It Has Nothing to Do With Nipples

I caught a flight Friday night.

Thanks to a sweet friend, I sipped a decaf nonfat gingersnap latte as I waited.

After a long week, I almost did what this girl did.

I got off the plane and reunited with my Mr. Monkey, who has been out of town for work since Wednesday. Where? Here.


We did our patriotic duty to stimulate the economy by dining at Aureole (i.e., the inspiration for this post's odd title) at Mandalay Bay.

I started with a tangerine mojito ($17 -- eek!).

We enjoyed the Reflections tasting menu ($95).

Ahi tuna and cured salmon composition with American caviar and lemon crème fraîche.

Fresh, beautiful, lovely start.

Housemade potato gnocchi and seared scallop with orange leek fondue, sauteed wild porcini, and champagne foam.

Near perfection. The gnocchi was great and bouncy. The scallop was done just right.

Simply grilled halibut with confit tomato, roasted asparagus, and tuscan olive oil.

Decent but fairly unmemorable.

Asian spiced braised pork belly with creamy polenta and Chinese long bean.

Mmmmm. So luscious and rich and meaty. Paired well with polenta.

Duo of beef tenderloin and flat iron with caramelized onion, soft potato cake, fall vegetable, and cabernet reduction.

Fantastic and fall-apart-in-your-mouth good. Nice reduction. Very filling.

Tasting of cheese -- Morbier, moco rouge, and Westfield goat cheese served with a roasted tomato-green olive foccacia and apricot-green peppercorn chutney and balsamic gelatin and pine nuts.

Pleasant. I love cheese, but I think the dish suffered if only because I was stuffed.

Fresh blackberry tart with white chocolate blackberry float.

Deeelicious! The tart was warm and happy. The float was cool and smooth.

Petit fours.

Tasty little nibbles of yum yum yum.

Our cheapo $63 room at the Renaissance balanced out our fancy meal.

If you know your way around Vegas and have a rental car, it's a lovely, modern, quiet, clean, and totally smoke-free environment for your weary head to rest at the end of the night.

But don't stay here if you're a newbie or part of a rowdy group. Go for the Strip.

We had a nice view of it.