Update: Las Vegas Weekend...and Trader Joe's Comes to San Antonio!

A view of the Las Vegas Strip at night...a sight
to behold!!!

Can you believe that it's November already?!?!? Time sure has been flying quickly lately. I haven't been in the kitchen much over the past week, but it's for a good reason...I promise! Michael and I went to Las Vegas on Saturday for a three-day getaway weekend. We were there to do the legwork for the second installment in my A Food Lover's Weekend In... series! Similar to our weekend in New Orleans in August, we visited some really fabulous restaurants to spotlight in the article. We also saw The Wynn's amazing Le Reve water show and Cirque du Soleil's Beatles LOVE in the evenings. We even took in a Monet exhibit at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts our last afternoon in town. We stayed in a fabulous City Corner Suite at Vdara, which is part of the CityCenter entertainment complex. The views from our living, bedroom, and bathroom were incredible! To say that we had a fabulous time was an understatement. We were hosted at some really wonderful restaurants, including:

• FIRST Food & Bar
• Scott Conant's DOCG and Scarpetta
• Kerry Simon's Simon Restaurant & Lounge
• The Wynn's SW Steakhouse
• Hash House a Go Go
• Max Brenner's, Chocolate by the Bald Guy 

Because no trip to Vegas is complete without a trip to a lavish buffet, we tried the weekend brunch at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace on our own dime. Bacchanal is the newest buffet in Vegas, and it's been named best in the city in multiple publications. I'll be sharing all the details of our trip in a multi-part article in a couple of weeks, so make sure to come back to read about all the fun details!

In other exciting news...Trader Joe's opened here in San Antonio last week!!!! Now I can enjoy their amazing products anytime I want...instead of having to resort to visiting when we travel and bringing back a few items in my suitcase. I braved the happy hordes of fellow TJs fans and visited during my lunch today. My haul included: cookie butter, their heavenly chocolate-dipped potato chips, holistic cat treats for Lucy and Maggie (our latest feline addition), and some frozen Asian items for our dinner tonight. I can't wait to go back and explore some more when it's a bit less crowded. If you have suggestions for your favorite TJs items I should try, please share in the comments below. Having a location within 15 minutes of my house is a foodie dream come true for me!!