Every time I travel, I learn a little bit more and more about how to maintain healthy eating habits and keep feeling GOOD while on the road. It started when I figured out that I had to pack my own snacks, in order to prevent any convenience-store binges on chocolate-covered pretzels and questionable hot dogs. In my last couple of trips though, I’ve learned that what I pack is just as important as packing anything at all.

Before we left Portland on Saturday, we made a quick stop at the Portland Farmers’ Market and picked up six Honeycrisp Apples from Sun Gold. I had a brand-new jar of Trader Joe’s Almond Butter (the best almond butter), so I stashed that in my suitcase. Those apples came in handy! We snacked on them as soon as we arrived in Las Vegas, in the mornings and as snacks.

When we picked up the rental car in Nevada and before we started the drive into Arizona, we hit up a Whole Foods for even more apples, some granola bars, a kale salad, water bottles, and kombucha.

Whole Foods' Kale & Apple Salad

I was sooooo excited to get that kombucha.

We ate decently well while in Vegas, in the splurge-sense and in the healthy-attempt sense. Warning: a lot of these photos were taken with my iPhone, in low-lighting. So, they’re not perfect, but you’ll get the idea.

Breakfast

I had a great breakfast wrap at the Sugar Factory (which you #BiSC’ers will remember from last year’s amazing chocolate martini + fondue party).

One morning, we ordered breakfast (eggs, bacon and toast for me) via room service so that we could work without having to leave the hotel and set up shop somewhere else. That worked out pretty well, especially because the whole wheat toast proved to be a pretty decent vehicle for getting more of that almond butter into my mouth.

Lunch

The thing about lunch in Vegas is that it’s actually really just brunch, because by the time we’d wrapped up our morning work, gotten ourselves together and made it out of the hotel, it was late morning. I think we ate two meals each day, mixed in with some snacks like apples and almond butter.

Dinner

Dinners were mostly late-night affairs, since it is Vegas and for some reason everything happens a little later: wake-up times, lunch times that are actually brunch times, dinner time, and calling-it-a-night times. The first night we were there, we sat down to dinner at 11PM. I chose Serendipity3 at Caesar’s Palace, because I’ve been there every year during Bloggers in Sin City, and just had to go back.

Truffle Mac & Cheese | Tuna Tartare Fish Tacos

I opted for the fish tacos (tuna tartare!), though I did sneak a bite or four of Chris’ truffle mac and cheese! The tacos weren’t exactly nutritious, but I made the choice based on the protein and omega-3′s in the tuna, and the sweet, freshness of the mango salsa that topped it.

The second night we were there, I splurged on some chicken wings. I mean, we were staying at Hooters (that’s where you end up when you tell Priceline you want a 3-star hotel in Vegas, just for the record). Also, for the record, it was a totally alright place to stay. Not glamourous, but comfortable, super cheap, and a half block off the Strip). You can’t stay at Hooters and not get their famous chicken wings. I mean, that’s what they’re known for, right?

We also managed to get off the Strip so that I could try my very first In-N-Out Burger.

It was a decent burger, sure, but I’m not quite sure what all the hype’s about (sorry!). The best fast food burger I’ve ever, ever had was at either Rally’s or Checker’s in Memphis, Tennessee, at Backyard Burgers anywhere in the South, and at Burgerville in Oregon/Washington. In-N-Out just wasn’t as awesome.

But, being a food blogger who’s never had In-N-Out — well, that was a must on this trip. I got the tip to try the Animal-Style Fries after I had already ordered, so I’ll make sure to get those next time I find myself at an In-N-Out!

You win some, you lose some

We’ve had a decent mix of “splurge” meals and healthy choices, but by today my body’s just been craving food that hasn’t been battered and fried, wasn’t meat, and had some nutritional benefits. Today’s meals included soup and salad at Panera, and this fine little collection of sides from Denny’s (because nothing else in Flagstaff is open on a weeknight after 9PM, and we were hungry travelers!). I ordered three sides, at $1.79 each: green beans, broccoli, and vegetable rice pilaf.

