Gordon Ramsay Steak

Those of you that know my husband know that he is a massive Gordon Ramsay fan. 

When I decided on Las Vegas for David's birthday celebrations, I knew that we had to have our big group dinner at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Luckily, we were staying at the Paris hotel and Gordon Ramsay Steak is in on site. So I called to book a reservation for ten and waited to see what his reaction would be. 

He was so excited and he wasn't the only one! The entire restaurant resembles Hell's Kitchen and last season's winner Christina was behind the pass working her Executive Chef magic. When you enter, you walk through a beautiful tunnel. The idea is that it represents the Chunnel and you are going through the Chunnel from Paris to London.... such a fun idea!

The meal was one of the best that any of us had ever had. We had a private space for ten people for dinner and we were able to really chat and relax and enjoy the amazing food. We made our way through some incredible appetizers and ordered our mains. Everyone orders their main protein and all sides are shared family style. They were very accommodating for Sydney and she had no problem working her way through their mac and cheese side dish. Dessert was just as incredible as everything else. We all left the restaurant full and very happy. I would strongly suggest checking it out if you are ever in the Las Vegas area!

Raviolo

Pork Belly and Beans

Oyster Platter

Sydney's Mac and Cheese

My delicious Salmon

David's Beef Wellington (A Hell's Kitchen Standard)

Rib Tip

Carrot Side Dish

Tempura Green Beans

One Happy Birthday Boy

One of the Stir Spoons for Coffee

S'More Cheesecake

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Pear Tartlet

Mrs. E

A Toddler in Vegas

Some would say that we are crazy for taking our toddler to Las Vegas. But the truth is, it really isn't that difficult as long as you have some help. 

Sydney had a fantastic time in the land of neon and showgirls. She loved all of the food and the free shows along the strip. She loved the warmer weather and being able to run around. And she loved to tell everyone that we were in "Las Begas!" 

There are a few tricks to getting through a city like Las Vegas with a toddler:

~ Research and learn about family friendly activities before you go

~ Bring lots of books and some Elmo for the hotel room

~ Remember that the meal portions are often a lot larger so there is no need to order a separate meal for your little one. They can probably just share with you. 

~ Research a local nanny service for nights out. We used an incredible service that I will tell you about in a separate post.

~ Bring family if you can and get adjoining rooms. This is probably the best thing we could have done. It gave us a separate space to hang out in when Syd was napping and on nights when we wanted to go out and my parents were willing to stay in. 

~ Always have snacks on hand. You will already be spending enough on food. Having snacks that you brought with you will save you a lot of cash and will make for a happier toddler when walking all day.

~ Bring a small travel stroller.Vegas involves a lot of walking and we really depended on Sydney's stroller to get us from point A to point B.

Here are a few photos of our cute toddler enjoying Vegas:

Giving Grandma some serious love

REALLY enjoying her pasta at the Sugar Factory

Silly grins on our gondola ride

Checking out the Canal at the Venetian with Daddy

Sydney's second mode of transportation was Daddy's shoulders. 

Our diva strolling along the strip

Eating the most expensive Mac and Cheese she will ever have at Gordon Ramsay Steak

Overwhelmed by the delicious Truffle Parmesan fries at Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill

Rocking her hew Elmo Hoodie

Breakfast in Bed on the Ironing Board

Loving the room service

Hot Dog dinner at the Outlet Mall

Checking our Aria

At the M&M store with Mommy

Mrs. E

Favourite Family Moments ~ Las Vegas

I know it may seem as though our trip to Las Vegas was a little bit impromptu.... the truth is, that this has been in for works for over a year!

We have just returned from 5 amazing days in Sin City. I have been secretly planning this trip for a VERY long time without David's knowledge. I knew that I wanted to do something big for his 30th Birthday and Las Vegas just seemed right. I sent out invitations and started planning the details and before I knew it, we were on a plane South. 

We left on a direct flight super early in the morning and landed at 8:30am. We spent five amazing days at the Paris hotel and we were joined by my parents, David's parents, David's sister and her husband and our friends the Shandros. We ate dinner at all three Gordon Ramsay restaurants (more on that to come) and went to the top of the Eiffel tower. We saw the Bellagio fountains, took a gondola down the Venetian canal, shopped at the outlets, hit up Fremont street, saw two shows and walked the strip a few million times. All in all it was an amazing trip. 

Here are a few of our favorite family moments from the past five days!

Getting ready to go to the Jubilee show on the first night. 

Visiting the Venetian

Cuddles with Grandma on the gondola

On the Gondola

Dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak

Watching the Bellagio Fountains

Walking through Paris

Breakfast in Bed!

Visiting Fremont Street

At the Golden Nugget... a Vegas original

Saying Goodbye to Vegas on our last night

Mrs. E

30

This past Monday, our family celebrated a milestone... David turned 30!

I am so proud of my amazing husband and all of the things that he has accomplished in his 30 years on this earth. He is absolutely incredible and the rock of our family. If the last 30 years are any indication, his next 30 are sure to be just as awesome. Sydney jumped on her daddy on his Birthday morning and smothered him with kisses and I love yous and we enjoyed our last day in Las Vegas. 

30 will be a big year for David. He will become a dad for the second time and we have a lot of exciting things planned. I can't wait to see what we have to look forward to!

Happy Birthday David!

Mrs. E

We're Back!

Sorry that we have been MIA lately. 

We just returned from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas! David turned 30 yesterday and I surprised him with a trip down south for some fun with friends and family! More on that soon!

Mrs. E