Labor day weekend, I knew thee well.

On Saturday, my brother, Kristine, their friend Russ and I went bowling at Red Rock, inside the casino.

Yeah, in case you weren't aware, any activity you could possibly dream of engaging in can be found within Las Vegas casinos. And usually the facilities are pretty swank. This bowling alley just so happens to have giant projection screens and glowing lights everywhere, and Kona Longboard Lager on tap. Beer makes bowling much more fun.

I am not a bowling champion. I enjoy using the gutters a lot, as they seem to keep the ball rolling in a perfectly straight line, and that's the whole point, right?

Kristine (my brother Alex's wife) however, is a very good bowler. She makes up for my brother's and my lack of skills. Her score's in the middle there, Alex and I tied on the second game. Ahhh, more beer, please!

We had to end the weekend with a bang, so on Sunday we went to Burger Bar, Top Chef Masters' alum Hubert Keller's burger joint in Mandalay Bay. They grind their own beef in-house, and use premium ingredients. It's a great place to get something simple, like an American Kobe beef burger with foie gras, truffles, and lobster tail. They also have a great beer list, and alcoholic milkshakes!

I kept it simple this time, a sustainably-raised natural beef patty, with blue cheese, peppered bacon (they have at least 3 different kinds of bacon to choose from), caramelized onions, and home-made Dijon-style mustard, with a side of sweet potato fries.

All in all, an excellent weekend was had by all.

For now, back to the workaday grind of Las Vegas. I shall attempt to post again quite soon, and I should have interesting activities to report on next Saturday, but I'll let that be a surprise.

Ciao!!