Continue reading »]]> All-inclusives dangle this bait: pay one price up front and stash your wallet for the vacation’s duration. My experience with the Sandals and Barcelos of the world has been, sure, you can get buckets of buffet food. But just try finding a server.

And I like service. If home is a DIY cafeteria, I want a sit-down vacation. I’m willing to and, if warranted, will generously tip for it. Because, argue it if you will, great service can overcome mediocre food.

This knock on all-inclusives explains why luxury resorts with food and drink included in their rates – ie, Triple Creek Ranch in Montana, for example, and all those African safari lodges – ban “all-inclusive” from their lexicon. But for those who don’t have $1,000-plus/night to spend, a new entry occupies the tolerable $300/night ground: Hacienda Tres Rios south of Cancun.

If you knew Tres Rios as the relatively undeveloped eco-park it was pre-Hurricane Wilma of 2005, you might be sad to know its 326 acres of rivers and forest is now bordered by a 273-room resort. Fortunately, the developers built the hotel on piers to keep it from disrupting the flow of water so important to the underground waterways of the Yucatan. They are also reforesting the mangroves decimated by the hurricane, taking guests through their nursery and even inviting them to muck around with the planting. Guests only have access to the park where you can cannonball in multiple “cenotes,” freshwater-filled swimming holes that expose that underground water system. The ultimate plan — to have five resorts ringing the park – surely paves paradise. Carpe dia.

But do us all a favor, keep some small bills handy. The food is unexpectedly good. Moreover, the service is outstanding. We took to carrying the peso equivalents of $1, $5 and once even $20 for the overjoyed Ismael who touted tamarind margaritas and blue corn and huitlacoche soup. Excellence should be rewarded, even when it’s “all included,” lest it die of minimum wage.

-eglu

Continue reading »]]> I am sitting in seat 36F on American Airlines flight 445 to Cancun. That’s the middle seat in the back row of the plane, the row that doesn’t recline. Earlier, my train to the airport was late, my toiletries spilled out of their quart-size Ziploc in the security line, TSA searched my bag and the flight attendant ran out of blankets. Mexico, let me in!

I’ve sat in the back row before, of course. I’ve also been upgraded to first class (once). I survived a flight that plummeted 10,000 feet in a heartbeat before leveling. I never knew so many people traveled with rosaries. I’ve flown with a baby on my lap, wailing infant in my arms and squirming kids at my side for eight hours trans-Atlantically. I and my copy of “The DaVinci Code” were vomited on by a strange man in 18C. Kids, comparatively, aren’t so bad. If it’s a B movie, chances are I’ve seen it aloft. “Spanglish” does not improve after four viewings. I’ve gone to London for the weekend (for theater). I’ve lived in Italy for a year (food). I lost my wallet and my bag en route to Easter Island. The airline that dropped me above the Arctic Circle also lost my luggage. Boots within. In winter. I’ve sat in front of Meryl Streep (she took the economy experience graciously) and behind Jane Seymour (forward cabin, natch). My entire wardrobe is travel-ready solid separates. My family of three fits perfectly into 737s. We can go a week with carry-ons and still dress for dinner.

I know travel. I make a living at it. With this blog, Read It And Leap, I’ll post trends, tips and tricks for your next trip — if, like me, you travel often, resiliently, and, sometimes, well.

Off-the-ground rule number one: just say no to the last row.

–eglu

Continue reading »]]> Chicago-area firefighters visit Chef John des Rosiers’s kitchen to heat up their culinary repertoires.

Lunch service is winding down at Bank Lane Bistro in suburban Chicago when chef John des Rosiers greets two uniformed firemen who have come, not to inspect the potential hazards of the kitchen’s wood-burning oven and flaming gas range, but to pick up kitchen knives and a few tips.

Beginning in 2004, when an acquaintance expressed interest based on his rotating duties as firehouse cook, des Rosiers hatched a plot to voluntarily teach the firefighting frontline good cooking that they could practice in the station house.

“I wanted to give something back to the community,” says the energetic 27-year old, who once a month invites area firemen – one or two at a time – to shadow him in the restaurant kitchen. “These guys are true heroes and the least they deserve is some tasty, healthy food.”

