Vintner Grill - Where's my avocado?

Went to Vintner Grill on Charleston and Hualapai Way with the niece. Atmosphere is clean and crisp indoors. It's juxtaposed against the hard, uniform business complex surrounding it. Almost like a hole-in-the-wall.

The green theme had me craving for avocado, so I ordered a turkey burger with emmental cheese, bacon, and avocado. When I bit into this mammoth burger, there was no avocado. Que paso, Vintner? Bringing this faux pas to my waiter's attention did not seem to faze him. Normally, when you are out of an ingredient, you tell the patron. They didn't nor did they compensate me for it.

Bad customer service = scathing review.

The food wasn't that good, besides. Many restaurants in Vegas have good food, but it's not the mouth-watering, succulent, praise JESUS! cuisine you get when sitting at any French bistro. Maybe one day they'll get the whole flavor thing.

Are you Shostaphobic?

Some people have an irrational fear of Shostakovich. We can call them Shostaphobics.

During the Las Vegas Philharmonic's second Masterworks concert, Shostakovich was in full frolic. Ballet Suite no. 1 is playful and lyrical. The orchestra spritely danced around the piece. It was almost carnival-esque. But that was last concert.

Watching Ilya Yakushev's fingers scamper across the piano keyboard brought back memories of music school crushes. There's something about the lightness of the touch and fluid strokes that get my juices going. I'm sure it gets yours. It didn't help that Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major is a solidly romantic, jazzy piece. It plays on your heartstrings and other things.

I skipped out on the Schubert, having listened to it early on. I can do a whole lieder cycle of Schubert, don't know if I could last through a symphony.

My friends and I arrived early to Sidebar/Triple George. This bar is suppose to be a throwback to old school Vegas - you know, Mafiosos and swingers. On four TV screens were two different movies: Casino and Swingers. There was lots of sex. And violence. I guess that's what Vegas is? But if you ever are at the Sidebar, try the "Inspiration." It's delicious. It tastes like Bath&Body Works (my friend's words).

Didn't really meet any new people. Like, at all. Just averted crises as usual.

Crowd Control

This article was featured in the Huffington Post.

Vegas audience acts as back-up in Dem debate

Las Vegas political activists aren't known for polite listening and conservative behavior. Two days before the presidential debate on Nov. 15, UNLV students gathered to watch a mock debate between college Democrats and Republicans. It was a blood bath. Question and answer time with the audience showed no mercy.

With baited breath, we waited outside of the Cox Pavilion Thursday afternoon for similarly provocative discussions. As a UNLV alum, I was eager to see the media circus and if we would turn up the heat.

Inside, big wigs in Nevada politics meandered along the blue carpet. State Senator, Dina Titus chatted with students. Lou Dobbs strolled on-stage for a brief segment. We were apparently in the "Situation Room." It's kind of cramped in the situation room.

Howard Dean smiled broadly at the incoming crowds. Nobel Peace Laureate and advisor for the new UNLV Black Mountain Institute Wole Soyinka was one of 100 chosen to sit in the "red zone." Wolf Blitzer sat at his clear plastic podium, looking grumpy and serious.

The 800 of us campus representatives climbed into our seats all along the right side of the stage. The other 26,200 students strolling across campus were wholly unaware that UNLV was making history.

The university and CNN kept the whole affair mum. Students and faculty were picked out of a lottery to win seats. There was little to no press presence on the campus itself – it was split between chaos and oblivion. Those lucky few took advantage of the opportunity.

Once the debate began, it was evident that the crowd would be the second moderator. John Roberts second question on the attacks on Hilary Clinton received loud jeers. "Get to the issues!" shouted someone across the hall.

In the middle of the debate, Obama was booed for criticizing Clinton. Some think the audience was stacked with Clinton supporters, but the attacks went on for way too long. It may be uncivil, but it's a message to other candidates to move on and actually answer some questions. Albeit, loaded questions.

Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants – yes or no? Human rights or national security? Merit-based pay for better teachers – yes or no? Litmus test for Supreme Court justices – yes or no? Senator Chris Dodd was right about having debates solely on education – and maybe all other issues too.

William S. Boyd Law School professor, Scott Burnham, was against the yes or no format. "It's a matter of balance. " But he did feel this debate was a good opportunity to get to know the candidates personality.

Senator Joseph Biden seemed to be a crowd favorite. He showed humor without being rehearsed. He gave insightful answers without digressing. Kucinich couldn't get a word in edgewise. Governor Bill Richardson's Latino thunder got stolen by Dodd's shout out to his service in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps.

Questions from the audience didn't have the bite we were looking for either. Normally, long, drawn-out questions referring to very specific legislation passed and injustices incurred would be thrown at speakers. CNN chose softball questions from Iraq veterans and mild-mannered citizens. Where was the usual fire lit under asses?

A collective groan could be heard from the UNLV side of the Pavilion after the last question, asked by a student, to Clinton –"Diamonds or pearls?" Way to represent!

Many students were undecided on who they supported. Senior anthropology major, Angeline Caballero, is one of them. At the end of the debate she was still unsure. "No, I still don' t know. But it gives you a lot to think about."

Project project

Which one of these do you think lost? The left one that Heidi said looked as though she was "pooing fabric"? Or the right one that Michael Kors said looked like she dressed in the dark?

Well, Simone LeBlanc lost with her "modern antiquated" look on the right. Which threw me because Elisa Jimenez's blue-faery design was a MESS.

