Week 85 Canaletto (In the Venetian)

Welcome back! I can't believe this is week 85 for the blog and we are going strong. This week when we head out it will actually be week 86 but because Brett and I both have schedules like maniacs during the week (our amazing co-workers on both ends can appreciate this) we are a little behind. 

Remember, you can always find our blog on the LV Informer under the Local Interest section http://lasvegas.informermg.com/ . We also have a Facebook page that we update almost daily so make sure to like that if you haven't already, we appreciate it http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants .

What Teray Says...

So this week we combined our dinner date with our friend Adam's birthday. Adam asked us beforehand where on the strip have we not been for our blog and we told him it was basically free choice being we don't head to the strip too much for this blog. He chose Canaletto at the Venetian because it was close to The Act nightclub which we had a table and bottle service after dinner so we did not have to walk to far. 

Canaletto is a little confusing to find, well at least it was for us. It is right at the border of the Palazzo Shops. If we ever go back in that area we will park at the Palazzo. The thing that I loved right away about this restaurant is that it is such a people watching experience. I love to look at the crazies in Vegas. 

When we were seated, which was right away because we had a reservations, our waiter greeted us right away and asked us if we wanted a drink. I had to take a few minutes to decide but I obviously went with a Riesling. I think Brett just ordered a beer and Adam had a red wine. Chelsie and Trevor joined us too at this point and I think Chelsie had Riesling as well. 

We were given a bread plate which was really good; there were all different mixtures of bread. For an appetizer we chose the fruit and cheese plate, which also was delicious. For dinner Brett ordered a pasta and pork dish, which he will talk about in his section. I tried it and it was delicious. I ordered the Barilotti Integral Al Forno, which was whole wheat barrels of pasta baked with smoked mozzarella, chopped eggplant, garlic, spicy peperoncino, tomato sauce and fresh basil. Okay, so as for my food. I love all of those ingredients separate, but I was not a fan of them together. I am not saying this meal wasn't good; I just did not like it. A lot of the reason I did not like it was because there was so much sauce. 

We were too full for dessert and knew we would be drinking later on that night so we skipped over it. As for the service, it was good, but not the best; typical from what we experienced lately when heading to the strip. My favorite part of the meal was the people watching and the company. I would highly recommend this place just for the people watching. It is a cool experience too if you are a tourist.

Overall, I rate Canaletto 3 out of 5. 

What Brett Says...

This week the decision of where to go was made for us, it was kind of nice not having to figure it out.  Our friend Adam was celebrating his birthday and was making the decisions...he chose "Canaletto" at the Venetian.  I know we don't usually go to restaurants on the strip, here and there, but you have to do what the birthday boy wants.  Canaletto is an Italian restaurant all the way in the back of the canal.

It is hard to talk about the atmosphere, there aren't many places indoors that you can eat on a patio where people are walking around in "Italy" while there are live musicians on the streets.  Not to far from people floating down the canal in a gondola.  Even though you are inside of a large casino you get the feel that you are actually outside surrounded by an Italian ambiance.  It was comfortable with a lively crowd, it was just fun to relax and have a bite to eat.  

Our server was a older Italian man, had the accent and everything.  At first everything was amazing; he was friendly, conversational, and helpful.  Everything he said and did matched the atmosphere.  Unfortunately that's where it ended.  We had a couple show up a little late and getting the drink menu and server back to our table was a challenge.  Once we placed our food order he completely disappeared, never came to check on us.  Simply put we all felt neglected, which was a letdown because it started off so good.  We wanted to keep drinking but it was impossible since we had no one to take our order.  The final straw was when the check came.  There were two couples and the birthday boy, so naturally the check needed to be split.  We asked our server to separate the check by seat, more or less so we could pay for what we each ordered.  He informed us that he could not do that, he could only split the check equally into three bills.  Well this wasn't going to work, it would be unfair to a have a single person partially pay for two couples, we ended up just splitting it down the middle and taking care of Adam's portion...it was his birthday after all.  But how can you not separate the check appropriately...in Vegas of all places.  I use to be a server and did this automatically and know it is possible to do it after the fact, especially in a premier casino like the Venetian.  I assume it is just laziness on our server's part, but reflects directly on the establishment.

