This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news
Events
PISCES Bar & Seafare — May 22
Wynn’s Master Mixologist, Mariena Mercer Boarini, will join supermodel and entrepreneur Ashley Graham for a lively conversation and cocktail tasting of her new dry, fruit-forward sparkling red wine, Lucci Lambrusco.
The presentation will be held at Wynn’s seafood restaurant, PISCES Bar & Seafare, beginning at 2 p.m. Attendees must be 21 years or older, and the cost is $195 per person (plus tax and tip) and includes small bites.
Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Wynn Concierge at 702-770-7070 or by emailing conciergeservices@wynnlasvegas.com.
Big Dog’s Brewing Company — May 23
Big Dog’s Brewing Company will host comedy night at its taproom at the Draft House at Craig and Rancho.
The free show hosted by Steve McInelly will run from 9:06-10:29 p.m. During the show, guests will receive 50% off taproom beers and $2 off appetizers. Guests must be 18+ to attend.
For more info, visit bigdogsbrews.com/events/comedy-night-11.
Bardot Brasserie — May 23
ARIA will kick off Memorial Day weekend with the return of Diane’s Bloody Mary Brunch Party to Bardot Brasserie.
The brunch experience reunites hospitality entrepreneur Diane Mina’s garden-grown, perfected Bloody Mary recipes with the restaurant’s renowned French dining.
Along with Bardot’s regular brunch menu, special food and drink features will include:
- L.I.E. (Long Island Egg) Breakfast Sandwich with double egg, poppy seed kaiser roll, Paris ham, hash browns, and seasonal fruit
- DBM Double Double Burger with American cheese, caramelized onions, pickle, secret sauce, mustard-grilled brioche bun, and duck fat fries
- Champagne Battered Fish & Chips with pickled ketchup and caviar tartare sauce
- Spicy Tomato & Pepper Stew with sunny side egg and French baguette
- Signature Bloody Marys garnished with peppadew piquant pepper, cured salami, cornichon, manchego cheese, Spanish Queen Olive, crispy chicharron, and thick-cut maple candied bacon
- Mama’s Michelada with Diane’s Dirty Mix and Mexican lager
- G.B.U. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly with 2 oz Shot Cocktail Tequila, 2 oz Diane’s Original Mix, and 2 oz Mexican lager
- Mama Mina’s Citrus Margarita with tequila, cold-pressed lemon, grapefruit, and orange juices
Reservations are available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the exclusive engagement. Visit ARIA online to make a reservation or call Bardot Brasserie at 702-590-8610.
Echo and Rig — May 25
The Echo & Rig Henderson location at The District at Green Valley Ranch will host the third installment of its three-course Chef’s Table dining experience.
Priced at $55 per person and limited to 200 seats for reservations from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., round three will have a prime rib theme.
The menu includes: an amuse-bouche; Wedge Salad with bleu cheese, tomato, and bacon; Classic Prime Rib with au jus and creamed horseradish; Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Rainbow Swiss Chard; and New York Cheesecake with Kirsch Sauce.
Optional menu add-ons include Oysters, Creamed Spinach, Creamed Corn, a Chef’s Table Signature Cocktail, and wine pairings.
Reservations can be made at echoandrig.com/chefstable.
Pick of the Week: Ha Salon Brunch
Ha Salon Brunch a Great Deal for Locals
Sunday brunches are a dime a dozen, but how about a Saturday brunch at a price you won’t be able to resist? Such is the case for the new Ha Salon Saturday brunch, and if you’re a local, it’s a bargain at only $30 per person ($60 for non-locals).
Ha Salon Chef/Founder Jerusalem-born Eyal Shani is considered a leading figure in the Israeli culinary scene and is recognized as a founding father of modern Israeli cuisine. Located off the Palazzo Casino, the name of his restaurant, with other locations in Tel Aviv, New York City, Miami, and Paris, is Hebrew for “The Living Room.” The classy decor includes a tile floor, crystal chandeliers, high ceilings with sage green beams, windows allowing natural light, an open kitchen, a disco ball, and tables dressed with tomatoes and large green peppers alluding to the fresh ingredients used in the menu items.
