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INDULGE TOGETHER It’s time to regain what you’ve been missing. The only question is, which craving will you satisfy first?
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SUPERGUIDE
Your daily events planner, starring Meek Mill, BTS, Drug Church, Blanco Brown, Sofi Tukker, Shannon & The Clams and more.
NEWS How soaring gas prices are impacting delivery drivers and small businesses.
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36 NIGHTS
THE WEEKLY Q&A
Recapping a star-studden reopening weekend at Tao Beach Dayclub.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay talks burgers on Las Vegas Boulevard and more.
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VEGAS INC
An LVCVA exec and a Nevada historian reflect on the changing marketing behind Las Vegas tourism.
COVER STORY We asked the experts— from bartenders to DJs to pro athletes—for their top Vegas food picks.
ON THE COVER
WHERE TO EAT Blue Ox Tavern Photograph by Wade Vandervort/Staff
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SPORTS As Major League Baseball opens its 2022 season, Case Keefer runs down some suggested futures bets involving the Dodgers, Angels, Padres and … Twins?
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (AP Photo)
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SUPERGUIDE THURSDAY 07 APR.
MUSIC
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COMEDY
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NEWSICAL THE MUSICAL The truth is often stranger—and funnier—than fiction, and no truth is off-limits in Newsical the Musical, landing at Majestic Repertory Theatre this month. Described as “The Daily Show set to music” by the Associated Press, Newsical presents 75 minutes of pure comedy, poking fun at everything from TikTok crazes to celebrities and politics. If it leads, it feeds this up-to-the-minute musical featuring soap opera star Kristen Alderson (General Hospital) and various members from the original off-Broadway production. “With so much going on in the world today and in Vegas, we certainly have plenty of material,” producer Tom D’Angora tells the Weekly. Many Vegas-based sketches have been added to this version of the show (“Just wait until you see what we have in store for the Adele residency scandal,” D’Angora teases), and the content changes weekly as new trending stories make the headlines. Through April 24, Thursday-Sunday, 8 p.m., $40, 1217 S. Main St., majesticrepertory. com. –Amber Sampson SCARFACE BEHIND THE CAMERA Al Capone was a lot of things over the course of his life—a bootlegger, a crime boss, even a semiprofessional baseball player. As it turns out, he was also a filmmaker, for at least 13 minutes—the length of a home movie he shot in and around his Miami Beach mansion in 1929. The footage even includes a couple of celebrity cameos, in the form of appearances by visiting organized crime figures Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. The Mob Museum invites viewers to examine this cultural document, with commentary Capine’s granddaughter, Diane Capone, and from Geoff Schumacher, the museum’s vice president of exhibits and programs. 7 p.m., $17-$30, the Mob Museum, themobmuseum.org. –Geoff Carter
LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC SPOTLIGHT CONCERT SERIES With Joshua Roman, 7:30 p.m., Troesh Studio Theater, thesmithcenter.com. ACRAZE 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events. taogroup.com. TIKTOK TAKEOVER TOUR 7:30 p.m., Wiseguys, vegas. wiseguyscomedy.com. VICE 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com. BIG D & THE KIDS TABLE With Left Alone, the Maxies, Not for Sale, 7:30 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com. SCREENING: PARKWAY OF BROKEN DREAMS 7 p.m., Clark County Library, lvccld.org. BARRY MANILOW Thru 4/9, 7 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster. com. PEDI 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, events. taogroup.com. JAZZ REPUBLIC CONCERT SERIES With Jeff Hamilton Trio, 7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com. TALLA 2XLC 10 p.m., Commonwealth, elationlv.com.
KELSEY COOK Thru 4/10, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m., Laugh Factory, ticketmaster. com.
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BTS & 4/9, 7:30 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com (Lee Jin-ma/AP Photo)
SUPERGUIDE
AFROJACK 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.
STEVE AOKI 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.
FOREIGNER & 4/9, 8 p.m., Venetian Theater, ticketmaster.com.
PRISCILLA PRESLEY Thru 4/10, 7:30 p.m., South Point Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
LIONEL RICHIE & 4/9, 8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster. com.
JACK ASSADOURIAN Midnight, LA Comedy Club, tickets.thestrat.com.
T.J. MILLER & 4/9, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Wiseguys, vegas. wiseguyscomedy.com.
RON WHITE & 4/9, 10 p.m., Mirage Theatre, mirage.mgmresorts. com.
FRENCH MONTANA 10 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com.
CARNAGE 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.
10 YEARS With Black Map, VRSTY, 8 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com. ESTHER ANAYA Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
BACKSTREET BOYS Another boy band might be dominating the Vegas spotlight with four mega-concerts this month, but while BTS celebrates with its massive fanbase at Allegiant Stadium, the Backstreet Boys will be entertaining their own loyal following on the exact same nights at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. After their successful residency run at Zappos Theater from 2017 to 2019, Backstreet’s back on the Strip to kick off a new branch of the DNA World Tour in continued support of a Grammy-nominated 10th studio album. The boys will also participate in this year’s Summerfest in Milwaukee, flanked by Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly and more, so the Colosseum shows will likely start the fires for a big year for the still-ubiquitous pop group. April 8-9 & 15-16, 8 p.m., $80$450, ticketmaster.com. –Brock Radke
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
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MEEK MILL 10 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com.
FOOD + DRINK
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COMEDY COMEDY
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MIGUEL It’s been more than a decade since pop/R&B singer, songwriter and producer Miguel courted listeners with the smooth and wholesome love song “Sure Thing.” Since then, the artist has expanded his sound to incorporate everything from funk to rock, drawing inspiration from Prince and Marvin Gaye in his free-flowing vocals and wooing the world with his impeccable style and stage presence. When he isn’t appearing on a Dua Lipa or Diplo track, Miguel’s dropping various EPs for his Art Dealer Chic series (now in its fourth installment). Treat yourself to an evening with this rare talent when he lands at Light. April 9, 10:30 p.m., $20$30, Light Nightclub, thelight vegas.com. –Amber Sampson
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. ARIZONA COYOTES 7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com. MEGADETH & LAMB OF GOD With Trivium, In Flames, 6 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com.
S U P E R G U I D E
LES BALLETS TROCKADERO 7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter. com. LAS VEGAS CELTIC FESTIVAL & HIGHLAND GAMES 9 a.m. (& 4/10, 5 p.m.), Floyd Lamb Park, lasvegas celticsociety.org. ZEDD 11 a.m., Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com. LAS VEGAS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 11 a.m., Centennial Hills Park, lasvegas nevada.gov/discover. DAVID GUETTA 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.
(AP Photo)
TOMMY DAVIDSON 8 p.m., Green Valley Grand Events Center, livenation.com. SHANNON & THE CLAMS With The Paranoyds, Shanda & The Howlers, 8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, eventbrite.com.
FISHER 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, events. taogroup.com.
KASKADE 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.
TIËSTO 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
THE CHAINSMOKERS 11 a.m., XS Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.
LAS VEGAS LIGHTS VS. COLORADO SWITCHBACKS 2 p.m., Cashman Field, lasvegaslightsfc.com.
JHAY CORTEZ 8 p.m., Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, seetickets. us.
BABY KEEM 7:30 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, ticketweb.com.
YO YOLIE & NEVA Midnight, On the Record, onthe recordlv.com.
SANDY NELSON CELEBRATION OF LIFE Friends and fans of late surf-rock legend Sandy Nelson will gather to pay tribute to the influential drummer, who died on February 14 at age 83. The celebration will take place in at Bicentennial Park in Boulder City, the town in which Nelson, known for his Top 40 hits in the late ’50s and early ’60s, had lived since 1988. A live band will perform, and some of Nelson’s recordings will be played—“deep cuts of things that probably aren’t as popular [as his other songs] … and of course The Veebles, his most recent [2016] release, which he was so proud of,” says event planner Tsvetelina Stefanova. 5-8 p.m., free, 999 Colorado St., facebook.com/bouldercitysocial. –Shannon Miller.
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BLANCO BROWN Breaking boundaries with a country/hip-hop hybrid he describes as “TrailerTrap,” Blanco Brown has already had a huge year in Las Vegas. The rapper, singer, songwriter and producer sang the National Anthem at the NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena in February, then performed at Allegiant Stadium in March during the ACM Awards. Now he’s adding his unique sounds to the diverse musical mix at Virgin’s Élia Beach Club for one of the biggest opening shows of pool season, backed by a DJ set from Miley Cyrus’ older sister, Brandi. Brown has collaborated with everyone from Childish Gambino to Kane Brown, and he just toured with Nelly, so expect him to continue leaving his mark on the music world and in Las Vegas. 11 a.m., $30, eliabeachlv.com. –Brock Radke
SOFI TUKKER 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, events.taogroup.com RL GRIME Noon, Encore Beach Club, wynn social.com. MURPHY’S LAW With Hard Pipe Hitters, 8 p.m., Evel Pie, evelpie.com. THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS 10 p.m., Ayu Moonbeam, zoukgrouplv.com. RICH HOMIE QUAN Noon, Daylight Beach Club, daylightvegas.com.
MIKE WINFIELD With Jackie Fabulous, Dan Naturman, Butch Bradley, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar, ticketmaster. com. BROTHER SWAN 10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesand dollarlv.com. KELLY VOHNN 8 p.m., Italian American Club, iacvegas.com.
UNLVINO DINNER 6 p.m., Anima, unlvino.com. BRAD GARRETT With Mike Merryfield, Mike Gaffney, thru 4/13, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett Comedy Club, mgmgrand. mgmresorts.com. SONNY CHARLES 9 p.m., Bootlegger, bootlegger lasvegas.com.
SUPERGUIDE
(Courtesy/Elizabeth Miranda)
DJ KARMA 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, events.taogroup. com. PAULY SHORE 7:30 p.m., Wiseguys, vegas.wiseguys comedy.com. TWIN TRIBES With Nox Novacula, Luxury Furniture Store, 8 p.m., Artifice, artificebarlv.com.
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
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SCORPIONS With Skid Row, & 4/7, 4/9, 8 p.m., Zappos Theater, ticketmaster.com.
PARTY
LOUD LUXURY 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com. RITTZ With Grieves, Trizz, 7 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com.
UNLV CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY: BABAJANYAN— A CELEBRATION! 7:30 p.m., Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center, unlv.edu.
SPORTS
FRANKIE MORENO 7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter. com.
DRUG CHURCH With One Step Closer, Soul Blind, Lurk, 6:30 p.m., Eagle Aerie Hall, eventbrite.com.
ARTS
S U P E R G U I D E
FOOD + DRINK
COMEDY
REIK 8 p.m., the Theater at Virgin, ticket master.com. CC ELISE 11 a.m., Liquid Pool Lounge, events.taogroup. com.
MISC
TESTAMENT With Exodus, Death Angel, 6 p.m., House of Blues, ticket master.com. ROSS ONE 10 p.m., EBC at Night, wynnsocial.com.
THE DELTA BOMBERS With 40 Acre Mule, 8 p.m., thespacelv.com.
UNLV CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ENSEMBLE The latest installment of the UNLV Jazz Concert Series features a performance by one of the critically-acclaimed groups from the school’s celebrated music program. The Contemporary Jazz Ensemble explores and performs jazz music related to styles that have evolved since the mainstream and bebop eras. Even if haven’t identified as a jazz listener in the past, your creative side will surely respond to these cool vibes and melodies. 7 p.m., free, Clark County Library, lvccld.org. –Evelyn Mateos
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
SUPERGUIDE
WEDNESDAY 13 APR.
CUNNINLYNGUISTS & SADISTIK 7:30 p.m., Taverna Costera, eventbrite.com.
