As always, we can count on Jackie Brett to keep us up to date on the most current news about resorts, entertainment, dining and beverage and what’s happening about town in her Brett’s Vegas View

Brett ’ s

By Jackie Brett

Jackie is a freelance public relations specialist and writer specializing in the Las Vegas entertainment and travel scene. Her writings have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide and on numerous websites. Email: jackiebrett@cox.net

RESORT NEWS

Video game developer Atari plans to build video-game themed hotels in the US with one in Las Vegas. Downtown Grand opened its new eight-story Gallery Tower and property art collection. The centerpiece is “Transmigrations,” an interactive art installation available to guests in rooms in the Virtual Pad collection with artwork outside the window. There is also a new casino floor entrance. Operations for weekend stays, Thu.-Sun., at Planet Hollywood started last month with the resort opening its newly branded William Hill sportsbook. Tropicana Las Vegas, now a DoubleTree by Hilton and a Penn National Gaming destination, reopened with “Legends in Concert” showgirls.

ENTERTAINMENT

Cultural British icon Morrissey rescheduled his five-night residency “Morrissey: Viva Moz Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Aug.-Sept. 2021. R&B singer Usher will begin a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on July 16, 2021, with 12 performance dates set. The Sahara’s new two-story Magic Mike Live Theater under construction is preparing for the 2021 premiere of Channing Tatum’s “Magic Mike Live Las Vegas.” Nearly 50 percent larger than the former showroom at the Hard Rock Hotel, the venue will feature new amenities including zip lines, a QR code-based ordering system and full bar adjacent to the entrance.

DINING • BEVERAGE

With an industrial design, Victory Burger & Wings Co. opened at Circa Oct. 28 overlooking the world’s largest sportsbook with a 78-millionpixel sportsbook screen, 16 TVs and a designated radio booth. Restaurant operators are thirdgeneration owners of Detroit’s 103-year-old American Coney Island. Esteemed Taiwanese dumpling and noodle house Din Tai Fung with more than 170 restaurants in 13 countries opened its first Las Vegas location at Aria in October. After nearly a decade at The Cosmopolitan, Mediterranean seafood restaurant Estiatorio Milos is moving to The Venetian’s restaurant row this year in space formerly occupied by Aquaknox. Primarily Prime Rib with some new menu items and Baja Miguel’s cantina reopened at South Point. Joy of Hot Dog, Corner Bar Management’s kitschy, neon-lit trailer serving over-thetop hot dogs, reopened in the Fremont East Entertainment District, with a new a 30-foot art installation “Electric Dandelions” with firework effects. To Be Frank, a new ghost kitchen serving specialty hot dogs and sausages, is open for delivery, takeout and catering Mon.-Sat. 5 p.m.midnight at downtown eatery Every Grain, which closes its lunch business at 2:30 p.m. Letty’s De Leticia’s Cocina replaced the El Sombrero Café Mexican dining place since 1950 at 807 S. Main Street. Local restauranteur Leticia Mitchell added a 19-seat front patio and is serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Street artists transformed the building’s exterior. Tailgate Social, an all-day sports-obsessed bar by Clique Hospitality, is coming to Palace Station in November with 30 high-definition TVs, billiards and approachable meals and bites.

Maverick Helicopters and Lip Smacking Foodie Tours are offering the fine-dining and helicopter night flight experience Savory Bites & Neon Lights. The culinary journey visits The Cosmopolitan’s Rose. Rabbit. Lie., Momofuku and Scarpetta, as well as Mastro’s Ocean Club inside The Shops at Crystals followed by an aerial trip over the Strip. Buddy V’s Ristorante reopened with menu updates, new hours and a new happy hour in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian after a renovation this summer. CraftHaus Arts District, a local brewery taproom downtown, celebrated its first anniversary and has opened a new extended seasonal outdoor patio for al fresco dining and sipping space on California Ave. Olive Garden’s eighth local expansion will take over third-floor space at the Showcase Mall above Target on the Strip. El Cortez downtown has reopened its intimate Parlour Bar where there is a happy hour daily. Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar will hold its exclusive Italian wine and white truffle dinner on Nov. 19.

ABOUT TOWN

When the Hard Rock’s former Vinyl venue opens at the new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Jan. 15, 2021, it will be rebranded as 24 Oxford, which is a nod to the first Virgin Record Store opening in 1971 at that address in London. The Joint showroom will also be renamed.

The Wee Kirk Las Vegas Wedding Chapel

downtown, the city’s oldest continually running one, was unexpectedly after eight decades demolished by a new private owner.

