2014 we really started to get into a great rhythm of
gambling, golf, and great dinners. One
thing that tends to get overlooked in these trips are the great dinners. These really started when Don and Mike joined
us. The nicest dinner I went to before
they joined was at Smith and Wilensky’s with Mer and Eric where we ordered
seafood tower since one of us won. But
Don and Mike pushed us to move away from chain restaurants and try the
wonderful array of places that Vegas had to offer. They introduced us to Mesa Grill and Craft in
the beginning which pushed the rest of us to look for higher end places in
future trips. Don and Mike were our wine
experts as well. They always ordered
amazing wine. Mike knew what we could
handle and always delivered. I enjoyed
the wide array of pallets at the table with Lee and Don trying different and unusual
items with Eric and Wiz sticking to the kids menu. And then the conversations were never
dull. It always started with critiquing
Eric’s outfit. It always involved
pleated pants, penny loafers, and some outrageous neon colored shirt. After that was out of the way we just ragged
on each other and talked about all of our bad bets. And if the conversation was
in a lull, Eric would find ways to discuss a new topic or bring others into the
conversation. One of his best qualities
was trying to make the most out of every moment. That’s what makes him so much fun to gamble
with and what makes him a great dinner guest. I remember one time at Lavo, where we were
all tired from day drinking and we got seated outside and it didn’t seem to be
a good setting. So Eric started going at
Ira on his knowledge of college basketball, which then turned into a contest on
who could name more college basketball team’s mascot. We went through all of
them. Not just 20, or 50, or 100, but ALL 350 of them. Now I will never forget that dinner, and I won’t
forget that Eastern Tennessee State is a
Buccaneer and not a Pirate. These dinners
will never be the same without Eric there l
In 2014, we branched out and tried a super trendy restaurant
in the Aria. This was a place where the
lighting was purple, music was blaring, and the servers were pretentious.
We got back just in time to get ready for
dinner, at Sage at the Aria. Hoo boy, what an adventure this was. Our
reservation was at 7 - we got there in time, seated fine - and then it seemed
that it took forever for the server to come over. And then the sommelier did
not appear for a while. Our appetizers took a while to arrive. The poor
sommelier came over after the appetizers and Layup said very loudly and dryly
"Well, thanks for showing up" or some such sarcastic remark. Ah, I
see the alcohol was kicking in!
My choice for the entrée came down to the pork
chops - which I do not get at ALL in China - or the flank steak. I asked the
waitress - she recommended the pork. Wiz went with the pork also. Layup, Don
and Mike all chose the steak.
The food came - well, let's just say there were
orgasmic sounds coming from Layup, Don and Mike. "This is the best steak I
have ever eaten!" "It just melts in your mouth - I'm not
exaggerating!!" "Oh My God, I'm going to cum" were the quotes from
the three of them. The pork? It
was good, yes, but it's hard to enjoy a meal when the entrée you declined to
order is causing those sorts of reactions. Yes, I was jealous. dammit. The
portions were not large for any of us - which would come into play later.
We all ordered dessert - great - and then we all
ordered Absinthe, an after dinner drink. That may have been a mistake. I
still don't know what goes in that - but they lit it on fire at the table. It
was about 8 ounces in a goblet - and, of course, there were dares on the other
side of the table to chug the drink.
So - we were well oiled as we left the beautiful
Aria to go back to the Mirage. (Why don't we stay at the Aria some
year???) .
I remember this dinner well. First, what made the
steak amazing is that we all got the Foie Gras on top of the steak which was out
of this world. Also, Wiz and I bet who could get closer to the total
bill and the loser would have to pay the winner the dollar amount they were
off. I was so lit at that point, I think
I was off by $500 (too low by the way).
That should have been a sign that I should of just gone to bed
afterwards. But instead, all of our
drunk asses decided to play Baccarat.
I found the group at the baccarat
table, where all 7 of us where going to "own" the table for the
night. It started with the staff trying to open the table and the glass
lid on the chips; their key would not work. We had to move to the corner table
when the fun finally began.