Like I said earlier the service was sub par, which made ordering everything we wanted difficult.  We started with a fruit and cheese plate, wanting to follow it with more appetizers but had to settle for one.  I will say that their cheese selection was very good, I'm out of the game now and couldn't distinguish each type of cheese but they were delicious.  The pairings of the cheeses was great and there were no shocks from one cheese to the next.  To round out my experience I ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Castellana which was a pork tenderloin pasta dish, it had mushrooms and bacon in a creme sauce.  The portion was slightly small but not too bad.  The taste however was amazing.  I really enjoyed it, they combination of flavors made the meat pop.  I would say that it is one of the better meals I have had in Vegas.

Overall I am torn.  The atmosphere was amazing, the food was pretty amazing.  But all that is ruined by horrible service and even worse customer service after the sale.  It got so bad we declined dessert so we could get it somewhere else...which is disappointing at an Italian restaurant.  I think it's safe to go here just pray for good service and keep the check splitting issue in mind.

Rating 3 out of 5

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week.  Check out my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. I will be the first one to say, I never really wear body-con dresses. If it were up to Brett that is what I would be picking every week. LOL. But we all know that as a girl you need to feel like you are having a "skinny day" to wear certain things. Anyway, I love the color and pattern of this dress. The mint green and the laced flowers is perfect for the upcoming warmer weather. You can dress it up like I did for a night out or you can dress it down with some flats and a jean jacket for a brunch or running errands on a spring day. The dress is lined as well so you don't have to worry about the lace being see through. I paired this dress with some nude patent leather pumps and of this gorgeous pastel necklace and earring set that I got at Sparkle by Patty's Closet. You can find this look at the Rainbow Patty's and Rainbow Sparkle location. xo

If you haven't already make sure to check out the Patty's Facebook page and the Sparkle Facebook page which are linked above. They post pictures of new items a couple of times a week, so you don't want to miss out. Also, if you aren't lucky enough to have a PC near you, you can shop online at shop.ilovepattyscloset.com .

Until next time, cheers to the month of love. <3 

Week 75 Pink Taco (Hard Rock Hotel and Casino)

Welcome back! I can't believe this is week 75 and that you guys keep coming back for more and we are getting more and more hits every week. I know I say this all the time but we appreciate every single person who reads this blog. 

Can you guys believe that Brett has not blogged for 4 entries now? Pretty crazy if you ask me. I am lucky enough though that the past two weeks I have been joined by guest bloggers. This week I went out with my dear friends Adam, Trevor and Chelsie. Everytime we get together it is always a great time, so I knew this would not be any different, but more about that in my review.

Remember, you can alwayas find our blog in the LV Informer under the local interest section, http://lasvegas.informermg.com/category/lv-local-interest/blog-connection/. We are also on Facebook and thanks to everyone who liked our page this week. Brett and I update the page frequently and we love to hear from you, http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

What Teray Says...

So as I mentioned above I went out to eat for my weekly dinner with Adam, Trevor, and Chelsie this week. Chelsie suggested Pink Taco and I was thrilled because I love to mix it up once in awhile and do a typical Vegas night. By typical Vegas night I mean hitting up a casino or somewhere on the strip. I, like most locals I know hit up these types of places when we have friends in town. Our crowd is more local places types. :)

It took me the longest time to find a parking space so I was the last to arrive. At the table there already were chips and different salsas, all which were fantastic I might add. I love chips at a restaurant but I hate them at the same time. I love them because of the taste and hate them for how much I eat. 

We started off by picking an appetizer that the four of us could share. We went with appetizer platter which consisted of sweet corn tamales, cheese quesadillas, chicken and carne asada skewers, taquitos and guacamole. I ate one of the quesadillas and one of the tamales, both which were excellent. Everything else looked delicious, but I wanted to leave room for my dinner. 