THREE CONVENIENT LOCATIONS SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS
NORTH LAS VEGAS
SAHARA
3698 W Cactus Ave Las Vegas, NV 89141
2755 W. Cheyenne Ave. Unit 103 North Las Vegas, NV 89032
3500 W. Sahara Las Vegas, NV 89102
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BURGERS
STYLE NEVER GO OUT OF
Bobby Flay keeps it simple and satisfying on the Strip BY BROCK RADKE
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month ago, Bobby Flay opened the third location of his Bobby’s Burgers fast-casual concept on the Strip, at Paris in between the places where Martha Stewart and Nobu Matsuhisa will open new restaurants soon. It’s another big Vegas step for the ageless celebrity chef, who recently placed burger joints at Caesars Palace and Harrah’s, along with seafood-focused Italian restaurant Amalfi at Caesars. Even though he has plenty to do and see whenever he’s in town, Flay is always ready to talk Vegas food. When you first opened Mesa Grill on the Strip nearly 20 years ago, did you ever think you’d have a burger-joint empire in Las Vegas? Of course, it was all part of the plan (laughs). I don’t think most people realize that chefs want really simple food when we’re eating on our own; we don’t want foie gras and caviar. My night-off indulgence is a cheeseburger and always has been. There’s
a place on the Upper East Side in New York City called JG Melon, and it’s always in the running for best burger and has been for decades. I grew up in that place, [and] I’ve always wanted my own burger place. You opened Bobby’s Burger Palace at CityCenter years ago. How has the brand transitioned into this new format? We had a long time to be thoughtful about
The Crunch Burger at Bobby’s (Courtesy/ Jason Lasswell)
it [during the pandemic] like everybody else and just thought, we need to take a fresh look at this. I hired a branding company … and they said, “Get rid of the word ‘palace.’ Everybody calls it Bobby’s Burgers, so stick with that.’ I changed the menu and made it more focused. I had made the classic high-end chef mistake; I wanted 19,000 things on the menu and everything had a fancy bent to it. There’s no more goat cheese and honey mustard and Meyer lemon sauce. The best burger concepts are executed perfectly and give people what they want. The Paris location is well-timed, with all these other new venues opening up this year. I’ve known Martha [Stewart] forever. So many people are going to be thrilled to walk in and finally be able to taste what she’s been talking about forever. And maybe Snoop Dogg will show up.
We’re asking experts all over Vegas this week about their favorite local restaurants. Where do you dine when you have the time? I haven’t been there since before the pandemic, but I really like L’Atelier [de Joël Robuchon] a lot, just a very good restaurant. I originally ate at the one in Paris. It’s one of those things where they took a casual idea and upscaled it; they did the opposite of what so many chefs are doing. I sit at the counter and eat there, and I eat at Nobu at Caesars. I love going to the bar there and eating a ton of different dishes. Nobu is always can’t-miss. It must be nice, when you have the chance, to eat at restaurants other than yours. Can I tell you a story? Twenty years ago I was in my restaurant Bolo. It was the end of the night, I was in my chef coat and a friend came in and sat at the bar and had dinner. I sat with him and ate a dish with him, and at the end of the night, he goes, “I just want to say something to you. I love your restaurant, but I have to say: Seeing you sit in the restaurant in your chef coat kind of made me feel like I was on a plane and the pilot came down and sat next to me.” And I said, “You know what? You’re right.” And I don’t do it. I don’t do it. If I’m in my restaurant in my chef coat, I’m in the kitchen, period. That’s where I should be.
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Bobby Flay in front of Bobby’s Burgers at Caesars Palace (Courtesy/Caesars Entertainment)
THE WEEKLY Q&A Q+A
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We asked Vegas experts—chefs, bartenders, entertainers, athletes and more— for the restaurant recommendations you really need
PRO TIPS
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
(Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
CRAFTKITCHEN
BY EVELYN MATEOS, SHANNON MILLER, BROCK RADKE & AMBER SAMPSON
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ELIZABETH BLAU Hospitality legend
“My sleeper of the year is Valencian Gold (7960 S. Rainbow Blvd. #8000A, valenciangold.com). I’m very particular about paella, and Jeffrey Weiss and the team is doing such a fun job there. I love their cocktail program and sangria.” When the restaurateur behind Honey Salt and the new Lumin Café at Area15 is too busy to go out to lunch, she orders in from southwest faves Milpa or Graffiti Bao, and she’s in love with new steakhouses Harlo and Carversteak. “And I finally made it to Partage (3839 Spring Mountain Road, partage. vegas) and was just wowed,” Blau says. “I love the wine list, and it’s such a great value for what they do—very special.”
JERRY MISKO Artist & scenester
“I always recommend the Arts District. There are so many great spots in a small area—Able Baker with incredible bar food, SoulBelly BBQ and Main St. Provisions, just to name a few. Outside of Main Street, I send friends to Cleaver for steaks, Golden Tiki for photos and, of course, the Front Yard [at Ellis Island].” For relaxing during rare downtime, “recently it’s been Boom Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails in Henderson (75 S. Valle Verde Drive #160, boombang. restaurant), brand new but becoming one of my favorite spots.” And for an under-the-radar selection, Ellis loves Night + Market (Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, nightmarketsong.com). “Their Thai food and natural wine list are a perfect pair.”
You know his work—neon-inspired murals and pieces spread Valleywide—but you might not know Misko worked at a true neighborhood favorite restaurant before going full-time as an artist. He earned a culinary education at the late, great Jazzed Cafe, a wine-centric treasure that “100% changed the way I eat and dine,” Misko says. “It blew up my palate, learning how to cook and about ingredients that weren’t just from the grocery store. It opened my eyes.” That’s why chef-driven hot spots like Esther’s Kitchen, Main St. Provisions and Sparrow+Wolf are among his regular joints, but he also keeps it real with comfort food from long-established and beloved taverns. “I’ve been going to Four Kegs (276 N. Jones Blvd., fourkegs.com) since I was a kid, and I love it—still some of the best bar food in town. That and the Tap House (5589 W. Charleston Blvd., taphouselv.com) are really the neighborhood restaurants I eat at a lot, my old Vegas haunts.” For sushi, Misko will send you to Sushi Hiroyoshi on Charleston—“like eating at Nobu with neighborhood prices,” he says—and for wine, he’s all about Downtown’s Garagiste. And if you’ve been considering trying Shaquille O’Neal’s casual eatery Big Chicken (4480 Paradise Road #1200, bigchicken.com), do it. “Chef Matthew Silverman dialed in the food, and I eat there a few times a month.”
SHANIA TWAIN
STEVE AOKI
CHRISTINA ELLIS Vegas native & Ellis Island Casino GM
Zappos Theater headliner
Twain is wrapping up her second Las Vegas Strip residency show this year, so she’s well-versed in fancy casino eats. Some of her faves include Nobu at Caesars Palace, Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan, Bavette’s at Park MGM and Lakeside at Wynn. But she also strays from the Strip and explores Vegas more than you might expect of an uber-famous artist. “Casa Di Amore (2850 E. Tropicana Ave., casadiamore.com) is a great Italian restaurant, more of a Vegas institution a little outside of the Strip that serves great food,” she says. “There’s a very charming atmosphere and also live bands on certain days.”
Globetrotting DJ & co-owner of Kuru Kuru Pa food stall at Resorts World
“Las Vegas is my home and also the home to some of the best dining experiences in America. With Benihana (two locations, benihana.com), the restaurant chain my father founded, I get a dose of nostalgia and comfort, while feeling so proud of my family’s many accomplishments. I’m a big sushi fan, and Sushi Kame (3616 Spring Mountain Road #103, sushikame.com) is my go-to spot. Not only do I have my DJ residency at Hakkasan, I also spend a lot of time at Hakkasan restaurant, [and] the food is incredible. And of course, Kassi Beach House has an incredible ambiance and insane Italian cuisine.”
Where to eat Valencian Gold
JACK EICHEL Hockey star
Has the latest star addition to the Vegas Golden Knights roster had time to find some favorites? You bet. “In Summerlin, my favorite restaurants would be Harlo (1720 Festival Plaza Drive, harlosteak.com), I like La Strega, and I’m a big North Italia guy. Down on the Strip, I like Catch a lot, and I went to Milos at Venetian for some fish last week and it was great.” AXIE OH Sci-fi and fantasy writer
Axie Oh is a full-time YA author and part-time Vegas foodie. One of her favorite things to do is visit dessert cafés around town, including Suzuya Patisserie (7365 S. Buffalo Drive #115, suzuyapatisserie.com) for the must-eat strawberry shortcake. When friends and family are in town, she takes them to Mr. Tofu (4355 Spring Mountain Road #104, mrtofulv.com) and orders the LA galbi and soon tofu combo. And when she gets a craving for one of her favorite cuisines, she heads to Aroy Thai Kitchen (4555 S. Fort Apache Road #112, aroythaikitchen.com). “I like to go for the lunch menu and get the spicy basil. I’ll go by myself and just bring a book and eat and read.” BUDDY VALASTRO TV’s ‘Cake Boss’
“If you’re coming in from out of town, you want to get something you’re not going to be able to get in your hometown,” says the celebrity baker behind Strip spots Buddy V’s, Carlo’s Bakery, PizzaCake and the incoming Boss Café. “It’s really one of the culinary capitals, and there are so many places at every single hotel to choose from [that] it’s hard to pick one.” So he doesn’t, instead bouncing around between current faves Gordon Ramsay Steak (Paris, 702-9464663), Cut or Mott 32 at Palazzo, and Delilah at Wynn.
VAN-ALAN NGUYEN Owner, 595 Craft and Kitchen & Arts District Kitchen
When he’s not busy overseeing two restaurants, Van-Alan Nguyen has a couple of places in town where he likes to connect with locals who help him remember why he decided to open a restaurant in the first place. “You have moments when you can just sit down with someone in the industry and you don’t have to say anything, other than just giving them a look,” Nguyen says, “and they know exactly what you’re going through.” Giovanni Mauro from Monzú (6020 W. Flamingo Road #10, monzulv.com), has become one of those people over the years. Nguyen considers the Italian kitchen and bar a “sister restaurant,” where he and employees from 595 often unwind. He also likes to support mom-andpop restaurants that are getting a grip on the volatile industry. Not far from 595 and Monzú, Yen Viet Kitchen (3575 S. Decatur Blvd. #101, 702-2934949) brings him back to the flavors on which he grew up, which continue to inspire his menus today. “They have xôi man (savory sticky rice dish with Chinese sausage) exactly like my grandma used to make it,” he says. “It was a flood of nostalgia. It’s been 15 years since I’ve had that [dish]. And that’s the only time I can think of in my adult life that I got emotional eating food.”
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Where to eat CHELSEA GRAY Las Vegas Aces point guard
Gray’s first year playing in Vegas was a big one: She made the WNBA All-Star team, helped the Aces to a deep playoff run and collected Olympic gold along the way in Tokyo. That schedule didn’t leave a ton of time for restaurant exploration, but the “Point Gawd” still found some favorites. “Hell’s Kitchen is an amazing restaurant, and that was my first time trying the Beef Wellington. It’s as great as it looks on TV,” she says. “Being in that restaurant was a bucket list [event].” Gray has made the rounds at SushiSamba at Palazzo, Zuma at the Cosmopolitan and Catch and Javier’s at Aria, and made a deep connection to the cuisine at soul food institution Ella Em’s (775 W. Craig Road, ellaems. com). “I was already excited to go there and try a local spot, but being there was like being with family.”
FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
ELLA EM’s
MARIENA MERCER BOARINI Where does this cocktail queen dine when she gets the chance to unwind? “Being open to serendipity and adventure are two of my governing principles in life, so I love the spontaneity of Vegas Test Kitchen (1020 E. Fremont St. #120, vegastestkitchen.com) with its rotating guest chefs and concepts. I feel like VTK is where chefs go to have a passion project outside of their everyday hustle and interact with guests and have a wonderful time.” What about a recommendation for out-of-town guests? “Being a second-generation Las Vegan, I am a magpie for all things vintage Las Vegas and the Golden Steer (308 W. Sahara Ave., goldensteerlasvegas. com) is a true gem that satisfies all my nostalgic and culinary cravings. I always send my friends to experience the tableside Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail and prime rib in this classic Vegas institution that also comes with a side of personality, rich history and storytelling.”
(Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
Wynn resort mixologist
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GUY FIERI Mayor of Flavortown
“Vegas has it all, from the Strip to the local joints. So you might find me at Nobu, checking out Lotus of Siam (620 E. Flamingo Road, lotusof siamlv.com), or I could be going old-school back to my UNLV days and grabbing a calzone at Four Kegs. There are so many great restaurant people in Las Vegas that I don’t want to narrow it down. Everyone has had a tough few years, so I guess my message is: Try ’em all!” LINDSAY STEWART Social media star @thelasvegasfoodie
A former night owl and restaurant worker, Stewart favors breakfast—especially at Henderson’s Craft Kitchen (10940 S. Eastern Ave. #107, craft kitchenlv.com). “The food is always consistent, [and] the service is great,” she says, mentioning Original Sunrise Cafe as another favorite. “If you don’t have any dietary restrictions, get the Bieno Beni on a kaiser roll.” For special occasions, “Barry’s Prime at Circa is really nice, great ambiance … and SW at Wynn has an incredible patio that looks over the lake.” And off the Strip, “Edo Tapas (3400 S. Jones Blvd. #11A, edotapas.com) is one of my favorite restaurants that doesn’t get enough love.” And at Chinatown casual fave Q Bistro, Stewart says, “The owner flies to Korea twice a year to perfect her fried chicken recipe.” WHITNEY GIRON ‘X Burlesque’ dancer
This Northern Nevada transplant has been performing in X Burlesque for almost a decade, and the sexy smash celebrates 20 years at the Flamingo this month. Sounds like a good reason to go out to dinner. “I generally like to stay off the Strip, and every summer I cocktail at Green Valley Ranch,” Giron says. “I love that hotel, and its steakhouse Hank’s (greenvalleyranch.com) has never disappointed. Every single time the food is so good, and it’s such a locals’ spot.”
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BRYAN BASS Carver Road Hospitality CMO
“I travel a lot for work, so in my downtime I go for casual comfort food—for me that’s Shanghai Taste (4266 W. Spring Mountain Road #104A, 702-570-6363) for soup dumplings, spicy wontons and their insanely craveable scallion chicken salad.” That’s a super-solid rec from a true hospitality veteran who has left his mark on plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs in Las Vegas and around the world. Bass also loves sending friends to Other Mama, “such an unassuming place [that] might just serve the best seafood in town,” and of, course, to his newest project, Carversteak at Resorts World, where his ideal special-occasion splurge “starts with caviar poppers and Champagne and then moves into lobster en croute and a tomahawk sliced for sharing.” WYNDEE FORREST Co-owner & founder of CraftHaus Brewery
It’s no surprise that when Forrest, also president of the Nevada Craft Brewers Association, dines out, it’s all about that food-and-beer combo. So you can find her entertaining friends in the Downtown Arts District or at Beer Haus on the Strip before or after a Knights game. But she’s also a 22year resident and a big advocate for Henderson’s dining scene, so you’ll often spot Forrest having breakfast with the family at Craft Kitchen, which carries CraftHaus brews. “I can do a beermosa on a Sunday, and my kids can get a giant stack of ube pancakes—everybody’s happy.” The new Henderson location of longtime favorite Baguette Cafe (10604 S. Eastern Ave., baguettecafelv.com) “is exciting, because it saves me the drive, but it’s always worth it,” Forrest says. “We have known the owner Olivier [Brouillet] before CraftHaus even opened, and he really pays attention to the quality of his ingredients. His warm and welcoming demeanor is always like coming home, but even when he’s not there, you can tell those standards come from French fine dining.”
TSVETELINA STEFANOVA Music scene machine
The Boulder City resident, promoter behind Bad Moon Booking and vocalist/keyboardist of local band Same Sex Mary says some of the best places to eat can be found around her neighborhood. Stefanova recommends the saba (mackerel) and ikura (salmon roe) nigiri, plus “imaginative” roll specials at Momo Sushi (561 Hotel Plaza, momosushibc.com) in the city’s historic district. And now that Downtown Las Vegas’ Cornish Pasty has a new location in Boulder City, Stefanova loves taking friends there for savory pies and lesser-known menu items like potato and leek soup and pasta salad. When she’s in Vegas proper, she goes for homestyle Bulgarian fare at BG Bistro (6160 W. Tropicana Ave., bgbistro.com) in Spring Valley. The kufteta (seasoned meatballs) or kebapcheta (grilled pork kabobs) or the shopska salad with tomato, cucumbers and Bulgarian feta—“the best in the world”—keep her coming back.
(Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS Food Network megastar & Strip restaurateur
“Vegas is a special and unique place, because it has great restaurants that have great experiences in a fun environment. My off-strip go-to is Lotus of Siam, and on Strip it’s Bazaar Meat by José Andrés (Sahara, the bazaar.com). I’ve always been a huge fan of his style of cooking and food and his philanthropic work.” DERYK ENGELLAND VGK legend
“There are obviously hundreds of great restaurants on the Strip, but Vintner Grill (10100 W. Charleston Blvd. #150, vglasvegas.com) is a local favorite, and we just seem to go there for all our special occasions. It’s like a hidden gem. It looks like an office building, then you drive around back and park and the atmosphere is great, the service is awesome and the food is excellent.”
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CAULIFLOWER SHAWARMA
POTS ADAM STECK Producer extraordinaire
KRISTEN CORRAL Founder at Tacotarian & partner at Good Morning Kitchen
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
As the founder of SPI Entertainment, Steck has brought big-time shows to Las Vegas featuring Boyz II Men, Sammy Hagar, Mike Tyson and Human Nature, along with seminal male revue Thunder From Down Under. When he’s not updating the Strip, he’s dining out all over the Valley, and he has become one of our most trusted sources for local food finds. Steck turned us on to char-grilled chicken dynamo Pollos El Dorado and all-you-can-eat sushi palace Sakana. “People have a preconceived notion of Las Vegas. They come in for 48 hours to tweak their senses and get out of here, which is what it’s all about, but Vegas is so much more,” he says. “There are so many pockets of greatness on and off the Strip, and I love giving advice and sharing some of what I’ve found.” For a deal-closer of a lunch spot, Steck counts on Panevino (246 Via Antonio Ave., panevinolasvegas. com). “It’s just south of the Strip, and I’m surprised how many people from Vegas don’t know about the place. The food is amazing, the atmosphere is incredible … and you’ve got a great view of the planes coming in and the entire Strip through floorto-ceiling windows. And if you’re in a hurry, it has a deli next door that’s equally amazing.” If Steck wants to show his nearest and dearest the time of their lives, he heads to Wynn’s glamorous new supper club Delilah (wynn lasvegas.com). “You feel elegant just walking into the room. The attention to detail is incredible from the music to the food and the staff pays attention to every little thing. They nailed it.” For a night off the Strip, Steck chooses Anima (9205 W. Russell Road #185, animabyedo.com), another buzzy new entry to the scene. And he’s loyal to the classic Cantonese at Joyful House (4601 Spring Mountain Road, joyfulhouselv.com). “It’s one of the old staples of Vegas, and they deliver to Green Valley.”
AGATA SIWINSKA
ALESSO
Executive Chef of Operations for Gordon Ramsay North America
EDM icon & Tao Beach resident DJ
A native of Poland who grew up in Las Vegas and attended UNLV, Siwinska has been hustling between Chicago, Boston and North Carolina, overseeing the launch of several new restaurants under the Ramsay brand. When recommending her favorite places to eat in her hometown, she gives a nod to the birthplace of her culinary career, which started with an internship at Freed’s Bakery (multiple locations, freedsbakery.com). “I appreciate how classic and traditional they’ve been, forever, going back to their store on Tropicana through their new locations,” she says. She likens indulging in the Chocolate Derby Cake with whipped cream and strawberries to “eating a cloud.”
“I’ve always gone to the restaurants where I’m playing, which is one of the great things about Vegas— you don’t have to move around that much. But we’re doing a birthday celebration for my girlfriend at Lavo (Palazzo, taogroup.com), and I love Lavo. It’s a lot of fun. There’s just a party vibe there, great energy.” DAREN MILLARD Vegas Golden Knights broadcaster
When the game’s over and you’re celebrating or looking for solace, you can always get what you need at one of the city’s most authentic Irish pubs. “McMullan’s Pub (4650 W. Tropicana Ave. #110, mcmullans irishpub.com) is awesome, just off the Strip, very Irish and fun,” Millard says. “And try Capo’s Restaurant and Speakeasy (5675 W. Sahara Ave., caposrestaurant.com) for the environment, the experience and an overall great night out on the town. You won’t forget it.”
Entertainers don’t typically go into the restaurant biz when their stage days are over, but Corral— whose favorite Vegas show experience was performing in Pin-Up— decided to join her husband in the industry after falling in love with late-night restaurant favorites like Ferraro’s and Steiner’s Pub. Going vegan accelerated the creative aspirations, “looking at food differently and trying new things,” she says, which led to the creation of Tacotarian. “There is so much good food here it’s insane—so many places that have a great vegan menu or are 100% vegan,” Corral says. “You have to try Guerilla Pizza (1675 S. Industrial Road, 702-384-8987). It operates out of Hard Hat Lounge, and it’s amazing Detroit-style deep-dish pizza. Honestly, it’s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life.” She also dines at Pots (1745 S. Rainbow Blvd. #A, potslv.com) “at least once a week,” savoring the lentil soup, seasoned sweet potato fries cooked in peanut oil and other vegan dishes at the Egyptian eatery. LORENA GARCIA Celebrity chef at Chica
“Let me tell you something, I love Las Vegas, and when I’m here, I spend a lot of time at Chica,” Garcia says. “There are so many [other] good restaurants at the Venetian, it’s hard to just pick one. I would recommend Yardbird, right next door, [where] the menu is classic American and they are famous for their fried chicken. Mott 32 has the best Chinese food in Las Vegas, and Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano makes the pasta fresh daily, and it’s so good. Oh, and Wakuda! It opens this summer, and I am looking forward to meeting chef Tetsuya Wakuda. This will be his first fine-dining Japanese restaurant in North America. and it’s going to be really amazing!”
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Patio Wine Garden DIANA BRIER Owner, Valley Cheese & Wine
Where to eat
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
After working as an award-making cheesemaker at Rogue Creamery in Oregon, Brier took over operations of one of Southern Nevada’s most beloved specialty shops in 2020, and her entry into the world of small business changed her perspective on dining. “Understanding what it’s like to be the little guy … has shown me the importance of supporting those who are on a similar path,” she says. “You think of Vegas as a big town, but the fiber of its being is this small group that holds it together.” Brier’s profession mandates good taste, so it comes as no surprise that Forte Tapas (4180 S. Rainbow Blvd. #806, barforte.com) is one of her absolute faves—“kind of my go-to, because I know they will never, ever fail me. It’s another female entrepreneur [Nina Manchev], and she has her hands in so many pots, importing caviar and spirits and the family in Bulgaria making their own paté. Forte takes all this beautiful Slavic culture and brings it to Las Vegas and blows it out of the water every time.” Cheese lovers who visit her store to try something new often receive advice on local restaurants that properly celebrate top-quality product, including Boom Bang and Esther’s Kitchen. “And I always tell people if I’m not at my own wine bar, I’m often at someone else’s,” Brier says. “Everybody knows Ada’s and Garagiste, but another one—from the folks at Lamaii restaurant—is the Patio Wine Garden (5255 S. Decatur Blvd. #107, 702-433-4301). There’s a great menu designed to pair with the wine selection, and I’ve never had anything there less than outstanding.”
