Carversteak
Posted on October 20, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We got to experience, Carversteak, the restaurant voted 2022 best steakhouse in Las Vegas while we were at the PPA Championships a few weeks ago. The restaurant is inside the Conrad hotel at Resorts World. The restaurant has several seating areas including a lounge and two patios. We ate in their main dining room.
We started with the wagyu beef cheesesteak bites, which our server highly recommended. There were kind of like slides. There were three and three of us so it was the perfect appetizer to start our meal.
Jen and Karen both ordered cocktails. I did not feel like spending $20-25 on a drink so I opted to just enjoy the bottle of wine that the restaurant owner provided. Jen knew the owner via his father who is a consultant for 6S. The owner wasn’t there but was nice enough to give a complimentary bottle of wine to our table.
I don’t normally drink pinot noirs but I enjoyed this one.
Our family style, shareable sides were broccolini and mac and cheese.
I used the money I saved on not getting a cocktail and ordered lobster bisque.
Jen and Karen split a wedge salad.
When you order a steak, they bring out a big box of steak knives so you can “Choose your weapon.” Jen chose the best one.
Karen was quite pleased with her knife choice also.
Pictures of our delicious steaks follow.
For dessert, the three of us shared a “baked Nevada” which I guess is a play on the baked Alaska. It was very good but too much for three people.
Fanciest “to go” bag for leftovers, ever.
Dinner was good but also quite expensive. Here’s a picture of my tab. I think each of us spent about that much so $500 before gratuity. The experience was unlike any other though — and worth every penny.
We are not really Vegas people but would definitely take Brian here if we ever find ourselves in the area. Until next time, GNG.
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Back to Back Pickleball
Posted on October 19, 2022 by Ching under Pickleball.
I have been back to back with pickleball since the beginning of September and just survived four consecutive weekends of pickleball tournaments.
- September 2-4: Tulsa Pickleball Classic with Robert Mansfield (Intermediate 50/50), Tanner Rice (Mixed 4.5 19+), and Huyen Nguyen (Women’s 4.0 19+)
- September 15: Picklepalooza for Senior Services of Wichita, representing Evergy team
- September 23-25: ICT Fall-out with Jenny Corley (Women’s 4.0 17+, 50+) and Tanner Rice (Mixed 4.5 17+, 50+)
- October 1-2: Shangri-la Pickleball Open with Molly Sager (Women’s 3.5:8-49) and Devon Fuller (Mixed 4.5:8-49)
- October 7-9: PPA Championships in Las Vegas with Jen Reifschneider (Women’s 4.0 19+) and Zach Nguyen (Mixed 3.5 35+)
- October 14-16: Bartlesville Pickleball Classic with Chris Wilson (Advanced 50/50), Jenny Corley (Women’s 4.0 19+) and Michael Douglas (Mixed 4.0 19+)
As much fun as the last month and a half has been, I’ve decided that I never ever want to do this again. I am entirely too old for this crap. LOL.
The Shangri-la Pickleball Open was held at the beautiful Shangri-la resort on Grand Lake in Monkey Island, OK. I’d never been to Grand Lake before and I had no idea this place even existed until this tournament.
Brian went with me and we stayed at our friend Kumar Krishnan’s lake house. It was kind of an exchange because Kumar stayed overnight with us earlier this year for the Rotary Club of Andover’s Picklemania MMXXII event. However, after staying with Kumar, Brian and I realized how very lacking our hosting skills are and definitely need to up our game.
One of the best parts of the Shangri-la tournament was that, not only did we achieve an all matchy-matchy podium, but it was also an all #ictpickleball podium. Gold went to Jenny Corley and Cindy Egan. Silver went to me and Molly Sager. And bronze went to Michelle Voegeli and Shawna Geist.
FUN FACT: The previous weekend it was me and Jenny vs. Molly and Cindy. Jenny and her partner came out on top both times so I guess that means she is the MVP. 😉 It should come as no surprise if you have ever seen her play. She is long and lean and powerful — definitely a force to be reckoned with on the pickleball court.
For mixed doubles, I recruited Devon Fuller to play with me. You might remember him from the Vetta Sunset Dink-in the New Year pickleball tournament. We played 4.0 in that one and got gold so for our second time playing together I figured we could try playing in the 4.5 division this time around.