My 9 year-old self wouldn’t recognize the girl that goes to Denny’s and doesn’t order pancakes or a club sandwich or macaroni and cheese. But here she sits, in Flagstaff, AZ, craving veggies so hard that she makes her own meal out of veggie side dishes.

I think we’ve got road trip healthy snacks down to a science. Granola bars, apples, almond butter, kale salad, olive and goat cheese dip, water bottles. Check, check, check, check, check, check. But dining out is hard. When you don’t know a city well and aren’t sure what the local eats can offer, it’s challenging to know what you’re getting before you get there. The biggest lesson here is this: I’m going to have to do some research before getting out on the town.

Any other tips or resources you can share that might help me find healthy food options while on-the-road in the future?

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

Last night my husband and I ate at a one-of-a-kind Chinese restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. The average rating for this particular restaurant on Yelp!, a social ranking site, is three out of five stars. Though I’m not a foodie by any stretch of imagination, my husband has a fairly refined palette and I do know a good deal when I encounter one in Las Vegas.

We decided that the food at this restaurant was fairly priced and actually quite good, but the three-star rating makes sense. In a city like Las Vegas, there’s a lot of competition, so a restaurant that would otherwise be considered a top-of-the-line place to eat in some places is downgraded to just another Chinese restaurant to grab some noodles or rice in Las Vegas.

This is a struggle that restaurant owners and managers have to deal with in Sin City, but the good news is that it makes for plentiful dining options in a city that has lots to offer travelers. As such, you should overindulge in dining in Las Vegas simply because you can.

There are few—if any—other places in the world where you can dine on just about any type of cuisine prepared in just about every style imaginable … all within a few miles of each other. Unlike many destinations that specialize in a particular dish or drink, you really can travel the culinary world in a day with tastes from every corner of the planet.

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Eating in Las Vegas is not a passive experience. If you’re going to visit the city, you might as well make the most of what’s available. Expansive buffets try to outdo each other with creative dessert spreads and impressive selections. If you want quality, pony up the cash and choose one of the more revered options (Carnival World Buffet at Rio and Buffet Bellagio are among the best).

If you want to eat an amazingly high-quality meal in the shadow of a celebrity chef, your options are practically limitless in Las Vegas. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of a restaurant that has won the highest accolades in the dining world from Forbes Travel, AAA and the James Beard Foundation? If indulgence does not equate to a dollar amount for you, then at least skip the chain restaurants and opt for a classic Las Vegas dining experience. If you’re on the Strip, the closest you’ll get to a Las Vegas diner is the Peppermill, located on the north end of Las Vegas Boulevard.

[via]

So how can you top off the ultimate dining overindulgence? With dessert, of course. From chocolate ravioli to every flavor of cotton candy, you can get it all in Las Vegas. You’ll find the ultimate in decadence at Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace. This is the home of the $1,000 (yes, you read that right) ice cream sundae topped in gold leaf.

Who said dining couldn’t be a beautiful thing?

JoAnna Haugen

JoAnna Haugen is the voice behind WhyGo Las Vegas, a Las Vegas travel guide, with information on where to stay in Las Vegas and how to save money in Las Vegas.. Follow her on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook for the latest Las Vegas news.

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Better late than never, right? To show you gratuitous photos of the food we ate in Vegas? I didn’t think so.

When you’ve collected your winnings from all of the blackjack games you’ve played at the Venetian, stroll through the casino to Otto Pizzeria, formerly known as Enoteca San Marco. We visit this place every year for the cheese plate. OH MY GOD, the cheese plate. Choose three, five, or seven cheese – or get them all! Ask for the chef’s recommendation for the best mix of sharp and mild, creamy, and aged cheeses.

For meeting up with friends discovered on the internet, casinos like the Venetian and Paris are killer spots for great dining. But what about places not inside casinos? Serendpity 3, while on the same property as Caesar’s Palace, is a free-standing restaurant with a patio right along the strip. The best part? MAC AND CHEESE. I think we all know how I feel about mac and cheese. Serendipity’s known for their frozen hot chocolate, but before you splurge on that decadent dessert – get your cheese on.

