This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news
Events
La Strega — Oct. 25, Nov. 22, and Dec. 20
La Strega Chef and Partner Gina Marinelli is continuing the Nonna’s Pasta Club, a series of pasta-making classes with three themed classes being offered in the coming weeks: Oct. 25–Cacio e Pepe, Nov. 22–Pasta alla Norma, and Dec. 20–Raviolini.
Guests are welcomed with a refreshing drink and light bites before rotating through three stations—dough making, shaping and cutting, and a live cooking demonstration—led by Chef Gina and her teams. The experience concludes with a group lunch. Each participant leaves with recipe cards, freshly made pasta, and a curated gift bag.
Sessions run from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the cost is $120 per person (plus tax and tip). Tickets can be purchased by visiting La Strega on OpenTable.
Ohlala French Bistro — October 28
Ohlala French Bistro will host a three-course Rhone Valley wine dinner served from 4 to 9 p.m.
Pairings are:
- Choice of Endive Salad with poached pears in wine, blue cheese, and candied walnuts or Butternut Soup with cumin paired with Châteauneuf du Pape Maucoil Cote du Rhone
- Coq au Vin served with fettuccine pasta, or Boeuf Bourguignon served with mashed potatoes matched with Château Gazin Rocquencourt Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
- Tarte Tatin with vanilla whipped cream or Chocolate Mousse with salted caramel and vanilla whipped cream paired with Sauterne or Beaumes-de-Venise
The cost is $155 per person for food and Rhone Valley Flight, $85 for food only, and $45 for just the wine flight. Reservations are highly recommended via OpenTable or calling 702-222-3502.
Grape Vine Café, Wine Bar & Cellar — November 2
Grape Vine Café, Wine Bar & Cellar will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a wine tasting featuring more than 60 wines.
Labels pouring will include Daou, Justin, Paul Hobbs, Brewer-Clifton, Austin Hope, and several others. Priced at $25 per person and held from noon to 3 p.m., in addition to the wine tasting, guests will also enjoy a decadent charcuterie table lunch and a case lot wine sale (lots of 6 or 12 bottles) with all prices considerably lower, offering deep savings.
For more info and to make a reservation for the anniversary wine tasting, call 702-228-9463.
The Mob Museum — November 5
The Other Side of the Family: Supporting Culinary Literacy will feature chef, author, and culinary entertainer Alicia Shevetone, founder of Nice Nice Bite, the nation’s first nonprofit cookbook lending library, for a one-night-only culinary event at The Mob Museum.
Held inside the Historic Courtroom from 7 to 10 p.m., attendees will enjoy a buffet of Northern Italian bites, a hosted bar, and a glimpse into a family’s journey from the shadows of organized crime to culinary literacy and heirloom preservation.
The menu includes Golden Polenta Ball with crème fraiche and caviar, Mini Pizzette with melted Fontina Val d’Aosta and mortadella rosette, Beef Tartare with lemon aioli and pickled shallot, Warm Anchovy-Garlic Dip in an espresso cup with endive spear garnish, Porcini Risotto with truffle oil and parmesan crisp, Savory Cannoli Shell filled with whipped burrata and topped with lemon zest and a white anchovy curl, and Gorgonzola Mousse with poached fig and toasted pine nut.
General Admission tickets are $85 per person, and the Extended VIP Experience is $125, which also includes storytelling and Q&A with Chef Alicia Shevetone at 9 p.m., private access to The Mob Museum after hours from 9 to 10 p.m., and a personally inscribed copy of Chef Alicia’s cookbook, Italian Cookbook for Two.
All proceeds benefit Nice Nice Bite’s mission to advance culinary literacy in underserved communities. To purchase tickets, click here.
Pick of the Week: THE PARTY at Superfrico
If you’re familiar at all with Spiegelworld, you should be aware that the group is known for offering quite entertaining shows with a mix of contemporary circus and a generous dose of raunchiness. Its new THE PARTY, set inside the Superfrico restaurant at The Cosmo, is no exception.
