I didn't think Las Vegas would leave any sort of lasting impression on me. I just wanted to go to say that I'd gone at least once. And I felt out of place the whole time I was there - I don't gamble, I wasn't there for a bachelorette party, and I really can do without seeing Sigfried and Roy make a tiger disappear. No need to go back, right? Wrong.
Every meal I had in Vegas was REALLY good. Partly due to my Mum's restaurant research, but some food finds were just luck. Like The Noodle Shop in Mandalay Bay. And it could be that I was just happy to be off the plane, and so hungry that anything would have tasted good...but the simple combination of rice noodles, broth and BBQ pork was exactly what I needed that night.
And now that I've been back home for a few weeks, I find that I'm craving that particular noodle dish, and I can't find a local restaurant that serves anything remotely close.
I left Vegas thinking I'd never need (or want) to go back, but if I don't find a noodle equivalent, I just might be making excuses to return.
© Whitney Brandt-Hiatt: All writing, images, and photogrpahy are the property of Whitney Brandt-Hiatt unless otherwise noted.