For other Vegas food suggestions, check out Joanna Haugen’s guest post from a couple of weeks back. She’s got some great suggestions about famous chef places, amazing desserts, and the best views in Vegas.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

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Today’s guest post is from BootsnAll Travel Writer, JoAnna Haugen. JoAnna writes BootsnAll’s Las Vegas travel guide, and offers some culinary insight for one of my favorite, sparkliest cities. And just in time! I leave for Bloggers in Sin City (3) tomorrow morning!

Three Unique Dining Experiences in Las Vegas

With hundreds of restaurants and dozens of celebrity chefs, it’s probably little surprise that there’s something noteworthy about dining in Las Vegas. Though some people pass off the foodie experience as an inconvenience that keeps them from the casino floor, many others embrace the ability to eat in a place unlike any other in the world. If you’d like to take advantage of the unique dining opportunities in Las Vegas, here are three experiences you shouldn’t miss:

Dining with a view.

Some of the best restaurants in Las Vegas are hundreds of feet above the street. Get a view of the Strip when you make reservations at one of several restaurants that offer a stellar view of the night lights in Las Vegas.

Top of the World at Stratosphere, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas, Nove Italiano at Palms Casino Resort and Veloce Cibo at M Resort are among the best places to dine while looking out over the Strip, but for a good view of Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, check out Firefly Tapas & Kitchen Bar.

Over-the-top desserts.

Whether your sweet tooth is jonesin’ for chocolate or looking for something much fancier than the average Hershey’s bar, Las Vegas serves it up. Several places in Las Vegas make their own gelato, and the pastries in Sin City rival what you’ll find in Europe.

Mint soup. Chocolate toffee cake with layers of dark chocolate cake, hazelnut crisp and milk chocolate espresso mousee smothered in chocolate glaze and sprinkled with 23-karat gold leaf. Jelly-filled donut holes. Frozen hot chocolate. You’ll find it all in Las Vegas.

Oh … and if money isn’t an issue, consider splurging on the $1,000 ice cream sundae from Serendipity 3. Dessert doesn’t get much more extravagant than that.

Accessible—and affordable—celebrity chef-designed meals.

Las Vegas is packed with culinary schools, and chefs from around the world flock to Sin City to show off their skills. Wolfgang Puck has several restaurants in town and Emeril Lagasse runs several restaurants as well as one of the most popular sports books in the city. Joel Robuchon, Kerry Simon, Bobby Flay and Mario Batali—among dozens of others—have also left their culinary footprint in Las Vegas.

What is really fantastic about the culinary fame of Las Vegas, though, is that it’s completely accessible to the masses. Though some celebrity-run restaurants are a bit pricey for the average person, many of them fall somewhere in the mid-price range, which means that just about everyone can enjoy dishes designed—and possibly prepared by—the same people you might see Iron Chef. Many of the chefs themselves are also very accessible as they stroll around their restaurants, visiting with guests.

[Photos used with permission. Credits: Stratosphere photo; Desserts - M Resorts;  Michael Mina - MGM Resorts International]

JoAnna Haugen

JoAnna Haugen is the voice behind WhyGo Las Vegas, a Las Vegas travel guide, with information on where to stay in Las Vegas and how to save money in Las Vegas.. Follow her on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook for the latest Las Vegas news.

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The first Mac & Cheese Monday guest post is from Becca Wikler. Becca is a long-time blogging friend, a PR professional in Reno, and a mac and cheese aficionado. Huge thanks to her for sharing here a recipe suggestion and a review of her favorite local place!

While I will say I do have a great mac and cheese recipe, it’s not mine, but the Pioneer Woman’s, with only my own slight influence. You ought to try it though, just because … well, you should. It can be found here, and I suggest using two parts jack and one part havarti, plus adding a touch of nutmeg. That said, it’s PLENTY cheesy, and the next time I make it, I’ll probably go a little easy on the cheese [and I can't even believe I actually just typed that].

