Vegas Trip - Travelogue...well, Foodalogue-Part One

Dearly Beloved and I just got back from Vegas again- and I'll be sharing our travel pictures for the next couple of posts. If you aren't the type that gets into that kind of thing- come back in a few weeks and it'll be over. Just one note before I get too far- Vegas was not a busy place this trip. I know this is a slow season at good times, but the recession has made matters even worse for the city of sin. A few of the high end restaurants are taking a couple of weeks off while things are slow, still more have cut back on shifts for their staff to get through the lean times. I hope things get better soon.

Oh, heck, another note- The rodeo was in town while we were in Vegas. The NFR or something. It was a little surreal seeing cowboy hats and big hair in all the old familiar places. Turns out that I like cowboys and cowgirls- they're a lot more polite then the usual folks I see around during the rest of the year. I even saw people holding doors open for other people. How rare, that small kindness, has become.

On the drive out to Las Vegas, dearly beloved and I have our little rituals and stops. We chat for most of the first leg of the trip. Just when conversation starts getting droopy, about the time the miles start adding up, we'll get to our first big stop in Victorville. This is always a treat for us, our favorite little bagel place. I love bagels, but for some reason, I rarely get around to eating them. Unfortunately, we were in for our first disappointment of the trip. Our lovely, fresh bagel place was gone. It's a fully operational tattoo parlor now. What a difference a few months make- there wasn't any sign that the bagel place ever existed there. I can't lie, I was emotional.

So, we went to the donut shop in the same strip mall.



The cake donut was cakey, the apple fritter wasn't greasy, the cruller existed (they don't in a lot of donut shops these days). The coffee was okay too. It wasn't the same experience we'd wanted out of the bagel place, but it was good enough that it'll be a new ritual on the way to Vegas.

Next stop was Barstow for some gas and soon we were listening to an audiobook of Rex Stout's "The Rubber Band". Time passed quickly and we were in Baker for our next ritual - The Mad Greek. It's a great place to stop. The food is tasty, the decor is fun, and the bathrooms are clean. I love everything about the place except the ice tea- it's nasty.

We shared the "combo plate" at the Mad Greek- Hummos, tabouleh, tzatziki, stuffed grape leaves, blocks of feta cheese, olives and (not pictured) really greasy flat bread. The meal is heaven for the taste buds. The bread is hell for the gut, in a good way. Yum.



Next Episode: We'll actually be in Vegas!