Desert Companion May 2010 by Nevada Public Radio

Celebrity Chefs (Until Earth Day isn’t over Bare your soul Take our survey. SEE page 67 these people say it’s Over)

gettin’ all up in your grill

Y o u r G u i d e t o L i v i n g i n s o u t h e r n N e va d a

MAY/JUNE 2010

Plus

Regiona

l travel

tips from ou team of r oad-test r know-it- ed alls

SURvival Guide 26 cool things to see,

hear, taste, visit and do in the hot months ahead

{ Apocalypse Wow

}

The rogue Swiss artist who imploded the whole world — From Las Vegas, of course

2010

MAG AWA GIE

FINA RDS LIST!

frappé diem

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Publisher’s Note

POrtrait Sampsel-preston photography

A season for excursions and diversions I stepped off the train, ready to soak up my pastelcolored, Georgia O’Keefe Santa Fe experience. It was 1989, and a cross-country trip seemed ideal for this newto-America student. Except I’d arrived in El Paso, having failed to accurately match Amtrak’s Sunset Limited route with what Southwestern city was the one with all the art. In England, trains came along every hour, so I couldn’t fathom I’d need to wait three days to continue through Texas. Memorial Day weekend was a long one holed up in the El Paso Motor Hotel. So it gives me special pleasure to see Editor Andrew Kiraly assemble a summer survival guide that looks to trusted insiders to ensure that no jaunt is in such jeopardy, including insider shopping in Los Angeles or the Maker Faire in the Bay Area. That also goes for the destinations we’re convinced we know. How many times have you thought, “been there, done that” when visitors emerge from a guest bedroom, brightly presenting their itineraries? Not so fast. You’ll find lots of reasons to revisit Red Rock Canyon, Boulder City and Southern Utah with ideas that include the whole family. Much of what we thought we knew seems not to be so these days. While desert light and heat has always messed with our perception — insert road-tested cliché about Las Vegas here — these tough times are the ones when some big ideas have come to fruition. The stunning Frank Gehry-designed Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health building is finished, and on page 14, find a primer on the ACE rapid transit system as well as some realworld green businesses (page 20). In addition, we feature the resilient Super Summer Theatre season among our varied summer events offerings. We also hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised and delighted by a first for Desert Companion — style for summer! Summer in Southern Nevada brings out some extreme temperatures — and extreme artistic impulses. We investigate one of the art eccentrics of the 20th century, Jean Tinguely, who created “Study for An End of the World No. 2” in the 1960s — foreshadowing Las Vegas’ fondness for implosion by decades. Food critic John Curtas returns with what’s become a tradition at Desert Companion, persuading celebrity chefs to share the secrets of summer grilling. 2

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And finally — give us a grilling and win cash prizes that total $1,000. We’re always working on our recipe for a city regional magazine that reflects your tastes. So as soon as you’ve sampled this edition, go to www. desertcompanion.org and complete our survey — the details are on page 67. Good luck in winning a cash prize to get summer off to a great start, a season destined to create memorable moments both despite — and because of — the best-laid plans.

Florence M.E. Rogers President & General Manager, Nevada Public Radio

Listen, Laugh, Think.

For 30 years, Nevada Public Radio has enriched the civic and cultural life of Nevada communities with programming that educates, informs and entertains. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a tradition of broadcasting and media excellence that we at the Harrahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation are proud to support year after year.

contents desert companion magazine // desertcompanion.org

MAY/JUNE2010

departments 09 All Things to All People

Kids meet classical in the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras — but for how much longer?

By Andrew Kiraly

16 Health

Who runs this town? You do, with our handy guide to urban runs

By Becky Bosshart

20 Environment

These real green do-gooders do real green things

By Andrew Kiraly

28 Art Summer Survival Guide

feature

Summer fun is the last thing that should get routine. That’s why we filled our Summer Survival Guide with head-turning, off-the-beatenpath-taking, ooh- and aahinspiring trips to deceptively familiar places — places you know only half as well as you thought. We’ve also got top chefs sharing their top-secret summer recipes, adventures for your little ones, can’t-miss cultural highlights and gotta-have summer gear. Slather on some SPF 50 and enjoy.

By Kirsten Swenson

35 Style

From backyard barbecues to cocktail hour, here are our essential style tips for Vegas’ hot season

By Sara Nunn

63 Guide

Spring’s cultural highlights, from concerts to theater to dance

75 Dining

Shawn McClain was a relative unknown in Las Vegas. With the opening of Sage, he’s now a rising star

By Al Mancini

80 Essay

Can a passionate environmentalist also be a realist when it comes to renewable energy?

By John Wallin

Desert Companion

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photo: Christopher smith

At the height of the Cold War, avantgarde artist Jean Tinguely blew up the world — from Las Vegas, of course

Coming 2012

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Congratulations UNLV Executive MBA Graduating Class of 2009!

MaY//JUNE 2010 Bruce Belcher

Dir. of Emp. Relations & Compensation Luxor/Excalibur Hotel and Casino

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Deputy Chief City of Boulder City

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STAFF Andrew Kiraly Editor CHRISTOPHER SMITH Art Director CHRISTINE KIELY Corporate Support Manager laura alcaraz Senior Account Executive Sharon Clifton Senior Account Executive

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REED RADOSEVICH, Treasurer Northern Trust Bank

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Contributors Becky Bosshart, Melissa Conner, John Curtas, Scott Dickensheets, Robert Fielden, John Hardin, Hugh Jackson, Laura Jennings, Jack Johnson, Jarret Keene, Matt Kelemen, Anne Kellogg, Andrea Leal, Al Mancini, Juan Martinez, Aaron Mayes, David McKee, Aaron McKinney, Christie Moeller, Sara Nunn, Sabin Orr, Lissa Townsend Rodgers, Kirsten Swenson

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The Executive MBA program at UNLV: Moving your career forward… fast! EMBA graduates join an extensive professional network spanning the Las Vegas business and professional communities and beyond. For more information on the Executive MBA program and how to join this group of accomplished professionals, please contact the UNLV MBA Programs at (702) 895-3655 or e-mail gordon.mccurdy@unlv.edu. \

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Florence M.E. Rogers, Secretary Nevada Public Radio

DIRECTORS

To submit your organization’s cultural event listings for the Desert Companion July-August edition, send complete information to editor@ desertcompanion.org by June 5. Feeback and story ideas are always welcome, too. Office: (702) 258-9895 (outside Clark County 1-888-258-9895) Fax: (702) 258-5646 Advertising: Christine Kiely, (702) 258-9895; christine@nevadapublicradio.org KNPR’s “State of Nevada” call-in line: (702) 258-3552 Pledge: (702) 258-0505 (toll free 1-866-895-5677) Websites: knpr.org, classical897.org Desert Companion is published six times a year by Nevada Public Radio, 1289 S. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89146. It is distributed free of charge to NVPR members, supporters, underwriters and the community. All photographs, artwork and ad designs printed are the sole property of Nevada Public Radio and may not be duplicated or reproduced without the express written permission of Nevada Public Radio. The views of the Desert Companion contributing writers are not necessarily the views of Nevada Public Radio.

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Susan K. Moore Lieutenant Governor’s Office

Susan Brennan NV Energy

JENNA MORTON N9NE Group

Louis Castle, Director Emeritus

Steve Parker UNLV

Patrick N. Chapin, Esq., Director Emeritus

Richard Plaster Signature Homes

KIRK V. CLAUSEN Wells Fargo

Gina Polovina Boyd Gaming Corporation

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Joshua Sylvester Chief Operating Officer iAd Media

David Cabral, Chairman American Commonwealth Mortgage

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What’s coming in culture, lifestyle, politics and more

[Environment] City budget woes are striking a sour note for the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras.

Earth saved here weekly

[ C ULTURE ]

las vegas youth orchestras photo courtesy of las vegas youth orchestras; concord blue photo courtesy of concord blue

This is your kid on Stravinsky Is that a 13-year-old just totally whaling on the French horn during the climax of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite? It is. And it’s courtesy of the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras, an after-school program like no other. The 25-year-old organization takes kids age 8 to 18 from schools valleywide and steeps them in classical music performance. Although these young people are Vegas-grown, they’re not Vegas-bound. The orchestras’ Youth Philharmonic, for example, toured Europe in June 2008, and is gearing up to tour China this June. How ironic, then, that the orchestras might lose Reed Whipple Cultural Center, the rehearsal space they’ve called home for years. If the cash-strapped city decides to close the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, the orchestras will be looking for a new place to practice — a tall order for a program with about 250 kids and more instruments than a music store. “If we lost this space, it would put a serious dent in our mission, not to mention take a toll on our youth,” says the orchestras’ Executive Director Bev Patton. The good news: After hacking away at a $70 million shortfall, the city decided to keep Reed Whipple open for the 2011 fiscal year. The bad news: The city’s already looking at a $40 million budget deficit for the 2012 fiscal year, and Reed Whipple might be on the chopping block again. The other good news: You can see the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras perform 7 p.m. May 7 at Henderson Pavilion. Info: www.lvyo.org. — Andrew Kiraly

Earth Day is over, but that doesn’t mean we should go back to eating baby seal foie gras while driving our Hummers to check the mail. Plus, recycling in the Las Vegas Valley is about to get a lot more convenient. Republic Services is wrapping up a pilot program among roughly 27,000 valley homes that takes both trash and recycling pickup to once a week. Additionally, instead of separating paper, plastic and glass, you’ll dump all your recyclables in a single bin supplied by Republic. (Downside: Trash pickup going weekly means your eggshells, coffee grounds and diapers might get a bit ripe.) An auditing firm reports back to the Clark County Commission this spring on whether the program is worth expanding through the valley. By all means, tell your garbage. — A.K

[ ENERGY ]

Trash on fire is good Burning garbage might be the next big thing in green energy — and Southern Nevada might be America’s epicenter in this new energy revolution. Concord Blue Energy is planning to assemble a trash-to-energy demo plant near McCarran International Airport. Yes, trash — everything from sewer sludge to kitchen garbage to hospital waste. It’s burned in a “reformer” filled with hot ceramic beads, turning the garbage into hydrogen-rich gas, which is then burned to create electricity. Voila: Magical energy of the future. Concord Blue is waiting on a building permit from the county and hopes to start construction in June. Another hump: Pricey, high-tech parts. A 1-megawatt plant can cost about $5 million to build. See page 14 for more green biz making a difference. — A.K

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PORTRA I T BY C h r i s t o p h e r S m i t h

hear More

Wei-Wei Le performs on “KNPR’s State of Nevada” at www.knpr.org/son

Wei-Wei Le is taking her violin skills to the mountains — and to the kids.

‘Passion and technique are important, yes, but discipline takes you anywhere.’ Who is she? Wei-Wei Le, associate professor of violin at UNLV, and the new violin instructor for Lee Canyon Summer Music Camp, which runs July 11-17 and culminates in a recital at Winchester Cultural Center. But Le took the looong way to Vegas. Born in Shanghai, she began studying violin at age 6. She emigrated to the U.S. in the mid-’90s after completing her studies at Yehudi Menuhin in Surrey, England. She also studied with Donald Weilerstein at New England Conservatory in Boston, taught at Emory in Atlanta, and toured the country with the renowned Vega Quartet. From Vega to Vegas—why? “Honestly, I had no idea Vegas even had a university until I saw the job posted. The music department here was [growing] and continues to grow, in a place where pop music dominates. I identified with the department’s mission to get people in touch with classical.” Now she’s hauling her violin to the hills. Built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, Camp Lee Canyon is located an hour outside of Vegas, at more than 8,000 feet, which makes the temperature ideal for music training. The camp’s rustic cabins are nestled in Ponderosa Pines, a violin bow’s throw from Mt. Charleston. And now your teen, too, can learn from a true master. The minimum age for enrollees is 14, and they should have previous experience on their instrument — violin, viola, cello or piano. (If you’re interested, call 455-7340.) So she’d rather not hole up in the alpine solitude and practice ‘til her fingers bleed? “Being a performer is important, but being a teacher has even greater impact. Hopefully some of these talented young students will be interested in coming to UNLV in the near future.” Ever hiked Lee Canyon? “Um, no. Not yet. I live near Red Rock, though. I’m very pale for an Asian, so I don’t get to spend a lot of time in the sun. It gives me freckles.” Favorite violin to perform on? “Anything old and Italian. I’m always looking. I usually settle for what I can afford that’s nice-sounding. Prices are unbelievable these days. Right now I feel I’m not getting the sound and reaction I want.” Favorite qualities in a student? “Discipline. Passion and technique are important, yes, but discipline takes you anywhere. Law professors tell me they search for music students during admissions. Music students have discipline, which makes for a sharp legal mind.”— Jarret Keene 10

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SHOP | DINE | LIVE

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ST o r i e S BY A N N E K E L L O G G

[ SHINY NE W THINGS ]

The diamond duo

Father-son team makes family jewels

Oooh, sparkly: Jeff and Danny White are a family team that makes jewels for the generations.

Whites have combined forces and plan to continue to build upon the jewelry legacy. When Jeff White first went into business for himself, he opened in the most unlikely of places: an office park near the corner of Rainbow Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, a far cry from the red-flag location inside free-standing buildings on a busy road where you usually find a lot of jewelers. And he was closed on Saturdays. “You had to know it was there to know it was there,” Danny says.

But the business grew — and grew a loyal following of customers. About three years ago, he moved to a higher-traffic location at Flamingo Road and Hualapai Way, between a beauty salon and a stationery shop. “You’ll notice it doesn’t say ‘store’ anywhere,” master designer Jeff says while recently showing off his space, which feels more like a design center than a typical jewelry store. “That’s on purpose. We are not a jewelry store.” For many people, fine jewelry marks a precise moment in time. Birthdays, marriages

and wedding anniversaries are probably the three most marked by precious stones set in heavy metal. However, the demand to mark other occasions with jewelry such as births and children leaving the nest is also becoming more popular. And with the Whites’ collective experience, they certainly know a lot about memories. “People purchase a lot of jewelry either to make a memory or to maintain a memory,” Danny says. “And everyone wants it to be unique to their own experience and their own lives.”

