Vegas - 2014 - Issue 6 - October by Niche Media Holdings, LLC

men’s issue

VEGAS ACES

David

SPADE

The city’s kings of nightlife redefine the world’s music scene

Why he still can’t resist a good Vegas standup gig

vegasmagazine.com

niche media holdings, llc

INSIDER’S GUIDE TO LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

PLUS: GIORGIO ARMANI NOBU MATSUHISA BUDDY VALASTRO

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Bridal ColleCtion by harrY WinSton

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front runner

Circus Circus owner Jay Sarno, Mayor Oran K. Gragson, Senator Howard Cannon, Governor Grant Sawyer, and other bigwigs don top hats for the big top’s opening.

Let the CirCus Begin

Perched on sky-high platforms barely wider than their waists, the leggy dancers at Circus Circus should have been the center of attention on opening night, October 18, 1968. But a look at the football field–size casino floor below revealed the real spectacle: the sparkling slot machines, buzzing craps tables, and live band that drew many to Las Vegas’s first “family-oriented casino.” Caesars Palace impresario Jay Sarno’s idea had been to create a haven for the city’s burgeoning population of middle-class visitors. But conventional it was not. To make the experience as authentic as possible, Sarno hired many of his performers away from actual circuses. Unicyclists, trapeze artists, even Tanya the Elephant could be spotted roaming the casino floor. And in a nod to Sin City’s youngest visitors, he erected a carnival midway filled with games and sideshows. In the casino’s early years, Sarno was able to hit a room occupancy rate of 100 percent, but by the mid-

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1970s Circus Circus was in serious financial straits. Only some creative marketing (building the world’s largest slot machine) and expansion (an RV park was added in 1979, plus 810 more hotel rooms in 1980) saved it from ruin. Today Circus Circus remains one of the Strip’s major tourist attractions. It’s been a location for such films as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Diamonds Are Forever and was the inspiration for Bazooko Circus in Hunter S. Thompson’s book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. With the 1993 addition of The Adventuredome—the largest indoor theme park in the world, featuring 25 rides and attractions, including the new El Loco roller coaster—Thompson’s words ring even truer today, 40 years after he wrote them: “[T]he place is about four stories high, in the style of a circus tent, and all manner of strange County-Fair/Polish Carnival madness is going on up in this space.” Family-oriented madness? Only in Vegas. V

photography courtesy of Las Vegas News Bureau

Two years afTer Jay Sarno opened Caesars palaCe, he beCame ringmasTer of The world’s largesT permanenT CirCus. by juliet izon

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contents

october 2014

Leather shirt, Lanvin ($4,270). The Shops at Crystals, 702-982-0245; lanvin.com

12 // front runner 30 // Letter from the editor-in-Chief

32 // Letter from

the pubLisher

34 // ...Without Whom

this issue WouLd not have been possibLe

36 // the List

style 41 // taiLor made Giorgio Armani’s new men’s collection features elegant jackets inspired by the cardigan, while the new Swiss-made watch collection at Emporio Armani provides the perfect fnishing touch.

The Strip’s most stylish men stand out with statement-making accessories.

48 // styLe spotLight Canali gets new creative talent for its 80th birthday, Harry Winston gets a new boutique at Bellagio, Gucci gets some new suits ready, and Baume & Mercier gets back to women.

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photography by giuliano bekor

44 // aCCent marks

WHICH PILOT WATCH IS “THE ONE”? TOURNEAU KNOWS.

The New Navitimer 46mm Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01 The Forum Shops at Caesars 702.732.TIME(8463)

october 2014

The RiSE Lantern festival lights up the desert.

Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters play Life Is Beautiful.

Culture 51 // Beautiful day(s) Last year’s two-day indie Life Is Beautiful festival was such a hit, it has ballooned into three days headlined by massive stars and jam-packed with events. Here’s how to navigate it.

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It’s all in the family for Katie Epstein at El Cortez.

60 // Mix Master Cocktail alchemist Craig Schoettler decamps from Chicago for Vegas. Magic happens.

62 // front of the house For El Cortez scion Katie Epstein, an enviable lifestyle is part of the job.

54 // culture spotlight

64 // fight cluB rules

Ryan Reid’s new play Henri shines a light on Alzheimer’s, lanterns RiSE in the west, and something Wicked this way comes.

Former ringside doctors Margaret Goodman and Flip Homansky are working tirelessly to keep combat sports clean.

PeoPle

INVIteD

57 // laBel Maker

69 // WelcoMe to vegas!

Drai’s Enterprises partner Michael Gruber is parlaying Victor Drai’s After Hours following into Las Vegas’s frst major record label.

SLS Las Vegas’s opening-night celebration, plus pages and pages of Vegas’s poshest parties, and the people who populate them.

photography by jenna dosch (epstein); Kevin Mazur/getty iMages (grohl)

contents

october 2014

125

The diverse offerings of Kerry Simon’s Carson Kitchen include this rainbow cauliflower dish.

taste 75 // Show off and Tell

Nobu shines, from sushi to steak.

One of the city’s most meticulous temples of culinary execution, Nobu puts on beef theater that will make your carnivorous friends weep with envy.

78 // BroTherhood

80 // andiamo, incogniTo We sent Buddy Valastro and Sebastien Silvestri, two of the most public guys in Vegas, for a VIP dinner at Andiamo, away from the cameras (except ours).

84 // TaSTe SpoTlighT Irish whiskey makers fnd a pot of gold in Vegas, Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla are Made in the shade of Tivoli, and Mercadito’s espada is in the black.

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photography by jenna dosch (carson kitchen); sabin orr (nobu)

of The Toque

Competition among restaurant kitchens may be natural, but that won’t stop Vegas’s top chefs from singing each other’s praises.

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- S A K S F I F T H AV E N U E

contents

october 2014

David Spade is back on the Vegas stage.

features 88 // Spade on deck

Wool fitted jacket ($2,700), wool pants ($1,100), and silk tie ($190), Dior Homme. The Shops at Crystals, 702-597-0941; diorhomme.com. White shirt, Vince ($195). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com. Classic 43.5mm Small Seconds timepiece, David Yurman ($3,600). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 704-794-4545; davidyurman.com

He’s not a shallow, tart-chasing rake or a self-centered former cheerleader turned tax law manipulator—he’s just played them on TV and in movies. Still, the real David Spade just can’t stop bringing the funny. By Leslie Van Buskirk Photography by Brian Bowen Smith

92 // Spin StarS Each year, Vegas honors six men—our Vegas Aces—who are making incredible strides in their felds. Who better to celebrate than the DJs who are redefning nightlife in Vegas—and the world? By Andy Wang

98 // light it up Styles ft for Las Vegas burn bright at Aria Las Vegas. Photography by Giuliano Bekor

104 // treaSure hunt Beyond the fashing neon lights of the Strip, an important—and growing— collection of art lies in plain sight. You need only know where to look. By Mark Ellwood Photography by Brad Swonetz

Las Vegans are infuenced by all that is around them, as are watchmakers, who look to history, human achievement, and the endless possibilities of space to spur their creativity and embolden their designs. By Roberta Naas Photography by Jeff Crawford

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photography by brian bowen smith

110 // life inSpired

1954

60 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS INSPIRATION IN THE PURSUIT OF TECHNICAL PERFECTION

Heritage Black Bay is the direct descendant of TUDOR’s technical success in Greenland on the wrists of Royal Navy sailors. 60 years later, the Black Bay is ready to stand as its own legend. TUDOR HERITAGE BLACK BAY® Self-winding mechanical movement, waterproof to 200 m, 41 mm steel case. Visit tudorwatch.com and explore more.

contents

october 2014

117

Luxury resides at 31 Hawk Ridge Court, and so can you.

haute property 117 // MaNsiON ExpaNsiON Las Vegas prepares for its massive luxury growth spurt. Who’s buying?

120 // LET’s sTaRT OVER A quick rebranding on the Strip, renovations downtown and in the southwest, and a walkable new center for one of the nation’s largest master-planned communities all converge this month.

the Guide 125 // ROCk ON Kerry Simon’s new Carson Kitchen serves some of the most innovative fare yet from the “Rock ’n’ Roll Chef.”

126 // iMbibE:

FaLL COCkTaiLs

partinG shot 136 // TRuE sTORy Our state’s history is so dramatic that even a bit of gentle myth-busting can’t diminish Nevada’s mystique.

ON THE COVER: David Spade Photography by Brian Bowen Smith Twill suiting jacket ($1,875) and pants ($690), Marc Jacobs. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-369-2007; marcjacobs.com. Shirt ($450) and shoes ($800), Giorgio Armani. Via Bellagio, 702-893-8327; armani.com. Pocket square, Tom Ford ($165). The Shops at Crystals, 702-7402940. Classic 43.5mm Small Seconds timepiece, David Yurman ($3,600). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 704-794-4545; davidyurman.com

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photography by LesLie CuLLer (31 hawk ridge). david spade styList: gaeLLe pauL for waLter sChupfer ManageMent; grooMing by syLvia viau-kistLer for CLoutier reMix

128 // ExCiTE: adVENTuRE TiME

# P E AC E RO C K S

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We have the inside scoop on Las Vegas’s best parties, beauty, nightlife, and more. grooming

PRODUCTS YOU NEED FOR THE PERFECT AT-HOME SHAVE The men’s selection at the beauty counter can be daunting. We’ll tell you exactly what to buy to get the job done.

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SEE THE LATEST FROM LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS

nightlife

PLAN A ROMANTIC DATE IN VEGAS We’re planning your next date night for you, whether you want casual, cocktails, or complete privacy.

COME FOLLOW US

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANGHOFF99 (SHAVE KIT); ‘LOS (CHRISSY TEIGEN); SHINYSHOT (WINE GLASSES)

Couldn’t attend? Browse the newest photos from Las Vegas’s most exclusive parties.

N O I T O P R U P R E PA R E Y O ’ S OF F IC I A L M A E B M I J H WIT . N E E W O L L A H F O S T I R I SP

® ®

Jim Beam Black , the Highest-Rated North American Whiskey as compared to several top-selling North American Whiskeys. Beverage Testing Institute, Inc. – 2008 Professional Tasting – Chicago, IL.

ANDREA BENNETT Editor-in-Chief Senior Managing Editor KAREN ROSE Art Director ALLISON FLEMING Photo Editor SETH OLENICK Associate Editor TESS EYRICH Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON Fashion Editor FAYE POWER Copy Editor DAVID FAIRHURST Research Editor LESLIE ALEXANDER

JOSEF VANN Publisher and Vice President of Sales Account Executives VINCE DUROCHER, IRENA HALL, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH Director of Event Marketing HALEE HARCZYNSKI Sales Assistant RUE MCBRIDE

NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Vice President of Creative and Fashion ANN SONG Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS ART AND PHOTO

Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Associate Art Directors ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI, ADRIANA GARCIA, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Senior Designer NATALI SUASNAVAS Designer SARAH LITZ Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER, JODIE LOVE, JENNIFER PAGAN, REBECCA SAHN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN FASHION

Senior Fashion Editor LAUREN FINNEY Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO COPY AND RESEARCH

Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Copy Editors NICOLE LANCTOT, JULIA STEINER Research Editors JAMES BUSS, JUDY DEYOUNG, AVA WILLIAMS EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Director of Editorial Relations MATTHEW STEWART Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Executive Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editors ANNA BEN YEHUDA, TRICIA CARR Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, MURAT OZTASKIN Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS ADVERTISING SALES

Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing NORMAN M. MILLER Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, GUY BROWN, CLAIRE CARLIN, KATHLEEN FLEMING, VICTORIA HENRY, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, NORMA MONTALVO, ELIZABETH MOORE, GRACE NAPOLITANO, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK, MIA PIERRE-JACQUES, VALERIE ROBLES, JIM SMITH Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, MICHELLE CHALA, MORGAN CLIFFORD, JANELLE DRISCOLL, ALICIA DRY, SARAH HECKLER, CATHERINE KUCHAR, JULIA MAZUR, FENDY MESY, MARISA RANDALL, MARY RUEGG, ERIN SALINS, LAUREN SHAPIRO, CAROLINE SNECKENBERG, JACKIE VAN METER, GABRIELLA ZURROW Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, EMILY BURDETT, CRISTINA CABIELLES, BRITTANY CORBETT, JAMIE HILDEBRANDT, DARA HIRSH, KARA KEARNS, KELSEY MARRUJO, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, ELENA SENDOLO, ALEXANDRA WINTER MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President of Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Director of Integrated Marketing ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Manager JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Director of Creative Services SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designer CARLY RUSSELL Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, MELINDA JAGGER, LAURA MULLEN, JOANNA TUCKER, KIMMY WILSON Event Marketing Managers ANTHONY ANGELICO, JUDSON BARDWELL, CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA, CRISTINA PARRA Event Marketing Coordinator BROOKE BIDDLE Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN ADVERTISING PRODUCTION

Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Production Artists ALISHA DAVIS, MARISSA MAHERAS, DARA RICCI Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Assistant Distribution Relations Manager JENNIFER PALMER Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD FINANCE

Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Finance Directors AUDREY CADY, LISA VASSEUR-MODICA Director of Credit and Collections CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants KATHY SABAROVA, NEIL SHAH, NATASHA WARREN Accounts Payable Coordinator NADINE DEODATT ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS

Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources STEPHANIE MITCHELL Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Digital Media Developer MICHAEL KWAN Digital Producer ANTHONY PEARSON Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR Desktop Administrators ZACHARY CUMMO, EDGAR ROCHE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), SPENCER BECK (Aspen Peak [Acting], Los Angeles Confidential), KATHY BLACKWELL (Austin Way), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons) PUBLISHERS

JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS F. DELONE (Austin Way), DAWN DUBOIS (Gotham), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), ALISON MILLER (Los Angeles Confidential), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue)

Managing Partner JANE GALE Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Executive Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Copyright 2014 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Vegas magazine is published eight times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Vegas magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866-891-3144. For customer service, please inquire at vegas@pubservice.com. To distribute Vegas at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemedia.net. Vegas magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC., a division of Greengale Publishing, LLC. vegas: 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 T: 702-990-2500 F: 702-990-2530 niche media holdings: 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003

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Letter from the editor-in-Chief

In 2006, at the taIl end of a 13-year run of notable

Could there be a better backdrop than the Bellagio fountains and the Eiffel Tower to view Breguet’s new collection of timepieces? Publisher Joe Vann and I got a special tour with Breguet’s Liliana Chen. (I have my eye on the new, diamond-encrusted Reine de Naples Jour/Nuit. A girl can dream.)

casino implosions that included the Sands, Aladdin, El Rancho, Desert Inn, and the New Frontier, I picked up my paddle for the five-day auction of more than 70,000 items from the shuttered Stardust, which would be leveled just a few months later to make way for Echelon. (A bit of history here: Echelon’s construction, suspended in 2008 during the recession, was ultimately halted. Genting Gaming bought the site in 2013 for what is planned to be the $4 billion Resorts World Las Vegas.) I, like hundreds of other attendees, went to the Stardust auction to gawk at the relics of its 42-year history hauled from the basement. Representatives of every epoch of that galactic fantastic resort were on offer, from the monumental fertility gods that graced its Aku Aku Polynesian restaurant at the height of the ’60s tiki era to dazzling tiaras and G-strings from its

long-running Lido de Paris production show. Of course, those treasures were auctioned among 227 vacuum cleaners, 57 sports-book televisions, and 287 lots of plastic palm trees. You get the point: It was a long five days. These days, Las Vegas is less about leveling its treasures than it is about adaptively reusing them. Moving in are brands with proven success records elsewhere: Delano, for instance, opened in mid-September in what had been THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, and SLS Las Vegas started a new era in the magnificently reconceived Sahara in late August. Of course, this being Vegas—the capital of brand appropriation—we will find a way to make them ours. Here’s just one thing that excites me about Las Vegas right now: You don’t need to sit through hours of auction ephemera to get to the good stuff. You can visit the very places history has already been made, and make a little yourself. And that, to me, is magical.

andrea bennett Follow me on Twitter at @andreabennett1 and on vegasmagazine.com.

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PhotograPhy by ‘Los (gardiner); Joe durkin/@PhoJoPhoto (Vann)

from left: Writer Andy Wang and I celebrated the opening of SLS Las Vegas in what was perhaps the year’s biggest shebang (special thanks to Platinum Entourage for those Veronica Lake waves I’ll never be able to replicate on my own). My husband, Reid Gardner, helped with hosting duty at our fantastic pool party at Palazzo’s Azure pool. I always love the massive Virtuoso travel conference, held each August in Las Vegas—particularly when I can reconnect with my longtime friend Peter Greenberg, CBS News’s travel editor.

www.vacheron - constantin.com

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In 1839, Vacheron Constantin created the famous pantograph, a mechanical device allowing for principal watchmaking components to be reproduced with total precision. Elevating the quality of its timepieces even further, this invention, which also revolutionized Swiss watchmaking, would propel the brand into the future.

Patrimony Hallmark of Geneva, Pink gold case, Hand-wound mechanical movement RĂŠf. 81180/000R-9159

letter from the Publisher

As I wrIte thIs letter,

I’m sitting in Mandarin Oriental’s serene 23rd-floor sky lobby, with its unobstructed view up the Las Vegas Strip. It is at moments like this, when I’m afforded a bird’s-eye view of the developments in our city, that I get to reflect on just how exciting a time this is for Las Vegas. Recently I attended the blowout opening of SLS, which promises to reinvigorate the north end of the Strip, and I’m watching workers place the last letters of the Delano sign on top of the new hotel (formerly THEhotel at Mandalay Bay). Made L.V., from Elizabeth Blau and her husband, chef Kim Canteenwalla, has opened in Tivoli Village (Editor-in-Chief Andrea Bennett’s family and mine tried nearly everything on the menu—delicious!). Now open, too, are amazing new retail offerings,

like Fred Segal at SLS, Robert Graham at Grand Canal Shoppes, and a beautiful new Breguet boutique in Bellagio, among many others. Plus, Downtown Summerlin is opening now in a healthy real estate market, and Downtown continues its incredible growth. Everything old is new again, and plenty of undeveloped area is new, too. You might notice the fresh new approach to our look. We’re sprucing up with an urbane new feel, keeping pace with the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of our city and the sophisticated readers who visit and live here. As you peruse our October Men’s Issue, I’m confident you’ll enjoy the gorgeous style section up front, plus highlights of the people, arts, and culture that make our community so great.

Olivier Krug himself provided an exceptional Krug Champagne tasting—and a bit of family history—at our event in the spectacular Louis Vuitton flagship inside The Shops at Crystals.

josef vann

Follow me on Twitter at @josefvann and on vegasmagazine.com.

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PhotograPhy by ‘Los (azure, renz); ray aLamo (Krug)

from left: Our party at Palazzo’s fabulous Azure pool was an incredible success, made better by good friends like Kenny Ebalo, Alison Waite, and Rachael and Shane Sigsbee. Le Doux swimwear owner and designer Juliana Renz helped Editor-in-Chief Andrea Bennett and me celebrate that terrific night.

TOM FORD

Olivier van Themsche Social media developer and entrepreneur “I’m pushing people to accept their differences and live happily together, respecting each other’s personality and creativity.”