Oh how could I forget?! For a drink I ordered a margarita and was so pumped that they could make it a skinny marg. It was definitely worth the 2 dollars more for piece of mind of drinking less calories. After I finished the marg I switched to a Bud Light. 

There were so many great things on the menu to choose from but I decided to order the carnitas which are pork tacos. I got three tacos and rice and beans. I probably should have done what I normally do eat half and bring half home, but it was just so delicious that I ate it all in one sitting. 

I honestly cannot tell you what everyone else ordered because I was concentrating so much on my food. Everything looked really good though. 

For dessert we ordered churros. It came with two so we just eat ate half of one. They were the perfect way to end the meal. 

Our service was pretty good and the wait was not long at all. I could tell he was really busy though. The atmosphere was fun and I felt myself dancing to the music that they were playing. Overall, I rate Pink Taco a 4.5 out of 5 for sure! 

What the Guest Blogger Says (Written by Chelise Blaxton) 

This week, while Brett is still deployed, Teray asked Trevor, Adam, and I to be guest bloggers. I was so excited to help out! We decided to go to Pink Taco, in the Hard Rock Casino. I absolutely love Mexican food, so I couldn’t wait to try it out.

Since we went on a Saturday, we decided to make a reservation, which ended up being a good idea because it was packed! The decor is a mix between “modern Mexican cantina” and “old school Mexican cantina”. I don’t know how they were able to pull it off, but it really works. I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant; perfect Saturday-night-with-friends kind of place!

Because we had a reservation, we were seated right away and brought some chips and salsa. Then we waited. I’m not sure if it was because they were busy, but we didn’t see our server for at least 10 minutes. So, I asked for our server to come over to the table. I am usually am patient and will wait, but I’m not sure our server even knew that we were part of his section because he walked passed our table at least 4 times before coming over. Anyway, we ordered drinks and an appetizer sampler, to share.

My margarita was delicious! YUM, I’m always in the mood for a margarita! The appetizer was good, but nothing too special. The one thing that stood out was the tamales; the tamales were cooked perfectly.

For my main dish, I ordered shrimp tacos. They came with beans and rice. The shrimp was cooked just right and overall my meal was really excellent. My fiancé, Trevor, ordered Sabana De Pollo with Chimichurri. His meal blew me away! It was thin sliced seasoned chicken with cheese, onions, beans, pico de gallo, and chilies. It was amazing! When we come back I will for sure order what he had!

Then for desert we had churros with ice cream. Again, delish! And it was just the right portion for 4 people to share.

Overall, I loved Pink Taco: the atmosphere and food were incredible! My only critique was that the service was a bit sub-par for the strip. Our server was pretty absent most of the night. He was there just long enough to take our order and check on us once for drink refills. I would have like to see the service match the rest of the restaurant.

I would give Pink Taco, 4.5 out of 5. I would have given a full 5 had our server put more effort into the service. But, I loved the food, the atmosphere and especially the company I was with (Brett, we all wished you were there with us)!! 

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Thank you to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week and to Jose for chatting with me the whole time I was there. I love going to Patty's it is always such a wonderful time. I feel like I am always shopping and hanging out with my friends! 

Check out my outfit of the week provided by Patty's Closet Fashion Boutique. This has to be by far one of my favorite looks to date. As I was walking through the Hard Rock people were stopping me to compliment my outfit. This sweater is more

 like a poncho because you don't put your arms through sleeves.  Something funny about this is Patty named it a Fab-cho. How amazing is that?! LOL. The openings at the shoulders make it very flattering. My leggings are black with gold mustaches. You can find these pieces at the Rainbow location. My booties are from Heart&Sole by PC and I am obsessed with the patent leather, suede and gold combo.

If you aren't lucky enough to have a Patty's Closet near you, you can shop at the online store at shop.ilovepattys.closet . The Facebook pages for Patty's and Heart and Sole are linked above and they update with new items many times a week, so be sure to check them!! 

