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8.6.20
RAIDERS PLAN TO PLAY WITHOUT FANS FOR FIRST VEGAS SEASON The first season of Raiders football in Las Vegas will be played with no fans at Allegiant Stadium because of the coronavirus pandemic, team owner Mark Davis announced in a letter to season ticket holders. Davis later confirmed that he, too, would not attend games, having promised earlier this summer that if fans could not attend, he wouldn’t, either. The Raiders ruled out playing at a reduced capacity because it wouldn’t be fair to personal seat license holders “given the challenges and potential inequities associated with determining who can and cannot attend specific games if the stadium were to operate at a reduced capacity.” Season ticket holders can receive a full refund for the 2020 season or apply payments to 2021. They’re asked to email the franchise with questions at allegiantstadium service@raiders.com. “While the current situation is not how any of us envisioned celebrating the opening of Allegiant Stadium, when circumstances permit we look forward to sharing an unparalleled GameDay Experience in the Magnificent Stadium you helped to build,” the letter said. The Raiders are scheduled to host the New Orleans Saints on September 21 on Monday Night Football for the first game at Allegiant. Last week, the planned first event at the stadium—a Garth Brooks concert on August 22—was rescheduled to February 27. –Ray Brewer
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD EV E N T S T O F O L L OW A N D N EWS YO U M I SS E D
Hockey fans take to the ice during an open skate viewing party August 3 at City National Arena to watch the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights won, 5-3, in the first of three round-robin games to determine seeding for the NHL playoffs. Vegas plays St. Louis on August 6 and Colorado on August 8. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
IN THIS ISSUE
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Cover Story: When it’s time for takeout, start here Feature: This local business gets food trucks rolling Noise: Meet newish Vegas duo Stella Novae Sports: A scouting report from Raiders camp Vegas Inc: New housing on the old Showboat land
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STORIES FROM LAST WEEK BEIRUT BLAST KILLS DOZENS A massive explosion rocked Beirut on August 4, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said. The cause of the blast, which sparked fires, overturned cars and blew out windows and doors, was not immediately known. UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD A Las Vegas man, Vincent Okoye, was charged with identity theft and fraud-related charges after, investigators said, he possessed nearly two dozen unemployment benefits cards in other people’s names, federal officials said August 3. XFL BOUGHT BY THE ROCK Former wrestling star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced August 3 that he’d acquired the XFL for $15 million. The football league had eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule before canceling the remainder of its season in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It drew decent TV ratings early on and had deals with ESPN and Fox. ISLAND RESCUE Three men were rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above. They had been missing in the Micronesian archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted August 2 on uninhabited Pikelot Island by searchers on Australian and U.S. aircraft.
HE SAID IT
“I have a lot to prove to myself, I have a lot to prove to my organization. I’m going to be completely honest with you, I’m tired of being disrespected, so there was no question I was going to play this year.” –Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, August 4
EMERGENCY HOUSING ORDINANCE PASSES IN CLARK COUNTY Landlords can’t reject a housing applicant based on their source of income or evictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, under an ordinance the Clark County Commission passed August 4. The ordinance doesn’t apply to landlords who own and rent one or two units and occupy one of the units.
(From left) Paul Lopez, Roman Mokrenko and Paul Resell practice a high-wire routine July 29 at Las Vegas Circus Center. The 52,000-square-foot facility is one of the biggest and best-equipped training centers in the city, and while those performers are out of work or on hiatus due to the indefinite suspension of their shows, many are focusing on training and staying stageready there. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL DELAYS LAS VEGAS FESTIVAL UNTIL 2021 The annual Electric Daisy Carnival dance music festival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been postponed for a second time. Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella announced on Instagram that EDC is now set for May 21-23, 2021. The event, which typically attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Las Vegas, was previously pushed back from May 2020 to October 2-4. Although Rotella’s post called the latest change a postponement, it means EDC Las Vegas won’t take place in 2020. Large-scale entertainment and events in Las Vegas are prohibited as the state continues to fight the spread of the coronavirus, and most experts believe festivals like EDC won’t be able to return until next year at the earliest. “We wanted to implement a free two-step testing program, one test at home before traveling to Las Vegas and another test at the venue when you arrived, in addition to many other enhanced safety protocols,” Rotella wrote. “Unfortunately … the medical advances necessary to pull this off will not be ready in time.” All EDC 2020 passes, including Camp EDC and shuttles, will be honored for the new 2021 dates, according to the post. Ticket buyers seeking refunds can do so at edclasvegas.com/verify, and any tickets that became available will go back on sale on August 6. –Brock Radke
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Standing Poses
STRETCHING OUT A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO 10 ESSENTIAL YOGA POSES BY GENEVIE DURANO oga is a practice dating back thousands of years, first as an oral tradition from teachers to students, then collated into the Yoga Sutra, a 2,000-year-old treatise on yogic philosophy. Today, there are many styles of yoga using different sequences of poses (asanas), which, in tandem with the breath (prana), cultivate harmony between the body and the mind. It’s often said that yoga is a movement meditation, and when you pay attention to the breath as well as the poses, you’ll reap the full benefits of your practice. There are five categories of asanas, and they’re usually done in a sequence or flow. Think of these poses as a series of doors that open and lead to the next room, and then the next. With consistent practice, your body will open up, too. (To learn proper technique, there’s no shortage of instructional videos on YouTube, if you’re not comfortable taking an in-person class at this time.)
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Balancing Poses
Balancing for beginners builds core strength and lays the foundation for more advanced postures. Proper breathing technique is essential, and over time and with consistent practice, you will find that these poses get easier as you get stronger. Though both your arms and legs are on the floor, Plank pose is actually considered a balancing pose, because it’s about building up core strength and stability, which are building blocks for all balancing poses. Benefits: Tones all the core muscles and strengthens the arms, wrists and shoulders, along with the muscles surrounding the spine, improving posture. Tree pose is a good introduction to standing balance. For beginners, it might prove to be challenging, but one of its biggest lessons is self-compassion. You’ll fall out of the pose over and over, and that’s perfectly OK. Benefits: Strengthens and tones the leg muscles, groin, inner thighs, ankles and feet; opens up the hip and aligns the spine.
Standing poses, which occur in the beginning of class, build heat. They’re usually done one after the other, and they strengthen and stretch the group muscles of the legs, including the thighs, hamstrings, glutes, calves and ankles. Mountain pose is the basis for all standing poses. Though it might look like you’re just standing, getting the correct alignment actually takes a lot of concentration. A proper mountain pose should ground you firmly to the earth below you. Benefits: Corrects posture and improves balance; increases joint flexibility; tones hips and abdomen. One of yoga’s most recognized poses, Downward Facing Dog is named after the way dogs naturally stretch their bodies. It’s a standing pose with a mild inversion, with your body forming the shape of an “A.” Benefits: Stretches the hamstrings, shoulders, calves, arches, hands and spine while building strength in the arms, shoulders and legs.
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Back Bends
A healthy spine is a healthy life, many yoga teachers will tell you. In our everyday lives, we’re often hunched forward, so it’s important to take care of our spines with gentle flexion and extension. Cat-Cow pose is one of the most important postures to learn for beginners or for those with back pain. It starts with a spinal extension followed by spinal flexion, giving the whole length of the back an invigorating stretch. Benefits: Improves posture and balance; increases flexibility of the neck and spine. Bridge pose is the antidote to too much sitting. This beginner backbend improves the mobility of the spine. Even if you don’t have a regular yoga practice, this is one pose you should incorporate into your daily life. Benefits: Strengthens the back, buttocks and hamstrings, and improves blood circulation; stimulates the lungs, thyroid glands and abdominal organs.
Seated Poses
Seated poses, which focus on stretching the hips and hamstrings, signal that the class is winding down. Staff pose is the complement to Mountain pose and the basis for all seated poses. It engages the leg muscles by flexing the feet. Spine alignment while in an upright position is the goal in this posture. Benefits: Improves posture, strengthens back muscles, and lengthens and stretches the spine. Cobbler’s pose focuses on stretching the inner thighs. This posture requires patience while the hip slowly opens. Gravity is your friend here—with time and practice, the hip and adductor muscles of the groin will gain more flexibility. Benefits: Stimulates the heart and abdominal organs; improves general circulation and relieves fatigue.
Resting Poses
The greatest gift yoga gives you is the ability to be more in tune with yourself. Your body will tell you when it’s energized and when it needs to rest. Thus, learning the resting poses is just as important as mastering the standing or seated series. Child’s pose is a position available to you at any time during a class. If you feel overheated or dizzy, this position will offer instant relief. It opens the hips and elongates the back, which relieves tension. Benefits: Releases tension in the back, shoulders and chest, and lengthens the spine; alleviates stress and anxiety. There’s no sweeter—or more challenging—pose in yoga than corpse pose, and it comes at the end of a class. Lying on your back, you get a chance to reflect on what your body has just accomplished. Bringing the body to stillness is just as hard as any of the other asanas, and you’ll find that calming the mind poses its own challenges. But yoga is a practice—you can do it again the next day and the day after that. Benefits: Relieves stress and relaxes the body; helps lower blood pressure.
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HOT TAKE(out) A few of our Go-To local to-go dishes
Even during a pandemic, we here in the Las Vegas Valley remain lucky when it comes to eating. Anything our hearts—and stomachs—desire is but a phone call away, ready to be taken home or (come on, we’ve all done it) consumed quickly in your car. ¶ To help spice up your takeout game, the Weekly staff rounded up a few of our to-go favorites—dishes that not only taste great when they’re served, but hold up after. It’s a great way to support the struggling restaurant industry, and you won’t have to wash pots and pans when you’re done. Remember to tip generously.
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Old Chicago at Pizza Rock We’re all ordering a lot of pizza. Are you getting a perfectly thin and crispy pie that can last all week? Pizza Rock’s Downtown and GVR joints have it. It’s got meatballs, sausage and creamy ricotta, and it’s actually too good to last very long. $25. 201 N. 3rd St., 702-385-0838; Green Valley Ranch, 702-616-2996; pizzarock.com.
