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VinCenzo in Vegas, Baby! |
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The demands of working at VinCenzo don't leave a whole lot of play time, so when we play, we do it right. When it comes to good food, fun, recreational risk and moderated debauchery, there's clearly only one place to go. To that end, we took a weekend in August to cruise out to Las Vegas for some well-deserved fun and frolic. |
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Ahh, the bustle of the casino floor... gotta love it.
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The Vegas outings were instituted a year ago to give everybody an opportunity to get out and experience a little non-work related camaraderie. |
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24 hours into the trip and everybody's having a good time, but after a long night at the tables, Joe's in a fog... or a mist, as the case may be.
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Realistically, however, no "vacation" ever completely pulls this group away from work. A gambling mecca wouldn't be complete without some high-end retail shopping, and where there are shops, there's research to be done. Cosmetics stores are always perennial favorites, as they tend to be on the cutting edge of what's new in packaging. We even managed to find some of our tins just off the casino floor. A few paces from the slots, we came across a display of mint tins bearing the design of the Bellagio casino, produced by VinCenzo. |
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It's never just a vacation with this group. Joe, Keith, Al and Stephen take some time to check out what's new at a local cosmetics store.
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Of course, this isn't to say that we didn't have our fun. We cruised the strip to check out the impressive casino facades, from Treasure Island's pirate battle to the Bellagio's choreographed water show. We took in a show, watching the irreverant "magic" of our two favorite Las Vegas hucksters, Penn & Teller. However, our favorite sin city pastime is checking out the varied and ubiquitous celebrity chef restaurants that have become a Vegas fixture over the past five years. In particular, one oft overlooked gem is Mark Miller's Grill Room at the MGM Grand. One of the oldest and smallest of the celebrity chef joints, it has quietly and consistently been one of the best over the years. Miller is pretty much the undisputed master when it comes to Southwestern cuisine, and he shows it at the Grill Room. We heartily recommend the lamb. |
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Celebrity Chef Mark Miller... purveyor of all things Southwestern and tasty.
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| All told, everyone certainly had a great time. In the words of one of the group, "If you're not having fun in this city, you're doing something wrong." We saw the sights, took in a show, lost some money, ate some great food, and even managed to get some work done on the side. After a great weekend, we left Vegas flying high... then again, that could have been due to the pumped-in oxygen. |
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A VinCenzo tin full of Bellagio mints... the perfect complement to your Vegas dining experience.
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