For those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that last week I was in Las Vegas for IMEX America; the annual meeting planners' exhibition. It was an incredible week; I got to meet some amazing people and experience the wonderland that is Las Vegas.
It was my first time and the place didn't disappoint; I knew it was going to be big, brash and in-your-face, so I was prepared for that. What really surprised me, and the thing I loved about it, was how unpretentious and relaxed the whole atmosphere was. Sure, the gambling is shoved down your throat, but it's not intimidating, everyone is friendly, and although it can be incredibly glamorous, most people were in shorts and t-shirts - which suits me down to the ground!
I stayed at The Palazzo and when people say things in Vegas are big, they're really not joking. We were met by the biggest hotel lobby I have ever seen!!
All the rooms are suites..this was mine, which included 2 queen sized beds, a corner sofa, and three, yes three (!) TVs.
After a quick freshen up we headed out for dinner and drinks to curb our Jet Lag; and went across the road to Senor Frogs at Treasure Island, for some good ol'fashioned Vegas cheese and views of the famous Pirate Show.
After a yard of frozen margarita I was zonked and called it a night. The next day was Day 1 of IMEX, so we were up early to get down to the show and our full day of appointments.
Emirates had a sample of their new First Class cabin, complete with 26 inch TV screen, mini bar and MASSAGE function in the chair...I was sold.
That evening was the best of the three we were there; Visit Orlando offered us tickets to Cirque du Soleil's 'ONE' - a Michael Jackson themed show. We kicked off with cocktails and scooted into our front-and-centre seats ready to be wowed. And boy, were we wowed!! It was the most spectacular performance I have ever seen - I loved every minute of it.
After the show (which took place at the Mandalay Bay hotel) we were treated to an incredible fine-dining meal at Aureole. The parallel menu was seafood themed, and we were treated to 4 courses, each with two halves.
The first was blood orange salmon gravlax with a citrus and lentil salad with pomegranate vinaigrette (right) with lightly smoked ora king salmon, tarragon chickpea fries and citron crème fraiche (on the left).
This was followed by ginger & dungeness crab salad with a chilled corn veloute and serrano chilli essence (right) which was just beautiful - the heat of the chilli on the side, mixed with the cold veloute was amazing! On the left is broiled New Zealand snapper with sweetcorn succotash and a lemon-thyme-poultry jus.
The penultimate course was ricotta and lobster ravioli (amazing) with oxtail and caramelised onion hash and 'lobster cappucino' (right) and butter-poached lobster with roasted wagyu beef strip loin, truffle potato gratin and leek fondue.
The dessert (which I ate before I realised I hadn't snapped a pic!!!) was roasted grape and goats cheese tart (which was more like a cheesecake) and grape sorbet with caramelised white chocolate (literally the best thing I have ever eaten) and cardamom crumb (much nicer than you expect).
Each of the dishes was just perfect, apart from the goats cheese dessert - for me it wasn't sweet enough to be a dessert, and was a bit too goaty. I love seafood, so this menu is heaven for me and unlike most dishes in America, each gave the perfect amount to leave your perfectly satisfied and not too full. Charlie Palmer has restaurants in loads of cities across the US, including NYC, DC and San Fran - I would definitely recommend checking them out if you get the opportunity!!
The next day I took a bit of time to explore the vast hotel in which the exhibition was taking place (The Venetian) and was astounded when I casually took an escalator up one floor and arrived in Venice!! Inside the hotel (yes, inside!) is this beautiful St Marks Sq setting, complete with shops, restaurants, street performers and rivers with gondola rides to get you into the Italian mood. Even the ceiling plays it's part!
I enjoyed a beautiful bowl of pasta, but wished I had time to be serenaded on a gondola!!
That evening (our last night) my group and I were yearning for some steak, so headed off to Smith & Wollensky. This sauce changed my life...
It's not as barbequey as a BBQ sauce, but thicker and almost sharper than a tomato sauce. Even better, you can buy it online here, and they even to international shipping!!
I smothered my 24oz cajun spiced bone-in Rib-Eye with the stuff - and yes, I did eat it all!! Well, when in America...
After all that meat we headed off for a walk down the strip to see the Bellagio fountains...and into The Mirage for a final blowout. Vegas, I love you...and I WILL be back!!