Show your support
Spicy Garlic Chicken at 9th Island Grill
Most businesses are struggling financially right now, and restaurants are among the hardest hit. Every order helps, but keep this in mind: Using thirdparty delivery apps can divert money from a family-owned business to some corporate tech giant (although we do like keeping their drivers employed). To keep your money as local as possible, pick up—or use in-house delivery services— whenever possible, even if it’s a bit more complicated than firing up a phone app.
This hidden Village Square hot spot elevates your favorite comfort food with island-style flair. Crispy fried boneless chicken thighs are saturated with garlic and smoky, spicy habanero peppers and served with rice and mac salad for ultimate plate-lunch satisfaction. $9. 9410 W. Sahara Ave. #130, 702-483-3085, ninthislandgrill.com.
Chashu Pork Donburi at 8 Kitchen Rice bowls make for easy takeout, but beware: The addictive version at this Henderson fusion spot—topped with pork belly, veggies and a slowcooked egg—will draw you back almost as soon as you’re done. $13. 2560 St. Rose Parkway #150, 702-840-8066, 8kitchenlv.com.
Chicken Frank at Frank & Fina’s Cocina The namesake dish of this local Mexican food stalwart’s patriarch satisfies on every level: grilled boneless chicken breast topped with grilled onions and tomatoes, avocado and melted cheese with a chile relleno, rice, beans and tortilla on the side. $16. 4175 S. Grand Canyon Drive, 702-579-3017, frankandfinas.com.
Brisket Philly at Fox Smokehouse
Photograph by Wade Vandervort
Boulder City’s beloved barbecue joint recently moved to a new location, and it brought all its classics with it, including this smoky spin on the classic cheesesteak. If you haven’t experienced Fox’s brisket, you’ve been missing out. $13. 930 Nevada Way, 702-489-2211, foxsmokehousebbq.com.
CHICKEN KALAMAKIA AT MERAKI GREEK GRILL If this isn’t the best chicken skewer— tender and intensely flavorful, even enjoyed cold the following day— available in this Valley, we’ll eat the container it comes in … which, by the way, also contains a garden-fresh Greek salad, delicious Greek rice (or fries), tzatziki and pita. $15. 4950 S. Rainbow Blvd., 702-202-1002, merakigreekgrill.com.
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CAULIFLOWER TACOS AND MUSHROOM TACOS AT BOMB TACOS Meatless Mexican food can be hit or miss, but Bomb serves superflavorful veggie tacos. Cauliflower is given the same deep-fried treatment as shrimp, and the ’shrooms are prepared with the same spices as traditional carne, giving these meat-free tacos the flavor others lack. $2.50-$3 per taco. 3655 S. Durango Drive #27, 702-262-0141. (Photograph by Wade Vandervort)
Al Pastor Torta at Pinches Tacos You love the tacos and burritos at Pinches, which has three spots sprinkled around the Valley, but our takeout pick is this twohand sandwich with broiled marinated pork, sour cream, guacamole, beans, onions and cilantro. $11, pinchestacos.com.
Fees add up Another reason to consider in-person pickup: the little fees for those third-party delivery services can take a big bite out of your budget if you’re not careful.
3 Amigos at Soho Sushi Burrito Takeout sushi can turn up a bit … wilted, but sushi burritos were meant to move around. Soho loads this one up with salmon, tuna and yellowtail, then adds the right kick (onion, cilantro, wasabi aioli) and crunch (wonton strips) to keep you coming back. $11.50. 2600 W. Sahara Ave. #115, 702-778-2525; 6040 Badura Ave. #150, 702-906-1799; sohosushiburrito.com. Avocado Toast at Founders Coffee Avocado toast really is the perfect breakfast food, chock-full of good fats and creamy deliciousness. The version at Founders Coffee features a generous piece of multigrain bread, with sundried tomato, chive and garlic aioli. Don’t forget the optional egg and bacon. Also great? The drive-thru. $7. 6410 S. Durango Drive #100, 702-916-4442, founderscoffeeco.com.
Papaya Salad With Thai Beef Jerky at Archi’s Thai The Henderson location of the popular four-location local chain is the only one that serves this perfect summer meal: a spicy, sour, sweet and savory combination of green papaya, tomatoes, green beans, peanuts and dried shrimp in citrus dressing, plus crispy beef with sticky rice and addictive jaew sauce. $13. 9310 S. Eastern Ave. #101, 702-9163949, archisthai.com. Savage Dog at THE Steamie Weenie You haven’t done summer in Green Valley until you’ve hit the Weenie. This specialty dog will satisfy you until fall: a bacon-wrapped frank topped with brown mustard and ranch dressing, grilled onions and blue cheese crumbles. $7. 1500 N. Green Valley Parkway #130, 702-333-1383, steamieweenie.com. Yellow Curry Lemongrass Chicken Sandwich at One Bite Sandwiches Make this your first bite at the Henderson Vietnamese spot. The generoussize bahn mi-style sandwich—packed with pickled carrots, cucumbers and kicked-up curry chicken—comes with soup, chips and a drink for one of the Valley’s best combo deals. $11. 1550 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway #Q , 702-522-8228.
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Sprouting Up Ramen at Jinya This relatively new menu addition packs powerful flavors with pork chashu, spicy bean sprouts, seasoned egg, crispy Brussels sprouts and ginger, layered with thick noodles and pork and chicken broth—and both local Jinyas (a third is coming to Henderson) separate the ingredients for an optimal takeout experience. $12. 4860 W. Flamingo Road, 702-8688877; 7240 S. Rainbow Blvd. #A, 702-476-0583; jinyaramenbar.com. Prime Rib Hash at Eat Here’s a breakfast (or lunch) that will fuel your day: Chopped prime rib mingles with New Mexican green chilies in this hearty hash. Two pillowy poached eggs, pico de gallo and sourdough toast complete the dish. $16. 707 Carson St., 702-534-1515, eatdtlv.chefnatalieyoung. com. Summer Kale Wellness Bowl at Fruits & Roots In the summer, nothing beats fresh, organic produce. Available as a bowl or wrap, this dish offers a tasty mix of kale, berries, avocado, carrots and feta. It’s finished with a “Detox Vinaigrette” and optional chicken. $9-$15. 7885 W. Sunset Road #180, 702202-0922, fruitsnroots. com.
(Pinches Tacos by Brock Radke/Staff; Soho Sushi Burrito/Sun File; Founder Coffee by Christopher DeVargas)
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Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich at Egg Sammie This one’s worth getting up early for. Hickorysmoked bacon, cage-free eggs, smoked provolone and the aptly named yum yum sauce are swaddled in house-baked brioche. You won’t even need an alarm. $7. 7379 S. Rainbow Blvd., 725-204-8881.
Lu Rou Fan at Every Grain There’s something so comforting about a warm bowl of rice. This one’s made with four different types—Koshihikari, black, brown and red rice—and topped with braised pork, fried shallots and scallions. With soft-yolk soy egg, it might just be the perfect meal. $5-$9. 1430 E. Charleston Blvd., eateverygrain.com.
Hearth Baked Lasagna at Sparrow + Wolf Local foodies breathed a big sigh of relief when chef Brian Howard reopened Sparrow + Wolf with an all-new menu that included this old favorite, a tour de force made with lamb Bolognese and miso béchamel sauce. Make it the centerpiece of your next takeout feast. $25. 4480 Spring Mountain Road #100, 702-7902147, sparrowandwolflv.com.
Settebello Pizza at Settebello You don’t need us to tell you pizza makes for great takeout, but you might not already be acquainted with Settebello’s habit-forming Neapolitan pies, including this heavenly namesake featuring sausage, pancetta, pine nuts and more. $9-$15. 140 S. Green Valley Parkway, 702-222-3556; 9350 W. Sahara #170, 702-901-4877; settebello.net.
Spicy Wontons at Shang Artisan Noodle Not all dumplings hold up during delivery or takeout. Shang’s sublime pork wontons, doused in chili and soy, have the flavor and fortitude to get the job done. Consider an extra order for breakfast tomorrow. $6. 4983 W. Flamingo Road #B, 702-888-3292, shangartisannoodle.com.
Bagels & Bialys at Rooster Boy Cafe Looking for a low-key morning nosh? Grab some bagels and bialys (order ahead for the latter), plus some schmear sold by the half pound, from the Desert Shores darling. Then take a leisurely stroll around Lake Jacqueline to atone for the well-worth-it carbs. $2 each, $10 for 6. 2620 Regatta Drive #113, 702-5602453, roosterboycafe.com.
(Every Grain by Wade Vandervort; Egg Sammie by Christopher DeVargas; Sparrow + Wolf Courtesy)
Smoked Tri-Tip at Big B’s Texas BBQ Texas-style barbecue meets a Central California favorite when these folks toss tri-tip into the smoker. Get some brisket, chicken and ribs if you like, but don’t miss this specialty dish when you’re ordering from Big B’s Henderson or southwest spots. $18 per pound. 3019 St. Rose Parkway #130, 702-260-6327; 6115 S. Fort Apache Road #110, 702844-8206; bigbztexasbbq.com.
Brisket Bahn Mi at 595 Craft and Kitchen A well-made bahn mi—the classic Vietnamese sandwich—is a thing of beauty. All the elements must be just right: fresh baguette, well-seasoned meat, crunchy pickled vegetables. This brisket version checks all the boxes, with jalapeño to give it extra kick. $12. 4950 S. Rainbow Blvd. #100, 702-586-1050, 595craftandkitchen.com.
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es Keep it safe The goal is as little physical interaction as possible. Opt for contactless pickup or delivery, if it’s available. If not, at least choose your order in advance, so you’re not standing around breathing shared air while you decide what to eat. And always, wear a mask, wash your hands and socially distance when possible.
(Photoraph by Wade Vandervort)
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Chetinad Curry at Mint Indian Bistro We dare you to try to make this dish, also known as madras curry, at home. Then let the professionals at Mint do it right, so you end up with a perfectly spiced—and appropriately spicy—bowl of chicken, fish, shrimp or veggies. $16-$19. 730 E. Flamingo Road, 702-894-9334; 4246 S. Durango Drive #200, 702-247-4610.