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TRIPLE DECKER CLUB
Blue Ox Tavern
CHRYSTAL AND CHANELLE HAYES Explorers & influencers @cravingsandcocktailslv
The Hayes sisters take their followers deep into the vibrant local dining scene across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and they each have plenty of favorites to share. “I love Hussong’s Cantina’s laid-back atmosphere and happy hour specials,” Chanelle says. “Everything from the barbacoa enchiladas to the vegan tacos is great.” To impress visitors, Chrystal suggests Tao Asian Bistro and Hakkasan, “because you can enjoy an upscale dinner and visit the nightclub afterward.” Bellagio venues cover the bases for special occasions, including Mayfair Supper Club for its “topnotch seafood and steaks, innovative cocktails and excellent entertainment,” Chanelle says. At Spago, “You can have a romantic dinner with a beautiful view of the fountains,” Chrystal says, “[And] they have a live DJ during brunch, which is great for a birthday or bachelorette party.” Need a hidden gem? Check out Downtown’s hip Taverna Costera (1031 S. Main St., tavernacostera. com). “I dined there for brunch and fell in love,” Chanelle says. “They have an all-day brunch with bottomless mimosas plus plenty of coastal Mediterranean dishes.” DB’s Cajun Kitchen (4343 N. Rancho Drive, dbscajunkitchen.com) also remains underrated. “The atmosphere makes you feel like you are down South,” Chrystal says. “Some of my favorite dishes were the shrimp po’ boy, seafood nachos and Bourbon Street fries.” SONNY AHUJA Owner, Bin 702
The affable operator of the Downtown Container Park wine bar, who has consulted on several F&B concepts around town in recent years, is a behind-the-scenes trendsetter who formerly ran the beloved Bleu Gourmet cafe and wine shop. He’s also a dedicated diner who always seems to pop up at the coolest new spots. Among his favorite new arrivals are Yu-Or-Mi Sushi Downtown and New Asian BBQ in Chinatown, but Ahuja is especially big on older spots that (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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Where to eat perhaps don’t get the attention they deserve. “Everybody goes to Monta or Raku in that [Seoul Plaza] Center, but there’s this great Japanese-Italian fusion place that gets overlooked,” he says of Trattoria Nakamura-Ya (5040 W. Spring Mountain Road #5, nakamurayalv.com). “The food is insane,” he says, recommending the ikasumi squid ink spaghetti. “For Indian street food, I really like Rani’s World Foods (4505 W. Sahara Ave., ranisworldfoods.com),” Ahuja says. “It’s so good, and it reminds me of visits to my grandmother’s house in India as a kid, walking through all these street vendors, speaking broken Hindi with an American accent—they’d feed me because I couldn’t talk as well.” After feasting on papdi chaat and panipuri at Rani’s, it might be time for a stop at Taqueria El Pastorcito (taqueriaelpastorcito.com), a food truck often found at Charleston and 14th Street. Ahuja dabbles in different tacos and sometimes indulges in the spicy ranchero alambre plate, loaded with marinated pork, sausage and steak plus grilled cactus, onions and jalapeños. “It opens up at 4 [p.m.], and there’s a line right away, but it’s a serious line around midnight.”
A righteous endeavor BY AMBER SAMPSON Next time you’re ravenous and unsure where to eat in Las Vegas, save some room for Neon Feast, a new restaurant app curated by some of the top food experts in our city. “Given what the industry has been through, what I would like to do is address the community that researches where they eat … then put their asses into seats at restaurants they’re going to enjoy,” says founder Al Mancini, known around town for his signature mohawk and his years as one of the Valley’s most prominent food writers. He launched Neon Feast in February in response to what he observed after years working in Las Vegas food media. “It was getting really frustrating to see [expertise] being replaced by crowd-sourced
LIINDA GARISTO
AMBER RAMSAY
‘Magic Mike Live’ dancer
General manager at Carl’s Donuts
“Being from Toronto, the one thing I miss to death is Jamaican food, and that’s something you could get on every street corner back home,” says the scene-stealing performer from the sexy show at Sahara. “Being a vegan, I can’t eat the majority of the menu anyway, but usually I can talk to the chef and they’ll jeuje it up for me.” In Vegas, Garisto gets her island fix at Big Jerk (two locations, bigjerk caribbean.com) or House of Dutch Pot (4255 S. Durango Drive, houseof dutchpotlasvegas.com). The latter is more veggie friendly, but “both have good flavor.” Her list of fun Strip spots includes Best Friend at Park MGM and Superfrico at Cosmo, and when Magic Mike is done for the night, “If I want to eat something good and salty, I like Starboard Tack and Born and Raised, or my most religious late-night takeout is probably Lucy Ethiopian (4850 W. Flamingo Road, lucyethiopianrestaurant.com). I get the veggie platter that basically has one of everything—lentils, collard greens, all of it. I enjoy eating it in bed for some reason.”
When she’s not continuing to build on her family’s local doughnut legacy or posting mouth-watering images on social media, Ramsay is out and about trying new restaurants and revisiting favorites collected from a life growing up in Las Vegas. “One of my favorite places to go for birthdays when I was younger was Roma Deli on Jones and Spring Mountain,” she says. “Trying to get my family to decide on one place we all like has always been a problem, but one place we’ve been able to get together lately is Sparrow + Wolf, which always pleases everyone.” Esther’s Kitchen, DW Bistro, Forte Tapas and Javier’s are also regular stops, and she’s been making time for the incredible sandwiches at the new Via Focaccia (Ellis Island Casino, ellisislandcasino.com) lately, too. “If I want not the fanciest Mexican food, I’m always going to Juan’s Flaming Fajitas (two locations, juansflamingfajitas.com), and for sushi, there’s an unexpected spot in Henderson called Tokyo Boys (375 N. Stephanie St. #311, tokyoboyslv. com) in a place that used to be a
Expertly curated local app Neon Feast helps foodies find the best in the city information,” he says. “That sounds great until you realize everybody’s voice isn’t equal, that actually the loudest, and the nastiest, and the most frequent voices got all the attention, not the most knowledgeable voices.” Mancini created a survey of more than 100 restaurant categories and sent it to the “people I would call when I’m researching an article,”—journalists, chefs, restaurateurs and Instagrammers. Among the expert contributors: Vegans, Baby founder Diana Edelman, chefs James Trees and Rick Moonen, pizzaiolo Chris Decker and longtime local TV host Dayna Roselli. Recommendations flooded in, but “not everybody’s opinion counted equally in every category,” he explains. “If Colin Fukunaga, who founded Fukuburger, is
one of only two people who recommended a burger place, that’s probably going to get on my list. Whereas if it wasn’t him, it might have taken five or six people.” The app features more than 400 restaurants, categorized by neighborhood, cuisine and the user’s interests. Looking for a restaurant with a breathtaking view? Neon Feast serves up plenty. Need a good doughnut shop? Neon Feast has a handful. You also can’t buy your way in. Neon Feast offers premium features such as reservation connectivity and a concierge button, but restaurants must be recommended for inclusion. Targeted outreach for specialty lists like Black-owned, LGBTQ-owned and women-owned restaurants is under way, Mancini says, adding that expert check-ins and app updates will take place every couple of months.
’50s-style diner. I always get the garlic tuna and whatever the specials are.” Ramsay’s local bar food favorite is a true Vegas classic, a joint that other longtime locals will likely appreciate—the Blue Ox Tavern (5825 W. Sahara Ave. #A, 702-871-2536). “It’s so good, and I go far too often,” she says. “I get chicken tenders that come with three different sauces with a beer and those homemade potato chips, and it’s just amazing.” FRANK MARINO Legendary Las Vegas headliner
“I love the Italian American Club (2333 E. Sahara Ave., iacvegas.com), one for the ambiance, two for the live music and three because it’s a real showroom where you can go to dinner and see a show. And the food is amazing. I can eat the chicken Francaise all day long, but if I went there as much as I’d like, I would not be able to fit into my gowns anymore, so I thank God they’re not open on my day off. I absolutely love it and call it the best kept secret in Vegas. Even though I’m Italian, you don’t have to be Italian to go there.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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PALMS SET TO REOPEN The Palms, shuttered since the outset of the pandemic in March 2020, will reopen April 27, officials announced on April 5. The resort was sold to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in late 2021 in a $650 million deal with Red Rock Resorts, parent company of Station Casinos.
METRO OFFICER INDICTED Caleb Mitchell Rogers, a Las Vegas police officer, was arraigned April 4 on federal charges stemming from three casino robberies that prosecutors say netted him about $164,000. His trial is scheduled for May 23.
UNLV PROGRAMS RANKED AMONG NATION’S TOP 100
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U.S. News & World Report recognized 23 UNLV programs, including 13 from the William S. Boyd School of Law, in its annual list of top graduate and professional schools. The Lee Business School’s part-time MBA program was also ranked among the top 75, and four engineering disciplines landed in the top 100 on the 2023 Best Graduate Colleges rankings. Boyd Law again ranked among the nation’s best in overall and multiple discipline-specific categories. It held on to the top spot in legal writing for the fifth year in a row. Overall, Boyd ranked 67th among 192 accredited programs. Its part-time program ranked 20th, and the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution placed eighth in the dispute resolution category. UNLV also scored top-100 UNLV graduate programs in social work (79), geology (81), public affairs (88), nursing master’s (90), and doctor of nursing practice (99). In engineering, top-100 ranked programs include nuclear engineering (28), aerospace studies (65), environmental engineering (84), and civil engineering (98). Each year, U.S. News analyzes more than 2,000 graduate and specialty programs in a broad range of disciplines. Programs are ranked by discipline or specialty and evaluated based on criteria specific to each degree field, expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. UNLV has several other top-100 graduate programs ranked during the discipline’s most current ratings period, including criminology (29 in 2021), sociology (84 in 2021), political science (89 in 2021), English (99 in 2021), physical therapy (57 in 2020) and health care management (65 in 2019). –Staff
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TOAD PROTECTION In a rare emergency move, the U.S government temporarily declared Northern Nevada’s Dixie Valley toad endangered April 4, saying a geothermal power plant in the works could result in its extinction.
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AIR QUALITY ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL OCTOBER
FORMULA ONE ON THE STRIP Las Vegas will be home to a Saturday-night Formula One race in November 2023, it was announced March 30. It will be called the Las Vegas Grand Prix and is expected to draw close to 170,000 people to town.
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
CONSTRUCTION FOR NFL DRAFT HAS BEGUN Preparations for an event four years in the making have started to take place on the Strip. The 2022 NFL Draft theater, including the main stage where commissioner Roger Goodell will announce picks, is officially under construction at Caesars Forum. Cranes, forklifts, and other machinery were in operation April 4 during a media viewing of the space behind the High Roller as the base for the makeshift structure took shape. The draft is scheduled for April 28-30 and could bring more than 200,000
HOT SHOT
fans to Las Vegas. It’s the most important event of the NFL’s offseason, and one that’s long anticipated locally. Adjacent to the theater in the Linq Promenade parking lot will be the NFL Experience, which features interactive exhibits and memorabilia for fans. Tickets to the draft are free and available at nfl. com/onepass. Roads between the theater and Bellagio will be shut down for foot traffic, with closures beginning on April 12 as construction efforts ramp up. –Case Keefer
With wildfires becoming more prevalent amid drought conditions throughout the American Southwest, this year the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability is putting out a blanket warning for the entire hot-weather season—from April 1 to September 30. In recent years, the county has flagged more than a dozen days for wildfire smoke advisories. There were 14 days in 2018, 27 in 2020 and 18 a year ago. In 2019, when there was little wildfire activity, no smoke advisories were issued. Poor air quality can lead to health problems, from difficulty breathing to heart attacks. It can exacerbate conditions like asthma, emphysema or other respiratory illnesses, landing some people in the hospital, said Colleen Reid, a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. -Casey Harrison
Kansas celebrates after defeating North Carolina 72-69 to capture the NCAA men’s basketball championship April 4 in New Orleans. The Jayhawks, who trailed by 15 points at halftime before completing the greatest comeback in title-game history, were priced at 14-to-1 before the season and 8-to-1 before the tournament to win the championship at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Tar Heels did manage to cover in the game, however—Kansas closed as a four-point favorite. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
-Gov. Steve Sisolak, during a visit to the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada
50 PEOPLE ARE RUNNING FOR ALASKA’S SEAT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NEWS
UNLIKE SOME OF MY GOVERNOR COLLEAGUES WHO ARE GOING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, WE’RE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE.”