THE MAN’S STORE LAS VEGAS THE FASHION SHOW 702.731.3636 1.800.365.7989 NEIMANMARCUS.COM

...wiThouT whoM this issue would not have been possible

eric iTa photographer Photographer Eric Ita shot DJ Dash Berlin for our Vegas Aces feature. He’s originally from Nigeria, has worked in the UK, France, and Africa, and lives in Las Vegas with his German shepherd, Juicebox. How was your shoot with Dash Berlin? When I introduced myself, he said, “Call me Dash.” He was so cool and friendly. I was nervous about asking him to entertain any of my weird ideas, but out of nowhere he started really modeling! I’ve never been excited to shoot a DJ. He completely transformed every idea I had. The whole thing went by pretty quickly, and when we were done he handed me a white Dash Berlin bracelet. What kind of music do you listen to? I listen to jazz and blues—I’m a really old soul. I also really like Calvin Harris’s music, more so after realizing he actually sings and doesn’t just produce.

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// october 2014

Todd peTerson entertainment writer

jennifer leuzzi Mark ellwood food writer writer/TV producer

A writer covering the entertainment field for more than 20 years, Todd Peterson interviewed Michael Gruber of Drai Enterprises for this issue’s “Power Strip” story, focusing on the company’s brand-new Las Vegas–based record label. How was your interview with Michael Gruber? I found myself genuinely surprised and intrigued. Drai Enterprises’ plans for the Vegas scene surpass everything else other companies have imagined Vegas to be, and Gruber’s plans portend a Las Vegas we have not yet envisioned. Gruber and Victor Drai’s plans for Vegas nightlife are the sort of entertainment developments Vegas has been building toward for the last 20 years. As their ideas take seed, we will see a Las Vegas that has only been imagined begin to take shape.

Jennifer Leuzzi was born and raised in Hawaii. Her culinary interest began after college in Paris, studying at the L’Ecole Ritz Escoffier and cooking in Michelinstarred restaurants. Eventually she left the kitchen, returned to the US, and became a writer. For this issue she interviewed some of Las Vegas’s greatest chefs about their own favorite chefs for our “Food for Thought” page. How did you decide which chefs to interview? I wanted to let the story write itself. I called Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud and asked each of them who their favorites are. Their answers led me to the next chefs to interview. It turned out to be a fun choose-your-own-chefadventure story.

British-born, New York– based Mark Ellwood has written regularly for the Financial Times Weekend, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Wall Street Journal Weekend, Bloomberg Business Week, and Departures, among other publications. He is the author of Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World (Penguin-Portfolio) as well as a TV host and producer. Why is art important? And public art especially? Walking along a dreary city block with nothing but asphalt and concrete in sight is a dreary experience. Fill that same block with trees, plants, and some fun public art pieces and you’ve transformed the everyday into the exceptional. And have you seen how much unfettered joy a piece of public art can bring a toddler—running up to it giddy or climbing over it? Those moments alone make it worthwhile to me.

L I F E

I S

A B O U T

M O M E N T S

C E L E B R AT I N G E L E G A N C E S I N C E 1 8 3 0

PROMESSE STEEL, 34 MM, QUARTZ DIAMONDS 0.17 CARAT www.baume-et-mercier.com

the list October 2014

Jason Ingwaldson

Leroy Godfrey

Daryl Hall

Arturo Valadez-Sanchez

Michael Vorsanger

Salvatore Wise

John Oates

Peter Greenberg

Darius Rucker

Joe Haro

Jim Belushi

Brian Israel

Lee Smith

Gregg Michael Gillis

Frankie Scinta

Everett Potter

Lance Evans

Tom Evans

Cliff Findlay

Gene Simmons

Kanye West

Robert Hamrick

Ferran Adrià

Tommy Thayer

Fred Mossler

Carl Barbato

Steven Weitman

Paul Stanley

José Andrés

Bradley Strong

Rudolph Giuliani

Eric Singer

David Morrison

Carl Cohen

Michael Dell

Dean Torbert

Devin Wilson

Darren Cahill

Johanan Merino

David Keeps

Paul Schwartz

Davin Homan

Paul Brown

William Duckro

Brian Gavan

Rod Stewart

Tim Norris

Jeff Wagner

Eddie Romero

Donny Osmond

Charles Ressler

Joe Enos

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See them Live at The Mirage

RAY ROMANO & DAVID SPADE OCTOBER 17 & 18

“…the strongest lineup of top-tier comedians anywhere on the planet.” - John Katsilometes, Las Vegas Weekly

“Best Comedy Series” - as Chosen by the Editors of Vegas/Rated Magazine

LEWIS BLACK

DANIEL TOSH

RON WHITE

JAY LENO

OCTOBER 4

OCTOBER 10 & 11

OCTOBER 24 & 25

NOVEMBER 1

Tickets, Dinner & Show Packages 702.792.7777 • mirage.com “Best Comedy Calendar” - 2013 Las Vegas Weekly Awards

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OYSTER PERPETUAL DAY-DATE

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oyster perpetual and day-date are trademarks.

Style the Style Setter Giorgio Armani’s career in menswear can be seen as a quest to streamline the male silhouette.

Tailor Made

Las Vegas gets a doubLe dose of styLe with an eLegant new GiorGio ArmAni Line and new watches from Emporio ArmAni.

photography by DaviD McKnight

by bryn kenny

When Giorgio Armani founded his eponymous label in 1975, he revolutionized menswear by deconstructing tailored suits and ushered in a new era in fashion. Nearly four decades later, Armani’s influence remains powerful, his visionary and always evolving approach to luxury found everywhere from Milan’s Golden Triangle and Tokyo’s Ginza to the glamorous Via Bellagio shops here in Vegas. The designer’s Autumn/Winter 2014 collection takes Armani’s brilliant design and technical expertise to the continued on page 42

vegasmagazine.com 41

STYLE The Style Setter

Giorgio Armani poses with models backstage at the Fall 2014 runway show.

Armani sketching a design for his Fall 2014 collection.

“My jacket has now taken on the naturalness of knitwear.” —giorgio armani next level of comfort. Inspired by the ease of a classic cardigan, Armani created a fresh interpretation of his original aesthetic with a collection that is bound to make its way into the closets of Las Vegas’s high-rolling visitors and residents. “First and foremost, the new cut of the jacket does not have anchor points—there are no seams or padding in the shoulders, giving [men] the maximum freedom of movement,” says Armani. “The shoulders mold to the figure,

42 vegasmagazine.com

keeping the silhouette sleek and dynamic.” Now available at the brand’s spacious, pristine outpost at the Via Bellagio shops, the newest incarnation of the Armani jacket “has been stripped of every nonfunctional detail,” including pockets, explains Armani, resulting in a design that furthers his ongoing quest to streamline and simplify the male silhouette. “[With the] shoulders becoming increasingly natural, the lapels have also become

smaller, [and suits have] more compact lengths and slimmer fits,” he points out. “My jacket has now taken on the naturalness of knitwear.” Armani describes the new look as a “second skin,” which should come as good news to stylish Las Vegans, whose preferred dress style is increasingly casual luxe. “I’ve transformed the jacket into a comfortable, lightweight garment that is sensual in its construction and therefore is always modern and always in style,” says Armani.

For autumn and winter, the new silhouette will be available in various fabrics and colors, including blue and black velvet, woolen “greige” canvas, as well as stretch and jacquard fabrics and corduroy. In addition, a raglan/tuxedo version of the jacket will also be available in both single- and doublebreasted styles. There’s other news from Casa Armani—a new watch collection. “With watches, like everything else, I seek discretion,” Armani says. “I think a watch should

respond to its function as a timepiece without being intrusive or overbearing.” Every design in the new Emporio Armani Swiss Made men’s watch collection was inspired by timepieces from the 1930s and 1940s. Says Armani, “I find the shapes of those years—with their clean and discreet lines—to be very elegant and close to my aesthetic vision.” Via Bellagio, 702-893-8327, and the forum shops at caesars, 702-650-5200; armani.com V

photography by Jacopo raule/Wireimage (runWay, armani and models); courtesy of giorgio armani (sketching)

The Giorgio Armani men’s Fall 2014 runway show.

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STYLE Accessories State Your CaSe a structured, minimalist bag adds an extra surprise in rich forest green. turtleneck ($1,094) and pants ($370), Etro. Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com. 43mm stainless steel Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe watch, Blancpain ($10,500). Tourbillon, The Shops at Crystals, 702-597-0284; tourbillon.com. Sterling silver Meteorite signet ring, David Yurman ($795). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545; david yurman.com. Belt, Allen Edmonds ($175). Nordstrom, Fashion Show, 702-8622525; allenedmonds.com. Porte-Documents Voyage, Louis Vuitton ($2,830). The Shops at Crystals, 702-262-6189; louis vuitton.com. Lace-ups, Christian Louboutin ($895). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-818-8444; christianlouboutin.com

the stripâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most stylish men stand out with statement-making accessories.

PhotograPhy by brian Klutch Styling by Faye Power

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Groomer: Casey Geren usinG oribe for abTP.Com; maniCure by Casandra Lamar usinG dior Vernis aT faCTory downTown; modeL: shane duffy for ParTs modeLs

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STYLE Accessories A slate-colored watch face paired with a sleek charcoal band completes the ultimate monochromatic look. Gilet, Brunello Cucinelli ($1,005). The Shops at Crystals, 702-527-7766; brunellocucinelli.com. Shirt, John Varvatos ($250). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-9390922; johnvarvatos.com. Tie, Brooks Brothers ($80). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-3690705; brooks brothers.com. Pocket square, Salvatore Ferragamo ($140). Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-369-0251; ferragamo.com. modelTwo e-cigarette, Ploom ($40). House of Smokes, 1263 E. Silverado Ranch Blvd., 702-896-0340; ploom.com. 43.5mm Classic Chronograph watch, David Yurman ($4,600). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545; davidyurman.com

A forest-colored watch face paired with a sleek silver band completes the ultimate monochromatic look. Sweater, Marc Jacobs ($1,095). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-369-2007; marc jacobs.com. Shirt, Prada ($880). The Shops at Crystals, 702-740-3500; prada.com. Herringbone trousers, Brioni ($895). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3440; brioni.com. 40mm stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date watch, Rolex ($9,050). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3560; rolex.com. Belt, Burberry London ($395). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-731-0650; burberry.com

BOW TIE UN-TIED

OFF THE CUFF

An unconventional emerald velvet bow tie brings a sleek elegance to eveningwear.

Statement-making cuff links in this cool shade of gray pair well with a range of shirts, from even colorways to fashion-forward patterns.

Jacket ($2,295) and scarf ($295), Burberry London. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-731-0650; burberry.com. Shirt, Ermenegildo Zegna ($345). The Shops at Crystals, 702-560-5837; zegna.com. Bow tie, Marc Jacobs ($195). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-369-2007; marcjacobs.com. Accutron II watch, Bulova ($499). Tower of Jewels, Ballyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Las Vegas, 702-736-7355; bulova.com

46 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

GREEN WITH STYLE

Tuxedo shirt, Etro ($591). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com. Pants, Ralph Lauren Purple Label ($595). Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-650-5656; ralphlauren.com. 18k white-gold crystal and hematite square cuff links, Penny Preville ($4,295). Hyde Park Jewelers, The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-3541; hydeparkjewelers.com. Limited-edition 36mm brushed stainless steel Chiffre Rogue A03 watch, Dior Timepieces ($3,500). The Shops at Crystals, 702-5970941; dior.com

GROOMER: CASEY GEREN USING ORIBE FOR ABTP.COM; MANICURE BY CASANDRA LAMAR USING DIOR VERNIS AT FACTORY DOWNTOWN; MODEL: SHANE DUFFY FOR PARTS MODELS

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STYLE Spotlight on time

KEEPING A PROMESSE

// ICONS // 1

Baume & Mercier’s Promesse, a collection of automatic and quartz timepieces that was five years in research and development, combines the architectural lines of pieces from the 1970s with modern-day style. The collection consists of 30mm and 34mm Swiss-made watches featuring a round case and dial, combined with an oval bezel for feminine appeal. Accents include diamonds and motherof-pearl. Ca’d’Oro, Venetian, 702-6960080; baume-etmercier.com

buy

TAILOR MADE

The Gucci Tailored collection is redefining style this fall with a line of seven suit silhouettes inspired by Gucci’s rich heritage. True to the house’s aesthetic, the collection combines contemporary style with Gucci’s signature Italian artisanal craftsmanship. From the slim-fit, tapered Marseille to the ’70sinspired Heritage, the collection offers a cut to fit any connoisseur’s personal taste and style. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-369-7333, and The Shops at Crystals, 702-730-1946; gucci.com

Well Appointed CANALI ADDS A TOP TALENT.

For Canali’s 80th anniversary, the Italian luxury menswear label has gained a fresh new perspective with the appointment of Andrea Pompilio as creative consultant. Pompilio has designed for top fashion houses, including Prada and Saint Laurent, and brings a refined, relaxed style and an eye for craftsmanship and tailoring that blend seamlessly with Canali’s treasured tradition. His debut capsule collection for fall fuses the values and excellence of classic tailoring with the unstructured elegance of leisure, as seen in the show’s first outfit: a sculptural linen-silk trench, narrow checked pants with wide cuffs, and white sneakers. Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-607-7777; canali.com

// Plus Points //

CASINO ROYALE

Tiffany & Co. (price upon request). Bellagio, 702-697-5400; tiffany.com

48 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

Boss ($95). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-696-9444; hugoboss.com

KING OF DIAMONDS Promesse by Baume & Mercier (starting at around $1,900).

Harry Winston will expand its foothold in Vegas with a second retail location this fall. Joining the boutique at The Shops at Crystals will be a 1,600-square-foot store in Bellagio, showcasing the house’s spectacular gems and classic timepieces.

From Vegas with love: accoutrements with panache!

David Yurman ($1,950). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545; davidyurman.com

Christian Louboutin ($1,395). Cartier ($1,150). The Forum Shops at Caesars, The Shops at Crystals, 702-818-8444; christianlouboutin.com 702-487-3160; cartier.com

CULTURE Hottest Ticket

October’s three-day Life Is Beautiful music, food, art, and learning festival covers 15 city blocks in the heart of Las Vegas.

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY(S) PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC

LAST YEAR’S TWO-DAY LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL WAS SUCH A HIT, IT HAS BALLOONED INTO THREE DAYS HEADLINED BY MASSIVE STARS AND JAM-PACKED WITH EVENTS. HERE’S HOW TO NAVIGATE IT. BY JOHN KATSILOMETES Rehan Choudhry has been wearing a gray sweatshirt around the oftencluttered but imaginatively fertile offices of Life Is Beautiful. The shirt’s message: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL . Many of his fellow life beauticians have taken to wearing these shirts. “It’s bright. Happy. Warm. Inclusive,” Choudhry says. “It’s for people who we call ‘experience enthusiasts,’ and that includes just about everyone.” The far-flung festival of music, food, art, and, yes, spiritual expansion takes root for a second year in downtown Las Vegas from October 24 to 26. The celebration has been augmented by one day, and the music

lineup is a killer (if not the Killers) once more: Kanye West, Foo Fighters, OutKast, Lionel Richie, Fitz & the Tantrums, the Flaming Lips, the Roots, Skrillex, Arctic Monkeys, and the return of Vegas natives Panic! At the Disco. Also appearing will be members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, accompanied by the cast of The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil. How to attack this event? Simply by planning. Life Is Beautiful covers 15 city blocks in the core of downtown Vegas. Parking inside or near the festival gates is limited. Shuttles run daily every 30 minutes from pickup stations at World CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 51

CULTURE Hottest Ticket Singer Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots during day two of last year’s Life Is Beautiful festival.

“We’re spreading talent better than last year, trying to balance this in a Way that gives people choices, and yeah, soMe tough decisions.” —rehan choudhry

52 vegasmagazine.com

different approach.” We’ll break them down:

Life Is Music More than 70 acts will perform on the festival’s four stages, including the main one, the Downtown Stage, which can accommodate about 25,000 people standing. That’s where you’ll find most of the star headliners. The smaller stages—the Ambassador Stage, Huntridge Stage, and Western Stage (at the hotel-casino of the same name)—will be busy with acts throughout the event

and are not tied to a particular genre (there is no “EDM stage,” for example). “We’re spreading talent across the footprint a lot better than we did last year,” Choudhry says. “Last year the main stage was rock-heavy; the Ambassador was more hip-hop. We’re trying to balance this in a way that gives people choices, and yeah, some tough decisions.” Kanye West toured the Downtown area last year, and Lionel Richie has been a favorite of Choudhry’s since he was a kid. Panic! At the

Disco, a Vegas favorite, is returning to the city for the first time in about five years. The organizers promise that the Philharmonic performance will be mindblowing, similar to last year’s set by Imagine Dragons featuring performers from Cirque’s Mystère. “Tyco, Trampled by Turtles, and The Head and the Heart are some of the new acts we’re excited about,” says Craig Nyman, the festival’s head of music. “We have Kacey Musgraves, our first country artist, this year. There is something for everybody.”

Life Is Food Unlike last year’s central (and, some said, hard-tofind) culinary village, the food this year will be located throughout Life Is Beautiful, particularly at the four music stages. The cuisine of some of Las Vegas’s top restaurants will be available. “We’re going with highbrow to comfort food,” says Choudhry. “Everything from Nobu, Blue Ribbon, Brooklyn Bowl, Nacho Daddy—each stage area has a heavily curated experience.” The two primary dining locations will be the

photography by Filmmagic/Filmmagic

Market Center and Caesars Palace. The event takes place from 1 pm to midnight all three days. Suffice to say, Life can be as overwhelming as it is beautiful, which is why that third day was added this year. “We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to plan,” Choudhry says. “It’s not like a festival like Coachella or Lollapalooza, which are almost entirely about music, where food is just for sustenance, the drinks are so you can get drunk, and the art exhibits are where you find shade. We have a fundamentally

“IT’s fOr peOple we call ‘experIence enThusIasTs,’ and ThaT Includes jusT abOuT everyOne.” —rehan choudhry

temporary beer garden near the Downtown Stage and the interior of Container Park on Sixth Street. RM Seafood’s Rick Moonen, Hard Rock Hotel’s Culinary Dropout, Origin India, Palm Restaurant, Red Rock Resort’s T-Bones Chophouse, and Fleur by Hubert Keller are among the participating vendors. Onstage presentations at Container Park by such star chefs as Marc, Bryan, and Larry Forgione; Keller; Jet Tila; Eric and Bruce Bromberg of Blue Ribbon fame; Scott Conant; and Spike Mendelsohn are scheduled throughout the festival.

Life Is Learning This year’s lineup of guest speakers is highlighted by Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, the anti-Putin activists imprisoned for more than a year after being arrested for hooliganism at a protest in Moscow. The two will be featured in a 90-minute session titled “Truth,” joined by former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman. Designed to uplift, each

90-minute learning session will feature three to four speakers, says Erin Booth, the festival’s head of speaker relations, with a wide range of backgrounds, educations, and professions. David Peterson, who created the language used in HBO’s Game of Thrones, will be part of the series. Also signed on are Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, one of the individuals most responsible for Downtown’s redevelopment; Ed and Sekena Gavagan, storytellers on the radio show The Moth; and Amelia Rose Earhart, granddaughter of legendary pilot Amelia Earhart. “Similar to the music and cuisine, we want the learning series to be a real destination,” Booth says. “These sessions will be a highlight experience unto themselves.”