[ MA K ING SENSE ] The do-gooder who ate the earth Chef Rick Moonen was celebrating spring and the reopening of RM Upstairs at Mandalay Place when we caught up with him in late March. His conservation-minded approach to cooking is legendary, and he’s vowed to serve only sustainably caught or raised proteins in his restaurants. In April, Bravo TV began airing Moonen’s second run for the big prize on Top Chef Masters. The James Beard Foundation also named Moonen one of five finalists for its Best Chef Southwest award. What senses does Moonen indulge in his rare down time? See. “Right now I’m seeing red,” he says. “Literally. I see beets and tomatoes and flowers and all these wonderful things literally growing out of the earth right now and it makes me excited.” Hear. Moonen keeps a spring in his step by listening to the Kips Bay Ceili Band. “I have them in the car right now. I can’t seem to get enough of them.” Flogging Molly is another favorite; he loves “the zydeco box and all the upbeat melody.” Smell. “I walk by this beautiful jasmine plant in my house every day and I just inhale its sweet aroma every chance I have.” The scent of his wooden barrel-based composting pile — where the chef recycles his fine perishables — runs a close second. Touch. The chef’s appetite turns a little more tender when it comes to touch. He’s been working with a lot of fiddlehead fennel and asparagus and making a lot of smooth soups. “I’ve also been braising a lot,” he says. “I recently made a beautiful lamb shank with oxtail that was so tender it was just falling off the bone.” Taste. Every spring, Moonen drinks in the land — literally. “This may sound odd, but when the seasons change, my body wants a change too.” He juices it up with beets, asparagus and mushrooms.

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J e f f a n d d a n n y w h i t e p h o t o : c h r i s t o p h e r s mi t h ; r i c k m o o n e n c o u r t e s y m g m mi r a g e

While Danny White was attending Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, he would make sure he brought a few precious items with him from Las Vegas. His buddies were often in need of diamond rings and other pieces of fine jewelry so they could win over the hearts of their girlfriends. It’s always good to have a friend in the jewelry business. And when that friend’s father is Jeff White — one of the most trusted names in the Las Vegas Valley jewelry business — even better. “I would always make sure I had some jewelry for them,” Danny says. “They were going to buy it somewhere, it might as well be from me. I know the business.” After Danny earned his composite degree in marketing and business management, he went to gem school and joined the family business. His father, Jeff White, master jeweler and founder of Designs by Jeff White (www.jeffreywhite.com), is far from retirement. In fact, the two

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          

            

ST o r y BY A N D r e w k i r al y

Your chariots await: The new ACE transit routes give commuters a straight shot into town.

[ HAN D S - ON ]

Commute like the wind Long waits, long walks, stopand-start commutes — no more does the befuddled suburbanite have an excuse for not dipping a toe into the public transportation pool. In late March, the Regional Transportation Commission launched two new express transit routes. Its ACExpress C Line injects the northwest’s Centennial Hills suburbs into the heart of the city, with a park-and-ride near Durango Drive and U.S. 95 and stops downtown, at UNLV and the Strip. Its ACE Gold Line circulates downtown hot spots and spans the Strip to its southmost point. What makes these routes so special? They’re built for speed. Light rail-style vehicles, limited stops, dedicated lanes and ticket kiosks are designed to streamline the commute. But do they actually work? I spent a day putting the new ACE lines through their paces. Here are snippets from my trip diary. 14

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Starting point: Centennial Hills Transit Center & Park and Ride. Bought a day pass from the robo-kiosk with no hassle. A slow clock on the departure board led me to believe I was early for the 10 a.m. ACE, when it had in fact already launched. Grrr. Spent next hour noodling on laptop, organizing man-purse. At least the transit center is nice, a gleaming, steel-andsandstone building with plentiful benches and tables. Bonus: That desideratum of any public resource that involves indirect handsiness with strangers — Purell hand gel in the bathrooms! Woot. One thing missing to make the wait bearable: Wi-fi. The bus arrived right on time — alas, not a sleek, Total Recallstyle ACE bus, but a repurposed conventional bus. Whatever. The a/c definitely worked, though — ’cause my glasses were icing over after five minutes as I succumbed

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to hypothermia. But the ride is where, er, the proof in the pudding is. The driver nimbly flew onto U.S. 95 southbound, and this is how the ACExpress line flexes its speed muscles: Because it can take the freeway’s HOV lane, we were at Casino Center Boulevard and Fremont Street in 20 minutes. The only timesink is caused by the tourists lining up like sandal-clad cattle to query the driver: “Does this bus go the Strip?”, “How do I pay?” etc. Be warned: The minutes will pile on as newbies take the learning curve. Got off at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets to transfer to downtown’s ACE Gold Line. Be prepared to work those legs: On Grand Central Parkway, transferring to the Gold Line is a leap — literally. First, you have to frogger your way to an island where the Gold Line bus is, through a confusing thicket of

crosswalks and bus-only lanes. And then work them again: The “level-platform boarding” only works if the driver knows how to hug a curb — which this one didn’t. But if you want to see elderly folks pull daring, Indiana Jones-style lunges from sidewalk to bus, this is the time. Rode the Gold Line to Casino Center Boulevard, where I hopped off and browsed on Fremont Street. Bring a bench, and an umbrella: Getting back on the ACExpress C Line requires a wait at one of the more, ahem, minimalist bus stops in the valley — no fewer than three bus lines converge at Fremont and Fourth streets, but there are no benches or shade covers. It can make the hourlong midday wait a bit trying. Makes the hourly arrival of ACE — overall, a swift and comfortable system that promises to create a whole new class of commuter — that much sweeter.

A c e b u s l i n e : c o u r t e s y o f r e g i o n a l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c o mmi s s i o n

The new ACE bus lines promise speed, ease and convenience. Do they deliver? Let’s ride

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Health

story by Becky Bosshart

P h o t o I L L U STR A T I O N BY CHR I STO P HER S M I TH

You run this town

Bored with your leisurely jog in the outskirts? Your feet should meet these urban runs For many Las Vegas runners, nirvana isn’t a lonely desert trail through rust-colored mountains dotted with petroglyphs. Instead, it’s the real world — the often-chaotic urban landscape engineered by man. On sidewalks and bike lanes, these runners are reclaiming the city. The challenge of hellish traffic in a pedestrian-unfriendly city can be part of the urban experience. You can envelop yourself in the steel of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Your kicks can hit the paths where our college athletes hone their skills. You can watch a sunrise while running up a Strip escalator, leaving the drunken clubbers behind, jealous of your quads. This asphalt also belongs to runners. And from here you see the city as an environment that deserves care, just like our desert spaces. Here are some choice routes for when you want to literally run the city.

The Strip trek Get up close and personal with some of Las Vegas’ fabulous casinos — and their morning-after patrons. Ready, set … Park at the north side of Town Square to lengthen your run by three miles (and view the welcome sign), or start at the Mandalay Bay parking garage. Go! Run north on the sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard. If you 16

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like, detour into CityCenter (which has plenty of asphalt and public art, including the Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen sculpture “Typewriter Eraser, Scale X” near the escalator beside the Mandarin Oriental) then continue north to Sahara Avenue, cross and loop back. You can cross back to the west side of the street on the new Harmon Avenue pedestrian bridge. Length: Start at Town Square, 10.6 miles; start at Mandalay Bay, 7.6. Intensity: Low — unless you’re up for an added challenge, and run

up the escalators and stairs at the pedestrian crossings. Music: Club tunes, naturally. Lily Allen’s “It’s Not Me, It’s You”; Gnarls Barkley’s “The Odd Couple”; “Amazing” from Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak; Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” from Man on the Moon: End of Day. Caution: Start at sunrise or you risk pedestrian collisions and faceplants. Watch for sidewalk turns and commercial displays. There won’t be any easily accessible watering holes (sans alcohol) along the way — and those magnificent pools at Bellagio, Caesars and the Mirage will be a tease — so carry water. Even ultramarathon runners like Eric Herdman slow down on the Strip.

Health “It really is a people-watcher’s dream,” says Herdman, co-owner of Red Rock Running Company. “Running the Strip is not about seeing the casinos. Especially if it’s a club night.” But you can’t completely avoid being teased by tourists; Herdman loses count of the number of times he’s been called Forrest Gump by drunken revelers.

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Climb some stairs, jog through a green plaza and finish with a track sprint. Ready, set … Park in the S lot (no permit required) beside the UNLV track, on the west side of the campus off Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road. Go! From the track parking lot, run east on Harmon Avenue, then take Tarkanian Way to the Thomas & Mack for some sprints up the bi-level center. Continue cutting east so you hit University Road; go north on Maryland Parkway. You’ll pick the path back up at Pida Plaza in front of the Student Union. In the center of the plaza is the “Clock Tower,” at the far end is Claes Oldenburg’s “The Flashlight,” between Artemus Ham Concert Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre. The Donna Beam Gallery is nearby in case you want to take a break. Take a left to continue along the plaza, and then turn right before the McDermott Physical Education building. There’s a path that takes you around the back of the Lied Athletic Complex, which turns into dirt. It’ll bring you to a road that leads back up to the track, where you can sprint a few laps. After education budget cuts, this may be the perfect time to appreciate the urban beauty of UNLV. Built by our tax dollars and the countless hours of hard-working Nevadans, the university offers green spaces and wide walkways. You may also witness a wild (some say nocturnal) species that could become extinct in an era of rising tuition and cost cutting: ambitious students yearning for advancement.

Historic Alta Drive Take your soles from the wedding chapels of Las Vegas Boulevard to the historic ranch homes of Alta Drive and beyond. Ready, set … Park at the Clark County Government Center. Go! Run east on Bonneville Avenue. Turn back at Las Vegas Boulevard. Going west on Bonneville you’ll pass the Gehry-designed Cleveland Clinic, and then the World Market Center. Under Interstate 15, Bonneville turns into Alta Drive. As you follow the winding path along Alta Drive through this historic neighborhood just west of I-15, you may just forget you’re in Las Vegas. But then, if you meander onto Palomino Lane, you’ll find the former home of pop star Michael Jackson (Hacienda Palomino, near Howard Wasden Elementary), and then there’s that downtown skyline. Don’t let yourself get too distracted, however, because traffic is the biggest threat, says Jim McNally, owner of Fleet Feet Sports. “It’s best to run against traffic so you can see it,” he says. “Because they may not see you. It’s best to wear something bright and clip on an LED light.” Length: Your choice. Alta Drive goes

all the way to Summerlin. Intensity: Low, with an incline of

about 3 percent. Music suggestions: Anything that blots out the honking horns and construction cacophony. This might be an occasion for death metal. Caution: Traffic, particularly after Decatur Boulevard.

Back to nature(ish)

Length: About two miles. Intensity: Low, with the option of

Tom Kovarik, a Las Vegas Track Club member, recommends Peccole Ranch as a hidden spot great for urban running. “It’s a lush green belt with hardwood trees that have grown up, so it’s almost like you’re running in a forest.” DC

doing multiple runs up the Thomas & Mack Center stairs and sprints around the university track (usually accessible when not being used for competition). Music: “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire; “Fall Semester” by The Get Up Kids and anything by Vampire Weekend. Caution: Avoid the area during events.

Becky Bosshart has dodged many perils in her urban runs: motorcyclists in Chiang Mai, Thailand, morning-after carousers in Athens, Greece, and lovers strolling along the Seine. She’s worked as a reporter and editor in Nevada for six years.

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Environment

story by andrew Kiraly

P h o t o g r a p h y BY C H RI S T O P H ER S M I T H

Tara Pike is UNLV’s tireless recycling guru.

A deeper shade of green

Meet some dynamic people and businesses whose green credentials are more than just a feelgood sales hook What did you do for Earth Day? If you watched the obligatory National Geographic special on the rain forest and rode your bike to McDonald’s, well, it’s better than most of us probably do. But there’s always room for improvement, right? Inspiration has arrived. In an age when the word “green” is a mere marketing snare to flatter the consumer conscience, there are some folks out there with true green cred. Here are a handful of them — Southern Nevada people, organizations and businesses doing real things to reduce waste, save energy and keep our one and only home planet a bit more tidy.

Recycling is everywhere One recent morning, Tara Pike is counting off the successes of Rebel Recycling Program — how the program collects about three tons of recycling a day from campus (not counting 900 pounds a day of organic waste), and then there’s how the Rebel Recycling crew has grown from two student helpers to today’s small army of staffers, student part-timers, and petty offenders doing community service — when she’s interrupted by something more pressing. “Hold on,” says Pike. “I have to load the table.” She pops up 20

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from her chair. In the adjacent Tara Pike room, she starts hefting trash Before: Under a cans like a pro wrestler, dumpfledgling program, ing garbage on the broad table UNLV recycled two for sorting. tons of waste per That’s Pike — a hands-on, week. down-in-it, walk-the-talk recyAfter: Under Pike’s cling guru. She’s a committed program, UNLV vegan who buys her clothes at recycles three tons of thrift stores and totes her lunch waste per day. (today it’s pumpkin soup) in a repurposed peanut butter jar. Her office is a faded gray trailer that sits hidden on the southeast corner of the UNLV campus like a dirty secret. This is where Pike (full title: solid waste and recycling manager and sustainability coordinator) has helped turn the campus into one of the valley’s most inspiring recycling success stories. Since penning her undergraduate thesis in 1995 on how to improve campus recycling, she’s stuck around to make it a reality. In July of that year, the Board of Regents approved a $1 per student per semester fee to kick-start the program.

