FOOD IN VEGAS

Vegas is really a Foodie destination these days. So many choices and so many big name chefs are represented in Vegas. While there with the NTO’s, we had a chance to sample some really wonderful cuisine.

Tao

This bistro has an Asian fusion menu that has the restaurant and nightclub in the same venue located at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian hotel. Cuisines from Hong Kong Chinese, Japanese, and Thai make up the menu selections. We had hot edamame which are steamed soy beans in their casings sprinkled with sea salt. Service was fantastic and attention to the patrons was prompt. Some had sushi and sashimi. I chose the wok-seared New York Sirloin with Shitake Mushrooms and Szechwan Potatoes. The portions were huge, so I could only make it half way through the dinner. But everyone was pleased with the selections.

Lavo

Located in the Palazzo Hotel and Casino, this Italian Restaurant/Nightclub/Lounge was hopping when we visited on September 3rd. The music was quite loud, so be prepared to shout at each other, or just rock out in your seat. While waiting to order, one of the ladies looked up and said, “Hey, that’s LMFAO!”, and they walked right around our table to the VIP section. What are the odds that in Vegas we would run into another Cherrytree Records artist while there celebrating our boys from Tokio Hotel?

We all agreed to get some appetizers. OMG! The Crispy Fried Calamari was tender and crisp all at the same time. And the Prosciutto service was delicious. Some of our group did not like the grapefruit that was served with it, but I found it refreshing after the salty food.

I also chose to try a bowl of the Lobster Fra Diavolo Bisque. They served me the bowl with the cream/butter/lobster in the middle, and they poured the bisque over this. It was fabulously decadent!

After appetizers and soup, I found it impossible to get through all of my entrée. But the Center Cut Filet was perfect, as well as the roasted asparagus I ordered to accompany my entrée.

SushiSamba

Our last night in Vegas was a tough call. We finally agreed on SushiSamba, a fusion of Japanese, Brazillian, and Peruvian flavors. This fine dining experience was the perfect end to our journey. We began with drinks at the bar while we awaited our table. I am now completely enamored with Cucumber Martinis. This one had a hind of spice to it. Complete bliss!  Michelle had something fruity and yummy, and wow!  It looked so pretty!

At our table, we decided to go family style and share several dishes. We had Japanese Vegetable Tempura, Lamb Robata (grilled meat), and the Chef’s Inspiration Sushi/Sashimi plate. The lamb was so spectacular and just cooked to perfection with an amazing sauce/glaze. The sushi and sashimi was first rate and melted in your mouth! I think it amazing that we were able to order the Rosca, a doughnut served with a hazelnut/chocolate dipping sauce. Yes, we rolled ourselves out when we were done!

The Vegas experience is not complete without trying at least one of the culinary masterpieces available. Be adventurous, and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Strong Female Musical Artists of Cherrytree/Interscope, Part 2

Natalia Kills

Discovering an artist is like selecting the perfect chocolate among many. The experience touches on all the senses in a memorable way.

Natalia Kills has that honor. 

She gets major cool points for being a fellow Leo. We do rock the world, if I may say so myself.

How I discovered Natalia isn't important. What I uncovered is priceless.  This woman puts the exclamation point on fierce. Born Natalia Keery-Fisher she's formerly known as Natalia Cappuccini, Verbz, Verse and Verbalicious.  Again, this fellow Leo born on August 15 (Happy belated Birthday, Natalia) also shares similar heritage as a British-born with Caribbean genes, with the additional touch of Latin roots.

Singer, songwriter, MC, actress, and director had an early start in British television from 1995 when she appeared in her first TV series.  Thankfully, she followed her musical muse and through an evolution emerged in 2008 when she collaborated with the creative genius of will.i.am and went on to sign to Interscope/Cherrytree Records.

Natalia isn't one to be described as "sounds like...," or "looks like..."  There are enough cookie cutter acts out there. Natalia will take those infamous heels and kick the doors down and stomp all over stereotypes of what she should be. 