Nightmare Toys is a new year-round horror and Halloween warehouse-sized shop in downtown’s Arts District with the building’s façade painted by a local artist, featuring horror icons. Topgolf Entertainment Group has partnered with Rovio Entertainment, creators of the Angry Birds franchise, to launch the newest familyfriendly Angry Birds gameplay, now available in Las Vegas. Las Vegas artist David Fay’s original 250-pound sculpture with a “Thinker”-like figure titled “On Second Thought” utilizing 600 decommissioned guns and ammo is on display near Park on Fremont honoring the Oct. 1 massacre. The Moulin Rouge sign, originally displayed in1955 at the first major racially integrated casino, has been re-illuminated at The Neon Museum Boneyard. The weekly Friday farmers’ and artisan market started up again at Tivoli Village 3 to 8 p.m. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to host two NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events in 2021 on April 16-18 and Oct. 29-31. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada transitioned the RTC Bike Share program to a completely online and mobile pass purchase.

By Adam Rains

Adam is lead bartender at The Golden Tiki and a member of the Health & Wellness Committee for the Las Vegas USBG. He has studied at SDSU, USBG, BarSmarts, International Sommeliers Guild, Certified Cicerone Program and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Academy.

ERIK KLUEVER

The myriad of personalities that our Las Vegas service industry collects never ceases to amaze. Just when you think that you can put your finger on the pulse of it, you will meet someone new that challenges your preconceived notions. What is the typical Las Vegas bartender? We can only hope that it is Erik Kluever. He’s a man that moved through several career paths before settling on hospitality and if you ask him how, you can say that the whiskey made him do it!

Tell us about your professional journey. How did you land on the hospitality industry?

My foray into this industry began five years ago, vacillating between career paths and upholding family expectations. Whiskey did it! It sounds absurd maybe, but whiskey moves me—how various grains, production methods, traditions, climate and wooden barrels create a beverage exhibiting such depth of flavor and complexity. This fixation, this enthusiasm, pushed me towards hospitality, where I could impart my wonder and passion to guests while staying abreast of the latest trends and innovations. At some point, despite my love for bartending, I aspire to transition into whiskey representation and ownership of a liquor store. Okay, fine, maybe a bar too.

We have all lived through a traumatic year and an economic shutdown. What did you do to stay sane?

Amidst the pandemonium, uncertainty and dread that settled over Las Vegas during the shutdown, I took refuge within my books. The shutdown afforded me extended time for reading on various subjects by many authors, from the literature of Hemingway and Goethe to whiskey encyclopedias by Dave Broom and Michael Jackson. And when I wearied of my studies, my neighbor and friend, Amy, who I regard as my “sister,” would accompany me on walks outside with her dogs, Molly and Amelia.

Tell us about Oak & Ivy and your role there.

Oak & Ivy is an American whiskey and craft cocktail den, nestled cozily within two repurposed shipping containers and equipped with a dizzying array of booze—by no means limited to only whiskey. My role, as a Creative Lead, entails a visible component, behind the stick, interacting with guests and crafting cocktails, and a behind-the-scenes component, where I help conduct managerial aspects of business.

The Bartenders Guild has been a guiding force for many in our industry. How long have you been a member and what is your take on the USBG?

I’ve been a USBG member since 2016. My love for the USBG proceeds from its commitment to mentor, educate and develop members into bar professionals who will elevate the drinking and dining experience for our guests. Its esteem, for me, grew twofold during the shutdown. Recognizing the peril many of its members faced without employment or government assistance, our local chapter partnered with liquor brands to provide groceries and warm meals every week. Those groceries and warm meals helped satiate our hunger and alleviate our stress while everything around us appeared so bleak. It reminded us of community. It reminded us of the good, even during this unprecedented pandemic.

What inspires you outside of bartending?

Well, if people felt reluctant to label me “odd” before, this answer will remove any doubt. The ancient philosopher Plato’s work, The Apology of Socrates, inspires every facet of my life. Socrates delivers a powerful line towards its conclusion: “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

This line inspires me to embrace adventure, travel wide, question authority, acquire knowledge, pursue truth, discover meaning and live a full life ultimately.

What do you love about our bars, bartending and bar culture?

