Seablue; MGM Grand, Las Vegas

I Blame Michael Mina ... We Smelt It; It Had to be Eaten!

This was the first stop on a night that included four lounge hops. We walked past Seablue at least twice daily on our way back and forth between the Signature and the MGM Grand and each time we stopped to gawk at their large happy hour signage. From 5:30pm - 7:00pm Sunday through Friday, Seablue offers $1 oysters and $1 shrimps (available by the half-dozen) as well as calamari and smelt fries.

Jay loves oysters and rarely gets an opportunity to partake of them, especially in Stinktown, so I knew this was a place he'd like to visit. What I did not know, however, was that he was actually jonesin for the smelt fries.

Now I don't know about you, but when I see the word smelt I think of iron ore ... or very bad grammar as used by certain cracker elements of my family. I do not think of delectable wee fishies that are often used as bait for larger, even more delectable fishies. Thank goodness Michael Mina has a Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant that makes up for my short-sightedness.

Jay and I managed to find a cozy booth in the bar and set about sweeping the seas clean ... but first we had to get some beverages with which to wash down the sea's bounty. I chose a Rustic Blossom - Krome, St. Germain, and Prosecco. Krome, by the way, is a premium US vodka made from corn and distilled five times to give it a smooth, sweet corn-vodka flavor. I mention this because vodka was not the first thing that came to mind when I read the drink menu - in fact, I asked the server what it was because the last thing I wanted was a cocktail garnished with a bumper fragment from a 1957 Buick.

My chrome-free drink was actually quite good - smooth and flavorful with a slight floral overtone thanks to the St. Germain but well balanced and not too sweet. A definite winner! And before I forget, for my friendies with gluten issues, Krome is gluten free since it's made from corn. So go out and buy a bottle and re-join the drinking world!

Jason ordered a Dark and Stormy, which turned out to be entirely too appropriate considering the nasty weather that was pummeling our dear Stinktown that night. It was made with Lustau Rare Cream, Ginger Beer, and fresh lime. It was really tasty and we both liked it a lot. Had we stayed for more than snacks I know I would have ordered one of these for myself.

Dark & Stormy and Rustic Blossom


As for snackables, we ordered the smelt fries along with a half-dozen oysters for Jason and a half-dozen shrimpies for me. The oysters were good according to the man and the shrimp were large and tender and delicious, but the real story of the night was those fries. I was leery of them at first, wondering if there might be something that could set off the goblin, but Jason told me they tasted fine. With a deep breath I plunged into the fish pile, stopping to dip in the remoulade sauce before taking a hesitant bite.

To my surprise they weren't bad; a little greasier than I prefer but the taste was reminiscent of frozen fish fillets and it was enhanced by the spicy remoulade sauce. The portion was generous, too; more than enough for two people to share especially with more seafood on the way.

Smelt Fries


Smelt ... up close and personal ... I think it mooned me!


Oysters and Shrimps and Sauces


Overall we really enjoyed our Seablue visit - the price was right for the snacks which were nicely portioned and quite tasty, and the drinks were fabulous. From what we understand Michael Mina is known for having some damn fine cocktail menus and in this respect Jay and I were not disappointed. Although we had better overall lounge experiences during the trip, this was a good start to the evening and I'm glad we smelt those fries!

Tacos & Tequila; The Luxor, Las Vegas

Decent Food and Strong Drinks are Finally Available at The Luxor; Who'd a Thunk It?

Ah, the things I discover when surfing the internets in an effort to avoid work of any kind! Under normal circumstances it would never have occurred to me to consider Luxor for food and beverage delights; The Luxor is a kind of purgatory between the celestial joy of Mandalay Bay and the sulfuric pit that is The Excalibur. But somewhere along the way they opened a high-octane tequila bar that also serves a nice blend of traditional and modern Mexican food; they even offer a mariachi brunch on the weekends. What's not to like? Especially when Restaurant.com was selling discounted gift certificates that a certain hungry scribe left in the hotel room in her unseemly haste to eat and drink to excess.

Jason and I found Tacos & Tequila on the hotel's second level - it's an open air establishment that hangs out a bit over the staircase that leads up to the shopping area and food court from the registration area. We arrived early on a Sunday afternoon to find a sizable crowd enjoying the food and drinks and roving mariachi band.

Yes.

Roving Mariachi Band.

Tacos & Tequila offers brunch on the weekends and it features this awesome trio of musicians who wander the dining room and bar singing just about any song you can think of. They were a terrific addition to the overall atmosphere of the place and later during our meal they paid us a special visit and we all warbled together.

Come on in!


Open me and devour the bounty inside ...


What's that? You want us to drink you?


First things being first, we had to order some drinks. I selected the Spiced Apple Margarita: Anjeo tequila, apple cider, fresh lime juice, and rum flavored with almonds, cloves, and ginger; Jason chose the Pineapple Chipotle Margarita: Silver Tequila and Orange Curacao with fresh lime and pineapple juices, pineapple chipotle syrup, and tobasco chipotle hot sauce.

Move over Tequila Ditch, we have a new winner! These drinks were delicious and creative and poured with a generous boozie hand. And notice the dried chipotle pepper that was used to garnish Jay's drink - we thought that was a fun touch.

Spiced Apple & Chipotle Pineapple Margaritas


We kept our food selections pretty light because we were meeting the parents and the aunt and uncle for dinner later in the day. I ordered the Tostada Combo which featured a Chicken, Crab, and Tuna Tostada. They were all very tasty but I preferred the chicken simply because it was easiest to eat and had the best mix of flavors which included shredded chicken tinga, crema fresca, cotija cheese, black beans, and shredded lettuce. The crab meat was very good on the second tostada but there was so much other stuff blended in (corn, peppers, pico de gallo, cabbage, avocado, chipotle aioli and Oaxaca chili sauce) that it got lost much of the time. And the tuna tostada could have been the best of them all but the fish wasn't sliced very well and there were too many sauces which made for difficult eating.

Tostada Combo


Jason ordered a 3-taco platter that included rice and refried black beans. His taco meat selection was shredded pork seasoned with grilled pineapple, onion, and cilantro. These soft tacos were outstanding - well cooked and bursting with flavor and spiciness without overpowering heat. I found myself wanting to eat Jay's tacos as much as I wanted to eat my tostadas!

Pork Tacos


We didn't really need dessert but since when has that ever stopped us? We selected a Mexican Chocolate Brownie with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Caramel and Chocolate sauces drizzled over the top. The brownie was rich and soft and gooey, just the way I like 'em! And the ice cream was light and delicate - the cinnamon could have been overwhelming but this was very subtle and very enjoyable.

Dessert in the desert!


As we were enjoying dessert the roving mariachis arrived at our table. We enjoyed their performance throughout our meal as they stopped to chat and sing with patrons in the dining room and in the bar. They asked us what type of music we liked best and when Jay and I told them we were classic rock fans we were serenaded with their version of Riders on the Storm. They sounded great and the harp was a wonderful addition to the song, which we all ended up singing because that's what happens when you drink too much tequila.











I have to admit that I was somewhat wary of trying Tacos & Tequila and if it hadn't been for the gift certificate that I left behind in our room we might never have paid this place a visit, which would have been a digestive tragedy. The food and drinks were well prepared and generous and pretty inexpensive by Vegas standards. Jason and I enjoyed the entire experience and would definitely go back for more tasty treats and refreshing drinks. Stop in on your next Vegas trip, and if you see the mariachi guys ask them to play Stairway to Heaven!