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hen Broadway Pizzeria opened in 1996, it delivered for free, recalls owner Mario Perdichizzi. “Those days are over,” he laughs. After charging a nominal fee in recent years—$1 to $3 for delivery up to seven miles from the pizza shop on Rancho Drive near UMC—Broadway recently upped that charge by a couple of bucks to help cover a jump in operating costs tied to the rising price of gas, Perdichizzi says. “We’re doing the best we can. We want to do right by our customers,” he says, explaining that in addition to his own drivers’ gas costs rising, his distributors have significantly increased surcharges for ingredient dropoffs. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), at press time the average cost for a gallon of gas was $5.17 in Nevada—third-highest in the country (the national average was $4.18). Drivers across the U.S. are paying about 47% more on average for a tank of gas than they were just a year ago. Some can weather the price increase, but some households with tight budgets and businesses with narrow margins are severely challenged. Las Vegan Eric Johnson has logged more than 15,000 rides since he started as a ride-share and delivery driver for Lyft, Postmates and Uber Eats three years ago. When the pandemic hit and non-essential businesses were ordered to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, food delivery services became a quarantine mainstay. “When COVID started and
LOCO GAS PRICES Rising costs to fill the tank pose challenges for small, local businesses BY SHANNON MILLER
different strains came on, I thought I should probably just do food [to avoid] having all these people in the car,” Johnson recalls. When he found out how much of the sale these companies took—“30% to 38% of the sale,” he says—he took issue. “For the customers, there was no real fee. [The apps] said they’d just get it off the restaurant.” Johnson says a friend had to close her restaurant because she couldn’t cover her costs with deliveries alone. Johnson then found out about Loco, a mobile app owned by a co-op of local restaurants. It was launched to get around the cuts taken by the big delivery apps. “I wanted to help them just because of what happened to my friend,” Johnson says. After his first day, which started with a Sunday delivery from Tacotarian, he was hooked. “I had about nine or 10 deliveries at restaurants just like that one, where [it felt like] everybody in the community was coming together,” he says. He’s been driving for the app since January and loves it. But Johnson is starting to feel a “squeeze” when it comes to filling up his vehicle. He says his cost has
jumped from about $50 to $70 to fill up his tank. To make up for the added expense, he’s been making more deliveries. Tacotarian vegan restaurant co-owner Kristen Corral, whose restaurant participates in the Loco app, says restaurants have been successful in making sure drivers get at least $10 per delivery to help cover gas price hikes. They don’t want drivers to have to operate at a loss, she explains. “I noticed tips have been a little bit higher. I think people have been tipping because they realize these drivers are spending a lot on gas money,” she says. “And we’ve raised our delivery fees a tad, and nobody’s complained about that. That also goes to the driver.” Corral says she’s pleased Tacotarian has been able to work out an arrangement that helps the 15 drivers currently employed with Loco. That’s the whole point of the co-op structure, she explains—to have fairer relationships between businesses, delivery drivers and customers, compared to what the big apps offer. Since Loco launched in June 2021, nearly 70 local restaurants have signed on. But if gas trends continue on an upward trajectory,
the app could encounter roadblocks to expanding, Corral says. She says about 20 restaurants are ready to join, but more drivers are needed before they can do so— and Loco has struggled to hire new drivers. Loco has been advertising for drivers on social media, loco vegas.coop and Indeed. “Ideally, we’ll just keep growing, and it will never stop,” she says. “But we can’t scale if we don’t have enough reliable drivers.” Since gas prices began skyrocketing, rideshare and large food delivery companies like Lyft, Uber and Instacart have announced temporary fuel surcharges to help drivers with expenses. Johnson, who also drives for Uber, says those cover about three-quarters of his $20 price jump. Other small businesses, including florists, catering and landscaping companies, also are dealing with higher prices and trying to shift costs around to make it work. But those businesses could see relief soon. According to the most recent report from AAA, gas prices have begun to decrease nationwide— from an average of $4.33 on March 11 to $4.18 on April 4. In an attempt to reduce gas prices for consumers, President Joe Biden on March 31 announced that the U.S. will release an unprecedented 1 million gallons of oil per day from emergency reserves for up to 180 days. According to AAA, that move—in conjunction with increased global production and an unseasonal dip in consumer demand—seems to have helped drive the global oil price and consumer prices down in recent days.
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ENDLESS
EVOLUTION
THE STRIP
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
C U L T U R E
Get ready for Strip transformations at Bally’s and the Tropicana
4 . 7. 2 2
T
here’s no doubt about it—the post-pandemic period of the Las Vegas Strip is going to be an era of sweeping change. Allegiant Stadium, Resorts World and the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall expansion all arrived during COVID and are beginning to impact the Strip and the city in major ways. Fontainebleau and MSG Sphere are scheduled to open in 2023, adding more hotel rooms, casino space and entertainment experiences to the tourism corridor. More new operators will continue to join the party, THE including the San INCIDENTAL Manuel Band of TOURIST Mission Indians BY BROCK RADKE gaming group that’s set to reopen the Palms resort this month, and whoever buys whichever Caesars Entertainment property is up for grabs. It’s tough to track all these transactions and easy to forget mega-deals that have transpired recently, such as Hard Rock International’s purchase of the Mirage and upcoming redevelopment project that will turn the historic resort into a new Hard Rock Hotel. But let’s try to get a grip on a few other pieces. Two well-known Strip spots that have already seen signifi-
cant change through the decades are about to change again: Starting right about now, Bally’s will be transforming into Horseshoe, and sometime soon, the Tropicana is very likely to become Bally’s. Originally opened as MGM Grand Hotel & Casino at the corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard in 1973, Bally’s Las Vegas took its current name when Bally’s Entertainment bought it and the Reno resort now known as Grand Sierra in 1985. Hilton Hotels Corporation acquired the company a decade later and spun its casino resorts division into Park Place Entertainment, which was later renamed Caesars Entertainment and acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment in 2005. That company still owns Bally’s today, known again as Caesars after the recent merger with Eldorado Resorts. Perhaps best identified through the years by its entertainment offerings (including the long-running Jubilee! spectacle and a string of famous headliners in the Celebrity Room in the ’70s and ’80s), Bally’s was rumored to be one of the Strip properties Caesars might unload. Instead, a bold renovation project is getting started this spring, using the Horseshoe brand known for gambling—specifically poker—and an embrace of the city’s historic Western culture. The transformation will include a renovated exterior, new enter-
A rendering of the new Horseshoe Las Vegas (Courtesy/Marnell)
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tainment and food and beverage options and a reimagined casino floor designed around Horseshoe iconography. One of its main draws will most certainly be the World Series of Poker, which will debut there this summer after taking place at the Rio in recent years. Caesars acquired the event in 2004 along with its purchase of Binion’s Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas, where the tournament originated and was held for more than 30 years. The other high-profile spot coming to the new Horseshoe is Ole Red, country music star Blake Shelton’s bar, restaurant and live music venue set to open in 2023 on the Strip in front of the resort, where part of the Grand Bazaar Shops outdoor mall currently resides. The $30 million, three-story venue will allow guests views of the Bellagio fountains across the street while they drink, dine and take in a concert. Less is known about the Tropicana’s transition, but the Horseshoe rebranding would allow the Bally’s name to be used at the south-Strip resort, which is expected to finalize its purchase by the current Bally’s Corporation by the third quarter of this year. Twin River Holdings bought the Bally’s brand from Caesars in 2020 and changed its own name to Bally’s Corp. In April 2021, the company announced it was acquiring the Tropicana, originally opened in 1957 and currently operated by Penn Gaming. In January, Bally’s Corp. chairman Soohyung Kim indicated the company is planning to re-establish its brand across the country, including here in Las Vegas. The company could renovate and redevelop the property, or tear it all down and start fresh, but if any kind of casino continues on at the southeast corner of Trop and the Strip, it’ll almost certainly be under the banner of Bally’s. It’s one plus one minus one. Two iconic Vegas casinos will come alive again, but another will disappear … unless somebody builds a new Tropicana.
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Clark County Parks and Recreation & Winchester Theater present
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Saturday April 9, 2022 2PM SANDIP THANKI on Sitar
HEMANT EKBOTE on Tabla
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ELEVATED
EXPERIENCE The expanded Tao Beach Dayclub makes a major splash on the Strip BY JASON R. LATHAM
It’s a bit of a hike as you make your way through the line, up the stairs, and finally to the escalator that leads you into the Venetian’s Tao Beach Dayclub. It’s all by design. You don’t realize until you step off that escalator that you’re ascending to a destination one might describe as heavenly, especially when compared to the everyday chaos of the street-level Las Vegas Strip. That Tao Beach has been out of sight for more than two years adds to the relief as you wade into the waters of a ring-shaped pool. An originator of the
Strip’s dayclub experience, Tao Beach has returned following a massive rebuild that doubled its size. The now-44,000 square foot venue can accommodate 3,000 daytime revelers while still preserving much of the intimacy—and, importantly, the narrative—of its predecessor. Rather than throwing out the Balinese theme that defined the club when it debuted in 2007, Tao Group Hospitality is leaning into the orange and incense, notably with the installation of a spectacular 15-foot-tall sculpture (dubbed Tendai, the tree goddess)
4 . 7. 2 2 TAO BEACH DAYCLUB Venetian, 702388-8588, taogroup. com. Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-close.
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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Carnage (Courtesy/Pepeditss)
DOUBLE DUTY
Carnage charges up at XS (when he’s not Gordo) BY BROCK RADKE
Kaskade spins at Tao Beach Dayclub on April 2. (Courtesy/Denise Truscello)
has supercharged its DJ roster, and that flexibility, along with the expanded space, will keep weekend visitors, TikTok influencers and celebrity guests coming back for more—not that out-of-towners concern themselves with the behindthe-scenes machinations of Las Vegas’ hyper competitive day- and nightlife industry. No, like all of us, they would rather immerse themselves in the music, the Champagne presentations, the floating sushi boats and the beautiful people. It’s the fantasy that draws you in, just like old times.
CARNAGE April 8, 10:30 p.m., $35-$65+. XS Nightclub, 702-770-7300, wynnsocial.com.
NIGHTS
conceived by Cape Town artist Daniel Popper. Tendai serves as the welcoming sight (and a perfectly Instagrammable background) upon entry into the new venue, overlooking the luxury cabanas, VIP plunge pools, a pair of bars (appropriately named Temple Bar and Island Bar) and a can’t-miss LED screen above the elevated DJ booth. During grand-opening weekend April 1-3, those decks were manned by the likes of Afrojack, Lil Jon, Kaskade and Illenium, among others. Tao’s 2021 acquisition of Hakkasan Group
n Diamanté Blackmon, aka Carnage, has been a prominent force in trap- and hip-hop-flavored EDM for more than a decade, and he’s been anchoring some of the heaviest parties at Marquee on the Strip for half that long. Now, he has moved his Vegas residency to XS, and things have changed. The pandemic inspired the Guatemalan-born artist to alter both his lifestyle—he dropped around 100 pounds— and his musical direction. When he bumps a deep-house set like back in the day when he got his start in Ibiza, he’s not Carnage. He’s Gordo, and that’s how he closed last month’s Art of the Wild weekend at Wynn, punching a hole in XS during the La Selva party. “It was crazy,” he says. “There was a lot of talk about La Selva with Dubfire being one of the best parties of the weekend. There was a great energy and people were there to party, and it was an honor to play it.” When he returns on April 8, it’ll be for a Carnage set. He said he lets the Wynn Nightlife team call the shots regarding what kind of show he brings to the club, and he delivers the goods. Carnage has lived in Las Vegas for much of the past five years—he moved to Hawaii during the pandemic but still has a home here—so he understands how the music and nightlife landscape has evolved in recent years. He says he knew the sounds of Gordo could also work in Vegas, but it went deeper than that. It was just time. “How much loud, obnoxious music can I force down people’s throats every day for a decade?” he jokes, explaining that he loves the flexibility the two identities provide. “If you see Carnage on the flyer, you know you’re getting all the genres and the big combinations. If it’s Gordo, it’s the real deal, real underground house sh*t.” There’s plenty of new Gordo music on the way following December’s release of single “Eenie Weenie,” including a collaboration with the Martinez Brothers. He’ll be touring North America all summer, and he’s plotting an international trek. “I’m just putting my money where my mouth is, really trying to make a statement with this,” he says.
