This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
Evolve Brewing — January 31
Evolve Brewing, one of the first establishments to open at The Bend on Sunset near Durango, has completed its first year of business.
The brewery by Aces and Ales will commemorate its 1st anniversary with a ticketed event beginning at 6 p.m. Priced at $50 per person pre-sale, your ticket will include one pour each of two anniversary beers, a commemorative 1st Anniversary T-Shirt, one crowler to go of an anniversary beer, an Evolve Brewing pint glass, and extra entries to a “Win Free Beer for a Year” drawing.
In addition, through January, every Evolve pint purchased will include an entry into the Free Beer for a Year drawing, with five winners. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.
Joël Robuchon — January 31
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand will host a dinner celebrating the revered flavors of black truffle from Sabatino, the Italian family-owned truffle authority renowned for sourcing and producing the world’s finest truffles.
The black truffle tasting menu by Executive Chef Eleazar Villanueva will include:
- Ossetra Caviar served atop crab in a crustacean gelée dotted with cauliflower purée
- Maine Lobster in a thinly sliced celery with sweet and sour dressing, topped with black truffle
- Ratte Potatoes and Foie Gras Carpaccio with shavings of parmesan and black truffles
- Heavenly Cheese Soufflé with black truffle coulis
- Artichoke Puree with a sweet spice chickpea cappuccino
- Truffled Langoustine Ravioli with simmered cabbage and foie gras sauce
- Crispy Truffle Tart with onion confit and smoked bacon
- Lobster cooked in a cocotte with asparagus and tomato confit and coraline sauce
- Caramelized Black Cod with daikon velouté and yuzu
- Beef Chateaubriand and foie gras “Rossini” style
- Passionfruit Posset with tropical coulis, coconut sorbet, and cognac granita
- Chocolate Cremeux with cocoa dirt and black truffle anglaise
- Mignardises Cart
During the dinner, guests will have the option to enjoy pours of LOUIS XIII Cognac. The menu is priced at $575 per person (plus tax and tip), and an optional add-on wine pairing will also be available. Reservations start at 5 p.m. with the last seating at 9:30 p.m. To reserve, call 702-891-7925 or visit MGM Grand online.
CraftHaus Brewery — February 7
CraftHaus Brewery at the Henderson Booze District will host the 12th annual Comrade Day, unveiling its highly anticipated Comrade Russian Imperial Stout. Traditionally held the day before the Super Bowl, the event has become a must for stout lovers.
This year’s circus-themed celebration, “Comrade Goes to the Circus,” features three specialty variants inspired by carnival favorites: Deep Fried Oreo, Caramel Apple, and Smoked Turkey Leg. Guests can also enjoy vertical tasting flights of Comrade vintages from previous years.
Chef Darnell has created a special three-item plate for the event, including a Smoked Ground Turkey Slider with Vinegar Slaw, Churro Sweet Potato Skewers, and a circus-themed dessert made with Comrade Imperial Stout. Carnival-style games and activities will round out the event.
The event will be offered in three two-hour seatings: 12:30–2:30 p.m., 3–5 p.m., and 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $45 per person and include a choice of either a flight of four 4-ounce Comrade variants or a vertical flight from past years, a 10-ounce pour of the 2025 11.2% Comrade Russian Imperial Stout, and a commemorative logo glass.
For tickets and more info, visit comradeDay2026.eventbrite.com.
Pick of the Week
Pin Kaow
As you enter this Thai eatery, you may feel like you’ve been transported halfway around the world. And there’s good reason for it, as pretty much the entirety of the décor features intricate carved woodwork, ornate roofs, historic photos, artwork, and knick-knacks imported from Thailand.
The authenticity doesn’t stop there, as the extensive menu covers the gamut of Thai cuisine. The Tom Kah Soup is a surefire beginning to your meal. The generously portioned Thai staple with coconut milk, mushrooms, lemongrass, scallions, cilantro, galangal root, and a choice of protein is available in a cup or as a hot pot for the table, served over a burner to keep it piping hot. Red Curry, a timeless Thai classic, features red chili paste simmered with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, basil, bamboo shoots, and bell peppers. Don’t be misled by the Thai Beef Jerky name; the deep-fried, thinly sliced beef marinated in a secret herb-and-spice brine is quite tender and comes with a house-made tamarind sauce. Pad See Ew, popular in Thailand and made by street vendors, consists of wide rice noodles stir-fried with eggs, Chinese broccoli, and dark soy sauce. Crying Tiger Beef, a favorite from Northern Thailand’s Isaan region, is tender New York strip grilled and served with a Thai-style dipping sauce infused with roasted ground rice. If you want to explore the seafood found in the region, the Gulf of Thailand is a sizzling dish: a hot cast-iron pot filled with shrimp, scallops, green mussels, and squid, stir-fried with bell pepper, jalapeño, and onions in a special chili paste sauce.