Life Is Art Returning as curator of the Life Is Beautiful art installation is renowned Las Vegas collector Patrick Duffy, who will take over space at the Western Hotel with 15 artists. A total of 47 artists submitted work to Duffy, who chose a variety— from longtime Las Vegas

landscape artist Jerry Misko to students at Las Vegas Academy. Eric Tillinghast, famous for his aquatic installations and the creator of a massive fountain at the Town Lodge at last year’s festival, is also returning. In addition, wall-size murals and various smaller pieces will be shown throughout the festival. Charlotte Dutoit, who heads an interior design company in Puerto Rico, is back as curator of the Life Is Beautiful street art program. And Choudhry says you can expect random acts of performance art, such as an oversize tricycle leading a conga line from venue to venue. It’s called the Lionel Express, in honor of Lionel Richie, and conducts attendees from one end of the festival to the other. “We want people to have to make a difficult choice about joining this line of people, all dancing to ‘All Night Long,’” Choudhry says, smiling. “We want them to ask, ‘Do we have time to conga?’” At Life Is Beautiful, the answer has to be yes, if you plan ahead. October 24–26; lifeisbeautiful.com V

clockwise from left:

An aerial shot of the crowd watching Capital Cities’ performance on the Ambassador Stage at last year’s two-day inaugural Life Is Beautiful; festival founder Rehan Choudhry; singer ZZ Ward got cooking with chef Scott Conant at last year’s fest.

vegasmagazine.com 53

CULTURE Spotlight RISE UP IN THE DESERT

Ryan Elisabeth Reid’s “soft rebellion” reveals hard truths about Alzheimer’s.

Making Memories

profile

Each paper lantern represents a hope, a dream, a resolution, a wish—and this month thousands will release their lanterns together over the Jean Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert as part of the RiSE Lantern Festival, promising a magical desert display of this centuries-old Balinese tradition. Even better, RiSE leaves no trace: The organizers will be able to retrieve nearly all of the lanterns, and they purchase carbon offsets for every vehicle they use in bussing people in for the magical nighttime event from the Las Vegas Strip. October 18 at sunset. For more information, visit risefestival.com.

VEGAS NATIVE RYAN ELISABETH REID’S NEW PLAY GETS TO THE HEART OF BRAIN HEALTH. BY SETH OLENICK

// return engagement //

the show’s run ended, Reid’s work with Alzheimer’s patients continued, which led her to revise the play, introducing more characters, moments, and memories from Henri’s life. The new play, simply titled Henri, is headed to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts for 13 performances, each followed by a Q&A session with physicians from the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Effecting change by eliciting emotion is Reid’s political tool of choice, and her goal is to tell stories of and for people who cannot advocate for themselves. Henri runs October 17–26 in the Troesh Studio Theater at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $49 and are available at thesmithcenter.com.

SOMETHING WICKED...

THE INAUGURAL BROADWAY SHOW to play The Smith Center when it opened in 2012, Wicked returns by popular demand this month. The winner of more than 50 major awards, Broadway’s best-selling production six years running continues to break box-ofﬁce records across the country. October 8– November 9 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. thesmithcenter.com

VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

Lanterns light the sky over the Mojave Desert. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SETH OLENICK (REID); JOAN MARCUS (WICKED)

When 23-year-old Ryan Elisabeth Reid made The New York Times last year, it wasn’t for her recognizable last name (Senator Harry Reid, majority leader of the Senate, is her grandfather, and Rory Reid, the former Clark County commissioner, is her father). It was instead her first play, One Day in the Life of Henri Shnuffle, an intimate glimpse into the life of a man living with Alzheimer’s, which debuted in Brooklyn, that garnered attention. In fact, Reid admits that her life as an artist could be considered a “soft rebellion” against her political family—although she considers her art a form of activism. “My goal is to bring people face-to-face with Alzheimer’s, even if it’s hard to watch,” she says. After

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PeoPle Power Strip Michael Gruber—seen on the roof of Drai’s—has made a career of injecting adrenaline into Vegas nightlife.

LabeL Maker photography by brad swonetz

Drai’s EntErprisEs partnEr Michael Gruber is parlaying Victor Drai’s aftEr hours following into las VEgas’s first major rEcorD labEl. by todd peterson On a blistering evening in July, I catch up with Michael Gruber at Drai’s Beach Club, atop The Cromwell. Gruber is gamely posing for photos in the 100-plus-degree heat and offering a rundown of where he’s spent his week: St-Tropez, London, Manhattan, Vegas. In a few hours he’s catching a red-eye back to New York City. Michael Gruber isn’t a household name in Vegas, but his fingerprints can be found on some of the Strip’s

most innovative ideas of the year. He is the managing partner in Drai’s Enterprises, headed by entertainment/restaurant/nightclub entrepreneur Victor Drai. The two men have been partners for seven years, and this year the company rolled out Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub, as well as the new Drai’s After Hours, The Cromwell’s basement clubslash-speakeasy for 24-hour partiers. It’s no continued on page 58

vegasmagazine.com 57

PEOPLE Power Strip clockwise from top left:

Gruber with Ice Cube on the set of Three Kings; the exterior of Drai’s; a gold record for Queen Latifah’s Black Reign album; a paperweight replica of an LA Lakers championship ring.

58 vegasmagazine.com

as a distribution channel for international artists who need exposure in the US. “It’s an injection of adrenaline into an overseas artist’s career that they sometimes need,” he says. And if a star with worldwide appeal wants to play the Nightclub and release a single on After Hours Records, that would be just fine, too. A record label has been part of Gruber and Drai’s plan right from the beginning. “We were talking about this from the day we looked at who we were going to put on the DJ stand,” Gruber says. “For the last 10 years, this town has been breaking artists. Why not use the clubs and actually give the artists a platform and an opportunity to have record deals?” Ideas for additional Drai’s clubs—in locales from Vancouver to Bangkok—have been floated, but managing the everyday operations at Drai’s, he says, is what keeps his juices flowing. Last spring the $100 million-a-year company had 50 employees. By July that number had jumped to 600. With a knowing smile, Gruber adds, “This is just the beginning.” V

For the record: Michael Gruber’s inclinations and inspirations Bare Necessities

must-see shows

“A workout and a good meal after work.”

Absinthe with his wife; Love with his wife and son; Jersey Boys with his father; Britney Spears’s Piece of Me with his daughters.

las vegas love

Gruber is based in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife and son (he also has two daughters in college). But he is a frequent Vegas visitor. “Five-star hotels, great restaurants, great entertainment, and gambling if people want to: Those things are going to keep this city on top of the charts for a very long time.”

rare Pleasures

The occasional round of golf and catching up with old clients, such as Andrew “Dice” Clay, who has a residency at Vinyl at Hard Rock. “He’s a sweetheart,” Gruber says, “and the show is funny.”

photography by MELISSa VaLLaDarES (rINg, rECorD); braD SwoNEtz (DraI’S)

coincidence that After Hours has returned to its original basement location, where for 16 years it was the post-club hangout for every industry worker and club kid in the city. It’s also no coincidence that Gruber is the driving force behind another After Hours, this one a record label, with strategic partnerships engineered to shake up the world of electronic dance music. After Hours Records, the first major label headquartered in Las Vegas and the first located on the Strip, is a collaboration between Drai’s Enterprises and Turn First Artists, the London-based management group that handles artists such as Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora. Gruber approached Turn First CEO Sarah Stennett with the label idea, and they eventually struck a deal with Capitol Records for a three-way partnership designed to offer emerging EDM artists everything they need to boost their careers. From Gruber’s vantage point, the goal is to find “interesting producers and artists who are about to turn the corner.” And operating three venues—the Beach Club, the Nightclub, and After Hours— means Gruber has a pretty good handle on who the rising stars are. The idea is that Drai’s Enterprises can provide its talent with something that other venues can’t: the opportunity to build a following by performing at the various Drai’s clubs—anywhere from five to 20 times a year—before crowds that change nightly but are loyal to the brand. “You get a fan base,” Gruber explains, “and from that fan base you grow a core. From that core, these artists can perform in venues around the globe and create great music.” Of course, what’s good for the artist is also good for Drai’s: The company is holding a lot of real estate at The Cromwell and needs to fill it nightly. But speaking to Gruber, it’s clear his work is a labor of love. “You want to discover, you want to break, you want to nurture, and you want to create,” he says. “That’s obviously what you want to be involved in.” But he also wants After Hours Records to serve established performers—ideally

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PeoPle Desert Patrol

Mix Master

CoCktail alChemist Craig SChoettler deCamps from ChiCago for Vegas. magiC happens. by michael kaplan With his slick ponytail and his rock-star-skinny suits, Craig Schoettler may not look like a beverage innovator, but wait till you taste what he’s pouring.

There are several immediate giveaways that Craig Schoettler, recruited last year to run the cocktail program at Aria, is not your typical casino beverage guy, starting with his hardware demands: carbonators, recirculating chillers, aquarium pumps, and, most notably, a rotovap (rotary evaporator, if that helps). With it, Schoettler can make pulp-free pineapple juice and heatless Fresno chili water (you get the flavor without the mouth burn). But more important, his unorthodox ways have produced some mind-blowingly good libations, instantly elevating Las Vegas’s casino cocktail game. A trained chef, Schoettler honed his craft at the Aviary, the Chicago mixology mecca co-owned by superstar chef Grant Achatz, before Aria executives lured him away to turn booze into bait for gamblers. “We provide experiences that you would really need to seek out [if you were] in your hometown,” says Schoettler with some understatement, figuring that he has the only rotovap west of the Mississippi. He slides over a cocktail called The

INSIGHT:

LocaL beer of choice: “Sin City and Big Dog’s both do fantastic jobs. When I’m home, I drink something out of a can, since it functions as a mini-keg.”

Last great book:

Wild West. With its clever use of flavored ice cubes— which change the taste of this bourbon-laced drink as they melt—it’s a memorable bit of boozy legerdemain. But like any skilled magician, Schoettler makes it seem effortless: “It’s like four or five different cocktails in one. Normal ice cubes dilute. Instead, why not add ice that complements?” Beyond exquisite fancy drinks, Schoettler’s know-how and connections pair nicely with the buying power of Aria. In addition to overseeing the resort’s custom-brewed Cabaletta beer, he has been able to acquire extremely rare, extraordinarily expensive bottles of whiskey. He ticks off a Gordon & MacPhail bottling of 1940 Glenlivet Scotch, a 62-year-old Macallan, and enough Hardy’s Perfection to fill a Sky Villa bathtub. “We charge $5,500 a pour for the Glenlivet—I could never have done that in Chicago,” he says, acknowledging that Vegas is one of the few places where people will part with that kind of cash for spirits. “So far we’ve sold half the bottle, and it is fantastic. Clients have gotten smarter. They want rare; they want different. We provide those experiences.” Schoettler is aware that his job is as much about entertainment as liquor. “People like to live it up when they come to Vegas,” he says. “We want to make their experiences memorable and keep them coming back to see something new.” arialasvegas.com V

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photography by Square Shooting

“Jim Meeghan’s PDT Cocktail Book is fantastic. And you can make the cocktails at home.”

PEOPLE Belle du Jour Katie Epstein on the roof of El Cortez, her family-owned piece of vintage Vegas.

Front oF the house

Bubbly and bodacious, Katie Epstein hardly projects the image you’d conjure of an employee at a 73-year-old mom-and-pop operation. But then, her family’s hotel and casino, El Cortez, has upped its hip quotient in step with Downtown’s urban renewal, so who better to serve as this boutique resort’s frontwoman? Epstein didn’t always plan on a career in Vegas hospitality. Now a managing partner at the revered property and its director of guest services, Epstein—daughter of El Cortez owner Kenny Epstein—studied child development at Vanderbilt University. “I planned to work with kids,” she explains. But the Epstein blood is thick (“I wanted to be closer to my family”), and she returned to Las Vegas. At her father’s suggestion, she took a job at Wynn, working in every department, from horticulture to housekeeping. After that hospitality crash course, Epstein joined her father, as well as older sister Alex—a managing partner and the property’s executive vice president—at El Cortez, where she handles a variety of tasks, including marketing, social media, interviewing potential employees, and training new hires using a customer service program adapted from the one she completed at Wynn. “We don’t really have specific roles,” Epstein notes. “We wear a lot of hats and have shared responsibilities.” As for Downtown’s

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by casey brennan

evolving landscape, “There’s so much development and change,” she says. “All of the new restaurants and bars are bringing more foot traffic, which is great for the entire community.” But it’s not all work and no play. “My dad is a total foodie, so we go to Piero’s on Mondays and Café Chloe on Wednesdays,” she says. “I also hang out a lot at Rockhouse and PBR”—both owned by her beau, Jonathan Fine—“and I love Chinatown, especially Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen. They have the best Thai fusion!” On her days off, Epstein enjoys hiking Red Rock Canyon with her golden retriever, Happy; working out at Real Results; and shopping at Top Shop, Zara, and the Downtown boutique Coterie. “I love wearing dresses and big jewelry,” she says, “and I can’t resist really nice shoes and bags.” But her real passion is travel. “It’s my most favorite thing. I love going to Napa and Tahoe for the weekend, and New York City is one of my favorite places. I was at Oktoberfest in Munich with my mom and sister last year, and I really want to visit Spain and Morocco. Thailand is also at the top of my list.” But despite her enviable itinerary, her Downtown home is still where Epstein’s heart is: “There’s just so much new blood and excitement in the neighborhood!” V

photography by jenna dosch

For El CortEz sCion atie epstein, an EnviablE liFEstylE is part oF thE job.

Exclusivity waits for no one. Ownership opportunities are now limited. We have reserved the best for this close out phase. MandarinOrientalResidencesLasVegas.com | 866.950.2489

This is neither an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of offers to buy, any condominium units in those states where such offers or solicitations cannot be made. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED OR QUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. This condominium project does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status. © 2014 CityCenter Land, LLC. The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas (The Residences) are not developed, sponsored, owned, offered or sold by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group or any affliate thereof (MOHG) and MOHG makes no representation, warranty or guaranty of any kind regarding The Residences. The developers and owners of The Residences use the Mandarin Oriental name and trademarks subject to terms of revocable licenses from MOHG which may expire or be terminated.

PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity

Fight Club Rules

Dr. Margaret Goodman examines Bobby Boy Velardez ringside at Mandalay Bay while Erik Morales stands victorious.

Former ringside doctors Margaret goodMan and Flip HoMans are working tirelessly to keep combat sports clean. by michael kaplan At 6 am in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines, a directive from Las Vegas set off a recent ruckus in the living room of featherweight boxer Nonito Donaire. He was fast asleep and had instructed the housekeeper not to disturb him under any circumstances. But a visitor insisted that Donaire be roused from slumber. Certain that she was putting her job at risk, Donaire’s housekeeper woke him up. Bleary-eyed but out of bed, the Vegas-based pugilist saw an American woman with a carrying case. He knew what she had come for: his blood

64 vegasmagazine.com

and urine. Donaire had signed up with the nonprofit Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, agreeing to be tested for drugs at any time, with no warning. Without argument, he gave his visitor what she requested. The association was launched in 2011 by Dr. Margaret Goodman and Dr. Edwin “Flip” Homansky, partners who share long histories as ringside physicians. Homansky has worked some 2,000 fights, including classic confrontations featuring Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike

Tyson (yes, including the ear-biting incident). He served as chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s Medical Advisory Board, was vice president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, and has lobbied vigorously for enhanced drug testing. Goodman, a neurologist, consulted with the New York State Attorney General’s Office on neurological injuries in boxing and rose to the post of chief ringside physician. They share a love of boxing and a desire to see combat sports remain pure. The physicians launched

“even as performanceenhancing drug use was common, nobody would do anything. so we did.” —dr. margaret goodman

VADA in response to what they felt was a lax attitude toward performanceenhancing drugs in the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts. Over the last three years, Goodman and

Homansky have devoted much of their time and resources to helping fighters prove that they’re clean and to offering free education through their organization, continued on page 66

photography by Melissa Valladares (hoMansky and goodMan); ap photo/keVork djansezian (Morales)

Margaret Goodman and Flip Homansky at Las Vegas’s Fasi Action Sports.

PeOPLe spirit of generosity Charity register

Manny Pacquiao (right) is one of the boxers who have signed up for the program.

Opportunities to give. project pink

Station Casinos will “pink out” all of its properties during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Southern Nevada. Project Pink raises money all month long from specially created pink-themed dining, entertainment, and gaming offerings at its properties. When: All october long Where: Station casinos locations

Homansky tending to Evander Holyfield after Mike Tyson bit off part of his ear on June 28, 1997.