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KENYADDA ampl.ink/Eqe5R
NOISE
C U L T U R E
youtube.com/c/ kenyadda
HIGH STAKES
Kendyadda (Courtesy/ Jeremiah Smith)
BY AMBER SAMPSON
Chicago-to-Vegas rapper Kenyadda elevates his game on new LP Stakes Is High
It’s tough to remember much at 6 years old, but NBC’s four-hour 1998 miniseries The Temptations, based on the career of the legendary Motown group, remains a fixed, vivid part of Keith Kenyadda Austin’s memory. “I probably know that front to back,” he says. “That was the movie that really did it for me.” Growing up in Chicago, the budding rapper, who now goes by Kenyadda, studied every move and melody of the Motown quintet so he could present them at school events and choir. “That’s what drove me to music,” he says, “watching The Temptations, practicing the lyrics and performing. … It was household music. It was everything. They still are everything to me.” Over time, hip-hop courted Kenyadda’s interest. Now 28, he remembers listening to hip-hop with his father and reveling in its freedom. “At a point, I felt like rappers could say whatever they liked,” he explains, “So I was like, I want to say whatever I want to say.” Kenyadda started perfecting his flow under the name Kenn J, cherry-picking admirable qualities from his favorite emcees. “With Biggie and Pac, the passion,” he says. “[With] Jay-Z, the wittiness of the wordplay.” Next came Kanye West’s bold expression,
then Nelly and the unique space he occupied in the hip-hop canon. “We still have to stay modern, but I want you to feel the essence of what I grew up on,” Kenyadda says. On his latest LP, Stakes Is High, Kenyadda achieves that ambition. “The title means so much,” he says. “This has to show my growth as an artist from album to album, and if you listen, you can hear the difference,” he says. Stakes Is High feels like a direct response to Kenyadda’s 2020 EP, What Have You Done Lately. Around the time of that EP release, the rapper was uprooting his life in Chicago to move to Las Vegas. On Stakes, he reflects on those growing pains. “It’s not ‘bout where you at/But how far you done came/I can’t make a U-turn/I’m too heavy in the game/Throw some dollars down/Sippin’ heavy for the pain/Had a few droughts/I’m just waiting for the rain,” he raps on hard-hitting cut “Deep in the Game,” featuring a verse by local rapper Iris C in the vein of Lil’ Kim. Kenyadda assumes a fresh and effortless flow on Stakes. Local producer QuixkMadeIt worked on six of the eight tracks, and that
collaboration birthed a more contemporary sound, Kenyadda says. In contrast, the emcee says deep cut “Coffee” still hints at the old ’Yadda. “If I delve into other sounds, I at least have to give [fans] something like that,” he says. Kenyadda brings his struggles to Stakes, but also his motivation. “Lion’s Share,” one of the rapper’s favorite songs, reflects on feeling low, but reminds listeners they’re still in the game. “We’re right there, so don’t give up,” he says. “People give up at that fourth and inches, but the next play can put them in the position. … I wanted people to feel that, for anybody who’s chasing a dream.” Kenyadda’s no stranger to discouragement, either. “They told me pick different careers/ Peers try to steer me in their direction of fears,” he raps on “Crazy 4 U.” Still, he remains resilient against the odds. “I’ve seen a lot of people break, because you get to that point where you’re going through a lot at once. And the only thing I wanted to do when I was going through a lot was write and be around music,” he says. “That helped me through my lowest times. I can never give up on this passion.”
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SPRING READING Explore new physical and emotional territory with these Las Vegas authors BY EVELYN MATEOS
C U L T U R E
Spring has sprung. While you’re in the process of cleaning up your home and switching out your wardrobe, let the Weekly help you freshen up your reading list with these new books offering adventure, mystery, insight and more, all of them penned by Las Vegas’ own.
A Coin for the Ferryman By Megan Edwards (Imbrifex Books, $30) The latest work of fiction from this local author imagines what it would be like to transport Julius Caesar—right before his murder—forward in time to 1999. The plan for the Roman dictator, who is successfully transported by an elite interdisciplinary team, is to have him converse with historians and Latin scholars and then return him to his rightful time. Despite efforts to keep Caesar’s presence a secret, however, a kidnapping attempt plunges him into danger. This book has everything a reader needs for an entertaining and thrilling read—an enthralling plot, likeable characters, humor, high stakes ... and a trip to Caesars Palace.
Night Mayer: Legend of the Skinwalker By Paul W. Papa (STACGroup, $10) Papa has always been a huge Supernatural fan. While watching an episode of that fantasy series one day, he was inspired to write Night Mayer, a paranormal noir set in 1950s Las Vegas. The story opens with the death of a rich developer, the victim of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. But his partner is convinced there’s been foul play and sways P.M. Mayer to take the case and attempt to uncover the truth. It’s a dark road that places Mayer in a position to face an ancient, gruesome creature.
Following Huck By S.R. Zalesny (Gatekeeper Press, $10)
Gathering Broken Light By Heather Lang-Cassera (Unsolicited Press, $16)
So, your letter to Hogwarts never came. But what if you could take a trip down the Mississippi River the way Huckleberry Finn did? Follow Zalesny and his friends as they set out to replicate that famous adventure aboard their homemade wooden raft. This story immerses the reader in the preparations to build the raft and handle the twists and turns of the river. Though Following Huck is a memoir, it reads like an adrenaline-charged novel from the first page.
Las Vegas will always remember the dark day on which a gunman opened fire on music fans at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Clark County Poet Laureate Emeritus Lang-Cassera wrote this hauntingly beautiful collection of poems to honor the victims and survivors of that tragedy—and to offer a way to reflect on its emotional aftermath. The untitled poems flow from one to the next, describing the weapons used and items forgotten at the scene, while also acknowledging that at times, “We wait, confronting pasts we cannot understand.” All royalties from sales of Gathering Broken Light will go the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center to support October 1 survivors.
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DOUGH
Old School Pizzeria blossoms with two new restaurants C U L T U R E
BY BROCK RADKE
Gio Mauro with a Vegas Meets Italy pie at Old School Pizzeria (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
O
AND TELL
ld School Pizzeria is no longer Las Vegas’ bestkept pizza secret. After debuting on Craig Road in North Las Vegas 10 years ago, the ingredient-driven eatery has expanded with a second store in the northwest in November and a third on Blue Diamond Road in the southwest just last month. That’s three quarters of the Valley comfortably blanketed in incredibly savory sourdough pizza with your favorite toppings, from house-made sausage to cured truffled egg yolks, and everything in between. “I guess if you say we opened two more locations in one year,
it seems like expansion, but I’ve been making pizzas since I was 14, for 35 years now,” owner Gio Mauro says. “So a location per decade doesn’t seem like that many.” Mauro also runs the beloved Monzú Italian Oven & Bar on West Flamingo, and his family famously opened Italian institution Nora’s Cuisine along the same stretch in 1992. He says there was never a master plan to add more Old School shops, but he always thought the concept was special enough to serve more than one community. “Pizza is the type of food that can shine in different neighborhoods, and Vegas has come to be a place where there are always
more actual neighborhoods being established. I’m sure 10 years from now, I might look back and wonder how I could have thought this was a good time [to expand] coming out of the pandemic, but we were ready.” You can find other specialty dishes on the Old School menu— like sausage-stuffed chicken wings ($13), antipasto salad ($4.50$9.50), mac and cheese ($11.50) and roasted chicken thighs ($12.50)—and you can see and taste the same care that goes into the pizza in these offerings. But “the star is the pizza and the vehicle is the dough,” Mauro says. “Unless you have the dough dialed in, nothing else matters.” That’s
4 . 7. 2 2 OLD SCHOOL PIZZERIA Three locations, pizzaoldschool. com. SundayThursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
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Chef Mariana Alvarado on Big Restaurant Bet (Courtesy/Food Network)
BETTING ON AUTHENTICITY
Mariana Alvarado takes her restaurant dreams to the Food Network
tion, and the guest perception is changing … but I think pizza still gets a bad rap, and pizzaiolis get a bad rap,” Mauro says. “In an Italian restaurant, the pizza maker is almost an entry level position, but if I’m a pizzaiolo, I have to know bread-baking principles, how fermentation works, how to combine flavors, how to treat ingredients and make certain ingredients shine, all this other stuff. “But people are starting to get it, and that’s exciting to me. There is this resurgence of passion toward pizza and we have been able to really shine, and that’s been wonderful, especially in this town.”
“I would love to have a watch party, but my baby is due on April 7, so it’s a little hard to plan something around that,” she says with a laugh. Alvarado married Good Pie proprietor Vincent Rotolo last year, a union of two of Downtown’s most talented chefs after she established a delicious reputation for Masazul with special-event dinners at Vegas Test Kitchen. She’s hoping Big Restaurant Bet kick-starts her plans to turn her concept into a brick-andmortar success, and the local food scene is cheering her on. “I was the only chef [on the show] doing Mexican cuisine and really traditional Mexican, which I think is important because it’s so familiar, but we are presenting it in a manner that is closer to our roots,” she says. “There’s a lot of people, chefs like me, trying to open a restaurant, and it’s not easy. But we competed and presented our food and we just hope [the judges] believe in us.” –Brock Radke
FOOD & DRINK
why Old School currently has one person making all its dough, moving around to the three locations as needed. “Monster slices” and whole pies ($19.50 for 14 inches to $48 for a gargantuan 24-incher) are always available, with custom creations including the Pork Reigns (pulled pork, sausage, bacon, ham, Calabrese salami and guanciale) and the brilliant Vegas Meets Italy (scamorza, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses with pistachios, dates, tomatoes, prosciutto, arugula and date cream). If you’re just getting into the vibrant local pizza scene, Old School is a must. “Pizzerias over the last five years have really had a revolu-
n This first week of April has been a busy one for Mariana Alvarado. Born in Mexico City and educated in the culinary arts at UNLV, the founder of popular pop-up concept and Mexican food supplier Masazul made her TV debut on April 5 in the Food Network’s new competition show, Big Restaurant Bet. Alvarado is one of eight talented chefs competing for a $250,000 restaurant investment from Geoffrey Zakarian, a potential dream-come-true scenario for any aspiring restaurateur. “It was perfect timing for me, and I’m very glad I did it,” Alvarado says. “Competing is a big deal, and it’s something I’ve never done before. It was a little bit scary ... but I felt like [everyone] was guiding me throughout the process, and it didn’t take long to get used to being in front of a camera. It became super fun.” And then there’s Alvarado’s other “project,” due for delivery the same week.
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY 4 . 7. 2 2
LINEUP STARTING
The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts (AP Photo/Photo Illustration)
C U L T U R E 44
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Six futures bets to build around as Major League Baseball season begins BY CASE KEEFER
B
etting baseball games every day can quickly turn into a grind, but building portfolios out of the sport’s many future markets throughout the season is a blast. Sportsbooks update odds on everything from World Series and division winners to player awards and statistical leaders on a near-daily basis during the 162-game season. Jumping in at the right time in hopes of a large payout after months of rooting interest can feel more rewarding than dealing with the day-today swings of variance in single games. So here’s a starter pack—six futures bets that should hold value going into the season with some strategy mixed in on how to manage the markets going forward.