Fine Dining Firehouse

Reporting for training, Dan Berman and Rich Meierdirks, both of the nearby Northfield Fire Department, say cooking for the crew is more healthful and economical. Meals there, prepared on a small stove and an outdoor gas grill, lean to comfort food classics. “The stationhouse rules are, it’s go to be hot, there’s got to be lots of it and it’s got to be relatively inexpensive,” says Berman, who is fond of jambalaya and stews at work. Meierdirks favors slow cooking dishes like osso buco.

The firemen assist the chef for four hours as he prepares items for the dinner service. On the menu: herb marinated roast chicken, olive oil whipped potatoes, roast pork tenderloin, polenta with wild mushrooms and champagne vinaigrette for the green salad. “This is all easy stuff that’s really good and tasty,” says Des Rosiers, grabbing produce from the walk-in cooler. “And it’s resilient. Most of it can be prepped ahead of time and reheated come meal time.”

That’s important, say the firemen, who work eight hour shifts and never know when an emergency will send them racing away from the stove. Both men have experience cooking, but des Rosiers’ lessons are largely new to them. After beating together the salad dressing made with champagne vinegar, shallots, Dijon mustard, honey, egg yolks and extra virgin olive oil, the chef places it in a pour bottle. “As long as you don’t add the oil in too fast the dressing won’t separate and it will keep in the fridge for weeks.”

So far the lesson is devoid of recipes. “I go by taste, not measurements,” he says, eliciting knowing nods from his recipe-averse audience. (Des Rosiers may cook to taste as a habit, but he offers recipes for the dishes here).

Peeling spuds to make mashed potatoes, one slips from Berman’s hand. Des Rosiers throws it out. “That’s the difference between here and the firehouse,” laughs Berman. “We’d pick it up and wash it off.”

Des Rosiers’ speedy trick for the side dish is to peel, halve and slice Idahos to one-quarter inch thickness. “That way they all cook at the same rate. If you boil them in chunks the outer potato, which is cooked, will absorb water while the inner potato cooks. This way you have drier, lighter results.” He demonstrates using a ricer to grind the potatoes then folds in extra virgin olive oil and warmed cream for fluffy results.

Training on the Job

Despite a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, des Rosiers says he picked up most of his best lessons in the kitchen too. Working the “amuse-bouche” station at the celebrated Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, making pre-meal morsels to wet the appetite, he says, “I learned more there in five months than I did in half my career.”

That career started in high school when he made salads at a nearby fine dining restaurant. “I got interest in food from my Polish grandmother who cooked a lot. I grew up around it and loved it.” He decided, as a junior, that he wanted to be a chef and enrolled in the CIA at age 18, graduating at 20. Several restaurant stints later, des Rosiers runs not only Bank Lane Bistro but sister restaurant South Gate Café and a bakery on the premises, all largely French but with an American streak. Ironically the 1901 vintage building that is home to them all began life as a firehouse.

His food philosophy, which drives considerable repeat business in the Lake Forest community, is “well-sourced food, painstakingly prepared.” To that end he sets Meierdirks to chopping fresh herbs for the chicken marinade, saying, “You could never get that aroma and flavor from dried herbs.” He also boosts his mushroom polenta with a dash of porcini powder, available at fine spice stores.

The chicken roasted, the potatoes whipped, the salad tossed, the polenta cooked, the chef leads his charges to an elegant, linen-covered table by the window. “Enjoy!” he says, placing the platters down. The chicken, polenta and potatoes go over big with the students who vow to prepare them back at the station.

The chef meanwhile excuses himself from the feast. “I’ve got a private party for 30 tonight and I’ve got to run,” says des Rosiers, as he dashes back into the kitchen. “I eat after all the customers do.”

Recipes

• Provencal Herb-Marinated Roast Chicken
• Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Walnuts
• Olive Oil-Whipped Potatoes
• Herb-Coated Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta
• Grilled Duck with Warm Mushroom Salad and Truffle Vinaigrette
• Freelance writer Elaine Glusac writes about food and travel for Shape, National Geographic Traveler, American Way, and Fodor’s guides.

Continue reading »]]> By Elaine Glusac

In this era of pre-washed, pre-chopped greens, anyone can make a salad. Open the bag, dump contents into a bowl and add bottled dressing. Ho-hum.

So why do salads still taste better coming from a restaurant kitchen? Hint: it isn’t just because someone else did the cooking. There’s a whole lot of flavor pairing, seasoning and ingredient manipulation that goes into a deceptively simple salad. To brush up on the basics we asked the pros to divulge their secrets for superior salads.

Q: How do you design a salad?

