Are You KIDDING Me???

Ok, so I swore I went to bed in Henderson last night, but somehow I woke up in Chicago.

There is a f*cking blizzard going on outside right now! Snow, sleet, wind, crazy drivers, the whole bit. Seriously--where did that come from???

Checking the Intellicast website, I saw this gem:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV

1107 AM PST WED DEC 17 2008
A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE INLAND ACROSS SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA AND INTO ARIZONA TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT REGION.
NVZ015>017-020-180315-
/O.CON.KVEF.WW.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-081218T1200Z/
LINCOLN COUNTY-NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-
WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY-LAS VEGAS VALLEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CALIENTE...PIOCHE...PANACA...HIKO...
ALAMO...RACHEL...MESQUITE...OVERTON...MOAPA...PAHRUMP...
INDIAN SPRINGS...DESERT ROCK...AMARGOSA VALLEY...LAS VEGAS...
NORTH LAS VEGAS...HENDERSON...BOULDER CITY
1107 AM PST WED DEC 17 2008
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM PST
THURSDAY...
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM PST
THURSDAY FOR CLARK COUNTY ABOVE 2500 FEET.
SNOW WILL BEGIN TO FALL OVER CLARK COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON
AND CONTINUE MUCH OF TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL BEGIN AROUND
3000 FEET THEN FALL TO 2500 FEET THIS EVENING...AND POSSIBLY
2000 FEET OVERNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES CAN BE
EXPECTED ABOVE 3000 FEET...AND ELEVATIONS BETWEEN 2000 AND
3000 FEET COULD ALSO SEE ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

Seriously, WTF?

Well. I don't care at this point. I've got plenty of food and booze on hand to ride out any storm, and I'm wearing my wool hiking socks to keep my feet warm. Not only that, but I'm back inside my flannel and fleece cocoon, and I'm not coming out for several hours.

I would've never noticed, except that I got up a couple of hours ago and headed out to get some breakfast. I've been wanting to try the Omelet House over on Boulder Highway for quite some time now, and today was the day I finally made it over there.

First of all, it's over in Old Henderson, not the trendy Green Valley/Seven Hills part of Henderson that everyone knows about. And the restaurant itself is straight out of the fifties. No joke--the chairs are the metal stackable kind with vinyl pads, and the booths are made out of brown naugahyde. The carpet looks original, too, and the decor is straight up garage-sale chic. The place just screams 'Route 66 greasy spoon'.

But don't let the looks put you off. It's a great spot, very comfy and inviting, and the staff is friendly and helpful. It seems that everyone has been working there for years. The menu, as you can see at the link, is quite extensive, and the omelets are made with six eggs. You can't leave this place hungry, I'm convinced.

Anyhow, I wandered in around 11:00 am, and was immediately seated. My waitress was an attractive gal named Marcie, who knew me well enough at first glance to make sure there was a fresh cup of coffee sitting in front of me less than thirty seconds after I sat down.

I was a little intimidated by the menu--everything looked good so it was hard to choose. When Marcie came back a minute later asking if I knew what I was going to have, I *had* to choose something quickly. It's not the kind of restaurant where they suffer fools--not that they'd be rude or anything, but you could tell that the proper protocol was to know what you wanted when asked.

I told her that I wanted a ham and cheese omelet, but that I wanted some veggies in it too.

Oh yeah, we can add whatever you want she told me.

So I ordered my mine with onions, peppers, and mushrooms, too. With wheat toast and a tall glass of orange juice. I was tempted to order some of the banana nut bread or the pumpkin nut bread, as everyone around me seemed to be having it, but I wanted to go with the basics on my first visit.

It didn't take long for my food to come out, maybe five minutes or so after I ordered it, and I had a pleasant conversation with the waitress while I waited.

Anyhow, I wish I would've taken a picture, because it was a mighty fine looking omelet. And it came with 'Spuds'. I figured it would be hash-browns or home fries, but no, their version of 'spuds' is thick-sliced potatoes, deep fried and seasoned, almost like kettle chips. Kind of an unexpected version with breakfast, but damn, they were good! And the toast was the good thick wheat bread that every restaurant in Vegas has, but it's damn near impossible to find in the grocery store.

I really enjoyed the meal, and the price was right, too. The omelets are all about eight-and-a-half bucks, quite a deal for the amount of food you get. The coffee was good and basic--it always tastes better in places like that, and the spuds were an unexpected treat. The service was off-the-hook friendly and quick, so overall, I can't recommend the place highly enough. It's not fancy at all--if you're expecting a 'Vegas' style breakfast spot, you'll be sorely disappointed, but the old-school shopworn ambiance has an appeal all it's own. They're all about the food, and with food this good, that's all they need.

Anyhow, I ate as much as I could stuff into my pie hole, overtipped the waitress, and vowed I'd be back again soon. (Next time I'm gonna get that lobster omelet with the banana nut bread!)

Once I got back outside, that's when I noticed that lazy white precipitation falling from the sky. It started slowly at first, but once I flipped a UE back onto southbound Boulder Highway, it was coming down like god had knocked over a box of cosmic laundry detergent. I couldn't believe it. A few minutes later when I got back over into my neighborhood in new Henderson, it was just a mess. A fun mess though--I saw a couple of kids at the bus stop in front of Walgreens trying to catch flakes on their tongues, and the guy in the truck in front of me had his window down and his hand out to 'feel' the snow as he was driving.

Anyhow, regardless of the weather, I had a great breakfast, and I really enjoyed the Omelet House--I think the best way to sum it up is that it's the kind of place you'd take your parents to when they come to visit, otherwise, it's a great place to treat a hangover. But now that I'm home, I'm staying put for awhile--I imagine traffic is gonna be a nightmare around here for the rest of the day.

Mikey