Joelle "tenth muse" R.'s Profile
Date
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 693-8700
Hyde Lounge
Category:
Lounges
Neighborhood: The Strip
We went out to see Dita perform this past Saturday. I'd read a tweet that Dita was going to be in town, so I followed the link to the Hyde website and purchased tickets to see her perform at $50/person. The website time stated 9pm and didn't really explain the venue or seating. You were just able to buy a table or individual tickets, so I assumed we'd be able to sit at the bar or at cocktail tables or something.
So I bought two individual tickets (no table) online and the time was marked 10pm. I found that odd, so the next day, I called Hyde to confirm -- they said yes, it started at 10pm and that they'd look into the situation with the website.
Fine, fine. SO... cut to Saturday, we're excited to be seeing Dita's show at Hyde (which is new and we had no idea was a nightclub)... until we see Dita tweet that she would be doing a "cameo appearance" at midnight for her champagne glass act.
Record scratch.
Maybe it's normal in Vegas for people to pay $50 a head to get into a dance club, but I'm going to guess for regular folk like me who is local, but isn't a native Nevadan or a sucker tourist, that's a bit steep. I am totally fine with $50 to see a show, but $50 to STAND for 2 hours and get elbowed by strangers with too much cologne is a bit much.
I think their marketing could've used some work here. If it had been made clear that this was a nightclub -- like a bachelorette party/stiletto heels/bromance/velvet rope kind of nightclub, I probably wouldn't have bought the tickets. It gave the impression on their website that it was a lounge and that this would be a private event/show for which you bought tickets and saw a performance.
It was really more of a "Hey, pay a huge cover get into our club and you could see someone famous for 10 minutes." like when you see Carmen Electra will be at Pure on some billboard off the 15. That's what it boiled down to. I love, love Dita, but I would've seen her in a different venue.
THAT SAID... we were standing really close, so we did get a great view of her, tassles n' all, even if it was for only 10 minutes.
PROS: Amazing view of the Bellagio Fountains -- seriously spectacular.
The staff was VERY nice -- everyone from the bouncers to the bartenders, very accommodating and helpful and not condescending in the slightest (which I admit, I expected, since this is clearly a high-end dance club full of beautiful people -- I pre-judged). No one made us feel like we didn't belong there except maybe us.
The decor is beautiful as well -- and from what I understand, they are open as a lounge from 5pm to 10pm so you totally can visit here when it's not all oonce-oonce-oonce-oonce.
CONS: Aside from the marketing miscommunication, the only con I had was the one drink I ordered. I ordered a Cosmo and it tasted like pink lemonade from concentrate. In fact, I'm fairly certain is was made with lemonade. I tasted no alcohol in it at all, so I didn't bother getting another at $14. (My boyfriend ordered a Jack n' Coke -- also $14. How does that work?)
I would consider going again, this time during the cocktail hours. The outside patio and view of the fountains really is worth it, even for just one drink. I'd like to try their beverages when it's not Night at the Roxbury.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 489-6339
Artifice
Categories:
Lounges,
Music Venues
Neighborhood: Downtown
But, let me just say this: THIS IS NOT A DIVE BAR. Stop it.
Sorry, but a dive bar is just that -- a dive. This place is not a dive. It's brand new and it's lovely inside. Just because it's dark and occasionally smoky doesn't make it a dive bar.
A dive bar usually has 2 or more old guys in hats at one end who haven't moved since 1968. Red vinyl. A jukebox with music older than you on it (and sometimes some new stuff mixed in). There's usually a vague (or not so vague) scent of stale beer, smoke and barmats.
A dive doesn't walk around calling itself a dive. It just IS and if it's a good one, it's glorious.
That said, while Artifice is dark, like most bars are, it is well-designed, it's got great art and reminds me a lot of the bars I used to go to in Deep Ellum and Expo Park in Dallas. Plenty of room to walk around and very nice ventilation.
The seating was comfortable, the bathroom nice and clean (though they were out of handsoap) and the service was pretty good. Not 100% amazing awesome, but I was served relatively quickly while my friend was virtually ignored. But overall, decent.
$5 for a just above average vodka tonic -- moderate pour. $5 for a Tom Collins, a little heavy on the syrup.
