I’ve mentioned elsewhere that my husband likes to lift/carry/move heavy stuff, you know, for fun. So every year (and I think this was our 8th), we head to Vegas for the Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend. He likes to walk the Expo and collect swag (T-shirts, shake bottles, supplements, protein bars). And we both like to watch The America’s Strongest Man contest.

This is me and Mike Burke, America’s Strongest Man 2012. Mike was in the lead this year on Day 1 this year (2013), until he tried to take off the tip of one of his middle fingers in the middle of a medley. Crazy bastard stops midway, raises hand to show wife (who thought he was flipping a bird), and then FINISHES THE EVENT!! Otherwise, he’s an all-around nice family guy!

This is me and Nick Best, professional Strongman. My red T-shirt is the one he wore in an event at Worlds Stongest Man last year (2012) and I got it because I screamed the loudest (much to the CGP’s embarrassment). So of course I had to wear it to ASM this year and get a pic. Nick was SO charmed that I did that, he gave me the competition shirt in his left hand! Yes, I will thoroughly launder it. As I did the red one.

*****

Vacations are for reading. I use a Kindle for most of my leisure (chick lit) reading, but my husband prefers used paperbacks. And since he finished his on the plane heading out to Vegas, we had to locate a used bookstore in Vegas. We googled some options and ended up picking Amber Unicorn Books, just off Sahara on South Decatur Blvd., only because a google review said they had a large selection of science fiction (the CGP’s preferred genre). WHAT A FIND!! They had the LARGEST selection of cookbooks I’ve EVER seen in a used bookstore! Lots of contemporary (Rachel Ray), some older (Jeff Smith), and plenty of vintage (Better Homes and Gardens). Large selection of non-American cuisines as well. I wasn’t ready to haul a suitcase of books back home, but they said they ship, no worries. I think I’m going to have to stop by the next time … because you can NEVER have too many cookbooks, right?

*****

We generally eat well in Vegas, aiming for a mix of (higher-priced) casino and (wallet-friendlier) local restaurants. One of our Strip stand-bys is Zeffirino, an Italian restaurant overlooking the Grand Canal and Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian. Go for lunch — they have a fixed priced 3-course meal for about $30/pp. I had a seafood salad (poached mixed seafood in a lemon vinegarette) and he had fried calamari and zucchini as starters. I had veal ravioli and he had roasted salmon for our mains. Dessert was a plate of three mini pastries (each!) and coffee. We went here on our first trip to Vegas (when we got married), and try to get back most visits. Lots of good people-watching — the couple sitting next to us were decked out in wedding finery, having just renewed their vows there in the Venetian!

So we’ve got this friend out in Vegas — a competitive athlete (Highland Games, Strongman, Powerlifting) named Mandy Keefer. Mandy and her man C.J. introduced Keith and me to Island Sushi and Grill — way way way OFF strip. We went for their All You Can Eat sushi dinner at $26.95/pp. Now, this is NOT a sushi buffet. No, you ask for whatever you want off the menu and they make it to order. As many times as you want. And I think it was ANYTHING on the menu (only catch — you gotta eat what you order or they will CHARGE you for it). Appetizers too (you need to try the Chili Garlic Edamame, Ahi Poke, and Geso). We had ALOT of the basic tuna and salmon nigiri, but also tried a number of the specialty rolls. It was ALL good. Was some of the nigiri cut a bit thin, perhaps, but made-to-order is so much better than buffet, hands down. Also — this restaurant is a block or two from a Gold’s Gym, so we will combine the two on our next visit to Vegas.

We had a nice lunch at the Burger Bistro in our hotel, the LVH. I had at tasty pink-in-the-middle lamb burger with feta cheese and Keith had the seared-rare tuna steak (dressed as described on the menu). The garlic-parmesan fries (thick cut) were awesome. It hit the spot after a day tromping around the Expo. If you happen to be staying at the LVH, it’s a hearty well-prepared meal that won’t break the bank.

Heading back to the hotel completely famished one evening, we pulled in to the slightly off-Strip SATAY Thai Bistro & Bar, because you can never go wrong with Thai, right? Like every other hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant we’ve tried in Vegas, this one hit the spot. We split an order of bacon-wrapped scallops to start (mmmm bacon). I had the Mango Tofu with coconut rice and Keith had the Thai Spicy Beef Fried Rice (complete with soft-fried egg on top). I expressed concern about the sweetness level of my tofu as I was ordering, and the waitress brought out a sample of the sauce for me to taste and offered that the chef could make it less sweet if I liked — which I did. Keith’s fried rice was rich with all the Thai flavors we love — the anise-like basil, fish sauce, keffir lime, and chile heat. I couldn’t quite finish my dish and can attest to it’s absolute deliciousness the next morning, cold straight out of the fridge.