(Photograph by Christopher DeVargas)
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Fried Chicken Sandwich at Mama Bird Southern Kitchen This Southern-style sammy is served with creamy fry sauce on a potato roll, with a side of fries, coleslaw or watermelon. For extra flavor, add a fried egg or a “M.M.A.D. Hot” spice rub. $14$16. 10550 Southern Highlands Parkway #140, 702-570-6135, mamabirdsk.com.
Always, always tip Money’s tight everywhere these days, but hardworking folks are risking their health to provide you with a crucial service. The Maralee McKee Etiquette School of America says 10%-15% is the tipping standard for takeout orders, but during these tough times, you ought to consider going 20% … and more if you can afford it.
(Photograph by Wade Vandervort)
Cuban Nachos at Cubanidad A trip to Cubanidad doesn’t have to be a carnivorous extravaganza. This twist on traditional nachos loads malanga (taro root) chips and plantain chips up with black bean hummus and guacamole. Add protein if you like, but these are just as good sans meat. $8. 3585 S. Fort Apache Road #203, cubanidad1885.com. Thin crust pizza at Amore Taste of Chicago So authentic, you’ll think you’re back in the Windy City. Cut into squares and cooked with the cheese atop the toppings—we suggest mushrooms, olives and onions—it’s a slice of heaven (and for some of us, home) in every bite. $11 and up. 4330 E. Sunset Road, 702-4639163, amoretasteofchicago.com.
Mun Pu Fried Rice at Lamaii Everyone loves fried rice, but the dreamy rendition at this Chinatown Thai palace goes next-level: It’s stir-fried in crab fat and served with a mound of jumbo crab lumps. Pro tip: Get an extra order, and reheat it for days. $14. 4480 Spring Mountain Road #700, 702-238-0567, lamaiilv.com.
TacoMan Breakfast Burrito at Taco Man Grill If you have a big morning appetite, this one will serve you right: sausage, hash browns, a generous portion of egg, salsa fresca, cheese and sour cream, wrapped in a fresh tortilla for the ultimate breakfast of champions. $6. 10100 S. Eastern Ave., 702-202-2610.
Navratan Korma at Ashiana North India Cuisine Whether or not you’re vegetarian, a bowl of flavorful veggie korma from this delicious and dependable Henderson spot should satisfy your Indian cravings. Be sure to order lots of naan for maximum dippage. $15. 10960 S. Eastern Ave. #107, 724-1474, ashiananv.com.
Assorted Pastries at Le Cafe du Val Traveling is tough right now, but don’t let that stop you from pretending you’re in the south of France enjoying a pastry and café au lait. These treats are made in-house every morning, and the biggest decision you’ll have to make is which three you’ll be getting. Prices vary. 1550 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway #G, 702-592-0880.
“Chicken” Pot Pie Gnocchi at Vegenation Get your vegan comfort-food fix with this gnocchi dish. A house-made herb sauce flavors Gardein soy-based “chicken” and cozy veggies (peas, carrots and mushrooms). For the ultimate meal, it’s finished with pie crust crumbles. $13. 616 E. Carson Ave. #120, 702-3668515; 10075 Eastern Ave., 702527-7663; vegenationlv.com. Brunch pizza at Esther’s KITCHEN This pizza breaks all the rules: Boar sausage, crispy potato, garlic panna and quail eggs top a doughy crust. It’ll make you rethink what a pie is all about—and when you should eat it. $15. 1130 S. Casino Center Blvd., #110, 702-570-7864, estherslv.com.
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MAKING it MOBILE
Ibarra’s gets food trucks rolling all over the Valley
BY C. MOON REED
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rom construction sites and office parks to bars, festivals and street corners, food trucks have been a ubiquitous fixture on the Las Vegas food scene for some time. And right now, while the pandemic has put many brickand-mortar restaurants on shaky ground or indefinite hiatus, food trucks are one of the safest ways folks can dine out. They’re made for social distancing. But have you ever stopped to think about the trucks themselves? Where are these unique kitchen/
vehicle combos designed and built? In Las Vegas, the answer usually involves Ibarra’s Mobile Kitchen Solutions. If you’ve eaten from one of the many food trucks roaming our Valley, you’ve most likely done so from a vehicle built by the Ibarra family. The family estimates that it has created more than 90 percent of the trucks and trailers in Las Vegas, helping chefs get their show on the road, so to speak. Perspective food truckers can buy or rent a food truck or trailer, order custom builds, get repairs and even use the Ibarra’s commissary kitchen and
secure parking lot. One such Ibarra’s success story is Sista Kim’s Kitchen. Proprietor Ken Aman had always wanted to open a restaurant, but the cost of a traditional brick-and-mortar was prohibitively expensive. “[Ibarra’s] helped me get our dream started on a budget,” Aman says. Sista Kim’s serves traditional American comfort food: burgers, chili dogs, pastrami sandwiches and loaded fries. In less than a year, the business has had so much success that Aman, a native of Ghana, says he’s planning a second food truck that would combine
African and Haitian cuisines. Iman says that he loves the family feel of Ibarra’s. “It’s not just a shop that takes your money and that’s it,” Iman says. “They go out of their way to help.” ALL IN THE FAMILY Sal Ibarra and his two adult sons run the operation. Jonathan handles the business end—contracts, design, paperwork—while his brother, Salvador Jr., maintains the machinery, stock and equipment. Sal oversees it all. “He’s the one that’s been in this for the longest,” Jonathan says.
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A custom-made food truck at Ibarra’s Mobile Kitchen Solutions (Wade Vandervort/ Staff)
Ibarra’s Mobile Kitchen Solutions’ Jonathan Ibarra (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
“He’s got all the connections all around town.” The Ibarras’ 20,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor shop at 3038 Rigel Avenue, just west of I-15 between Sahara and Desert Inn, can be seen from the freeway. Giant letters proudly proclaim “IBARRA’S FOOD TRUCKS.” At first, the family says, it seemed cavernous, but the factory-warehouse is now filled to the brim. There’s a cozy office, where Jonathan makes pencil and
whiteboard designs, preferring the old-fashioned method to CAD drawings. The workshop is broken up into areas such as welding, cutting and wood cutting. Supplies are organized by type: foam sheets, stainless steel sheets, fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP). Ibarra’s recently implemented a new shop layout to increase capacity—necessary since the business is now routinely making 12 food trailers at a time and completing each under 10 weeks.
During the Weekly’s visit, a giant pizza truck takes center stage on the factory floor, its oven having arrived straight from Italy. Outside, various trucks and concession trailers fill the lot, like a food festival without the crowd. With so much growth, space has become tight, and the family is scouting locations for a larger facility on the outskirts of town. The Ibarras say they’d like to expand to a 40,000-square-foot building on five acres. With that much space, they’d be able to fabricate those colorful vehicle wraps in-house. Right now, a third party provides that finishing touch. “My No. 1 goal is for this place to be a one-stop shop—repairs, the commissary, you get your food truck—everything gets done here,” Jonathan says. “The only thing I’m missing is the wrap.” In his personal time, Jonathan takes part in body-building competitions. Even as he helps others indulge, Jonathan follows a strict competition meal plan of lean meats, veggies and rice. At work, he loves building the company. “When it was just mostly my dad at the very beginning, it was very small,” Jonathan says. He sees this time as a “race to build and expand the company all over the West.” That drive pulls him out of bed each morning, he says.
INSIDE THE KITCHEN Mobile kitchens are a marvel of engineering and design. To be roadworthy, they can be no larger than 16-feet long by 8-feet, 4-inches wide, yet they must be capable of containing everything a regular restaurant kitchen would. The standard food truck includes heating elements (a fryer, a 36-inch flat top griddle, a two-burner stove); food storage and preparation surfaces (a three-compartment steam table, a two-door tall refrigerator, a prep table on top of a small refrigerator, a counter table for order and pickup); health and safety features (a three-compartment sink, a handwashing sink, a fire-suppression system) and, of course, an air-conditioning unit. Ibarra’s custom builds take that basic design and tailor it to fit the needs of a specific chef or cuisine: four extra fryers for a fried chicken truck; a large wok on a big burner for a Chinese food truck; three ovens for a bakery on wheels; extra countertops for a coffee truck; and a vertical grill that supports three gyros for a Mediterranean food truck. “People think it’s easy to make these things, but they’re really not,” Jonathan says. That makes the end result even more rewarding. “It’s really fun going to a foodie festival and seeing all my projects.” (Continued on Page 20)
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A worker trims metal from a food truck at Ibarra’s Mobile Kitchen Solutions. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Right: A food trailer under construction at Ibarra’s Mobile Kitchen Solutions (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Jonathan says restaurant people laid off during the pandemic are looking for a new opportunity. (Continued from Page 19)
While the festival scene is dampened due to COVID-19, the food truck construction and rental business is booming due to the pandemic. Jonathan says that restaurant owners and people who’ve been laid off are looking to this mobile business opportunity. Case in point: When restaurateur Derrick Eason, owner of Boss’s Slow Smoked BBQ, set out to
acquire a food truck, he contacted Ibarra’s with specific requests. Boss’s specializes in pork ribs, brisket, tri-tip and catfish with traditional sides of coleslaw, candied yams, mac and cheese and collard greens, so Eason needed a food truck that not only could pull his smoker but also include plentiful fridge and counter space, an extra fryer and a warmer. And he wanted
the truck decor to resemble that of his brick-and-mortar restaurant kitchen. Ibarra’s met those needs and helped him rearrange the kitchen interior to match his preferred workflow. “From the moment I walked in, Jonathan treated me like a brother,” says Eason, whose restaurant experience had not previously extended to food trucks. “They made it really simple.” In fact, Eason says he’s “so satisfied,” he plans to have Ibarra’s build him a second food truck—focused on fish and fries—in the near future.