A: Keep it simple. “Don’t put 10 things in a salad or it will get muddled and lose focus,” says chef Randy Zweiban of Nacional 27. “Use two to three things and let the ingredients shine with simple clean flavors.”

Q: What are the best greens for flavor?

A: “There are greens that have more pronounced flavor such as arugula, frissee, endive, sorrel and mustard greens,” says chef Shawn McClain, partner in the veggie-focused Green Zebra as well as Spring and Custom House. “The trick is to complement the flavor and combine them with the right foods.” Though this is where cooking becomes culinary art, McClain will admit he likes hardier greens such as arugula, watercress and mustard greens in winter, saving the more delicate mache, butter lettuce and sorrel for summer.

Q: How do you thinly slice or “shave” ingredients into salads such as fennel, onion or parmesan?

A: To shave fennel or onion use a mandoline, a hand-operated, tabletop slicer with blades that adjust to different thicknesses. For home cooks chef Heather Terhune of Atwood Cafe suggests the easy to use and inexpensive Benriner mandoline from Japan . For a hard cheese such parmesan allow it to reach room temperature then shave either using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler.

Q: How do you add raisins or dried fruit without getting sticky clumps in the salad?

A: “The fresher the raisins the more sticky they are,” says Terhune. “They’re moist and chewy and you want them that way. What you can do [to separate them while preserving moisture] is reconstitute them by soaking them in a bowl of hot water. Or you could heat a bowl of orange juice or rum in the microwave and use those liquids to add more flavor.” Soak for five to 10 minutes and drain before using. Dried cherries and cranberries separate easily with your fingers.

Q: How do you add soft cheese like goat cheese without creating messy clumps?

A: “There’s no getting around it,” admits David Connolly, chef di cucina at A Milano in Northfield . “The drier the variety, such as aged goat cheese, the better it crumbles.” Adds McClain, “What you can do is spoon out some soft goat cheese and roll it in some fine ground ingredients to shape and mold. Try bread crumbs, ground nuts or chopped herbs. This covers up imperfections.” To get around the issue entirely think of a dry blue cheese such as Maytag, suggests Terhune.

Q: How do I toast nuts to add to a salad?

A: “It is best to toast nuts in the oven on a sheet pan or pie tin at 350 degrees until golden brown, or until you can smell them.  That is a good test to see if they are toasted enough or not,” says Terhune. Other chefs use the stovetop method which requires your full attention. “For pine nuts place a sauté pan over low heat, add a single layer of nuts to the pan, stir frequently and toss, about two to three minutes,” says Connolly. Done the same way, “sesame seeds can burn in a heartbeat. You have to watch them closely,” says Priscilla Satkoff, chef at Salpicon.

Q: What is the appropriate oil to acid ratio in salad dressing?

A: “The general rule is three parts oil to one part acid, such as three cups of oil to one cup of vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice or others,” says Terhune. “To keep the dressing emulsified add one teaspoon of Dijon or dried mustard. If you keep the dressing in a small jar it will last for weeks in the frig. Just shake it up when you want to use it.” Combine all ingredients except oil, then slowly add in oil with a hand whisk. “You can also use a blender or food processor for this,” says Randy Zweiban. “The dressing will stay blended longer before it separates.”

Q: What else can I add to the dressing?

A: “To really underscore the flavor in your salad, take one ingredient in the salad and add it to the dressing,” says Zweiban. “For example if you have avocado in the salad, add avocado into your lime juice or sherry vinegar and oil dressing. It will be the emulsifier and it will accentuate the taste of the avocado.” Try this technique with sun-dried tomato, diced tomato or jalapeno too.

Q: How do you toss a salad?

A: “Always toss with your hands,” says Zweiban. “Tongs and implements don’t do a great job and can bruise or break the greens. You can be gentle with your fingers and lightly coat the salad.” Dry leaves take dressing best. “Get a salad spinner and make sure the leaves are clean and dry,” says Terhune. “If they’re wet the dressing will fly off.” And don’t drench the greens. “Salads stack better when they’re not overdressed,” says McClain.

Q: How do you season a salad?

A: “When it comes to salads, everybody thinks of pepper but not salt,” says McClain. “Salt is essential. And the kind of salt is important. Kosher salt tends not to melt as much and you don’t want to crunch into salt. The flakier the sea salt the better.” Season salads with salt and pepper while tossing. How much salt to add? About a pinch per salad. But, says Connolly, “It’s all about taste, taste, taste. I have guys tasting salads all day long.”