While you can select the heat level of your dish from 0-10, you can also add extra spice. Upon request, a collection of four spices is brought to your table with pickled jalapeno, red chili flakes, garlic chili sauce, and prik nam pla (Thai chili fish sauce).
An especially good deal is the Lunch Special. Offered Mon.-Fri. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and priced at $15.95, it includes an egg roll, house salad with ginger dressing, Tom Kha Soup, and entrée with choices including Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, Thai Red Curry, Stir-Fried Spicy Basil, and Chow Mein.
A small dessert menu includes Thai Sweet Sticky Rice, Fried Ice Cream, Fried Bananas, Ice Cream (coconut, vanilla, and matcha), and Thai Tea Crème Brulee. All are priced between $6 and $8.
You can complement your meal with an extensive and varied wine selection. The bottles include vintages from Australia, France, Italy, Germany, and Napa. You can select from more than a dozen by-the-glass pours, such as Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay from Sonoma, and nearly all are priced between $7 and $10. Sake and beer are also available, including the Japanese Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori Rihaku Dreamy Clouds sake and Chang and Singha beers from Thailand.
It’s worth noting that the portions are large while the prices are definitely not, with most menu items priced between $6 and $18. Pin Kaow has certainly stood the test of time, surely due to its excellent quality and pricing. Its Rainbow and Lake Mead location just celebrated its 25th anniversary this past fall, and the Henderson location at Eastern and Richmar is not far behind, with more than 16 years of operation.
Both locations are open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sat.-Sun. noon to 10 p.m. For more info and to view the complete menu, visit pinkaow.com.
Dining News
Café on the Strip Offering Rolling British High Tea
Café on the Strip is an authentic high tea and a Las Vegas Strip bus tour all rolled into one.
Modeled after Great Britain’s long-standing tradition, your 75-minute ride takes place on a luxury double-decker bus decked out with panoramic windows, blue table sets for two or four guests, gilded place settings, and floral decorations throughout the interior. The tour begins at the Sahara Hotel and travels along the Strip, passing Caesars Palace, Bellagio Fountains, the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign, MGM Grand, Paris’s Eiffel Tower, and The Sphere before returning to the Sahara to disembark. During the trip, you learn facts about the hotels and history of Las Vegas and are treated to savory bites of finger sandwiches like Cucumber and Radish and Salmon Crostini, sweet treats including Chocolate Strawberries and assorted macaroons, scones, and hot and iced teas.
Tour days are Thursday through Sunday with departure times of noon and 3 p.m. The starting price is $99 (plus service fee). Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more, and the bus can be booked for private events. For more info and to book a tour, visit cafeonthestrip.com.
Mae Daly’s Fine Steaks & Whiskeys Five O’clock Menu
Mae Daly’s Fine Steaks & Whiskeys has created the Five O’clock Menu for those looking to dine early.
The menu offers three courses, including a full-size entrée, and includes:
- Choice of The Mae Daly Chopped Salad with romaine, watercress, guanciale, Pecorino Romano, artichokes, roasted peppers, kalamata olives, and boiled eggs with a champagne vinaigrette; or Traditional Caesar Salad with rosemary garlic focaccia croutons
- Choice of 8-ounce Prime, wet-aged Filet Mignon, half an herbed Mary’s Farm Roasted Chicken with a rosemary natural jus, Faroe Island Salmon offered pan-seared or broiled with a lemongrass beurre blanc sauce, or Mushroom Risotto with a medley of wild mushrooms and chopped Marcona almonds
- Sides of Shoestring or Steak Fries with garlic aioli and house-made ketchup, Mr. B Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Traditional Creamed Spinach, and Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan cheese, golden raisins, and toasted pine nuts
- New York Style Cheesecake or Chocolate Mousse Cake
The Five O’clock Menu is $89 per person, available only for 5 p.m. reservations. The full menu is also available. Reservations can be made at MaeDalys.com.