From burritos to brake pads The Ibarras’ burgeoning food truck construction empire actually began as a burgeoning food service empire. The family ran a restaurant on Las Vegas’ east side called El Borrego de Oro while operating a few food trucks at construction sites. When the economy crashed in 2008, Las Vegas construction dried up, however, and suddenly there were fewer workers to feed. In need of a new revenue stream, the Ibarras started making food trailers and placing them around
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Sal Ibarra (left) and his son Jonathan (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Truck stops A few of our favorite mobile food vendors
the city. At first, nobody knew how they were going to work, Jonathan recalls, but people began catching on, and the family slowly realized it was more profitable to sell trucks and trailers than the food itself. As they went from selling two or three trucks a year to four or five per month, Jonathan, who earned a business degree from UNLV, saw another opportunity: truck rentals. “My biggest plan for the rental was to give people the opportunity to start the business at a very low cost,” Jonathan says. “That’s so important to me.” Purchasing a truck outright typically costs between $60,000 and $120,000— prohibitive for many aspiring business owners. But renting allows for a more affordable entry point without the same type of commitment. “You’re buying a business. People sometimes get confused about that,” Jonathan says of purchase prices. “The only difference between a restaurant and a food truck or trailer is that the restaurant’s overhead is ridiculous.’ (His own family’s brick-and-mortar restaurant finally closed a little over a year ago.) It was a huge financial risk to build those first rental food trucks, but six years later, Jonathan says it has paid off. The Ibarras have more than 65 trucks and trailers rented out right now, with a dozen more in the works. The family has ex-
panded the business to nearby states, like Arizona and New Mexico. Utah is next. “About 90% of our renters [become] our buyers,” Jonathan says. “They end up building up their business, they become profitable and then they go for it.” Food truck village Beyond all the health code and fire safety regulations, a food truck proprietor isn’t permitted to park a mobile kitchen in a home driveway at night. So a little over a year ago, Ibarra’s opened a commissary on two Downtown acres on Fremont Street. It can host roughly 30 food trucks right now, and Ibarra’s will soon break ground on an expansion to accommodate more than 80 additional food trucks. A large industrial kitchen also sits on the property, with food storage and prep options. Food truckers can pay to use any aspect of the commissary, from parking to cold storage. Sista Kim’s Ken Aman uses the commissary and follows a rent-to-own plan for his food truck. He says he loves the full-service aspect of Ibarra’s, which helped him with both the truck and small details like licensing and permitting. “He delivered on his word and helped me through the whole process,” Aman says. “I felt like I wasn’t alone. I had the right team behind me to push me through everything I encountered.”
Cousins Maine Lobster Indulge in lobster tail, lobster grilled cheese or lobster tots, then finish with a whoopie pie. 702-420-2008, cousinsmainelobster.com.
Picanha Steak Truck Go for the steak sandwich with thick cuts of juicy steak, spinach and tomatoes on a French roll. 702-6102727, picanhalv.com.
Dragon Grill Try the bulgogi kimchi fries, Wagyu beef sliders, lumpia or coconut shrimp, and check out sister truck El Shuko, which serves Latin American cuisine and Guatemalan-fusion hot dogs. 702-927-7625, sincitydragons.com.
Pizza Stone’d Enjoy pizza, strombolis, calzones and pasta from this mobile brick oven, but save room for a s’mores brownie dessert. 702-389-2510, pizzastonedlv.com.
Dude Where’s My Hotdog Offering all-beef and vegan hot dogs with whimsical themes, like the “ass cobra” featuring fried udon noodles and grilled asparagus. The chili cheese fries are a must. Find the truck parked outside the Arts District’s Berlin bar at 201 E. Charleston Blvd. 702-985-4674, dudewheresmyhotdog.com.
Snowie Paradice A summer savior offering all sorts of flavored ices, soft serve, slushies and more. 702-596-3999, snowie paradice.com. Taqueria Vences Al pastor tacos, carne asada burritos and more, usually found in the evenings at Durango and Blue Diamond. 702-715-0966, instagram. com/taqueriavences.
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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MUPPETS NOW This new comedy successfully reimagines the Muppet Show’s short sketches as YouTube-like video clips. Worth it for Pepe the King Prawn’s chaotic “game show,” and Miss Piggy throwing shade. Disney+
(E ini/AP/Photo Illustrati
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MUSIC COMIC BOOK
TAYLOR SWIFT: FOLKLORE
PAPER GIRLS
I’ve been waiting for T. Swift to turn indie since she released Red in 2012, and on each LP since, she’s inched closer, layering her signature heartfelt lyrics with rosy, alt-washed electro-pop. Swift dropped surprise album Folklore on July 24, and it’s been garnering praise as her most artistic work yet. Enlisting The National’s Aaron Dessner as a co-writer, along with a feature from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Swift taps into the Americana roots that kick-started her country career, molding softer edges likely to appeal to a wide cross section of fans. Folklore finds the 30-year-old Swift evolving and introspective, bigger and bolder than society’s preconceived pigeonholes. –Leslie Ventura
Written by multiple Eisner-award author Brian K. Vaughan (of Y: The Last Man, Marvel’s Runaways and ABC’s Lost) and winningly illustrated by Cliff Chiang, Paper Girls slots neatly between Stranger Things and Doctor Sleep as a story of young fearlessness and adult disillusionment. It follows the route of four newspaper delivery girls as they get caught up in a time-travel war—both as preteens, and again (concurrently?) in middle age. Idiosyncratic and gripping, Paper Girls boasts Christopher Nolan-like twists and the quiet emotional power of an indie film. Amazon has optioned this one, so do yourself a favor and read it now. Three volumes on Image Comics. –Geoff Carter
TV
NORSEMEN Travel to eighth-century Europe, where bloodthirsty Vikings are … as polite and socially awkward as an Ikea employee on his or her first day at work. That’s the hilarious gambit behind the Norwegian sitcom The Guardian called “Monty Python meets Game of Thrones.” With blundering warriors, a Roman captive-turned-creative director and gory jokes, Norsemen manages to satirize both past and present. First three seasons on Netflix. –C. Moon Reed
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Blade Runner Blues Can’t sleep in our current, misbegotten dystopia? Calm yourself with the soothing, atmospheric sounds of another dystopia: Eight hours of rain, city sounds and mellow Vangelis synthesizer mixed from Ridley Scott’s 1982 Blade Runner. May you dream of electric sheep. bit.ly/3k8S4uE
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WEEK AHEAD
Film
Relic This horror film, from first-time director Natalie Erika James, starts out as a mystery of a missing octogenarian living by herself in the rural country. Kay (Emily Mortimer), with her daughter, Sam, goes in search of her mother, Edna, who turns up days later, feet muddied and with no explanation for her whereabouts. Which is more terrifying—the sinister things lurking about in Edna’s old house, or the tendrils of dementia closing in on her mind? You decide. Prime Video. –Genevie Durano
Yo La Tengo: We Have Amnesia Sometimes If you’re the sort of Yo La Tengo fan who’s forever replaying droney mid-’90s tunes like “I Heard You Looking” and “Blue Line Swinger,” the indie survivors’ latest project was made for you. Well, actually, it wasn’t really made for anyone, starting life as a one-mic recording of a quarantine jam session by the trio, before being sent out into the world, complete with pandemic-perfect track names like “James Gets Up and Watches Mourning Birds With Abraham” and “Georgia Thinks It’s Probably Okay.” Calming, instrumental goodness. yolatengo.bandcamp.com. –Spencer Patterson
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Noise
Intergalactic
Elliott Garfias (left) and Javier Esqueda are Stella Novae. (Angel Mendez/Courtesy)
Las Vegas duo Stella Novae shoots for the stars on its debut EP By Leslie Ventura
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n July 16, Las Vegans Javier Esqueda and Elliott Garfias debuted as electro-pop duo Stella Novae—French for “new star”—with EP Side A. The pair demonstrate their celestial potential on the six-song project, which oscillates between house-driven electronic rhythms and indie-leaning synth-pop. Garfias and Esqueda met years ago, when a mutual friend introduced the two musicians. “I needed a new singer, and [my friend] referred me to Javier,” Garfias says. After Garfias heard Esqueda’s cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” the two met up and things just “clicked,” Garfias says. They played in a couple of bands together, then officially began making music as Stella Novae in January 2019. While they both maintain identities as solo performers (Esqueda as Javesque and Garfias under his own name), they worked throughout the pandemic shutdown to release their first batch of songs together.
“Sometimes we get annoyed with each other and enlisted the talents of bassist Victor Fuentes (bass), won’t make music [together] for a little bit,” Garfias Michael Hoffman (drums) and Spencer King (keys) laughs, “but we always come back to making music.” to give the tunes more “organic vibes,” Garfias says. At the start of 2020, the duo released single “PresAward-winning mastering engineer Brian Lucey sure on Me,” which received airplay on (The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys) radio show The Premium Blend out of mastered the EP, and Las Vegan Hugo Stella Novae instagram.com/stellanovaemusic Hailsham, England (thepremium Cruz Castillo mixed it. facebook.com/stellanovae blendradioshow.co.uk). More recently, Though Stella Novae’s future rethe duo played a livestreamed show mains cloudy given the current limifor Vegas LGBTQ platform Therapy tations on live performing, Esqueda Zine (instagram.com/therapyzine). says he hopes to travel with the duo’s music at some Esqueda, who writes all the lyrics, says Side A point. “I would love to play festivals,” Esqueda says. encompasses the ups and downs of day-to-day life. “Once this is over, I want to go on a stage. I want to go “I just write about whatever I’m going through, on a stage right now,” he says, adding that he’d also be whatever struggles I’m feeling,” Esqueda says. “A interested in trying a drive-in concert. lot of the songs are a journey of past things that I’ve In the meantime, the members of Stella Novae [experienced].” have news: There’s more new music in the works. On the music side, it’s Garfias in the saddle, craft“This next album is going to be [even] more organic,” ing beats and melodies on his computer. The duo also Esqueda says. “It’s going to have more of a band feel.”
