Vegas Day 3: An Evening "AT" TI, not "WITH" T.I.

On my way to meet the team before a day at the convention, I stopped off at Payard in Caesar's to get some breakfast. The man himself, Francois Payard was there, along with a huge crowd and a camera crew. Apparently, he was unveiling a new Willy Wonka-esque clock that not only resembles a large truffle but dispenses chocolate truffles every fifteen minutes! What can I say about that except ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? That is insanely fabulous! Ms. Foodie was torn between getting to the meeting place on time to do her "day job" or staying at Payard to cover this event for f is for foodie.

Unfortunately for you dear readers, my daily obligations took precedence and I left this chocolaty scene with my delicious egg and caper sandwich and sub par coffee (which sadly seems to be prevalent all over Vegas) and met up with the group. And while the coffee was mediocre at best, the sandwich was excellent. Crispy fresh bread and the slightest touch of hollandaise on the egg sandwich. Delicious!

For our second day at the convention we decided to pass on the nasty Aramark lunch and hit Big Daddy's Barbecue. We have made a lunch at Big Daddy's a bit of an NAB tradition and this year we got to introduce the Sanch (at left) to Daddy's pulled pork sandwiches. A filling sweet stringy pork sandwich on a doughy roll complete with crispy fries... delicious! And what a great way to refuel after hours of walking around and schmoozing with vendors.

After resting up a bit at the hotel, it was time to head out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant, Isla, at Treasure Island. It seems that Treasure Island is looking to change their vibe a bit and everywhere you go the hotel is referred to as "TI". Since our team has covered the actor/rapper T.I. pretty extensively in the last year, there were plenty of corny "TI" jokes to be made.

Anyway, back to the meal. We began with a tower of crispy chips with three salsas (verde, tomatillo and fresh) along with some guacamole. Quite tasty and addictive! Of course we didn't stop until we saw the bottom of the bowl.

I decided to start with the rock shrimp ceviche. The shrimp was quite good but a bit heavy handed on the paprika and I found myself in the middle of a coughing fit after inhaling a heap of the spices. In an unusual plating choice, there was a scoop of guacamole on the top of the dish which proved to be helpful in balancing out the spice of the ceviche. (Note: The lovely margarita I had with Chambord also added a smooth touch to the heat of the fish)

RRR and I decided to split a steak burrito for our main. The steak was perfectly cooked but we were a bit perplexed by the rice and beans accompanying the burrito. I was expecting a traditional yellow rice and black beans but instead it was more of a pilaf than sticky rice with saffron.

Oh well... still a nice way to fuel up before hitting another poolside party. Unfortunately, it was a bit windy so the party was brought indoors and not nearly as good as the party the prior evening at the Hard Rock. Don't feel too bad for us... the good thing about Vegas is there's always a better party at the next hotel.