BUT! That is not why I’m writing this. I want to share with you, the wonder that is the macaroni and cheese from Imperial Bar & Lounge in downtown Reno [one of the restaurants I really wanted to get Doni to while she was in Reno, so she'll just have to come back for it now. HAH.] On the menu as “Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Gruyere and Bleu Cheese,” this dish comes in a single, tiny little All Clad pot – don’t touch! It just came out of the oven.

Now, as-is, this macaroni and cheese is simple and luxurious. Not a Weight Watchers friendly option. It’s indulgent and rich, so maybe you want to share it with someone.*

Because Imperial is close to my home and office, I like to bike there pretty often [because that burns off all the delicious, cheesy calories, right?] but didn’t ALWAYS get the mac and cheese [the fish tacos, sloppy joe sliders, steak salad and ever-so-pretentious frites are also amazing]. Until I discovered that, because it’s made to order in a cute little single serving, you can customize your dish by adding in any of their pizza toppings.

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE LITERALLY, CAPSLOCK, OMG ENDLESS.

With options like sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers and basil. Or artichoke hearts, sausage and spinach. Anything they can put on a pizza, they’ll put in your mac and cheese. I’ve gone with spinach and mushrooms, caramelized onion and sun dried tomatoes. It is so good. Every time. You get their amazing, miracle dish, plus your own creative spin. Which I personally love.

prosciutto, caramelized onions and sliced pear

The only really bad part? When you add in all your goodies, it will no longer fit in the world’s cutest pot.

*I mean, I wouldn’t share it with anyone. That’s just crazy talk. But maybe that’s what you want. Whatever.

beccawik

Becca Wikler is CAPSLOCKY. She lives, loves and eats in Reno, Nev., "The Biggest Little City in the World," and is basically obsessed with helping people see what an awesome little city it is. Go visit her. DO IT. She tweets @beccawik, and blogs here: That Loud Girl.

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We spent the last day of our amazing trip in Virginia City, Nevada.  Virginia City is a great, wonderful Old West town about a half hour from Reno and nestled into the face of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It got on the map as a mining town, and in fact is one of the most famous in the Old West for it’s silver strike in 1859.

Today, Virginia City has preserved it’s culture perfectly, and lives to show visitors all of its history through trolley rides, train trips, and a Visitors Center that’s so full of characater and information, you could learn all you need to know about Virginia City in one stop.  But the fun is in the experiencing, and experience we did!

51st Annual Virginia City International Camel Races

Yes, CAMEL RACES.  As in – jockeys gear up, jump on camels, and RACE them around a track.  Don’t believe me?  Check these photos out – camels are pretty fast!

The experience as a whole was something else.  We had banjo music and folk songs in between races and even witnessed other races with ostriches, emus, and chickens!  Ok, no one rode the chickens, but it was really cute watching the kids chase them around!

The Red Dog Experience

Naturally, we ate well in Virginia City.  We split a pineapple pizza at the Red Dog Saloon, and it’s everything you want a pizza shop to be.  Old fashioned cream sodas, big tall tables, and friendly pizza people.

We chatted with owner Loren for awhile and he explained the Red Dog’s connection with the history of psychadelic music.  For instance, The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane both played at the Red Dog early, early in their careers.

According to Wikipedia,

In April 1963, Chandler A. Laughlin III established a kind of tribal, family identity among approximately fifty people who attended a traditional, all-night Native American peyote ceremony in a rural setting. This ceremony combined a psychedelic experience with traditional Native American spiritual values; these people went on to sponsor a unique genre of musical expression and performance at the Red Dog Saloon.

Bed and Breakfast

We loved our three hotel nights at the Atlantis, but were thrilled to see this is where we’d be staying in Virginia City.  Our hosts cooked our lunch here, and then told us we’d have the bed-and-breakfast-esque place to ourselves for the afternoon and night.  See those swings on the porch in the picture below?  We spent quite a bit of time around and after sunset out there, sipping wine and taking in the amazing mountain-side views.