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Vegas in flux
It was all about nongaming revenue until the pandemic arrived. Now what? In 2019, gaming came in at 34.8 evelopment surrounding the percent for Strip casinos, while Las Vegas Strip has tilted those nongaming numbers added up toward nongaming revenue to approximately 37 percent of total for two decades now, a trend casino revenue. Downtown, where that has culminated in the past five entertainment is a lesser component years with the construction of freeand gaming has always generated standing sports and entertainment majority profit, last year’s venues T-Mobile Arena and numbers were 50.5 percent Allegiant Stadium. for gaming and approximateThe casino might have been ly 31 percent for nongaming. relegated to a complemenIn 1999, the year Mandatary role in the greater Vegas lay Bay, Venetian and Paris experience during this era, Las Vegas opened, gaming but there’s never really been a dipped below 50 percent of major resort built specifically total revenue at Strip casinos for these times. And while for the first time. The path two new projects set to open the forward was clear: Restauin the coming months—Reincidental rants, bars, nightclubs, sorts World on the Strip and tourist shows and live music options Circa on Fremont Street— by brock radke were as important as casino might have been envisioned fun. The next three new Strip as such, they will now have resorts were Wynn, Palazzo to also contend with COVIDand Encore, all luxury-driven upera circumstances that have, so far, dates on the standard template. returned Las Vegas to its gamingAria (2009) could have signaled centric roots. the start of a new era of building From 1984 to 1993, gaming on the Strip, but it was designed as hovered around 57 percent of total an ultramodern take on that same revenue for Strip casinos, accordmodel, with the new twist of City ing to the UNLV Center for GamCenter’s surrounding residential deing Research. In 1989, when the velopment, and clearly and severely Mirage opened as the first modern handicapped by the recession. One Vegas megaresort, food and drink, could argue that the neighboring entertainment and other income Cosmopolitan (2010) was created not including gaming or hotel room for the nongaming-revenue era, but occupancy accounted for approximany of its innovations were born mately 24 percent of total revenue.
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out of its limited footprint; Cosmo had to stack other amenities above and around a smaller casino floor, and for all its coolness, it didn’t become truly successful until it mastered the gaming element. One significant step in this direction was a resort refashioned, not built from the ground up. When MGM Resorts transformed the 20-year-old Monte Carlo into Park MGM, adding stylish new restaurants and nightlife venues—the Eataly food marketplace, the boutique NoMad Hotel and the 5,200seat Park Theater for residency shows from Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, Bruno Mars and others—it essentially created an entertainment complex around T-Mobile Arena, one that easily extends to related Strip properties New York-New York
The Resorts World construction site (Steve Marcus/Staff)
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THE STRIP Workers complete installation of an exterior sign on the south side of Downtown’s Circa. The sign, manufactured by YESCO, weighs nearly six tons, and the letters will be illuminated by more than 3,000 programmable LED lights. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
to the south and Aria to the north. Though the Monte Carlo casino footprint remains the same, gaming is essentially an afterthought at Park MGM. That may be why it’s one of only two MGM properties that hasn’t reopened yet. A weekend in Vegas right now consists of gaming, eating and drinking, and maybe visiting the pool or spa or another attraction at your hotel. While additional resorts and venues could reopen as soon as September 1 and create new entertainment programming to adjust to current restrictions, no Strip resort is designed to succeed in the current environment, or even to sustain itself over the long term. Resorts World, scheduled to open next summer, isn’t changing its strategy for the pandemic. The
long-simmering $4.3 billion project has made significant adjustments to its design and scale over the course of development and construction, watching Vegas trends and trying to stay ahead of them. But resort officials recently reconfirmed their commitment to creating grand nongaming experiences, including the 5,000-seat Theatre at Resorts World, a 65,000-square-foot nightlife and daylife venue, and a 17,000-squarefoot entertainment zone in the casino. It doesn’t want to be the first post-pandemic Vegas resort; it wants to be the first new Strip megaresort in a decade, with all the best new everything. Downtown’s upcoming Circa will strike first, launching its two-story casino and many of its amenities on October 28, three months ahead of schedule. The hotel tower is expected to follow at the end of the year. Owner Derek Stevens, who has demonstrated an ability to create experiences that blend gaming with other activities, recently unveiled an exciting array of bars and restaurants planned for the resort on the corner of Main and Fremont, adding to the excitement of his previously announced three-level sportsbook and fifth-floor rooftop pool amphitheater. Circa’s approach, which has always been about celebrating Vegas traditions, could hit the right notes right now, making gaming as fun as it can be and adding as many cherries on top as are allowed.
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DON’T STOP, BELIEVER THE BELIEVER AND BMI FIND WAYS TO CONNECT WITH LOCKDOWN AUDIENCES, THROUGH LITERATURE AND BEYOND BY C. MOON REED eading is a solitary activity naturally suited to pandemicrelated lockdowns. Nothing’s more socially distanced (yet emotionally connected) than tearing through the pages of a book or magazine while alone on the couch. But what if your job is to create and foster a literary community? During an outbreak, no less? Even in the best of times, writers and readers can be introverts. Las Vegas’ own literary powerhouses—The Believer magazine and its partner, UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute—are demonstrating they’re up to the task. This year’s Believer Fest may have been canceled, but the two entities have stayed busy, churning out creative connections. Here’s what they’ve been up to, and how you can play along.
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Severance Radio book club This year’s fiction pick for Nevada Humanities’ statewide book club, Nevada Reads, is Severance by Ling Ma. This book is so timely, we can barely believe it was chosen before the pandemic. It’s serious literature … set amid a zombie apocalypse brought on by a virus. Episodes feature a portion of the audio book followed by a discussion, and guests include authors, scholars, artists, public health experts and other thinkers like Kristen Arnett, Christopher Coake, Brent Holmes, Lance Smith, Lisa Ko, Erica Vital-Lazare,
Kate Lacour (Linka A. Odom/Courtesy)
Claytee White and, of course, the author herself, Ma. Produced in partnership between BMI and Nevada Humanities, the book club airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on KUNV 91.5 FM and streams at kunv. org/listen. It’s then rebroadcast at 11 a.m. Mondays on KUNV 91.5 HD-2 and at therebelhd2.com/live. The 14week show runs through October 4. If you’ve missed episodes, don’t worry; it will eventually become a podcast. For more information, visit black mountaininstitute.org/severanceradio or nevadahumanities.org/ nevada-reads.
Comics workshops Comics can be literature, too, and during the pandemic, The Believer has been hosting weekly online comic-drawing workshops. They’ve attracted locals, along with folks from around the globe, and even if you don’t consider yourself to be an artist, it’s a fun way to connect, be creative and relieve stress. Upcoming workshops: Thinking Through Comics with Whit Taylor (August 7); Making Comics for the Politically Indifferent with Ben Passmore (August 14); Art Therapy with Kate Lacour (August 21). Workshops take place at 4 p.m. on Fri-
days. RSVP at blackmountaininstitute. org/live, and explore the archive at believermag.com/tag/comics-workshops. Constellation Prize podcast The Believer magazine offers you this podcast on loneliness and the human condition, produced by Bianca Giaever, whose work has aired on This American Life and Radiolab. Episode topics include reflections on boredom, conversations with a crossing guard and meditations on nonfiction filmmaking. Edited by Hayden Bennett, deputy editor for The Believer. Believermag.com/ constellation-prize.
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Postcard If you’re feeling disconnected during the pandemic—and who isn’t, really?—this box set of 30 postcards can be a neat way to reconnect. Postcards feature art, poetry and quotes from The Believer magazine. $15, believer mag.com/shop.
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SCENE Voice Mail Project We immortalize our memories with thousands of photos, but we rarely think to save our voices. The Believer’s Voice Mail Project seeks to create a “sonic history.” Leave a voice message sharing the story of an unforgettable voicemail, then listen to messages left by others. Thevoice mailproject.com.
Postcards, The Believer magazine covers (Black Mountain Institute/Courtesy)
Fall season Autumn is generally prime time for the arts, and this year will be no exception … except that it’ll take place online. The Black Mountain Institute and The Believer will soon announce their fall events, plus a new radio show and podcast, according to a representative for the arts organizations. Blackmountaininstitute.org; believermag.com. Subscribe With so many interactive events on tap, it might be easy to forget that The Believer is also an old-school paper magazine. For the price of $48, you can get a physical copy delivered six times a year, packed with intriguing essays, interviews, illustrations, poetry and more. Believermag.com/ product/the-believer-subscription.
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8.6.20
Head Chef Lamar Moore
HISTORY ON A PLATE
(AVABLU.com/Courtesy)
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FOOD & DRINk Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse at the Flamingo pays homage to Las Vegas’ past By Genevie Durano amar Moore, head chef at Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse inside the Flamingo, is still getting used to the desert heat, having only moved here a few weeks ago from Chicago. But Moore’s no stranger to high-temperature situations. Consider how he landed his coveted position on the Strip’s newest $10.5 million culinary destination. He prevailed over seven other chefs on Food Network competition series Vegas Chef Prizefight to land the dream job, impressing a panel of judges that included Anne Burrrell and Scott Conant. The stakes could not have been higher, especially since the very venue he would be helming carried lots of history. Its namesakes, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and business partner Meyer Lansky, opened the Flamingo in 1946, the first resort-hotel of its day, which became the foundation of the Strip. The rest, as they say, is a four-mile-long trail of neon history. There are touches of vintage Vegas all over the art deco space, starting with the bakery façade entrance and the dry-aged meat cooler, a wink to days past when those in the know would enter discreetly through the back of restaurants. The main dining room is capacious and bright, with flamingo murals and glamorous chandeliers. You can imagine the Rat Pack strolling in any moment now, ordering a seafood tower with King crab legs and shrimp cocktail just as chill. There are homages to Vegas’ storied and colorful history here, including menu items like Dirty Fries and a desert called Wise Guys. Certainly, the past is a nice place to visit, but this is a modern steakhouse, with room for reinvention. “Our plates are very, very different,” Moore says. “I have a background in steak and seafood for 15 to 20
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years, and I remember when every plate looked the same. It was always a heavy green and white plate, and that’s what you’re used to. And we’ve kind of upped the classical bit—we have nice round darker plates or amber colors—and that adds a different feel to it with the vintage style.” The steak presentation has also been given a bit of a shake-up, Moore explains. “Our steak program is very aggressive, but then we add our own [touches]. Right before every steak goes out, we crush it with a little bit of reduced wine butter, then add little flakes of sea salt,” he says. “So that adds a different touch to it, as opposed to the old-school way.” And while the carnivorous delights are abundant—from rib-eyes, a wagyu
rib cap and a majestic 32-ounce tomahawk, along with unexpected jamon Iberico—the other half of the menu boasts seafood flown in daily. “We want to obviously make food that’s approachable, but we want to also go out on a limb and do something fun and something that you wouldn’t expect,” Moore says. “Like in our raw bar, we know we have a really, really good ceviche that has a lot of coconut nuances in there. It’s very colorful, it’s flavorful, and then we add a little bit of coconut foam. So there’s different techniques and textures.” The steak and seafood—and the top-notch cocktail and wine program—might compete for your attention and calories, but the dessert menu wins the beauty contest, hands
down. The Big Apple is a glossy green confection made of silky white chocolate, yuzu mouse, caramelized apple, soft caramel and a hazelnut crumble, while the aforementioned Wise Guys is a warm chocolate espresso fondant, praline lime Success, raspberry yogurt soufflé and nougat semifreddo. Plus, there are more cookies and confections from the candy shop that you can hit up on your way out. “I want guests to walk away feeling that they were taken care of, and I want them to be full if possible,” Moore says. “I tell some guests, if you walk in and don’t waddle out, then we’ve done something wrong. We should be able to feel very, very good when you leave.”