The two-hour experience is a bit of a return of the Vegas dinner shows — harkening back to the Rat Pack days, but with a hefty dose of the raunchiness Spiegelworld is known for. The new intimate Blue Room hidden within Superfrico, accommodating 50 guests and decorated with bizarre artwork such as one with a goofy eye in the sky, a small stage, hanging lamps, and a bartop at one end which is used as a stage for some of the acts.
The host of the show is international star and longtime Spiegelworld collaborator Laurie Hagen, who has dominated the most lascivious underground stages of Berlin, London, and Paris performing burlesque, comedy, and Spiegelworld’s signature brand of theatrical mischief. She remains in character throughout with white wig, fishnet stockings and exaggerated French accent, as she sings, dances, and lays on tables. The three-course meal is intertwined with acts (which change nightly) in between each course. During my visit we enjoyed close up and personal antics from Laurie, an amazing soap bubble magician, a comedic sexy juggler, a contortionist, a stripper in drag wearing a cow costume who exposes four teats, and a funny plate spinner with lots of (intentional?) breakage.
As for the dinner, the menu includes Table Snacks of Puccia (bread roll) with warm olives, butter, and parmesan; choice of Tuna Tartare with truffle lime vinaigrette, Pepperoni Arancini with tonnato aioli, or Little Gem Salad with Calabrian ranch; Rollatini with dry-aged beef Bolognese, Branzino Piccata with lemon and capers, Seared Mushroom Gnocchi with black truffle, or 6 oz Creekstone Farms Petite Filet with roasted bone marrow sauce; and Tiramisu or Arborio Rice Pudding. There are also add-ons such as Australian Wagyu Ribcap, Lobster Roll Tacos with caviar, and Oishi oysters; and a selection of wine, cocktails, and spirits.
THE PARTY at Superfrico is priced at $150 per person (plus tax and tip) and is at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. For more info and to book a reservation, click here.
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.
For last week’s episode, Gemini and Al helm the show together. Al joins baker Korey Wells at her shop, Whiskful Thinking Cakes, in the center of the show. Among the topics: painting with buttercream, fake cakes vs real ones, and baking on TV. Other interviews include Chef Fabio Viviani, The Mob Museum’s Clint Thoman, Gjelina’s farm liaison Bethanny Harris, the Charitable Hospitality Foundation’s Michael Kennedy, and Chef James Trees on the opening of High Steaks atop the Rio. And of course, there’s a report from Andrew Morgan of Happy Hour Vegas, plenty of restaurant reports, and a bunch of news.
To listen, click here.
Halloween at The Stove
Halloween is arriving early at The Stove in Henderson as it transforms into a full-blown Halloween takeover featuring:
- Witches Week Party Brunch (Oct. 27–31): A cheeky weekday escape where guests dressed as witches receive half off all-you-can-drink mimosas or cocktails
- Costume Brunch Dance Party Weekend (Oct. 25–26): music-fueled bash where every costume gets a complimentary Boo Berry Shot and a chance to win prizes for sexiest, scariest, and most original costume
- Spook-Tail Cocktail Menu featuring $20 creations like the Beetlejuice Marg, Venom Mimosa, and Boo-Berry Espresso Martini.
Basilico Weekly Specials
Basilico Ristorante Italiano, located in the master-planned Evora community at 6111 S. Buffalo Dr between Sunset and Patrick, is offering several weekly specials.
The daily social hour in the bar and lounge from 4-6 offers select cocktails for $9; glasses of Prosecco, Rose, Canopy Hill White Blend, and Caposaldo Chianti for $7; Deschutes King Crispy Pilsner and Modelo Lager for $5; and Cavatelli, Caesar Salad, Flatbreads, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Crispy Truffled Potatoes, and Spicy Shrimp all priced at $10.
There are also $1 oysters on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m., deals on wings and half price pizza with purchase of a beer or wine on Thursdays during NFL season, $25 Bottomless Prosecco on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., and live music (soloist) Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m.