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“Sometimes people say to me, ‘Don’t you want to move on?’ No way,” Pike says of her long tenure as recycling guru. “Every day is challenging, and there’s so much work to be done. This is like my kid. Could you give up your 15-year-old daughter for adoption?” Besides, she says, “I’m not done with UNLV.” Though Pike’s done a lot. Today, on campus it’s nearly as convenient to recycle as it is to throw something away. There are 130 bins in student areas, 400 bins in faculty and staff areas and 3,000 deskside bins sprinkled throughout campus — plus 2,200 in the dorms. Last year, the program recycled 750 tons of paper, food waste, plastic and aluminum. The paper and plastic are shipped to China; the aluminum is recycled in the U.S.; the food waste is sent to local compost company A1 Organics to turn into soil. The program doesn’t recycle glass. “For some reason, people freak out about [not recycling] glass,” says Pike. “But glass just sits in a landfill and doesn’t do anything. People should freak out about paper and food waste, because 22

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those are the things that really cause problems.” Her dream is to have a recycling bin next to every trash can on campus. And with her at the helm, it’s just a matter of time. “Every day brings a new possibility,” she says. “Every day brings something new.” Info: www.facilities.unlv.edu/recycling

Where the rubber meets the road Work is a real grind at the Phoenix Recycling Technologies — literally. At this warehouse on east Cheyenne Road, an orange metal monster turns tires formerly destined for the landfill into something called “crumb rubber.” It’s a decidedly unglamorous name for a substance that’s helping to make driving safer. This humble wonder stuff that feels just like it sounds — yes, just like crumbs made of rubber — is used to help make asphalt rubber roads that are tougher than traditional roads. “All we do here is turn big things

Where the rubber meets the road: Phoenix Recycling Technologies turns tires into streets.

into little bitty things,” says Kelly Sockwell, director of operations. “And any time we can take something out of the waste stream and get something of value out of it, that’s always a great benefit too.” It’s a point worth driving home. According to the Environmental

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Phoenix Recycling Technologies Before: Old tires in Nevada were tossed in the landfill, where they sit for ages and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. After: Now old tires in Nevada avoid the landfill and go to Phoenix Recycling Technologies, which recycles them into a variety of products — including safer, more durable and less expensive highways.

Protection Agency, the U.S. generates about 290 million scrap tires a year. When they’re trashed in landfills, they take up space and collect methane gas, which can cause them to “float” and even rupture landfills. When stockpiled, scrap tires turn into mosquito farms and rat hotels. Nevada only recently caught the crumb rubber craze. After the 2009 Legislature passed a law that banned tossing scrap tires in landfills, Phoenix Recycling Technologies moved to Las Vegas from Scottsdale and fired up the machines in November. It runs two shifts a night and can grind through three tons of tires per hour. Already the company is saving tires from the trash. Since the company launched here, it’s turned more than 150,000 tires into crumb rubber. Better yet, that crumb rubber is put to good use. Phoenix Recycling Technologies already has three road projects lined up in Henderson, one of which starts in April. “It’s the first work in Nevada that will use Nevada’s own waste tires,” says Sockwell. Now that’s some real circle of life-type stuff going on. “We’ve had a lot of success with rubber asphalt,” says Thomas Davy, quality control manager in Henderson’s public works department. “It’s quieter than conventional asphalt and of superior strength.” But you won’t have to take a drive to Henderson to see crumb rubber in action. Instead, just hit a nearby park, where that springy stuff in the play area features crumb rubber. So do patio paving bricks, utility mats, sports fields with artificial turf (crumb rubber is sprinkled in to add a bit of cushioning) and of course, recycled tires. Sockwell says 78.5 million pounds of crumb rubber were used in the U.S. as recently

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Environment as 2007. Phoenix recycles the steel and fiber used in tires, too. But that’s local; what about global? Funny you should ask. The parent company of Phoenix Recycling Technologies, Phoenix Industries, is taking the crumb rubber craze all across Mother Earth. It sells tire recycling plants to other countries looking to roll their scrap tires away from the waste stream. “We get inquiries [about recycling plants] from all over the world,” says Sockwell, who visited 22 countries last year to preach the gospel of crumb rubber. These “little bitty things,” it turns out, are making a big difference. Info: www.phoenixrecyclingtechnologies.com

Heidi Kyser and Peter Frigeri are blooming change at Gaia.

Flowers of not evil Flowers are a dirty little business — and we’re not just talking about the soil they grow in. That splendid arrangement brightening your living room has a checkered past: It’s likely been saturated in pesticides on some South American plantation, toiled over by underpaid workers who are daily exposed to toxic chemicals, all under the shadow of some multinational floral cartel that couldn’t care less about the environment. “Floriculture is like any other form of agriculture — the bigger you are, the more chemicals you need,” says Peter Frigeri, co-owner of Gaia Flowers, Gifts and Art downtown. “Not to mention all the stuff used in making the arrangements — the Styrofoam, the plastic, the wrap.” Not Gaia. It’s a flower shop that, well, Mother Earth herself would endorse. Since opening Gaia in June 2009, Frigeri and co-owner Heidi Kyser have worked at helping the floral biz turn over a new leaf. Their cut flowers are screened through organizations such as Eco-Flora, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and VeriFlora, which assure they’re grown sustainably, responsibly and without turning flower laborers into chemical mutants. Their vases? Not cheap ceramics shipped on a freighter from China, but rather lovingly crafted by Las Vegas artisans. The baskets? Rescued from thrift stores. The art? Local. The vibe? The wafting incense and generously dispensed tea make you want to curl up on 24

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their couch with an absurdly large coffee table book. The do-gooding doesn’t stop there. They deliver their cuttings to the Springs Preserve for composting. They donate a chunk of window display space to local nonprofits. They host sustainability meetups and artist workshops. And they’ve chosen to locate their shop in the Arts District, to urge along the walkfriendly culture developing downtown. “People who are making things happen down here are really optimistic, and we’re determined to succeed,” says Kyser. They really do brighten up the place. Info: www.gaiaflowers.com

Their trash, your treasure Pallets of fax machines. Row upon jumbled row of desks and chairs. Copy machines and light fixtures and foam board

Gaia Flowers, Gifts and Art Before: That beautiful bouquet you ordered for your wedding anniversary? Probably grown on a pesticide-dosed field slaved over by underpaid laborers. After: Gaia screens its flowers so they’re beautiful on the inside too: pesticide-, oppression- and generally evil-free.

and nylon banners. This nondescript warehouse that sits in the shadow of the Luxor looks like an orphanage for wayward office supplies. But it’s much more than that. Cynthia Stimple surveys the scene with pride and relief. “And to think this stuff would have

ended up in a landfill,” says Stimple, chief operating officer of GreenerVegas. “To throw all this away would be a sin.” You’d have near-religious fervor too if you were pulling off the miraculous feat GreenerVegas is: Working with the convention industry to save tons of perfectly good stuff from the landfill. Stuff like convention catalogs and one-off publications, which GreenerVegas collects and diverts to recycling. Stimple estimates the organization has harvested about 1.25 million pounds of paper since its launch in 2007. But there are also track lights (from booth displays), laser printers (from an exhibition company cleaning its warehouse), sand and rocks (from a beach-themed convention booth) and even faux Roman columns, horse saddles and rail fencing. GreenerVegas isn’t just saving landfill space. It’s also helping out local governments, nonprofits and perpetually put-upon teachers. For

A sense of repurpose: Cynthia and Tim Stimple of GreenerVegas

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instance, that nine tons of beach sand went to Clark County, which used a good amount of it in local parks. Stimple estimates GreenerVegas has given material to 160 groups and programs in Southern Nevada. But these saints need to keep realistic. “I can get stuff,” Stimple says. “But stuff won’t pay our rent.” As she says this, a truck backs into the loading dock bearing yet more furniture for the 7,300 square-foot warehouse that’s rapidly filling up. GreenerVegas charges partner convention companies a small fee to cart off their would-be garbage, which the convention companies like. “Our service saves the client money as well,” says GreenerVegas CEO Zachary Delbex. “That means they’re not having to pay for as many Dumpsters after the convention’s over. In many cases, they can write off the material as a donation. And behaving sustainably is definitely good for them from a marketing standpoint.” But that fee doesn’t quite cover the rent, either. Thus GreenerVegas’ Repurpose America program, which turns the warehouse into a sort of discount club for nonprofits and private individuals. For as little as a $100 membership, nonprofits and even private companies and people can buy new and used office furniture and appliances at outrageous discounts. Think 10 times cheaper than Best Buy, but 10 times more reliable than a thrift store. “When we first started, we didn’t have the vaguest idea what we were doing,” Stimple says. “But we knew that we just wanted to make a difference.” GreenerVegas has proved that sometimes that motivation is plenty. Now, who needs some faux Roman columns? Info: www.greenervegas.org DC

GreenerVegas Before: Countless convention booths and exhibitor companies would pack up, leave Las Vegas — and chuck their convention material in the garbage. After: Now much of it is diverted to the GreenerVegas warehouse, where convention “trash” is repurposed in a warehouse thrift store.

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Art

story by Kirsten SwensoN

Jean Tinguely’s “Study for an End of the World No.2” explodes at Jean Dry Lake in March 1962.

Appetite for self-destruction At the height of the Cold War, an avant-garde Swiss artist destroyed the world. Ground zero: Las Vegas

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better known as the Nevada Test Site. And then there is Jean Dry Lake, which, as we will see, possesses its own, lesser-known notoriety as an atomic age proving ground. The absurd explosion Tinguely’s sculpture rose on Jean Dry Lake as a series of towers fashioned from “the refuse of our age: used, lived with, and discarded. Symbols of our prosperity and our materialism,” as David Brinkley narrates in the NBC broadcast. Some of the junk was freshly painted, and areas of red, blue and white created an abstract composition against the dull brown landscape. Yet, rather than evoking the utopian implications of modernism (think of the elegant and graceful ways in which an Alexander Calder mobile transforms space), Tinguely’s kinetic assemblage was a monument to civilization’s self-destructive tendencies. As Tinguely activated the motors from a control panel, a huge blue water tank began smoking, and the trunk of a palm tree twirled enigmatically in and out of its opening; an old air conditioner, now bright red, clanged as its spinning motor began pulling a toy wagon full of dynamite toward a shopping cart loaded with toys (it missed). Brightly colored flags, pinwheels and a plastic “horn of plenty” (that would have

G E TTY I M A G E S

On a March morning in 1962, a convoy of vehicles headed south on Las Vegas Boulevard from the Flamingo Hotel to Jean Dry Lake with an unusual cargo: a sculpture made of junk culled from the Las Vegas Dump and fitted with some 30 electric motors, along with 100 sticks of dynamite, 20,000 firecrackers, a dozen homemade plastic bombs and a generator. Swiss avant-garde artist Jean Tinguely, with the help of his partner, the artist Niki de Saint Phalle, had spent four days making this rickety, motorized assemblage in the Flamingo hotel-casino’s parking lot. It was the centerpiece of his event, “Study for an End of the World No. 2.” Jean Dry Lake to the south of Las Vegas was where this elaborate work of art would self-destruct in a suicidal performance for the popular media, including The Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine and the NBC news magazine program “David Brinkley’s Journal,” which had commissioned the event. Dry lakebeds, or playas, are the most lifeless places on earth, wastelands that concentrate the hostile conditions of the desert. Playas are without shade for miles on end, and are Earth’s flattest, lowest, hottest surfaces. Perhaps by virtue of this, playas cultivate peculiar and extreme human activities. They are places of experimentation, places to test things. Yucca Flat, a dry lakebed to the north of Las Vegas, is

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Art Jean Tinguely’s provocative answer to the idea of art as commodity: explosions.

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once adorned a supermarket façade) spun against the dusty mountains and blue sky. A cement mixer rolled toward the water tank but got tangled in cables before it could crash and explode. A stuffed reclining chair caught fire. Eventually, the firecrackers began their staccato, flames engulfed the water tank, and buried plastic bombs exploded, causing plumes of topsoil and leaving nothing but a smoldering debris field. The world ended in fits and starts after the intervention of the artist at several points, proving that even annihilation can go awry. This sense of mechanized destruction as a kind of disappointing, chaotic and imperfect affair was typical of Tinguely’s performances that cast the modern embrace of technology in a dystopian, absurdist light — not least the technologies of mass destruction that the world had seen explode on a dry lakebed to the north. Flames and a bewildered crowd Though Tinguely was not a household name in America, he was among the most notorious artists of the day, living in Paris and participating in the French Nouveau Réalisme movement along with the artists Yves Klein, Arman, Christo and oth-

ers. The “new realists” responded to the post-World War II geopolitical context, embodying a European existentialist mindset with provocative, even nihilistic gestures that frequently challenged the commodity-status of art. Klein conducted performances with women doused in blue paint who used their bodies as “living paintbrushes”; Christo, with his partner Jeanne-Claude, used fabric to wrap buildings and demarcate space in symbolic, political gestures, such as wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin in 1977. Tinguely’s magnum opus was his 1960 piece, “Homage to New York,” an auto-destructive assemblage staged in the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art that remains a touchstone in postwar art. “Homage to New York” had created a stir: The towering contraption made of junk found in New Jersey dumps, including a bathtub, weather balloon, piano and numerous bicycle, tricycle, and baby carriage wheels, had shot a baby carriage and coins into the crowd. Meanwhile, the piano caught fire, and radios, horns, clanging metal, and the sound of a dozen repurposed motors caused a confusing, cacophonous spectacle. Ultimately, the fire department