BUGSY & MEYER’S Steakhouse Flamingo, 702-733-3111. Thursday-Monday, 5-10 p.m.
Surf and turf at Bugsy & Meyer’s (Anthony Mair/Courtesy)
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8.6.20
Morning ’cue Mountain West Eatery serves up smoked favorites for breakfast By Brock Radke arbecue and breakfast. It’s an unorthodox combination but one that seems to be working well at Mountain West Eatery, a new restaurant near Decatur Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. Rick and Jenilyn Ruff opened the family-friendly spot in April, serving up breakfast hits like chicken fried steak, shrimp and grits, and buttermilk biscuits doused in sausage and bacon gravy, plus barbecue favorites like baby back or St. Louis-style ribs and smoked chicken and brisket. “We couldn’t make up our minds,” Rick Ruff says of the diverse menu. “We know the breakfast business in Las Vegas is almost a no-lose restaurant. But barbecue is our love and what we do best, so we mixed the two. The breakfast portion is doing better now, but we’ve heard a lot of good feedback on the barbecue.” The most popular dishes include a mountainous pulled pork sandwich ($10) seasoned with a special dry rub and served with fresh coleslaw, and the shrimp and grits ($13) with two eggs, chunks of bacon and green onions. The menu also includes more traditional options like pancakes, French toast and omelets for breakfast and salads, wings, burgers and Jenilyn’s gumbo ($9)—loaded with andouille sausage, chicken and vegetables—for lunch and dinner. The Mountain West Eatery family is also behind the pair of popular D’Pinoy restaurants in Las Vegas, known for authentic and soulful cuisine from the Philippines. The Ruffs opened the first of those spots about six years ago shortly after moving here from Chicago, where Rick had retired after a long career as a probation officer and Jenilyn had operated a day care and other businesses. D’Pinoy operations have soldiered on through the pandemic, initially focusing on takeout before recently reopening for dining, while the couple have focused on getting the new restaurant up and running. “We’re in the storm right now,” Rick says. “I know we’re supposed to get hit with a second wave and we’re still in the first, or so they say. We will weather the first, because we’ve got enough customers to pay our bills and our workers. We’re not making a buck right now, and profit is way on down the road. But if we can maintain a high-quality, beautiful restaurant and keep it clean, as long as we keep doing that, our regulars will keep coming back and keep us afloat.”
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MOUNTAIN WEST EATERY 5110 Blue Diamond Road, 702-844-8313. Daily, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Mountain West Eatery offers breakfast, barbecue or a combination of both any time of day. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
8 . 6 . 2 0 LV W f o o d & D R I N K
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Food & Drink
Monster mash
Burger 51 serves fast-food with a side of sci-fi
A double cheeseburger at Burger 51 (Steve Marcus/Staff/Photo Illustration)
By C. Moon Reed hat happens when the creator of Fremont Street’s infamous Heart Attack Grill decides to realize his childhood dreams of monster movie magic? A fast-food drive-thru/drivein theater mashup, open for lunch and dinner. The retro-styled Burger 51, at Decatur Boulevard and I-95, opened on July 23. It’s so new that some “gimmicks” have yet to be installed: a space cadet Zoltar will take your order, and a vending machine will sell tinfoil hats and $1 comic books. “I’ve always been into burgers, but sci-fi is my real fetish,” says bombastic founder Jon Basso, known as Dr. Jon at Heart Attack Grill and Supreme Commander Jon at Burger 51. Basso grew up watching classic horror—Frankenstein, Dracula and Wolfman flicks—and always wanted to be a
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horror film producer. “I can’t do it at Heart Attack grill, because lettuce Burger 51 wasn’t built for the era of social is supposed to be healthy,” he says. “I love getting distancing. But the self-proclaimed “world’s first away from the unhealthy gimmick.” experiential fast food place” offers full-on fun with The sides are on theme for a movie theater. a low risk of infection. Basso says he Instead of french fries, there’s popcorn Burger 51 hopes the drive-thru will feel like a Dis($4) and candy. Rather than booze or 101 N. Decatur Blvd., neyland ride. The buildings are made a soda fountain, there are glass soda burger51.com. Daily, 11:30-2 a.m. out of shipping containers, which he bottles and strawberry frozen shaved says provide the feeling of a “dystopian, ice with condensed milk ($4). sci-fi future.” They’re decorated with Diners eat in their cars while watchcult movie posters. ing a series of short films on a 20-by-30-foot screen. The burgers are reasonably priced—$3 for a Basso estimates that about 20% of the films are single, $4 for a double. Burger 51 features fresh locally made, and he’s always seeking new submisAngus beef with real cheese, an egg-washed bun, sions. At night, the entertainment graduates from Thousand Island dressing and lettuce. PG- to R-rated slasher flicks: “I don’t want any Bosso is particularly excited about the lettuce. 7-year-old seeing a chain-saw decapitation,” he says.
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LV W S P O R T S 8 . 6 . 2 0
NICE TO (FINALLY) MEET YOU THE RAIDERS ARE JUST NOW GETTING TO KNOW SOME KEY 2020 PLAYERS
DAMON ARNETTE
BY CASE KEEFER he Raiders turned to linebacker Cory Littleton to turn around a perennially subpar defense this offseason. Galvanized by game film from the 26-year-old’s time with the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders made Littleton their highest-paid defensive player this season, signing him to a three-year, $36 million deal on the second day of free agency in March. Since then, Las Vegas has remained confident that Littleton will make an immediate impact. But through one week of training camp, it was still based entirely on what the team had seen from afar. It had yet to work with him up close. “Never met him, [and] you know we paid this guy a lot of money to be our featured defensive player,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “There’s a lot of [other] free agents I’ve not had hands-on contact with.” The coronavirus has the Raiders, along with the rest of the NFL, scrambling to get ready for the September 10 start to the regular season in a condensed time frame. Per socialdistancing protocol, players weren’t permitted at team facilities during the offseason and were required to test negative twice within a 72-hour period before being allowed to join teams for
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CORY LITTLETON training camp, which officially kicked off July 28. Padded practices won’t begin until August 16, and all four traditional preseason games have been scrapped. The league’s own guide to the altered training camp, posted on NFL.com, concludes that, “Unquestionably, the circumstances favor teams with continuity.” The Raiders aren’t breaking in any new systems in their third season under Gruden, but they are relying on a number of free agents and first- and second-year players. That means, at least on the surface, the new rules are a particular hurdle. Gruden and general manager Mike
HENRY RUGGS III
8 . 6 . 2 0 LV W s p o r t s
NICK KWIATKOSKI
Mayock and have described nearly every acquisition and draft pick they have made since teaming up two years ago as some combination of a highcharacter guy, hard worker and holder of a strong football IQ. Those phrases will need to prove more than empty words for the Raiders to have a successful first season in Las Vegas. The onus is on players like Littleton and fellow free agent linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, along with a spate of high draft picks from the past two years— including 2020 first rounders Henry Ruggs III at receiver and Damon Arnette at cornerback—to show up ready, physically and mentally. There’s not as much time as usual to practice into shape or learn the playbook alongside coaches and teammates. The Raiders say they feel confident with the way an intensive virtual offseason training program and meeting schedule went. Rookies were allowed into the team’s Henderson headquarters a week early—small consolation given that they normally would have been through a couple of minicamps by now—and Ruggs reports that everyone came ready. “I’m fired up the way these guys are coming in, everybody is coming
REMAINING TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
August 3-11 Acclimation period (one hour in the weight room, one hour of on-field conditioning, one hour to 75 minutes of walkthrough practice permitted) August 12-16 Ramp-up period (helmet-only practices permitted) August 8 & 15 Mandatory off-days August 17-September 6 Padded practices (maximum of 14 total practices allowed)
(AP/Photo Illustration)
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to work,” he said. “Coming in early, leaving late. And just talking to them, everybody has the right mindset to go in and help the team out. So, I feel like whenever it’s that time, any one of us can step up and do some big things.” Wide receiver and defensive back are generally considered to be among the positions requiring the steepest learning curve going from college to pro football, and that’s where the Raiders loaded up in the draft. Arnette and fourth-round pick Amik Robertson are being counted on to help turn around one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses at cornerback. Ruggs is expected to immediately give the offense the type of explosive, big-play threat it lacked last year, with fellow pass-catching third-round selections Bryan Edwards and Lynn Bowden also among the new key contributors. Ruggs said quarterback Derek Carr provides the new Raiders with an advantage. The seventh-year veteran has stayed in touch throughout quarantine, helping newcomers learn the playbook. He has even invited Ruggs to his home to work on passing routes. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are prohibitive favorites in the AFC West, with the Raiders projected to battle the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers for second place in the division and a possible wild-card playoff berth. Those two teams don’t have an entrenched starter behind center, so Carr should give Las Vegas an edge over Denver’s Drew Lock, a second-year player who took over at the end of last season, and whomever LA chooses to start between journeyman Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert. It’s hard to say definitively whether the limited training camp helps or hurts the Raiders. Either way, it’s not how they wanted to introduce themselves to Las Vegas, but they’re looking to make the most of it. “We’re trying to be as creative as possible,” Gruden said. “We can’t watch practice or be around, but we’re trying hard to be on the cutting edge of technology, coaching our system and making our philosophies standard for everyone, trying to raise the bar around here.”