Contact: 702-822-2324; komensouthernnevada.org

—dr. margaret goodman

which is funded by donations as well as the financial support of athletes, promoters, and sponsors that care about keeping fights clean. “There’s a lack of knowledge among regulators of boxing and mixed martial arts,” says Homansky. “Early on, for example, they didn’t think anabolic steroids would do any good for non-heavyweights who want to be fast and lean. But that’s just ignorance. Drugs can be used in cocktails that create anything you’re looking for, whether it’s speed or bulk.” In Nevada, steroid testing began in 2001. “But it’s still not done correctly,” Homansky points out. “Athletes know when they’ll be tested” and can time their drug use. VADA operates differently: Testing times are random, and any fighter who fails to be available within 60 minutes of being approached receives a warning. If it happens a second time, he is out of the program. Those who have signed up with VADA include Ultimate Fighting Championship greats Georges St-Pierre and Roy Nelson and boxers Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley. Recognizing the importance of keeping boxing and MMA clean and credible, particularly in Vegas, the doctors work zealously to set an agenda they hope will one day become standard. “I talked to different commissions about anteing up [requiring stringent testing],” says Goodman, whose novel Death in Vegas will be published this fall. “But even as performance-enhancing drug use was common, nobody would do anything. So we did it. There are fighters who want to show a commitment to clean sports—and they want their opponents to be clean as well.” The VADA process is state-of-the-art and comes with consequences—including being reported to various athletic organizations—for those who fail

66 vegasmagazine.com

the test. “We test for hundreds of things,” says Goodman. “We test for human growth hormones. We test for EPO—the most common form of blood doping, it increases the number of red blood cells. But athletes don’t need fancy drugs. They can just walk into an antiaging clinic and get a testosterone prescription. It’s a successful doping drug because it has a short life in the blood and can easily be timed to not show up when you don’t want it to.” Although Homansky and Goodman agree that harsher penalties and more-stringent testing can help keep drugs out of boxing and MMA, they also believe that education goes a long way. Along those lines, they helped put together a seminar at Las Vegas’s Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, spoke at the Association of Boxing Commissions, and, through VADA, advise athletes who want to know which supplements are legal and which are not. Sometimes, in fact, it’s not illicit drugs that cause a problem. Goodman remembers one fight in which a cornerman could not get his boxer’s nose to stop bleeding. “I later found out that he was taking anti-inflammatories before the fight,” she says, explaining that they thin the blood and make clotting more difficult. And sometimes fighters just need to be protected from the people closest to them. “Young athletes are guided by promoters and managers who can be enablers—these people may only care about the fight going on and getting paid,” says Homansky. “It’s possible that fighters can take things without even knowing that they’re illegal. Every morning, let’s say, the fighter gets a smoothie, made by his trainer. Typically he has no idea what’s in it.” Now, Goodman says, with the help of VADA, “He does.” For more information, visit vada-testing.org. V

nAthAn AdelSon hoSpice Wine And Food tASting The largest nonproft hospice in Nevada presents its 15th annual Wine and Food Tasting Extravaganza, which benefts programs designed for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Among other services, the programs provide 24-hour, on-call availability of a hospice medical professional; care in the home; medication, equipment, and supplies; in-patient pediatric care; bereavement counseling; spiritual care; and psychosocial support services. When: thursday, october 9, 5:30 to 8 pm Where: gaudin Motor co., 7200 W. Sahara Ave. Contact: 702-938-3910; nahwine.auction-bid.org

ShrinerS hoSpitAlS For children open’S Sixth AnnuAl WoMen’S dAy luncheon Mercedes Martinez of KMXB-FM 94.1’s “Mark and Mercedes in the Morning” hosts this luncheon to kick off the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which takes place October 13 through 19. A silent auction will be followed by a delicious meal atop The Hill, the tournament’s hospitality venue overlooking TPC Summerlin. Shriners Hospitals provide pediatric specialty care as well as world-class research and education. When: tuesday, october 14 Where: the hill, tpc Summerlin Contact: 702-873-1010; shrinershospitalsopen.com

M.e.n.u.S. 2014 The 13th annual M.E.N.U.S. (Mentoring & Educating Nevada’s Upcoming Students) gala raises money to support the Epicurian Charitable Foundation’s endeavor to provide college scholarships to fnancially needy Clark County teens seeking careers in hospitality or the culinary arts. The gala will feature poolside dining and a guest DJ, followed by a Zac Brown Band concert at MGM Grand Garden Arena. When : Friday, october 17, at 6 pm Where: MgM grand pools and garden Arena Contact: 702-932-5098; ecfv.org

photography by MIKE NELSoN/aFp/gEtty IMagES (hoLyFIELd); gEtty IMagES (pacquIao)

“there are fighters who want to show a commitment to clean sports.”

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INVITED Lenny Kravitz and Maria Menounos at the SLS Las Vegas grand opening event.

photography by erik kabik

Welcome, SlS! Extra host Maria Menounos welcomed Lenny Kravitz to the stage poolside at Foxtail during the star-studded opening night of SLS Las Vegas on August 22 (and stretching into the wee hours of the next day). The preview party began on the red carpet with stars like Aaron Paul, Emile Hirsch, Dita Von Teese, and Holly Madison. Kravitz took the stage just for a moment to greet the screaming crowd, saving his performance for a private group, including friends and family of SBE’s chairman, Sam Nazarian, in The Sayers Club. Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora performed their hit collaboration “Black Widow” on the Foxtail stage. And crowds lined the streets for the dazzling fireworks that marked the midnight opening—and silver-ribbon cutting—of the new resort. Let the games begin.

vegasmagazine.com 69

INVITED Rita Ora

Arash Azarbarzin, Sam Nazarian, and Sam Bakhshandehpour

Jhene Aiko

SLS LAS VEGAS GRAND OPENING

Event sponsor Ketel One’s ice bar

Iggy Azalea

SBE FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN and CEO Sam Nazarian introduced the newest hotel on the Strip, SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, with creative director Philippe Starck and culinary director José Andrés. The 1,600-room property features an award-winning collection of restaurants, including Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, Katsuya by Starck, and more. Guests enjoyed the unparalleled nightlife offerings, such as LiFE, Foxtail, and Hollywood’s beloved live music venue The Sayers Club.

José Andrés, Philippe Starck, Sam Nazarian, and Lenny Kravitz Maria Menounos

A sleek luxe sedan from BMW

Pamela Anderson

Chef José Andrés in an i8 by BMW

70 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

SLS’s signature monkey uniform

Sabina Kelly

SLS entertainers

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIK KABIK (SLS), ‘LOS ENTERPRISES (OPPOSITE)

Samantha Ronson

Rosie Abrams, Mark Salisbury, Katie Indroilo, and Kristina Bello

Josef Wagner, Kristen Schaefer, and Adam Vesley

Heather Kim and Marie Villa-LaPointe

Sponsor Absolut Elyx

SUMMER LIST PARTY AT AZURE LUXURY POOL Elizabeth Sewell and Tim Schlesinger

VEGAS MAGAZINE and the Azure Luxury Pool at Palazzo hosted an exclusive Summer List celebration with Absolut Elyx. Entertainer Jimmy Hopper set the mood as guests enjoyed the Muly-lyx and the Elyx’sted Club cocktail and tasted a variety of delicious hors d’oeuvres from restaurants at Venetian and Palazzo, including db Brasserie, Zine, and Buddy V’s. David Weaver, Katy Henningsen, Harinder Atwal, and Monique Allen

Keith Salwoski and Emily Merkley Nancy Ruiz and Natalie Sesko

Dillon Shoe, Livia Drake, and Andrew Insigne

Ricardo Laguna, Claudine Grant, and Jay R Beatbox

Kenny Ebalo and Alison Waite with Rachael and Shane Sigsbee

Drew Juen, Tricia Hetherington, and Dane Dishman

Ruth Fung, Peter Joachim, and Elaine Balsewich Poolside entertainment

VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 71

INVITED

Jessica Zivkovitch, Olivier Krug, and Brenda Bernstein

Leora Blau and Karin Sporn

Kate Zhong and Jeffrey Cummings

Cliff and Jennifer Atkinson

Krug Grande Cuvée

Garth Hogdgon and Adam Rolfe

Jason Burke, Liz Lynch-Ryan, and Peralta

HL Greenburg and Kristin Walters

KRUG CHAMPAGNE TASTING EXPERIENCE AT LOUIS VUITTON

Custom-made roulette wheel

Reed Radosevich and Hedy Woodrow

exceptional Champagne tasting experience with Olivier Krug, a sixth-generation member of the Krug family, at the Louis Vuitton boutique inside The Shops at Crystals. Guests enjoyed elegant hors d’oeuvres provided by Mandarin Oriental and sipped Krug Grande Cuvée and Krug rosé while Olivier Krug enlightened guests about the craftsmanship of Krug Champagnes. Heather Marianna, Vince Valenti, Charisma Cady, and Jerry Misko

VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

Heather Karmin, Claudia Rothschild, Judy Ku, and Judith Caro

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ALAMO

ON JULY 22 Vegas magazine hosted an

FO L LOW U S

P E R F O R M I N G N I G H T LY L O C AT E D I N T H E L E G E N D A R Y H A R D R O C K H O T E L , N O B U L A S V E G A S ’ C R I T I C A L LY A C C L A I M E D S I G N AT U R E FA R E L I K E Y E L L O W TA I L S A S H I M I W I T H J A L A P E Ñ O A N D S H R I M P T E M P U R A W I T H C R E A M Y S P I C Y S A U C E A R E G U A R A N T E E D T O R O C K Y O U R TA S T E B U D S .

FOR RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL: 702.693.5585 HARDROCKHOTEL.COM

TasTe This Month: Chefs We Love

Show off and Tell

One Of the city’s mOst meticulOus temples Of culinary executiOn, Nobu puts On beef theater that will make yOur carnivOrOus friends weep with envy. by catherine de orio photography by sabin orr

Nobu chefs cook teppanyaki Wagyu over an open flame right at your table.

“It’s hard to say what the guests should expect other than one of the most amazing meals of their life,” says Bryan Shinohara, general manager of Nobu in Caesars Palace, about the teppanyaki Wagyu beef banquet. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, known for his “new-style” Japanese cooking, has developed a cult following. And with the beef banquet omakase, it’s easy to see why. This seven-course, all–Wagyu beef menu puts the focus on the food while adding just the right amount of flair to create a prime dining experience for luxury-hunters. Located in the Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, this is Nobu’s only US outpost to offer teppanyakistyle Japanese cooking. Guests have the option of dining at two communal teppan tables in the luxurious main dining area or in the private dining room. Reaching temperatures upwards of 400 degrees, the teppan grill, with the levels of heat varying throughout its flat iron surface, allows chefs to prepare everything from soup to soufflé in front of diners. continued on page 76

vegasmagazine.com 75

taste Nobu’s perfectly charred shishito peppers.

“We designed this menu With Vegas in mind.... it has a touch of the extraVagant and excessiVe to it.” —thomas buckley

While beef may be the star of the show at Nobu, the hand-rolled sushi is equally droolworthy.

Wagyu salad.

76 vegasmagazine.com

Although myriad proteins are offered, it’s the ultradecadent prix-fixe Wagyu beef banquet that has guests dropping $688 (or more) to satisfy their most extravagant carnivorous cravings. Touted as the world’s most flavorful, tender, and expensive beef, Japanese Wagyu is “a delicacy in the same way as foie gras,” explains Thomas Buckley, executive chef at Nobu in Caesars Palace. Its marbling lends rich flavor and a buttery texture to the beef, which practically melts in your mouth. All Wagyu, however, is not created equal—it varies by grade (A5 being the highest) and region. Wagyu from Kobe has finer marbling, Buckley says. “So if you hold it in your hand raw, it just melts naturally.” Thus he prefers to feature more than one type on the menu to provide guests with different tastes and textures throughout the meal. And with a bit of advance notice (at least 24 hours is required), he can take you on a regional Wagyu tour without leaving the table. Southeast Asia and the Far East inspired the menu—specifically, Vietnamese beef banquets and Tokyo restaurants that showcase various cuts. Similarly, Buckley uses not only primary cuts of tenderloin and rib eye, but also secondary and tertiary cuts like oxtail and tongue. He says his ideal menu takes a nose-to-tail dining approach, since “all the cuts are delicious and have fantastic marbling.” The offerings range from award-winning A5 Miyazaki Wagyu tenderloin finished with ginger, garlic, chives, seasonal truffles, and lightly seared porcini mushrooms (giving it an Italian spin and a nod to Nobu partner Robert De Niro’s heritage) to street food gone upscale with a decadent Wagyu gyoza. Since the beef is the star of the show, the chefs explain the ingredients (why they may use an A4 versus an A5, for example) and cooking techniques. For instance, a large piece of beef seared on all sides and cubed to bite-size pieces melts the internal fat, resulting in “burst in your mouth” meat. But while the show focuses more on technique than tricks, with a winner of the Food Network’s Flying Knives competition manning the grill, you can still expect to see some midair egg cracking, knife juggling, and lightning-fast slicing and dicing. “The banquet is for someone who appreciates food and the quality they’re getting,” says Buckley. Laughing, he adds, “Also, we designed this menu with Vegas in mind…. It has a touch of the extravagant and excessive to it, which sums up the Vegas customer very well.” 702-785-6628; nobucaesarspalace.com V

PRIME CHOICE. TIMES TWO.

PRIME

SUCCULENT

FINE

M AG N I F I C E N T

STEAKS

SEAFOOD

WINES

MARTINIS

TBONES

HANK’S

R E S E R VAT I O N S 7 0 2 . 7 9 7. 7 5 7 6

R E S E R VAT I O N S 7 0 2 . 6 1 7. 7 0 7 5

TASTE Food for Thought

Brotherhood of the Toque If reality TV teaches us anything, it’s that people love a good chef-versuschef showdown. But is the rivalry genuine? When Daniel Boulud, of db Brasserie in Venetian (702-4301235; dbbrasserie.com), goes to dinner, is he checking out his competition? “No, we don’t think of that,” says Boulud emphatically. “Never.” Then what do they think about as they peruse the menu? “We don’t even open the menu, because the chef wants to cook for you,” he explains. “It is a real fraternal relationship.” And as with actual siblings, sometimes you have a favorite. “While I love them all, there is one in particular I’m more attached to,” Boulud confesses. “Guy Savoy. He’s one of my closest friends and has one of the finest restaurants in Vegas.” The artichoke and black truffle soup at Caesars Palace’s Restaurant Guy Savoy (702-731-7110; caesarspalace.com) is “something very special,” Boulud says. “It looks like a simple artichoke soup, but it takes so much to make it.” For Savoy, there’s no rivalry at all. “Each restaurant has its own individual style and we all try to do our best,” he says. Savoy’s favorite is Mitsuo Endo’s Aburiya Raku (702-367-3511; raku-grill.com). He describes its cuisine as product-driven and Japanese with a world view. “It is made for cooks,” Savoy says. “He’s

78 vegasmagazine.com

open at night until 3 am, so we can go after service.” Mario Batali agrees: “I crave all of the robata grill dishes at Raku, as well as the Kobe beef liver sashimi and just about anything chef Mitsuo Endo makes.” On the Strip—where he has four restaurants in Venetian and Palazzo, including Carnevino (702-7894141; carnevino.com)—Batali favors the scampi crudi and the antipasto menu at Wynn’s Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare (702-770-3298; wynnlasvegas.com). From the octopus salad to the bottarga salad, “Paul’s cooking is simple, clean, confident Italian magnificence at the top of the field internationally,” raves Batali. For Paul Bartolotta, traditional Neapolitan pizza “is one of my soft spots.” Sometimes twice a week he’ll order sliced mortadella, a glass of wine, and a margherita pizza at Settebello (702-901-4877; settebello.net). “It makes me smile.” “There’s a little bit of a fraternity,” says Bartolotta about Vegas’s chefs. He goes down the list: “Ducasse is amazing. So is Thomas Keller. Daniel has done a beautiful bistro…. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a more precise and perfect restaurant than Joël Robuchon (702-891-7925; joel-robuchon.com). Dish for dish, I’m proud of the food I make, but you have to acknowledge that he’s the man.” V

from top:

Chef Daniel Boulud, who says there’s a “real fraternal relationship” among Las Vegas’s chefs; Paul Bartolotta’s Triglia alla Ponentina (red mullet with olives and capers); Restaurant Guy Savoy.

PhotograPhy by bill Milne (boulud); courtesy of bartolotta (triglia); courtesy of caesars (guy savoy)

competition among restaurant kitchens may be natural, but that won’t stop Vegas’s top chefs from singing each other’s praises. by jennifer leuzzi

taste On the town Buddy Valastro and Sebastien Silvestri toast “to a great night in Vegas.”

Andiamo’s Caesar salad earns raves for more than just its tableside preparation.

Beet salad with orangetarragon vinaigrette.

Andiamo, Incognito

cake boss Buddy Valastro draws crowds of thousands in vegas. for one night, he and venetian f&b director seBastien silVestri get away from the cameras (except ours). by jessica zivkovitch

80 vegasmagazine.com

Guido Sassicaia, the two open up about fame, food, and how to nail the restaurant experience.

let’s meet: Where:

how has it been to get such a tremendous reception in Las Vegas? BUDDY VALASTrO: It’s been so surreal. I’ll never forget when I came out the first time. I was filming Bakery Boss and I took a flight that arrived at one o’clock in the morning. I go inside and I’m seeing the lights and I cried. That was one of the greatest feelings: I made it. I’m here. I’m in Las Vegas. I love the fans and I appreciate that they come to the bakery, to the restaurant, and everything that they do. SeBASTIen SILVeSTrI: Everybody around the world knows that Buddy is the Cake Boss. I follow him on Instagram: 25,000 people showed up to see him at a mall in Brazil! BV: And there were about 15,000 outside. They had to close the mall down! SS: I have never seen anybody who conTInueD on PAge 82

Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Steakhouse, the D Las Vegas, 301 Fremont St., 702-388-2220; thed.com When:

Dinner is served nightly from 5 pm to 11 pm. WhAT:

Terrifc steaks, handmade pastas, and a VIP experience for all

photography by sabin orr

When Buddy Valastro opened his first restaurant, Buddy V’s, one year ago, even Sebastien Silvestri, Venetian and Palazzo’s food and beverage director, was surprised at the line snaking through the resort to get a glimpse of the “Cake Boss.” When he opened Carlo’s Bakery, the Vegas iteration of his family’s 100-year-old Hoboken, New Jersey, business, across the corridor from Buddy V’s earlier this year, the resort had to double up on security. “The guy is a rock star,” Silvestri says of his friend. Of course, as the man in charge of food and drink in a 7,000-room resort stocked with more celebrity chefs than anywhere else on the Strip (or the world), Silvestri is hardly anonymous himself. When the two were craving some comfort food, we sent them to Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Steakhouse in the D—an old-school-style Italian restaurant by way of Detroit. Among the high-backed booths, white-jacketed waiters bring back VIP service for all, with classic steakhouse rituals like the tableside Caesar salad, plus meats sourced from Pat LaFrieda and Strauss Brands. Over a four-course meal washed down with a 2009 Angelo Gaja Barbaresco and the 2009 Tenuta San

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taste On the town Valastro and Silvestri peruse the menu.

Andiamo’s famous osso buco.

can drive those types of numbers. BV: Chefs always treat me so nicely, and they’re always like, “You’ve got to try every dessert on the menu!” That part is really cool! And it’s very humbling. But the show has become a lot more than that. The original goal was to make my bakery a household name. That was the promise I made to my father when I was 16. A lot of times my show helps people through hard times. You don’t know how many Make-A-Wish kids I see or people who have been in the hospital who were excited about the show because it reminded them of home. The waiter brings a roasted beet salad with orangetarragon vinaigrette and prepares the caesar salad. So, the original Caesar is attributed to an Italian immigrant who ran restaurants in Tijuana during Prohibition. Cultural appropriation is what Vegas does so well. How do you think they’re doing it here at Andiamo? BV: Honestly, the Caesar salad is phenomenal. It’s very well balanced, and you cannot beat watching it made tableside. There’s this misconception with the anchovies in Caesar salad that you can taste it, but it’s a unique type of flavor profile.... SS: I love it. BV: And they have omega-3s. I need more salad.

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It’s so good. The beet salad is really good, too. It isn’t trying to be froufrou Italian. This is something we’re trying to do: Spaghetti and meatballs are what people think of when they think of Italian, so why not make it? SS: And make it great! handmade pastas arrive: agnolotti and tortellaci. BV: When I was 16, me and my dad were looking in a bridal magazine, and he said to me, “Can you imagine one day if our wedding cakes were in a bridal magazine?” About two years after he died, a writer featured one of our cakes in modern bride. I was in that same magazine every single issue for years straight…. Food Network called one day and said they did this cake competition show and asked if I would compete in it. And then I did a bunch of them. And then one day they said they wanted to do a cake show.... SS: Before the show, you were already in the bakery business for a hundred years. Was it all local bakeries in New Jersey? BV: Mostly New York and New Jersey, and now I’ve been all over. California, Mexico, Canada, Dubai! Discovery [Channel] is all over the world, and the one show they have everywhere is cake boss because it does so well.

