Terry Fator

Haven't blogged for some time as we've been busy. So for a change of pace, wife Mari and I decided to take advantage of an offer from Bellagio which I'll blog about later. I'm not a big fan of the Strip unless we are showing guests the sites. But this offer included 2-for-1 tickets at any of the shows at the Mirage. The choice was easy.

Friend Kevin had raved about Terry Fator, the singer/impersonator/ventriloquist who after 25 years in the business had become an overnight success by winning America's Got Talent. Now he is the headliner in a major Las Vegas showroom named for him. Mari wasn't keen on seeing Terry because she thought "silly puppets just make her feel creepy". I promised there would lots of good music. I was right.

First, let me say that Terry Fator can really sing. He won the talent show when his 'Winston the Turtle' did a dead-on impersonation of Roy Orbison's 'Blue Bayou'. There aren't many singers who would try singing Roy let alone without moving their lips and emoting through a puppet's gestures. Of course, Winston takes all the credit!

Terry brings out lots of other puppets including the 'Crash Test Dummy', 'Duggie, the Most Annoying Next Door Neighbor', 'Vicki, the Cougar', and 'Maynard, The Worst Elvis Impersonator' to impersonate many, many singers that Boomers immediately identify. The crowd of 2,000 fans get into each of them so I can't fault the critic who claimed that although his 'guests' sang up a storm, Terry himself could not really sing.

For a touching finale, Terry and Winston sang a duet of 'It's a Wonderful World' with Winston doing Kermit the Frog and Terry doing Louis Armstrong. Instant standing ovation. Laugh, cry, chuckle, think, amaze.

I'm high on Terry for a few other reasons. First, it was obvious that he was laboring under at least hay fever if not a full out-and-out cold and made no excuses. Second, after he performed for almost a full two exhausting hours he was soaking in sweat from the effort. And third, at the start he and Winston announced that (unlike all the other shows I've been to) it is OK to take pictures with flashes and even videotape a song or two! You don't have to go to Vegas to see Terry. There are dozens of amateur videos of him performing on YouTube. Or you can go to http://www.terryfator.com/ for better quality videos.

Makino

I'm often asked for the best buffet in Las Vegas and can only come up with "It depends". But I have no hesitation to declare that Makino (two locations; one on Decatur, one in the Fashion Outlets off Charleston). Makino was once voted best Japanese in the Best of Las Vegas poll so you know its good. We often send friends there and have never heard a bad word after.

But Makino's is not a place you go to on the spur of the moment. Wife Mari and I try to starve ourselves all day to be able to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat sushi and other Japanese food. By late afternoon we are dying to be there when it opens for dinner at five.

The original Decatur location is not fancy but it is our favorite. It seems bigger than the more nicely appointed Charleston location. A couple of years ago Makino tried a new place near Summerlin closer to where we live. It was "too nice" as it had upgraded the seating, the service, and even had a bar area. That missed the point of why folks go to Makino's in the first place.

Wife Mari loads up her first plate (and sometimes her second) with mounds of various sushi. It is all fresh and some of it is innovative. Anyway, even though she loves rice, Mari eats the 'sashimi' off the top and then, like we all did in grade school, tries to make her plate look like she tried finishing everything by messily spreading the rice around. It doesn't work but she is never called on it. At a 100 pounds, Makino's doesn't figure her to be a threat to their business model even when her next plate if full of shrimp and crab legs. To pack it all in properly, she doesn't order anything to drink except water.

I always go for a much more rounded diet of sushi, raw seafood, yakitori, beef teriyaki, Japanese salads and pickles, miso soup, and much more. After three rounds of such, Mari and I then come back together at the dessert bar where I am partial to the ice cream sundae, a Japanese favorite. Yes, sundae's were our favorite treat in Japan many years ago.

Egg Works

I wasn't getting breakfast in bed but I didn't want to settle for my own cooking either. So wife Mari and I went online to the Review Journal's "Best of Las Vegas" new webpage for 2010 to look for the Best Place for Breakfast. We hadn't been to the Staff 's Pick of Egg Works on West Flamingo but I thought "How many closer and still good breakfast places would we drive by on our way?" Turns out Egg Works was worth our time and has become one of favorite breakfast places.