Until next time, cheers to longer nights. xo

Week 60 Sugar Factory (The Paris Hotel)

Hi Friends! Can you believe it is August already? I can't! This summer flew by, but luckily it has been my best Vegas summer ever, so I can't really complain. Anyway, we have some exciting things coming up for the blog that I am excited to share so stay tuned for those. I still cannot believe how many people read what we write and that people appreciate it and approach us with cool opportunities; what started out just as something fun for Brett and I has turned into an awesome experience all around. We appreciate every one of you who take the time to read, comment, email us, and write on our Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, you can like our page right here: (shameless plug) http://www.facebook.com/thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants

Also, as I mention each week, you can find our blog in the LV Informer under the local interest section. You can follow them on Twitter @LVInformer and check out the paper right here: http://lasvegas.informermg.com/

Speaking of Twitter, I (Teray) have a Twitter account and I have in the past few months been tweeting a lot more. I have made some great connections for the blog through there, so if you are like me and want more followers (haha) follow me @TerayDragun and I'll follow you. I talk about the blog on there a lot too along with fashion (from Patty's Closet of course). 

What Teray Says...

So this week we went to the Sugar Factory located at the Paris Hotel. There are a few Sugar Factory locations here in Vegas, but we went to the one attached to the restaurant. I have been to the Sugar Factory a few times before for lunches and dinners with friends, so I knew it would be a good time. Brett had some good friends in town, so I chose this place to go and figured we could blog about it being we haven't visited many places on the strip. 

When you think of restaurants on the strip, you normally think of pricey places. The awesome thing about Sugar Factory is that it is a place where all ages can go and the food and drinks aren't pricey at all! I was hoping to spot some celebrities being they always are visiting the Sugar Factory, but I didn't see any. 

I had made reservations so when we arrived we didn't wait more than 5 minutes. We were seated right in the middle of the restaurant, which I like because then I can see all the action and take pictures without being so obvious and feeling like a tourist. :)

Although Sugar Factory has the most amazing alcoholic dessert flavored drinks, Brett and I stuck to water because we wanted to save our calories for one of the amazing desserts. Our friends ordered wine and beer, which seemed reasonably priced for the strip (note: I say for the strip). We ordered the appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip and it was definitely enough for four people. I would recommend that as an appetizer if you go there. 

It took us awhile to decide what we were going to order because there are just so many choices. You can check out their menu online before you go, because if you do you will save yourself a lot of time deciding. :) I ordered the french dip (which I have had before so I knew it was amazing). Brett ordered turkey and brie crepes and our friends ordered the club sandwich (which was huge and looked amazing) and a burger. I can only speak for my food because I didn't try anyone else's but the french dip there is amazing. The sandwich is not only huge, but you get the perfect amount of skinny french fries, which are my favorite type of fries. I gave some of my sandwich to Brett because it was way too big for one person. 

Even though we were full, I told Brett we had to get even just one dessert to share. We ordered a frozen peanut butter hot chocolate. It is definitely enough for two people. I ordered it at another time by myself and it was too much to finish, so I am glad that we got to share. This is probably the best frozen drink that I have ever had. At the Sugar Factory they have where you can just get desserts and if you do I suggest the frozen peanut butter hot chocolate for sure!

Overall, I would rate Sugar Factory 5 out of 5 because I love the food, I love the atmosphere and the prices are pretty good. I am biased though because it is one of my favorite restaurants here in Vegas. You know that Brett will be honest with his opinion, so read on!


What Brett Says...


This week we ventured somewhere out of the norm, to a place we usually try to avoid, to the busiest street in town...The Strip.  I had some friends in town from college, being that they are tourists we figured we might as well meet them somewhere known instead of the local places we usually end up at.  It was Teray' week to pick and in true Teray fashion she chose the Sugar Factory at Paris.  I had no idea what it was or what they serve, I assumed foods with sugar.  I drive by fairly often at work and knowing what the front looked like assumed it would be fashioned after a 7 year old girls pink princess party. (The front is one of the perks of this place! Of course I love it if it is pink and princess themed---Teray) 

When we got to there all I saw was a store filled with candy, I was starting to get a little confused.  Fortunately on the other side of the store there is a large restaurant with tables and a bar.  Surprisingly the place wasn't as girly as I thought, I wasn't uncomfortable at all with the decor and theme.  I was a little uncomfortable with the layout of the place, the tables were close enough that you could hear others conversations but even more annoying is that I kept getting walked into by people walking to and from their table.  I would also say that the tables are a little small, not horrible though.

