This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news
Events
Maroon — August 27
Philadelphia favorite Down North Pizza is heading west for a one-night-only collaboration with James Beard Award-winning Chef Kwame Onwuachi at Maroon at SAHARA Las Vegas.
Beginning at 4 p.m. in the bar and lounge, Down North will serve up an exclusive menu created especially for the occasion, featuring two of its signature pies, Lamb Sausage and Margherita, alongside a special collaboration pie crafted in collaboration between Down North’s Chef Muhammad Abdul-Hadi and Chef Kwame Onwuachi. Quantities are limited, and selections will be served on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out.
The pop-up will kick off a new series of events at Maroon, with Chef Kwame Onwuachi creating a platform to celebrate and uplift Black chefs from across the country.
Ferraro’s Ristorante — September 4
Ferraro’s Ristorante will host Il Cammino del Vino (wine walk), its monthly First Friday wine mixer.
Guests can arrive at their leisure from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and taste up to 12 wines while enjoying light bites. Sommeliers will be on hand throughout the evening to guide guests through each selection and answer questions, and bottles to take home will be sold at exclusive discounted pricing.
Tickets are $59 per person (includes tax and tip). For more info and to RSVP, visit ferraroslasvegas.com/il-cammino-del-vino-sept.
Food Truck Mania — September 5
Food Truck Mania will be coming back to the Henderson Artisan Booze District from 5 to 9 p.m.
During the night, several food trucks and drink specials will be available at each Booze District venue. BYM Kitchen will serve comfort Puerto Rican soul food fusion outside the Las Vegas Distillery; Hapahaole’s Hawaiian Tacos will be parked at CraftHaus Brewery; West Coast Benny’s at Neon Desert Brewing; and World’s Best Corndogs at Vegas Valley Winery.
Big Dog’s Brewing Company — September 9
Big Dog’s Brewing Company will host a Tequila, Tacos & Beer Pairing Event starting at 5:30 p.m. in its taproom.
Limited to just 20 tickets, it will include three expressions of Pezuna Blanca Tequila, three half pints of a Big Dog’s Seasonal Brew, and Chef Sergio’s Taco Trio Platter.
Seating is community-style, and tables will be shared with multiple parties. The cost is $60 (plus tax). To purchase tickets, click here.
Food and Loathing Events Calendar & Weekly Newsletter
For even more events, check out our new food-centric events calendar at foodandloathing.vegas/calendar-of-events. It’s quite extensive – because we know you love options! – with one or more listings for virtually every day.
AND, make sure you never miss reading this column and other interesting reads! Sign up for the weekly Food and Loathing newsletter, which comes out every Thursday. To get on the list, visit foodandloathing.vegas/newsletter.
Pick of the Week: Meril
Emeril Lagasse Opens His First Restaurant Off the Strip at the M Resort
At long last, Emeril Lagasse has opened his first restaurant off the Vegas Strip.
Named for his youngest daughter, Meril, the original debuted in New Orleans in 2016 and is self-described as Contemporary American, with bold flavors and global influences that showcase dishes inspired by Emeril’s travels and the food he loves to eat.
I caught up with Chef Emeril on the red carpet to preview the opening and asked why he chose the M Resort for his new off-Strip venture and how Meril will differ from other restaurants in his portfolio. Chef said, “We got to know them and realized they do things the right way, and that’s how we go about doing things. The experience of the resort itself is quality, and we’re just going to keep building on that. It’s more than just a partnership; it’s also about a friendship. They’re good people, and that’s why we’re here. The restaurant is named after my daughter, and the spiritual part of the restaurant is that it’s all about her and my travels around the world.”
Meril debuted on July 16 and is located off the casino in the former Hash House space. As you enter, you’ll likely spot the neon sign near the bar spelling out “Eat Drink and Be Meril.” The dining room is bright and open, thanks to large floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, from which you can enjoy views of the M Resort Pool and outdoor concert venue. Throughout are interesting, colorful abstract artworks, drawings Meril made as a young girl, photos of Emeril and his daughter Meril, and cookbooks.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, early-morning diners can select from a menu that includes original creations with a New Orleans flair, like Andouille Sausage Potato Hash and Barbeque Shrimp & Crispy Grit Cake. The lunch/dinner menu features shareables such as Street Corn with chile-lime mayo and cotija cheese, Fried Parmesan Chicken Salad (with such a large portion of breaded chicken it can easily serve as your entire meal) with hearts of palm and preserved lemon vinaigrette, Pineapple Upside-Down Cornbread with bacon marmalade, not fishy Crispy Cod Sliders with pickles and tartar sauce, and Crispy Brussels Sprouts with bacon and beer braised onions.
