Vacation with Deb

Deb arrived the day after Christmas to spend the weekend. We don't exchange gifts but, rather, typically we go out for a nice dinner and then go to a Las Vegas show or spend a day at the spa. This time we ate more and didn't do the show/spa thing. Instead we spent our entertainment money on penny slots. Our first excursion was a dismal failure and we ran out of our money pretty fast. Sunday we tried again and we recouped most of our money. Plus we got to play the penny slot bonus games a lot.

Our dining included dinner at Diego, brunch at Terra Verde and dinner at Osaka. It was all good.

At Diego, we had a Diablo Shrimp Enchilada that was excellent and just spicy enough. We also had fresh guacamole made at our table. It was good but not spicy enough - which was easily fixed with any of the three salsas served with our chips. The guacamole (don't look John) had cilantro onions and sun dried tomatoes. I wasn't sure I was going to like sun dried tomatoes in the guac but it was surprisingly good. The dessert flan was also delicious especially since the restaurant comped it. After reading the reviews on this restaurant, I've concluded the service and the food is inconsistent but the night we were there both were great.

Our brunch at Terra Verde included lobster omelets with a Mimosa for Deb and a Bloody Mary for me. All was paid for with my Green Valley points. It was quite good but both Deb and I agree this won't become a regular place for us and I'm not exactly sure why because the food is well prepared and the service is good. It must be the ambiance. Or maybe that I think the food is a little over priced even though it is good.

At Osaka, we had teppanyaki and so the meal included entertainment. Our chef was very nice and funny and managed to toss knives and light fires without injuring us. The shrimp and scallops, fried rice and veggies were excellent. We had some green tea ice cream for dessert (included in the meal price) and were stuffed. We even got 10% off because Deb printed a coupon from their website.

During the weekend we also watched The Women and Mamma Mia. I wouldn't recommend either one though I liked the cast in both. You might get Mamma Mia just to watch poor Pierce Bronson trying to sing. It was sad and dismal but amusing. Meryl Streep did a decent job singing and I do like her but think she was the wrong choice for this movie.

Deb left yesterday and now my house is quiet and sad. Diva and I miss her.