Vegas has a little something for everyone, and the little something it has for me is food. My three most memorable meals were New Year’s Eve dinner at Sushi Roku (sashimi sampler); lunch at Aria’s Julian Serrano (calamari, scallop ceviche, and salmon tapas); and our one-year wedding anniversary dinner at Andre’s (bacon-wrapped monkfish). I also need to mention that, since it was a special occasion, I tried caramelized pork belly for the first time as a starter at Andre’s and it was greasy bliss. I couldn’t talk about Andre’s without sharing/confessing that.

Now I’m home and though my body has left Las Vegas, Las Vegas has not left my body. After four days and nights in Sin City, I have a mean smoke allergy flare-up in my chest, resulting in a ridiculously raspy voice that is anything but seductive to the ears. It was well worth it for fun with friends, scrumptious food, and world-class shows. But boy am I glad to be back to clear blue Hawaii. I don’t have travel to the mainland planned again anytime in the foreseeable future, so I went on a giant grocery shop yesterday and plan to make the following meals this week: