Because I live in Vegas, I get a chance to dine at various establishments and attend a plethora of shows… and being a Vegas resident for 7 years, I am an expert on dining and entertainment in Sin City.  I’m just sayin’… if you’re interested, read on.

Sensi at Bellagio

Sensi at the Bellagio

I had a great friend and client in town who was staying at the Bellagio, so we decided to make it simple and stay on property. Jennifer had mentioned that Sensi was a beautiful place and I had never been, so I booked reservations for 4.  Jennifer and I arrived a bit early and grabbed a drink at the bar while Steve and Barb were on their way.  The bar had a cool vibe…small, yet very current, water flowing around… a cool place.  Barb and Steve arrived and we were seated for dinner.

Per the Bellagio website… here’s the description of Sensi:

Sensi offers a greater purpose to dining involving all five senses. The food and presentation from the four kitchens constantly evolves to produce innovative culinary creations from Chef Martin Heierling. The kitchen takes center-stage while four complementary cuisines: Italian, Asian, American Grill and seafood specialties take leading roles. Quality, purity and freshness prevail in every creation. Enjoy this truly unique style of dining complete with an impressive wine list and striking carved stone, waterfalls and mirrored chrome.

Oh wow, can u say bait & switch or infomercial.  Not even close.  I’d say Chef Martin Heierling needs to get out of the twilight zone.  I’m sure he’s a great guy and very talented… I just question the quality control.

Our conversation was fantastic… thank goodness for that because the food was so-so at best.  Steve and i weren’t too hungry, so we went with some appetizers while the girls had a full meal.  They both had entrees and appetizers, which looked good, yet looked better than it tasted, and of course small portions as we were feeding my 11 year old daughter.   I had ordered a calamari appetizer, as I felt it would be unique, as Sensi was a cool, hip place.  The worst we’ve every had. Soaked in grease, crunchy and no flavor. We actually sent it back for some lobster lettuce wraps… which consisted of a deep fried piece of lobster sitting on cold lo-mein noodles wrapped in lettuce.  Interesting  Hmmm…. again, below expectations.  Overall rating 4 out of 10.  If the company wasn’t so good, the rating my have been a 3.

Just a few days earlier, Jennifer, Zoe and I  ate at the Bellagio Cafe… their food was amazing, service was quick and it was a great experience.   Hmm…. We had a great time and the food was fantastic at the “cafe.” Just goes to show, the trendy, glitzy restaurants are often just that.

Dan Lier, JJL, Steve & Barb

I’ve lived in Vegas for close to seven years now and last night, we attended the Penn & Teller Show, which is a combination of comedy, magic and philosophy.  Penn, of course, is the ringleader with his big presence and big voice and he skillfully works the audience and narrates each bit with a blend of drama and education.

I must say, the show exceeded my expectations.  On a 0-10 scale, I give it a solid 9. What was interesting to me is how they did a bit (magic trick or act) and then often times educated the audience on how it was done, while playfully poking fun at the Chris Angels’ and John Edwards’ of the world.  Classic stuff.  In addition, Penn is an extremely intelligent guy who is on the “left-side” politically, and speaks his mind and uses jokes and illusion to communicate his views on the world.  Here’s a video of one of their bits below.

Jennifer and I attended the show, along with the kids, who are 13 and 11 and they thought the show was “awesome.”  So, if you’re coming to Vegas and you’re looking for a very cool, intelligent show for the entire family, consider Penn & Teller at the Rio Hotel & Casino.  I would think any child over 10 would dig the show.  After the show, both Penn & Teller signed autographs and took pictures, which is not typical in Vegas, so that was very cool.  I had met Teller a few times; once on a Southwest Airlines flight, and the other at one of my speaking events, so it was fun to finally see the show and connect with him.  Jennifer, who is a Vegas headline Singer, is an acquaintance of Penn, so she was able to connect with him as well; and he is 6′6″… which I didn’t know.  Great night in Vegas.

Penn Jillette & Dan Lier

Let’s put it this way, if Jennifer didn’t get the tickets as a comp, I’m certain I would have never seen the Cher show at the Coleseum at Caesars.  Jennifer is a headline singer in Vegas, so on occasion, she’ll get some tickets thrown her way.  Hmmmm…. a couple of thoughts… if you’re under 45, you have no business going;  just because you would have no reference for her performance, and where the whole Cher vibe is coming from.  My kids who are 13 and 11 would have been bored stiff.

The stage show was fantastic… lots of movement, INCREDIBLE dancers and performers, and the band was awesome.  For 63 years old, she looks amazing, and sounded great… and Cher thinks she looks and sounds great.  (Good luck to Ron Zimmerman on that tip)  On the stage, the old videos from the Sonny and Cher days were cool… very nostalgic and hip.  I remember the show as a young boy, so seeing the clips last night brought back some great memories.

I give the show 2.75 out of 4 stars. I  If you are age 50+, it’s most likely a 4 out of 4.  The 50+ ladies love her cause she’s 63 and doin’ her thing…and her music is relevant in their age group.  Ladies, if you’re coming to town with your husband or your date and he’s 40 or younger, you’re man is gonna take one for the team here, so take care of him later.

Cher's Show in Vegas