Offered on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the all-you-can-eat spread includes elevated Mediterranean cuisine from both land and sea, with a rotating spread of dishes such as Beet Carpaccio, Avocado Bruschetta, Tomato Bruschetta, Oysters on the half shell, Jerusalem Bagels, Tuna Salad, Deviled Eggs, Shrimp Cocktail, Yogurt, assorted cheeses, an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, Gazpacho, Smoked Salmon & spread, Sashimi, Shrimp Cocktail, and Hummus.
Some enticing add-ons include Club Sando ($25), a big boy sandwich with breaded and fried chicken breast, tomatoes, and cucumbers; and Boureka ($36)—puff pastry filled with spinach, Compte, ricotta, and Parmesan. Specialty cocktails are also available, such as the Blush of the Cactus with Leblon Cachaca (an artisanal Brazilian spirit distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice), prickly pear juice, and lime ($24).
This fine-dining restaurant is rooted in Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oil, fish, tahini, fresh seasonal vegetables, and tomatoes. If you elect to dine here for dinner, early reservations offer a sophisticated, intimate fine-dining setting. Later in the evening—on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays after 8 p.m.—you can expect a quite lively nightclub atmosphere with a DJ playing, which ultimately leads to dancing on the tables.
Ha Salon is open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday and for brunch on Saturdays. Its very reasonably priced brunch is giving locals a reason to venture to the Strip, as well as The Palazzo/Venetian’s offer of three hours of free self-parking in the garages to those with a Nevada driver’s license.
Dining News
Amata Modern Thai Lunch Special
Amata Modern Thai is offering a 3-course Chef’s Lunch Experience designed for a quick 45-60 minute lunch.
Priced at $19 and available Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., it includes a starter, entrée, and dessert. There are several options, including Crispy Rice Salad Khao Yum, a Northern Thai-style crispy rice salad with fresh herbs, mango, and galangal lime dressing; Crispy Fishsauce Wings, golden fried wings marinated in fish sauce and garlic finished with sticky-sweet fish sauce glaze; Pepper Noodle with Jumbo Prawns with signature black pepper sauce, jumbo prawns, bell peppers, and onions; Chicken Cashew Nuts with savory garlic sauce, chili jam, cashew nuts, and bell peppers; and Black Sesame Dumplings with sweet ginger tea.
Amata Modern Thai is located at 5597 Rainbow, just north of Russell. For more info and to view the complete menu, visit amatathailv.com.
Miami Beach Favorite Redhead Burger Fires Up the Grill
Redhead Burger is now open at the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian.
Named for the two redheaded burger-enthusiast brothers, Sammy and Christian Mounayyer, the opening marks the first West Coast location of the concept that began in Miami’s South Beach on Ocean Drive.
The menu includes burgers with house blend patty and a special Redhead Sauce on a potato bun; a spicy version with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, and apple wood smoked bacon; the Hangover with a fried egg, tots and bacon; non-beef versions Crispy Chicken and Mushroom Burger; house-cut fresh fries and tater tots; and milkshakes in flavors of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and inspired flavors like Dulce de Leche, Nutella, and Oreo.
Redhead Burger Las Vegas is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. To view the complete menu, visit redheadburger.com.
M Resort Premium Pours
M Resort Spa Casino is turning up the volume on value with its new promotion of “$5 Premium Pours.”
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at all casino bars and served straight, on the rocks, or crafted into a cocktail, the promotion includes pours of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Flecha Azul Reposado, Rémy Martin VSOP, Woodford Reserve, The Glenlivet 12, and Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon.
NADC Burger Opens First Permanent Las Vegas Location
After a successful three-month pop-up at Resorts World last year, NADC (“Not a Damn Chance”) Burger, the viral Wagyu burger concept from professional skateboarder Neen Williams and Michelin-starred chef Phillip Frankland Lee of Scratch Restaurants Group, has opened its first permanent Las Vegas location.
