Time to get back where we left off! (If you haven’t checked out part 1 of our tour, you can do that HERE!).
(FYI: For those who have asked, my shoes are from Target!)
After our appointments at the spa on Friday afternoon, we headed back to our suite to shower and get ready for a dinner that I was REALLY looking forward to, at TS Steakhouse. The restaurant is located on the top floor of the Tower and even has its own, private elevator.
We purposely arrived a little before our scheduled reservation so that we could enjoy a drink at the bar before dinner. It’s probably one of our favorite things to do when we get to go out, and we always have some of the best conversations then.
When we arrived, we were asked if we’d like to sit out on their balcony, which had apparently just recently opened for the season. Well, it was a gorgeous evening so we absolutely went for it…I mean, just LOOK at that view.
Truth be told, I honestly couldn’t look down all that often because I get very anxious about heights (GAH!) but it was still beautiful nonetheless.
I wasn’t really sure what I was initially in the mood for to drink, but I eventually decided on champagne and it was perfection. We were also served these delicious almonds that were sweet, salty, and spicy.
Later in the evening, after speaking with a bartender at another bar, we found out that they’re actually quite popular around the resort and are a mix of cinnamon, sugar, salt, and cayenne, among other things. I’d love to try and recreate them but I know with 100% certainty I’d never get them to taste as good. ; )
After having our drink, we headed back inside to get seated at our table for dinner.
The whole restaurant really was beautiful and I wish I had taken more pictures of the inside. That was the view from our table!
Jay and I continued to sip on our drinks (round 2!) and browsed the menu a bit more while snacking on some bread and jalapeno cornbread.
I had to ask our waiter (Kenneth, he was incredible!) what the difference was between the regular filet and the Wagyu filet, and he said that American Wagyu is the same practice as Kobe beef, but we can’t call it Kobe because it’s raised in America. Whether or not I have that 100% true, I do not know, because when I tried looking it up, I found different answers(!). But apparently the Cows are grass fed, massaged and fed beer, making for a more flavorful meat. So I decided to just go with it and give it a try!
After ordering, we were also served a couple of mini Gruyere puffs (delicious), and we also ordered their calamari to share as an appetizer.
The calamari was very good, and whatever sauce they served with it was also quite memorable!
A little while later, dinner was served! Jay got a rib-eye, and we both got some buttered mashed potatoes (OMG) and steamed asparagus to share on the side.
I will say, that the filet was probably one of the best, if not THE best filet that I’ve ever tasted (coming in a close second to this one!) and I barely wound up using any of the sauces that were served on the side. Absolutely incredible.
Of course, we couldn’t leave without getting dessert. And after looking at the menu, a big piece of chocolate cake is what sounded the best to both of us. And BIG, it was.
We ended up boxing probably more than half of it and wound up eating the rest of it over the weekend at home, haha!
Overall, our dinner experience at TS Steakhouse was insanely good, and I hope to be able to go back again some day!
So, originally, our plan was to go and attend a comedy show that was taking place in the Showroom, but our dinner ended up going much later than expected so we actually missed out on the show (without realizing until about 30 minutes after it had already started!).
Since we knew we’d missed the show at that point, we decided to hit up the casino. I mean, when in Rome, right?
Neither of us are big gamblers. At all. But we decided to get a voucher for $10.00 and see how quickly we could lose it to some slot machines.
Turns out, it took us less than ten minutes. Probably closer to five. But we were still having an awesome time, regardless of whether or not we were down $10 for the night. ; )
At this point in the evening, it was too early for most of the places at Exit 33 to really be open, but we still wanted to keep the night going, so we decided to head over to the Lodge Lounge for another drink.
There were only a couple of other people in there when we arrived so it wasn’t all that busy, so the two of us chatted and made some small talk with the bartender (who told us about the nuts above!).
I had already enjoyed a few glasses of champagne at this point but I decided I wanted something fruity, so I ordered one of their signature drinks, the Bella Pesca (Champagne, Elderflower Liqueur, Grapefruit Juice, Lychee Juice, Splash of Chambord).
WOW, that was good. Like, reeeeally good.
After finishing up our drinks at the lounge, we were both pretty much wiped (having been up since about 5:30 that morning, thanks to an early wake up from Alex!) so we headed back up to the room and crashed hard.
Loved the turn down service we came back to!