Entrees tend to lean towards Italian offerings, such as Fettuccine with truffle butter, Spicy Paccheri (long tube pasta) with caramelized onions and pecorino Romano, and Blue Crab Linguine with Calabrian chili butter. There are also American favorites with global accents like Buttermilk Fried Chicken with tzatziki and Grilled Ribeye with chimichurri (at a fairly reasonable $56), and a Fish of the Day, which during my visit was Red Snapper bathed in a Creole butter sauce.
It would be a shame to visit an Emeril’s restaurant and not partake of his famous Banana Cream Pie, which comes with caramel sauce and chocolate shavings. Honorable mentions also go out to the Rocky Road Bread Pudding, Grand Marnier Tiramisu and Beignets with confectioners’ sugar.
The cocktail program gives a nod to N’awlins, with Hi-Thymes in NOLA featuring Dos Hombres Mezcal, tequila, lime juice, strawberry purée, and hibiscus thyme syrup; and Espresso Martini with Ketel One Vodka, Licor 43, St George NOLA Coffee Liqueur, and demerara syrup.
Consider yourself extremely lucky if you get to enjoy having Spencer Jackson as your server. The extremely likable native Las Vegan is both efficient and charming. Spencer has worked at the M for five years, most recently at the Raiders Tavern. He likes working off the Strip because, “It’s nice to be in a local casino and I feel bonds with regular customers, many of whom I used to see at Raiders Tavern.”
This new opening adds to Emeril’s Las Vegas footprint, which dates back decades and includes Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand and Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian. Now fans of the chef who made the word “Bam” part of culinary vocabulary won’t need to travel to the Vegas Strip but can enjoy off-Strip perks like free parking and easy in-and-out access. And, the price points of most dishes below $20 fall well below what you’ll pay at Emeril restaurants on the Strip.
Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more info and the complete menus, visit themresort.com/dining/meril.
Dining News
Ultimate Tailgate Package Returns to Proper Eats Food Hall
Proper Eats Food Hall inside ARIA Resort & Casino will again offer The Ultimate Tailgate package every Saturday and Sunday throughout football season.
Priced at $59 per person, it includes unlimited eats of select menu items at several Proper Eats’ concepts including Wexler’s Deli, Parm Italian, Egghead, Laughing Buddha, Lolas Burgers, Pizzaoki, Seoul Bird, Happy Leaf, and donuts from Easys. Guests may also add cut rolls from Temaki Bar for an additional $20.
The package is available only to guests seated in the Proper Bar area, and guests will be limited to three hours. All beverages are sold separately. Proper Bar offers more than 20 seats at the bar, plus high tops and comfortable booths. HDTVs surround the bar and lounge, offering prime sports viewing from every seat.
For more info and to reserve, visit propereatslasvegas.com/ultimate-tailgate.
ai Pazzi Sunday Family Supper
ai Pazzi, the elevated Italian dining experience at the Resort at Summerlin from acclaimed celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, is offering a weekly Sunday Family Supper.
Served family-style for two or more, the menu offers three levels of shareable dinners. All meals include pasta, salad, focaccia, and the choice of two sides. The ai Pazzi Family Supper menu includes:
- Rosemary and Parmigiano Focaccia
- Choice of Caesar or Chop Salad
- Pasta choice of Fusilli Pesto, Lumache Vodka, or Fettuccine Alfredo
- Choice of two sides: Herbs and Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, Citrus Mascarpone Polenta, Roasted Brussels Sprouts ‘Nduja, and Charred Broccolini Parmesan
- Choice of one family entrée: Classic ($45 per person)—choice of Half Roasted Chicken with Herbs and Lemon Butter Sauce or Pollo Parmigiana with Tomato Sauce and Fresh Mozzarella; Seafood ($50 Per Person)—Pan-Seared Corvina Filet with Lemon-Caper Butter Sauce; or Carne ($55 per person)—Braised Pork Ossobuco Alla Milanese
- Add-ons: Grilled Shrimp ($6 per person), Grilled Chicken ($5 per person), Fresh Shaved Truffle ($25 per course), desserts ($5 per person)—Fabio’s House Tiramisu or Sorbet, and wine from the restaurant’s undisclosed cellar ($8 glass/ $25 bottle)
For more info and to reserve, visit aipazzi.com.