Do you think it’s because everyone loves dessert, or is it you? BV: I think it’s the family, and people can relate no matter where you go. I mean, the cakes are amazing, but people know that I’m real. If you see me on television, I’m the same guy. My parents raised me that way. valastro has a 24-ounce long bone Tomahawk rib eye with handmade gnocchi, and silvestri has a 16-ounce bone-in filet with lobster risotto. SS: We should take that bone with us. Ryan Lochte is a friend of yours, Sebastien, and he comes to Andiamo to have a place where he’ll be taken care of and can dine in peace. SS: Vegas is so small, and I love it because you have all your friends all around town, but I don’t think that I have any privacy anymore. But it’s okay. I’ve been here for 10 years, and of all of the places I’ve lived, it is my favorite because the energy is unbelievable. People are driven. They work. It’s a young town. People can succeed and do well. BV: This is a great pick. I would never have known to come here unless you invited me. It’s all about creating experiences for people, no matter who they are. If you deliver a good experience, that’s what’s important. V

photography by sabin orr

“The cakes are amazing, buT people know ThaT i’m real. if you see me on Television, i’m The same guy. my parenTs raised me ThaT way.” —buddy valastro

TASTE Spotlight LATIN FLAVOR

Luck of the Irish

good spirits

IRISH WHISKEY SEES A RESURGENCE IN LAS VEGAS AS HIGH-END OFFERINGS POP UP ALL OVER THE STRIP. BY ROBERT HAYNES-PETERSON Before Prohibition, Irish whiskey was the most popular whiskey category in the US. While it can’t claim to have retaken that mantle, it has experienced an incredible surge in demand in recent years. Sales of premium Irish whiskey are up 459 percent since 2002, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, and up 17.9 percent over last year, according to The Irish Times. Not long ago, many Americans ordered Irish whiskey only on St. Patrick’s Day. Now, thanks to the huge popularity of Jameson shots and picklebacks, along with the expansion of high-end expressions, we’re learning to appreciate the clean, smooth, nonpeated character of the category. “Irish whiskey has become a drink for both local Las Vegans and visitors,” says Tim Herlihy, brand ambassador for Tullamore Dew. “It’s particularly versatile, and unlike categories with slightly more defined techniques when sipping, there are no rules for Irish whiskey.” You can find Tullamore Dew Original and

// hot spot //

the 12-year expression at the Cromwell (thecromwell.com), DB Brasserie (dbbrasserie.com), and Delmonico Steakhouse (venetian.com), where it sits among about 40 labels, including 18- and 21-year expressions from Jameson and Bushmills, plus a 1994 Knappogue Castle 17-year Sherry Cask Finish, Greenore 18-year Limited Release, and the incredibly tasty (and rare) Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy. Over at the Talon Club (cosmopolitanlasvegas.com), in addition to Kilbeggan, Jameson, and Black Bush, you’ll find Teelings, a label launched by sons of a longtime distillery worker whose goal is to bring independent distilling back to Dublin. When you’re ready to dive deep into the category, head to the Whiskey Bar at Rí Rá (rira.com), where you’ll find 57 different bottles, from Tullamore Dew Original to revived single-pot still variations like Redbreast 15-year. Feeling particularly celebratory? Opt for the Knappogue Vintage 1951, carefully served at $350 per pour. Slàinte!

MADE IN THE SHADE

WELL-LOVED RESTAURATEURS ELIZABETH BLAU and chef Kim Canteenwalla’s new space at Tivoli Village is primed to be the nabe’s best hangout. At Made L.V., look for comfort-food favorites with a twist (try the unlikely but delicious pastrami-style eggplant sandwich, smothered in caramelized onions and Swiss cheese) and healthy touches like the terriﬁc Tivoli Market salad with Tuscan kale, upland cress, hearts of palm, radish, avocado, dried cherries, puffed rice, and chai seed dressing. 702-722-2000; made-lv.com

VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

Tacos pollo with chicken al carbón, avocado, corn, salsa verde, and queso fresco.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX LUKIN (WHISKEY); DREW TEMPLETON (TACOS); BILL MILNE (MADE L.V.)

The Whiskey Bar at Rí Rá is rightfully proud of its bottles.

Alfredo and Patricio Sandoval have developed a cult following for their fish tacos at Mercadito in Chicago and New York. Now they’ve brought their amped-up street fare to Red Rock in a long, low-key room that’s part of a massive, $35 million revamp. There are nine tacos on the menu, but don’t miss the espada— exclusive to Vegas, with blackened swordﬁsh, a green tomato slaw, and habañero aioli. Another winner: the trio of guacamoles. Wash it all down with a V-9, a virtuous-looking concoction of fresh pineapple juice, lime, “supergreens,” and ginger, made a little naughty with El Tesoro Blanco tequila. Another location opens in Green Valley Ranch this fall. Red Rock Resort, 702-7977777; redrock.sclv.com

Rediscover Authentic Italian

LOCALS RECEIVE 25% OFF OUR DINNER MENU HOLIDAY PARTIES — PARTIES OVER 20 RECEIVE $200 GIFT CARD TOWARD NEXT VISIT LATE NIGHT OPEN BY POPULAR DEMAND 11PM – 2AM DAILY MUSIC NIGHTLY FOR DINNER AND LATE NIGHT

Osso Buco • Homemade Pasta • Prime Natural Steaks • Fresh Seafood FOR RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL 702.364.5300 4480 PARADISE ROAD ACROSS FROM THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO FERRAROSLASVEGAS.COM *Not to be used with any other promo. Not valid some holidays. Dinner menu only. Dine in only. Management reserves all rights. 3 YEARS

BEST ITALIAN

Presents The Sixth Annual

VEGAS GIVES Wednesday, November 12, 2014 6 pm to 8 pm

Signature drawing items from Grand Canal Shoppes partners include:

Barneys New York, Christian Louboutin, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, db Brasserie, Kwiat Boutique and more!

To RSVP, visit: VegasMagazine.com/vegasgives $50 donation includes event entry and two drawing tickets $100 donation includes event entry and ďŹ ve drawing tickets Additional drawing tickets available at the event for $40 each or ďŹ ve for $100 (CASH & CHECK ONLY)

LIVE FROM NEW YORK ... IT’S KEY TO THE CURE! ©

Join Saturday Night Live and Saks Fifth Avenue in the fight against women’s cancers. Get the shirt, designed by rag & bone, available exclusively at Saks this October. Then shop October 16 to 19, when Saks will donate 2% of sales to local and national women’s cancer charities.* Special thanks to SNL’s current and former castmembers, the 2014 Ambassadors for EIF’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Key To The Cure.

*SAKS WILL DONATE 2% OF SALES FROM NEW YORK, BEVERLY HILLS, SAKS.COM, AND OFF5TH.COM UP TO A TOTAL OF $500,000 FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16-19 ALONG WITH 100% OF KEY TO THE CURE T-SHIRT SALES FROM OCTOBER 1 - DECEMBER 31 TO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION. PLEASE VISIT YOUR LOCAL SAKS FIFTH AVENUE STORE AND SAKS.COM/KTTC FOR INFORMATION ON YOUR LOCAL STORE’S DONATION. #SAKSxKTTC © SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AND ITS RELATED CHARACTERS AND TRADEMARKS ARE PROPERTY OF NBCUNIVERSAL MEDIA LLC.

Spade on deck

He’s not a sHallow, tart-cHasing rake or a selfcentered former cHeerleader turned tax-law manipulator—He’s just played tHem on tV. still, david Spade just can’t stop bringing tHe funny. By Leslie Van Buskirk photography by Brian Bowen Smith

Although he’s been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, perhaps the surest sign of David Spade’s talent is the fact that most people think he really is the snarky womanizer he’s portrayed on TV’s Rules of Engagement and in the Grown Ups movie franchise. But caustic skirtchasers don’t keep a cache of longtime loyal friends (Spade’s include Saturday Night Live alums Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, movie director Judd Apatow, and Just Shoot Me! costar George Segal), and selfobsessed celebs don’t quietly write personal checks to worthy causes (Spade just donated $100,000 to the ALS Association in lieu of dousing himself with a bucket of ice water and gave $200,000 last summer for Oklahoma tornado relief). What fans may also not realize is that the eternally youthful 50-year-old remains a stand-upcomedy animal, criss-crossing the country for several

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months a year. Before he hits the Mirage stage with pal Ray Romano on October 17 and 18, the actor-comedian gave us a glimpse of the surprisingly thoughtful guy behind the sarcasm. What do you remember about your earlier years in Las Vegas? I started my Vegas show years ago at the Improv at the Riviera—21 shows a week for $500 total. It was three shows a night, 12 minutes a show, and it was great! Although it was really hard to walk through the casino on the way to the show and not be able to play. I mean, you just cannot look, you have to put the blinders on, ’cause $500 isn’t much, you know? Back then I couldn’t stay at the Riviera. I had to stay at, like, the El Chucka Shacka, but I got to eat with the busboys at the Riviera.

Twill suiting jacket ($1,875) and pants ($690), Marc Jacobs. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-3692007; marcjacobs.com. Navy shirt ($450) and classic black shoes ($800), Giorgio Armani. Via Bellagio, 702-893-8327; armani.com. Pocket square, Tom Ford ($165). The Shops at Crystals, 702-740-2940. Classic 43.5mm Small Seconds timepiece, David Yurman ($3,600). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 704-794-4545; davidyurman.com

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Those shows were the glory days. [Sopranos actor] Steve Schirripa was my manager at the Riviera—he worked at the hotel back then. I remember that he always said I looked like a girl! And I’m no Celine Dion, but I did pretty well. I filled the room up decently. If you could see a classic Las Vegas act from the past, who would it be? Elvis, hands down. I grew up watching his specials—my mom loved him, so the whole family would watch them. Where do you go in town these days? I can’t go to the clubs or the pools anymore—the pool has turned into the club now—I’m too old for that. The great thing is that all the hotels have the best restaurants now, so I’ll eat dinner there, do the show, and then I just tap out. [Pause] I can’t really go out into the casino anymore. You know, it used to be autographs—that’s how old I am: People would just ask for an autograph. But now it’s selfies. And the thing about selfies is that before you know it, someone has you in, like, a headlock and you’re going, “What? What’s going on—?” And then it’s done, they’ve taken the selfie, and you’re left going, “What just happened?” Is playing Vegas easier or harder than doing a gig in, say, Chicago? I have to say that audiences here are pretty great. Some people say that Vegas is mostly old people, but that’s changed so much in the past decade or so—it’s younger people mostly. I get a nice mix: people who know me from Saturday Night Live or Rules of Engagement or Grown Ups, although a lot of those people have no idea that I even do stand-up. Will there be a Grown Ups 3? I’m sure, yeah. They’re writing it now. I think it’s going to be set in the winter this time and I’m getting married. That’s what I’ve heard anyway, but we’ll see. Speaking of which: Why are you still on the road doing one-night gigs when you could be sitting back, cashing giant TV syndication checks? I’m actually waiting on some Rules of Engagement checks right now! [Laughs] I like stand-up—it got me here, it got me on SNL. And it’s still fun. And it’s still hard, but I want to keep up with the other comedians. I like watching them, and I get really jealous when they’re good. And at least I still have some drive—I’m not phoning it in. Stand-up keeps you on your toes. I imagine it’s been ages since you bombed? Not like I did when I started out, but I bomb pretty hard every few months. [Pause] I bombed hard in Vegas, actually, for a charity event. They had all these tables set up and it was black tie, which is usually hard. Before I went up, they had this 12-year-old girl onstage, some phenom singer, and this girl sings “I Will Always Love You” and gets a standing ovation! So I’m walking out and she’s coming off, and out of jealousy I say to her, “Hey, you’ll get ’em

next time!” And then to add insult to injury, when I’m coming off, and it did not go well, Ray Romano, who’s going on after me, says, “You did good!” And I say, “Ray, no one’s listening. The audience is too far back. It’s just bad.” And then from beginning to end, he crushes! [Laughs] It was so embarrassing. You’ve worked with a lot of famous people. Well, I guess that’s true, and I can safely say that I don’t have too many coworkers or exes that hate me... Since you brought it up: You’ve romanced some celebrated beauties, like Pam Anderson, Heather Locklear, Julie Bowen. Have you found it’s more difficult to date someone in the business, or is it easier? I think you just date who you like. Sometimes I meet an actress who’s super-cool, and sometimes I meet a waitress who’s super-cool. The hard part is getting them to like you back. There’s pluses and minuses either way. Considering your many years of experience, what’s your answer to the age-old question “What do women want?” Um… I’ve had some experience but I’m no expert. Okay, I think if you’re not a good-looking dude, then you have to be interesting—that’s my angle! And now I realize interesting is too hard. I still don’t have it figured out. I’m probably no better at it now than I was 20 years ago. Relationships are so complex. I mean, it’s a terrible thing to say, but I wouldn’t want to be in most marriages that I see. I think, stay in it for as long as it works, you know? Like, give it a year to try to turn things around, not 10 years. TV’s been very good to you. Will we be seeing you on the small screen again soon? I’m writing one now with a buddy, and I didn’t realize how spoiled I was. When you start from scratch yourself, you have to put in a good year and a half developing it. I want to do it for cable; it’s more of an R-rated show— not dirty, just a little rougher than network. I would play myself, a version of myself, and I’m getting older and I had a health scare and have to turn my whole life around. It’s fake but it’s a funny premise. It’s a crapshoot. We’ll see what happens. You recently hit the half-century mark yourself. How did you celebrate? I decided to go under the radar because I was getting too old. So I just had a dinner, but then a friend made a crazy 25-minute video that was really fun. There were all these people on it—my family, people from Rules of Engagement and Just Shoot Me!, even Elton John! Oh my God, I sound like such a name-dropper. I just realized that. [But] it was so sweet. It closed with Brad Pitt, Miranda Kerr, Jennifer Aniston…. By the way, I’ll be selling copies in the lobby after each show. For tickets, call 702-792-7777 or visit mirage.com. V

“Back then, I had to stay at, lIke, the el chucka shacka. I’m no celIne dIon, But I dId pretty well.”

opposite page: Black wool waistcoat ($920) and black wool pants ($800), Dior Homme. The Shops at Crystals, 702-5970941; diorhomme.com. White shirt, Giorgio Armani ($450). Via Bellagio, 702-893-8327; armani.com. Patterned tie, Emporio Armani ($195). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-650-5200; armani.com opposite page, center:

Suit ($1,350) and French cuff shirt, Emporio Armani ($395). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-650-5200; armani.com. Tie, stylist’s own Digital photo assistant: Lee Wall Photo assistants: Embry Lopez and Brandon Smith Sittings editor: Danielle Yadegar Stylist: Gaelle Paul for Walter Schupfer Management Grooming: Sylvia Viau-Kistler for Cloutier Remix

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THE HIGH ROLLER

TIËSTO Dutch DJ Tiësto, a godfather of the electronic dance music world, has toured the globe for more than a decade. But it’s Vegas that inspired his latest album, A Town Called Paradise. And the video for the radio-friendly hit single “Red Lights”—a song about running away from everything and reveling in the moment—was filmed here. “The video is very much a tribute to the city,” Tiësto says. “I travel all over, but due to my residency I seem to spend more time in Las Vegas than anywhere else.” And his time here has been one long highlight reel. “EDC Vegas is unlike anything else in terms of scale. But my residency at Hakkasan and Wet Republic has had so many amazing moments,” says the global phenom. “It’s hard to compare Vegas to anywhere else. Vegas is a true entertainment capital. From a dance-music perspective, people try to make comparisons with Ibiza, though it’s only similar in that both places are destinations with so many clubs and DJs in close proximity.” Yet Ibiza is seasonal. Vegas is paradise year-round, a fact Tiësto knows as well as anyone. hakkasanlv.com, wetrepublic.com

SPIN STARS EACH YEAR, VEGAS HONORS SIX MEN—OUR VEGAS ACES —WHO ARE MAKING INCREDIBLE STRIDES IN THEIR FIELDS. WHO BETTER TO CELEBRATE THAN THE DJS WHO ARE REDEFINING NIGHTLIFE IN VEGAS—AND THE WORLD?

ON THE FIRST MONDAY OF 2011, XS managing partner Jesse Waits invited DJs Tiësto, Steve Aoki, and Manufactured Superstars’ Brad Roulier, as well as Pasquale Rotella, for dinner at Wynn. They couldn’t have known that Rotella’s Electric Daisy Carnival, a summer away, would become one of the world’s biggest music festivals, or that Beatport, the dance-music website that Roulier cofounded, would soon be acquired for $50 million. Or that DJs like Tiësto and Aoki would make millions headlining colossal Vegas clubs. “We all had a feeling that Vegas was on the verge of something special,” Tiësto says, “and that’s why so many of us made such a commitment to the city.” DJs have become the city’s new leading men, making a nearly immeasurable cultural and economic impact. Here are six who have turned Las Vegas into the party capital of the world.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUY AROCH, BRIAN ZIFF (OPPOSITE)

By Andy Wang

the aCtION JUNKIe

steve aoki Steve Aoki is all about chasing a rush. He cliff-dives, snowboards, does CrossFit, and happily lets go of everything when he’s in the DJ booth or crowd-surfing on an inflatable raft. It’s all dopamine, after all. “I’m drawn to that feeling,” says the Hakkasan and Wet Republic resident DJ, whose new album, Neon Future, was released in September. “I’m not into drugs. I don’t really get drunk anymore. I find my adrenaline through music and sports and poker and things like that.” He’s also focusing energy on his new Vegas house, a 15,600-squarefoot Summerlin mansion that he calls The Compound and that’s turning into a “Steve Aoki signature house.” His team of contractors is creating a “multipurpose, functional house,” he says, with a studio, rehearsal space, a multimedia room for photo and video shoots, and maybe even a poker room. “Leaving LA was a difficult thing to do,” says Aoki, who moved to Vegas from the Hollywood Hills. “I wanted to create an environment where I could have as much of my life as possible, where I could develop my music.” Now known as an electro-house wizard, he remembers playing Vegas gigs back in 2005, when his friend DJ AM’s open-format mastery ruled the clubs. Since then, Aoki has seen many factors turn Vegas into the world capital of dance and nightlife: festivals, the Internet trumping radio and TV as the way many people discover artists, the big gamble that Steve Wynn took on DJs like Aoki in 2010. He has talked to Tony Hsieh about Downtown ventures that could include a place that offers raw and organic food, or perhaps a production school to help other DJs get their start. Vegas is Aoki’s house now, and he’s ready to go hard. hakkasanlv.com

