And one more panning:

Do NOT eat at Todd English's Olives in the Bellagio.

I have given this place three chances now, spanning
several years. I wasn't planning eat there to this time
in town, since Olives had failed twice to live up to any
form of big-name-chef performance; nor any form of Bellagio
restaurant performance, for that matter. But I had just
signed up for a poker tournament and had only an hour
before it started to find something good to eat.

Olives closest option that was upscale and open for lunch.
And, being essentially one to take a gamble on the benefit
of the doubt, I was intrigued at my chances.

As with my results in that first tournament (busted out in
15th place), I should have gone with knowledge over emotion
(I put my opponent on AJ offsuit while I held JT suited,
and I called his all-in bet anyway...the board paired both
of our jacks and paid him not me). I should have just gone
to Noodles, or had the tuna sandwich.

I forget what I started with at Olives, but the entree
was a roast chicken that was dry and, possibly, also
day-old. Execrable.

If it had been one bad meal out of three, I'd have
chalked it up to volume stochastics. But three
out of three isn't random, it's a policy decision.

Todd English has decided that bad food is good enough
to serve.

Next time, I'll eat a roll of breath savers from the gift
shop before I'll give that dump my money. The MGM-Bellagio
should rip it out and install a P.F. Chang's.

--Blair