Located in Downtown Las Vegas at 124 S. Sixth St. near the Fremont East District, this new opening brings the concept to a dozen locations nationwide. The space mirrors NADC’s signature look, with skate memorabilia and work from local artists lining the walls, and ’90s skate videos play throughout the restaurant.
At the center of the menu is the flagship NADC Burger, which, instead of pressing the beef thin on the grill, builds its burger with two three-ounce patties of 100 percent wagyu beef using a rich 70/30 blend. The patties are seasoned generously and topped with chopped raw onions that steam directly into the meat as it cooks, creating a crisp sear on one side and a juicier, more tender bite throughout. The burger is finished with New School Cheese, a chef-driven take on classic American cheese designed for optimal melt. The restaurant also offers a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails, as well as NADC’s house-made brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
NADC Burger Las Vegas is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. For more info and to view the complete menu, visit nadcburger.com.
PF Chang’s Five-Course Prix Fixe
PF Chang’s is offering a five-course prix fixe menu priced at $89.99 for two people through June 23.
The menu, available to any two guests even when dining as part of a larger group at the same table, includes:
- Chef’s Selection to share
- One choice per person of Hot & Sour Soup or Egg Drop Soup
- appetizer to share—Chang’s Lettuce Wraps, Dumplings (steamed or pan-fried), or BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
- shared entrée + rice with options of Chang’s Spicy Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Miso-Glazed Salmon, Long Life Noodles with Prawns, or Ma Po Tofu
- shared dessert choice of Great Wall of Chocolate, Butter Cake with Miso Caramel, Banana Spring Rolls, or Chocolate Soufflé
Optional premium upgrades for an additional $15 per person are New York Prime Strip Steak Tataki, Oolong Chilean Sea Bass, and Lobster & Prawn Fried Rice.
For more info or to make a reservation, visit pfchangs.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.
Happy Hour Vegas’ Andrew Morgan sits in for the traveling Gemini Stevens this week, co-hosting an episode centering around two big interviews. First, Brezza Chef Nicole Brisson tells Al about her return to the suburbs at Amari in UnCommons. Then, Penny Chutima weighs in on the reopening of her family’s original Lotus of Siam location on East Sahara Avenue. Other interviews include Luis and Chef Izzy from Gyu+ talking about this weekend’s collaboration with Raku’s Matsuo Endo, while Chef Alicia Shevetone and ’80s pop star Tiffany discuss their new cookbook. Beyond that, we have restaurant reports from Boom Bang, Vickie’s Diner, Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Good Pie’s new Red Rock location, High Steaks at The Rio, and Fontainebleau’s La Cote and Washing Potato. As usual, there is the news, and a Happy Hour Report on JD’s in The English Hotel.
To listen, click here.
Entertainment News
Rich Little Residency at Laugh Factory
Legendary impressionist Rich Little has established a residency at the Laugh Factory Las Vegas Theater, which recently relocated to Horseshoe Las Vegas on the Vegas Strip.
Little is performing through the summer with his Rich Little: Live in Las Vegas show taking place Mon-Wed at 6:30 p.m.
A show business legend for more than 60 years, Rich Little lives up to his reputation as “The Man of a Thousand Voices” with performances featuring a compilation of impersonations of actors, politicians, and personalities with whom Little has worked throughout his more than 60 years in entertainment. The show also includes sketches and an interactive video.
The renowned Laugh Factory, which has been hailed as “the #1 comedy club in the country” by USA Today, has its newest location at Caesars Entertainment’s Horseshoe Las Vegas with its 250-seat Laugh Factory Las Vegas Theater after relocating from the Tropicana.
In addition to Rich Little, the Laugh Factory hosts the classic comedy club three-person lineup of headliner, feature act, and host. Scheduled for the coming weeks are a mini-residency with viral sensation Concrete taking over for Memorial Day Weekend and headliners Bill Dawes, Edwin San Juan, Pablo Francisco, Eleanor Kerrigan, Greg Morton, Bob Zany, Jeff Leach, John Stringer, and Patrick Warburton.
Weekly headliners perform at 8:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Tickets start at $40.95 (plus tax and fees) and are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com. Guests must be 18 and older.