Its a newer building (as is the whole surrouding area) and apparently is always crowded. The decor reminded me of Disneyland's Bear Country. For example, the door to the restroom resembled that to an outhouse. But the reception and seating was very effiecient as was the whole staff all of whom wear black T-shirts with "eggs-actly what you want' on the back. We got our coffee right away. This is a big plus when you are just starting your day and have a lot to do (and even if you don't). Service remained quick due in part because to get attention (from any server, not just yours) you flip the smiley face on your condiment tray over to a frowny face.

The RJ Staff raved about Cincinati Chili omelet, crepes and a few other exotic menu choices. We opted for country fried steak and corned beef which came with a choice of potateos and toast or muffin. I should have chosen their tasty banana nut muffin but I ate half of Mari's anyway. I'll know next time. Food was good, service was great, so we'll be back.

Gina's Bistro

Mari wanted noodles but I didn't want Asian. I checked the Review Journal online for the new "Best of Las Vegas" listing for 2010. Locals had voted Olive Garden as their Best Italian Restaurant. What a shame. The multiple locations obviously put them over the top. Luckily the paper's staff also make a pick for each category and often it is inspired as it is for Gina's Bistro.

Gina's is in a strip mall on Durango near Flaming. As we drove up we noticed the entrance is on the side of the building and the rest room is on the outside. Should we go in? After peeking in a window we decided to venture in. We're glad we did. It felt like the cozy Italian neighborhood restaurants we loved in Chicago years ago.

Gina greeted us like we were family and led us to a quiet, nicely appointed table for two. She is from Roma and our waitress is from Napoli. She didn't mind that I pronounced my order ZUPPA DI PESCE (Sauteed calamari, clams mussels, shrimp, scallops, in a white wine tomato sauce reduction) "Peach Soup" in Italian. It was great and quite filling. Mari thought her LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE (Sauteed with fresh clams, garlic, white wine and chili flakes) was the best she's had since our Chicago days. She finished it all even after a large and tasty house salad and some yummy bread. We were quite content.

But Gina brought over the dessert book filled with glossy photos of lots of tasty treats from Italy. Offhand, she said they made their tiramisu and cannoli on site which was enough for us to sample them even on a full stomach. Both were great. Gina thanked us warmly as we left and we weren't just being polite when we said we would be back.

Bottom line: GIna's Bistro is a very pleasurable and authentic Italian dining experience that cannot be matched by any restaurant chain.

This is My Blog on Las Vegas

Welcome to my blog. I'm Steve, a computer marketing professional in Silicon Valley. I don't gamble. So why am I starting a blog about Las Vegas? It's because friends always ask me where to go and what to do there. It's because I now have the time to do so. And it's because in the six years we've had a second home there we've found so many other things to recommend about Vegas. Restaurants, shows, parks, attractions, recreation, and the outdoors.

Our place is in Summerlin; West of the Strip and near the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area. Specifically, it's in Summerlin Centre and a long block to the Red Rock Casino, the best 'locals' casino with great restaurants, movices, bowling, and arcades as well as gambling. The Summerlin development, more than half-way through its 20-year plan, has been named the US's best many years in a row.

Whereas I am partial to the West side of town, wife Mari has ventured to every corner of Las Vegas in a previous career. She also will play the slots from time to time. When I look at a slot machine I see a computer with a random number generator, a coin machine, and a human interface (lights, sounds, etc.) geared to separate you from your money. She sees hours and hours of fun. I think casinos are still lots of fun ... if you are into people watching. So on this blog you will get at least two different perspectives on many of the entries.

Have a look around. You may also be interested in my other blog about Santa Cruz, California (http://stevessantacruz.blogspot.com/). And you might like our websites on Scott's Guest House (http://www.scottsguesthouse.com/) and Maris Las Vegas Getaway (http://www.marislasvegasgetaway.com/.).