Q: How come your salads taste better than mine?

A: “You could drive yourself crazy trying to make the perfect salad every time,” says McClain. “But if you hit a few of these points you should be alright.”

Grilled Salmon with Mango-Jicama Salad

By Heather Terhune, executive chef, Atwood Café

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 8-ounce fresh salmon filets
4T canola oil
1 jicama
1 ripe mango
1 red pepper
2 fresh limes
1 ripe read pear
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
salt and pepper
1 t honey

Directions:

1. Peel the jicama and cut into matchsticks.
2. Peel mango and cut into strips.
3. Core the pear and julienne, leaving the skin on.
4. Finely chop on bunch of cilantro.
5. Seed the pepper and julienne.
6. Cut the green onion on a bias.
7. Put all the fruit and vegetables in a bowl and squeeze lime juice over these ingredients.
8. Add honey and mix.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until use (can be make one day ahead).
10. Pre-heat your grill to medium high heat. Rub the four salmon filets with canola oil and seasons with salt and pepper.
11. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. Medium takes about four minutes per side.
12. Serve by mounding some of the salad on top of each piece of salmon.

Arugula Salad

By David Connolly, chef di cucina, A Milano

Ingredients per salad
1C baby arugula
1/4C shaved fennel
2T fresh goat cheese crumbled
1T toasted pine nuts
2T lemon vinaigrette
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Lemon Vinaigrette (will dress about 4 salad servings)
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 shallot minced
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash and dry the baby arugula. To make vinaigrette combine lemon and shallot in a bowl, whisking in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss greens with fennel and pine nuts. Add vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with goat cheese.

Grilled Red Onion, Tomato and Avocado Salad
with Avocado Vinaigrette

By Randy Zweiban, chef, Nacional 27

Serves 4

For the Salad:

2 Each Large Ripe Vine Ripe Tomatoes
1 Each Red Onion
2 Each Ripe Haas Avocados
1/8 Cup Sherry Vinegar
¼ Cup Canola Oil
Fresh Ground Black Pepper and Kosher Salt

1- Core tomatoes and cut each into 4 slices.

2- Cut the onion into 8 slices and marinate in oil, vinegar and season with some of the salt and pepper.

3- On a hot grill or in a hot sauté pan, cook the onions for about 2 minutes per side and reserve.

4- Peel, seed and cut the avocados in half. Slice each half into 4 slices.

For the Vinaigrette:

1 Each Ripe Hass Avocado
2/3 Cup Canola Oil
½ ounce Sherry Vinegar
1/3 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1- Peel, seed and rough chop the avocado.

2- Place in a blender with the vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper.

3- Turn the blender on and slowly pour the oil into the blender.  You can add more oil to get to the consistency you like.

To assemble:

1- On four plates, place 2 slices of tomatoes side by side. Season with salt and pepper.

2- Top with 4 slices of avocado.

3- Top with 2 slices of onion.

4- Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad and around the plate.

5- Crack fresh black pepper over the salad.

6-  Sprinkle chopped herbs over the salad such as parsley, chives or cilantro.

Spring Radish Salad
with savory French toast and mustard dressing

By Shawn McClain, executive chef/partner, Green Zebra, Spring, Custom House

Serves: six

French Toast
12 French bread slices (1” thick)
2 eggs
1C half & half
2T chives-minced
2T parmesan-finely grated
Salt and pepper to taste
2T whole butter

Mustard Dressing
1T Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1t red wine vinegar
½C Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Radishes
½ lb. Mixed baby radishes, cleaned and sliced
½ lb. Mixed baby greens
Sea salt to taste
Freshly grated parmesan

Method:

1. Combine eggs, half & half, chives and parmesan and whisk well until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a non-reactive bowl, combine egg yolk with Dijon and vinegar.  While whisking, slowly drizzle in olive oil to form dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place French bread into custard and let stand 2 minutes.  Remove and shake off excess.  Place into a non-stick pan over medium heat with whole butter and brown on both sides. Reserve warm.

4. Place radishes into a bowl with greens and dress with mustard dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.

To Plate: Place two pieces of French toast onto six serving plates and garnish with dressed radishes. Grate fresh parmesan on top of greens/radishes and serve immediately.