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5-MINUTE EXPERT
8.6.20
DISC DRIVING
IT’S EASY—AND INEXPENSIVE—TO BEGIN PLAYING DISC GOLF IN LAS VEGAS BY LESLIE VENTURA
reated in the 1970s, disc golf is a sport similar in play to golf, with participants using discs (smaller frisbees), rather than golf balls, clubs and a tee. The object of the game, however, is essentially the same: Players try to get their discs into the goal in the fewest number of attempts. ¶ As in golf, disc golf courses comprise 18 “holes” or targets. Courses are often free to use; they’re common in parks and recreational areas. Unlike holes on a golf course, however, the targets in disc golf are standing metal baskets. Even if you’ve never played disc golf, you’ve probably walked through a course without even knowing it. ¶ According to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) website, there are more than 120,000 lifetime disc golf members across 54 countries. If you’d like to join them in this unique outdoor activity, here are a few simple steps to follow.
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UPCOMING EVENTS August 8 Tag Team Championship (men) at North Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course August 9 Tag Team Championship (women) at North Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course October 4 Throw for a Cure (men and women) at North Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course
What you’ll need Disc golf requires minimal gear to get started, but some items, like discs, are essential for play. The game is appealing in part because of its affordability, especially compared with traditional golf. Andrew Reese, managing partner of Disc Golf Vegas, says in the three years he’s been playing disc golf, he’s spent less money than he would have on a single golf driver alone. Opt for a beginner’s disc golf set, or buy the three main discs you’ll need separately. Those include a driver (the disc used to “tee off”), a mid-range disc (for closer shots) and a putter (your weapon of choice when attempting to sink a basket). The more you play, the better feel you’ll get for which discs are right for you. Expect to accumulate more as you go. Discs are also divided by weight. Discgolfnow.com recommends starting with a disc between 160 and 172 grams. Speed is another variable, ranging from 1-14. Beginners should aim for a disc somewhere in the 4-9 range, per discgolfnow.com. A disc bag is helpful for carrying your new discs. For a typical right-handed, backhanded player, turn is the level at which the disc turns right during the beginning of its flight, and fade is the disc’s probability of turning left during its descent.
Drive or stroke A throw attempt.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Basket The target or goal at the end of each hole.
Hole Used relatively interchangeably with target, this refers to the entire area of play, including the tee, fairway, green and basket.
Escape shot A throw used to get out of a tricky or difficult position. Putt A disc thrown from 10 meters or less to the base of the target.
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Where to play
5-MINUTE EXPERT
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Names to know
“Disc golf is accessible, family-friendly and inexpensive,” Crystal Wood and Leah Koepp wrote in the Explorer’s Guide Las Vegas, adding, “All Las Vegas courses are free of charge, unless there’s a tournament going on.” There are more than 8,000 disc golf courses throughout the world, at least 10 of them right here in Las Vegas and the surrounding area, per the PDGA website. Sunset Park, according to Koepp and Wood, boasts “possibly the seventh-oldest disc golf course in the nation,” dating back to 1978. “This park holds a lot of memories for children who grew up in the area before the population explosion,” Wood and Koepp write. The course, designed by Las Vegas disc golf pro and legend Vince Gardner, includes 24 targets. Other Valley courses include: ■ Mountain Crest 4701 N. Durango Drive ■ Peccole Ranch 9501 Red Hills Road ■ Sunset Park 2601 E. Sunset Road ■ North Las Vegas Municipal 324 E. Brooks Ave. ■ Red Ridge 9135 W. Maule Ave. ■ Fox Hill Park 231 Antelope Ridge Drive ■ Wildhorse Golf Club 2100 W. Warm Springs Road ■ Freedom Park 850 N. Mojave Road ■ Arroyo Grande 298 N. Arroyo Grande Blvd. ■ Lee Canyon Ski lift area
■ Vince Gardner. “Vince is a legend,” Reese says. “He helped make it go from a park thing to a sport, and he worked with Sunset Park to get the first disc golf course built.” ■ Donn Blake. As member #22 in the PDGA, Blake is an OG disc golfer, not just in Vegas but worldwide. (To put that into perspective, Reese is #125994). Blake joined the PDGA in 1976 and is also credited with bringing disc golf to the city. According to a 2017 article in Disc Golfer magazine, Blake was one of Nevada’s pioneers. “I got really fired up about Frisbee golf, so I started laying out object courses in Southern Nevada in the spring of 1970,” Blake told Disc Golfer. “I rented a wheeled cement mixer and poured the signs, the holes and the pads. It was a big job, but I had a whole bunch of golfers who couldn’t sleep at night waiting to get to work.” Eventually, Blake also assisted on the World Frisbee Championships in 1974 and hosted three Junior Frisbee Championships in Las Vegas. ■ Cameron Messerschmidt. At 24 years old, the professional disc golf player already has 29 career wins and is sponsored by Gateway Disc Sports for the 2020 season after being sponsored by Prodigy Disc Golf in 2018. ■ Jennifer Morgan. Currently playing in the Pro Masters Women 40+ division, this Incline Village resident holds the highest ranking in Nevada at No. 883.
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
GROUPS AND RESOURCES ● Disc Golf Vegas (DGV) discgolf.vegas Las Vegas Disc Golf Club (LVDGC) lvdgc.club ● Sin City Sisters Disc Golf League (women’s league) facebook.com/groups/SinCitySisters ● Lucky Disc Golf (a local disc golf shop in the Valley since 2017) luckydiscgolf.com ● Infinite Discs (online retailer) infinitediscs.com Ace Like a “hole-in-one” in traditional golf, achieved by making the basket on the first drive on any hole.
Birdie Completing a hole one stroke below par.
LHBH A lefthanded, backhand throw.
Stability How straight the disc flies during a throw. RHBH A right-handed, backhand throw.
0
-1
Par As in traditional golf, the standard number of attempts a player has to get the disc into the basket on each hole.
Bogey Completing a hole one stroke above par.
+1
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VEGAS INC BUSINESS 8.6.20
A longtime Las Vegan aims to revitalize Showboat land with affordable housing
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BY BRYAN HORWATH mador Bengochea remembers riding past the old Showboat Hotel and Casino along Fremont Street every day on his way to Bishop Gorman High School. Back then, the Showboat—which was nestled south of Charleston Boulevard and just west of what’s now Interstate 515—was a favorite gathering spot for Las Vegas locals. “We’d drive up Fremont Street, make a left at Oakey and go to school,” says Bengochea, known as “Chi Chi” to most. “I knew the Showboat was the place where locals like to go; at least that was ... my impression back then. A lot of people liked to go bowling there. It was well-maintained. There’s a lot of history there.” Opened in 1954, the Showboat—later rebranded as Castaways—was demolished in 2006, leaving 30 acres of vacant land in a largely forgotten part of town. Bengochea, owner of the Bentar Development construction firm, has plans to change that with a 344-unit apartments complex that will include nine acres of commercial development—complete with a gas station, grocery store, storage facility and a possible medical clinic—along Fremont Street. Bengochea, who has begun construction, says he plans to start pre-leasing for the Showboat Park Apartments later this year. The project, which is expected to cost close to $40 million, could be finished before next summer. “For my wife and I, this was an opportunity to provide a much-needed community project,” Bengochea says. “I felt like there was a big need for economically priced workforce housing. We’re going to cater to culinary people, construction workers, Downtown workers, Zappos people. … They want to live where they work. There aren’t that many options for them, but with this, they’ll get that opportunity.”
Bengochea arrived in Las Vegas from Miami with his family as a young boy in the mid-1960s. His father, Arturo, emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba not long before that. Arturo Bengochea, who died more than a decade ago, worked for years as a blackjack dealer at the Showboat. “In deciding to come to Las Vegas, my dad was the smartest man on the planet,” says Bengochea, who graduated from Gorman in 1980. “This was a land of opportunity for him and for our family. We were able to go to Catholic schools and meet a lot of people. I’ve
never wanted to leave Las Vegas.” The gated community, Bengochea says, will include an on-campus pool, a covered playground area, a basketball court and soccer fields, a fitness area and a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse complete with conference room and kitchen. Each apartment—the community will be a collection of two-story buildings—will have its own private entrance, and a series of hot spots around the property will allow residents to stay connected to their own Wi-Fi network. He adds that it was also important to have washers and dryers in every apartment. “We’re going the extra mile to make these apartments nice,” Bengochea says. Rents will start at $950 per month and go up to around $1,400 for a three-bedroom unit. Apartments will feature from 430 to 1,100 square feet of space. It’s much-needed development for an area that lacks quality housing options, especially a new build. “We’re a very mature ward, and we don’t see these types of projects happening to this magnitude,” Ward 3 Councilwoman Olivia Diaz says. “It’s going to bring much-needed housing and revitalization to our ward. Those of us who grew up in that area remember Showboat and Castaways, but that parcel has been empty there for so long.” Bentar has been built numerous projects over the years in the Valley, including gas stations, restaurants, office buildings and VIP lounges at Bellagio and Mirage. Bengochea also completed an improvement project at Gorman, which he says holds special meaning because of the school’s impact on his life.
