We opted for the tasting menu because it looked interesting and that was absolutely the right decision. Here is what I've learned about tasting menus. The few we've had have been outstanding. But, tasting menus with the wine pairings? Well, see that is just drunken fun that is hard to beat! You stand up from a delicious meal at the end and you can barely see straight. Wheee! This particular tasting menu was really delicious. Not a clunker in the entire set of 7 courses. Although the real standout was the meat ravioli "en crudo" or "swimming in beef broth so flavorful it makes you want to weep." I asked Jim if he thought they'd offer to put the broth in a sippy cup and let us take it with us it was that good. Even if you don't do the tasting menu, ask if you can get this dish. It's just ridiculous, in a very good way. I wish I had pictures of this meal, but the restaurant was super dark and I didn't feel like using the flash. :( And really, by the 4th dish it likely would have all been a blurry messy anyways, so you're probably not missing much. Heh.

Once we finished the drunken dinner we grabbed a few drinks at Lavo, the club at Palazzo and then I was able to finangle us free entry into the club part upstairs. Score! We danced, we drank some more and generally had a very merry evening. The DJ at Lavo kicked Tao's DJ's ass. And the drinks were better. Strange, seeing as how they're from the same group, but true. Great way to end the evening!

THURSDAY
So, this is the part of the trip that I blame the alcohol for toying with my brain and not taking pictures. Not a single picture from this day. I'm lame.

We did brunch at Grand Luxe CAfe because it was close and we were lazy. Heh. The buffalo chicken sandwich though was surprisingly really tasty. Like, I'd go back just for that, tasty. Who knew?

For the afternoon, we opted to spend time enjoying the spa facilities at Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian. It is a huge facility with tons of amenities. No pictures as it was quite crowded. I particularly enjoyed the round bed-like loungers in the relaxation room, the herbal laconium (kind of like an herbal dry sauna) and the heated loungers. Overall though, I'd say I'm a bigger fan of Qua, but I wouldn't turn down a day at either. ;)

That evening we had tickets to Cirque de Soleil O, which was incredible! Most of the acts are things that we've seen before - think contortionists, divers, the russian swing - but, they're executed in a way that feels fresh and different. Really, it's an amazing show.

Carnevino was our last stop for dinner. We were both so excited for this meal as we've loved this restaurant the last two times we've been there. I'm so sad to say that they missed the mark this time. :( Our appetizer - pesto farfalle with shrimp - was quite good, but the steak and sides were just average. I was so disappointed. We recommend this place to everyone we talk to, so I'm hoping they were just having an off day. It was not the way we wanted to end our Vegas trip, to say the least.

We spent the rest of the night nursing more cocktails at Lavo again and dancing til we were ready to collapse into bed. Cocktails really do make everything better.

FRIDAY
Time to head back to reality. Boooo!

All in all, it was another kick ass Vegas trip. And yes, we're already toying with the idea of possibly returning in the fall. Heh. What can we say, we love it so.

Last day in Vegas

Even after staying out super late, we were still up by 11am. Ugh, what is wrong with us?! We were determined to have breakfast which led us to the Canyon Ranch Spa Cafe at The Palazzo. Although the descriptions sounded good, we should have gone somewhere else as soon as we saw calorie counts on the menu. See, the food looks pretty, but the taste? Yeah, not so much. :/

After a less than thrilling meal, we headed back out to the pool. When we originally booked the trip a few weeks ago, we had planned on visiting the spa on Monday afternoon. But, after having such a good time at the pool the day before and not wanting to spend most of the day in separate rooms in the spa, we canceled our appointments. I think we made a really good choice. The afternoon was pretty much a repeat of the day before. We did manage to go back upstairs at a decent hour so we could do a little shopping and have a snack before dinner.

The shopping was mostly of the window variety, but let's talk about the snack. I didn't realize there was a Bouchon Bakery in The Venetian until reading the blurb about it on the receipt from dinner the night before. And once I saw that, we had to stop there. There were a ton of options to pick from and they all looked soooo good. The best part was the taste totally trumped their looks! Absolutely, positively delicious!! Jim opted for a cheese danish and I had a carrot cake cookie with cream cheese filling. ::drool:: Even the coffee was out of control yummy. For this die hard Starbucks girl, quite frankly, it blew Starbucks coffee out of the water. I would seriously keep the place in business if there was one close to us.

We finally made our way to dinner around 8pm. And what was the choice for the third anniversary dinner? Carnevino! We really enjoyed the restaurant when we ate there in February during their soft-opening, but this visit confirmed it for us -- it's our favorite restaurant in Vegas, hands down!

While making our reservations, I let them know that we were celebrating our anniversary (no, I didn't tell them it was dinner #3, ha!) and we were greeted warmly when we initially checked in. We were presented with menus and as were were figuring out what to order, the sommelier came by, asked us how we were doing (great!) and then said "Well, why don't we make it even better." And yes, prosecco does in fact, make everything better!

We noshed on rosemary bread and fresh out of the oven asiago cheese puffs while we waited for our appetizer and they were delish.

For our appetizer, we split a half portion of the Gnocchi Bolognese. Best.bolognese.sauce.ever. I've already downloaded the recipe for it. Yeah, it'll take me all day to make (and then some), but at some point this winter, it's gonna happen.

The main entree was a no-brainer for us -- steak! Jim's New York steak last time was deemed the best steak either one of us have ever tasted, so we both ordered it this time. And yeah, it didn't disappoint. I actually watched Jim take his first bite and his eyes literally rolled back in his head. For sides, we ordered spinach with hot peppers (still looking for that recipe) and "Tuscan Fries", basically fingerling potatoes that are roasted, then quickly fried, then tossed with garlic, parmesan and parsley. They were even better than they sound.

We spent the mealing moaning and groaning our approval. It was one of those meals that you just couldn't eat in silence. After we stuffed ourselves to the brim, our waiter came over and wanted us to try a special muscat dessert wine that they offer. Just a sip, no obligation to buy. The color was much deeper than most muscat wines I've had and the flavor was so smooth. I took one sip and Jim said "Yeah, she'll have a glass." Ah, he knows me so well. :)

In addition, we also ordered a trio of fresh sorbets - huckleberry, grape and pear - that came with a special message from the kitchen.

The bottom line is the meal was absolutely fabulous! We really love everything about this restaurant including the staff and the space itself. It's pricey, yes, but so worth it. <3 <3 <3

The rest of the night was spent playing on the casino floor. We split another cigar (not as good as the first one, but still enjoyable) and playing some slot machines. Jim likes video poker while I prefer the penny slots. We even went back to a hot machine Chaz had played earlier in the trip and I took a $25 slot credit and turned it into $50 on the machine. Wheeee!

Once we tired of being on the casino floor, we wandered back over to Lavo and had a drink at the bar. We learned that they are now serving absinthe in the US, but it's different from the one in Europe as it doesn't have the same hallucinogenic properties. After we finished our cocktails, it was time to call it a night. The trip was so much fun, but it was time to head back to reality the next morning. :(

Bye Vegas, we'll miss you and can't wait to visit again soon.

Note: I was so obsessed with Bouchon Bakery that I insisted we go back Tuesday morning to get breakfast and a box of goodies to go. I had a chocolate croissant that rivaled once we had in France. As for the goodies-to-go, I worked on those for several days at home. The brownie bites were fabulous, the macaroon was good (not great), but the foccacia was the real winner. Topped with tomato, basil and goat cheese it was huge and so delicious! I cannot wait to go back!!