This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
Big Dog’s Brewing Company Dogtoberfest — October 4
Big Dog’s Brewing Company is a Wisconsin- and dog-themed brewpub and has several beers with canine names like Tail Wagger Wheat and Black Lab Stout, but its annual Dogtoberfest takes it a step further.
Held at the Draft House outdoor area from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., the free admission pay-as-you-go beerfest will offer more than 45 beers from independent craft breweries, including 25 from Nevada breweries. There will also be a human and dog Halloween costume contest; live Classic Rock and Island Reggae music; Wisconsin-style grilled brats loaded with Bavarian-style sauerkraut, pretzel bites served with pub cheese dip, and schweinebraten (boneless pork shoulder roast) topped with a pan gravy served with roasted root vegetables; and raffles and giveaways.
The first Big Dog’s Dogtoberfest was held in 2010, and the brewpub/craft beer bar has hosted more beer fests than any other venue in Southern Nevada, with this year’s Dogtoberfest marking the brewpub’s 53rd beer & music festival.
For more info and to purchase ticket packages (with lower prices until the day of the event), visit bigdogsbrews.com/festivals/Dogtoberfest.
Fogo de Chão — October 9
Fogo de Chão will host a four-course wine dinner featuring wines from Cakebread Cellars.
Pairings are Lentil Soup and Persimmon Radicchio Salad with bleu cheese, crispy balsamic pork belly bites, and grain mustard dressing paired with Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay; Pan-Seared Salmon with buttered mashed potatoes matched with Cakebread Cellars Two Creeks Vineyards Pinot Noir; Classic Churrasco Cuts of Picanha and Fraldinha with Lobster Mac and Cheese paired with Cakebread Cellars Merlot; Indulgent Churrasco Cuts of Lamb Picanha and Wagyu Porterhouse with Lobster Mac and Cheese matched with Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon; and Molten Chocolate Cake S’more with Toasted Meringue and Graham Cookie Crumble served with coffee.
The dinner will begin at 7 p.m. and the cost is $129 per person. To purchase tickets, click here.
M.E.N.U.S. Gala — October 10
The Hospitality Charitable Foundation will host its annual M.E.N.U.S. Gala from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Palms Casino Resort.
The event will take place in an indoor-outdoor setting at KAOS and the Palms’ expansive pool area, where guests will indulge in a dine-around of gourmet tastings paired with curated cocktails, fine wine, and premium spirits. Participating restaurants include Beauty & Essex, The Capital Grille, Chyna Club, Chica, Crossroads Kitchen, Delmonico Steakhouse, Kusa Nori, Top of Binion’s Steakhouse, Hugo’s Cellar, Zenshin, Scotch 80 Prime, Diner Ross, LPM Restaurant & Bar, STK Steakhouse, Sonoma Cellar, Hakkasan, Washing Potato, and others.
There will also be live entertainment and a silent auction offering packages that include luxury goods, fine dining experiences, and dream vacations (guests do not need to be present to bid or win the prize packages), which is now open at hcflv.org.
Attendees are encouraged to dress in all shades of the night sky, including hues of blue ranging from light to deep navy, violet, or silver, or even channeling the colors of the aurora borealis.
M.E.N.U.S. stands for Mentoring and Educating Nevada’s Upcoming Students. As always, students from HCF’s scholarship program will take on key event-day responsibilities, gaining valuable real-world training while connecting directly with leaders from Las Vegas’ world-renowned hospitality industry. Proceeds from the gala benefit the Foundation’s mission to provide scholarships, mentorship, and hands-on learning opportunities to UNLV students pursuing careers in hospitality.
Ticket prices start at $500. For silent auction items to bid on, sponsorship information, and to purchase tickets, visit hcflv.org.
Pick of the Week: ShangHai Taste
ShangHai Taste opened in 2019 in the Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown and continues to serve elevated, authentic Shanghainese cuisine.
