One time I was staying at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  It was the last day of our trip and we were taking the red-eye flight back to Toronto, which wasn’t leaving until 11:30 Pacific time.  After we checked out we had a bunch of time (all day) to kill before we went to the airport.  I had a couple of complimentary drink tickets from the MGM Grand which I wanted to use, so my wife and I were walking around the hotel so I could drink my free Dos Equis (you’ll notice me always celebrating free things in this blog), while we looked for a place to eat dinner.  When we saw ‘Diego’, she asked if I wanted Mexican food.  I was already drinking Mexican beer, but I wasn’t too hungry.  I have a habit of eating so much when in Vegas that by the last day of the trip, I’m just ordering salads and cereal as a measure of self-preservation.  I also thought that eating Mexican before getting on a red-eye had to be a bad idea.

I finally agreed to go to Diego, so we went in and had a seat.  I think it was only 5pm or something, so the restaurant wasn’t busy yet.  We sat down and started eating some tortilla chips when the waiter came by and asked if we wanted some guacamole with our chips.  It sounded pretty casual, like it might be complimentary like the salsa, or perhaps it would cost extra, but I do love me some guacamole, so I said ‘yes please’, and the waiter disappeared.  At this point, my wife (who is a faster reader than me) whispers the price of the guacamole to me.  This story is from a couple of years ago, so I don’t remember how much it was, but it was in the $12-$16 range.  For guacamole??

Now it’s important to understand where I am in the whole ‘food chain’ thing.  I am not a high roller by any means.  This was our 2nd trip to Vegas that year however, so my wife and I are not necessarily poor either.  On a regular night out at home, I might spend $7 or $8 on some guacamole.  On vacation, maybe $10.  This guacamole seemed a bit pricey to me at the time.  Not going to break me, but pretty expensive for guacamole.

The waiter is gone though, so we’re just going to enjoy this guacamole, and for that price I’m expecting that it will be pretty good.  Then this happened…..

Guac Man

 

This Mexican guy came out with a cart and started making guacamole right in front of our eyes.  Made to order.  Cut the avocados, squeezed the lime, added however much of whatever we wanted……..  I was not expecting this.  He was a great guy.  He chatted us up while he made our guacamole like a true professional in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do it.

This was a show!  This was worth every penny.  I don’t dine like this every day, and sometimes it’s the little details like this that make your experience.  The food at this place was great.  The service was excellent, but I can’t get my mind around the guacamole show and how much I enjoyed it.

If you ever make it out to the MGM Vegas, don’t forget to go to ‘Diego’ and get some guacamole.  Just one of the millions of things that will add to your Vegas experience.