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THE FRONTMAN

Dash Berlin is a collaboration of three Dutch musicians, but the whirling dervish of a DJ that festival crowds and the throngs at Marquee know as Dash Berlin is Jeffrey Sutorius. He’s the perfect face for the rousing trance act, and he knows that the stakes for his pure-energy performances are greater in Vegas than anywhere else. “The production and the elements of shows and the quality of entertainment is so high here,” Sutorius says. “You have to bring the best of the best. And the crowd is always fresh—there are always new people here. No two shows are the same.” Like an ace poker player who knows when to bet more and when to slow things down, Dash Berlin understands that coming in with a plan only takes you so far. “Deejaying is always adapting to the atmosphere and the crowd and catering to that and trying to read what people are wanting,” Sutorius says. “Where do you want to go? The story is never the same.” One allure of trance music, which Dash Berlin and other Dutch superstars, like Armin van Buuren (another Marquee regular), have dominated, is that it takes you on a journey. It’s melodic and emotional and midtempo until it’s not. And in the case of Dash Berlin, it’s largely influenced by being on the road and, of course, in Vegas. “I’ve found inspiration all over the world, met so many cultures,” Sutorius says. “Especially on the dance floor. Countries like Mexico, one of the first countries that started embracing Dash Berlin, have been so important for our music. And being a resident DJ at Marquee enables me to do so much in terms of experimenting more than usual.” marqueelv.com

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photography by Eric ita, Nick WalkEr (oppositE)

dash berlin

THE PRODIGY

zedd Zedd is a true producer. When he performs at XS, he knows that the songs are just part of the allure. “I don’t want just to be a DJ that rolls into a club and has a drink and plays the music,” he says. “We create visuals for each show. I want you to see what you hear.” So he digs deep into his own pockets to pay for elaborate projections, lights, and flames at Steve Wynn’s meganightclub. “I play a lot of songs specifically because they look great,” Zedd says. When he deejays at Encore Beach Club during the day, there are visuals, too, but the bright sun and the sunshine-celebrating songs he plays are all the light anyone needs. Lucky for Zedd—a 25-year-old Russian-German wunderkind who started playing piano when he was 4, composed music throughout childhood, and drummed in a metal band at 12—his chart-climbing songs like “Spectrum,” “Clarity,” “Stay the Night,” and “Find You” create mad joy in clubs day and night. And Zedd, who has already won a Grammy (for “Clarity”) and found time to cowrite and produce Lady Gaga songs, is getting ready to unleash even more music to the masses. But, of course, Vegas gets a sneak peak. He’s been living in LA, grinding away on a new album in his studio. And being so close to Vegas means he’s able to come back to Wynn’s clubs again and again to try out new beats and see how the huge crowds react. “It was a really packed house the last two times,” Zedd says about a string of recent shows billed as “The Summer of Zedd” at XS. “It’s an amazing feeling to know you can play every week and there’s going to be thousands of people and that it’s going to be a great moment.” wynnsocial.com

The MaraThon Man

Erick Morillo—an underground icon known for grinding out club gig after club gig and often playing slow-burning, uncompromising sets that last until well after sunrise—did something rare recently. He took some time off to clear his head. “I took a big long break,” he says. “I stopped playing September of last year and came back in May. I missed it so much. I kind of refound my love for deejaying again.” So he showed up at Space in Miami and played for 11½ hours. And with his monthly residency at the nightclub LiFE in the new SLS Las Vegas, where he deejayed the August 23 grand opening, he’s willing to make his sets as lengthy as the crowds want. “I don’t care—I can go as long as they want to go,” says Morillo, whose stamina has improved since he went completely sober more than six months ago. “I’m doing what I do.” What he does, and what he became famous doing at clubs like Tao in Venetian, where regulars knew they could show up at 7 am for a Morillo gig and still have hours of partying ahead, is play dark, sultry sets that happily ignore the pop-laden beats of commercial DJs remixing No. 1 songs. “I’m playing rough and tough underground music with some vocals here and there,” Morillo says. “I know how to straddle both worlds, keep it sexy and underground. I don’t have to play hit record after hit record. That’s not my job. I’m going to be the alternative to everything else in Vegas. This is the sexy move right now.” See you at 9 am. slslasvegas.com

courtesy of erick morillo, mark owens (opposite)

Erick Morillo

THE PIONEER

KASKADE Kaskade, the most prominent of Marquee’s headliners, has drawn tremendous crowds to everything from his Summer Lovin’ residency to an endurance-challenging 12-hour set on New Year’s Eve. “The most important preparation is obvious: making certain that I bring a colossal amount of music with me,” Kaskade says. “There’s no way of mapping out where a set like that is going to go. I can build the tension for what seems like days and take people somewhere.” It helps that Kaskade doesn’t drink (he’s been a vocal critic of the media misrepresenting electronic dance music) and that he’s been as responsible as anyone for the city’s DJ explosion. “I wouldn’t say I so much caught the beginning of the boom as I orchestrated the boom,” Kaskade says. “When Encore Beach Club hired me to play a pool party back in 2010, the idea was for me to play some house music once a month. That sounded fun, but I had a different idea. I asked them to let me curate the pool party every weekend. I wanted to bring talent in to play alongside me that Vegas had never seen or heard. I brought in Groove Armada, Chuckie, Afrojack, Pete Tong, and Dirty South, to name just a few.” The doors opened on Memorial Day, and you could feel everything starting to shift. “An absolutely massive crowd had shown up, and it was utter chaos,” Kaskade says. “The reverberations of that pool party could be felt from here to Ibiza.” Now Kaskade can show up and have every show feel like a holiday weekend. “When I began shaping the idea to hold down a residency, before that was something anyone other than Cher could do, nobody thought it could work,” he says. “Watching this concept that I was a part of pioneering not only work but monopolize the clubs is pretty gratifying.” marqueelasvegas.com

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LIGHT IT UP StyleS fit for laS VegaS burn bright at the aria.

PhotograPhy by giuliano bekor styling by douglas Vanlaningham at thearmygrouP.com

opposite page: Two-button padded

jacket ($2,975) and silk turtleneck ($1,400), HermĂ¨s. Via Bellagio, 702-866-2629; hermes.com Silk stripe-detail coat, Salvatore Ferragamo ($6,230). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-933-9333; ferragamo.com. Slubby Merino jersey mock turtleneck (price on request), stretch needle corduroy sports pants (price on request), and Adney tassel loafers ($1,610), Tom Ford. 888-TOM-FORD; tomford.com. Grande Seconde Pink Noreen Jasper watch, Jaquet Droz ($29,300). Tourbillon, The Shops at Crystals, 702-597-0284; tourbillon.com

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opposite page: Gabardine jacket,

Prada ($3,890). Via Bellagio, 702-866-6886; prada.com. Cotton shirt, Dior Homme ($600). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3496; diorhomme.com. Evening trousers ($1,345) and burgundy Territory derby shoes ($1,275), Louis Vuitton. The Shops at Crystals, 702-262-6189; louisvuitton.com Silk turtleneck, HermĂ¨s ($1,400). Via Bellagio, 702-866-2629; hermes. com. Pants, Canali ($816). Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-862-4447; canali.com

Basketball print shirt, Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci ($960). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3451; givenchy.com. Slim trousers, Lanvin ($745). The Shops at Crystals, 702-982-0245; lanvin.com. Socks, Alexander McQueen ($80). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3490; alexandermcqueen.com. Studded shoes, Emporio Armani ($845). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-650-5200; armani.com Grooming by Leiane Taylor/ celestineagency.com Model: Derek Jaeschke Ford Models Photography assistance by Kurt Lindner and Charles Brumbly Styling assistance by Christopher Allison and Halee Harczynski Produced by Laura Bialobos @Lance Media Group Shot on location at Aria Las Vegas

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Treasure HunT

Beyond the flashing neon lights of the strip, an important—and growing—collection of art lies in plain sight. you need only know where to look. by mark ellwood photography by brad swonetz

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rtists Tim Bavington and David Ryan share an unassuming studio space downtown in a sprawling former auto-body shop hunched by a railway siding that delivers ink and paper to the las Vegas review-Journal’s presses. The humble surroundings bear little evidence of the extraordinary work being done inside by the two most important contemporary artists living and creating in Las Vegas today. Bavington, rangy and charming, is famed for works that visualize rock music in geometric Day-Glo stripes. Fittingly, he has the affect of a Britpop guitarist as he bounds around the loftlike studio. “Look at this—I had to make it myself,” he says, gesturing to a Rube Goldberg sort of contraption that helps him achieve the precise color bands for which

from left:

A Downtown mural by British artist D*Face, installed for last year’s Life Is Beautiful festival; Pipe Dream by Tim Bavington at Symphony Park.

he’s known. Next door, Ryan is a more reserved presence, his shyness crackling with suppressed energy and nervous smiles. He also produces color-popping abstracts, although he often works on a larger scale than Bavington, using foam and board to create hybrids of painting and sculpture. Today he’s repairing a massive piece that was damaged en route to its destination in the Middle East. Ever careful, he’s adding extra padding to the packaging for the second shipping attempt.

oth artists have works in significant collections around the world— Bavington, for example, is represented in the permanent holdings of New York’s Museum of Modern Art—but they’re still passionate about their adoptive city of Las Vegas. Bavington points to Symphony Park in the distance, which houses his 80-foot-long outdoor sculpture Pipe Dream. Just two years old, it’s already a favorite backdrop for souvenir selfies, he says with a laugh. The reason is simple: The work is a dazzling assembly of 128 colored steel pipes, a visualization of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, with the pipes varying in size according to the dynamics of the music. To address the challenge of fading colors in the harsh desert sun, Bavington turned to an unlikely material: car paint. “This piece of art is a nod to the automotive culture from which the Strip sprung,” he says, pausing before he adds, “And my dad was a car salesman.” Ryan, meanwhile, has undertaken his most ambitious project yet. Last year the city launched a competition for artists, architects, and designers, asking them to reimagine the unloved Ogden Avenue underpass downtown. Ryan and his team, the winners of the commission, have started on the project, which relocates the sidewalks from the edge of the street to the center to create a shared walkway, while adding greenery to shield it from the wind. To brighten the underpass itself, the team is installing a swath of lights and LED screens (it is Las Vegas, after all). Both pieces epitomize the joys and challenges of visual art in Vegas. An unpretentious openmindedness here allows creatives like Bavington and Ryan free rein to bring high-caliber work to the masses. The difficulty, of course, is that much of it is hidden in plain sight, unassuming and overlooked (don’t forget that Las Vegas managed to allow its own outpost of the Guggenheim Museum to shutter). But like Ryan’s Ogden underpass or Bavington’s organlike sculpture, art in Las Vegas can be found in the most unexpected places.

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Hidden Treasures off THe sTrip

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Take the UNLV campus. Bavington studied there, an acolyte of longtime professor Dave Hickey. The swaggering Hickey, a brilliant but prickly man, is renowned for rebelling against the art world’s pseudo-intellectualism and for championing the power and value of beauty. It’s the Marilyn Monroe versus Madeleine Albright position: Art that’s pretty, Hickey argues with gusto, is just as important as art that’s smart. The critic’s legacy, other than luring creatives like Bavington to study, live, and work here, is the plethora of art spaces on UNLV’s campus. The premier one is the Marjorie Barrick Museum, tucked away in one of the university’s oldest buildings. The site was originally a gymnasium but was repurposed for contemporary art two years ago, after a stint displaying objects of natural history. It’s now a 6,000-square-foot art museum that hosts rotating exhibitions. Another UNLV arts organization jostles with the Barrick for attention, however. Twenty-five years ago, some enthusiastic students started the Contemporary Arts Center, a space intended to showcase

edgier, more experimental work by local artists. It’s now staging pop-up events in situ to help raise funds for a new permanent home. Last year a group show, “Exquisite Corpse,” was dedicated to works on paper. But arguably the city’s most unexpected site for top-tier contemporary art is a medical facility: the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The twisted silver façade, designed by Frank Gehry, shades an outdoor café and garden where LA-based artist Peter Alexander’s sculpture Sugar— shards of glass piled high like a rock candy pyramid—is permanently installed. More intriguing, inside the hospital you’ll find a bona fide art gallery. The pieces on the wall here are all for sale and help fund the work of this Cleveland Clinic subsidiary, with the money split equally between the artist and the hospital. The major difference between this and most such philanthropic galleries is the caliber of the work—by the likes of Pop Art icon James Rosenquist and ceramicist and surf culture chronicler Ken Price.

from left:

Peter Alexander’s Sugar at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; two pieces from Damien Hirst at Red Rock; Siren by Marc Quinn.

the brothers who own red rock are passionate collectors of contemporary art.

WestWard Ho: Contemporary masters at red roCk

Perhaps just as surprising as a medical center stuffed with important works of art is what’s happening 13 miles west. Stroll south past Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa toward its corporate offices and you’ll be greeted by Kate Moss—or at least a sculpture of the supermodel by British artist Marc Quinn. It’s part of his notorious series depicting Moss, her body whitewashed and pretzeled into tantric poses and her expression disconcertingly blank. The brothers who own Red Rock, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, are passionate collectors of contemporary art and install select pieces from their holdings, like Quinn’s work, in the resort’s public areas. In the lobby you’ll find two pieces by Damien Hirst, arguably the most famous artist working today. One is a 30-foot-long spot painting, among the largest Hirst has ever executed, while the other is a dove, caught in midflight then encased in formaldehyde—simultaneously beautiful and revolting. The Fertitta brothers even commissioned work from photographer Olivo Barbieri, known for his aerial landscape photos shot to look

like miniature models. After they saw that he had shot a sequence of Las Vegas scenes, they asked him to produce a second series of 20 images focusing exclusively on Red Rock, and these now dot the property’s buildings. The cracked paint on Quinn’s Moss sculpture, however, hints at why public art projects in Las Vegas are harder to manage and maintain than in most American cities. “The elements are so difficult here—the materials and the harshness of the heat,” notes the city’s top art consultant, Michele Quinn. “Wind is a factor, and color doesn’t last well.” Hopefully, there are conservators at work on the murals that remain from last year’s Life Is Beautiful festival downtown. A clutch of would-be Banksys were tapped to create murals to decorate the neighborhood, some of which can still be seen, largely along and around Seventh Street. The quality of the work varies wildly, but an undoubted standout is the huge Pop Art – meets– zombie apocalypse piece by British street artist Dean Stockton, better known as D*Face.

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In PlaIn SIght: On the StrIP

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It was Michele Quinn who oversaw the installation of the outdoor art of the Strip’s CityCenter complex. This $40 million project includes 15 works by contemporary artists. Standouts include Nancy Rubins’s brightly colored bouquet of boats, Big Edge, and the huge stainless steel sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Typewriter Eraser, Scale X. Two of the site’s other pieces lurk indoors, sparkling works by James Turrell, an artist obsessed with the power of light— housed, fittingly, in The Shops at Crystals. Shards of Color is ill-served by its location, more akin to an architectural doodad than a work by one of the world’s top conceptual artists. But the second piece, Akhob, is a true must-see. This enormous work sits unmarked on its own floor inside, and above, the Louis Vuitton store. Just make an appointment, and when you arrive, you’ll be whisked upstairs. Here Turrell has created one of his largest works ever, and a true masterpiece: a womblike installation, flooded with ever-changing light that’s meditative and unsettling at the same time. It’s sheltered from

the Strip’s hubbub (Bavington calls it “a sorbet to Las Vegas,” a spiritual palate cleanser), and each tour is limited to four people, so the experience remains intense and private, like accessing an art-world VIP room. Cosmopolitan partnered with the New York–based Art Production Fund to create a comprehensive program of contemporary work, whether it’s the eight discofied columns at check-in, shimmering with color-saturated videos, or the poppy murals on the concrete walls of the self-park garage. Called Wallworks, the garage project includes contributions by Shinique Smith, Kenny Scharf, and Shepard Fairey. Cosmopolitan’s quirkiest art outpost, however, sits on the mezzanine level among the hotel’s high-end restaurants: the P3 studio. This residency space has hosted artists such as Fab 5 Freddy and Shelter Serra (nephew of Richard), who live and work there gratis for several weeks. Early this year, the closing party for local artist Alisha Kerlin seemed like any other glitzy evening bash on the Strip—at least at first glance. Trays of

Pawn Gallery

clockwise from far left: Nancy Rubins’s

brightly colored bouquet of boats, Big Edge, at CityCenter; James Turrell’s Shards of Color, four recessed geometric shapes backlit in neon, which debuted last year next to the gateway to aria sign on the main level of The Shops at Crystals; Cosmopolitan’s self-park garage gets a dose of certified urban art with Wallworks.

Champagne flutes were emptied as soon as they appeared, the crowd’s chatter just raucous enough to drown out the background music. Something about the bash, though, was off-kilter, as one stiletto-sporting passerby noticed, puzzled. She was right: The room was full of men and women in animal accessories—one shunting a gorilla mask up over his forehead to more easily finish another glass of Champagne. The reason for such outré outfits was simple: Kerlin called her zoo-inspired residency “Marking Territory.” Huddled inside this discreet art hub were a passel of the city’s cultural heavyweights, including consultant Michele Quinn; Aurore Giguet, from the Marjorie Barrick Museum; and Tarissa Tiberti, who runs the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. It’s Tiberti who summed up the subtle approach to art so characteristic of Las Vegas right now: “You have to take into consideration all the competition for attention: the marquees, the LED screen graphics, the signage.” Art that screams will be drowned out, she explains, while art that whispers will eventually earn the right attention. V

The weekday throng at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop downtown is testament to the enduring pop-culture power of Pawn Stars, the reality TV hit that’s been shot there for the last few years. Hanging on the walls, easily overlooked amid the posters and memorabilia, are scratchy, mostly monochrome doodles in wooden frames. Peer closely at the labels, though, and their true value becomes clear: One is an etching by Rembrandt. It’s a bargain at $12,000 compared with the piece nearby, a frst-state print from Albrecht Dürer, marked $64,999. The walls of Gold & Silver might seem an unlikely place to fnd a haul of Old Masters, but the ad hoc gallery is a pet project for the pawn stars. It was a combination of cash and cachet that led the shop to hire Chad Sampson as its frst professional art wrangler last year. He says that pawning art isn’t unusual: “When you need money, the frst thing you sell isn’t your car or your house; it’s your paintings.” Sampson notes that casino-based galleries need a 300 percent markup to remain proftable. The lower overhead at Gold & Silver allows him to price major works at up to 50 percent less than on the Strip, and he focuses on blockbuster names: Chagall, Dalí, Matisse, Picasso. Most of the works are prints or etchings priced at $10,000 or less; in the past, however, the shop has sold a Dalí-designed tapestry for $100,000 and even some Picasso lithographs for $250,000 each.