Philadelphia Phillies to win National League East at 5-to-1 (Wynn) Projection systems like Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA and FanGraphs’ ZiPs are long-standing and trusted, but last season, a newer forecast model outperformed all the others, according to Rotogrinder’s tracking data. Derek Carty’s the Bat X projections were the industry gold standard, so it’s worth noting how high those projections are on the Phillies this season. The Bat X rates the Phillies as the second-best team in baseball, albeit eight wins behind the Dodgers and only one ahead of the divisional rival Braves. It’s easy to see why, considering the high-upside nature of Philadelphia’s pitching staff and its embarrassment of batting riches after adding Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber in free agency. Defense is where the Phillies are lacking, but they will reportedly attempt to work around that by aggressively employing shifts and positioning their outfielders deeper to cut down on extra-base hits. The Bat X might be a little too bullish, but the Phillies are far closer to the Braves and New York Mets than the odds that paint the division as a two-team race suggest. Look for all three teams to be bunched tightly together for most of the year.
Shohei Ohtani to win American League Cy Young at 25-to-1 (BetMGM) When Ohtani first came to the Angels four years ago after starring in Japan, some scoffed at the idea of letting him hit, because his pitching was so valuable. That seems foolish now after a 46home run season that led him to an MVP award last year, but by the end of the season, he was struggling with strikeouts at the plate while thriving on the mound. He’s a viable candidate to win back-to-back MVP awards given his success in both categories, but at +350 going into this year instead of last year’s 25-to-1, the value is gone in that market. The better way to still back Ohtani is to go for the high payout in the possibility that he continues to progress as a pitcher.
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Manny Machado to win National League Most Valuable Player at 30-to-1 (Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook) The National League’s top offensive teams, the Dodgers and Braves, are so stacked, it’s difficult to figure out which player to back. It’s not so hard with the next tier’s San Diego Padres, not with superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. missing the first two months with a wrist injury. If San Diego lives up to the hype it carried into last season, it’s going to be because of the lineup’s other A-lister—Machado. The third baseman had a relative down year last season but is entering baseball’s traditional prime at 29 years old. He’s only two years removed from finishing third in MVP voting, the third time he has finished in the top five. Machado might not deserve to be priced among favorites like Washington’s Juan Soto and Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., but he shouldn’t be this far back, either. Andrew Heaney to have most regular-season pitching wins at 300-to-1 (SuperBook) The Dodgers are going to win so many games, no one in their starting rotation should be available at nearly this high. The same reasoning worked last year when Julio Urias went from having to earn to his spot in the rotation to banking 20 wins and cashing at 80-to-1 from the preseason. The veteran Heaney doesn’t have the same upside as the younger Urias did then, but Heaney’s advanced metrics routinely grade out better than his traditional statistics. Maybe a switch to the National League to play on a potentially alltime great team is what he needs to bring out the best in him. The prices in this market won’t fluctuate much for the first few weeks, at least on top, so take a couple ultra long shots like Heaney while figuring out which favorites to back.
SPORTS
Los Angeles Dodgers to win World Series +550 (i.e. risking $100 to win $550) (Circa) From a purely player-personnel standpoint, the Dodgers are vastly superior to every team in baseball. And the gap is bigger than their futures prices are implying. This line implies LA has about a 15% chance to win its second World Series in three years, which seems awfully short for a team whose lineup will start with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, Max Muncy and Justin Turner. The +550 price is sure to go down—it’s already as low as +325 elsewhere in town—so lock it in now, and pick off long-shot prices throughout the year to complement this initial investment. It’s a proven strategy that has worked to perfection the past few years if executed correctly.
Last year’s eventual-champion Atlanta Braves got as high as 60-to-1 to win the World Series during a midseason slump, while the 2019 Washington Nationals reached 100-to-1 during an early-season slide. The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series without ever getting higher than 6-to-1.
Minnesota Twins to win American League Central at 8-to-1 (South Point) The perception of the Twins is being unfairly held down by last year’s 73-89 record, which wasn’t quite as bad as it looked. Minnesota was beset by injuries—including to MVP candidate Byron Buxton, who has been bet down to 12-to-1 to win the award at Circa—and opted to hold players out at the end of the season rather than rushing them back for meaningless games. The Twins had been a perennial contender before last season and should get back to challenging their division’s heavily favored White Sox this year, especially after signing star shortstop Carlos Correa in free agency. With the rest of the teams in the AL Central too young or cheap to emerge as true contenders, the division is a two-team race being priced as a one-team runaway.
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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TOURISM
LVCVA EXEC: IMAGINATION IS THE ONLY LIMITATION ON WHAT KINDS OF SPORTING EVENTS LAS VEGAS CAN HOST
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BY BRYAN HORWATH VEGAS INC STAFF
as Vegas tourism officials late last year introduced a national advertising campaign that refers to the city as the “Greatest Arena on Earth.” The drive is part of a new focus on Las Vegas as a sports marketer’s dream—a tourist-friendly city with state-of-the-art venues, nice weather, plenty of hotel rooms and a flurry of recent announcements about major sporting events that will take place here in the coming years. One of the people squarely behind the effort to help brand Las Vegas as a sports mecca is Fletch Brunelle, vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Brunelle worked at the LVCVA in its research department in the late 1980s before moving on to a 27-year career at MGM Resorts International, where he worked in the areas of finance, sales, marketing and operations. In 2019, Brunelle returned to the authority to lead its marketing efforts. We visited with the Las Vegas native to get some insight on how the city has positioned itself as a sporting powerhouse. How was the decision made that the LVCVA was going to go all-in on marketing Las Vegas as a global sports entertainment leader? When you go back, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was championship boxing at Caesars Palace and, at that time, the Las Vegas Hilton. There was also championship boxing at the Conven-
tion Center. One of the major sports milestones came in 1985, when Las Vegas went after the NFR (National Finals Rodeo) and we were able to bring the show here from Oklahoma City. As a young person working in the hospitality field before that, I can remember when things were very slow in Las Vegas between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The city was not nearly as busy as it is now. Today, if you look at the month of December, we have the NFR, the PAC-12 championships and other conference championships here in December, and the Las Vegas Bowl. Those things all helped move us in the direction that we’re heading today.
With a Super Bowl set to be played here in 2024 and a Formula One race set for 2023, is there an event that tourism officials are particularly focused on securing? We’re an attractive partner for all types of sports. We had the Pro Bowl here in February and we’ll host the NFL Draft in April. The imagination is the only thing that will keep us from getting some of the other major domestic and international events. I don’t want to mention a specific target, but I can say that we’re interested in all types of sporting events. Looking at Allegiant Stadium, there are a lot of different events that we could put into that venue that would be on a world stage.
Fletch Brunelle, vice president of marketing for the LVCVA, speaks during a December 16 news conference unveiling details about the America’s Party 2022 New Year’s Eve fireworks show. (LVCVA/Las Vegas News Bureau)
Las Vegas has also long been talked about as a possible home for an NBA team team, a Major League Baseball team and a Major League Soccer franchise. Can the Valley support them all? When we look at entertainment on the Strip, the entrepreneurs that bring sports entertainment and shows here will be the ones to determine whether we’ve reached a saturation point. Right now, it doesn’t appear that way. With the interest from leagues like the MLS and the NBA and Major League Baseball, there’s still people asking what Las Vegas can do for their brand. When you sell people on Las Vegas as a sports entertainment destination, how do you describe the city? As we know as locals, this is a full sports and entertainment experience, and it’s unlike any other city. The difference is that the party doesn’t end after the game or, frankly, before the game. People can enjoy world-class dining, residencies and concerts, epic nightclubs and bars, those are things that other destinations might have some of, but certainly not condensed like they are here. Were Vegas tourism officials able to learn anything about how the most recent Super Bowl was staged? As far as the NFL Draft, we had a group visit Nashville in 2019 to see how that event was put on. For the Super Bowl, it was the same thing. We met with organizers and partners there to see what the process was like. If you look at the walkability of the Strip and the proximity of the Strip and Allegiant Stadium to our airport, those are things that we can deliver on, frankly, at a higher level than other destinations. We’ve had a lot of large events at Allegiant Stadium now, and we’re going to learn from those events. We’re going to have an “only in Las Vegas” experience here for the Super Bowl.
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VEGAS INC BUSINESS
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GUEST COLUMN
EVEN BEFORE ‘WHAT HAPPENS HERE,’ VEGAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD HOW TO MARKET ITSELF
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BY MICHAEL GREEN hat happens here, stays here, except when it’s in a TV commercial, or on social media, or the subject of a film. That slogan has become legendary and ubiquitous since it began two decades ago as part of a “Vegas Stories” advertising campaign. Few remember “Vegas Stories,” or much of the marketing of Las Vegas that came before, but the area has a long, rich and often successful history of knowing how to sell the product, which is itself. As the Clark and McWilliams townsites grew after the May 1905 auction of railroad land Downtown, the Las Vegas Board of Trade began promoting the area. The Las Vegas Promotion Society followed, and then, in 1911, the Chamber of Commerce. It produced pamphlets calling Las Vegas the “city of destiny.” These groups advertised everything from its desert climate—ideal for those escaping eastern cold for fun or for their health—to how Las Vegas was sure to imitate other parts of Nevada in becoming a major mining or agricultural boomtown. By the late 1920s, Las Vegas leaders had realized that tourism was crucial to their future. Air service and federal and state highway building made it easier to
reach Las Vegas and its county fairgrounds and rollicking Block 16. Just as Reno announced itself on Virginia Street as “The Biggest Little City in the World,” a Fremont Street sign proclaimed Las Vegas as “The Gateway to Boulder Dam” (then to Hoover Dam), which became a tourist attraction, drawing hundreds of thousands to gape at its construction. As Las Vegans worried about their future after the thousands of dam workers departed, they turned to a past that never was. The annual Helldorado became a major regional event, with a rodeo, parade and various Western-style hijinks. After the state legalized gambling in 1931, the first themed casinos appeared, with sawdust floors, some of the employees in Western garb and names like the Frontier Club, Boulder Club, Apache Hotel and Northern Club underscoring Las Vegas’ marketing of itself as “Still a Frontier Town.” Except for Southern Paiutes, however, the 19th-century population never exceeded three dozen. The first hotels on the Strip continued the theme. The El Rancho Vegas’ name suggested the Old West, and its Chuck Wagon Buffet drove home the point. The
Hotel Last Frontier featured barstools that evoked saddles, steerhorns on the beds, and a Western theme park, Last Frontier Village. Its ads referred to “The Old West in Modern Splendor.” Las Vegans also knew how to take advantage of celebrity. When Ria Gable came to town to establish a six-week residency to divorce her husband, Clark Gable, Chamber of Commerce president Robert Kaltenborn persuaded his colleagues to spend $500 marketing her presence. Showing that a Hollywood celebrity, or the soon-to-be ex-wife of one, could enjoy Las Vegas convinced lesser-known Americans that they might have fun and see stars here. Entertainment was crucial to the next phase of marketing Las Vegas. While the Flamingo began the trend toward mob ownership and luxury properties, its showrooms also provided big-name performers, such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr., along with a glittery pianist, Liberace. They became part of the marketing as the Chamber hired outside advertising agencies, then brought the work in-house with the Las Vegas News Bureau. Photog-
raphers and hotel publicists conspired on photos and videos they sent around the country, emphasizing that Las Vegas was, as one video put it, “the land of daytime sun and nighttime fun.” The fun included seeing Sinatra ride an elephant, as he did to promote the Dunes Hotel, and Sands publicist Al Freeman creating a real floating craps game to mirror the one in Guys and Dolls. In the decades that followed, Las Vegas went through numerous slogans and campaigns. In the 1990s, marketing to families became the approach. The Baby Boom generation now had children, and those kids needed something to do when their parents traveled. Theme parks, rides and arcades dotted the Strip. When that advertising effort ran its course, some of the attractions stayed (such as the Mirage’s white tigers, and of course the amusements at Circus Circus), but others gave way to bigger moneymakers, such as the MGM Grand replacing its theme park with a conference center. By the early 2000s, Las Vegas wanted to let potential visitors know that while families might be welcome, they could still find the sin in Sin City. Assuring them that what happened here would stay here meant they could be bad in relative obscurity—unless they wound up on social media, as Prince Harry did at one point after a game of strip billiards. Nearly two decades after that award-winning campaign began, Las Vegas keeps returning to it or versions of it, just as it keeps advertising its entertainment—now big concert venues, professional sports and celebrity chefs instead of the Rat Pack. Whatever the future holds, Las Vegas will try to adapt to it, and make sure that what is happening here doesn’t just stay here. Michael Green is a Nevada historian and associate professor of history at UNLV.
