Food Diary: What happens in Vegas...ends up on my blog :)

This weekend we took a trip to Vegas, one that we had been planning for months. If you read my posts you'll guess that the prospect of trying to find food in a new city gives me crazy anxiety. This was no exception and I have to say that even though I did research, emailed, called and asked around my worries were somewhat warranted. I have great friends but regardless of how supportive they are, looking for food that satisfies me (and fills a belly full of booze) is frustrating for a large group. I hate feeling annoying and difficult but sometimes it's necessary :( Anyway, I wanted to let you all know how it went, so here we go...

Thursday:
This day wasn't a full one...I worked all day and then we headed to Vegas around 8pm (our flight was slightly delayed). Therefore, the day leading up to dinner-time was just fine and I'll say it again, thank goodness I live in Austin. It's the one airport that really focuses on local businesses for the food courts, so I was able to get a plate from Salt Lick to finish off before boarding. This avoided the fact that I would have to find food once we arrived in Las Vegas.

However, after our free bottle of champagne was delivered, along with a couple drinks on the airplane, the hunger pangs started again. Luckily, I had my list of food that I could eat from Treasure Island printed out and we hit up the late night Coffee Shop for the Gardner's Delight Omelet and some hash browns.

Friday:
Ok...so this was by far the most challenging day when it came to eating...I'm feeling ill just thinking about it. We started off fresh and ready to go, the plan was to head over to Caesar's Palace where Alea and Brett were staying for a day at the pool. Before getting ready we hit up the TI Starbucks and I got a cup of fruit to go along with my grande skinny vanilla latte.

After arriving at Caesar's, I decided to quickly pop-in to the Concierge to ask about restaurants within the resort that may have menus I could order from. She gave me the always horrible response "As long as you tell the restaurant that you have to eat special they can figure something out for you." UGH. That is not helpful...so taking that into consideration we stopped at the gift store and got a yogurt and a bag of Tostitos to take to the pool just in case. The woman at the counter made sure I kept my receipt so we could take the food outside...but it was clear to us that the employees of Caesar's do NOT talk to each other because the pool was adamant about not bringing outside food or drink into the complex.

We argued with the man that was checking bags walking into the pool and asked him to find a manager. With no manager answering his call, and 10 minutes later, he allowed me to bring the Tostitos into the pool area, and I snuck the yogurt in at the bottom of my beach bag. That helped...but after awhile I was getting hungry again, even after munching on some Tostitos. Walking over to the snack bar we weren't sure what we would find, but it wasn't a rude response and eye roll from the chef. No luck at the pool, so I kept sunning, drinking and hoping that I wouldn't get hungry. Unfortunately, I lost that battle and got sick in the bathroom.

Luckily at that point it was later in the day so Kristen was willing to venture off and hunt for food, by this point I had vomited a few times in the bathroom (and before you think it, NO I didn't drink too much) and was crying...oh so dramatic but I needed some nourishment. If you've been to Vegas you know that the Forum Shops have a lot of places, we also asked again what places we could find some gluten-free food. In the Cypress food court we got two eye rolls in a row (what's with these people?!), went to a fancy restaurant that said they didn't have much but could work with me to whip something up (nope) and finally hiked all of the way back toward TI and found a California Pizza Kitchen with a small gluten-free menu. I got the BBQ chicken salad and stayed in the rest of the night...

The disappointing part was not that I couldn't find anything but that a hotel and casino that has such a good reputation and is so large couldn't act polite about my situation, I was really upset with their employees and plan on sending a note to the concierge to make sure she doesn't give that advice again.

Saturday:
Waking up after a 12 hour sleep I was definitely feeling better and more optimistic about the day ahead. We were all meeting at the TI pool to experience some more party and I knew which places within our casino that I could order from safely. We became convinced that someone high up in the management at TI has gluten intolerance because they all knew what I was talking about and were overly accommodating - I suggest any Celiac stay there!

Since I woke up much earlier than Kristen who had partied it up at Tryst until early in the morning, I disappeared downstairs and went to the Coffee Shop once again to get the omelet and hash brows that filled me up so well the other night. Paired with some orange juice and a latte I was prepared for the day.

I knew that for lunch I would need to get some food, and nothing at Kahunaville was gluten-free (the restaurant out at the TI pool). So I once again consulted my printout from TI and found that I could order to-go from Gilley's the bbq restaurant in the hotel. Of course...again they had the no outside food or drink so I asked the outdoor manager about bringing other TI food in and he gave me his name and permission to use it in order to get past the guard, thanks Chris! Much appreciated after the Caesar's debacle. I successfully ordered and devoured buffalo chicken wings and the best potato salad ever from Gilley's.

My demeanor and overall presence is much, much more pleasant when I'm full so everyone had a lot of fun the remainder of the day at the pool. We had a plan for the night to go see Chelsea Handler, eat dinner at Isla at TI and go out. Isla Mexican Kitchen was great, I could eat the enchiladas and they paired it with corn instead of rice. I could have the salsa and chips and the atmosphere was great. They are only open for dinner but I definitely recommend them. Phew...day two complete.

