Speaking of Threes

Ok, I got me some batteries today, so now I can share the pic of Emily, me, and Stephanie from the other night:


It's a little blurry, but then again, so were we. I've got some more pics to share, but I'm waiting for the go-ahead from Steph.

Last night was a pretty fun night at the ol' casino. A couple of loyal readers 'Big Tips' and 'Big Stogie' happen to show up looking for me, and they found me shortly after I arrived. They ended up playing Crazy 4 Poker and Pai Gow at my tables for a couple of hours and we had a few laughs. Before they left for the evening, we made plans to hook up for breakfast at the Peppermill this morning.

Knowing that I had to get up around 9:00 am, I went ahead and scooted out of work an hour early--the decision being easier to make at 3:00 am when I got back from break and they couldn't find a table to put me on. So instead of mucking chips on the roulette table, I offered to take off. Always wanting to cut payroll expense (the house needs that $5.15 per hour!), they agreed.

I got to the Peppermill a couple of minutes early, and brought the camera along. The first stop was next door at that cheesy little gift shop for some new batteries and a pair of Cheap Sunglasses (insert guitar riff here). When I told the guy I needed four double-A's, he felt bad that they charged so much and said that I'd be better off buying them up the street at Walgreens. I told him that I didn't have time to go up there, so he gave me the sunglasses for free.

After those purchases were made, I walked back over to the Peppermill and had a seat back in the Fireside Lounge and had Krista make me up a kahlua and coffee. A few sips later George and Marlisha showed up (yeah, they have real names...). Krista had also reserved us a table, so the hostess was paging us before they even got their drinks--a mimosa and a coffee with brandy.

We were having a pretty good time looking over the menu, but after several minutes, George decided to make a run at the chicken fried steak, as did I. Marlisha ordered a waffle.

Unfortunately, it looks like the end of an era at the Peppermill. I've been raving about their CFS for a couple of years now, and last time I visited I mentioned that it looked like they were going cheap and cutting corners, well, this time they've really done it. Their new chicken fried steaks are about half the size of the ones they've been serving for years, yet they still manage to charge about $13 for the breakfast platter. Yeah, they still taste good, but I could tell the difference and the portions aren't nearly as generous as they have been in years past. So I think I've eaten my last chicken fried steak at the Peppermill. I'll try the eggs Benedict again, but if they've gone cheap on that too, then I think I'll be finding a new spot for my Monday morning breakfasts.

Expecting what used to be the Grotto-at-the-Mansion of breakfast food, George prepares to dive into the plastic-kiddie-pool-from-Walmart instead.

So, killing off the breakfast platter wasn't much of a challenge this time around, and afterwards we headed back to the lounge. Luckily they haven't farked up the bar yet, and Krista hooked us up with some awesome martinis, while we did a little horse-trading from each of our personal stashes of cigars. I brought him a couple of Partagas, a black label and a #10, while he packed the travel humidor with him and I scored a nice Padron and a La Gloria Cubana, both of which were excellent.

We sat back there for about three hours, smoking cigars, telling stories, and having a lot of laughs. Turns out that Marlisha's greatest fears were realized, and George and I share the same brain. So we're not allowed to run around loose together in Vegas. Only the combination of Angy and a bottle of rum would be more dangerous. But we had a great time.

After two cigars and a higher number of cocktails, we decided that it was probably time to wrap up our visit. They still have plenty of Vegas to do, while I needed to get home and get a couple hours of sleep before I head to work again tonight.

Of course, I couldn't just hit the sack without the update, so I hope you all appreciate the sacrifice I'm making. I'll be thinking of you all while I'm yawning my ass off at 1:00 am and thinking only three more hours of this nonsense...

Mikey