Continue reading »]]> Explorers on a mission don’t mind a sweaty hike — especially one over 150-million-year-old soil – if there’s a payoff. It came when our guide, Joe, pointed to a rock face, indicating dinosaur remains visible among the stripy sediment. Suddenly the gray wall became a massive dino bone puzzle to newly trained eyes.

“Here’s a vertebra!” shouted one child.

“I’ve got a leg bone,” yelled another.

“Mom, look! It’s a shoulder blade I think,” said my 5-year old Seth.

We expected some evidence of past life when we set out to visit Utah ’s Dinosaur National Monument on what we dubbed “the great T-Rex road trip.” But to find our own remains with the certainty of a paleontologist brought our stacks of books on raptors and carnivores and sauropods fully to life.

That indeed was just the point. Back home in Chicago with the Internet and detailed maps we plotted a 500-mile circle tour starting in Salt Lake City to the famed dinosaur sites of Utah, the only state in the union with its own eponymous dino, the locally-excavated Utahraptor, and a quadrant, the northeast corner, known as “Dinosaurland.” The badlands around the Uinta Mountains encompass the largest Jurassic quarry in the world, a fairy tale come true for those (like Seth) who know their Saurischia from their Ornithischia.

The Adventure Begins

Picking up our rented Dodge Stratus in the capital we, husband Dave, son Seth and I, lit out northbound for Odgen, home of the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park and its new Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Museum . The vast open-air compound of sincerely convincing lifesize raptors silhouetted against the distant mountains reminded me of roadside attractions visited on long-ago road trips with my own parents. The Utahraptor here looms, the Allosaurus and Diplodocus shriek in confrontation, footprints from ferocious T-Rex on down to tiny Trodon provide a sense of scale. Identifying plaques do the job of educating visitors though entertainment was more of what Seth had in mind, urging us down the gardened paths with, “C’mon guys! There’s more.”

And how. In a darkened room on the second floor of the museum a robotic T-Rex faced off against a mother Triceratops and her two babies, both combatants parrying their necks and roaring with intimidation. Seth gradually crept backwards during the bout, half-hiding behind the entry wall. But by repeat performance number four he turned to his father, “We’re going to play this at home!”

To best stage our exploration of the Uinta Mountains’ 600 million years of strata we made for the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area which borders Wyoming . A National Scenic Byway skirts the dammed canyon and roadside signs regularly announce the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous ages of the vistas. Exposed geologic layers sweep left in one butte, right in another, in perfectly parallel lines of sediment, freezing the movement of earth in mountain faces. And presenting a perfect opportunity for a casual seminar on plate tectonics over dinner at Red Canyon Lodge. Followed by a twilight canoe paddle on serene Greens Lake .

Fossils, Rossils Everywhere

Rising to a glowing sunrise we piled back in the car for the 50-minute drive to Dinosaur National Monument . The light-flooded Dinosaur Quarry Visitors Center frames an exposed riverbank that looks like a slightly canted wall, an active quarry site packed with 1,500 bones, skeletons so pronounced that we easily followed the vertebrae arc of a long-neck sauropod Camarasaurus all the way to his skull. The dense site, explained a park ranger, is a “bone jam” washed down a flooded river creating a “sandbar cemetery.” Eleven species of dinosaurs have been unearthed in the 150-million-year old sediment as well as the fossilized bones of crocodiles and turtles thanks to the erosion work of the Green and Yampa Rivers . And that same remain-rich layer enshrined in the Center continues outside. We signed on to investigate it on a guide-led geology walk.

“This is great!” Seth crowed to another child, one of six ranging in age from 3 to 10, each on the heels of the guide, Pied Piper fashion through the sandstone landscape. He turned us loose to find our own ancient fish scale fossils on a shale slope and to discover evidence of clams and wave patterns in a prehistoric ocean. We also searched the aforementioned cliff of exposed vertebrae, tibia and shoulder blades, finding out own unearthed remains.

“It’s a gold mine of dino bones,” said the guide, noting some 400 tons have already been removed.

“Are they able to grow back?” asked an enthralled boy.

In the nearby town of Vernal we got a larger picture of the fossils excavated in this region at the new, hands-on-oriented Utah Field House of Natural History which displays plant fossils and mammal remains from the more recent Eocene era as well as the always popular dinosaur garden with life-size replicas of a two-story T-Rex, 4-foot Coelophysis and a dozen more of their contemporaries.

