Briefly....

So much to blog, so damn little time.

While it certainly doesn’t apply to every single person out there, 2005 still seems to continue being “less than stellar”. Send some well wishes in Iggy’s direction.

That being said, TJ Cloutier’s year seems to have spiked towards the good with a great win in the NL $5K Event. To stay current check out the following:

Tao of Poker, for real-time tournament reporting and updates on an ongoing white-trash apartment dwelling soap opera.

LasVegasVegas, the Poker Prof and FlipChip. In-depth coverage and lots of pictures.

PokerPlayer Newspaper, From the above-mentioned folks, a mish-mash of great poker stuff.

Score another one for the mighty Hollywood PR machine and uber-rich closeted gays everywhere. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are officially engaged, so send your condolences to Pauly. This will indeed be a sad day for him, the love of his life just got hooked into some crazy Scientology juju.

I missed Helixx’s show last night, and I’m highly annoyed. Work and school is seriously cutting into my fun time, it’s just not right. If you didn’t know, he DJ’s and spins kick-ass stuff, so contact him to get on his mailing list for some musical goodness.

Go read the new article by BG. He’s worried it’s not very good. He’s wrong.

More in a little while….

The Calm Before the Storming: Day Two, Part II

[If detailed stories of food don’t interest you, you may want to skip this installment]

I love a good meal. I love hearing about good meals. Whether it’s prepared in a simple fashion or extravagantly, in a fine establishment or in the wilderness over a fire, a meal that manages to rise above the mundane reminds me that there is still some good left in the world. Perhaps I’m being a bit melodramatic, but I can’t help it. I love great food, and Mrs. Head and I were off to Elements in the Aladdin seeking another great dining experience.

It did not disappoint.

Décor

The theme of the restaurant is evident in the name, and they almost got it right. Almost. The décor was nice, but it was missing something, and we pondered what the reasons for this might be as we enjoyed some drinks and a nice selection of various crusty breads. As I looked around in search of the “missing thing”, it finally hit me. The restaurant had a nice layout, with adequate representation of all of the four elements, buuut, there were framed prints on the wall in various spots. In my humble opinion, this served to cheapen the look a little bit, because they honestly looked like some of the framed “fancy” art that one might pick up at Target. I’m not disparaging Target or any of its ilk, it just didn’t fit in here. I think that if they brought in some larger raw canvas paintings that were a bit chunkier in feel it would suit the place much better. Since I fear I may be creating too negative an impression, let me reiterate that this should absolutely not stop you from going. The décor was still very nice; it was just a bit “off”.

Other than that, everything was fantastic from the start. For those that care about such things here is a breakdown:

Cocktails

The quality of the first cocktail is of utmost importance as it will set the tone for the rest of the meal. If it ends up being substandard, it will put a dampener on all things following it and casts a blow to the spirit where there need not be one. Mrs. Head ordered a Cosmopolitan and I went with a solid standby, Grey Goose Martini with a twist, very fucking dry.

Mrs. Head’s Cosmo was proper, which is more unusual than you might think. Countless are the times that a Cosmo in a supposedly “nice” restaurant comes out red instead of pink and with a cherry instead of a lime. Egad. As I took the first sip of my martini, I was immediately satisfied; they got it right, as well. Some servers and/or bartenders look at me like I’m a rude and pompous dickhead when I utter the phrase “very fucking dry” while ordering a martini, but I refuse to order them any differently. It’s truly shocking how badly someone can mess up a martini, pouring what I swear are equal parts vermouth and vodka/gin, hence the “very fucking dry” portion of the order; the expletive makes them sit up an take notice. Besides, at $10-12 a pop I refuse to drink something made in a substandard fashion.

Appetizer

We went for the shrimp cocktail. All of the reviews of this restaurant said that the three giant prawns were fist size therefore justifying the slightly shocking $15 price. Not quite fist size, but damn, they were pretty big and delicious with a couple of different cocktail sauces. Given the choice again, I’d probably pass, not because it was bad, but because of what was on the way…

Main Course

It’s hard to really say enough about the main courses, they were heaven on a plate. Mrs. Head went for the seafood mixed grill which included giant scallops, more giant prawns, and a crab-stuffed lobster tail. If you dig on seafood, it doesn’t get too much better than this..

As always, I was a sucker for the steak. There are few things on this planet better than a fine piece of dry-aged beef cooked to perfection, and when it’s done well I don’t have a bit of a problem paying nearly any price for the privilege. I went with the Applewood-grilled Porterhouse with ancho chili béarnaise. I’m sitting here trying to think up a way to do this entrée justice and words are failing me. I guess I’ll simply say that I was one of the better meat experiences that I’ve had in some time.

We coupled the entrees with a nice Qupe ’97 Syrah. Not too heavy, but still retaining a nice bold flavor. The sad thing was that the food was so unbelievably rich, we didn’t even finish the bottle and ended up leaving about ¼ of it. I was sad about that, but there was just no way that I was going to be able to fit a single thing in my stomach for the next couple of hours.

Human Head Verdict for Elements— (Out of 10) Service-9.5 Food-9.5 Décor-8.5 Highly Recommended.