Amador “Chi Chi” Bengochea, owner of Bentar Development, gives a tour of a clubhouse under construction at the Showboat Park Apartments. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
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Vegas inc business 8.6.20
VegasInc Notes The Las Vegas Philharmonic announced the winners of its annual Young Artists’ Concerto Competition, which was held digitally and sponsored in part by Cox Communications. Twenty-nine student musicians from Las Vegas middle and high schools competed in piano, wind and string instruments. Six students advanced to finals, where judges selected a first and second place, plus honorable mentions. Stanly Zhang, pianist and rising junior at Coronado High School, was awarded first place and will receive a $2,000 scholarship. Lourdes Pinney, violist and student at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, was awarded second place and will receive $1,000 in scholarship funds. Honorable mentions went to Grace Wride (violin), Hansen Chang (oboe), Jack Kotchka-Smith (bass) and Shane Herbert (clarinet). Loving Hearts Adoption Services, a nonprofit organization and accredited adoption agency, launched to assist those
wanting to make an adoption plan, including legal finalization or infant adoption. It builds off nearly a century of experience in facilitating thousands of adoptions under its former identity, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada Adoption Services. Jeremy Green with CBRE’s Advisory & Transaction Services achieved the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors designation. The SIOR Green designation is a professional achievement for commercial real estate practitioners with a strong transactional history in brokerage, fee-based services or executive management. Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara appointed Deanna Jaskolski as the Region 3 region superintendent, Monica Cortez as assis-
tant superintendent of student services division on an interim basis, and Robert Tarter as the education services division assistant superintendent. UNR Extension welcomed Hayley Maio as an extension educator. Maio will focus on program development in Laughlin, including the develop- Maio ment of health and nutrition programs for both Extension’s Nevada 4-H Youth Development Program and seniors in the community. The City of Henderson received its second International Outstanding Building of the Year Award from the Building Owners and Managers Association for the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center in the Public Assembly Buildings category. The award is the most comprehensive program of its kind in the commercial real estate industry recognizing quality in commercial buildings and rewarding excellence in building management. Trosper Public Relations was chosen as the agency of record for TSK Architects, an interna-
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tional design and architecture firm with offices in Henderson, Reno-Tahoe and Los Angeles. Colliers International Las Vegas received several awards at the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties 23rd annual Spotlight Awards, including Brokerage Firm of the Year for the 15th consecutive year. This award is the highest honor that a brokerage firm can receive through NAIOP and judging was based on the firm’s highlights from the previous year, significant transaction volume and widespread local community service and charitable involvement. In addition, the Doherty Industrial Group, made up of brokers Dan Doherty, SIOR, Paul Sweetland, SIOR, Chris Lane, SIOR, CCIM, and Jerry Doty, was named Industrial Brokerage Team of the Year. Brokers Taber Thill, SIOR, Patti Dillon, SIOR and Megan McInerney were named NAIOP’s Office Brokerage Team of the Year. This is the fifth consecutive win in this category for the team. Helix Electric announced the completion of shareDowntown, a luxury apartment complex in the Las Vegas Arts District. Helix completed design-assist scope in the four-story main structure, providing all lighting
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and gear necessary for the 63 luxury suites. Additionally, it installed a design-build solar system for the building. Marquis Aurbach Coffing announced that attorney Avece Higbee was named to the 2020 Top 50 Women Mountain States Super Lawyers list. In addition, Terry Coffing and Jack Juan were named to the 2020 Top 100 Mountain States Super Lawyers list. Golden Entertainment promoted Kim Ast to vice president of digital strategy and creative services. Ast, who has been Ast with the company for more than 15 years, oversees strategic planning, creative design, brand standards and digital marketing for Golden’s casinos and taverns in Nevada and Maryland. The Vox Agency, which specializes in public relations, digital marketing and brand building for attractions, destination dining, health and lifestyle and nonprofit organizations, has been selected as the agency on record for the Desert Ranch Experience by Camel Safari.
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LV W p u z z l e & h o r o s c o p e s
Premier Crossword
8.6.20
“EVASIVE STATEMENT” by frank Longo
horoscopes week of AUGUST 6 by rob brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her book Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones, Stephanie Rose Bird reports that among early Black Americans, there were specialists who spoke the language of trees. Trees imparted wisdom about herbal cures, weather patterns and ecologically sound strategies. You have great potential to conduct meaningful dialogues with animals and trees. And now is a perfect time to seek such invigorating pleasures. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Joanne Harris writes, “The right circumstances sometimes happen of their own accord, slyly, without fanfare, without warning. The magic of everyday things.” That’s an apt oracle for you to embrace during the coming weeks. You will have an excellent opportunity to get your personal rhythm into close alignment with the rhythm of creation. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Gloria Anzaldúa writes, “I am an act of kneading, of uniting and joining.” She adds that in this process, she has become “a creature that questions the definitions of light and dark and gives them new meanings.” Life will be on your side—bringing you lucky breaks and stellar insights—if you reformulate the meanings of “light” and “dark,” and reshape the way you embody those primal forces. CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Pleasure is one of the most important things in life, as important as food or drink,” wrote author Irving Stone. Heed that counsel. Here’s how you could begin: Make a list of seven experiences that bring you joy, bliss, delight, fun, amusement and gratification. Then make a vow—even write an oath on a piece of paper—to increase the frequency and intensity of those experiences. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): At times, it’s impractical to be innocent, curious, blank and receptive. So many tasks require us to be knowledgeable, self-assured, forceful and in control. But the coming weeks will be a time when you will benefit from the former state of mind: cultivating what Zen Buddhists call “beginner’s mind.” Enjoy the feeling of being at peace with all that’s mysterious and beyond your understanding. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Author Anne Lamott wrote that. Any glitches or snafus you may be dealing with aren’t as serious as you might imagine. The biggest problem seems to be the messy congestion that has accumulated over time in your links to sources that usually serve you pretty well. So disconnect for a while, and clarity and grace will be restored when you reconnect.
2018 King features syndicate
ACROSS 1 Capital of Kenya 8 Cleared up some space 16 Link up 20 Brought into harmony 21 Sign of a warm welcome 22 Meara of comedy 23 Start of a riddle 26 Cock-a-doodle- — 27 Safecracker, informally 28 Vinyl albums, for short 29 Chose, as on a survey 30 Batman player West 33 Peter of Casablanca 35 Stare in disbelief 38 Baby’s cry 40 Riddle, part 2 44 Filmdom, in France 47 Stephen of Utopia 48 Old Russ. state 49 Spring flower 50 Downhiller’s gear holder 52 Humane U.S. org. 54 Riddle, part 3 59 Routine-bound 61 Tic-tac-toe winning row 62 Waikiki souvenir 63 Rejoinder to “Not so!” 64 Capital of Qatar 65 In Minnesota or Montana 69 Extra NHL periods 71 Riddle, part 4 78 Supersecret govt. group 79 Tetley tidbit
80 Quite a long time 82 Fine violin, informally 86 Stage design 89 New Year in Hanoi 90 Election turndown 92 Riddle, part 5 97 Allow entry 98 “Ha! I was right!” 99 Thailand, formerly 100 Pal, in Caen 102 — -Magnon 103 French WWII battle city 104 End of the riddle 110 Wolf cable channel 112 Followers: Suffix 113 “You beat me” 114 Gum globs 115 Facility with hot tubs 117 Gamble 119 Subpoena, e.g. 120 Go fast, quaintly 122 Riddle’s answer 131 Atoll unit 132 Trip in a “stretch” car 133 Stacked messily 134 It may grow on a rock 135 Reduces to a fine mist 136 Capable of being stretched out DOWN 1 Rural refusal 2 Sports-related: Abbr. 3 Suffix with Seattle “Walk This Way” 4 rap trio 5 Aware of Looks upon 6 7 Suffix with cyan8 Lawn-Boy products
9 Orbital point farthest from Earth 10 C-H linkup 11 Suffix with butyl 12 Jogged 13 Hobbit’s foe 14 Brunch staple 15 Abbr. on a new car’s sticker 16 Face part 17 Being displayed 18 Pertaining to 19 Require 24 Novice 25 Chicago-toMemphis dir. 30 Frightened 31 Fails to 32 Plains tribe 34 — vez (again, in Spain) 35 Teri of Tootsie 36 Disney mermaid name 37 Old hat 39 Etchers’ liquids 41 Jacob’s twin 42 Bake-off entry 43 That, in Oviedo 45 Small iPod 46 Big name in waffles 51 Jewish deli treat 53 Rugged cliff 55 Zero 56 Way in or out 57 Most awful 58 New York county whose seat is Owego 60 Syllables of rebuke 66 Lunar stage 67 — kwon do 68 Hilton rival 70 Texter’s “Catch ya later” 72 Not finish later than
73 74
“— Three Lives” — pot (sinus clearer) 75 Roof feature 76 “Yeah, understood” 77 Turned in 81 Spanish men 82 Some NCOs 83 Hit the horn 84 Routines to determine who’s present 85 Append 87 Snaky letters 88 Be snaky 91 Mishmash 93 7’6” cager Ming 94 Witness actor Lukas 95 Novelist Tan 96 Dits’ partners, in Morse code 101 Biofuel option 105 Birdbrain 106 Fiery lecture 107 Antipasto morsels 108 Carry 109 Annoying sorts 111 Pistons’ org. 115 Be fishy? 116 Coin of Cali 118 Fitzgerald of song 119 Phenom 121 Tehran’s land 123 French article 124 Spanish for “I love” 125 — Kippur 126 — Lanka 127 Plum center 128 Half of VI 129 Pipe fitting 130 Visualize
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Have you been saving any of your tricks for later? If so, later has arrived. Have you been postponing flourishes and climaxes until the time was right? The coming days will be as right a time as there can be. Have you been wondering when you would get a ripe opportunity to express and highlight the most interesting truths about yourself? If so, that opportunity is available. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The more you expand your imagination, the better you’ll understand the big picture of your present situation—and the more progress you will make toward creating the most interesting possible future. Also, the more comfortable you are about dwelling in the midst of paradoxes, the more likely it is that you will generate decisions that serve both your own needs and the needs of your allies. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons,” actor Denzel Washington says. You may have to deal with reactions like those in the coming weeks. If you do, don’t take it personally. Your job is to be your radiant, generous self. You will stimulate plenty of positive responses that will more than counterbalance the challenging ones. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Occultist Peter J. Carroll tells us, “Some have sought to avoid suffering by avoiding desire. Thus they have only small desires and small sufferings.” But one of your potential strengths is cultivating robust desires that are rooted in a quest for rich experience. That sometimes means you must deal with more strenuous ordeals than other people. But it’s a wise trade-off. Take inventory of your yearnings. If some are too timid or meager, either drop them or pump them up. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18): In the town of Bazoule, Burkina Faso, crocodiles are regarded as sacred. They live and work amid the 100-plus creatures, coexisting peacefully. Kids play near them, never worrying about safety. Come to similar arrangements with untamed influences and strong characters in your own life. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your body produces at least one quart of mucus a day. Although you might regard this snot as gross, it’s quite healthy. It contains antibodies and enzymes that kill harmful bacteria and viruses. Be on the alert for influences and ideas that might empower you even if they’re less than beautiful and pleasing.
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