So if you haven't heard - Project Runway is back! It's the fourth season and supposedly going to be the best. You know, they always say that, but we shall see.

I'll save you the boring rundown of every designer and their design and just give you the best and worst. You can look on the Project Runway website for more information.




This winning design by Rami is, as the Gunn says, "Stunning!" Indeed, I would wear that and in that color. It truly is a vision. But didn't we similar draping on Keith Michael's design last season? You know - the dude that got booted for having design books?

It's only the first episode, so I hope there is more and better and DIFFERENT to come.

Humor at the Met

Check out the "Ask Figaro" section of the Met. It has a couple of questions that answer some of the wardrobe and appropriate behaviour queries I addressed in my "How to attend a concert" post. But this Q&A had me in stitches:

via Metropolitan Opera

Q.

Pagliacci is one of my favorite operas, and I plan to see it at the Met this season. One thing about it confuses me, though: Tonio bangs his drum and invites the villagers to the show “a ventitre ore.” He even repeats this a few times, and on high notes, so I know it’s important. Now, I know that translates as “23 hours.” I also know that 23 hours means 11 P.M. Wasn’t that a little late for a clown show to begin? Shouldn’t the kids have been in bed by then?

A.

If that’s the most perplexing question you have about Italian opera, you’re in pretty good shape. A show might well start at 11 P.M. in Madrid, but in rural Calabria? Before electricity? As it turns out, many places in Italy marked time the old-fashioned way until clocks were standardized in the 20th century.

And by “old-fashioned,” I mean biblically old-fashioned, as in starting the clock at sunset. “Ventitre ore,” therefore, meant an hour before sunset – a perfectly respectable time for the kids to come to the show and witness a double murder.

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A restaurant all to your self

Dear friend of mine Mimi and I kvetched at bistro Tinoco's last night. It is right next, I daresay connected, to the Arts Factory - the breaking ground of First Friday.

Someone misinformed me that this restau was an American bistro. Not so much - more like Italiano. It is a perfect date spot - warm colors, cozy seats, small space. The tables are in the shape of an art palette with splotches of paint streaked across. The thin, wooden menu is adorned with a single slim paint brush. Unlike Macaroni Grill, Tinoco's keeps it classy, not deigning to actually allow its restauranteurs to paint on the table.

I'm late to this game; Tinoco's has been around for awhile now. But I'm glad I finally went. The food was very well done (not overly delicious, but not stale either). I spent my entire month's dining-out allowance here as dinner is considerably more expensive than lunch. It was worth it in ambiance and chilling with the amie.

A sarcastic socialite

There's this Life Style Inventory personality test I took a couple of weeks ago at the urging of a coworker. The fact that someone urged me to do it slanted the test in a positively negative way. There are truths to it though. However, the advice on how to proceed is antithetical to my philosophy on life.

My nature is to be oppositional, argumentative, non-confrontational, skeptical and cynical. No wonder I can't get a date, huh? Nah. I can get one, but I'm too much of the above to accept. I've known this all my life. It's part of who I am. My mother is constantly admonishing me for being so "philosophical". A career in law is probably in my future. How I go from here, suggested by the LSI, is a little too schmaltzy for my taste.

Most people don't change from sheer force of willpower. Some aspects of our personality are inextinguishable. It takes a life changing experience to shake us of our habits. It took me going to France to realize that, for better or worse, the French philosophy of life is my own. Family and friends above all else. When you're on break, you're on break. When the clock hits 5, it's time to go back to your real life. Good food is integral to a good life. Don't accept everything everyone says. Being challenging is a good way to test potential relationships.

This whole socialite escapade is a challenge on that nature. You see I like to be challenging and be challenged. But the challenge should be organic, not a 12-step program into becoming a changed woman. This LSI thingy says exactly that. From the text, emphasis mine:

"LSI Prescription for Change is a results-oriented companion exercise to the LSI. Using it, you first accurately pinpoint thinking and behavior that may be blocking your effectiveness and then complete a worksheet that provides a practical, detailed "prescription" for changing self-defeating behavior. "

Results oriented? Prescription for change? Was this test constructed by AA? People are adaptive. That's why the theory of evolution is so convincing, not only scientifically, but socially. We adapt behaviors in order to help us survive and we all come to different conclusions. Barring actual self-defeating behavior like alcoholism, prejudice, being abusive, etc - what is so wrong about being imperfect?

My close friends aren't my close friends because I am a ball of positivity who will tell them everything they do is BRILLIANT! They are my friends because I provide encouragement AND realism. I ask questions. I want them to succeed, so I ask them questions. The whys. The hows. The whats. This test would have you believe that I'm an empty shell of a person with no close friendships. Bully!

Anyway. Sorry for that digression. My point. My philosophy on life is that people are perfect in their imperfections. Change is organic; it cannot be actuated through force. And if I am to take the advice of this test to accept people for who they are (which I do), then so should they. LSI should accept me for my sarcasm, cynicism, skepticism and social awkwardness.

An abundance of wine

Tonight was a special dinner with members of a support organization of the Philharmonic - The Guild. It was held at the Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts. My oh my. This post will have to be edited later on because there was, as the title suggests, an abundance of wine. So much for studying.

I sat with my sup and his mother, two guild members and a board member and her husband. Conversation was pleasant, food was excellent. However, the board member had no idea that I was recently hired to be the marketing coordinator. Interesting. People really don't know about me. I wonder why that is. Without recognition, it will be extremely difficult to get any respect.

How were my socializing skills? Abysmal. Seriously, next time I'm sitting apart from the boss.