The List by Andrew Kiraly
If you like being on top of the coolest things to do in in our city, you’ll want to check out TheList.Vegas, a Las Vegas events newsletter and website created by locals, curated for locals.
Published by our friend Andrew Kiraly (a native Las Vegan), there’s an emphasis on our vibrant local arts, culture, and entertainment scene showcasing a diverse sampling of happenings, genres, and venues. It’s decidedly not an industrial content mill extruding listicle chum for SEO rankings, a flavorless AI slime trap, or one of those fake “local” newsletters churning up chum from ChatGPT prompts, but are actual local Vegas humans who find, filter, and write about valley happenings with personality and verve.
To check it out and to sign up for the weekly newsletters, head over to thelist.vegas.
Westgate Las Vegas Deals
Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is offering several food and beverage discounts at its venues across the property.
Deals include:
- Fresco Italiano—All-You-Can-Eat Pasta for $19.99 Monday through Wednesday from 5–7 p.m.; Three Course Chefs Menu with appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $56; and 50% off select menu items when showing your ticket from any performance in The International Theater or Cabaret
- Sid’s Café—Bottomless Bloody Mary’s for $9.99; Sid’s 8 oz Angus Burger, Beer, and Bottomless Fries combo for $15.99; and $4 wines, $5 beers, and $6 cocktails daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Loco Bueno Tacos—purchase a taco platter and receive a free margarita or Jarritos
- The International Bar—Espresso Martinis for $2.99
- SuperBook Sports Bar—$1 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs during Monday and Thursday night football, on Sundays enjoy free entry to Football Central game viewing in The International Theater, and $20 five pack Budweiser beer buckets
- Viva Coffee & Espresso—during Happy Hour from 2 to 5 p.m. show your receipt from an earlier purchase and enjoy half off all drinks
- Edge Steakhouse—Land & Sea Experience: appetizer, steak and lobster, side, and dessert for $79.99
In Pour Taste Comedy Wine Tasting
In Pour Taste, a comedy wine tasting experience, is taking place at the Lighthouse ArtSpace Las Vegas on the third level of The Shops at Crystals at 5 p.m. on select nights throughout October and November.
Comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh are joined by illustrious wine experts (such as our friend Bordeaux Bob!) to guide you through tasting five wines and at least five jokes. The comedy duo have headlined in Germany, the U.K., Ireland, Indonesia, South Africa, New Zealand, throughout Australia, and have performed at eight straight Melbourne International Comedy Festivals.
Tickets include five tastings (with an alcohol-free option available if requested in advance) and are priced at $49.99 per person for shows Oct. 17-26 and $69.99 for Oct. 27-Nov. 30 (including fees). For more info and to purchase tickets, visit inpourtastevegas.com.
Entertainment News
The Official Saw Escape and Escape Blair Witch Halloween Locals’ Special
Lionsgate is offering a $69 Halloween locals’ special for admission to both its The Official Saw Escape and Escape Blair Witch horror attractions located next to AREA15.
Ranked as the No. 1 escape room in the nation by USA Today in 2018, The Official SAW Escape plunges guests into Jigsaw’s twisted world inside a massive, abandoned meat-packing plant. Visitors must work together to navigate more than 13 intricately themed rooms filled with traps, puzzles, and terrifying encounters culminating in the iconic SAW bathroom scene.
Situated next door, the Escape Blair Witch transports players into the eerie woods of Burkittsville in the first-ever official escape experience based on Lionsgate’s classic horror film franchise. Guests arrive as volunteers to help search for missing students, but as they move deeper through the ranger’s station, forest, and infamous house in the woods, they quickly realize they have become the hunted.
The $69.99 locals’ combo special is available now through Halloween. Due to high demand and limited capacity, reservations are required in advance and guests must present a valid Nevada ID to redeem the offer.
For tickets and reservations, visit www.SawEscapeRoom.com or www.EscapeBlairWitch.com.