Corduroy 9th Anniversary Bash
Corduroy is celebrating nine years on Fremont East with two days of throwback cocktails, resident DJs, and nostalgic prices.
On Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29, guests can revisit some of Corduroy’s signature cocktails for $9, including the Pornstar Martini, Screaming Viking, Mules on Tap, and Habanero Pickle Backs. Keeping the party moving all weekend long, Corduroy’s OG resident DJs will be behind the booth, with Exodus taking over Friday, followed by Presto One on Saturday.
In addition, in honor of Corduroy’s ninth year on Fremont East, locals can download the Explore DTLV app, show a valid Nevada ID at the door, and enjoy 2-for-1 drinks for every purchase.
Corduroy is 21 and over and located at 515 E Fremont. For more info, visit corduroylv.com.
Recently, on the Food and Loathing Podcast
Be sure to check out Food and Loathing this week (and every week). The podcast features veteran food writer Al Mancini, along with co-host Samantha Gemini Stevens and producer Rich Johnson, as they give the lowdown on what’s new, hot, and delicious in America’s most glamorous city, as they talk with chefs, bartenders, journalists, and other experts on where to go and what to order when you get there.
Al, Gem and Rich are together via the magic of the internet this week for some intense talk about great meals. Well, Al and Gem are having intense meals. Rich is at home making beef stew and egg bites (suggestions for both always welcome). The show centers on two conversations with Paymon Raouf and David Wondrich. Paymon is celebrating 38 years of feeding Las Vegas at Paymon’s Fresh Kitchen and Lounge, while David was the latest guest mixologist at The Bank in Bellagio. Al also shares his farewell dinner at Le Cirque; we have news about a new late-night menu at Petite Boheme, plus the ‘secret’ all-you-can-eat fish and chips Fridays at The Irish Spot. And, as always, a Happy Hour Report from Happy Hour Vegas’ Andrew Morgan.
To listen, click here.
Entertainment News
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding Returns to the Rio
The wedding of the season is once again taking place at The Venue at Masquerade Village in the Rio Hotel & Casino with the return of the Off-Broadway award-winning Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is the longest-running Off-Broadway comedy in history since opening February 14, 1988, in NYC. The show made its Las Vegas debut in early 2002 at the Rio, where the interactive dinner show enjoyed a successful seven-year run. In 2018, the production returned to the Strip with a revival at Bally’s (now Horseshoe Las Vegas) and has now returned to its original Las Vegas home, the Rio.
The show opens in the chapel with expanded Italian-American nuptials during the ceremony before guests are ushered into the reception hall, where the real fun begins. Guests are immersed in this loud, loving family where everyone talks over each other, hugs too tightly, and tells stories that spiral into laughter. Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is an interactive comedy dinner show, which means the wedding party mingles with guests, chats at the tables, and pulls everyone into the celebration (but there’s no pressure and your level of participation is completely up to you). Because the cast improvises and interacts with guests throughout the evening, no two performances are ever exactly alike.
A hearty chef-inspired Italian wedding feast is served family-style during the show, and a slice of classic wedding cake for dessert. The menu may change at the chef’s discretion and may include favorites like Chicken Parmigiana, Marry Me Chicken, homemade Italian Meatballs, or traditional Braciole. Vegan meal options are available with advance notice.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the 90-minute show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $79.95 (plus tax and fees) and include the family-style Italian dinner and wedding cake, interactive comedy show, music & dancing, and free parking (the Masquerade Parking Garage is closest to The Venue). Tickets are available by calling the box office at 725-335-4479 or online at tnt.vegas. Children 6 and older are welcome to join the celebration with an accompanying adult.