I'd go again... even if only to play hipster bingo. ;-)
At least once, get the Idahoan omelette. It's epic -- hashbrowns, bacon, cheddar and sour cream inside an omelette, served with toast and more hashbrowns.
But the best deal has to be the $3.99 egg & bacon breakfast, served with toast and hashbrowns. Cheap n' cheerful.
May is our favorite server, but Oscar is great, too.
Go, go any time you like (they're open 24 hours), but not on Friday mornings -- I don't want to have to start waiting for a table.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 677-2845
R Gang Eatery
Category:
American (New)
Neighborhood: Hillcrest
They'll get my 5 stars any day of the week.
Listed in: Wake n' Bacon
1 Previous Review:
-
12/10/2010
It's not possible for me to give them less than 5 stars. I love this place. Since it's opening, it's been my favorite restaurant in San Diego and one of the places I miss the most since moving away.
My favorite meal here is bRunch (preferably on the patio -- table 1, please!). We always start with a hot, gooey cinnamon roll as big as your face and we split it among the 4 of us. And of course, we get bloody marys or, if the mood strikes, the bottomless mimosas. They go down way too easy.
My personal favorite is the Classic Benny (eggs benedict) with my eggs poached medium. It's so delicious, I seriously mop up the plate with the last bits of english muffin. It's just the right amount of food that you don't feel like you're going to die when you leave, but you do feel like you've indulged. It's become the eggs benedict by which every other I try is judged.
I've also tried most of the stuff on the starters menu, including the cheddar tots, the monkey bread, the portabello fries, the italian pepper poppers (omg, yum -- I wish there were a whole dish of that) and the piece de resistance -- the gouda mac n' cheese.
Their mac n' cheese is TO. DIE. Oddly enough, I like it even better the next day when the cheese sauce has thickened even more and seeped into the noodles, so I often get mine to go. I prefer the original, sans soprasetta, but my friends love it that way.
The best part about R Gang is the gang themselves. From the lovely servers and hostesses, to Terrence the bartender and of course, Chef Rich and Mama Sweeney, it's a warm, inviting neighborhood place. They treat you like family and they feel like family to me!
Thanks, R Gang! See you soon!
But, unfortunately, the pizza wasn't really all that, in my opinion. The toppings and flavor were alright, though quite salty -- the sauce was sweeter rather than zestier, but the garlic was cooked well and the pepperoni was sufficiently savory.
The cut it in squares (like Marco's, which is way better, IMO) and I do like that kind of cut.
But I didn't care for the crust. It's definitely a Chicago-style crust -- not chewy, not crispy, kind of airy and bready, even the thin crust. I think if that's your thing, you'll like this pizza -- it's just not my jam.
They're pretty pricey for pizza, so beware. $17 for a large, plus $2 per topping. By the time we were done (added on cheesebread at the last minute, but received cheesesticks), it was a $33 pizza.
Meh.
Lam and his ladies are fantastic. I love that they really take care with my nails and understand when I get a little picky about them (I'm only human, people). He knows "how I like it" now and recognizes me every time I come in. I've yet to make an appointment and show up sometimes right when they open, so I appreciate them taking me happily every time.
I do still think the massage part of the pedicure could be a *bit* more massage-y -- I'd even pay extra for a longer foot/leg massage, but for a basic pedicure, they do a fabulous job.
I really like that they don't try to upsell me on the callous remover every time. I think once, the first time I came in, they suggested I do it and I did (because they were right), but every time since they've just checked and said "You don't need it, you're just dry, no callouses." and they apply some oil and scrub my tootsies. They could try to squeeze another $5 or whatever, but they don't try to do that, which I appreciate.
It's my go-to place and it's not even in my neighborhood -- I have to drive about 5 miles to get to it, but it's worth it. I feel comfortable in that salon and my gel manicures have never looked so great.
Thanks, Lam!
1 Previous Review:
-
7/10/2011
I've been hesitant to try nail places here in Vegas (for reasons I won't mention here), but I desperately needed a mani/pedi and after several months, decided to give this place a go -- I'm glad I did!
The new owner, Lam, is very kind and welcoming. They bring you water with a slice of orange, which I think is a nice touch for what I call a 'drive thru" nail salon (as opposed to a fancier spa or resort salon).