The restaurant, founded by longtime restaurateur and Business Partner Joe Muscaglione and 2023 James Beard Nominee for Best Chef in the Southwest, Chef Jimmy Li, was recently named to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s top 100 restaurants of 2025. Chef Li’s menu is primarily known for its handcrafted Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings, of which more than 3,000 pieces are made daily and arrive in bamboo baskets with eight to an order. For dining entertainment, you can observe them being formed by an artisan through a window near the restaurant’s entrance, or inside the dining room, and catch an excellent view of other chefs in action, preparing dishes in an open kitchen.
In addition to the traditional Xiao Long Bao, other dishes worth delving into include Sheng Jian Pan Fried Soup Dumplings ($8.95, larger size and thicker dough than the Xiao Long Bao, with pork filling), Shanghai Scallion Pancake ($4.95), Scallion Chicken Salad ($7.95, served cold with a generous portion of the protein), Steamed Vegan Dumplings ($13.95, with tofu, rice noodle, bok choy, and vegetable juice), House Fried Fat Noodles ($15.95, with choice of pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, or mushrooms), and Chocolate Xiao Long Bao ($10.95, with a rich chocolate filling similar to that in a lava cake).
As this eatery offers authentic dishes not typically found in the average Chinese-American restaurant, consider expanding your horizons to try dishes such as Cold Sliced Ox Tongue with Sichuan Sauce ($8.95), Shanghai Duck ($13.95, with sweet fruit sauce), Pickled Mustard Greens & Pork Tenderloin Noodle Soup ($12.95), Boiled Greens with Oyster Sauce ($8.95), and Candied Fruit Skewer ($8.88).
The restaurant is known for its excellent service, which is helped by an efficient ordering system. Each table is provided with a pen and a sheet listing the table number and the full menu, allowing you to select dishes for the table. After giving your server your order, the selections begin arriving within minutes.
ShangHai Taste has earned a national reputation as one of the city’s top authentic Chinese eateries popular with both locals and tourists. Proof of its excellent reputation with visitors is that, during my recent visit, I observed a couple entering, rolling in their suitcases, which is evidence that some tourists make their way to this addictive eatery before heading to their hotel.
In addition to the Chinatown location, there is also one in the Southwest at Windmill and Rainbow, one in Plano (near Dallas), and yet another opening on October 8—ShangHai Delight, a more upscale version in the Parkwest Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens (in the Los Angeles area).
Be sure to make your way to the Southwest ShangHai Taste, where 16 new dishes have recently been introduced exclusively at this location. They include Garlic Stem Shrimp with Vermicelli, Shanghai Style Beef and Green Onion Stir Fry, Mapo Tofu, Black Pepper Beef, Chili Pork, Shanghai Style Eggplant, Kung Pao Chicken, Shanghai String Beans, and Shanghai Crystal Shrimp.
One of the reasons patrons keep returning must be the reasonable pricing for outstanding quality. The most expensive item on the menu is $15.95, with prices ranging mainly between $6.95 and $11.95. As all dishes are ideal for sharing, one can easily leave with their appetite satisfied without putting a significant dent in their pocketbook.
Both Las Vegas locations are open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more info, visit instagram.com/shanghai_taste.
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.
Last week’s episode features City Cast Las Vegas’ Rob Kachelriess sitting in for Gemini, recording at the Double Down Saloon. He and Al chat with the iconic punk rock bar’s owner P Moss about Ass Juice, Bacon Martinis, Puke Insurance, and his brand new novel, Screwing Sinatra.” We also drop by the Girl Scouts’ annual “Dessert Before Dinner” gala and tour the construction at D’Agostino’s Trattoria.
To listen, click here.
Dining News
Joël Robuchon Restaurants Celebrate 20 Years with Special Menus – October 3-6
Joël Robuchon and creative countertop workshop L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon are celebrating 20 years in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand this year.
The heralded destinations will offer 20th anniversary menus from October 3 to 6 at each location, including the exact 16-course masterpiece that former Chef Robuchon prepared on opening day at Joël Robuchon in 2005.
