www.dougdaulton.com

Powell & Mason Cable Car

• Dropped off my clothes at SFGreenClean, a company that wet cleans “dry clean clothes in a very environmentally-friendly way. My clothes smell and feel great while looking sharp.
• Grabbed the Powell & Hyde cable car to work and watched Alcatraz Island and three-masted schooner disappear as it crested a hill.
• Texted friends with reliable service from AT&T throughout the ride.
• Listened to French, Chinese, and Japanese being spoken as locals and tourists chatted with one another on the ride.
• Smelled the delicious scent of burning wood from the cable car brakes.
• At Market Street Turnaround, a Spanish tourist asked me for directions. Within seconds, a local stopped to ask if we needed any help. I’ve seen this sort of local support for tourists and newcomers repeatedly in my six weeks here.
• Walking from the cable car stop to the office, I was treated to a wide variety of talented street musicians, including:
  • Man with guitar belting out an acoustic version of Snoop’s Gin & Juice.
  • A freestyle rap troupe including a human beat box.
  • A talented drummer using five-gallon tubs and an old Zildjan cymbal.
  • A guy and a girl singing the theme from Grease … a capella.
• A street-team marketer handed me a sample can of a high-end Italian iced coffee.
• A little old lady fell at the curb trying to get to her cab. Four random passers-by stopped to help her up.
• As I opened the door to the office building, I realized that the one thing I’ve been missing the entire time here was smog. Well, I haven’t actually missed it, but I expected to see, smell and taste in the air of a city this size. I don’t. I think the electric buses, cable cars, subway, electric taxis and ZipCars, not the mention the abundant greenery are all at work to keep the air clean.

I know that walk sounds like something from a Coca-Cola commercial, but it happened just like that. And, aside from the occasional foggy, chilly day, my experience in San Francisco has pretty much been like that every day.

So yeah, I heart San Francisco.

Peace,

Doug

Alcatraz Island (Chestnut & Hyde)

Scooner in the Bay (Chestnut & Hyde)

I heard about this last week and then sublet on to it today. Enjoy!

As I live in Las Vegas and enjoy a good meal, I’ve offered to field questions about local eateries for incoming NAB attendees. I am taking questions in Twitter, but 140 characters is problematic for describing why a place is great. So, I’ll keep this post updated with my responses and point folks here in Twitter.

Breakfast

1. Hash House-a-Go-Go inside of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace has, frankly, seen better days. Which makes the Hash House a real gem on the strip. The restaurant features gourmet takes on diner and farm food classics. Calling the portions enormous may be the understatement of the year.
2. Brunch at Le Village Buffet at Paris! – Hands down the best breakfast buffet in town. Long lines can be a hassle though.

Steakhouses

1. Craftsteak, by Tom Colicchio from Top Chef. Craftsteak is in the MGM Grand. About three years ago, I went to an event after party there and had the best steak I’ve ever eaten. I found Top Chef through Tom Colicchio, not the other way around.
2. The Golden Steer. Just a bit off-strip on Sahara, it looks like hole-in-the-wall, but looks can be deceiving. Once you are inside, it is a slice of old-school, Las Vegas. The Steer has served Sinatra, Elvis and more than a few mobsters in it’s day. Why do they all come? The steaks and sides are absolutely top notch. Their prime rib is outstanding.
3. Rum Jungle at Mandalay Bay. The Brazilian BBQ/Steakhouse food is good, but not spectacular. Rum Jungle is on the list for the experience. All you can eat meat, carved in big hunks. And, if you make your reservations from 8-9 PM on a weekend night, you’ll already be inside when it turns into a fun, unique dance club for the evening, so no waiting in lines. Think Go-Go dancers and drink runners all dressed in white, working in black light from suspended dance cages and a two-story bar.

Burgers

1. Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay. The Burger Bar is the brain child of Chef Hubert Keller, most recently seen on Top Chef Masters. Absolutely amazing. If you only eat one burger in Vegas, make it from the Burger Bar!
2. In-n-Out Burgers – No big surprise here for West Coast folks. But if you are coming from anywhere else, you owe it to yourself to go to the In-n-Out Burger on Tropicana & Dean Martin. If you are already a fan, this location is also a company store where you can pick up hats, shirts and other gear. Without question, they have the best fast food fries in the city. Each batch is made from fresh potatoes.
3. Le Burger Brasserie Sports Grille in the Paris! – Home of the $777 hamburger! The rest of their menu outstanding as well. All high-concept burgers done well. I think they may have the best fries in Vegas.

Buffets

1. Cravings at the Mirage – I am admittedly biased because I used to eat there a couple of times a week when I worked for the company. Disclaimer aside, it is the best value for a high-end buffet on the strip. Everything is outstanding. Vegetarians will love the salad bar where you pick the ingredients and they build a huge, hand-tossed salad. Service is high touch, which is not so common in a buffet.
2. Le Village Buffet at Paris! – Lunch and Dinner are great as well, but they really shine for breakfast/brunch.