With the late afternoon light firing the canyon walls red we set out for Dry Fork Canyon 14 miles north of Vernal to check in on early human history. A short but steep hike among the boulders brought us face to face with another aspect of the past, native petroglyphs up to nine feet tall making an art gallery of the 200-foot sandstone cliffs. Little is known about the Freemont people who drew men with big feet, heads with horns, animals and spiral shapes from about 1 to 1200 A.D. Our scramble among the rocks made the discovery and the mystery that much more intriguing. One Post-It note among hundreds scribbled by prior visitors in the entry shack read, “We came to see Dino National Monument and liked this better.” We liked them equally.

Tracking Prehistoric Giants

After a night at the dino-themed Best Western Dinosaur Inn, Seth sprang out of bed with, “Let’s meet a paleontologist!” We suggested first seeing where the dinos walked, then loaded up our day packs for an early, heat-beating hike in Red Fleet State Park just north of Vernal. The 1.2 mile walk of rolling ups and downs weaved among rock bluffs the color of clay planters, yellow rabbit brush and twisted, purple-berried juniper trees. At the lakeside track site we fanned out over the sloping stone lakeshore to find 200-million-year-old tracks of the Dilophosaurus, an 8-foot-tall, fleet-footed carnivore with lethally clawed toes. He likely traveled in herds as indicated by the three-toed impressions of tracked paths clearly visible in the slanted light of early morning. We placed our own hands and feet in the tracks exhilarated at touching the ancient past.

After a tailgate breakfast of bagels and bananas we dipped south to swing by the Cleveland Lloyd Quarry, an active dig site where 46 Allosaurs — the T-Rex of the Jurassic age – have been excavated. In the quarry floor black fossils stood out boldly in the gray mud rock. From a catwalk above the pit we spied three Stegasaur plates and one tail spike, an enormous Camarasaurus pelvis bearing the teeth marks of an attack, and an entire Allosaurus front arm providing a true a sense of proportion.

As a splurge after so much sightseeing, we spent out last night at the elegantly rustic Sundance Resort near Provo , which is both beautiful and family-friendly. At the resort’s candlelit Tree Room restaurant, we dines on buffalo tenderloin, tomato-crusted halibut, papardelle with spring vegetables (for Seth), and lavender crème brulee.

En route to the airport, we made one last stop at the Museum of Ancient Life in Lehi. The Disneyesque version of prehistory comes with a roaring soundtrack, skeletons suspended from the ceiling and the largest pelvis bone ever found, from the aptly named Supersaurus. Seth enjoyed the bells and whistles every bit as much as the more scientific sites.

Airborne that afternoon he spied the deserts we’d thoroughly scoured for dinosaurs. “We should move to Utah ,” he declared. “They’ve got a lot of landscape here.”

Dino Drive Highlights

Day 1: Arrive in Salt Lake City and drive to Ogden . Overnight stay at Comfort Suites ($77/double room; 1150 West 2150 South, Ogden; 801-621-2545).

Day 2: Visit Eccles Dinosaur Park and Stewart Dinosaur Museum ( 1544 East Park Blvd. , Ogden ; 801-393-DINO, www.dinosaurpark.org), then drive to Flaming Gorge Recreation Area. Overnight stay at Red Canyon Lodge ($95-125/cabin; 790 Red Canyon Road , Dutch John; 435-889-3759; www.redcanyonlodge.com).

Day 3: Go to Dinosaur National Monument (Rt. 149, Jensen; 970-374-3000; www.nps.gov/dino), Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (496 East Main Street, Vernal; 435-789-3799; www.dinoland.com), and Dry Fork Canyon Petroglyphs just outside Vernal (www.utahoutdooractivities.com/dryfork.html). Overnight stay at Best Western Dinosaur Inn ($100/double, 251 E. Main St. , Vernal; 435-789-2660).

Day 4: Visit Red Fleet State Park(8750 North Hwy. 191, Vernal; 435-789-4432; www.utah.com/stateparks/red_fleet.htm) and Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (125 South 600 West, Price; 435-636-3600). Overnight stay at Sundance Resort ($245/cabin, North Fork Provo Canyon ; 800-892-1600; www.sundanceresort.com).

Day 5: Stop at Museum of Ancient Life ( 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way , Lehi; 801-768-2300, www.thanksgivingpoint.com).

Continue reading »]]> By Elaine Glusac

In honor of its centennial birthday, we set out to do a story on the best of Vegas “then and now.” You know, heyday versus today. But then we realized something—it’s not one or the other. Much of the best of both worlds still exists (albeit on DVD in some cases). So here you go, what always has been—and still is—great about Vegas.