Priced at $525 per person, the menu at Joël Robuchon will feature dishes such as Ossetra Caviar served atop crab in a crustacean gelée dotted with cauliflower purée, Brittany Lobster under a disappearing saffron hostie in a seafood bouillon, and Le Chocolat, accompanied by warm chocolate and coffee perfumed cocoa morsels.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon will offer a nine-course menu priced at $255 per person. Highlights include Foie Gras Ravioli served in a rich herb consommé, Lamb Chops served with zaalouk d’aubergines and a herbs salad, and Le Chocolat with “crémeux” fleur de cao and an Oreo crumble.
Both restaurant menus will also offer optional wine pairings.
For more info and to book a reservation, visit MGM Grand online.
Ada’s Food + Wine Moving to Arts District; Named Most Interesting Wine List in the World
Following months of speculation, co-owners Chef James Trees and Jeffrey Fine of LEV Group have confirmed the move of Ada’s Food + Wine from Tivoli Village on the west side of Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Arts District downtown. The award-winning wine bar and restaurant will also return to its original name of Ada’s, chosen in homage to Ada Coleman, legendary barwoman of the Savoy Hotel, London.
Ada’s will continue operating at its current location through November, then reopen after a brief hiatus in December at its new space. The restaurant will take over the original Esther’s Kitchen location at 1130 S. Casino Center Drive, Suite 100, as well as the adjoining suite formerly occupied by Makeshift Union.
“We’re excited to be putting Ada’s in a neighborhood it will truly mesh with,” said Trees, “and at the same time, keep bringing concepts that will move the Arts District forward creatively. This is where it belongs.”
Ada’s will remain under the leadership of General Manager Kat “Wine Goddess” Thomas and Chef du Cuisine Jackson Stamper. The seasonal menu will draw inspiration from international, chef-driven cuisine, while Thomas’s wine program will continue to feature eclectic, high-value selections.
Ada’s was named “Most Interesting Wine List in the World” at both the 2024 and 2025 World’s Best Wine Lists awards presented by The World of Fine Wine magazine. “Winning the ‘World’s Most Original Wine List’ for the second year in a row acknowledges that our community craves more than what’s in their glass, they crave connection to people, to place—to purpose,” Thomas said.
Caesars Entertainment Offering Nevada Residents Dining Discount and Free Parking
Caesars Entertainment is offering a 25% food and beverage discount and complimentary self-parking across its eight Las Vegas resorts for Nevada residents with a valid Nevada ID on Sundays through Thursdays from Sept. 21 to Oct. 30.
The Caesars properties include Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Horseshoe, Flamingo, Harrah’s, The Cromwell, and The LINQ. For a listing and info on the more than 100 restaurants, visit caesars.com/las-vegas/restaurants.
Entertainment News
Hall of Excellence First-Of-Its-Kind Museum at Fontainebleau
Unveiled in June, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ Hall of Excellence is a one-of-a-kind museum honoring the most significant moments in the history of sports and entertainment.
The Hall of Excellence features more than 300 scarce artifacts found nowhere else, celebrating the moments, milestones, people, and plays that have inspired generations. Upon checking in, you are provided with a user-friendly handheld device and earphones to access a self-guided audio tour narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman.
Among the pieces on display are: all seven of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl rings, baseball signed by Babe Ruth, the bat used by Jackie Robinson to break baseball’s color barrier, Muhammad Ali’s worn gloves and robe, Willie Mays’ baseball glove, Dream Team jersey and opening ceremony uniform, Kobe Bryant’s game jersey, Usain Bolt’s track shoes, golf ball used by Tiger Woods during his first Masters victory, Billie Jean King’s tennis dress, Las Vegas Aces WNBA 2022 and 2023 Championship rings, Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup 2023 Championship ring, and golf balls and baseballs signed by U.S. Presidents dating back to Woodrow Wilson.
In addition, there are actual trophies given to each major sport (such as Super Bowl, MLB World Series, and NBA Finals), as well as Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony award trophies.
The museum is located on the resort’s second floor, adjacent to the Promenade Food Hall, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission starts at $35 per person and $20 for guests aged 5 to 15 years old. Discounted tickets are available for seniors, Nevada residents, and military members starting at $30 per person. As for parking, Nevada residents receive three hours of free parking, and guests can take advantage of the Fontainebleau valet-validation program, which offers free valet service by having their ticket validated at the museum.
For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.