[stay tuned for the Storming of the Castle]

The Calm Before the Storming: Day Two, Part I

It was wonderful waking up on Friday morning for a couple of different reasons. The first, and at first glance the biggest reason, was that I woke up feeling great. This seriously should not have happened considering the staggering array of alcoholic beverages and the amounts consumed. Must be the desert climate. Well, that or simple anticipation which let loose a bit of the adrenaline cure-all.

To me, though, there was an altogether more important factor that made the morning fantastic to wake to. It’s a special feeling, one that is all too rare in the life of a cubicle dweller:

I still had three solid days left in Vegas.

It was as though I was eight years old again and my parents had just come downstairs to let me know that not only did I not have to go to school today, but that today was actually Christmas and because of some funky magic it was going to last 72 hours. It was a great start out of the blocks with no false start, and I was picking up speed.

Staying true to my word, it was time go do some shopping with Mrs. Head. Before, when we were set to arrive on the originally planned Friday, the shopping trip was just going to be a hit and run. Since we had arrived a day earlier, however, I was mentally prepared for an extendo-shopping session, and it was exactly that. Out of all the places in Vegas a person could choose to shop, one could stand to do a lot worse than the Aladdin and I was simply thankful that Mrs. Head is not a Forum Shop lover. The thought of the Caesars shops with its crowds, the noise, and all things animatronic makes me throw up in my mouth just a bit. .The Aladdin is calm and easygoing. Perhaps it simply appeals to me because of my affinity towards most things Middle Eastern or my love of anything even loosely associated with the desert (NOTE: desert, NOT “southwest”). The fact that it is quiet and sedate could also be part of the reason it had to be rescued by Planet Hollywood, who knows.

Perhaps my affinity for this casino simply stems from the fact that I’ve had great luck on the Wheel of Fortune slots during my time there. While my love of slots certainly doesn’t reach Grubby-esque heights, I loves me a few spins on the Wheel of Fortune slots. I love them so much that I find myself periodically checking to make sure I’m not a grey-haired 57 year-old lady wearing oversize pink short pants and a fanny pack. It’s odd, this Wheel of Fortune obsession, because I hate the actual show with quite a passion and the wheel itself has only shown me glimpses of fortune but never quite gets me there. As I write this last sentence I can’t help but think of how much those damn machines are like your sophomore girlfriend. You always catching a glimpse but never quite get there. Back then I wanted a looser girlfriend; now I want looser slots. Hell, it’s probably for the best though, because if you get there you’re likely to keep coming back even if you know it’s no good for you.

The slot high carried me through the next five hours while all 5’6” of Mrs. Head proceeded to unleash a whirlwind of AMEX-presses throughout the complex. It’s still a bit hazy because towards the end I had to sit down, but I think Sephora had to call in extra staff to deal with it. Sephora=Porn for Women. Miraculously still riding my Christmas morning-like high, I ordered Mrs. Head a massage while she tended to natures call and scored some nice bonus points and a much needed rest upon return to the hotel. No, that’s not a euphemism. I really did need some rest because the hour was approaching for two things: A great meal and a $2-6 Spread Limit game that was even better.

Life Goes On. Dammit.

This week and next, the next installments of the WPBT II may be spotty, but rest assured I'm getting them written up ASAP, but for this week and next the schedule is tres busy. Stupid corporate sunsabitches.

I am happy to report, however that I'm back on the virtual felt with some decent results. Win money in cash games, enter MTT, lose buy-in to soul-sucking beat. Repeat. Not complaining, though. After a month away from the tables there is still some obvious rust that needs to be shaken off.

Now, go read Pauly, LasVegasVegas, or for that matter any of the links on the left while I sit here and work like the enslaved monkey that I am.

Advocating for Vegas

While trying to ponder the best way to write up the next installment of the WPBT II, I read Bill Rini’s post this morning and thought that I would throw my two cents in, whatever that’s worth. Ummm, that was a retarded sentence, seeing as how I definitively stated that it was worth two cents. OK, OK, I’ll get to the point.

There are obviously a ton of possibilities for the location of WPBT III. New Orleans is a great town, lots of fun to party in, but the Harrah’s casino is so-so as far as the poker goes, IMO. I’d love to visit Tunica and see what that’s about, but it doesn’t seem like a place to bring people from all over the country. Having never been, though, I could be absolutely wrong.

I’m officially advocating Las Vegas, again. Why? Las Vegas has something for absolutely everyone. Players at all levels of their game have a cornucopia of choices when it comes to where they can play, from the lowest to the highest. Not so much of a gambler? There are plenty of shopping opportunities and shows to enjoy. Wanna play some low-limit –EV games? There are plenty in Vegas and that’s something you won’t find at the Harrah’s in New Orleans unless it’s 9 AM, and even then you’ll be lucky to find a $5 table. In short, it’s really hard not to have a great time in Vegas, no matter who you are. Like pizza and sex, even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

Last, but certainly not least, fall or winter in the desert is wonderful. It will be interesting to see what the consensus ends up being, and I’m more than sure it will be a great time regardless of the location. Even if everyone decided to get together at the Greyhound station, I imagine I’d still show up.

With so many great people in one place , how could I not?.