I realize that most people that go to Las Vegas, believe the quotation “whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  Not for us, we go to Vegas to see two of our children and five of our grandchildren.  We try to see as many as possible for every outing, but as they get older, other things like school, dates and jobs get in the way.  The weather was just a little warmer in Vegas, compared to Detroit, so a sport coat was perfect to wear.  Our first night after getting our luggage, rental car, and stopping to get some supplies for our hotel room, we were worn-out, so it was just a day of traveling.  In Vegas, everyone drinks bottled water and that is a major supply, besides wine for our room.  The first couple of nights we eat early, because we are still on Detroit time, three hours difference, so I am sure the kids think we are fuddy-duddies.  Our first night for dinner, we met at one of our stand-by restaurants, because everyone likes pizza and Grimaldi’s makes a pie, like the early days.  Though we did have to move the reservation up an hour later, but the restaurant made it happen, it was a double whammy of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. 

My Bride and I got to the restaurant first, to make sure that they knew the table was going to be used.  We like that we can actually walk to the shopping center from our hotel/casino; and when you are on holidays any additional walking is great.  My Bride went to the church, our kids use and she had the ashes applied earlier in the day.  The kids were going to be late, because the mass after school didn’t agree with the original reservation.  So, we had a chance to study the menu and know what we were going to order, and it was rather easy, since I was the only heathen that could eat meat.  We ordered two large salads to begin with, an Antipasto, with all of the meat, going towards the heathen, and of course, a Caesar Salad.  We started off with a bottle of Anterra Pinot Grigio Terre Siciliane IGT 2022.  Anterra which means ¨ancient lands¨ perfectly describes the island of Sicily.  Anterra describes their wines as authentic and uncontaminated from vines whose roots are embedded in soils rich in history and culture.  Terre Siciliane IGT is region wide and replaced the older Sicilia IGT in November 2011, and Terre Siciliane translates to ¨Sicilian lands. ¨ The only two designations as Sicilia DOC is for wines made from Grillo or Nero d´Avola.  This wine is made from pure sustainable techniques in the sunny and dry Central to Western part of the island.  A soft golden colored wine that offered notes of tropical fruits and a hint of almonds.  On the palate there were tones of fresh fruit and a short finish of fruit.  A very simple wine and easy to understand, and easy for the grandkids, in case they decided to pour some into some of the extra empty wine glasses on the table.

As the rest of the guests arrived, we also placed an order for a couple of extra-large pies, one with just cheese and one with cheese and vegetables, and one small meat lover´s pizza (for the heathen).  We also ordered a bottle of Decoy Merlot Sonoma County 2021from the Duckhorn Portfolio.  I first discovered Duckhorn back in the Nineties when everything was done in Napa Valley, and they didn´t even have a tasting room, but through a friend, we had a private tasting in the back of a semi-trailer and Decoy was their second label originally as a red Bordeaux style wine.  Now Decoy is in Sonoma County as a blend, as well as single variety bottlings.  Duckhorn Vineyards bucked the trend and they were resolute about Merlot, and when I think of California Merlot, I automatically think of Duckhorn.  This wine was aged for twelve months in French Oak, forty percent new and sixty percent neutral. A beautiful deep red wine, and it offered tones of black fruits and baking spices.  On the palate there were tones of black cherry, currants, mocha, vanilla, blended with silky tannins and a medium finish of fruit.  A great way to start our visit, and no desserts, as Lent had begun, and that is what is given up among my crowd; and they also got a Valentine’s card.