Tamba Introduces New Menu Items
Tamba, the fine-dining Indian restaurant in Town Square, which recently earned AAA Four Diamond status, has debuted a newly refreshed menu featuring 21 new items.
The menu showcasing bold flavors meeting nuanced Indian spices includes Golden Moong & Coconut Bisque ($24), an aromatic dish layered with subtle spice and richness; raw selections of Madras Tuna Sashimi ($28) and Masala Butter Oysters ($36); and Josper oven highlights such as the marbled Angara Wagyu ($150) and street-inspired favorites like the Ajwaini Black Cod ($26) with a touch of smoky char.
Tamba opens nightly at 5 p.m. To view the complete menu and to make a reservation, visit tambalasvegas.com.
More Free Parking for Locals
Finding free parking on the Vegas Strip can be quite challenging, but it’s just gotten a bit easier. Fontainebleau Casino is extending free self-parking for Nevada residents and rewards card members through May 31. The resort also offers valet validation for guests visiting the property’s dining, retail, or spa options.
Other free parking options for locals on the Vegas Strip include unlimited self-parking at Resorts World, Sahara, Circus Circus, Fashion Show, and Treasure Island; three hours self-parking at MGM Resorts, Wynn and Encore, and The Venetian/Palazzo; and Caesars Entertainment extends free parking to locals on Sundays through Thursdays.
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.
This week Gemini is back! She and Al are hosting together, in person. They’re at the Las Vegas Distillery, where they get the lowdown on the place’s history, products, vibe, distribution, and more from Cody Fredrickson and Jonny Verplanck. We also have interviews with Jason Vega of The Flamingo (talking Salt & Straw), Rio’s Andi Van Willigan (talking Kitchen Table), Bellagio’s Warren Richards (talking the Mayfair Supper Club) and GYU+’s Freddie Paloma (talking about the new location), and restaurant reports from Ada’s, Big B’s Texas BBQ, St. Felix Sin City, With Love Always, and Union Biscuit. And, as usual, a happy hour report from Happy Hour Vegas’ Andrew Morgan.
To listen, click here.
Entertainment News
Interstellar Arc at AREA15 Blowing Minds with Virtual Reality
Interstellar Arc, the first in the US, is a virtual reality immersive experience that will transport you into humanity’s future among the stars and your mind to another realm and dimension.
Situated in the newly expanded Zone 2 of AREA15 (3072 Rigel Ave, Building 170), the experience unfolds inside a 20,000-square-foot, custom-built venue featuring cutting-edge visuals, interactive environments, and sensory world-building.
The storyline is: Guests begin their journey in the year 2406, departing from the HEXO Spaceport One, and after boarding the Interstellar Arc spaceship, enter cryogenic sleep. After traveling 11 light-years, you are awakened 262 years later as you approach the final destination, the exoplanet Arcadia and Cosmopolis—an orbiting city built to study Arcadia and prepare for eventual surface habitation. Through the use of a VR headset, you explore a space station with a diplomat in the form of an endearing Arctic fox who guides you and redirects you as needed.
Your free-roam, narrative-driven VR experience takes you through several interactive environments, and you can communicate with your party members through your headset and take up to 30 pictures of what you see. Expect your journey to last about 60 minutes, and you will be taking approximately 500 steps. Handrails throughout are helpful as you navigate.
After experiencing it myself, I can attest that it’s truly mesmerizing, beautiful, and incredibly realistic and a VR representation unlike any you’ve most likely ever experienced before. Interstellar Arc is raising the bar with a hyper-realistic, fully embodied space.
Interstellar Arc is open 365 days a year from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (last launch at 7 p.m.). If you wish to go as a group up to 14 can be accommodated. Nearby free parking is available in the Zone 2 parking garage, and there is also a free shuttle from AREA15’s Zone 1. Tickets start at $54 for adults and $39 for children ages 8–12, with Las Vegas locals and military members receiving a $10 discount.
Tickets are available at interstellararc.com, and the official launch trailer can be viewed at youtu.be/lQw6gELOwog.
