FOODVENTURE: SAGE (LAS VEGAS)

The next stop on the list was Sage. When we stayed at Aria last time, we didn't work this one in because we figured that since it was in Aria we would eventually try it, well eventually came. James Beard award winning chef Shawn McClain put together a menu that was extremely impressive.

We started out with a duck sausage amuse-bouche.

First up was the Foie Gras Custard ‘Brulee’ which was rich and decatant. Who knew that foie gras would make a great custard. The orange zest was also a nice touch and brightened up the flavor.

This was quite possible one of my favorite dishes from the trip.  This Wagyu Beef Tartare had all the right flavors and was so good.

For the main course we had the Iberico Pork Loin which is Chef McClains signature dish. It was also served with pork shoulder and the dish tasted like Christmas all over again.

Chef McClain's most famous dish are these Maine Day Boat Scallops with Braised oxtail and wild mushrooms served over a salted caramel reduction.  Outstanding.

UFC

The Klunchoo household loves their UFC.  We were also in Vegas to take in the festivities for the fight.  I got a nice shot of Joyce rocking some hulk hand UFC gloves.

And nothing says love like a good old stare down in front of the octagon in the MGM Grand.

FOODVENTURE: HOLSTEINS (LAS VEGAS)

First stop on the foodventure was Holsteins at the Cosmo.  Known for their burgers and fries we had to check it out.

We went with a traditional burg and ordered the Gold Standard which is a Dry Aged Beef Sirloin Burger With Smoked Bacon, Aged Goat Cheddar Cheese, Tomato Confit, Baby Arugula & Garlic-Chive Aioli.  If was legit and very tasty.

As we were wrapping up, Doug Cohen of Flud Watches hit me up and said to try the Captain Crunch shake.  He promised it would be life changing and indeed it was.  Dubbed the cereal bowl shake it tasted exactly like the milk after a bowl of cereal with some added Stoli.  Thanks Doug for the recommendation.

ROADTRIP

Joyce's birthday was this past Thursday so we went to our adult Disneyland...LAS VEGAS.  We went on one our foodventures and it didn't disappoint.  Pics to come.

HOME: KITHCHEN

The calm before the storm.  Since we have family coming over today we put up some final pieces in the kitchen that we had lying around the house.

HOME: CHRISTMAS

Joyce and I are hosting her family for the holidays so we got the house in order for the party today.

The Carroll Farm Table is pulled out and ready to be finally used.  We paired it with the matching benches and the Cross Hatched Saddle Chairs.

The centerpiece is pretty festive.  Joyce found the pine cone crate from Home Goods and the votives from West Elm.

HOME: STARBURST

Joyce loves herself some starburst mirrors.  This one is from Target (Threshold) and greets us every morning.

HOME: KITCHEN ART

So I dusted off the SLR and finally got to take some pictures of the house with the right camera in natural light.  With that said, Joyce got her hands on this classic Warhol piece for the kitchen.  We framed this one ourself because the one we saw at Room and Board was way too expensive.  It brings some solid color to the space and the flower arrangement Joyce put together in the West Elm Hive Vase compliments it well.

HOME: CHRISTMAS CARDS

The Christmas cards from our closest friends and family are starting to arrive and we have them up for display.  Sometimes you get so many that it is hard to display them, you just don't have enough shelf space or your stainless steel fridge isn't magnetic.  Plus, do you really want to nail string to your wall for only 2 weeks of the year?

Check out this little trick to put them up.

1. Start with a roll of twine and mini clothes pins.
2. Measure out a healthy amount of twine to tie around a closet door from top to bottom.

3. Grab your stack of Christmas cards and attach the card to the twine with a small clothes pin

4. Start from the top and work your way to the bottom and BOOM, you got your cards on display for the season.  Happy Holidays!

HOME: DKJY

This ledge was once covered with a bunch of moving items: rug mats, slippers, you name it. We finally got to put up some of our favorite pictures and mugs.  From a picture when we first met to our engagement photos.  The plate was a nice wedding gift from Joyce's cousin Sue.

HOME: CHRISTMAS

We got to business on the decorating.  We found a nice mix of ornament styles from Target to keep with our metallic theme.

Ornaments are up and it kind of feels like we are living in a CB2 showroom.  Can't wait to have our friends and family over to hang out.

HOME: CLOSET

So Joyce let me have a closet room, which has been dubbed the "Shop".  I got the inspiration from our friend Stephanie who is a stylist in LA.  It's nice to have a place in the house to display all the stuff we have collected.

HOME: PILLOWS

Joyce bought some more pillow additions for the couch to keep with her color scheme for the holidays.

HOME: CHRISTMAS

The Holidays are a coming.  Joyce put up the little tree from our old apartment and some new holiday pillows for the couch.  The new sunburst mirror is also looking pretty solid.

HOME: CHRISTMAS

We are starting to put things together and decorate the house.  The tree is what Joyce has all wanted and we got it for a steal at $39 from Walmart. We also got the TV console for a steal because it was a floor model from Crate and Barrel. The nice thing about it is it matches our coffee table.

The best part of the living room is the bookshelf because it allows us to organize all of the things we have collected.

We got this book shelf from CB2.  It houses all of our favorite items from surf books, honeymoon items and of course our french bull dog statue.

HOME: CHRISTMAS

I spy a Christmas tree...

HOME

The decorating process has commenced.  We are finally getting stuff up on the walls and this Ork Poster is one of our favorites.  We miss the city, but not the traffic.

HOME: SHOWER

We really like the tile we picked for the shower because it is really calming, but the frameless door we added really set it over the top. Thanks to Ron from Golden Glass for doing a solid job installing this bad boy.

FOODVENTURE: MB POST

Tracy and Emilio were in town and we met them at MB Post on many recommendations from friends.  It was pretty legit and lived up to the hype.  All I have to say is the crew at the MB Post has changed the breakfast burrito game.

THE SPREAD

Lets get up close and personal: Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Truffle Honey Fried Chicken

The Game Changer: Breakfast Burrito Chimichanga 

HOME: SHOWER

The tile turned out real good on this one.  All that is missing is a door.

HOME: KITCHEN

The kitchen has gone through a transformation.

HOME: LIVING ROOM

Vinnie and his crew came to the house to refinish the floors.  Give it a couple of days and these will be as good as new.

HOME: SHOWER

New tile is going up in the shower.  Renovating this master bathroom has been quite the ordeal, but it is looking real good so far.

HOME: BATHROOM

On to the next one.  We had to replace the galvanized shower pipes with copper to match the rest of the copper piping in the house.

HOME: BATHROOM

We have one bathroom down (minus the mirror) and one more to go.  Check out this before and after picture.

HOME: KITCHEN & BATHROOM

Things are progressing and the kitchen tiles have been laid down. We went with large 12"x24" dark grey-beige tile to keep with a contemporary look.  It almost reads like concrete.

With the cabinets painted white now, they pop against the flooring.  Plus the counters really match the whole kitchen, since we didn't replace them.  The new knobs are in and update the original cabinets well.  We went with a brushed nickel finish to match what we have going on through out the house.

Bathroom grout is in and really finishes the look we were going for here.  We did not want the grout to pop off the tile, but instead be seamless which I think was achieved pretty well.

HOME

We couldn't put recessed lighting at the front door so we opted for this light fixture.  Does the job right.

Check out the cabinet door paint factory our contractor put together.