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Hell's Kitchen in Las Vegas, Nevada

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I have been to the Southern California location a couple of times but this was my first visit to the Las Vegas location. Our server was Tony and his assistant was Francisco. I have years of experience working in restaurants and Tony was fun, professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. My friend has never been to any location and Tony was sure to make sure he had all the information required for the best decision. We both ordered the Prix Fixe and opted for the Pan Seared Scallops, Beef Wellington, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. The stark contrast of the food quality from the Southern California location was shocking. It has been some time since I had been but each course was more melt in your mouth than the last. It was a true culinary delight. My friend noted his opinion that Gordon Ramsey comes across as a pompous man on his television shows and to that I say, more power to him because clearly he's got cause to be. The Pan Seared Scallops had an english pea puree, bacon lardons, potat...
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The Pink Door Tea House in Glendale, Arizona

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I had been a frequent patron of this particular tea house when it was Kimberly Ann's Tea Room. The food was ok and the proprietor was a nasty lady. The vibes and energy were all off. I loved the decor however. I took my daughter every year for her birthday and other occasions as we saw fit. I moved out of state over 5 years ago and apparently since then they have changed hands. (The fifth anniversary of the re-branding as The Pink Door was at the end of March.)  I was back in the state and a dear friend and I made reservations. The decor appeared mostly the same but that is where things changed dramatically. We were greeted by Anthony and his knowledge of all things tea was shocking for a young man. He was classy and on top of our every need. When I asked about the name change he advised that ownership had changed and his Mom was a chef at the Tea House now.  What came next was course after course of pure delight. The tea and tea selection: extensive. The food: delectable. The...
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Three Lions Pub, Redmond, Washington

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  This fun little English pub is right next to an English grocery store and the items available at the grocery store were so cute and accurately English.  I have had the pleasure of visiting England over 20 years ago and fell in love with the country.  My husband at the time and I had discussed how we could move over there full time.  I was pregnant with my son and unfortunately, was unable to partake in any of the pubs.   This pub passed the initial vibe check upon entering and it was a seat yourselves location.  I took up a booth whilst waiting for a couple of friends to join.  The server came over and did in fact know what Ribena was so I got my standard Guiness and Black.  A couple of friends ordered the Old Speckled Hen and after trying that, I regretted going with old faithful.  Not that I don’t love it, but it is pretty much readily available, whereas Old Speckled Hen is not.   For dinner I opted for the Steak and Mushro...
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Banff Canada April 2026

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I decided to take a sharp pivot with my blog.  A dear friend suggested I start a travel blog.  I have been doing a lot of “content creating” lately and have been having a blast.  So, it makes sense to streamline some of my go, go, go antics.   Concerts, traveling, flying, and general shenanigans.  So, here we go.  My Second Verse 2.0. I just returned from a last minute whirlwind road trip to Canada.  The absolute highlight was Banff.  Talk about stunning.  I had planned to stop off for a couple of hours and stop for the night in Calgary.  NOT SO FAST, Banff whispered. So I stayed for two nights.  This town is absolutely breathtaking.  I stayed at the Banff Aspen Lodge.  The nightly rate was crazy reasonable.  Ana was working the front desk for the majority of my stay and she was a delight.  Very professional and helpful.  She gives off that “polished yet not overly stuffy” kinda vibe and I’m here for it...
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