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stepped in, hacking the machine to pieces and extinguishing flames in front of a bewildered crowd. It was surely the notoriety of “Homage to New York” that prompted NBC news to commission Tinguely to follow up a 1961 “happening” staged at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, “Étude pour une fin du monde No. 1,” with an American version, “Study for an End of the World No. 2.” Rehearsing the apocalypse Tinguely’s previous suicide machines had been staged at major international museums, so the choice of Southern Nevada, and especially Jean Dry Lake, as the site for this event is intriguing. Art historian Emily Scott considers this site in her UCLA dissertation, “Wasteland: American Landscapes in/and 1960s Art.” Scott visited Las Vegas in March to speak on Tinguely’s work in Southern Nevada and to screen the segment of “David Brinkley’s Journal” that aired on NBC in 1962. She understands the relevance of Las Vegas and Jean Dry Lake for Tinguely and his sponsor, NBC, in terms of the Nevada Test Site’s notoriety as a major media and tourism spectacle that also signified the possibility of nuclear holocaust. In a history that is familiar to many Nevadans, the Test Site — then the Nevada Proving Ground — attracted curious throngs in the 1950s and early 1960s. It was a marketing gambit for casinos and the tourism industry: The Stardust’s “atomic pink” color scheme referenced the pink fallout dust that covered everything in proximity to a detonation, including the skin of tourists taking in the spectacle of flashing light and a mushroom cloud while sipping atomicthemed cocktails on casino rooftops. In the televised broadcast, David Brinkley’s voiceover says Tinguely’s “Study for an End of the World No. 2” is being staged “close to Yucca Flat, where the Atomic Energy Commission is testing nuclear bombs.” Brinkley seems to deliberately conflate the locations of Jean Dry Lake, never explicitly identified, with the Nevada Proving Ground. But Tinguely’s spectacle was rife with failure and disappointment. “Study for an End of the World No. 2” rehearses the apocalypse in a faltering and comedic manner, upending the top-secret technologies of the Manhattan Project and the Nevada Proving Ground that had the M A Y / / J U ne 2 0 1 0

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Art human population in the grips of anxiety. Maybe the end of the world is no big deal. Las Vegas itself features prominently in the episode of “David Brinkley’s Journal,” the primary document of Tinguely’s “Study for an End of the World No. 2.” Tracking shots of the Strip and downtown capture bygone institutions such as The Lucky Strike, The Mint and The Pioneer Club. The casinos’ glitz and promise of easy money stand for the apogee of postwar American consumerism. Indeed, as Scott emphasized in her account, the contrast between the material indulgences of American capitalism and the vacuous desert landscape are played up in the broadcast. Tinguely’s “Study” represents the demise of an American lifestyle of consumption and leisure — an unavoidable association when watching a glut of toys and armchair recliner succumb to flames on the desert floor. End of the world all over again Scott also conducted a field trip to the site of the former dump where Tinguely and de Saint Phalle had gathered supplies (now Sunrise Landfill at the eastern end of Vegas Valley Drive), as well as Jean Dry Lakebed and the Flamingo Hotel. The idea was to reanimate Tinguely’s event through physically encountering the “everyday landscapes” that gave significance to his “Study.” A small group of UNLV students and associates gathered pieces of “used, lived with, and discarded” refuse that seemed to capture the aspirations and failures of our moment. They found construction materials, home fixtures, toys, a motorboat and a shopping cart. They drove the refuse to Jean Dry Lake and blew it up — it was the end of the world all over again. For Tinguely, Southern Nevada gave visual representation to the apex and demise of Western culture in the modern age: Everyone could live like Caesar but, like ancient Rome, self-destruction seemed imminent. Though there are no longer mushroom clouds on the horizon, those extremes are still palpable in our region. Living in Las Vegas in 2010, most of us know someone who has lost it all. To look back on Tinguely’s 1962 suicide machine today is to be reminded of the extremes Las Vegas has long stood for in the popular imagination — and of the enduring culture of the region. DC

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Style

The styles of summer Summer survival in the Las Vegas Valley often consists of the simplest coping tactic: staying indoors where the air conditioning is â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and where the strongest indication of the 105-degree heat outside is sunshine slatting through the blinds. But what about those summertime occasions that demand an outdoor trek? Keep cool with these tips for surviving the summer in style.

Story Sara Nu nn Photogra p hy Chri s topher Smith Styling Chri s tie M oeller Hair & MakeU p M eli ss a Co nn er Model Jamillette

MA y / / J U N E 2 0 1 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201A; D e s e r t C o mp a n i o n

Style

the backyard barbecue

ome things just aren’t the same inside, and chief among those would be the time-honored barbecue. Such occasions demand casual chic, as even the nimblest-fingered eater can be thwarted by butter-smeared corn or heavily sauced meat. Casual doesn’t have to mean boring, however. Keep things interesting with a printed sundress or high-waisted shorts paired with a top tied at the waist. J. Crew ( jcrew.com) and The Gap (gap.com) both offer sporty separates for the preppy look that pairs so well with an all-American event such as the backyard barbecue. Both have locations all over town, but why not pop in to the outposts at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (875 South Grand Central Parkway)? Take the money you’ll save and spring for a matching cardigan to tie around your shoulders, and you’ll have a cheeky nod to the preppy tradition and something warm for after sunset. If you find yourself with an urge to splurge (and a devil-may-care attitude toward the risks of eating with your hands), head to Barneys (The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 629-4200), where you’ll find summer dresses that positively redefine backyard barbecue chic. Of particular note are Christopher Kane’s frisky gingham dresses and a swingy selection of breezy white separates from Azzedine Alaïa. Classicists will appreciate the wall of Diane von Furstenburg’s mid-priced dresses, in the classic wrap style or a tribal print. The DvF boutique in Palazzo (818-2294) offers even more options.

Trying to do everything you can to fight summeronset freckles? Add a dose of whimsy — and protection — to your look with a lightweight hat. Lanvin Crochet Straw Hat, $368, available at Crystals, 982-0245 Petite partygoers can take advantage of an unexpectedly cheap bounty: pretty cardigans courtesy of Stella McCartney’s GapKids collaboration. Stella McCartney for GapKids Cardigan, $58, available at The Gap at Rampart Commons, 939-9020

This look Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress $365 available at Saks Fifth Avenue Stella McCartney sunglasses $225 available at Saks Fifth Avenue Jimmy Choo nude patent heels $665 available at Saks Fifth Avenue

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When it’s hot out, you need sunscreen, a wallet, a water bottle — what else? The perfect tote to carry it all. Saffiano Fori Tote in carmel, $845, Prada at Barneys, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 629-4200

the pool party

he key to a good time at a pool party is generously applied SPF 50, at least one cold bottle of water per every two margaritas and extended breaks in the shade. For swimsuits, comfort is the watchword. Target (target.com) offers a wide variety of sizes, including bikini separates ready to cater to your curves (or lack thereof ). For those brief moments when you decide to soak up Vitamin D on a lounge chair, bikini tops with detachable straps are best to avoid tan lines. If you’re looking for the perfect swimsuit mix of saucy and innocent, look for bikinis and one-pieces from Marc by Marc Jacobs in the Belleville pattern: a summery eyelet featuring tiny embroidered skulls, available at Marc Jacobs (The Forum Shops, 369-2007) as well as Saks Fifth Avenue (Fashion Show Mall, 733-8300). Saks also carries a matching dress, a ruffled concoction that works equally well as a cool day dress or a cover-up for said swimsuit.

This look Marc Jacobs “Belleville” bikini top $116, bottom $98 available at Saks Fifth Avenue Christian Louboutin navy patent sling back heels $775 available at Saks Fifth Avenue Juicy Couture beach bag $148.00 available at Saks Fifth Avenue

A good poolside cover-up should take you from poolside at the Wynn to St. Tropez in a hot second, and Missoni always gets the job done. Missoni Brindisi Lurex knit caftan, $920, available at Barneys, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 629-4200

Pool parties offer limited opportunities to express your style, so make sure that each accessory really counts. In other words: Go nuts. Alexander Wang cat sunglasses, $325, at shopbop.com

What’s summer without quirky sandal tan lines? They give you character. These classic slingbacks pair just as well with casual work wear, too. Woven Fisherman Sandal, $560, available Bottega Veneta at The Bellagio, at The Bellagio, 3692944

MA y / / J U N E 2 0 1 0 D e s e r t C o mp a n i o n

Style

the cocktail party

ad Men has forced us all to re-evaluate our ideas of cocktail chic, with the curvehugging ’50s silhouette raging back into style faster than you can ask if Season 4 is airing yet. Wiggle dresses and pencil skirts aplenty can be found at Bettie Page Clothing (Fashion Show Mall, 369-8277; Miracle Mile in Planet Hollywood, 636-1100), with figure-flattering looks that’ll suit every lady, whether you’re a Betty Draper or a Joan Holloway. If you’re down for a hunt, though, why not try for genuine vintage? The best vintage pieces here are found at thoroughly opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. Buffalo Exchange (4110 S. Maryland Parkway, 791-3960) has a nice vintage selection that generally boasts at least a few sleek mid-century gems amid a festival of ’70s and ’80s polyester and ruffles. If you find yourself burdened with hundreds of extra dollars in your clothing budget, take it to the pricey but delightful Annie Creamcheese (Shoppes at the Palazzo, 452-9600). Boasting designer vintage pieces (and adorable salespeople), this shop also has a generous selection of vintage statement jewelry. Finally, if the mere thought of thumbing through racks of clothing has you reaching for a midafternoon cocktail, do yourself a favor and hit up Etsy.com, where a classic ’60s cocktail dress is just a search box away.

This look Bettie Page “Christina” dress $150 available at Bettie Page Clothing, Fashion Show Mall Christian Louboutin black patent sling back heel $755 available at Saks Fifth Ave. Vintage necklace and earrings available at Valentino’s Zootsuit Connection

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Scintillate your party guests with dazzling conversation and a bright grin; if those fail, blind them with a big shiny cocktail ring. Kate Spade aqua large faceted ring, $75, Neiman Marcus at Fashion Show Mall, 731-3636 Keep a sleek cocktail look from getting too severe (and your toes from getting tired) by pairing a form-fitting dress with delicately dangerous flats. Chain wrap gladiator sandals, $450, Lanvin at Barneys, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 629-4200 Get that pin-up girl silhouette with a saucy waist-cincher. Garter belt and thigh-high stockings are optional, but always appreciated. Kiki de Montparnasse poppy corset belt, $350, at Crystals, 736-7883

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Jaunts

Eats

Kids

{

Events

}

cool things to see, 26 hear, taste and do in the Summer Survival Guide

hot months ahead

Stock the cooler. Pack the car. Herd the kids. Fire up the GPS. Drive to that vacation spot you’ve been visiting every year since Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. Rinse. Repeat. Please. Summer fun is the last thing that should get routine. That’s why we filled our Summer Survival Guide with head-turning, offthe-beaten-path-taking, ooh- and ahh-inspiring trips to deceptively familiar places — places you know only half as well as you thought. In addition to fun and affordable jaunts, we’ve also got top chefs sharing their top-secret summer recipes, adventures for your little ones, can’t-miss cultural highlights and gotta-have summer gear. Slather on some SPF 50 and enjoy.

MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

JAUNTS }

Been there...but done this?

Rediscover the places you thought you knew — with a little help from some road-tested insiders

Heather and Jared Fisher of Escape Adventures tour hard — but tread lightly.

NEVADA

no.1 | The Southwest

Summer Survival Guide

Red Rock, shmed rock. You’ve biked it so many times you can take the switchbacks blindfolded. The Grand Canyon? You’ve toured the backcountry on everything from a pack mule to a Land Cruiser to a pair of blistered feet. And you know the trails of Moab like a well-thumbed paperback. Fine. Now do it all over again — while shrinking your carbon footprint to near-zilch. That’s what Escape Adventures offers, a homegrown Las Vegas company that marries real-world sustainability and hike-and-bike travel. “We’re not going to change the world ourselves — I mean, our vegetable oil-powered trucks alone aren’t going to stop global warming — but if we can create a sustainable business model that works, then maybe we can get some recognition and set an example,” says Director Jared Fisher. Jared and his wife Heather launched Escape Adventures (www.escapeadventures.com) in 1992 after coming up with the idea as UNLV undergrads. What began as a modest bike-tour biz soon blossomed into a venture that today boasts two regional headquarters, up to 25 professional guides and, yes, a fleet of vans that run on used vegetable oil culled from area restaurants — meaning nearly emissions-free adventuring. Want even more green cred? Their local HQ, just off Blue Diamond Highway, is a rehabbed army barracks powered by a wind turbine. In the backyard, chickens lay eggs for adventurers’ meals and worms munch away at the compost. No wonder that in 2006, Escape Adventures became officially carbonneutral, meaning its net contribution of carbon dioxide into the air was zero. Props from National Geographic, which crowned Escape Adventures one of 2009’s “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth,” certainly help. But most importantly, the view from “the office” is to die for. On 44

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this day, it’s a stretch of Spring Mountains off Highway 160 as Jared rolls up on something that looks less like a mountain bike than a gleefully mud-strewn tank bristling with gears and pistons. He’s here to debrief a bunch of Royal Air Force members he set loose earlier on a lightly chaperoned bike trip to nearby Dead Horse Loop, a trail that runs through a plateau and eerily still Joshua tree forest. When not overseeing near-home jaunts like these, Escape Adventures leads treks to more far-flung locales, from The Canadian Rockies to Costa Rica to New Zealand. But the company’s most popular adventures center on the Southwest, with its five-day Grand Canyon North Rim trip and The Maze in Utah’s Canyonlands Park ranking among the most requested outings. But Escape Adventures’ sustainable model is what truly resonates with the new, eco-conscious breed of outdoors enthusiasts. Jared says that’s why Escape Adventures’ business increased during 2008, when other outfitters were hurting. “People appreciate and share our core values, and that’s one of the reasons we grew,” he says. “Any business can claim to be carbon-neutral by writing a check for green tags [renewable energy certificates],” says Heather, the company’s president. “But people really appreciate people who stand behind what they say.” In 2007, the Fishers subjected Escape Adventures to the legendarily tough audit by Sustainable Travel International, which awarded their business four out of five stars for sustainability. “It comes down to a responsibility to the environment,” says Jared. “Since we promote the outdoors, since we use it as a resource, we feel like we had to give back.” Leave it up to the Fishers to make giving back not just a job, but an adventure. — Andrew Kiraly

H ea t he r an d J a r e d f i s he r : C h r i s t o p he r Sm i t h

Take it by foot, bike and truck. Mother Earth will thank you

no.2 | Boulder City

Shy, but once you get to know her … Not long ago, Primm Valley Casino Resorts adopted the phrase, “Short on distance, not on fun.” While it’s hard to hate on roller coasters and cheap hot dogs, Primm’s use of the phrase is kind of like the ugly stepsister wearing the glass slipper, as Boulder City curses herself for not hiring the right ad agency. While there’s no roller coaster in Boulder City, the Bootleg Canyon Flightlines (www. bcflightlines.com) — nestled in the same hills as the world-famous Bootleg Canyon mountain bike trails — will find you harnessed to sloping cables, zipping downgrade high over the desert at speeds up to 50 mph. It’s all the fun of a rollercoaster, without the fear of being puked on. However, if your favorite part of roller coasters is the view right before the big drop, you should take the five-minute drive up to the top of Red Moun-

Renowned rock drummer Sandy Nelson now plays gentler fare in Boulder City.

tain (take Bootleg Canyon Road past the mountain bike trail parking lot and all the way up) for a breathtaking nighttime view of Las Vegas. Making out/bottle rockets/ beer highly recommended. But once you arrive at the Red Mountain lookout, you’re not going to want to leave, so don’t go hungry. Whereas Primm has hot dogs, Boulder City’s World Famous Coffee Cup diner (www. worldfamouscoffeecup.com) has the epic, off-menu chili dog burrito, with chili, dog, cheese, jalapeños, fries and a whole lot of awesome all stuffed inside a tortilla. If you drink too much up on the mountain and make it down without driving off a cliff, you’d be even crazier to try and drive out of town

past the Boulder City police and their DUI vigilance. That’s why you should have a local room booked. Not just any local room, but the 1930s Art Deco-themed room at the historic, haunted Boulder Dam Hotel (www.boulderdamhotel. com). Boulder City’s very own Sandy Nelson — who helped pioneer rock ‘n’ roll drumming with his hit instrumental records in the ’50s and ’60s — can often be found playing the grand piano and telling wacky stories in the hotel lobby. Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham was a fan of his — and you probably will be too. — Jack Johnson Jack Johnson is a lifelong resident of Boulder City and staff writer for the Boulder City Review.