Art World BlAck Book Cosmopolitan artists-in-residence program cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/ experience/art.aspx James Turrell Shards of Color, inside Crystals; crystalsatcitycenter.com James Turrell Akhob; bookings: 702-730-3150; open Thursday–Monday, 11 am–8 pm Marjorie Barrick Museum 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702-895-3381; unlv.edu/barrickmuseum Contemporary Arts Center 1217 S. Main St.; lasvegascac.org

Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health 888 W. Bonneville Ave., 702-483-6000; louruvocenterart.org Life Is Beautiful Downtown Las Vegas; lifeisbeautifulfestival.com Tim Bavington Pipe Dream, Symphony Park, 361 Symphony Park Ave., 702-749-2012; thesmithcenter/explore/ the-art; timbavington.com World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop 713 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 702-385-7912; gspawn.com

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Life inspired watchmakers look to history, human achievement, and the endless possibilities of space to spur their creativity and embolden designs perfect for las vegans. by roberta naas | photography by jeff crawford | styling by terry lewis

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mechanical marvels Watchmaking is a testament to man’s engineering ingenuity, and watchmakers have continually looked to other builders and creators for ideas. Watch designers take a cue from the miracle machines that are among humanity’s greatest achievements. clockwise from top: This Omega

Speedmaster Mark II ($6,250) is inspired by the Speedmaster Professional chronographs that accompanied the astronauts when they took their first steps on the moon in 1969. This newest watch offers an automatic movement and a tachometric scale on its sapphire crystal, which is illuminated from beneath by an aluminum ring filled with SuperLuminova. It houses the Co-Axial caliber 3330 self-winding movement with the si14 silicon balance spring and column-wheel chronograph. Horologio Jewelers, Venetian, 702-733-0016; omegawatches.com Hamilton first took to the air with the American airmail service in 1919 as its pilots flew their fledgling runs between New York and Washington. For nearly 100

years, the brand’s strong involvement with aviation has inspired both form and function in its watches. Hamilton’s Khaki Skeleton watch ($1,290) features a skeletonized H20 movement with propellerlike accents that pay homage to this unique history and the brand’s love of aviation. Aria, 702-795-0477; hamiltonwatch.com As official timekeeper and sponsor of the Grand Prix de Monaco since 2002, Chopard is inspired by its deep association with classic auto racing. This Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chrono ($7,640) is crafted in stainless steel with a 44.5mm titanium case. It features a silver dial with yellow racing accents and houses a mechanical self-winding movement. Chopard, Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3469; us.chopard.com

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an Historical perspective

Sometimes a look back into the archives provides all the inspiration a designer needs. Many of today’s foremost brands have a storied past from which to draw concepts and ideas to inspire new timepieces, taking the best design elements from yesterday and blending them with the most up-to-date innovations of today. from left: This Hermès Dressage

L’Heure Masquee ($43,750) recalls the brand’s origins, when it created equestrian-inspired accessories. The 18k rose-gold Dressage features an inventive complication that partially hides the time. In its natural state, the watch displays only the hour hand, with the minute hand hidden behind. With the push of a button on the side of the case, the minute hand moves to display the full time. The watch also features a dual time indicator. Just 500 pieces will be made. Bellagio, 702-866-2629; hermes.com

From Rolex, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer watch ($6,550) is inspired by the brand’s great adventures in the Himalayas and pays tribute to the first successful

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ascent of Mount Everest, by Sir Edmund Hillary, who famously reached its summit in 1953 with a Rolex Oyster on his wrist. The watch is crafted in steel with a perpetual mechanical self-winding movement and is a COSC-certified chronometer fitted with a steel Oysterlock bracelet. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3560; rolex.com opposite page, clockwise from top: The new Montblanc Homage to Nicolas Rieussec Limited Edition ($11,500) is a tribute to the French watchmaker who patented the chronograph in 1821 as a means to precisely measure the running times of individual horses in a race. This rich history inspired the brand to create an entire collection with distinct manufactured movements. The watch’s unmistakable appearance

combines an off-center hour circle in the upper part of the dial and the chronograph’s elapsedtime displays in the lower portion of the dial. As on the 1821 original, elapsed time is shown on two rotating discs, above each of which a motionless hand indicates the passing seconds and minutes. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-732-0569; montblanc.com Inspired by the record-breaking ultrathin watches it developed in the 1950s, Piaget returned to the drawing board and took three years to build this revolutionary new Piaget Altiplano 38mm 900P ($27,800). Even the watch’s name was subtly inspired by the past (the original ultrathin caliber, released in 1957, was called the Caliber 9P). This new 38mm white-gold timepiece is the

thinnest mechanical watch, with movement parts actually merged with the case in a revolutionary design that is a record-breaking 3.65mm slim. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-5470; piaget.com Breguet founder Abraham-Louis Breguet is known as the father of invention when it comes to watchmaking. In the early 19th century, he designed and patented the first tourbillon escapement. Inspired by its roots, Breguet continues to innovate and regularly releases stunning tourbillon timepieces. This new Classique Complication Ref. 3357BR/12/986 ($102,700) is crafted in 18k gold and houses a hand-wound, hand-engraved movement with small seconds coaxial with the tourbillon escapement. Bellagio Las Vegas, 702-733-7435; breguet.com

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from the Heavens

The sun, the stars, the moon, and the Earth have exhilarated watchmakers, yielding a wealth of heavenly renditions. From moon-phase timepieces to watches that depict the zodiac to those designed with elements of a globe, this watch category is filled with imagination as vast as space itself. from left:

From Jaeger-LeCoultre, this Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire ($42,700) houses an extraordinary Dual-Wing movement that offers two independent power supplies. The watch shows the date and the phase of the moon for the Northern and Southern hemispheres, synchronized through the jumping seconds hand mechanism, which displays one-sixth-of-asecond increments. Encore Las Vegas, 702-770-5472; jaeger-lecoultre.com This Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Orbis Mundi Moon Phase watch ($66,700) offers hours and minutes, with a second time zone that can be adjusted by two correctors that won’t affect the original zone, plus a moon-phase indicator that can be adjusted to a

For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to vegasmagazine.com/watches.

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particular time zone. The mechanical watch is crafted in 18k gold; the moon-phase disk is aventurine and the moon and stars are painted in gold powder. The watch can be easily changed from a strap wristwatch to a pocket watch to a table clock. Wynn & Company Watches, 702-770-3520; bovet.com opposite page, clockwise from top:

This Harry Winston Midnight Moonphase Automatic watch ($28,400) is crafted in 18k rose gold and offers moon-phase indication via a realistic gold moon display in a subdial at 6. Beneath that moon indicator is a retrograde date indicator on the outer rim. The watch is finished with a sapphire caseback for viewing of the meticulously finished movement. The Shops at Crystals, 702-262-0001; harrywinston.com

From A. Lange & Söhne, this Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase ($48,200) is crafted in 18k pink gold with a solid silver argenté dial. The moon-phase indicator is made of solid gold and features a patented coating process. The watch also offers a big date indication, an up/down power reserve indication, and a subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds. Bellusso Jewelers, Palazzo, 702-650-2988; alange-soehne.com From Arnold & Son, this HM Perpetual Moon watch ($29,950) is crafted in 18k 5N rose gold. The 42mm watch features a guilloche blue lacquered dial and a rose-gold perpetual moon indicator. The mechanical Caliber A&S1512 offers 90 hours of power reserve. Roman Times, The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-733-8687; arnoldandson.com

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haute property This four-bedroom home at 45 Hawk Ridge Drive in The Ridges is part of a wave of new luxury developments sweeping Las Vegas.

Mansion Expansion photography by LesLie CuLLer

Las Vegas prepares for its massiVe Luxury growth spurt. who’s buying? Lots of new luxury is coming to the Vegas real estate market. Hundreds of lots, as it happens, containing—if all goes according to plan—multimillion-dollar homes built with the newest materials and technologies in communities that emphasize nature, conservation, and sustainability. On one side of town, there is the 555-acre Summerlin project in which the Howard Hughes Corporation has partnered with Discovery Land Company (discoverylandco.com) to create a residential resort community unlike anything Las Vegas has seen. The Arizona-based Discovery, known for constructing elite private clubs and residential complexes

by andy wang

all over North America, will build a Tom Fazio–designed golf course on land that’s well-suited for it, with peaks and valleys and views of the adjacent Spring Mountains, nearby Red Rock Canyon, and the Strip. “This is probably as good as it gets,” Discovery partner Steve Adelson says of the community’s location, just south of The Ridges. “We’re really excited about the elevation changes from a golf perspective and creating view corridors for the real estate.” The residential offerings (in a project that Adelson predicts will take five to seven years to sell and 10 years to fully continued on page 118

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The home at 45 Hawk Ridge Drive in The Ridges just sold for $4.5 million.

Iliquam, ulles ipsae id quaecum imusanisi si occum faccabor sitatem et, sendigenimus dellest rent apero vent, sus, quos es doluptatque

“this is just the beginning. there seems to be no ceiling for the top end of the market.” —john tippins build out) will include club suites that could start at 1,000 square feet and five-bedroom units that will weave together indoor and outdoor living. But the biggest draw for elite buyers—who will also enjoy the development’s private restaurants, fitness center, and spa—is the custom home sites. From one-third to two acres, these lots are expected to fetch $1 million or more each and eventually hold around 250 estate homes and club cottages starting in the $3.5 million to $4 million range. “This project is five minutes from downtown Summerlin,”

says Kevin T. Orrock, president of Summerlin and vice president of master-planned communities for Howard Hughes (howardhughes.com). He expects houses from 3,400 to well over 20,000 square feet. Summerlin isn’t alone in its desire to lure new buyers who have the bankroll to purchase a multimillion-dollar home. Henderson’s 664-acre Ascaya development (ascaya.com) has its own stunning desert and mountain backdrop, and broker Ivan Sher of Shapiro & Sher (lasvegasfinehomes.com) is excited to sell its 313 custom home lots. “It’s unique not just for

At 99 Hawk Ridge Drive is this 13,490-square-foot residence with Midcentury Modern interiors, plus mountain and city views.

Iliquam, ulles ipsae id quaecum imusanisi si occum faccabor sitatem et, sendigenimus dellest rent apero vent, sus, quos es doluptatque

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Vegas but for anywhere,” he says, noting that international buyers long familiar with the location rave that they haven’t seen anything like it: “You kind of meander in a canyon 3,200 feet in the air. This is going to be the place for people who are looking for world-renowned modern architecture.” Ascaya’s home sites start at just under $1 million, but the residences built on them will sell for at least $3 million. Darin Marques, Sher’s sales manager for Ascaya, notes that one huge selling point is that all the sites are ready for construction: “The water, power, sewer—all the infrastructure is in place. That’s very rare for a project.” And the setting, rising from the McCullough Range with Strip views, is hard to beat. Is Vegas ready to handle this much high-end housing? Leading brokers aren’t sure. “Summerlin has done a fantastic job of providing infrastructure that is second to none,” says broker Gavin Ernstone of Simply Vegas (simplyvegasrealestate.com), who has sold many of the top homes in The Ridges, where a contemporary desert style meshes well with modern architecture. Ernstone, who recently went into contract on the $8 million, 13,490-square-foot home at 99 Hawk Ridge Drive, and the $4.499 million, 7,016-square-foot listing at 45 Hawk Ridge Drive, has seen the market soar. But he has concerns about the sheer amount of luxury product being introduced into new communities. “It will be interesting to see if the price points stay where they are,” he says. And, of course, Las Vegas is already packed with exclusive communities where you can find fantastic homes, either finished or still in progress. Broker Bob Barnhart of Luxurious Real Estate (luxuriousestates.com) is working with eco-friendly developer Growth Construction (growthconstruction.com) on plans for new residences, including a 20,000-square-foot colossus with a 20-car garage in Southern Highland’s ultraelite Shadow Canyon. “A house of this caliber could be priced at $20 million,” Barnhart says. Then there are communities like Red Rock Country Club, where those without the desire for a custom home can find what Barnhart calls “entrylevel luxury.” Ernstone’s listings there include the nearly 5,000-square-foot Red Rock house at 11352 Golden Chestnut Place for $1.19 million. Another rarefied area is Spanish Trail. “It’s a legendary community here, being the first high-end golf-course master-planned community on the west side,” says John Tippins, a partner with The Agency Nevada (theagencyre.com) and founder and CEO of Northcap (northcap.com), which owns and manages more than 2,000 Vegas residences. The Agency’s listings include the Spanish Trail mansion at 26 Vintage Court, a 24,563-square-foot house built in 1993 and listed for $7.85 million. Tippins, for one, is eager to see new high-end developments around the city. “This is just the beginning,” he says. “There seems to be no ceiling for the top end of the market. They aren’t making any more mountains to offer these views.” V

photography by LesLie CuLLer (45 hawk ridge); pauL t. stoCum (99 hawk ridge)

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haute property News

Let’s Start Over

In real estate, as at the casino tables, sometimes the smartest thing to do is walk away and start over. Case in point: The Imperial Palace was renamed The Quad Resort & Casino just two years ago, but it’s already time for another rebranding. The weathered property, one of the more budget-friendly casino resorts on the Strip, is getting a $223 million renovation and will be reborn as The Linq Hotel & Casino (caesars.com/ thelinq) when it opens on October 30 with 2,256 stylish modern rooms and suites, as well as new retail, spa, and pool deck facilities. The Gramercy, a massive new mixed-use development near Russell Road, just off the 215 in southwest Las Vegas, has added some culinary heft to its residential, retail, and office complex—once the mothballed ManhattanWest. Chef Alex Stratta, who earned two Michelin stars at Wynn Las Vegas, will open the 5,300-square-foot Alex Stratta Italian Steakhouse at the northwest corner of the development’s central park area. The restaurant will feature a glass-enclosed patio, live entertainment, and a wood-burning oven. The developers of the Gramercy (gramercylv.com), which has 500,000 square feet of space spread over 20 acres (plus underground parking), are aiming to complete its first phase before the end of the year. After an extensive renovation, the storied Bunkhouse Saloon (bunkhouselv.com) is rocking again.

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Dating back to 1953, the music venue was purchased by Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project in 2013. The building, at 124 South 11th Street, has been extended to create space for a new stage, sound system, and kitchen, plus new backyard seating and a north-side entrance with access from Fremont Street. Fizz, the Caesars Palace Champagne bar from Elton John’s partner, David Furnish, is bubbling over with a worldwide reputation for its haute interiors (fizzlv.com). The 10th annual Hospitality Design Magazine Awards have named the sexy 2,750-square-foot venue the winner in the nightclub, bar, and lounge category. The two-story space, inspired by a Champagne flute, features Cognac chandeliers and ultracolorful art from Furnish and John’s personal collection. The first phase of the Downtown Summerlin mixed-use development (summerlin.com), which intends to create a walkable urban experience within a luxury planned community, is scheduled to open October 9, with retail tenants including Macy’s and Dillard’s. The 106-acre, 1.6 million-square-foot project will feature office, hotel, and residential properties, as well as more than 125 stores and eateries, including the first US outposts of the fashion brands Lindbergh and b.young and restaurants by highprofile operators such as Wolfgang Puck and Elizabeth Blau. V

top:

The Howard Hughes Company’s Downtown Summerlin mixed-use development debuts this month. above: The Linq Hotel & Casino is now open for business— and just a promenade away from destinations like the High Roller, Brooklyn Bowl, Chayo, and Blvd. Cocktail Company.

photography courtesy of the Linq hoteL (Linq); courtesy of the howard hughes corporation (downtown summerLin)

A quick rebrAnding on the Strip, renovAtionS downtown And in the SouthweSt, And A wAlkAble new center for one of the nAtion’S lArgeSt mASter-plAnned communitieS All converge thiS month. by andy wang

CELEBRATING THE BEATLES 50 YEARS IN AMERICA

DIRECTOR DOMINIC CHAMPAGNE MUSIC DIRECTORS SIR GEORGE MARTIN & GILES MARTIN

TICKETS FROM $79 CALL 800.963.9634 MIRAGE.CoM/LovE • BEATLES.CoM • CIRquEduSoLEIL.CoM/LovE

NBT & CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PRESENT A CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE

HANDMADE LUXURY TRUNK SHOWS Tis Fall Pinto Ranch brings two luxury western trunk shows to Las Vegas. Lucchese Handmade Classic Boot reps will be in-store on October 25th with the full collection. Don’t miss silversmith Jef Deegan, known for his sculpted sterling silver buckles, on November 5th through 7th all the way from Rhode Island.

Tis one-of-a-kind collaboration between Nevada Ballet Teatre and Cirque du Soleil® returns on Sunday, October 26 and Sunday, November 2 at the Mystère Teatre. Watch as two of the city’s most exciting performance companies blend together efortlessly, producing an experience that pushes the boundaries of dance.

Pinto Ranch Fine Western Wear Fashion Show Mall, 1st Level Call 702.228.3400, visit pintoranch.com

Tickets are $25 & $45 and can be ordered by calling 702.894.7722 or visiting nevadaballet.org.

NOT TO BE MISSED EVENTS • HAPPENINGS • PROMOTIONS

NOBU LAS VEGAS

HIGH ROLLER AT THE LINQ ART IS FOR CONNOISSEURS

From the series ‘Tell Your Story’ 1995, by Cornelia Büschbell 125 cm. x 84 cm., photography on crystal archive paper mounted behind acrylic glass. Seperate dye transfer along the print bottom, profoundly states, ‘I wasn’t thinking of the money I was just happy’. Exhibited internationally. Catalog published. Ed. 1/3 Serious inquiries only. Contact Teresa Ferman, Art Consultant at 213.221.9040 Email Teresa.Ferman@Ymail.com Visit artconnoisseurssalon.com

Take in the best views of Las Vegas from inside the High Roller. Fly solo or book a more private experience with an in cabin bar for you and twenty-four of your friends. Visit TeLINQ.com for more information.

Located inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Nobu Las Vegas brings the critically acclaimed signature fare from its fagship Nobu New York restaurant to the Nevada desert. Classically trained in Tokyo, world renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa has taken traditional Japanese cuisine and infused bold South American and Western favors to create a style that continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Like its award winning namesake, Nobu Las Vegas continues to enchant the palates of fans the world over. Sun-Turs, Dinner 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM Fri-Sat, Dinner 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169 Call 702.693.5090

Our mothers. Our daughters. Our best friends. together, we carry the future. 295,240 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. But with ongoing research and increased awareness, the chance of survival keeps improving. Learn more about risks and prevention at safewayfoundation.org. Then show your support with this reusable tote that helps fund cancer research. Join Stand Up To Cancer and The Safeway Foundation in our continued commitment to ďŹ nding a cure. $2.14 from the sale of the $4.99 reusable tote will beneďŹ t The Safeway Foundation to fund breast cancer research. Available at your local Safeway or online at safewayfoundation.org during the month of October while supplies last.

Wanda Sykes Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador Photo by Andrew Macpherson

The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Statistic from American Cancer Society.

the Guide The Devil’s Eggs at Carson Kitchen combine pancetta and caviar for a creamy wower of an appetizer.

Rock on

photography by peter harasty

Kerry Simon’S new Spot, Carson tChen, ServeS Some of the moSt innovative fare yet from the “rocK ’n’ roll chef.” by andrea bennett Sitting on the massive butcher-block bar that separates a few lucky diners from the open kitchen at Kerry Simon’s new Carson Kitchen in Downtown is a colorfully labeled “swear jar.” It’s a cute touch, you might think—as I naïvely did. And then you dip your toasted slice of baguette into the castiron skillet of sizzling bacon jam—sweet, vinegary, and smoky, with just a little lingering heat—and suddenly understand its purpose. Simon’s “Rock ’n’ Roll Chef” moniker has stuck since Rolling Stone administered it years ago, and with his dedicated following, he and partner Cory Harwell didn’t have to go small with their next venture. But the 60-seat restaurant with its 40-seat rooftop patio is precisely what this pre-gentrifying stretch of Carson Street was crying out for. Occupying the newly renovated John E. Carson building, a stark white former flophouse, it is the kind of cozy neighborhood joint that Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh likely envisioned when he infused the Downtown economy with $350 million. You’ll have to wait

for a seat (reservations are taken only for parties of six or more), but it’s well worth standing on line for serious winners—nothing over $20—like the addictively crispy fried chicken skins with smoked honey, the veal meatballs in silky foie gras sherry cream, and a rabbit ragu whose slight peppery flavor doesn’t stop where the natural pepperiness of its spaghetti squash base begins. The secret of the mac and cheese is evident the moment you pierce its crunchy crust (we’re not telling). Order both the glazed doughnut bread pudding, made from day-old doughnuts from next door’s O Face Doughnuts and soaked in three-rum caramel and vanilla crème anglaise, and the criminally dense bourbon fudge brownie, with its brown butter bacon ice cream and candied bacon on top. We have it on good authority that Hsieh, here five nights a week, sometimes douses his with a shot of Pappy Van Winkle. Now, where’s that jar? You’ll be donating. 124 S. Sixth St., 702-473-9523; carsonkitchen.com V

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Guide imbibe Double Barrel Roadhouse’s cocktail menu gets Dark and Spooky this fall.