Oddly enough, much that I love about our industry mirrors that which I love about literature. I love stories and meeting new people. Bartending exposes me to a sea of diverse people daily with whom I exchange ideas and experiences. Just like reading books, by conversing with guests, I’m transported to distant places and informed of matters unknown before. Bars promote community, celebration, safety and escape. Sometimes all a person needs is a clean, well-lighted place to exist, like a bar, and I feel privileged to contribute to such a place. It excites me to introduce guests to new flavors and sensations that transform their conception of cocktails and drinking generally. No shortage of guests have little regard for cocktails, figuring alcohol, no matter what, tastes the same—mostly unpleasant—and is desirable solely for its effect. I derive great satisfaction dispelling this misconception by tailoring cocktails to fit the flavor preferences guests relate while exercising my creativity. Drinking should be fun, tasty and satisfying.

A Position of One’s Own!

By Gael Hees

Gael Hees is a Las Vegas freelancer, and founder of the blog, The Steamy Side of

Vegas, Living the Spa Life. She writes for national publications and has won numerous awards for printed materials and videos. Follow her at steamysideofvegas.com or email, gael.hees@icloud.com with questions, suggestions or comments.

If someone offered you a position as vice president of food and beverage in an upscaling, remodeling, rethinking casino/resort, with the world still struggling with C-19, would you jump on it? Possibly yes, but probably not as fast as Zoey D’Arienzo did. Oh, and by the way, it is a position new to the organization so there is no model and no precedent for activities or accomplishments. Zoey D’Arienzo has now spent just two months as VP of F&B at the STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod and is already feeling the confidence sinking in. “It’s honestly been scary and incredible at the same time,” said D’Arienzo. “If you would have asked me ten years ago, if I thought I'd be a vice president, I might have told you no, because I didn't think I had what it took at the time. But now I know that I’m really meant for this and plan to hit it out of the park!” she added. D’Arienzo has literally worked her way geographically down the Strip, starting on the south end with MGM Resorts International. She was the director of beverage at MGM Grand and then Luxor and Excalibur for about seven years. Her first management position was at The Venetian/Palazzo (pre-Palazzo opening). D’Arienzo’s most far-reaching position was at Caesars Entertainment where she was the corporate director of F&B strategy. Here she did everything from buffet development, to working with the Hell’s Kitchen rollout, to pricing Starbucks items in Mississippi. “It’s such a fun experience to be all over the Strip, and then end up at some place as iconic as the STRAT,” D’Arienzo said. “It’s one of those places that you see every time you look at the Strip; I feel like I’ve worked my way into being at one of the best properties around.” D’Arienzo has spent her first two months listening, making notes and asking a lot of questions. How? Why? And perhaps most importantly, “Is there anything you think we should do differently?” She has found when transitioning to other properties that many people won’t speak up because they don’t think they’re being heard. When she listens, she gets ideas and insights into the real workings of the restaurants and is much better prepared to provide support and make changes. Much of this comes naturally to D’Arienzo. She obtained a degree in communications because she is fascinated by interpersonal communication, the human interaction. Working in restaurants while in college, she saw the fit between F&B management and her degree. At the STRAT, D’Arienzo has seven food outlets open, and four closed: the pool service, which is seasonal, and the buffet, room service and McCall’s Heartland Grill due to C-19. When talking about the food at the STRAT, she starts right at the top with the Top of the World Restaurant in the Skypod, 800 feet above the Strip. “I went to Top of the World 12 years ago for dinner,” she said. “I would bet money that no one would believe what it is like today. The food offerings developed by Bradley Manchester, our executive corporate chef, are nothing short of incredible.” She goes on to tout the lobster mac and cheese, served in an open lobster shell, the tomahawk steak for two, and the Tajima Wagyu ribeye from Australia, plus many new appetizers and sides. One of her goals is to promote the reputation of the Top of the World as a destination steakhouse. She knows it is already up against stiff competition with STK and SW Steakhouse! D’Arienzo knows her way around a menu and she knows how to bring out the best in a chef: “I've never met a chef who didn't want to be creative. When you’re helping a chef with a menu, the number one thing you have to do is take a look at costs. A lot of times they feel like they're handcuffed and aren't able to be creative because of the costs involved. But if we look at the menu as a whole, reduce the menu a bit and do 15 really amazing dishes instead of doing 30 that are really good, we can possibly reduce costs, get creative and serve items that people are going to order every time.” D’Arienzo brings years of experience to her job, not only in strategizing and management, but in training as well. Her ability to communicate, coupled with her energy and enthusiasm, will help make the STRAT a better place to work AND, a better place to visit. The STRAT is the flagship property of Golden Entertainment, which owns nine other casinos, 60 PT’s Pubs and video gaming operations in more than 1,000 locations. The company’s mission statement shows that it wants guests—no matter the venue—to feel like it’s “their place.”