“Aside from Sammy’s incomparable pastrami, whether you’re on the east (2191 E. Tropicana, 736-1698) or west side (4035 S. Decatur, 644-8747), Sammy’s two locations also boast the best handmade lemonade in the city.”

— Rebecca Zisch, Nevada Public Radio commentator

no.3 | Beatty and environs

GEAR:

Muji shrinkwrapped scarves and shirts Perfect for carryons, long car trips or emergency back-ups. Think of them as little freeze-dried rations that you wear instead of eat. These are the shirts and scarves of the future — the future, that is, as imagined by HannaBarbera circa the ’60s, when everything came in nice compact pill form. (www.muji.us/store) — Juan Martinez

Beatty may be on the doorstep of Death Valley, but it’s certainly not just a doormat. Seasoned daytrippers are probably more than familiar with Beatty’s status as a little slice of dusty, dirty heaven for off-roaders. Just 30 miles outside town on U.S. 95 is the Amargosa Big Dune, which is, uh, a big dune — five square “The Last Supper” miles of adult sandbox just begging to be at the Goldwell Open mauled by your merciless wheels of fury. Air Museum If you’re more the contemplative type, you probably want to head straight into town — and through it — to the ghost town of Rhyolite. In addition to the typical ghost towny narrative (gold rush! ballooning growth! gold bust! mass exodus!), Rhyolite is home to the renowned Goldwell Open Air Museum (www.goldwellmuseum.org), where once upon a time (follow us here) a bunch of Belgian artists erected seven huge sculptures in a collective celebration of the freedom of the wide-open West. Pieces range from the eerily humorous “Last Supper” (made of ghostly, life-sized shroudcasts) to the angular and potent “Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada” (imagine an 8-bit blonde rendered in cinder block) to the soaring and dignified “Icarus.” If you’re more of an art producer than an art gawker, the Goldwell Museum’s Red Barn Art Center offers residency programs for artists who like solitude — lots and lots of solitude. And dirt. When you’re boomeranging back through Beatty proper, head north on U.S. 95 to rinse the dust off in Bailey’s Hot Springs. Don’t worry. You won’t be revealing your delicate bare skin to the merciless sun; the springs are housed in private antique baths so you can soak in civilized fashion. — Andrew Kiraly MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

Summer Survival Guide

S A N D Y N E L SO N : J A C K J O H N SO N ; G O L D W E L L OP E N A IR M U S E U M : Oma r B á r cena

Interesting at the edges

UTAH

Here’s Grafton Ghost Town: “Boo!” Here’s you: “Zoiks!”

no.4 | Southern Utah

4 x 4 vehicle optional, curiosity — and a camera — required

Summer Survival Guide

So you’ve been to Zion. Been to Bryce. What else is there to do in Southern Utah in the summer? As a local, I hear this question a lot. My answer: Grafton Ghost Town for creepy old buildings and the set of several famous Hollywood films. The Maynard Dixon Studio for a Western art experience. The Grand Staircase for hidden slot canyons. The Western Legends Roundup for classic Western films and family fun. Just south of Zion National Park, on Highway 9, Grafton Ghost Town awaits. Between floods, Paiute Indian attacks and the general hardships of pioneering in the 1860s, the headstones in the cemetery detail the miseries endured and make for a spine-tingling experience. Nearby, my great-uncle’s barn was the site of the bicycle and bull scenes in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Stay out of the pasture — that bull might still be on the loose. After Grafton (www.graftonheritage.org), the adventurous can take their 4 x 4 vehicle on the dirt road over the beautiful Smithsonian Butte. Keep the “Big Love” quips to a minimum while you enjoy lunch at the Merry

GEAR:

Wives’ Café in Colorado City (435-874-1425). If you prefer comfort over adventure, skip the 4 x 4 detour and stay on the paved road to Springdale. Try a Polygamy Porter (or two — why have just one?) at the Bit & Spur Saloon (www.bitandspur.com). Drive further up Highway 9, through Zion, and on the other side of the park you’ll find the town of Mount Carmel, nestled in the pastures and fields of Long Valley, with the gorgeous White Cliffs as a backdrop. Western artists have long enjoyed painting the cliffs, the most famous being Maynard Dixon, known for his stunning landscapes and stylized clouds. Take a tour of Dixon’s Home Studio (www.thunderbirdfoundation. com) and the Bingham Art Gallery, where you can see the White Cliffs on canvas and through the big picture windows. Just across the street, the Arrowhead Country Inn (www.arrowheadbb.com) offers (plug!) home-away-from-home-style cabins and lodging, and a breakfast so good you’ll want to take the cook home with you. I wouldn’t recommend that, though — our family is

getting really tired of tracking her down. Every time my mom makes Caramel Apple French Toast or Peach Dutch Babies, she disappears afterward and I end up covering her breakfast shifts until she can be located, usually in someone’s suitcase. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (search it at www.blm. gov) isn’t as well-known as it should be, probably because most people wear themselves out just trying to say its long and awkward name. But if you really want to “get away from it all,” you really need to see this vast, remote area that encompasses most of the land between Bryce and Lake Powell. The “staircase” refers to the colorful and colossal geological layers that march across southern Utah. Don’t bring your low-rider — many of the roads in Grand Staircase require a high-clearance, 4 x 4 vehicle. And for my sake, don’t bring your running-on-fumes RV — I’m tired of rescuing you people. But do bring your camera to capture the rugged, stunning scenery at places such as Willis Creek Slot Canyon and Cottonwood Canyon Narrows. Western Legends Roundup, held in late August in Kanab’s Little Hollywood, is an allaround family event that even your teenagers will enjoy — though it might take them 20 years to admit it. The Roundup (www.westernlegendsroundup.com) pays tribute to the many Hollywood movies filmed in the area, as well as featuring cowboys, gunslingers, a three-day wagon train, longhorn cattle, fiddle contests, Western poetry and music and art, and plenty of country-fair style fixins such as Navajo tacos and Texas twister drinks. The two-day event includes a rodeo with events for the kids, and appearances by classic Western film stars such as Clint Walker from The Dirty Dozen and Buck Taylor of “Gunsmoke” fame. See? There’s a lot to see in southern Utah besides the national parks that everybody knows about. So dig up your hiking boots and get out there and explore it already! Your spandex hiking shorts — those are best left in the closet. — Laura Jennings Laura Jennings grew up exploring the backcountry of Nevada and Utah, and is following the usual career path, from cowgirl to professional chef to law student to future Bond villain.

Francis Meynell’s The Week-End Book A 1924 anthology of games (British: look for “TishyToshy”), recipes (way British: see “Eggs in Ramekins”), trivia and camping tips (including first aid and how to turn a piece of paper into a drinking cup). You will love it as both a curio piece and as genuinely awesome reference book to take on trips — even if Red Rock is sorely lacking in English hedges. (www.amazon.com) — J.M.

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G A FTO N G H OST TO W N C O U RT E S Y W W W . en . w i k i M e d i a . o r g / w i k i / U s e r : T r i be r o cke r

JAUNTS }

ARIZONA

no.5 | Flagstaff

Come for the beer. Or the folk. Or the birds Sure, spring is nice after a few months of gray, blustery weather, but by Memorial Day, the novelty is gone, the desert sun is poaching your brain in its own juices and the urge to get away is strong enough to take you all the way to Flagstaff, where the average hot day in June runs about 79 degrees. If you’re going as far afield as Flagstaff, you’ve already been to the Grand Canyon and you’ve probably already seen Meteor Crater, so proceed directly to Flagstaff on June 26 and celebrate the first weekend of summer at the 18th annual Made in the Shade Beer Tasting Festival (www.azbeer.com/flagstaff.htm). You

can sample 100 different specialty beers and microbrews, nosh on beer-friendly food and listen to live music. Spring for VIP treatment and get early admission, free food and a reserved area for enjoying your suds. All proceeds go to Sun Sounds of Arizona, a radio reading service for the visually impaired, so you’ll be drinking for a good cause while you laugh at the locals who complain about the heat. Once you’ve had your fill of People folkin’ hops and barley, head across town it up at the to the ninth annual Flagstaff Folk Flagstaff Folk Festival (www.flagfolkfest.org) Festival. taking place the same weekend at the Coconino Center for the Arts. Organizers expect turnout to top last year, which attracted nearly 200 musicians from around the Southwest. There’ll also be food vendors, free workshops and impromptu jam sessions. The $3 ticket includes access to the Coconino Center for the Arts and the Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum. Something a little quieter? Okay, a lot quieter? Hop on over to the west side of town for the Hummingbird Festival at the Arboretum at Flagstaff (www.thearb.org/ index.php) on June 26. This botanical garden is home to more than 2,500 species of native plants, which makes it popular with hummingbirds (and the people who love them). Visitors on this particular Saturday will watch as local scientists capture and band wild hummingbirds to track migration patterns. Presentations from the Hummingbird Society and a walk through the 200-acre garden round out the afternoon. — John Hardin

“Macy’s [www. macyscoffee. net] is a longtime local favorite. Mouthwatering baked goods. Vegetarian/ vegan food done right. When I first moved to Flagstaff, I stumbled into Macy’s, ordered a house coffee and thought I had found java heaven.” — Laura Clymer, city editor, Arizona Daily Sun

no.6 | Around Kingman? Yes, Kingman You’ve gotten your kicks on Route 66. You’ve had your picture taken with burros in Oatman. You’ve seen the London Bridge, out of place and anachronous on the shores of Lake Havasu. It’s time to do something different. With its wide-open spaces, northern Arizona demands more stamina and longer trips, but the rewards are great. You can reach a lot of interesting spots from Kingman (even if Kingman itself isn’t one of them). If you haven’t conquered your fear of heights yet, the Grand Canyon Skywalk offers aversion therapy with a great view. The skywalk (www.grandcanyonskywalk.com) is a glass balcony that juts out over the edge of the west rim of the Grand Canyon, giving visitors a Wile E. Coyote-eye view of the 4,000-foot drop to the bottom of the canyon. Less nerve-wracking but still impressive is Keepers of the Wild Nature Park (www. keepersofthewild.org), an exotic animal sanctuary about 40 miles to the east of King-

man. Founded by former Las Vegan Jonathon Kraft, who started out working with tigers on the Las Vegas strip, the 175-acre sanctuary houses a startling variety of exotic animals, from Bengal tigers to African lions to snakes and coatimundis. After you’ve seen the animals, cruise a few more miles down Route 66 to Seligman for lunch at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap DriveIn. Though its trademark “cheeseburgers with cheese” and “dead chicken” have been luring in customers since 1953, go for the onion rings; they’re little, circular pieces of heaven breaded and fried to perfection. While you’re clogging your arteries, check out the “sculpture garden,” laugh at the silly signs and read the notes left behind by generations of hungry travelers just like you. If you’re really looking to get lost, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument (search it at www.blm.gov) is where you want to go. One of the nation’s most remote national monuments is fewer than 200 miles from Las

The Grand Canyon Skywalk. Don’t look down! Actually, do.

Vegas. This unspoiled wilderness near the Utah border is home to bald eagles and the California condor, among other rare species. The monument takes its name from — what else? — the spectacular sandstone cliffs that rise as much as 3,000 feet over deeply eroded canyons. Make sure to take emergency supplies; there are no services and no facilities anywhere in the 294,000 acre monument. Like we said: remote. — J.H. MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

Summer Survival Guide

Image c o u r t e s y o f t he G r an d C any o n Skywalk

Get high, get low, get higher, get wild

JAUNTS } CALIFORNIA

no.7 | Los Angeles

You call yourself a shopper?

no.8 | Barstow … yes, Barstow

It was once really important

Summer Survival Guide

Barstow, better known as that “place you stop to pee on the way to L.A.,” is home base to the Calico Early Man Site (www.calicodig.org). The only New World archaeology project undertaken by the renowned archaeologist-paleontologist, Dr. Louis S.B. Leakey, Calico is one of the most controversial. It lies 15 miles northeast of Barstow and contains evidence, some scientists believe, of humans in North America dating back 200,000 years. To put that in context, conventional theories suggest we’ve only been here about 30,000 years. Everyone together now: Whoa. Spend face time with wolves at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary (www.wolfmountain.com).

Wasteland rewards the careful shopper with stylish bargains.

Sara Nunn shops Los Angeles from Rodeo Drive to the vintage shops of Silver Lake, and is likely there right now looking for a new dress or two or three.

Less than an hour from Barstow, Wolf Mountain is a home for wolves rescued from the movie industry and other places. There are currently 17 wolves of six different breeds in the sanctuary. Since it’s a permanent home (most of the wolves have never lived in the wild), volunteers encourage up-close and personal contact with the animals. Call (760) 248-7818 for reservations (required) and bring lots of meat for the wolves (not required, but the polite thing to do in wolf etiquette). Need more thrills? Get your rockets off at the 29th annual Large and Dangerous Rocket Ship Launch June 10. That’s when throngs of amateur and semi-pro rocketeers gather at Erickson Dry Lake, about 35 miles south, to send large, highprofile rockets as high as 19,000 feet into the desert air. And if someone yells, “Duck!” by all means, please do. — John Hardin

Meet Segoni at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary near Barstow.

John Hardin is a writer and editor who’s been looking for things to do in the Southwest since moving to Bullhead City in 1987.

“After experiencing L.A. shopping, experience L.A. eating at Real Food Daily [www.realfood.com], an organic vegan cafe that just may change how you think about meatless meals.” — Jessa Forsythe-Crane, personal assistant and 10-year Los Angeleno 48

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W a s t elan d : Sa L O W E N ; Seg o n i : Danna L ynn C r u z an

Sure, you know about Wasteland (in Santa Monica, Burbank, and on Melrose Avenue in LA; www.wastelandclothing.com), a veritable mecca for designer resale and vintage clothing. Look closely and you may find designer pieces with store tags still on them, in addition to awesome vintage pieces in the $20-30 range. The well-edited men’s selection means even style-challenged guys can come out looking cool. And you’ve explored Maxfield (310-274-8800), the upscale paradise with an incomparable selection of avant-garde designers and equally out-there furniture and home accessories. Sky-high prices mean you might be better off considering the place more of a modern museum, but the Maxfield approach to dressing and design will leave you as inspired as if you just visited one. So why not check out It’s A Wrap (locations in Burbank and on Robertson Blvd. in LA; www.itsawraphollywood.com), which takes the idea of a Hollywood souvenir to a whole new level? At two generously stocked retail locations, It’s A Wrap offers clothing and props used on the sets of movies and TV shows. Stock is constantly refreshed, and you’ll find items from shows as diverse as General Hospital and CSI, as well as hit movies such as Star Trek, all at discounts from 35 to 95 percent off retail. Some people go to L.A. and bring back a sunburn and renewed determination to never drive on a freeway again. Why not make your souvenir a wearable piece of entertainment history? — Sara Nunn

GEAR:

Plastic map-print travel accessories Luggage tags, travel document sets, toiletry bags, and passport covers designed out of PVC sheets printed with maps dimly remembered from middle-school textbooks: whimsically single-minded, disarming, charming — and brightly colored enough to not leave behind in hotel rooms. (www.artlook-store.com) — J.M.

Remember the game Mouse Trap? It takes on life-size proportions at the Maker Faire.

no.9 | Death Valley

You’ve seen what there is to see of Scotty’s Junction (population 11) and you’ve toured Scotty’s Castle (search it at www.nps.gov) rising like a Spanish-Mediterranean mirage out of a Death Valley oasis. Now make sure you’ve got plenty of sunscreen before hiking to Ubehebe Crater, a large volcanic crater near Scotty’s Castle. Created about 2,000 years ago when hot magma met cold groundwater, Ubehebe is a maar, or steam volcano crater, 600 feet deep and half a mile across. The 1.5-mile hike around the rim leads past several smaller, younger craters, including Little Hebe. We shouldn’t have to say this, but: Take lots of water, bubbe. Truly intrepid travelers willing to brave 25 more miles of dirt road from the crater will be rewarded with the lambent solitude of Racetrack Playa. The ancient lake bed is famous for its “moving rocks”: boulders that mark the desert floor with long, swooping tracks. No complete explanation for these tracks has been found, so feel free to speculate wildly. Not far away lies Tea Kettle Junction. Technically, it’s an unincorporated community but it’s really just a signpost that generations of visitors have adorned with old tea kettles. No complete explanation for why visitors adorn a signpost with tea kettles has been found. If watching other people have heat stroke is your idea of fun, come out to Badwater Basin (lowest point in North America!) July 10 for the Badwater Ultramarathon. Billed as the world’s toughest footrace, the Badwater pits 90 elite athletes against 135 miles of Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, a gain in elevation over 10,000 feet. Did we mention it was in July? — J.H.

no.10 | Bay Area

Make your own vacation — literally Looking for the perfect adventure to calm your ADHD-addled brain? Take it from us — the Maker Faire is better than Ritalin. Snapshots: A nine-foot satyr expounds upon on a kinetic sculpture fashioned from liter soda bottles. A steampunk Victorian delivers hand-scribed love letters sealed with wax. Knights battle in full regalia as a captain of miniature navies plans his upcoming conquest. Coordinated geysers powered by Mentos and Diet Coke erupt. For two days in otherwise staid San Mateo, Calif., the Maker Faire reigns. The Faire, the brainchild of Make: Magazine, is the world’s largest DIY festival, a creative mecca meant to inspire your inner Tesla. Yet if it hadn’t been for an art professor friend of mine and Mark Pauline, the founder of Survival Research Labs (iconoclasts who blow things up at shows), my husband and I would never have known of the Faire’s existence. Both urged us to experience this mix of crafts, robotics, invention and ephemera, and it didn’t disappoint. We started at the Craft Zone, which is like seeing Etsy reified. My husband indulged in others’ creations such as anachronistic amulets, embroidered woodland animals, pageboy caps and aviator glasses. I wove treasures out of piles of up-cyclable clothing. That was the yin. Now for the yang: the Expo Hall. Here we controlled our own R2D2; we channeled Frank Lloyd Wright and helped others build towns out of Legos; we explored marble runs, watched Tesla coil shows, and just hung out with geek dads. Then fresh air beckoned, and outside we found vaudeville for the 21st century: robot battles, theatrical acts, rocket launches, fire arts, village blacksmiths — all experienced while noshing on artisanal cheeses, chocolates and wood-fired pizza. At the Maker SHED, build an office trebuchet and engage in corporate warfare. Use conductive thread to power-up your clothes with LEDs, microchips, RFID tags or even electroshocks (muggers beware!). I particularly dug the synesthesia-inducing Trip Glasses, through which hallucinatory colors melded with the sounds of the Faire. But reality does impinge: always carry cash-in-hand, folks, for I assure you that those infernal ATMs are quickly emptied of it. The Bay Area’s 2010 Maker Faire takes place May 22-23 at the San Mateo County Event Center, and July 31-Aug. 1 in Detroit at The Henry Ford Info: www.makerfaire.com. — Monera Mason Physics groupie Monera Mason has been a Maker Faire attendee and volunteer, helping to check-in all the Makers. She can’t wait to do it all again this month. MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

Summer Survival Guide

M o u s e T r a p C o u r t e s y M ake r Fa i r e

Sure, it’s hot. But there’s a huge crater!

EATS }

All up in your grill

Become the king of backyard cuisine with these secret summer recipes from top chefs By John Curtas

ver wonder what our best local chefs cook in their own backyards for summer guests? Not the fancy-dancy stuff they serve in their top-end restaurants, but what you’re likely to get if you stroll into their backyards in mid-July (remember, it’s always polite to call ahead). Sure, these guys spend their days and nights dreaming up concoctions such as

bucatini stuffed with prosciutto and ParmigianoReggiano cheese (Valentino), pastrami-cured foie gras (Marche Bacchus) or the elaborate Indian, Chinese and Japanese concoctions of MOzen. But when I got a hold of these chefs, easy grilling with simple salads were the order of the day, and it’s what they love to throw together for guests in their homes.

no.11 | Luciano Pellegrini

Steak Tagliata

Luciano Pellegrini has been the prime vision behind the excellent Italian cooking of Valentino in the Venetian since 1999. He loves garlic (surprise), but he also knows that slow cooking it gives the garlic a sweetness to go with its natural pungency. The 2004 James Beard Award-winner (for Best Chef Southwest) also loves buffalo for its natural, grass-fed goodness (no hormones or antibiotics), leanness and a beefiness that rivals any steak you’ve ever had. When I asked him for a backyard recipe he cooks for guests, his response was as naturally Italian as a game of bocce ball. “A tagliata is perfect for guests,” he told me. “Nice, grilled steaks with salad is a perfect summertime dish … and very simple.” Tagliata means sliced in Italian, and fanning the meat out on the plate garnished with fresh arugula and summer ripe heirloom tomatoes is a bright, light way to feed your guests with some Italian flair. The conceit of this recipe is that it uses the pan juices from finishing the steaks as a base for the steak and salad dressing. A grill, one pan and serving plates are all you need … along with some buffalo sirloins from Whole Foods (note: every chef in town seems to shop at Whole Foods). “They’re healthier than beef and just as tasty, but don’t cook it past medium rare or it becomes mealy, like liver,” says Pellegrini. “And when you boil down the vinegar, it loses some of its acidity and becomes sweeter — all of which enhances both the meat and the salad.”

Summer Survival Guide

Bring some Italian flair to your backyard grilling with this tagliata.

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Luciano Pellegrini’s Steak Tagliata 2 New York steaks (14-16 ounces each) 1/3 cup crushed black pepper 8 ounces fresh arugula 1 large heirloom tomato 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 tablespoons butter coarse sea salt Preheat grill. Finely chop 1 garlic clove. Rub New York steaks with chopped garlic, season with sea salt and cover with crushed pepper; let rest for at least a half-hour. Put steaks on a very hot grill, cook for exactly 2 minutes, then turn steaks 90 degrees to create cross marks. After 2 more minutes, turn steaks over and repeat. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet with half the garlic. When the garlic turns golden brown, put the steaks in and keep on the grill for an additional 5 minutes, turning them once (that should give you a rare/medium rare temperature).Add remaining garlic to a saucepan with olive oil over medium heat; when it turns gold in color, add balsamic vinegar. Reduce balsamic by half its volume, then blend. Wash arugula thoroughly; slice tomato. Slice steak about ¼-inch thick and return to pan with its juices off the grill. Final touches Arrange arugula and tomato on one side of the plate, fan half of steak on each plate and liberally drizzle dressing over everything. Spoon steak juices over tagliata, sprinkle on some extra sea salt (possibly a red or black volcanic salt) and extra virgin olive oil.

“When grilling meat (beef, lamb, veal or pork), always let the meat come to room temperature before tossing it on the grill. This promotes more even cooking and a nice char (crust).” — John Curtas, KNPR 88.9-FM food critic

Jean Paul Labadie’s grilled salmon is light but flavorful.

no.12 | Jean Paul Labadie

Panzanella salad

GEAR:

Jarmay Essentials Cleaver I know as much about cooking as I do what kind of necromancy goes into the manufacture of Hot Pockets, but when I’m in the kitchen chopping stuff up, I refuse to use anything else but a cleaver. Why? It gives cooking a sort of martial-arts vibe, and the flat blade doubles as a handy scoop. Nothin’ fancy. My cheapo $13 model — like the Jarmay Essentials Cleaver pictured here (www.jarmay.com) — I picked up in Chinatown. Now get chopping. — Andrew Kiraly

Toss focaccia with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill to toast. Cut into half-inch squares and set aside. Sauté mushrooms in the butter and oil in a medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper right away, and cook for four minutes. Add the shallots and the garlic, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through. Stir in the vinegar, turn up the heat to medium high for a minute, remove from heat and mix in the fresh herbs. Whisk in the olive oil and check for seasoning. To serve, toss the arugula, onions and the bread with the mushroom vinaigrette and garnish with the cheese and nuts. Grilled Salmon on Shaved Fennel, Haricots Verts, Heirloom Tomato and Crab Meat Salad with Kalamata Olives and Balsamic Syrup Salmon 1 cup fennel 1 ½ cups haricots verts 1 quart heirloom tomatoes ½ pound crab meat ½ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons garlic chips ½ cup Kalamata olives 1 ounce balsamic syrup Season and grill salmon to desired temperature. While salmon is cooking, warm olive oil to about 180 degrees and fry garlic chips until fragrant and slightly tan-colored. Toss the vegetables with the crab meat and the garlic olive oil, season with salt and pepper. To plate, place the salad on the plates, top with the grilled salmon and garnish with the olives and the syrup. MAY//JUNE 2010

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Summer Survival Guide

Leave it to a French chef to come up with a very Italian take on a light, refreshing salad. Jean Paul Labadie may be classically trained — and a veteran of Emeril Lagasse’s kitchens — but the Puerto Rico-born chef is as comfortable in Italy as he is in Cajun/Creole land. He knows that summer speaks to the vibrancy and ingredient-focused cuisine of Italy, and that a hot August afternoon in the High Mojave Desert isn’t exactly conducive to standing over a steaming pot of bouillabaisse. All great cooks are all about maximizing ingredients and eliminating waste, and nothing makes better use of slightly stale bread than the classic Tuscan bread salad known as panzanella. Once again, this salad is a combination of the raw and the cooked. The warm vinaigrette coats the cubes of bread and tastes so good you’ll wonder why you’ve been tossing that stale bread aside for all these years. His grilled salmon recipe calls for shaved fennel (a mandoline or very sharp knife is essential), fresh, sliced haricots verts (small, thin French green beans), and some crab meat (good canned stuff will do in a pinch if you haven’t the time to cook and shell a bunch of crabs). The three essentials of all fish grilling are: 1) Keep it hot; 2) Keep it clean; and 3) Keep it lubricated. A hot, well-oiled grill (and fish) are necessary to promote even cooking, a nice crust and no sticking. Salmon, along with swordfish and tuna, are best on the grill due to their muscular density. Labadie advises against farmed salmon (too muddy-tasting), and the environmentally endangered Bluefin tuna, although the recipe works well with any of these species. If your fish is top-quality, the vegetable and crab salad may be a bit of lily-gilding, but that bread salad is so good you might forget about the fish altogether.

