LAS VEGAS - What are looking for when you come to Vegas? What's most important? Price? Location? Day Club? Night Club? Sportsbook?
Your CONCI-ECK has all the answers.
And the places to look that you probably don't know about.
What Do You Have For Us, Ecks?
One of those spots is the M Hotel. At 12300 Las Vegas Boulevard South, the very Southern end of the Strip.
In case you're wondering, the M is for the Marnell family, Anthony Marnell III and Tony Marnell, who built and operated the Rio Hotel.
Pulled into the COVERED parking garage on a Wednesday night and the reason covered is all caps is because when it's 114 degrees in July, you WANT COVERED! It's also FREE.
Then you jump in the elevator which takes you right to the casino. Walk through the doors and into an OCEAN of slot machines and the first thing you notice is that the average age of the patrons is like 92 years old. Lots of white/blue hair for the women and compression socks with cargo shorts for the men.
The casino floor is relatively quiet until Jerry from Toledo yells at his wife because he hit 3 sevens. Ethel was just two chairs away but apparently didn't have her hearing aids turned on, so Jerry started dancing with one of the cocktail waitresses.
Tailgate Tip For Our Raiders Friends
For my beer chugging guys & gals, you wanna stop at the Raiders Tavern & Grill. The M is the official hotel of the Vegas Raiders and the bar is stocked with plenty of suds as well as a TON of Black & Silver gear.
For the portion of my audience that leans more toward the wine cellar, the Hostile Grape is a must stop. Why? Scattered throughout the bar are a few Enomatic wine serving machines which allow bottles to be opened, but preserved, which means they can be served for a longer time and to more people. Pours start around $2 and go up from there depending on the size of the glass.
What's For Dinner?
For the top end dinner, hit up Anthony's Prime Steak & Seafood. You can rock a USDA Prime Bone-In Filet for $95 bucks, but you'll have to cover 18 ounces.
For the fish lovers, try the Steamed COLOSSAL King Crab for $140 bones. That's a pound and a quarter, so it can feed at least you and your plus one.
And after dinner, Baby Cakes Artisan Bakery has a gorgeous spread of desserts including red velvet cupcakes, eight-colored macarons and raspberry cheesecake. You can also drain a cappuccino or chai tea latte.
Where Am I Betting The Games?
Stopped at the sportsbook which is run by William Hill and it was kinda MEH! Maybe 12-15 tables and a few couches. The private section up top has a pool table, an old school hockey game and servers with VERY skimpy Raiders outfits.
My Conci-Eck service is free and KNOW ONE knows more Vegas than this guy. From the south end of the Strip all the way downtown to Fremont Street, Ecks-Rated is at your service.
And did I mention that it's FREE! From the best restaurants, the hidden speakeasys, Chicas Bonitas, the Mob Museum, the Pinball Hall of Fame, the Harley-Davidson super store and the mysterious 'European' adults only pools, Ecks-Rated is your one stop shopping destination! USE ME!
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Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America's Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him online at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. If you wanna piece of Eck, hit his Email...ben@americasline.com.