The City Itself

Other than wine-sipping, pizza-eating, and camel-watching, we spent a couple of hours late Friday afternoon wandering down C Street – Virginia City’s Main Street.  We stopped in at a casino, played our hand at Video Poker, and took in some of the history associated around casinos not only in Virginia City, but in Nevada as a whole state.

Virginia City’s shop-lined streets are adorable – there are candy shops, gift shops, family restaurants, casinos, fudge shops, bakeries, and more.

I’d love to have spent more time there, and will have to do that when we get back to the Reno area sometime.

The entire trip was a whirlwind of fun, wonderful people, delicious food, relaxing stays, and much to learn about Reno, Tahoe, Virginia City, balloons, camels, riverwalks, and history.  I can’t wait to get back!

Disclaimer, again: All thoughts, opinions, and photos not directly quoted or explicitly credited are those of my own.  Huge thanks to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau for the delicious and fun tour of the city.  While they footed the bill for our week there, it’s an honor to share the experience with my readers.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

It’s long been a dream of mine to visit Lake Tahoe, the large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains that sits right on the border of both California and Nevada.  I’d seen pictures; I’d heard stories.  It’s gorgeous… so blue… incredible.  And I knew I’d have to see it for myself.

Luckily, we got just that opportunity during our trip to the Reno area this month.  We dined at the Hyatt in Incline Village, and spent the afternoon following lunch on a catamaran out on the lake.

The Lone Eagle Grill

The Hyatt Regency in Tahoe is a beautiful, woodsy-looking hotel that sits right up against the lake.  Our view from our table at the alpine-lodge-like Lone Eagle Grill was spectacular, as was the food:

I loved the recommended Spinach Salad.  Could you resist this list of perfection?

Spinach Salad with Pan Seared Scallops, Belgian Endive, Saffron Pears, Toasted Pecans, Sun-Dried Cranberries, Gorgonzola, Port Wine Vinaigrette

Nope.  Me either.  Chris opted for the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.  Or more specifically:

Grilled Prosciutto, Herbed Cheese and Smoked Mozzarella Sandwich with Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Always a fan of a grilled cheese, I most certainly appreciate the bonus of great cheeses and a top-notch tomato soup.

The Lone Eagle Grill was one of those places I wish I had closer to home since I wanted to try just about every single thing on the menu.  Later research also revealed a Vegetarian Dinner menu.  Restaurants always score major points with me when there are really awesome vegetarian and pescetarian options as well.

On the Lake

After the perfect lunch, we set out to the lake for a 2-hour catamaran ride around Lake Tahoe.  As it turns out, this part of the lake was a major superstar hangout, even back in the day, drawing famous folks such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra to the Cal-Neva, a hotel on the lake’s north shore.  Also, right around the point outside this hotel, we crossed the border into California!  So, now I can officially state that this trip spanned FIVE states: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.

The catamaran itself was awesome – I’d never been on anything like this before!  We shared the ride with Jill and Vanessa – our friends from the RSCVA – as well as some other folks who happened to be visiting from Wisconsin.  Naturally, I was excited to talk about the midwest with our new friends!

The ride was incredible and the views, spectacular.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen water so blue.  I love that the lake is surrounded by beautiful, green mountains.

Also, we were served wine, cheese and fruit for two solid hours on the sailing trip.  Way to win me over

I know Lake Tahoe’s also known for its ski slopes in the winter, and while I’m not much of a winter sport person, I’d LOVE to come back and be a ski bunny here sometime!

FTC disclosure: All thoughts, opinions, and photos not directly quoted or explicitly credited are those of my own.  Huge thanks to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau for the delicious and fun tour of the city.  While they footed the bill for our week there, it’s an honor to share the experience with my readers.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

A foodie first, I just have to lend a lot of attention to the tastes we got to check out in Reno.  You can tell a lot about a city and its people by their relationship to food, and Reno’s clearly in a beautifully delicious love affair with the dining options for locals and tourists alike.

However!  I promise we did more than just eat!

Le Grand Cirque

Um.  Amazing.  I’m coming back in my next life as a contortionist. Ok, probably not but after seeing shows like this, my complete and utter respect for the capabilities of the human body just increase tenfold.  It’s a stunning show, beautiful and humorous, and completely incredible.  My favorite part was the clown – you know, the guy in between acts that keeps the audience focused on the show while set and costume changes happen?  He was absolutely a highlight – a total riot – kept us laughing and loving the whole time.

{photo credit}

National Auto Museum

Want to see cars from every decade?  See how motoring evolved from the early 1900′s through the decades?  Want to see the car from Titanic?  Yes, that one with Kate Winslet and her hand and the steam and AH! HOT!

You can find all of that and some other really, really cool cars at the National Auto Museum in downtown Reno.  We enjoyed a tour through the teens, 20′s, 30′s and more and got to see how cars have evolved over the years.

The Riverwalk

Another great feature of downtown Reno is the River Walk.  The Truckee River runs right through the center of downtown Reno – it’s not only a beautiful part of downtown, but also features class 2/3 rapids where many a kayaker or rafter has ventured.

Aside from Reno, we got to spend some time in Incline Village and on Lake Tahoe, as well as an afternoon and night in Virginia City.  Catamarans and camel races?  Stay tuned for more on those! Tomorrow, we’ll cover Tahoe and then wrap up the Reno week on Friday with the camel races in Virginia City!

Disclaimer, again: All thoughts, opinions, and photos not directly quoted or explicitly credited are those of my own.  Huge thanks to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau for the delicious and fun tour of the city.  While they footed the bill for our week there, it’s an honor to share the experience with my readers.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

While the Atlantis was relaxing, delicious, and exciting enough for us to stay in all week if we’d wanted, we’re urban explorers are heart and had a blast exploring what Reno has to offer visitors.  The RSCVA does a killer job of matching interest with activity, and our trip was no exception – foodie finds, exciting shows, and historical tours!  Hope you’re not hungry!  Check out all the tasty things we got to feast upon:

The Food

• Old Granite Street Eatery.  True to the age old advice, “keep it simple,” this tall-ceiling, airy-feeling restaurant does just that.  The menu was short and simple, and the food offered was stellar.  I kept it simple myself with a grilled cheese sandwich, which scored bonus points for a) using more than one type of cheese, b) using a great artisan bread, and c) not skimping on said cheese.
• Squeeze In.  Best omelettes on the planet! No, really - Bobby Flay once threw down an omelette challenge here – it’s what they’re known for, and yes – they were perfect.  The best part is choosing a signature side/sauce to go with the omelette.  Get the mushroom sauce.  Thank me later.
• The Prime Rib Grill, Eldorado Hotel.  LOVED this idea.  They offer a dinner+show deal, which made for a perfect ‘date night’ in Reno.  They offer a special menu for show-goers (we saw Le Grand Cirque) that includes a fresh salad bar and delicious gelato dessert.  Definitely a better choice for a meat-eater, but they did offer a great tuna entree for the pescetarian diner.
• Wild River Grill. Save the best for last?  I hate to play favorites, but this one was mine.  Shortly after we sat down, I commented how this place just felt like the kind of eatery I’d hang out in if I lived there.  There’s a bar front and center where younger locals enjoyed cocktails and appetizers, but the restaurant seating area was warm and comfortable.  Beyond the ambiance, the service here was perfect.  Ian took excellent care of us – professionally, yes – but again with that quality that’s the most important to me - he was FUN.  Further beyond the warm and cozy ambiance and the wonderful service, the food itself was to die for.  See?

• River Room. Bonus!  The owner of the Wild River Grill (who beams with pride over the vibe, location, and growth his live-music, view-of-the-river patio place has seen recently) just opened up a more lounge-like place right next door.  We walked in to hear lounge music playing (be still my heart) and see quirky seats and a set-up that had the same cozy feeling, but a different energy than its sister restaurant.  We drank our dessert here (I had a champagne cocktail, of course – the Ring Toss), before moving along the River Walk and other parts of downtown.