Jean Paul Labadie’s Warm Mushroom and Baby Arugula Panzanella Salad Grilled olive oil focaccia 1 ounce butter ¼ cup olive oil 1 quart mushroom mix 2 tablespoons shallots ½ teaspoon garlic ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chives 1 ounce sherry vinegar 1 cup olive oil ½ cup red onion ½ pound baby arugula 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts ½ cup goat cheese

EATS } GEAR:

Waiter’s wine key I’ll pass on the 17-piece levered rabbit wine opener, thanks. If I want a GoBot to open my shiraz, I’ll build a time machine. Give me instead a simple, functional, minimalist wine key — like this stainless steel $3.95 number here from www.bottleopener.com. Drink in the simplicity. — A.K.

Shawn Armstrong’s Charred Pork Salad

hear More

Vietnamese dressing 1 cup sugar ½ cup water ¾ cup nuoc mam (fish sauce) 1½ cups lime juice 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 Thai red chilis, minced

John Curtas raves (and rants) about food at www.knpr.org

To make the dressing, heat the sugar and water until it dissolves, then chill. Then combine everything together, let it sit in a cooler for a few hours. Stir before using. Salad Spun carrots (2-3 carrots) 1 cucumber, julienned ½ jicama, julienned 2 heads baby iceberg lettuce 30 leaves of fresh mint 30 leaves of fresh cilantro (Any choice of fresh vegetables and lettuces works well here.)

This Vietnamese charred pork salad is a perfect hot-weather dish.

Summer Survival Guide

no.13 | Shawn Armstrong

Vietnamese charred pork salad Shawn Armstrong is a newcomer to town. You might even say he’s a recent newcomer to America, since, for the past 10 years, he’s been cooking all over Asia in some of the finest resorts from the Maldives to Hong Kong to Singapore. This Houston-born American has brought his dazzling skills in all these cuisines to MOzen — the three-meal-a-day restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel — and any high-roller from anywhere in the world will feel right at home with whatever’s served. As executive sous chef of this silky smooth operation, Armstrong must be able to move from Indian tandoori cooking to Chinese dim sum to banana-walnut waffles with equal aplomb. As a Texan, he told us his favorite food is Tex-Mex, then proceeded to lay this very Vietnamese pork salad on us as one of his favorite at-home summer dishes. It just goes to show you how versatile he is, and reinforces one of our maxims that no one does hot weather cooking better than southeast Asians — even if they’re from Houston. Armstrong advises grill cooks to “use good techniques … let your grill get plenty hot and season it [by brushing it down with oil].” “Grills are like women,” he says. “Learn them, care for them, spend time with them, and eventually you’ll understand them. Otherwise, you’ll get burned in more ways than one.” 52

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Pork 4 6-ounce pork tenderloin portions ½ cup of the Vietnamese dressing Marinate pork tenderloin for about a half-hour, then grill outside on charcoal grill. Cook to approximately 152 degrees internal temperature. Let rest for approximately five minutes before slicing over your salad. To make the salad, arrange carrots, jicama, cucumber and lettuce on a plate attractively. Drizzle dressing on the vegetables. Slice the charred pork on top and garnish with mint, cilantro and a drizzle of citrus syrup (1 tablespoon of lemon or lime oil). Put the extra dressing on the side.

no.14 | Cool summer cocktails

Chilling effect

A trio of colorful (and potent!) drinks from Frankie’s Tiki Room

Along with tapas and a glass-domed dining room, Firefly in the Plaza serves plenty of cocktails. Firefly makes three varieties of sangria (red, white, sparkling), but there’s more kick in its infused vodka. It’s infused on-site with a mixture of lychee, Mandarin orange and assorted berries, creating a sort of ruby Kool-Aid tint. You can get it in a shot, on the rocks or martini-style. The fruity flavor doesn’t quite disguise the kick of straight vodka, but you’ll probably be too distracted by the neon-level view of Fremont Street fully ablaze. Frankie’s Tiki Room (1712 West Charleston Blvd., 385-3110) is, shockingly, Las Vegas’ only tiki bar. All the art — from the 10-foot, dry ice-belching tiki god to the “Vice Tester” machine — are custom-created originals. Even the de rigueur overdone tiki mugs are unique to Frankie’s: The Thurston Howl comes poured into the snarling head of a dice-eyed tropical deity. A mix of gin, rum, brandy and Pernod, it’s sort of a Hawaiian island take on the Long Island iced tea, but sweeter, more complex and not covered over with Coke. Frankie’s helpfully guides non-natives by ranking the potency of their cocktails with two to five skulls. Clocking in at five on the Kamehameha scale is the Fink Bomb: pineapple juice, melon liqueur, coconut rum and, oh yeah, 151-proof rum. It tastes like the most innocent of sorority-dance daiquiris, then ... boom! Not every signature drink comes in a fancy glass. At Dino’s (1516 Las Vegas Boulevard South, 382-3894), the specialty of the house is a shot of Jameson’s with a PBR back, fitting for a place that bills itself as “the last neighborhood bar in Vegas” — in green neon, no less. What else would you drink at a bar with surf bands, burlesque dancers and karaoke in which the bartenders supply sarcastic banter and popcorn? Sometimes, it’s best to lowball your highball. — Lissa Townsend Rodgers

Summer Survival Guide

The Downtown Cocktail Room is a destination for mixologists and their fans, with a menu to prove it. One of its finer, house-created concoctions is the Huntridge Renovation, named in honor of the historic theater — and in honor of what will hopefully happen someday. The drink possesses the elegance of its namesake’s heyday: Gin muddled with cucumber and lime, splashed with Chartreuse and Lillet, creating a clean, almost rain-like flavor. Creating and curating an outstanding cocktail menu is part mad scientist-behind-the-bar, but also part adventurer and part adapter. The Downtown Cocktail Room (111 Las Vegas Boulevard South, 880-3696) has also put its own twist on drinks from the ’40s to the aughts. New Moon — no vampire intended — is one of its re-spins, a mix of rum, lime juice, crème de violette and orange bitters. Exotic bitters and a variety of tinctures, sprays and liqueurs are a specialty at DCR, where your bartender is more likely to reach for an eyedropper than a speed rack. If you wish to bask in the glow of Diamonds Are Forever Vegas, the H20 bar at the Golden Nugget is a fine setting, with three levels of cabanas and lounges surrounding the pool — and its 200,000-gallon shark tank. There are a good two pages of specialty cocktails, but the Sparkling Strawberry Cooler is what a bikini-clad jewel thief would sip while sunbathing: Domaine Chandon rosé Champagne, strawberry puree and Belvedere vodka twirled with a straw into a bubbly, fruity slush. It’s hard to get further from Vegas’ Mardi Gras beads and yardlong beers than Sidebar (201 North Third St., 259-9700). The décor is modern, but the swank-yet-friendly atmosphere evokes vintage Vegas. Sidebar’s drink menu changes frequently, but an enduring favorite is the American Beauty, a graceful blend of vanilla vodka, rose petal nectar and lemon juice. Imagine Eartha Kitt swathed in ermine and diamonds, surrounded by tuxedoed admirers: This is what she’s drinking. After a trying day, sometimes you want a drunk that will have, shall we say, an effect. But who wants to gargle shots or stoop to ordering a Long Island Iced Tea? Sidebar has also invented the Kentucky Pirate, which mixes those good friends Sailor Jerry and Jim Beam with more civilized companions such as simple syrup, muddled cucumber and Domanie de Canton ginger liqueur. The casino Bugsy Siegel ran before the Flamingo, the El Cortez, opened in 1941. It’s been redone a few times since then, but it’s still a throwback that makes up in charm what it lacks in chic. Go ahead, order a girl drink such as a Caramel Apple Martini, which takes the usual apple vodka and throws in Baileys Caramel Irish Crème. The first sip is a bit odd, but then the sweet, creamy liqueur wraps around the tart sharpness of the vodka and a warm feeling takes over. One of the El Cortez casino’s theme drinks is the Cabana “Sweets” Martini, a libation tinted the piercing retro-electric aqua of Stardust neon or a hotel pool on a space colony. Made with peach Stoli, blue Curacao, lemon juice and a shot of rock candy syrup, it’s almost as much of a sugar rush as a liquor buzz. Almost.

“When ordering a cocktail, it’s good to know what you want to order and how to order it. It’s also good to know a few simple bar terms. ‘On the rocks’ means over ice. ‘Neat’ means straight from the bottle, no ice. And ‘up’ or ‘straight up’ means chilled with ice, then strained.” — Michael Cornthwaite, owner, Downtown Cocktail Room MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

KIDS }

Don’t make me pull this fun over

Kid-friendly picks from a harried mom who’s tried everything By Andrea Leal

“The valley’s splash pad parks are a great way to beat the heat and let the kids run out some energy. One of my family’s favorites is at Town Square. Another great thing about Town Square is they tend to have summer activities like showing movies or bands playing in the park area.” — Michele

Summer Survival Guide

no.15 | Shark Reef

To catch some predators Sure, we all know about Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef. But I still have to remind you about its utter fabulousness for one reason: predators! If cute and fuzzy animals just aren’t cool enough for your kids, the beasts at Shark Reef will have them (and you) in awe. “When they [piranhas] are really hungry, they will thrash about the water and create a mini-splash zone for the kids,” says Shark Reef Aquarium Education Manager Tricia Pettitt. “Don’t let their small size fool you, as they have very sharp teeth and must be respected … [and] the Golden Crocodile is very popular because it appears to be

GEAR:

very docile and lazy, but it is probably our most dangerous animal.” A glass tunnel allows you to sit and watch the fish swim all around you, simulating the experience of divers — without that pesky “maybe something will eat me” vibe. Then it’s on to the touch pool to visit with horseshoe crabs and stingrays (I am assured no small children have ever been eaten). And when you finally come to the shark tank, it’s presented as though you’re inside the watery grave of a sunken ship, and you’re looking out at all the sharks circling the wreckage. Creepy — in a good way. To stir in a bit of learning, a two-hour educational program features a tour and class that teaches kids about the oceanic food chain and animal adaptation — with costumes, of course. Info: www.mandalaybay.com.

The Knowhow Book of Flying Models Your kids want a Wii? Give them a sheet of paper instead. And this book. Intricate paper airplanes, all of which fly (even the ones that look like they could not possibly get off the ground), many now available online, minus the gorgeous illustrations. These are great for kids — even for slightly resentful Wii-less kids holding scrap paper. (openlibrary.org) — J.M. 54

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Dietz Mausten, www. VegasMommies.com

S H A R K R E E F c o u r t e s y M G M M IR A G E

If your kids don’t do cute and fuzzy, Shark Reef is the place for them.

Oh, they think they’re having fun, but they’re actually learning ballet.

no.16 | J.R. Pony Farm

Are your kids fascinated by furry little creatures that hop, trot and try to eat their shoelaces? They’ll love J.R. Pony Farm, a Western-style pony ranch and petting zoo that puts kids to work feeding and caring for farm animals. The ranch hosts birthday parties as well as educational camps for school groups, including autistic and special needs children. “When we do education groups we take it further,” says Judy Roberts, who co-owns the pony farm along with Kathleen Meehan. “They see all the grains and supplements the animals get, they see the different types of hay. Then we take them into the barn to learn how to see if a pony is sick. ... It’s basically an educational facility where kids can come and see a style of life that doesn’t really exist anymore.” If only kids did household chores with as much gusto. For the birthdays hosted at the ranch, the guest of honor gets to pick and lead out the pony he wants to ride, work the water pump, and ring the dinner bell. For families with several children, even the youngest kids can safely run amok (provided they’re past the hand-to-mouth stage), and germophobic moms will be relieved to know that the entire ranch (including the bathroom) is extremely clean and well-kept. Like hairy little celebrities, the animals seem pleased to be petted and coddled, even when mobbed by their adoring fans. “They are used to it,” says Judy. “We spend a great amount of time when they are little making sure that they really get a lot of handling.” Aside from parties and teaching tours, there are pony rides on Tuesdays, which makes for an interesting alternative play date. And when else will your kids actually thank you for putting them to work? Info:www. jrponyparties.com

no.17 | Fairytales & Tutus

Prance prance revolution If you’re tired of taking your young daughter to the Las Vegas Wild Animal Park (a.k.a. Petco) to keep her entertained, here’s one of my sizzle-free summer solutions: Fairytales & Tutus. It’s an astonishing little ballet studio that’s adapted classical ballet into something little girls age 2 to 8 truly love: fairy tales. The studio integrates classical instruction and proper ballet technique with the children’s love of playing make-believe. Each session is transformed into a mini-ballet production based on sugar-and-spice favorites such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid and Goldilocks. These mini-ballets include choreography, music, handmade costumes, props and a “performance” for parents through a window in the lobby. The creative mind behind it is Alene Hochstetter, a retired professional ballerina who has danced her way from Ballet Tacoma to a four-year stint with Siegfried & Roy. “I’m very childlike myself, and I think like a child,” says Hochstetter. “And it makes sense to put the ballet to use in a story line right away. If you’re standing in the middle of the room doing an arabesque, you wonder, ‘What are we doing here?’ But when you are doing it as a part of a story line, then it becomes fun.” Beyond the uber-cuteness of seeing girls manage pliés with their chubby little legs, Fairytales & Tutus is a great way for a new generation of Las Vegans to learn about the arts. Info: www.fairytalesandtutus.com Andrea Leal joined the ranks of motherhood in 2006, and is the mother of two girls. She blogs about the joys (and indignities) of motherhood at www.lasvegasmama.blogspot.com. MAY//JUNE 2010

Desert Companion

Summer Survival Guide

p h o t o c o u r t e s y f a i r y t ale s & t u t u s

Did you say ‘farm chores,’ mom? Hurray!