The massage chairs are great -- VERY massagey and they did a nice job on my pedicure. Very tidy, though the massage could really be better. They don't really rub your legs and feet very much, it's quite superficial and weak. That's really my whole reason for going to get a pedi -- I can paint my own toenails. So they could improve there.
I've gotten 3 gel manicures from them now (they have Shellac as well as another brand). And I loved the mani, though again, they could do a little more in the pampering department (hand massage, scrub, etc).
Last time, the place got so busy, Lam was distracted a lot and had to walk away from my manicure several times. Either he put an extra coat of gel on my nails or just put it on too thick in a hurry, but it was a bit gloopy toward my cuticles and I had to fix it quite a bit when I got home. But the first couple times, it was perfect, so I'll consider that an aberration. I was also a walk-in, so I couldn't really complain too much, though there were ladies there with appointments that were also waiting a bit, so I think they might need to hire more people for the weekends or not try to take so many people at once and make walk-ins wait.
All in all, this is my go-to nail place for now. The staff is very nice, they do a decent job and they're reasonably priced. They just need to work on not spreading themselves too thin and focusing more on each individual, but I think that will improve as they seem to have great intentions.
I think the venue could have been negotiated better and more attention to detail and care taken with our high school memories.
The decor was a few balloons. Not even a banner reading "Class of...". There was a posterboard with some glitter and gluesticked pictures from our class. There was a small tv on a folding table that played a snippet from our graduation.
The DJ played some 80's songs, but considering we graduated in 1991, it would have been better to have a playlist from our grad year, in my opinion. I heard "Oh Mickey" by Toni Basil at least 3 times. (1982! Almost a whole decade off!)
The cash bar was fairly silly. There should have been 2 bars for that amount of people and I think an open bar for the 1st hour or wine on the tables would have been a good way to get folks to come earlier. The bartender was nice, but moved a bit slowly and had a hard time keeping up.
The Catamaran is overpriced -- the room was totally plain, it was hotter than Hell, no matter how often we asked the RS reps to have them turn down the air.
The food I skipped, but was shocked to discover our ticket price got us refried beans and tacos and a platter of cookies. Seriously.
The "reunion booklet" we got was sad. I'm a designer, so I may be biased, but from the grumblings I heard, I'm not the only one. It looked like it was laid out in MS Word, folded and stapled in someone's living room and they didn't even bother to run a filter to omit empty fields like "Spouse" and "Children" if you're unmarried or have no kids. Way to rub it in, Reunion Specialists.
This company needs some real competition. At $75-$100 a ticket, the money wasn't well-spent.
I wouldn't hire them, Alumni -- find a fellow classmate who has experience organizing these kinds of events. You'd be better off rolling your own reunion.
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 291-2900
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
Category:
Hotels
PROS:
The view is spectacular. The housekeeping, maintenance, valet, most of guest services and social media staff are all excellent. The location is great, very central. The terraces are great for relaxing and enjoying the view.
CONS:
It's an older hotel and though it's been renovated and is nice in a super-nautical sort of way, be aware that you can hear the toilets flush in the rooms on either side of you and above you. This can be a LOT of flushing, especially if there's more than one person in those rooms. You can also hear the sliding glass doors to the terraces heavily open and close each time someone goes out. In the summer, families also stay, so you might be subject to some kid noise, which is understandable, but if you are looking for a quiet, sleep-in kind of stay, this is not it.
Be aware that the parking is $22/night as of this review. The site I booked through stated $16/night, which was high, IMO, but color me surprised to find out it was $22/night.
Also, be aware: NO WIFI IN THE ROOMS. I repeat, NO WIFI.
There is internet, but it's not free. You can pay $12 or $19 per day and its hardwired, so you have to sit at the desk they provide in the rooms and you can't sit on the bed or whatever.
You do get one hour of free wifi per day in the lobby only. If you go over the hour, you're charged on your hotel bill for one full day.
There are no drink vending machines on any floor. There are ice machines, but no drink vending. You have to walk down to another building outside of the hotel to get a drink or go to the gift shop, which always seemed to be closed. The goal is to get you to use the mini bar.