Few remember “Vegas Stories,” or much of the marketing of Las Vegas that came before, but the area has a long, rich and often successful history of knowing how to sell the product, which is itself.
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VegasInc Notes Cure 4 The Kids Foundation announced director of patient experience Katherine Salkanovic was added to the Beryl Institute Pediatric Council, the largest global organization committed to transforming the human experience in health care. She is the only current Nevadan to serve on the international 24-person council of respected industry professionals. Nevada Public Radio announced that Mark Vogelzang, a seasoned public broadcasting nonprofit leader, is its new president and CEO. Most recently, Vogelzang served as interim general manager and CEO of Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina. Red Rock Resorts announced the appointment of Scott Kreeger to the position of president. Kreeger served the company as senior vice president of development since in September 2021. Previously, he was director of operations development, new resorts, for Galaxy Entertainment Group in Macao. The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange announced Ryan High as its new executive director. High joined the exchange as chief operations
officer in October of 2016, overseeing operations for its online marketplace, Nevada Health Link. TSK Architects announced that Jason Andoscia, AIA, was appointed to serve as chairman for the American Institute of Architects Nevada Political Action Committee. Andoscia Andoscia is vice president at TSK and brings to the AIA NV PAC nearly 20 years of experience in the architectural profession. Additionally, TSK announced the promotion of Bruce Preston, RA, DBIA, PMP, LEED AP bd+c, Preston to vice president. Preston has been with TSK for three years and has a wealth of experience in executing federal contracts for multiple agencies. Aristocrat Gaming received 10 awards at the annual EKG Slot Awards, including Best Overall Supplier of Slot
Content, a three-peat for Aristocrat in the category, and Most Improved Supplier – Premium for the second year in a row. UNLV Lee Business School announced the promotion of Kim Nehls, Nadine Bentis and Lisa Davis. In her new role, Nehls will take over as the assistant dean of external relations, as well as Nehls assume the responsibilities for the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion activities and initiatives. Bentis will serve in dual roles as interim director of executive education, overseeing the Executive MBA program Bentis and the Executive Certificate in Business Administration, and as the program manager for the Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. As executive director of graduate student services, Davis will Davis oversee all graduate programs within the school, including the MBA program and all specialized master’s programs, and expand the
student support services to all Lee graduate students. Notoriety Gives, a performing arts nonprofit organization, announced its first board of directors’ roster, including Clint Holmes, two-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter; Christy Molasky, president; Richard Burgi, award-winning TV and film actor; Gwyn Lloyd Hughes, senior vice president, Best Agency; Ross King, MBE, television host, actor, singer, writer; Antonio Fargas, award-winning TV and film actor; Tracee Gress, partner, BD & Associates CPAs; Kurt Ouchida, president and co-founder at Braintrust; Dr. Michael Seiff, FACS Spine & Brain Institute chair, division of neurosurgery, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center; Greg Errico, founding member of Sly And The Family Stone, musician, entrepreneur; and Lorraine D’Alessio, founder of D’Alessio Law Group. Southwest Medical added three health care providers to help meet the growing need for health services in the Las Vegas community, including Dr. Kevin Garth at its Southwest Medical Surgery Center at Charleston, specializing in anesthesia; Jessica Miller, APRN at its Rancho Urgent Care, specializing in urgent care; and Rosemarie Sabijon, APRN at the Rancho Healthcare Center, specializing in urgent care.
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PREMIER CROSSWORD
4 . 7. 2 2
“INTERPRETING ALL THE SIGNS” BY FRANK LONGO
HOROSCOPES
WEEK OF APRIL 7 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The word “orphic” is defined as “having an importance or meaning not apparent to the senses nor comprehensible to the intellect; beyond ordinary understanding.” “Ludic” means “playful; full of fun and high spirits.” “Kalon” refers to “profound, thorough beauty.” You will generate useful inspirations and energizing transformations for yourself by adopting a ludic attitude as you seek kalon in orphic experiments and adventures. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your ability to stick to the plan even when chaos creeps in is admirable. But during the coming weeks, heed the advice of martial artist Bruce Lee: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.” GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Basketball coach Pat Summitt won Olympic medals, college championships and presidential awards. She had a simple strategy: “Here’s how I’m going to beat you. I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.” Apply her approach to everything you do for the rest of 2022. You’re on course for a series of satisfying victories. CANCER (June 21-July 22): In Britain, 70% of the land is owned by 1% of the population. Globally, 1% of the population owns 43% of the wealth. Hopefully there’s a much better distribution of resources in your life—the poorer, less robust parts of your psyche aren’t being starved at the expense of the privileged and highly functioning aspects. If not, now is a good time to make adjustments. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): TV show creator Joey Soloway says, “The only way things will change is when we’re all wilder, louder, riskier, sillier and unexpectedly overflowing with surprise.” Soloway’s Emmy Award-winning work on Transparent, a transgender-positive show, suggests that the formula has been effective. This approach will help you summon the extra courage and imagination you need to catalyze necessary corrections and adjustments. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain,” wrote mythologist Joseph Campbell. But the lingering effects of some old traumas aren’t so easy to dissolve. Still, the strategy will work for you. Track down every possible method that could help you banish at least some of your suffering and restore at least some of your joie de vivre.
2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE ACROSS 1 Friendly and cheerful 7 Custard apple relative 12 Peevish state 16 Air gun ammo 19 With no secrecy 20 Caribbean resort island 21 Physiques, for short 22 Suffix with east 23 Door-bashing device 25 Working hard 26 Grazing field 27 Politician Alexandria — -Cortez 28 Bud Light mascot Spuds MacKenzie, for one 31 A verb often follows it 34 Vex 36 Winning tic-tac-toe row 37 Hoarders channel 38 Full House acting pair 41 Sideways-moving arachnid 43 Judo teacher 44 Test taker 46 Sailors, informally 47 The Villain actor Jack 50 Gain’s offset 51 Ignited 53 “If I Only Had the Nerve” singer 59 “Ka-POW!” 60 Me, in Lyon 63 On — with (equal to) 64 One of the Kennedys 65 Org. with merit badges 67 Leaning 69 Mother of Jesus 71 Things to step on in washrooms 73 Moon that’s home to the Ewoks
74 75 76 77 78 80
Top-secret U.S. org. Dialect of Aramaic Ad biz award French article CEO’s deg. Flashy, diving soccer move 82 Put a flaw in 83 Dog in The Thin Man 85 Hockey’s Phil, to fans 86 Manufacture 89 Leaned back 93 Negev’s land 98 Fatal Attraction Oscar nominee 100 Feta, for one 103 Official order 104 Prevarication 105 Spiral-shelled mollusk 106 Rep on the street 107 Luxury writing implement 110 Eye ring 113 Rhinoplasty doc 114 Nastase of tennis fame 115 Halibut, sole and flounder 120 Beatified Mlle. 121 Madams’ counterparts 122 Eldest of the Musketeers 123 1998 Masters champ Mark 124 One of the Kennedys 125 Hug’s partner 126 Century’s 100 127 All 12 of its symbols are featured in this puzzle DOWN 1 Dollop 2 Clean air org. 3 Court divider
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 24 29 30 31 32 33 35 39 40 41 42 45 48 49 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61
Chants Actor Baldwin Vega’s constellation Grill-marked sandwiches French forest region Brand of faucet filters Cry like — Bank bought by Chase, for short Govt. advances for mom-and-pops Opposite of destined And When — (1969 hit) Certain high-heel feature Go-Go’s singer Carlisle Offspring producer Ones entrapping “Vidi,” in English “Slow” primate Bonnie of blues rock Antis’ votes Corrida cry Sailor’s org. It runs on a 52-Down — -do-well Bill of tennis “Hurry it up!” Actress Ward Balm additive Female grad Chatty birds Apple buy Went spelunking Think aloud Prison units 2012 Ben Affleck thriller Turkish money unit Bitterly cold Adherents of an Iranian religion Thousand: Prefix — acid (fat product)
62 “There, there” 65 Georgia politician Bob 66 Michael of the band R.E.M. 68 Small nail 70 — la Douce 71 Drink-related party abbr. 72 Suffix with micro- or kaleido75 Read quickly 79 “I’m c-c-cold!” 80 Start to wake 81 Light snack 82 Small rodents, jocularly 83 Sore feeling 84 Slumber 86 Star of I’m No Angel 87 Slower than allegretto 88 Like bootees 90 Cream-filled pastries 91 Big head 92 Contributor 94 Covered anew, as a book 95 — Lingus 96 Suffix with Senegal 97 Guided 99 In harm’s way 101 Transversely 102 Those people 105 100-buck bill 108 Roman 1,052 109 Auction website 111 The Wizard — 112 Celeb’s ride 116 Radio host Charlamagne — God 117 “Bali —” 118 Epoch 119 Small pouch
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Jimi Hendrix was a brilliant and influential rock guitarist. Miles Davis was a Hall of Fame-level trumpeter and composer. Tony Williams was once called “the best drummer in the world.” In 1968, those three superstars wanted to record an album with Paul McCartney. They sent a telegram to the ex-Beatle, but it never reached him. Be extra alert for invitations and opportunities that arrive in the coming weeks. Don’t miss out! Expect the unexpected. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Poet Anne Carson claims that “a page with a poem on it is less attractive than a page with a poem on it and some tea stains.” If there are tea stains, the poem has been studied and enjoyed. Someone has lingered over it, allowing it to thoroughly permeate their consciousness. Make the tea-stained poem your power metaphor for the coming weeks. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Author Martha Beck wrote, “Here is the crux of the matter, the distilled essence, the only thing you need to remember: When considering whether to say yes or no, you must choose the response that feels like freedom. Period.” Adopt her law in the coming weeks. Avoid responses and influences that don’t feel liberating. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You have been exploring your past and reconfiguring your remembrances of the old days and old ways. You’ve been transforming the story of your life. You’ve given yourself a healing gift by reimagining your history. Keep doing this fun stuff for a while longer. But also make sure you don’t get so immersed in bygone events that you’re weighed down by them. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Historian Mary Frances Berry offered counsel that you should keep at the heart of your philosophy during the coming weeks. She wrote, “The time when you need to do something is when no one else is willing to do it, when people are saying it can’t be done.” Trust yourself enough to make that your battle cry. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The leading cause of deforestation in Latin America is cattle raising. Soaring greenhouse gas emissions aren’t entirely caused by people’s cravings for burgers and milk and cheese, of course, but the climate emergency would be significantly less dramatic if we cut back our consumption. You now have even more power than usual to serve the collective good of humanity in whatever specific ways you can.
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
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BACKSTORY
Corlene Byrd/Staff
P H O T O G R A P H Y
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CAESARS PALACE | FEATHERED FRIENDS | APRIL 3, 2022 The ratio of feathers to skin coverage differentiates someone leaving the house to busk as a showgirl from when you’ve simply forgotten to finish getting dressed in the morning. It’s happened to the best of us. I don’t understand why showgirl headresses aren’t readily available at CVS. Summer is coming. If you’re reading this and you can make that happen, we’d appreciate it. –Corlene Byrd
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C O M P L I M E N TA R Y H AT S
R AC E V I E W I N G W I T H F U L L AU D I O
SPRITZ AND MINT JULEP BAR
MILLION DOLL AR VIEWS
Visit CircaLasVegas.com or scan to reserve your spot. 702-247-2258 | 8 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101 @LegacyClub | @CircaLasVegas