Sunday:
Omelet and hash browns again...why mess with a good, safe thing?? You don't if you are familiar with the challenges I face so again good start to the day. We decided that since a cold front had rolled in we would go ahead and explore a little, so after picking the others up at their hotel we headed to Planet Hollywood for some gambling and exploration. Kristen has a fondness for Holly Madison so a star siting was on the to-do...unfortunately no such luck.

Brett had his sites on Margaritaville for lunch/dinner - which is an awesome place - but unfortunately I called and all they could say was "nachos with no chili and salad with no dressing". No big deal, pH has a P.F. Changs so we played slots and blackjack for awhile while I waited for my to-go order. I downed my Chang's Spicy Chicken and brown rice and we headed off to Margaritaville. I was nice and full and had no qualms about being around all of that large, greasy food, it was a super fun atmosphere and we had a good time watching the "1st day" and "2nd day" visitors who were still running on full.

Our flight was a 7:50pm so Alea gave me some peanut M&M's for the road and we headed back to Austin. I'm exhausted today but had an amazing trip. Glad to have gotten the bad food day over with at the beginning, the rest of the trip was very enjoyable. I would 100% stay at TI again because of how comfortable I felt with the staff there. If anyone ever has questions or needs tips let me know...

I'm glad to be home, and I want to thank my best friends Kristen and Alea for sticking by me throughout the trip. I had a fantastic time :)

Off the Menu: Treasure Island, Las Vegas

Well, we are headed off to Vegas for Memorial Day weekend...and the only caveat I had for agreeing to go was that my friends help find gluten-free dining options. I started some research on my own and since we are staying at TI, was crossing my fingers that they would respond and here are the options, AWESOME:

TI BUFFET
BBQ Station
Baked Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Pulled Pork
Smoked Trout
Roasted Turkey
Tennessee Whiskey BBQ
N. Carolina BBQ
Vegetable Medley
Baked Chicken
Smoked Spare Ribs
Mashed Potatoes
Beef Brisket
Scrambled Eggs
Corned Beef Hash
Bacon
Sausage

Asian Station
Soy Sauce
Wasabi
Ginger
Thai Beef Salad
Kim Chi
Seaweed Salad
Bean Sprout Salad
Hummus
Picked Veggie Salad
Greek Salad
Chinese Stir Fry Vegetables
Beef and Broccoli
Korean Ribs

Salad Station
Pico De Gallo
Fresh Cut Fruit
Crab Legs (Weekends)
Peel and Eat Shrimp (Weekends)
International Station
Carnitas
Pinto Beans
Fish with Mediterranean Sauce
Tuscan Vegetables
Fried Serrano Peppers
**Buffet has rainbow sherbet or fresh fruit.

BAKE SHOP
(Upon Request)
Gluten free cake or cupcake.
Vanilla or choc or marble.

THE COFFEE SHOP
Eggs & Hash Browns
Corned Beef Hash& Eggs
N.Y. Steak & Eggs
Garden Omelet
Mushroom & Swiss Omelet
Healthy Omelet
Smoked Salmon
Fresh Fruit Plate
All Skillets (no toast)
Caprese salad
Shrimp Cocktail
Burger with out the bun
Grilled Ribeye
Garden Potato
Stuffed Philly Steak Potato

ISLA MEXICAN KITCHEN & TEQUILA BAR
Guacamole
Queso Fundido with corn tortillas
Achiote chipotle wings
Green chili pork stew w/ corn tortillas
Chipotle BBQ chicken salad
Shrimp and avocado salad
All tacos (except Baja)
Cheese enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas
Beef Barbacoa enchiladas
Pork carnitas
Achiote Salmon (no Tamal)
Steak pyramid
All Iron skillet Fajitas with corn tortillas

KHOTAN ASIAN BISTRO
Edamame
Jalapeno Hamachi (no jalapeno chip)
Green Salad
All fish sashimi
All sides

GILLEY’S SALOON, DANCE HALL & BAR-B-QUE
Sweet potato fries
Gilley’s chili
Ct chili
Vegetarian chili
Pulled pork salad
Grand ole wedge salad
Caesar salad (without croutons)
Baby back ribs (no sauce)
Baby back ribs and chicken combo (no sauce)
Porter house steak
Flat iron
Salmon
Delmonico steak
Mashed potatoes
Cole slaw
Baked beans
Corn
Potato salad
All burgers (without the bun)
(NO DESSERTS)

PHIL’S ITALIAN STEAK HOUSE
Shrimp Cocktail
Icebox of the Sea
Diver Sea Scallops (no sauce)
Fresh Market Oysters
Mixed Field Greens (no croutons)
Steak House Onion Soup (no croutons)
The Prime Strip
Filet Mignon
Surf and Turf
House Dry Aged T-Bone
Cowboy Chop
42oz. Rib eye Chop
Butcher Cut Kobe Skewer
Filet of Ahi Tuna Arrabiatta
Roasted Chicken (no sauce)
Oven Roasted Salmon
Fresh Maine Lobster
Alaskan King Crab Legs
Australian Lobster Tail
Giant Baked Potato
Sautéed Wild Mushroom
Grilled Asparagus
Sauté of Broccoini
Grilled Veggie Platter