Red Rock

Many, many people come to Las Vegas every year and miss out on one of the finest parts of the city; hiking at Red Rock.

It's one of my favorite places in the Western U.S. The scenery is vibrant and beautiful...

And completely unlike anywhere else.

My brother and I hiked the Calico Basin trail, it involves a moderate amount of climbing and a few "crap, we lost the trail!" moments, but the view at the end is pretty magnificent. This hike was also an excellent opportunity to add to my large collection of "Alex with a camera" pictures!

And take quite a few nice shots with my new camera.

If you scale a narrow ledge next to Calico Basin, there's an astounding reward; you can see the entirety of Las Vegas from the peak. Being out there, staring down at the city from such a distance really puts everything into perspective.

And helps you work up a decent appetite...

We drove to the newly-opened Cosmopolitan, in a futile (second) attempt to get a seat at Jaleo. Problem: I never think ahead enough to make reservations before it's too late. Jose Andres' new spot was filled to the brim, so we decided to forgo tapas for some other day.

Instead, we grabbed a bar seat at Comme Ca, a brasserie/bistro themed venture serving classic French fare.

Roasted bone marrow and oxtail jam.

Steak tartar,

And pomme frites. The food was tasty and satisfying, the wine list nicely stocked (including 1/2 liters of Languedoc-Roussilon for $16, a major bargain in this city) and the bar service was friendly and prompt.

We split a caramel torte for dessert, it was good, but a bit sweet for my taste (my own fault- caramel's all about sugar). I was highly fascinated by the tuille that came with it though; it was flexible, and had a very quick, light crisp to it upon first bite, then instantly melted in your mouth.

This coming Tuesday, the 18th, I'll be leaving for San Sebastian, and I couldn't be more excited. We'll be arriving just in time to celebrate in this festival on the 19th.

Adios!