September 2010 marks the release of her debut album, Perfectionist (released by Cherrytree Records).   Natalia has also produced and co-directed a mini-series, Love Kills xx, and a film "The Exhibitionist" which has been made concurrently with the album as the soundtrack to the film.  Harkens back to Prince's Purple Rain.

One of Natalia's quotes resonates: “I don’t want to be famous; I want to be interesting."

No doubt, she will be interesting AND famous.  Can't wait to hear the entire album.

NataliaKills.com
Cherrytree Records

Strong Female Musical Artists of Cherrytree/Interscope

Tamar Kaprelian

As the Label for Tokio Hotel, Cherrytree Records is synonymous with independent artists and music. This is true for their strong female artists as well. Cherrytree supports several artists from their parent label, Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Two such artists performed at the Cherrytree All Hearts Tour launch party at El Adobe in July – Tamar Kaprelian and Kelis.

Tamar sang Raining In Paradise that day. Her voice struck me as so clear and honest. Nothing hidden, you knew exactly what she was feeling as she sang this moving ballad. My daughter, who is notoriously picky about music, loved her sound and in particular that song.

When the opportunity came to see her perform again, we both decided to make the trek in to L.A. to see her perform at French Connection at Bloomingdale’s in Santa Monica.

She began with Delicate Soul (beautiful!), and then treated us to a new song – Eye Of The Storm. The chorus was so haunting and sweet at the same time.

After this, Tamar sang New Day, a song featured on The Hills TV show. We heard this again after her break, and Eileen and I decided we both LOVE it!

Tamar has a lighter side, as well. Her next song, in which her guitarist participated, came from the Aladdin film, A Whole New World. While we were all really laughing about the song choice, she did a perfect rendition of this Disney classic. Only someone with a clear voice full of emotion can really pull this off.

And a final treat before her break was the title song from her upcoming album, Sinner Or A Saint.

Her second set included all the songs mentioned above plus Raining In Paradise and a cover of Free Falling. This set ended with a fan request to sing A Whole New World. Tamar makes a very convincing Jasmine!

When asked what influenced her music, Tamar credits the singers of the 70’s, such as Billy Joel and Sir Elton John. She sees her music as appealing to all age groups, from pre-teens on up. No barriers!

Mekela Lumbard, the West Coast Visual Coordinator for French Connection USA, was on hand for Tamar’s performance. Mekela commented that FC clothing has been around since the 70’s and knows no age barriers. We can see why Tamar and FC are a perfect fit. Tamar was sporting one of the brand’s little black skirts, and she looked exquisite!

Tamar grew up in Arizona and currently resides in California. She writes lyrics and plays the piano/keyboard. She finds inspiration for her songs in her life experiences, music she hears, and books she reads.

Her big break came when she entered a contest and won with a cover of Apologize. She first met Martin Kierszenbaum, President of Cherrytree Records, through Interscope’s A&R division which Martin also heads. Cherrytree and Interscope both support her artistry.

Her debut album, Sinner Or A Saint, arrives on August 24th. It includes 10 songs and one hidden track and can be found through iTunes, Wallmart, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com (just to name a few).

So, contest time! Want to win a free copy of Tamar’s new album? How about an autographed picture as well, hmmm??? Comments left to this post will be entered to win a copy of Sinner Or A Saint and an autographed picture! Woot!

Outside The Comfort Zone

As we get older, it becomes more difficult to try new things, go new places, and leave that which we know for the great ‘unknown’. In this world we live in the now, where people change careers every 5 years, the idea of a Comfort Zone is being replaced as fast as we replace our computers and cell phones.

With all this new technology comes life at the speed of light – information appears faster. Communication via multi-media pushes us to reach farther, think broader, and stretch our boundaries.

My first baby steps into multi-media brought me stumbling into YouTube and a band called Tokio Hotel. From there, I hopped to pictures, blogs, TokioHotelAmerica.com, and CherrytreeRecords.com.

Websites these days must be very ‘busy’ to get the attention of the fickle music fan. On the Cherrytree site, there is chat, radio, interviews, videos, forums, fan art, etc. Everything you need to hear new music or find out more about your favorite Cherrytree artist (including Tokio Hotel!).

On July 23, Cherrytree Records held a launch party for the All Hearts Tour starring Robyn and Far East Movement, with Kelis and Dan Black. The headliners were all at the El Adobe in Los Angeles for the party, and performed for an intimate crowd of very happy fans! My daughter (Eileen) and I RSVP.’d and were on the list. We were so excited neither of us slept very well the day before!

We live about 2 hours from L.A., and it was a Friday. Californians know to leave PLENTY of time to get places. We ended up arriving early, and were one of the first 30 people or so into the event. Free margaritas (Cherry!) and food, with a yummy cherry topped cake as well.

And the best part of arriving early? They had swag bags, 2 to choose from, and one of the choices was a Tokio Hotel bag! I was already on cloud 9 before walking in the door!

When we walked inside there was a cute-as-a-button young lady waiting by a table with loads of free stickers and posters (Yes! More Tokio Hotel!). I received one of each, including these cool Lady Gaga chibi stickers. O.K., before I even meet one artist, I am floored. I snagged an I Heart Robyn sticker, hoping to get it to Michelle with a Robyn signature.

Eileen and I grab a couple of chairs that were left in the back (she has a couple of health issues and couldn’t stand for very long that day). Eileen gets something to eat, but I was way too happy to eat. Hey, maybe there’s a new diet program in this?!

And then? The parade of stars and fun begins! Collette Carr is there just being her usual bubbly self. And Far East Movement is already there and looking very….um….young and hip?

Eileen posed for a picture with the guys from Far East Movement.

Martin, Andrea, Dean, Natalia Kills, all mingling with the fans! I’m not even sure who performed first, but of course they were playing all music from Cherrytree artists. This included my favorite guys from Germany, Tokio Hotel.

<--Eileen and I with Martin  

I recall a moving song from Kelis. And then Far East Movement was up, with Collette as well! I was surprised by how much I liked them! I had never heard them before, but that was why I came, to really experience different music. These young people are so fearless and so passionate about their music. It was truly inspiring.

From there we hear some more from the DJ, with more Tokio Hotel! I remember constantly tweeting about how great it was to hear Tokio Hotel being played. At a party. In L.A.!

We heard from a few more artists that I had never heard before, and I was pleasantly surprised that I LOVED all the music. But the best was yet to come.

Robyn. What can I say to describe this woman live? She was incredible, she had people reaching for tissues. She’s a little blonde dynamo brimming with soul and a clear, honest voice. I can completely understand Michelle’s love of this artist now. Sooooo……what do you think, my friend? Are we planning another road trip to see Robyn together?

By the time Robyn came on (she was last – the best for last!) Eileen was not feeling so great, so I went up on my own (yikes!) to ask for Robyn’s autograph. A couple of people behind me in line were talking about how great it was to meet her, and then I heard them say, ‘I think we are the oldest people here!’. O_o Well, I turned around and smiled at them, and they got a great laugh out of it.

I got up to Robyn, and asked her to sign the sticker for Michelle. She asked for my name and I asked if she wouldn’t mind making it out to my very dear friend who was a very devoted fan. She asked me how to spell Michelle’s name, signed the sticker and took a picture with me! What a sweet woman!

By the time Robyn left, everyone had to leave for the concert, and we were leaving to go see a viewing of Tokio Hotel’s live DVD of their Humanoid City Tour.

I was able to meet Dean from Cherrytree and talk with him for a bit, and I met another wonderful friend from TokioHotelAmerica.

Eileen with Dean. --->

After one final pic with Space Cowboy and his wild shoes (neon pink!), we collect our car and head out. An event to remember! An experience outsize the ‘Comfort Zone’!