The service.  I wasn't impressed at all, even more disappointed since it is at a Strip hotel.  Our server just wasn't very good; none of us are very soft speakers but we kept having to repeat what we were saying, this eventually led to us not getting everything we ordered.  I also spent a good amount of time waiting for water refills.  I'm not sure if it was the fact that he wasn't very good or if it was the fact that management decided to give him two tables of eight people at the same time.  My buddy and I both use to work in the restaurant industry and actually had an exchange about how our service wasn't going to be great considering he just got screwed.  We also informed him that we were starving and to let us know if something wasn't a good portion, I ended up with something I could eat in 4-5 bites.  Everyone we dealt with was friendly and polite however, which was nice.

So we were all starving.  Teray and I because it was our cheat day and my friends because they just got done with a 9 day rafting trip.  We started things off with a spinach/artichoke dip; I was impressed with both the taste and size.  If was nothing outrageous to write home about but then again it is hard to screw this up.  I decided to order out of the norm; I went with a turkey and brie crepe dish.  This thing was frickin' amazing, considering it was on a dinner menu it was extremely small and not filling.  Lucky for me Teray never eats everything she orders, so I also ate half a french dip and fries.  The french dip was very bland and dry but the fries were good.  To finish things up Teray and I each ordered a peanut butter frozen hot chocolate.  I would like to emphasize on the fact that not only did we order two, the server came back and asked if we needed anything and I said "nope, just those two."  We got one, at this point we weren't trying to deal with it anymore.  So we just split it, I know she doesn't have cooties so I was alright with it.

Overall, I would be much happier with eating this food if it was a local takeout joint where service wasn't as big of an issue.  The pricing wasn't horrible, especially considering it is in a hotel on the Strip.  All three of the other entrees ordered were very large, large enough that I was the only one to eat the entire entree...in fact the other three barely made it 50% through.  I would most likely not return, but I do not regret going.  Like I said the crepe was very good and the dip was good.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week

Thanks to Patty and Juan of Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week!  I absolutely love these pants. The color is so rich and the fit is perfection. They can be worn out or to work, which is fabulous. The skinny belt is included. I paired them with a plain black tank and a skinny scarf with lighting bolts on it for the extra flair. The pants are available at the Rainbow location and my scarf (which can be made a bow as well) is from the Town Square location. 

Well, there are so many exciting things happening with Patty's Closet so I have to share just a few of them with you. First of all in a little over two weeks, a Patty's Closet is opening in NJ. I know, amazing right??!! To make the event even more exciting Briella and Jessica from Glam Fairy and Jerseylicious are hosting the grand opening. (Don't forget my mom and I will be on an episode of Glam Fairy airing in October, and I am wearing Patty's Closet) I am so jealous of everyone that gets to go; I wish I could fly back for this. I am such a fan of them and think they have the best style of the girls on those shows. I hope everyone that goes tells me all 

about it! 

Vegas Patty's lovers there is more excitement in store for us too! Pretty soon a Sparkle is going to be opening next to the Rainbow location and a Heart and Soul (new Patty's concept store for shoes) store right next to that. How amazing right? I know I am counting down the days and saving my money, because I am sure it is going to be shopping sprees gone wild! 

Also, there is a store opening in Hawaii soon too! To get all the details on these events check out the Patty's Closet Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV By liking the page you will get to see all the new items at all the new stores on shipment days. :) 

Lastly, if you aren't lucky enough to have a Patty's Closet near you yet, you can shop at Patty's Closet Online; check out their site: shop.ilovepattyscloset.com

Until next time, cheers to keeping it classy- xoxo