Devon and I ended getting 4th in a very tough bracket. Gold went to Katie Merrill and Ryan Luelf (my second time losing to Katie in the first round — first time was at TPC when Tanner and I lost to her and Ramon Lozano). Silver went to Summer Freese and Kyle Rinck (my second time losing to Kyle — first time was at ICT Fall-out when Tanner and I lost to him and Colby Fugit). Bronze went to Molly Sager and Michael Harris.
I have only ever beaten Katie one time, when Jenny and I played against her and Genevieve Eskridge in the ICT Fall-out pickleball tournament the previous weekend. I think, hands down, she is the much stronger pickleball player between the two of us and I would love to team up with her one of these days.
After Ryan and Katie beat us in the main draw, Devon and I beat Kelsey Wisdom and her brother (15-10) and then barely beat Krystal Fosnight and Trung Ho (16-14) in the back draw before getting smoked by Summer and Kyle on their way up to the medal stand. Devon made me feel better later by reminding me that the only two teams that beat us that day were the gold and silver medal teams.
Here are a few action shots of me and Devon taken during our match against Krystal and Trung. Devon’s athleticism makes him one of the best mixed doubles partners I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with.
I got a picture with my fellow Chicken N Pickle #sponsoredathlete teammate Kyle Rinck because I never forget people who kick my ass at pickleball. Getting spanked on the court is never fun but it’s not quite so bad when the guy doing the spanking is as good looking as Kyle.
In the meantime, Brian got to meet and hang out with Cody Kent. Cody is the brains behind many successful pickleball tournaments. He and his wife Dana also stayed at Kumar’s lake house that weekend.
This last pic is one that Marva Stroman took during our first match (against Katie and Ryan). I remember hanging out with Molly at the World Pickleball Tour Kansas City Pickleball Classic tournament over the summer. She’s like, “You know everyone!” Well, it kinda helps when your name is printed in big block letters on the back of your shirt. LOL. Fun times.
Until next time, GNG.
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Doc’s Bar and Grill
Posted on October 18, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I had the opportunity to play in the inaugural Shangri-la Pickelball Open a few weeks ago and our hosts Kumar and Sujatha Krishnan took us to Doc’s Bar and Grill at the Shangri-la Resort. Most people travel by either boat or golf carts so the restaurant actually had designated golf cart parking that was quite substantial. Even then, the golf carts overflowed into the regular parking lot because that’s pretty much how people got around.
From left: Kumar, Sujatha, their youngest Priyanka, and Dana and Cody Kent who were also staying at Kumar and Sujatha’s lake house that weekend.
The restaurant was super busy that night.
Here are some pictures of our food…
After dinner, we went to check out the amazing pickleball courts at the resort. On the way, Brian stopped to admire JFK’s boat on display in the hotel lobby.
As far as describing the pickleball courts, amazing is an understatement. There are six courts lined up in a row and you great viewing from both the building and the raised pavilion. Also, there’s a nice gathering space in the middle that divides the courts – two on one side and four on the other. The best part is the lighting. They are bright and absolutely perfect. It’s so easy to see the ball when playing at night.
The restaurant was great and the resort looked super nice. I would love to return for a girls’ trip next summer. Until then, GNG.
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Lunches with My Friend Chris
Posted on October 17, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
These are pictures of the food we had at Prost a few weeks ago. My friend Chris Townley suggested it and I thought it was a great idea because I actually hadn’t been there in a while and remember how much I like their food.
On another day we went to Station 8 BBQ. Chris had been there before but it was my first time. Their hours are very limited so it’s not a “spur of the moment” place. You kind of have to plan to go there during their hours which is just 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. They’re only open from 11 AM – 2 PM, Wednesday-Saturday.
Here are some pics I took at the restaurant.
I was so hungry that day (I think might have skipped breakfast) that I had already eaten most of my food before I could take pictures. Oops! That rarely ever happens.
Until next time, GNG.
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Ramon’s First Time at Twin Peaks
Posted on October 17, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We decided to go to Twin Peaks for our post-tournament grub on gender doubles day at ICT Fall-out because we found out that our friend Ramon had never been to one before. Twin Peaks East worked great because Molly and Cory were staying East and, of course, Brian and I live on the East side and Ramon and Tanner were staying with us so East-side peeps outnumbered the West-siders.
Here are some pictures of our food…
I don’t normally go to Twin Peaks but it seems to be popular with the guys. They say it’s because the beers are always the perfect temperature but the food actually isn’t bad. I don’t mind going there for something quick to eat. It’s a good spot that has something for everyone. Until next time, GNG.
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