Yes, we did more than just eat in Reno

Coming up?  Trips to the National Auto Museum, the River Walk, and Le Grand Cirque!

Disclaimer, again: All thoughts, opinions, and photos not directly quoted or explicitly credited are those of my own.  Huge thanks to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau for the delicious and fun tour of the city.  While they footed the bill for our week there, it’s an honor to share the experience with my readers.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

We couldn’t have picked a better hotel than the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa for our three nights in Reno.  It was a beautiful hotel – cozy when you needed be cozy, and lively when you needed to be lively.  We stayed in the Concierge Tower, which sits across the 21st through the 27th floors of the hotel (see below for fancy diagram pointing at the tinted windows).  My favorite part about the Concierge Tower was the complimentary breakfast in the morning in the Concierge Lounge, and the complimentary hors d’oeuvres in the evenings in that same lounge.

Besides the espresso, croissants, and afternoon bites, the Atlantis was the perfect place to rest in between all of the sight-seeing we did.

Atlantis Hotel and the Bistro Napa

The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa provided exactly that and was just what it sounds like – a casino, resort, and spa.  It’s located south of downtown and connected to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center by a skyway with a new sushi restaurant.  Cool, huh?

We had a little time to relax and clean up before we met Ben McDonald, the publicist for the Atlantis, for dinner at their Bistro Napa.  SUCH a beautiful restaurant on the second floor of the hotel, see?

{photo credit}

Ben was extremely welcoming and fun, and shared with us some menu favorites.  We tried the cheese plate (I never say ‘no’ to a cheese plate!) and oysters to start, I had their amazing Alaskan Salmon Filet for an entree, and we saved enough room to try some of the tastiest and most creative desserts I’ve ever seen.  Most notable was the Chocolate Burger – a chocolate cake “patty” between two donut buns, served with mango fries and a mini root beer float.

Incredible, and SO creative.

One of the best parts about the meal at Bistro Napa was the sommelier.  Christian O’Kuinghttons manages, serves, and suggests thousands of bottles of wine on a nightly basis, and he does so in the most charming, the most personable, and the absolutely most fun way possible.  I’m a huge wine fan, but subscribe to the idea that wine should be fun and not pretentious and Christian was just that – completely, extremely knowledgeable and zero percent wine snob.

Want to splurge? Ask him for a recommendation.  We ended up with the most beautiful Cabernet Franc I have ever tasted.  Want to save? Ask him for a recommendation.  He’s got the inside info on the really good wines at really great prices.

Pantai Luar® – The Spa Experience

They’ll tell you it’s this:

An Eastern Asian Massage for total well being. The Pantai Luar® massage uses two heated sachets of the world’s highest quality herbs, coconut and limes that exude a warm and exotic fragrance during the massage. Using specialized massage techniques, as the heated sachets are passed over the body several times and cooled, extra manipulation and pressure is applied to the muscles, releasing herbs and essential oils into the skin.

I’ll tell you that it was the most unique, most rejuvenating spa experience I have ever had.  I’ve left massage therapists and appointments before feeling so totally relaxed that I felt like a limp noodle.  For awhile, this was no exception and I think I might’ve dozed off during part of the treatment.  However, by the time we were done and I walked out – 80 minutes later – I felt so rejuvenated, like my body’s circulation completely changed directions and was just bubbling with natural energy.

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Want to indulge? The treatment costs $195 and is absolutely worth including in your budget. Want to save? Get the day pass for the spa for $45/60 weekdays/weekends and check out the steam rooms, Laconium Relaxation Lounge, Brine Inhalation Light Therapy, and tea lounges.

At some point, you have to leave the hotel

We did, and upon doing so tried some of the tastiest dishes, met some of the most amazing people, and had SO much fun all over the Reno-Tahoe area.  More to come!

Disclaimer, again: All thoughts, opinions, and photos not directly quoted or explicitly credited are those of my own.  Huge thanks to the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau for the delicious and fun tour of the city.  While they footed the bill for our week there, it’s an honor to share the experience with my readers.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.