Hyde With killer terrace views of the musical Bellagio fountains, 41 VIP tables, and a roster of celebrity DJs bringing the jams nightly to a beautiful crowd, you’ll find an optimal blend of energy and luxury at Hyde. Continue to be spellbound with the Spellbinder, an autumnal blend of rum, pumpkin purée, coconut milk, clove syrup, and bitters. Bellagio, 702-693-8700; bellagio.com

Lobby Bar

Fall Is Calling

Autumn is here, And the newest cocktAils beg for A fireplAce And someone to cozy up to. by robert haynes-peterson Bound by Salvatore Sit at the marble, leather, and burled-wood circular lobby bar and imagine you’re being served at your private club. Created in partnership with London’s Salvatore Calabrese, Bound revisits a more elegant era and serves up classic cocktails and funky reinventions such as the Negroni Svegliato. “Svegliato” means “wake up” in Italian, and this riff includes Martini Gran Lusso vermouth– infused espresso, Tanqueray No. Ten gin, and Campari. The Cromwell, 702-777-3777; thecromwell.com

Double Barrel Roadhouse It’s important not to take ourselves too seriously, and Double Barrel ensures levity with its rustic-meets-diner vibe, mix-and-match indooroutdoor seating, live music, and inventive presentations.

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The Dark and Spooky is a fun take on an island classic, featuring Bacardi Oakheart spiced rum, lemonade, fresh lemon juice, ginger syrup, and a Jagermeister float. The glass is rimmed with black sugar, and you get a plastic spider to boot. Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, 702-222-7735; montecarlo.com

Fizz Las Vegas Because it’s Las Vegas, of course there’s a Champagne lounge inside Caesars Palace, presided over by creative director David Furnish (aka Elton John’s husband). Where else to enjoy a champerstopped cocktail? Consider the Fizz Fraise, a delectable blend of Ford’s gin, Fragoli Wild Strawberry liqueur, fresh puréed strawberries, fresh lemon juice, rock candy syrup, egg whites, and a splash of Domaine Chandon

brut. Saturday night’s all right (for sipping a cocktail). Caesars Palace, 702-7763200; fizzlv.com

Franklin Lounge The newest bar in the newest hotel is an intimate, sophisticated lobby space featuring live entertainment, DJs, shimmering lighting, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet. In addition to draft cocktails, a barrel-aging program, and customblended spirits from Woodford Reserve and Mount Gay, you’ll find an innovative craft-focused cocktail menu. The SNM features the hand-selected Mount Gay Black Barrel rum, Marie Brizard white crème de cacao, brown sugar, cinnamon syrup, and fresh lime juice. Delano Las Vegas, 702-632-9444; delanolasvegas.com

Autumn in Las Vegas isn’t autumn in Vermont: There’s plenty of pool time left. So not every drink need be heavy and dark. At Caesars’ newly expanded Lobby Bar, the updated cocktail menu from master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim also offers plenty of refreshing options boasting fresh fruit and light spirits. The Monkey Shine shines with Belvedere Unfiltered vodka, Campari, Cointreau, gomme syrup, fresh lemon juice, and fresh pink guava nectar. Caesars Palace, 866-2275938; caesarspalace.com

Rhumbar This Caribbean-influenced patio bar and cigar lounge is a prime spot for enjoying cooler weather. Kick back in Midcentury Modern rattan club chairs and indulge in mixologist Lillian Hargrove’s revamped cocktail menu— especially the Brazilian BBQ, a smoky-sweet interpretation of a caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink. In it you’ll find LeBlon cachaça, watermelon juice, rock candy syrup, a Lagavulin single malt whisky, lime cubes, and a dash of sea salt to enhance the flavors. Mirage, 702-791-7111; rhumbarlv.com V

Bound for Pleasure Salvatore Calabrese brings his London vibe to Vegas.

Is planning a Vegas cocktail menu different than at your London bar, Salvatore’s? Truly, it’s different than any other I’ve ever created. There’s a saying about Las Vegas never sleeping, and truly it doesn’t. It amazed me. So I tried to create a section dedicated to Las Vegas and developed a new style of cocktail: We infuse espresso with beer, vermouth, or Champagne instead of water. You get a unique favor, and caffeine to stay awake! Are there specifc elements at Bound you’re particularly proud of? The incredible glassware that no other Las Vegas bar has. You need a great vessel for a great cocktail. It’s like a beautiful woman who doesn’t know how to dress. A cocktail needs to be dressed—not just the garnish, but the glassware. It’s the frst thing that touches your lips.

“Afer I was told I had cancer, the best decision I made was to travel to Phoenix, Arizona and treat at Cancer Treatment Centers of America®.” ~Sherry Cancer Patient

Don’t Let 45 Minutes Stand Between You and Quality Cancer Care. Sherry is a working mom, her family counts on her. When Sherry learned that she had breast cancer,

As a working mom, Sherry needed a team of cancer experts who created a comprehensive and tailored treatment plan focused both on results and quality of life. She needed to keep her job and be a mom while also going through treatment. rehabilitation, psychological counseling, spiritual support and pain management all in one location met CTCA and takes care of everything in one visit, under one roof with coordinated care between all her clinical experts. Today we are proud to have Sherry as part of our CTCA family.

Call now to speak with one of our Oncology Information Specialists and learn how we fght cancer like no one else.

888-214-9488

or go to cancercenter.com

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.

Guide excite pilot, of course) to duke it out with fellow flyers in this re-creation of an air combat. You’ll loop, you’ll roll, you (hopefully) won’t hurl. $5,999 for up to three participants. 888-494-5850; skycombatace.com

If feeding the slots doesn’t thrill you, try feeding the sharks at Mandalay Bay.

Red Rock Scenic Loop: Escape Adventures

Got Thrills?

AdrenAline junkies hAve A friend in lAs vegAs. Animal Encounters: Shark Reef Aquarium Looking for a career change? A new program at this popular Mandalay Bay attraction offers visitors the chance to get their feet wet (literally) and assist with the care and feeding of the resident stingrays, sea turtles, and sharks. Careful, you might get hooked. (Hopefully not snagged, though.) From $50. Mandalay Bay, 702-6324555; mandalaybay.com

Grand Canyon Picnic Tour: Sundance Helicopters Flying over one of the world’s most impressive natural wonders just isn’t going to cut it, and neither will peering over the rim. To really get the full experience,

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go deep—more than 3,000 feet deep, that is—for a Champagne lunch. Helicopters take off from McCarran, with limo pickup and drop-off from most Las Vegas hotels included. $478. 702-736-0606; sundancehelicopters.com

Kayaking: Evolution Expeditions Think Hoover Dam looks big from the top? Try paddling up close in a kayak. The seven-hour tour starts with some serious face time with one of the largest dams ever built, before you turn your attention to the many features of this section of the Colorado River, including hot springs, wildlife, and some good old-fashioned swimming holes. $182. 10300 Charleston Blvd.,

by david landsel

702-259-5292; evolutionexpeditions.com

Mini Baja Chase: Sun Buggy Fun Rentals The setting? The desert. The vehicle? A dune buggy. Your mission? To recreate the thrill of a desert chase, led by an expert “dunie,” along a course of sand dunes, hills, valleys, dry creek beds, and rugged trails. You’ll be suited up and inside a steel roll cage, so, hey, go nuts. From $89 for a 15-minute run. 6925 Speedway Blvd., 866-728-4443; sunbuggy.com/lasvegas

Operation Red Flag: Sky Combat Ace Grab hold of the controls of an Extra 300 stunt plane and don’t let go—you’re headed up to 6,000 feet (with a trained instructor

Driving through Red Rock Canyon is for tourists. To really get a sense of the beauty of this National Conservation Area sitting right on the city’s doorstep, take a 10-mile guided cycling tour offering just the right amount of adventure, along with eyefuls of the canyon’s terrific scenery. Half-day tours (8 am–noon or 1–5 pm) from $119. 702-596-2953; escapeadventures.com

SkyJump Stratosphere Hate waiting for elevators? There’s another way to get down from the Stratosphere Tower: just jump—in a harness, of course. Suit up, step out on the ledge, and go for it, all 800-something feet (that’s more than 100 stories) down. Scared? You should be. $119.99. Stratosphere, 702-380-7777; skyjumplasvegas.com

US Tour Driving Experience: World Class Driving Get behind the wheels— that’s right, wheels—of five different exotic cars (Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, oh my!) for an unforgettable morning of adventure along a 60-mile street course. $999. 4055 Dean Martin Dr., 877-597-6403; worldclassdriving.com V

Frequent Flyer Bob Engelbrecht, CEO of Sundance Helicopters, talks us up.

What’s your favorite thing about fying the Grand Canyon? Flying in a helicopter over and into the Grand Canyon provides a perspective unlike anything you can imagine. The views are amazing, and the sensation of gently landing 3,500 feet below the rim puts you in another world that is virtually inaccessible, except to the heartiest adventurers. If you could hop aboard one of your tours right now, which one would it be? I would choose the Grand Canyon Sunset Picnic. It’s the best time of the day to fy. I love to take pictures, and the sunlight is perfect. When you land down in the canyon, the walls light up as the sun is starting to set. On the fight back, the colors are amazing across the desert landscape and Lake Mead. You arrive back in Las Vegas just in time for the city lights of the Las Vegas Strip to start glowing against a desert sunset. It’s a perfect trip.

Two worlds. One dream. Singers and Scientists share more than might be expected. Whether it’s a breakout melody or a breakthrough in research. When it comes together, everything ﬁts. It can change lives forever.

quin-wow

your taste buds

Stand Up To Cancer supports the collaboration, innovation and research that are turning discoveries into viable treatments and possibly, one day, a cure. Stand up with us. Let your voice make a difference because when we work together, nothing is impossible.

RED QUINOA SALAD WILD ARUGULA, GOLDEN BEETS CITRUS CHILI VINAIGRETTE

Bite into gluten-free satisfaction This guilt-free grain will satiate your appetite for something comforting and delicious. With our patrons’ health in mind, we have adapted our menu to reﬂect their preferences.

Like, share and join SU2C. R

Find out more at standup2cancer.org

Jennifer Hudson, Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador

Shiva Malek, Ph.D.

Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Photo by Nigel Parry.

FIND A SAMMY’S IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

sammyspizza.com

INVITED Brio Tuscan Grill ice sculpture display.

Cray Bauxmont-Flynn, Stephanie Rosol, Raul Daniels, and Ace Daniels

The cast of Limelight

AFAN BLACK AND WHITE PARTY AT THE JOINT

MORE THAN 3,000 guests attended AFANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 28th annual

Black & White Party at The Joint, inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, on August 23. The entertainment included the Jabbawockeez, Limelight, and DJ Axis.

Antioco Carrillo, Dr. Walt Herron, and Terry Wilsey Juan Muniz

Claritssa Sanchez and Senator Ruben Kihuen

Jabbawockeez

Shangela

Event entertainers

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Chris Chebegia and Felipe Crook

Event entertainers

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIK KABIK AND TONYA HARVEY

Lisa Hammond and Evan Walsh

The Goodie Two Shoes Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5th annual

Proud to be a 501(c)3 organization

Hosted by

The BEST Walk in Vegas is BACK! Rally your friends, family and co-workers in support of the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation! Participate in the Rockin' Walk and help provide disadvantaged children with new shoes, socks and more!

Sunday, October 12th, 2014 9:30 am - 12:00 pm TPC Summerlin Golf Course free parking & shuttle service Shuttle begins at 8:00am

event check-in & registration 8:00am-9:30am

**All walkers MUST park at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino. Complimentary round-trip shuttle service from Suncoast to TPC Summerlin provided.

**Early bird registration through September 15th Save $5 AND receive a FREE Rockinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Walk t-shirt!

$35 $20 FREE!

Special prizes and recognition to top fundraising teams and individuals! Rock Star Awards (for the team/individual that fundraises the most!)

FREE goodie bags for the first 1000 walkers!

School Spirit Award (for the school team with the most walkers!)

FREE one-day ticket to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open!

Groupie Award (for the team with the most walkers!)

FREE prizes! Watch for the Prize Patrol as they hand out goodies during the Walk!

The Goodie Two Shoes Foundation strives to provide 10,000 disadvantaged children and children in crisis with new shoes and socks annually. Please contact the GTSF ofce at info@goodietwoshoes.org or 702.617.4027 for more information.

INVITED

Krista Darnold, Lucy Klinkhammer, and Tanja Brennan

Kat and Andrey Tarabanov

View from Hyde Bellagio Tim Gotzinger and Andreea Ionita

BREGUET AT HYDE ON AUGUST 20, to celebrate the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuous innovations

and to showcase the latest timepieces unveiled at Baselworld 2014, Breguet hosted a cocktail reception overlooking the iconic Bellagio fountains at Hyde Bellagio.

Breguet watches Rita Wong and Christine Rockwell

Tony Shaw

Alvin Jia

John Andross

Event guests

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VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

Eric Kidd and Kimberlie Shea

Tatiana Rose, Rania Braiteh, and Fernando Lara

Breguet luxury watch

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE DURKIN AT PHOJOPHOTO

Khaled Parwani and Mamta Kapoor

inspired by a miracleâ&#x20AC;Ś In 12 Days is dedicated to lifting up children and their families who have sufered a great loss through 12 outrageous days

Join Us For Our Kickof Block Party

October 26 at The Linq F ind us at In 1 2Days.com i f yo u wa nt to b e p a rt o f t he m a g i c!

INVITED

Honorees

Mario Amaral Jeff Gale and Kim Wagner

Liz Kaplan and Audra Baldwin

Audra Baldwin and Rick Moore

Abbie Friedman

Amy Ayoub and David Turnbull

VEGAS GIVES LUNCHEON On July 31, Vegas magazine and the

Grand Canal Shoppes hosted the 2014 Vegas Gives luncheon and photo shoot at Buddy V’s Ristorante. The eight honorees arrived

in style, dressed in jewels provided by Kwiat Boutique Las Vegas, inside Bellusso Jewelers, and with a Sephora makeup artist providing last-minute glam touch-ups. Kim Wagner, Heather DiChiaro, Liz Kaplan, Abbie Friedman, Amy Ayoub, and Audra Baldwin

(702) 383-1516 1225 N. Main St. • Las Vegas, Nevada

photograph by ’LoS (vegaS giveS), ethan MiLLer (oppoSite)

Buddy V’s Ristorante signature dishes

Elin Deletto

Franklin lounge bartender Cory Mendonca

Whimsical cake pops Sarah Johnson

Josh Fluhr and Matthew Chilton

Rock art installation by artist Jaehyo Lee

Greg Torres

Christophe Feyt

DELANO LAS VEGAS GRAND OPENING THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED all-suite Delano Las Vegas debuted on September 2, blending the chic style of the iconic South Beach brand with the vibrant energy of the Las Vegas Strip. Guests were given a first look at the luxury hotel and enjoyed signature tastes from Delano’s food and beverage outlets, including Franklin and Della’s Kitchen.

Chuck Bowling, Josh Fluhr, Matthew Chilton, Corey Sanders, and Michael Klekovic

Bring in this ad for your complimentary

VISIA Complexion analysis!

Parting shot

True STory

Our state’s histOry is sO dramatic that even a bit Of gentle myth-busting can’t diminish nevada’s mystique. by scott dickensheets thinking about here—Wyatt Earp once worked in Goldfield or Nevada had the first elevator west of the Mississippi. (He didn’t. We didn’t.) It’s the history of Las Vegas proper, so dramatically recast in bogus lore. Take mobster Bugsy Siegel as the city’s founding father. Romanticized as a suave gangster who could see the future—that oh-soalluring combination of danger and vision that still powers the Vegas mystique—Siegel was really a criminal who took over an already underway casino project in the mid-’40s (historical shout-out to first owner Billy Wilkerson!) and mismanaged it into an early grave. As for rampant lawlessness, it’s worth noting that Nevada went dry a year before Prohibition became federal law. “It might be just a little unfair to give Las Vegas the ‘Sin City’ moniker when Dallas and New Orleans and, frankly, even Chicago were all doing the same things on an even bigger scale,” says historian Geoff Schumacher, content director of the Mob Museum.

Still, in Vegas, a city brimming with ersatz histories—from the themed architecture to the life story just told to you by a stranger at the bar—you can see why myths have the upper hand. I mean, Lincoln really steered Nevada into the union because he thought he’d need our support to get re-elected. Garden-variety political calculation— could a founding narrative be less exciting? On the other hand, Brave president needs our resources to save a troubled nation? I’m surprised Cirque hasn’t built a show around that by now. Maybe a little embellishment isn’t a bad thing. But on this sesquicentennial, let’s not forget that Nevada’s actual history is rich enough in rogues, eccentrics, and historical novelty that it doesn’t need an aggressive upsell. Jeans were invented here, for goodness’ sake. True story: It wasn’t until 1982 that Nevada’s borders, as described in the state Constitution, were altered to include Clark County and Las Vegas. And 34 percent of us voted against it. You just can’t make this stuff up. V

illustration by daniel o’leary

Nevada has long been a state happy to skirt the facts and print the legend of its origin story. As state archivist Guy Rocha notes, plenty of teachers have told their students—wrongly, as it happens—that President Lincoln pulled Nevada into the union, 150 years ago this month, because he required its mineral wealth to bankroll his half of the Civil War. The truth, of course, is that he needed a place to build a secret military base where he could stash the aliens. It’s astonishing how little people know about our history. While it’s great that the hoopla surrounding this 150th anniversary is boosting everyone’s historical awareness, it will be even better if it dispels a few myths, too. If just one person comes away from the yearlong rollout of coffee-table books, panel talks, and branded merchandise (sesquicentennial chocolates! bourbon! logowear!) realizing that no workers are buried in the cement of Hoover Dam, it will all have been worth it. It’s not the tenacious but low-stakes fables I’m

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FABERGÉ Revealed Jeweler to the Czars

Imperial Tsesarevich Easter Egg, 1912. Lapis lazuli, gold, diamonds. 4 7/8” H x 3 9/16” dia. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt. Photo: Katherine Wetzel ©Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

November 14, 2014 – May 25, 2015

Tickets and information 702.693.7871 • bellagio.com/bgfa