First, the display went out. "Dongle not
present" or some such error was on the baccarat display screen. With
all of us buzzed (at least) or drunk, that message was the basis of a few
bad puns. After a while, a technician came over a fixed it; I offered to
tip him a $5 chip for his effort. He was not allowed to take it. I offered
again, again, and one more time. He was ready to pull the wrench out of his bag
and whack me. After another half
hour, I look over at Layup. Uh oh. I see red splotches on his face and he is
getting a bit bloated. He's having an allergic reaction. He says he feels fine,
but will go and get some Benadryl from the store when the time is right.
Being the concerned brother I am, I stand up and
go talk to the pit boss. I'm not drunk, but I'm not sober either.
"Yes, sir?"
yeah - my brother over there? He may be having an
allergic reaction.
"What? Do you want me to call a doctor or the
ambulance???"
No, no, no, God no. I just want to ask - do you
have an Epi-Pen in case we need it?
"An Epi-Pen? Let me call a doctor now, sir!"
No, please, no, don't do that right now. Please
lower your voice.
Too late. Layup found out what I was doing.
"What the F? I'm fine. Did you just ask her
for an Epi-Pen?"
Well, yes, just to be sure.
"I'm fine....Jesus....ok, I'll go get some
Benadryl"
Layup comes back with Benadryl - and peanuts and
Beef Jerky!
"I'm still hungry from that meal!". He
proceeds to open up the package at the table. "Anybody want some?"
Well, I guess, since it's here...sure.....
Layup passes it around, takes some more jerky - oh
look, the cards are in front of him! He picks them up.
"Sir! No food at the table, please."
Layup moves his chair 5 feet back, stuffs the
jerky in his mouth - and then leans far forward (with the chair away from the
table) to check the cards. He mumbles something unintelligently as he lays down
his natural 9......
The next 30 minutes was a battle between Layup,
the beef jerky, and the pit boss trying to catch Layup in the act of eating.
We all ended the day around 2am - but I was
starving after the pork and the alcohol. Time to go get a 3/4 lb burger at the
Carnegie deli. Nothing better at 2 in the morning! Shared a few bites with
Layup in the room (see Jim Gaffigan - "oh, I'll only have a
bite.......MFBDBFDSHGFUISGIUSDG") and tried to sleep with all that in the
stomach.
Atl 10 @ NO 24 (-6): Saints
D is elite. Panthers last week shut down
Pitts and with Ridley out, Ryan couldn’t move the ball. Saints should be able to cover this line.
LV @ Giants +3: I’m
staying away from this game. Too many
distractions for the Raiders.
Pats 17 @ Panthers 22 +3.5: Panthers D can stop the Pats run
game. Pats have been successful when
they can run the ball. I don’t care who
is the starting QB for the Panthers.
Vikings 28 @ Ravens 33 -6: Hate Kirk Cousins so much after they let me
down last week. Ravens will come out focused.
Think both teams will move the ball.
Browns 14 @ Bengals 17 -2.5: I don’t think the lose of OBJ
is material. But Baker is playing like
crap. Bengals just got embarrassed. Like
a bounce back from the Bengals, but also think that this could be a Baker statement
game.
Bills 33 @ Jaguars 10 +14.5: How is this line not
larger?
Texans 21 @ Dolphins 17 -6.5: They have the same record…Taylor
is starting. Love the Texans here.
Broncos 13 @ Cowboys 32-9.5:
Don’t know how the Broncos will score here.
Chargers 24 @ Eagles 28 +1.5: Herbert is dinged up. Chargers run D is being exposed. Eagles can run the ball effectively. Like the Eagles here.
Packers @ Chiefs -7: What
a crap performance by the Chiefs on Monday night. Packers are in turmoil. Wiz loves the Chiefs
here, where I like the Packers here.
Cardinals 21 @ 49ers 24 +1.5: Even if Murray plays, he is definitely injured. He’s a different QB when he is dinged. I’ll take the home dog in this divisional
matchup
Titans 35 @ Rams 42 -7.5:
Track meet here. Rams will roll
over the Titans secondary. Titans will
just chuck it, which will result in turnovers or Titans scoring.
Bears 16 @ Steelers 14 -6:
I don’t like this Steelers team on offense. They will score between 14-20 points. So I don’t need that much offense from the
Bears to cover.
Best Bets 50-57-1
Ravens Over
Chargers Over
Titans Over
Panthers
Ravens
Eagles
49ers
Bears
Texans
Bills
Saints
Supercontest: 15-23-2
Ravens
Chiefs
Panthers
Bears
49ers
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