This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news
Events
Azzurra Wine Bar — May 29
Azzurra Wine Bar in the Henderson Water Street District will host a wine tasting event led by Luca Busso from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Guests can enjoy six pours of Ethica wines, live music, and paired bites for $50 per person (plus fee).
To purchase tickets, click HERE.
Las Vegas Restaurant Week — June 1-12
Three Square, Las Vegas’ only food bank, will convene its annual Las Vegas Restaurant Week June 1-12.
More than 300 restaurants and special promotions across the valley will offer menus and items with globally inspired flavors, offering three-course prix fixe menus—some offering breakfast, lunch and/or dinner—at price points ranging from $20 to $120. A fixed portion of the meal’s cost will directly support Three Square and Southern Nevadans who are food insecure. Since 2007, more than 10 million meals have been provided for those in need through funds raised during the yearly Restaurant Week.
The mobile-friendly website restaurantweeklv.org provides a list of participating restaurants, menus, and special promotions, with the ability to search by price point, cuisine type, and location type. In addition, several special promotions are taking place at various restaurants, as detailed on the Restaurant Week website.
Restaurant owners and chefs interested in participating should contact Three Square’s Restaurant Week team at restaurantweek@threesquare.org.
Monzú Italian Oven + Bar — June 1
Monzú Italian Oven + Bar will present a chef-led tasting with Chef/Owner Giovanni Mauro.
Limited to only 40 guests and designed to feel less like a restaurant visit and more like a private dining experience, the event will feature a multi-course curated menu followed by a live Q&A with Chef Mauro. Throughout the evening, Chef will introduce the menu and join guests for a candid, interview-style conversation, sharing the stories behind the dishes, his background, and the influences that shape his cooking.
The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m., and the cost is $90 (plus tax and tip) with an optional wine pairing and cocktails available for purchase. To purchase tickets, click here.
New Vista Wine Walk — June 6
New Vista will host a wine walk and a local shopping experience with Market in The Alley at UnCommons from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tickets are $50 in advance ($60 at the door) and include an eclectic mix of wine varietals from more than 18 tasting stations. For those seeking an elevated experience, a VIP ticket priced at $100 ($110 at the door) includes an additional 8 premium tastings and light bites in an indoor/outdoor VIP area.
Each attendee will receive a commemorative wine glass, a tasting card, and a map outlining the locations of the samples. All proceeds benefit New Vista Community, a local charity of 36 years whose mission is to provide people of all ages with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, equal opportunities and supported living arrangements so that they may experience life to the fullest.
For more info, a list of wines being poured, and to purchase tickets, click here.
Want more events? Check out our new Food Events Calendar at foodandloathing.vegas/calendar-of-events. It’s quite extensive, with one or more listings for virtually every day.
Pick of the Week: Chicago Brewing Company
After 27 Years, Chicago Brewing Company Is Still Going Strong
One of the city’s oldest brewpubs, dating back to 1999, those from the Windy City will likely feel right at home at this Chicago-themed venue in Village Square (2201 S. Fort Apache Rd.) serving the nearby Summerlin, Lakes, and Peccole Ranch residential areas.
You’ll be reminded of Chicago as soon as you arrive and see the striking neon sign perched on the side and front of the building, modeled after the ones outside the Chicago Theater on State Street. There are four distinct environments: a smoke-free dining room, a gaming bar, an outdoor patio, and an upstairs cigar bar where customers can light up their own cigars or purchase stogies from a humidor. The dining room features a high ceiling, TVs throughout, an epoxy floor, church-like stained-glass windows, numerous posters about the major competitions in which they have won awards over the past two and a half decades, and windows that offer views into the brewery.
The star of the menu from the scratch kitchen is the chicken tenders and wings. Made fresh, there’s a wide range of options: they can be ordered plain, medium, or hot, and dressed with Brew-B-Q, Teriyaki, Hotiyaki, Mango, Habañero, or Garlic Parmesan.
The house-made beer is put to good use, with beer-battered Onion Rings and Cheese Curds.
Naturally, Chicago-style pizza is served here (with a choice of thin or deep dish) with the Windy City Supreme, a conglomeration of ground beef, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, bell peppers, and sausage; and L Train Buffalo Chicken topped with hot sauce, chicken, blue cheese, onions, celery, and a drizzle of ranch.
Quite a few handhelds are available, including Comiskey Turkey Melt, Wrigleyville Turkey BLT, Chicken Parm, Italian Beef, Chicago-Style Dog, Rush Street Reuben, and Classic Pub Burger (smash patty topped with shredded lettuce, onion strings, American cheese, and pub sauce on a flavored onion bun). An especially good deal is the Top Sirloin Special—top sirloin steak topped with herb butter and fried pickled onion strings, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, house vegetables, and a buttered dinner roll for $24.
For those looking for lighter fare, there are six choices, such as the Watermelon Caprese with watermelon, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil, topped with a balsamic reduction, and the Harvest Salad with mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, candied pecans, and apples, with house-made apple vinaigrette.
