We went to Las Vegas a week ago for my little brother's 30th birthday. In many ways, this was awesome, since everyone there was certainly awesome. We also ate a lot of delicious food, particularly at Bouchon for the semi-formal birthday dinner. Tear-off breadsticks set directly on the table; a 6-cheese tasting plate with honeycomb and apples; escargots in puff pastry with garlic butter; excellent bibb salad with lots of fresh herbs; perfect gnocchi that made me seriously regret my (also awesome) dinner order; a cauldron of mussels in white wine, bigger than my head, filled with about 50 tiny, perfectly steamed shellfish; massive amounts of thin-cut crispy fries cooked in duck fat.

It was thoroughly great, and the staff was super nice. If you happen to go to LV, Bouchon is certainly the place to go. Everywhere else we ate ended up subpar and overpriced.

But. It was 104F outside. We walked down the strip at one point in an attempt to see how realistic walking was/avoid paying fifteen freaking dollars for a cab to go a mile and a half/just get out of the massive amounts of flashing lights and noise and morons for a little while. We chose the side with shade, but still. Walking a mile and a half in 104F weather is not the best idea. When we came home, we got off the plane and into the cab and breathed a sigh of relief at the 74F air and the thought of wearing jackets against wind, not sun.

Now it's fall. Our CSA box is full of pears, mustard greens, winter squash. Tomorrow we're scheduled for rain. It's September and it's fall.