On Saturday morning, we blissfully slept in until just after 8am (unheard of these days!) and casually lounged around for a bit before getting ready to head down for breakfast.
Located within The Lodge is a restaurant called Wildflowers, which we’d heard rave reviews about from a few different people while we were there during our stay. So since breakfast is basically my jam, I was super pumped to see what kind of a treat we were in for.
We decided to go all out for our last meal of the trip, so we started by ordering their bakery menu item, which was a mix of muffins, coffee cake, and croissant.
I’m not a huge croissant person, but the muffins and (especially) the coffee cake were awesome. This blog isn’t called ‘sweet tooth’ for nothin’, mmhmmmm.
For our “main” breakfast, Jay and I both ended up ordering their Signature Breakfast, which came with two eggs, homefries, toast, and bacon.
The entire meal was insaaaaanely delicious (thank god I’m not a food writer because I’m running out of adjectives to describe all of the good food we had here…) and we both left feeling quite full but (surprisingly) not too overstuffed.
After breakfast, we checked out, and then we were on our way back home to see the boys! They both did great while we were away for our short trip, and someone especially wound up being quite tuckered out from all of the fun he was having while we were gone. <3
So much so that I could not get this kiddo to wake up on the couch for the life of me. He was OUT, and he seriously never falls asleep anywhere but his bed!
Well, there’s the end of our little getaway recap! I want to give another huge thank you to Vikki and everyone else at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort for an absolutely amazing time. If anyone is ever in that area, I would highly recommend stopping by for a meal, a spa service, or a night away. :)
Brynn says
Your dinner looks spectacular!! I’ve had very similar style nuts and I was instantly addicted. Giada has a really good recipe!
Shaqueefa says
Durrrfuhfuhfuh okay Brine
Heather @Lunging Through Life says
That breakfast! Oh man it looks so delicious. If only I had it here for my breakfast, haha
Shaqueefa says
LAWLZ CORNTEY 2.0
montessoriishmom says
What an amazing trip! I must admit, the best part looks like sleeping in :) Those cocktails and views look pretty great too though. Glad you had such a nice time!
Juliette | Namastay Traveling says
Looks like an amazing trip. We go to turning stone for big family reunion dinners but I haven’t had much team to explore it on my own. Definitely interested in trying out the lodge! Such a different vibe than the casino.
Heather says
The view from the balcony is just amazing! I do miss upstate NY certain times of year….early fall especially. It really is a gorgeous place!
Christen says
Wow! That looks like so much fun. I didn’t realize there was so much there!
Kaitlyn @ Powered by Sass says
This whole weekend looked like SO MUCH FUN for you guys! It’s important to get out and connect or even reconnect with your SO. I loved reading this! My guy and I are planning a getaway in the coming weeks after an extended work trip and being away, and this made me even more excited for it! Also, bar conversations are the best, aren’t they? For us, too! Why is that?!
http://www.poweredbysass.com
Sarah B says
That resort looks amazing! The view and the food, wow.
Shaqueefa says
MY man so ignant he pronounciates filet migńöñ FILLETTE MIGNONE. I embarrass him at the Shalonda’s Stake, Chickn, Nail and Hair Salon but it made for grate convo! #ABC123
Brittney says
Ok, that looks like an AMAZING getaway! I may have just Google Mapped to see how far the resort is from my house. It’s a bit far for a weekend trip, but I’m so keeping this in mind for a long weekend!
Koryn says
Yes, this is why date weekends or even an overnight date is Absolutely necessary for married couples, especially when you have kid(s). If only just to sleep in for a change – haha! Living vicariously through your amazing weekend trip, until the next time the hubby and I can get away. :-)
Janet says
As a frequent Turning Stone visitor, I can say that your experiences were WAY out of the price range of most people!! Such a luxurious stay is not possible for many.
Courtney says
Janet, you are very right. We were incredibly lucky to experience such an amazing stay! Have you hit up any of the places in Exit 33 when you’ve stayed? I really want to go back and experience them!
Amanda says
Such a fun getaway for mom and dad. Sounds wonderful and refreshing. P.S. Would you mind sharing outfit details? I especially love the jeans in the post massage picture and pre breakfast picture, and the shirts too.
Courtney says
Hey Amanda! The jeans are from the Gap outlet from maybe 3ish years ago?? The striped button up is from Target and the grey casual top is from LOFT!