The menu is served 24/7, so at any time of day, you can get items from the breakfast menu, such as Breakfast Burrito, Steak & Eggs, and Knots & Gravy (two homemade knots, split in half and covered in homemade country gravy).
As for the multi-award-winning beer made on-site, Head Brewer JP Chavarria brews longtime favorites, including the Old Town Brown Ale, easy-drinking All Nighter Golden Ale, Sun Down Stout on nitro, and rotating seasonals like the Wild West Belgian-style Tripel, which poured during my recent visit.
Head Brewer JP Chavarria CREDIT: David Canela
While the food menu prices are quite reasonable, with the majority of items priced below $20, happy hour Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. offers even more value with several food and beverage deals. Chicago Brewing beers, house wine, and well drinks are $2 off, and food deals include Veggie Plate, Garlic Knots, and Chips & Salsa for $7; Onion Rings, Cheese Quesadilla, and Meatballs are $9; and Cheese Calzone, Thin Crust 10” Cheese Pizza, and Sliders are $11.
There’s also a satellite taproom inside the Four Queens on Fremont Street, as the owner also owns that casino.
For more info and to view the complete food and beer menus, visit chicagobrewinglv.com.
Dining News
Black Tap Launches CrazySundae
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer at The Venetian has made a name for itself with its CrazyShake milkshakes, known for over-the-top creations that elevate the shakes into full desserts. Now they have ushered in a new chapter with the debut of the CrazySundae.
Designed for sharing, each towering sundae arrives piled high with ice cream, cascading sauces, layered textures, and comfort-classic toppings. Initial flavors include:
- Churro Hot Fudge—vanilla ice cream layered with Mexican hot fudge, dulce de leche, and crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch, finished with whipped cream and a generous drizzle of cinnamon hot fudge sauce, topped with a cherry
- Cherry Bomb—vanilla ice cream with cherry compote, pie crumble, and granola crunch finished with cherry pie pieces, whipped cream, and a sour cherry sauce topped with maraschino cherries
- Strawberry Glazed—vanilla ice cream with strawberry pie filling, strawberry sauce, and strawberry cake crumbs finished with whipped cream and topped with a glazed donut and fresh strawberries
CrazySundae will be available at Black Tap locations in Las Vegas (The Venetian), NYC, Dallas, and Nashville. New flavors will debut periodically, featuring region-specific ingredients.
Farmer Boys Offering Big Cheese Burger for $3.99
Farmer Boys will celebrate National Hamburger Day on May 28 by offering its Big Cheese Burger for $3.99, more than 50% off the regular price.
The burger features a USDA fresh, never-frozen beef patty cooked to order and topped with American cheese, lettuce, freshly sliced tomato, dill pickles, diced onion, and house-made Thousand Island dressing on a locally baked brioche bun. The veggies are hand-chopped in-house every morning, the sauces are made from scratch, and nothing ever comes from a bag or a freezer.
The one-day-only offer is available exclusively through the Farmer Boys VIF App, available on the App Store and Google Play. The fast-casual burger chain, with locations across California, Nevada, and Arizona, has seven locations in Southern Nevada. To find the location nearest to you, visit farmerboys.com/locations.
Ohlala French Bistro French-Style Burgers
On National Burger Day on May 28, Ohlala French Bistro will offer three French-style burgers.
Served all day, they include Provence Burger ($24) with sautéed onions, creamy goat cheese, a touch of honey, and pistachio mayo; Burgundy Burger ($23) with red wine shallot reduction, sautéed mushrooms, and melted Gruyère; and Raclette Burger ($24) with melted raclette, cornichon-influenced mayo, fresh salad, tomato, onion, and crispy fried prosciutto.
Ohlala French Bistro is in Summerlin at 2120 N Rampart. For more info and to view the complete menu, visit ohlalafrenchbistro.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.
Sue Mancini fills in for the traveling Gemini Stevens this week in the show’s first-ever husband-and-wife co-hosted episode, and the pair are excited to talk about Sahara’s new Caribbean Steakhouse, Maroon. In addition to delivering a report on their meal, Al interviews the restaurant’s celebrity Chef Kwame Oanwuachi. Other interviews include local Black historian Gwen Walker discussing the history of African-American cuisine in Las Vegas, and a short preview of a conversation with pro skateboarder Neen Williams at NADC Burgers. And, as always, a Happy Hour Report from Happy Hour Vegas’ Andrew Morgan.
To listen, click here.
Entertainment News
Don McLean — June 6
Don McLean will take the stage at the International Westgate Theater, delivering a performance filled with nostalgia and storytelling as he shares the stories behind the songs.
Don McLean is a GRAMMY Award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, and a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The iconic singer-songwriter, renowned for his classic hits like “American Pie” (which resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named a Top 5 Song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry of America) and “Vincent” (Starry Starry Night), is one of American history’s most revered and respected songwriters. His catalog of songs has been recorded by Madonna, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, Drake, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, and many others.
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening about an hour before show time.
Tickets start at $69.17 (including fees) and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.