MY EXPERIENCE:
A couple subpar guest services employees made our check-in process less than welcoming. We were told our room wasn't ready (despite us being there on time for check-in), so the front desk girl (whose name I will omit) told us that she was going to give us a room with a marina view and two double beds because that's all they had ready, even though we weren't really *supposed* to have it since we booked via a discount website. (insert tone here) We were told that if we wanted a king bed, we would have to wait indefinitely as they were sold out.
(Reminder: I booked my room and PREPAID 4 months in advance.)
We accepted her backhanded upgrade because we were exhausted, but were very disappointed in the view of the construction across the marina and the moldy bathroom and tiny double beds, so a polite call to guest services and Raphael had us in a 10th floor bay view room with a king bed (the same room we were told we weren't allowed to have and that wasn't available).
There was another less than lovely experience when my boyfriend went down to get the keys to the new room, but once Raphael upgraded us, we were happy overall (aside from the noise, which is kind of par for the course in hotels).
After tweeting my dissatisfaction, we spoke with Daniella who is not only really great at staying on top of their social media, but attentive to our concerns. It was our last night, so her consolation was to offer us a free breakfast before check-out, which we accepted.
After all THAT, would I stay again? I wouldn't pay $200/night when there are other newer hotels at a similar rate with similar views. But yeah, I probably would stay again, but only if I were able to get a great rate again.
I finally found this location, which has a friendly staff, is clean and reminds me most of the taco shops back home. Everything I've had here has been good and the price is reasonable.
I personally love the #11 -- 3 rolled tacos with rice and beans. On occasion, the beans can get kinda salty. Someone back there gets a little heavy handed with the cotija cheese (salty salty!), but I just throw more hot sauce on it and move on.
Two negatives: Their horchata isn't very cold. That may be traditional -- maybe I'm just a gringa used to icy cold horchata, but its not even served with ice. On one hand, I dig it because you get more horchata, on the other hand... it's warm horchata.
The other is that they don't offer chips and salsa. Every single Roberto's I've been in, when i ask if we can get an order of chips and salsa with our to-go, has given me a look like, "Que?" And then we end up with a stryofoam carton full of chips and pico de gallo.
The concepts seems to elude them. Maybe it's a SoCal thing.
But I drive out of my way to go to this location. Good stuff.
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Las Vegas, NV
Yelping SinceJune 2008
Things I Lovemartinis, jazz, web design, Ella Fitzgerald, mid-century modern anything, 50's & 60's ephemera, karaoke, burlesque, brilliant ideas, Miles Davis, Eddie Izzard, coffee
Find Me Inthe gayborhood (where you can find one)
My HometownSan Diego, CA
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm designing websites, singing jazz, playing with my bun (not a euphemism)
Why You Should Read My Reviewsbecause apparently, I say funny things. Or so I'm told.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadThe IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie, of course. (It's on Amazon!)
My First ConcertPaul Anka. Vegas, 1980 *rawk*
My Favorite MovieHow to Marry a Millionaire with Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable & Marilyn Monroe
My Last Meal On EarthGrey Goose martini, Eggs Benedict @ R Gang Eatery in San Diego
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I like to say "pants".
Most Recent DiscoveryVenezuela is named after Venice.
Current CrushOrange
The atmosphere is kind of like On the Border Meets Islands (if you're familiar with that chain) . The food seems to be a mix between the Tex-Mex I recall from living in Dallas and California-style mexican food. It's a little more on the tex-mex side, I'd say, though you can get shredded or ground beef, if beef's your thing.
The chips don't appear to be homemade, so that's a bummer for me, but they're still pretty tasty. And the salsa is a nice smoky chipotle. Chips and salsa is a So Cal staple which we've struggled to find here, for some reason.
The fajitas I had were good, too. Were they may favorite ever? No, but I'd order them again! Their beans are delicious, too. I'm not as big of a fan of their rice as my boyfriend is -- he LOVES it -- but it's also quite tasty.
They have a nice selection of items and we've gone back sevearl times now -- once to dine-in and we've gotten food to go from them a few times. Their service has always been really great, friendly, especially the bald-headed gentleman -- REALLY nice and personable.
Great, now I want Que Mas for dinner...