On my previous two Vegas trips, I have made mistakes. I have had a little too much to drink early in the trip, which has set me back a little. One of the consequences of that action was that I didn’t really get to enjoy a lot of good Vegas food on those trips.

I made up for that this time. I didn’t overdo it on the drinking at all and had some really good meals along the way.

Because of the heat and my fondness for fruity drinks, I enjoyed a few frozen daiquiris along the way. A handful of places sell them along the strip, and they came in handy because they didn’t get warm as quickly as beer did. Just a tip for those of you who brave the summer heat in Vegas.

I also mixed in a lot of water due to the heat, which kept me from drinking too much. My only complaint is that cocktail service at the machines was pretty poor, especially for water. I know we are freeloading, but it’s 110 degrees out. The servers at Imperial Palace usually carry around several cold bottles of water on their trays, but not many other casinos did this. Have a heart and keep people from passing out at their machine, OK?

With the drinking in check, I followed up on a few recommendations I found online. My first breakfast was at Planet Dailies at Planet Hollywood. I had read this was one of the better coffee shops in town, and it did not disappoint. The coffee was superb, the waffle just right, and they have a nice extra touch by providing a complementary copy of USA Today.

For lunch on Monday, I hit BLT Burger at Mirage. I head read about this place as well and wanted to give it a try, especially since it had only opened a few months ago. After walking around for a few hours, I could really go for a few beers (they have 20-some on tap) and a hunk of beef.

I again came away very happy. I had a regular burger and thin fries with a pair of beers to wash them down. The amber ales from Sin City Brewery and Fat Tire got the day’s drinking off to a perfect start. I sat at the bar and had really good service. They also have plenty of TVs to keep you occupied.

I got carried away checking out some other places and ended up having dinner pretty late at the Pizza Palace at Imperial Palace, my home base. I couldn’t find anything wrong with the mozzarella sticks and personal pizza I got and managed to save enough for lunch on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, I felt pretty good despite not enough sleep (as usual in Vegas), so I set out for the Bellagio breakfast buffet. I wanted to do breakfast at one of the really good buffets and don’t regret it for a second. The bill was less than three dollars more than my bill at Planet Dailies and I ate way more than I did the previous morning.

I started out slow with some fruit and a muffin, then got an omelette and bacon. The omelette was a little too cheesy, but otherwise delicious. The bacon was really good, but I only took one bite of a sausage link I tried before giving up. I wasn’t full – it just didn’t taste that great.

I finished off with a few pieces of toast and leisurely enjoyed my coffee while I read the paper, which I had to buy this time around. I don’t know if I would pay more for this buffet on weekends, but it’s great when the price is only $15.

I lunched on leftovers, then searched for a good dinner place. I decided to try New York, New York and was disappointed when I read the menu at Nine Fine Irishmen, their pub. The choices weren’t as casual as I wanted at that time, so I moved on. I almost picked their Mexican place, but finally found the perfect restaurant to end my Vegas trip.

America.

Yes, they have a restaurant called America. I settled down at the bar, had a few cold ones and ordered the American platter, which consisted of a quesadilla, Buffalo wings, potato skins with chili and cheese, and mozzarella squares. I couldn’t finish the whole thing, but felt very American when I waddled away.

Breakfast before my flight was in the Teahouse, the coffee shop at the IP. It hit the spot and sent me home happy. Best of all, I enjoyed a few new places and didn’t gain any weight.