PIG OUT!

My friends over at the Las Vegas Advisor emailed me the following dining tips in a recent report which I suggest you read, print out, and bring it to our town on your next visit. Here's what they had to say.

Gold Coast T-Bone: One of the city's truly great ongoing steak specials since it was introduced in 1993 for $5.95, is the 16-ounce T-bone. It comes with a big bowl of salad, baked beans, potato wedges, onion rings, garlic bread, and a draft beer. It's served 24 hours a day in the Gold Coast's Monterey coffee shop and you still have to be 21 or older to order it. This meal hasn't changed a bit in nearly 15 years, despite the acquisition of Coast by Boyd. The only negative is that you're eating in a coffee shop. No biggie. At $10.95, this is a Top Tenner!

Hard Rock Gambler's Special: The "secret off-the-menu" special in Mr. Lucky's has been served continuously at the Hard Rock since 1995 ($5.95). As a result, while it's still not listed, it's not really much of a secret anymore. The sirloin & shrimp dinner has changed slightly over the years, but only in quantity and presentation. In its current incarnation, the three grilled shrimp on a skewer are a little smaller than they were in their heyday, but the salad now comes on the side instead of being crowded onto the dinner plate (so the portion is larger). It still comes with choice of potato, including the good garlic mashed. At $7.77 and available 24 hours a day, this remains another top value.

Redwood Porterhouse: This one really goes back, all the way to 1988. Back then, this deal, at an amazing $6.95, was the big bargain play for anyone who wanted to eat at the California's Redwood Bar & Grill on the cheap, and despite a big price move, it's still the main bargain at the Redwood. This is another meal that's not listed on the menu, and except for the price, now $17.95, it too has remained amazingly similar over all these years: an 18-ounce porterhouse, soup or salad, choice of potato, vegetable, bread, and hot apple-dumpling dessert. The steak isn't as impressive as the Gold Coast's, but the big giveback is the room, with soft lighting, good service, and a live piano player.

'MOSHION'

Okay, you've filled your faces on the great bargains just mentioned, so now maybe you can quite scratching your stomach, button up those pants and take in some culture. I don't know if any of you have heard of Jerry Metellus, but he happens to be a great fashion and commercial photographer and is going to be debuting his chic art exhibit featuring dancers from Nevada Ballet Theatre at the Sahara West Library on Oct. 16.

Entitled "Moshion" to signify the blending of movement and fashion, the exhibit displays the talented artists in mid-air, donned in the latest clothing trends. Debunking the myth that ballet dancers are all about tutus and tights, Metellus's venture illustrates the trendy side of our state's largest professional ballet company with graceful artistry. The models were selected from an elite group of principal and soloist dancers in Nevada Ballet Theatre's company and instructed to perform energetic and dynamic dance movements, such as jumps and leaps, for the camera. Out of the two day-long photo shoot sessions, Metellus developed approximately 30 revolutionary images capturing dancers in full motion.

"Out of all my various projects, this is the work I am most proud of," he said. "I had the opportunity not only to work with a group of impressive artists, but ultimately to pay it forward by turning the photographs of 'Moshion' into a public exhibit and hopefully a future fundraising opportunity for the ballet company." Hats off to that. "Moshion" will be on display in the Grotto room at the library, located at 9600 W. Sahara Ave., from Oct. 16 to Jan. 15. Admission to the exhibit is free.

ROMANTIC CRUISE

I'll wrap this column up with a letter from Ted Gulledge of Shrewsbury, Mass., who writes: "Lenny, Have been a faithful reader of your column for many years. You always provide fantastic information that helps me and my wife when we make our semiannual visit to your City. During our August 2007 visit, we enjoyed an exceptionally amazing evening at Lake Las Vegas. We took the 1 1/2 hour dinner gondola cruise which began at sunset and continued through moonrise.

"The moon was full, the weather was very agreeable, the meal sumptuous, and the gondolier sang beautifully. We first learned about Lake Las Vegas in one of your columns and thanks to you, we have enjoyed the gondola cruise four times over the past few years. If any of your readers want to enjoy a romantic evening they should check the almanac for the full moon and go for it."

Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com. If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylasvegas@gmail.com Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.