Retro: Bingo
Right Now: Baccarat

Retro: The 99-cent shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate Hotel
Right Now: The $21 tartare of ahi tuna at Michael Mina

Retro: Ocean’s 11, the 1960 original
Right Now: Ocean’s 12

Retro: The “Scorpion” cocktail at Peppermill Fireside Lounge
Right Now: The blue “Pure-tini” at Pure in Caesars Palace

Retro: Clint Holmes, the last of the song and dance men on the Strip
Right Now: Permanent Broadway refugees including “Mamma Mia!” Coming soon: “Avenue Q,” “Hairspray” and “Phantom of the Opera”

Retro: Celebrity gangsters such as Benjamin “Bugsy” Malone
Right Now: Celebrity chefs such as Alain Ducasse (Mix)

Retro: Playing the ponies in the sports book
Right Now: Camping out during the NCAA tourney at the sports book

Retro: Casino lounges such the Stardust’s Starlight Lounge serving Scotch on the rocks
Right Now: Ubër lounges such MGM’s Tabu serving up sound-and-light spectacles and champagne cocktails

Retro: The Little White Wedding Chapel
Right Now: Weddings atop the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower

Retro: Vintage Vegas postcards at Bonanza Gifts Shop, the “World’s Largest Gift Shop”
Right Now: Versace jeans at the Forum Shops

Retro: Poker
Right Now: Poker

Retro: The circa 1959 headdress-happy “” at the Tropicana
Right Now: The most-expensive-theater-production-ever, “Ka” from Cirque du Soleil

Retro: Drying out by the pool the morning after
Right Now: Repairing night-before damage at the Canyon Ranch Spa

Retro: The Liberace Museum pays homage to the old master of the ivories.
Right Now: Guggenheim Hermitage Museum pays homage to the Old Masters: Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne…

Retro: Cheap, bare bones rooms
Right Now: Skylofts at the MGM Grand: two-story windows, custom Bang & Olufsen equipment and a steam room with a view of the Vegas skyline

Retro: Elvis singing “Viva Las Vegas” in 1964
Right Now: Dennis Hopper chairing CineVegas film festival in 2005

Retro: No room and board, 24-hour gaming: Slots-A-Fun
Right Now: Room and board, no gaming: The Four Seasons

Retro: The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign
Right Now: www.vegas.com

Retro: The 1966 Aladdin’s Lamp hotel neon sign on Fremont St .
Right Now: Hotelier Steve Wynn’s neon signature atop the 2005 Wynn Las Vegas

Retro: Cruising the Strip in a 1965 Cobra
Right Now: Cruising the Strip in a Mini Cooper S convertible

Contact info for Vegas Retro & Right Now

Bonanaza Gifts Shop: 702-385-7359

Canyon Ranch: 702-414-3600, www.venetian.com

CineVegas: 702-992-7979, www.cinevegas.com

Folies Bergere: 702-736-2411, www.tropicanalv.com

Forum Shops: 702-893-4800, www.caesars.com

Four Seasons Las Vegas : 702-632-5000, www.fourseasons.com

Golden Gate Hotel: 702-385-1906, www.goldengatecasino.net

Guggenheim Hermitage Museum : 702-414-2440, www.guggenheimlasvegas.org

Ka: 877-264-1844, www.cirquedusoleil.com

Liberace Museum : 702-798-5595, www.liberace.org

Mamma Mia! at Mandalay Bay : 877-632-7400, www.mandalaybay.com

MGM Skylofts: www.skyloftsmgmgrand.com, 877-656-5638

Michael Mina: 877-234-6358, www.bellagio.com

Mix, 877-632-1766

Paris Las Vegas, www.caesars.com/paris, 877-796-2096

Peppermill Fireside Lounge: 702-735-4177

Pure: 702-212-8806

Rent-a-Vette: 800-372-1981, www.exoticcarrentalslasvegas.com

Slots-A-Fun: 702-734-0410

Tabu: 702-891-7138, www.mgmgrand.com

The Little White Wedding Chapel: 702-382-5943, www.alittlewhitechapel.com

Versace Jeans Couture: 702-796-7332

Westin Casuarina: 702-836-9775, www.westin.com

Wynn Las Vegas, www.wynnlasvegas.com, 702-770-7100