EVENTS }

This summer’s can’t-miss culture The Force is clearly with us as summer cultural mainstays come back from the brink

GEAR:

The long-sleeve button-down Oxford Oxford is the fabric: It’s thicker than the gauzier cotton normally associated with summer. Button-down is the type of collar: The little buttons at the tip of the collar keep it from flapping in the breeze from all your horse-riding in the polo fields or your commute to Henderson. Oxford breathes well and is thick enough to wear without an undershirt, which means that you can leave two or three buttons unbuttoned, a la Elvis or Tom Jones. (www.jcrew.com) — J.M.

Light sabers. Yoda. A full orchestra. The only thing missing from Star Wars in Concert is Princess Leia in that space bikini.

no.18 | Star Wars in Concert

Summer Survival Guide

O builders of great Strip edifices, take heed: The Death Star is coming to town. The Orleans Arena presents matinee and evening performances on May 29 of “Star Wars in Concert,” a touring compilation of excerpts from John Williams’ half-dozen scores for the film saga. Crafted by Williams and Lucasfilm, the extravaganza employs an orchestra and chorus, and is synchronized to Star Wars montages on an oversized LED screen, bigger than Jabba the Hutt and far more attractive. The concert is rounded out with displays of costumes and props, as well as pages from Williams’ original manuscripts. At last, you can enjoy the communicative skill of Williams’ music on the big screen without having to decipher Hayden Christensen’s mumbling or groan-over dialogue such as, “Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo.”

well as Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, “Figuratively Speaking” also incorporates pieces from Bellagio’s own collection not previously displayed in Las Vegas. Opening May 1, the show features some of the marquee names of the art world — Pierre Auguste Renoir, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Hockney, Close — along with up-and-coming artists, a positive move for a gallery known for sticking with the tried and true. “Figuratively Speaking” is on display through 2010.

no.21 | Las Vegas Little Theatre

no.19 | “Figuratively Speaking” If your taste runs to pleasures of a subtler stripe, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts presents an exhibit of figure studies from the 19th-21st century, running the gamut from paintings to video installations. Drawn from San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art as 56

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If you find Bellagio’s dip of a pinky toe into contemporary art insufficiently bold, you’ll find satisfaction a little further off the beaten path. Try cozying up to “Cosine,” a presentation of the work of sculptor Stacey Neff (June 18-Sept. 4). A display of glass and multimedia, it “considers the relationships of linear angles” and is on view at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center. Linear angles, hmm? Well, maybe not so cozy after all. On the decidedly cozier side is an overview of musician, chef, author and ad man John Nieman’s pop culture-influenced artwork at Charleston Heights Arts Center. Nieman’s work is “characterized by striking composition, crisp colors, and strong shadows … playful and less than overt,” and is on exhibit June 25-Sept. 11.

Vik Muniz’s “Boy with a Pipe” is featured in “Figuratively Speaking.”

Although Las Vegas Little Theatre’s previous summer musicals — including Urinetown and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — weren’t “pre-sold” titles, the company has little to fear from its 2010 choice. Running July 9-25, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (who in a relationship hasn’t heard that?) has been presented from Johannesburg to Peking and translated into 13 languages, including Finnish. It visits familiar “couples” issues via a mix of musical numbers and blackout sketches, and was written by Joe DiPietro (The Toxic Avenger) and composer Jimmy Roberts. April’s area premiere of DiPietro’s

C o u r t e s y L uca s f i lm L TD . © 2 0 0 9 L uca s f i lm L t d . & T M whe r e i n d i ca t e d . A ll r i gh t s r e s e r ve d . U s e d un d e r au t h o r i z a t i o n ; M U N IZ P A I N TI N G C O U RT E S Y M G M M IR A G E F i ne A r t C o llec t i o n , © V i k M un i z .

no.20 | “Cosine”

Elvis Presley-cum-Shakespeare musical All Shook Up! really rocked the house — even in staid Summerlin — last April, so expectations are high for this show, too.

no.22 | Jazz in the Park In traditional musical shorthand, nothing says “hot weather” quite like the sound of the saxophone or maybe some “south of the border” strains on the guitar. Ergo, the Clark County Amphitheater hosts its annual Jazz in the Park series, starting May 8 with vocalist Jimmy Scott. Spyro Gyra follows on May 15, and other artists scheduled are guitarist Nick Collione (May 22), pianist/trombonist Nathan Tanouye with the Las Vegas Jazz Connection (May 29), and trumpeter Christian Scott (June 5).

Insurgo finding a new home means an ambitious new theater season.

no.24 | Insurgo Theatre

Motion meets abstraction at “Dance in the Desert”

no.23 | Dance in the Desert Fans of Terpsichore need not despair. The muse of dance will not be left on the sidelines: The College of Southern Nevada presents its annual “Dance in the Desert” festival July 30-31 at the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre. Troupes from across Nevada and the U.S. convene to present three programs. This year’s festivities pay tribute to abstractdance pioneer Alwin Nikolais, who summarized his style as “the art of motion which, left on its own merits, becomes the message as well as the medium.” Wasn’t that what Marshall McLuhan was trying to tell us all those years ago? — David McKee

Although summer theater in the Las Vegas area tends to consist almost exclusively (and exhaustively) of musicals, one company cuts against the grain. Insurgo Theater Movement’s season of serious plays and black comedies stretches well into the dog days this summer. But its ambitious schedule didn’t develop without some drama of its own. Last year, a midsummer staging of Shakespeare’s Pericles fell victim to Insurgo’s then-vagabond status, as the ensemble bounced from one temporarily available space to another. When the music stopped, there was no chair for Shakespeare’s rarely performed Pericles. Exit the Bard. The company fell back on a revival of Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical at Town Square and scored both critical opprobrium … and box office success in the form of a held-over run. Soon after that, Insurgo landed a full-time home — a converted office space in Commercial Center, just a few blocks from the Strip on Sahara Avenue. Permanence has enabled the group to mount an ambitious 2009-10 season. Insurgo applies its pedal-to-the-metal style to four plays this summer, starting with an adaptation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (May 7-29), followed by Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), which runs May 28-June 19. It will run in repertory with an updated version of Oscar Wilde’s Salome (June 4-26), in which the Dance of the Seven Veils is danced and John the Baptist consequently loses his head. In July, Insurgo takes a break from the classics. Johnna Adams’ Tumblewings is synopsized as, “A family of rednecks in a swamp hunt angel.” Tumblewings (July 9-31) alternates with The Wild Party (July 7-24), based on the epic Joseph Moncure March poem that William Burroughs credited with making him want to become a writer himself. The Wild Party has been made into a film twice and also became not one but two musicals that ran concurrently — one off-Broadway, the other on-. Insurgo has yet to anounce which version of The Wild Party it will be adapting. Insurgo’s third Shakespeare play of 2010, Macbeth, closes out the summer season, Aug. 6-28. — David McKee

“Before you attend a concert, do your homework. Use the Internet as a resource and listen to samples. For example, there are samples of all 15 of Brahms’ lovely ‘Liebeslieder Waltzes Op. 65’ on the web — which we feature in our May 9 program.” — Doug Peterson, choral conductor, Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society MAY//JUNE 2010

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D A N C E I N T H E D E S E RT C O U RT E S Y o f C o llege o f s o u t he r n neva d a ; In s u r g o Thea t r e G r o u p : Ryan Rea s o n

They’re finally settled — but they Caption here won’t settle down

EVENTS } Angel Gadzhev rocks the gadulka on “KNPR’s State of Nevada” at www.knpr.org/son

Summer Survival Guide

Bulgarian Rhythm (with Angel Gadzhev) May 19, 7 p.m. Winchester Cultural Center $10; children and seniors $7 455-7340

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Hope you brought your gadulka Talking music (and drinking rakia) with Angel Gadzhev, the hardest-rocking Bulgarian folk musician you never heard of By Jarret Keene

We’re three hours into an epic meal at Bulgarian restaurant Magura, eating kebapche (spiced sausage) and cold shopska salad between sips of rakia grozdova (grape liquor), toasting, “Nazdrave!” (“To your health!”) and talking music. And Angel Gadzhev — a scrappy guy who’s made a long journey from a faraway country in Southeast Europe to Las Vegas — isn’t just enthusing about Bulgarian folk. “Ritchie Blackmore is [a] phenomenal guitarist,” says Gadzhev. “Rainbow. Deep Purple. I love his music. He’s familiar with older traditions. You can know this by listening.” Back in Bulgaria, he had a friend who would celebrate Blackmore’s birthday every year with a massive block party that would last for days. Suddenly, Gadzhev stands up from the table, reaches for his gadulka — a 14-stringed bowed instrument that produces a high, lovely and eerie tone — holds it vertically and launches into “Smoke on the Water.” His fingers dance on the strings as he gives the main riff additional flourishes, bends and vibrato. He’s not trying to impress a younger dude; it’s obvious he admires Blackmore’s heavy metal compositions. Before he ever dropped a needle on a Deep Purple groove, Gadzhev picked up his first instrument at age 7 and began studying at a youth music academy in his centuries-old hometown of Rakovski in southern Bulgaria. There he was saturated in music by the school — and also by his parents, who were themselves musicians and dancers. He mastered 11 instruments, including violin, electric guitar, piano and bagpipe. In his village, radios constantly blared traditional folk and neighbors spent nearly every evening on porches or in living rooms playing accordion and bouzouki — and, of course, singing, eating and drinking. “You need to sip and eat more salad,” he warns, placing his hand on my shoulder. “This is Bulgarian tea, but [it’s] still very strong for you.”

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no.25 | Angel Gadzhev

MAY//JUNE 2010

Teenage folk riot Nothing is stronger than Gadzhev’s love of music. While a student at a high school of music in the small town of Shiroka Laka, Gadzhev joined the Trakia (Thrace) orchestra of Ivo Papazov and Petar Ralchev, renowned performers of Bulgarian wedding music and founders of the Balkan jazz style. After graduating from the academy, Gadzhev was urged by his father to join the Bulgarian National Folk

“Ritchie Blackmore is [a] phenomenal guitarist, Rainbow. Deep Purple. I love his music. He’s familiar with older traditions. You can know this by listening.” Ensemble, which enabled the teenage gadulka player to tour Japan and much of Europe. It was the boy’s first taste of life outside his native country, and it whetted his appetite for travel and learning languages. (He speaks fluent Russian and Greek, too.) In the wake of communism’s collapse, as government support for Bulgarian folk traditions evaporated, he made his way west. It wasn’t easy becoming the Vegas hub for Bulgarian culture. Gadzhev arrived in South Carolina in 2001, working the state’s cozy little Greek bar circuit. Eventually, the lure of Las Vegas, with its more established tradition of live music, was too much for him to ignore. Five years ago, after an invitation by Lubo Trifonov, a Bulgarian kaval (end-blown wooden flute) performer, Gadzhev packed his instruments — and not much else — into a compact car and drove 2,500 miles. He found a job delivering pies for the pizza shop next to Magura.

By pure chance, he happened to deliver to the home of a friend of Patrick Gaffey’s. Gaffey, a cultural coordinator for Clark County, was playing in an impromptu holiday jam for local musicians. Gadzhev insisted on joining in, pulling his gadulka from the trunk of his car. (“One thing my uncle Samuil taught me,” he explains. “Keep your gadulka nearby.”) “He seemed very curious about what we were up to,” Gaffey recalls. “He’d heard the music from his car, and kept looking past me and into my living room to figure out what type of instruments we had.” When Gadzhev began to play, the whole room fell silent, stunned by the stranger’s emotional and technical mastery. A few months later, Gaffey referred Gadzhev to Irmam Wynants, who books the World Vibrations concert series at Winchester Cultural Center. It’s not a stretch to say that the rest is the history of Bulgarian music in Las Vegas. Whether at Magura or in his now-notorious garage (“It’s like a little slice of Bulgaria in there— the food, music, everything,” says a friend), Gadzhev is now considered a central resource. If you’re a Bulgarian, you’d do well to seek out the man’s garage. Just make sure to call in sick the next day — again, it’s less like a jam session and more like a party.

no.26 | Super Summer Theatre

Please spare us the drama Nothing is sacred during Nevada’s current fiscal woes. Even as beloved a local institution as Super Summer Theatre had a near-death experience during February’s special legislative session, in which lawmakers took their pruning shears to the state budget. Super Summer Theatre found itself indirectly on the chopping block when state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford pitched the idea of closing all of Nevada’s 25 state parks to save money. Gov. Jim Gibbons was comparatively lenient, requesting a 10 percent cut to the State Parks Division’s budget. Luckily for Super Summer Theatre, it not only had an ally in the state Parks Division, but other factors working in its favor. Super Summer Theater was already out $336,000, including $58,000 in play royalties — money the State of Nevada would have had to reimburse. And it certainly didn’t hurt that the summer theater season generates $11,500 of the division’s annual revenue. “We did not stop. We kept going as on as if it was going to pull through,” says Super Summer Theatre board member Kathy Gritis. Although Super Summer Theatre is a nonprofit, its calling card is its venue: an outdoor theater in Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Not only do the grassy environs and al fresco ambiance offer patrons the choice between watching the show from chairs or pitching a blanket, the park’s high elevation provides succor from Las Vegas’ oven-like summer temperatures. While Super Summer Theatre’s fare is hardly cutting-edge (and sometimes meets with critical raspberries), the outdoor shows are crowd-pleasers, playing to about 36,000 patrons a year. Sandwiched between Willie Wonka (June 9-26) and Signature Productions’ Damn Yankees (dates TBA) is Stage Door Entertainment’s Fats Waller revue, Ain’t Mishbehavin’ (July 7-24). As that repertory suggests, SST hews to a steady diet of Broadway musicals. However, this September is given over to Larry Shue’s spoken-word farce, The Foreigner (dates also TBA). “Our September shows, we always like to do something different,” says Gritis, who says that the month brings a shift to PG-13 fare such as Smokey Joe’s Café or last autumn’s Working, based on the oral history by Studs Terkel. Had Super Summer Theatre become an accidental victim of legislative austerity, not only would it have imperiled an institution that dates back to 1976, it would have lopped 40-plus performances off Las Vegas’ theatre season. As Signature’s Productions Artistic Director Leslie Fotheringham puts it, “That’d be a huge dent in our community-theatre arena.” — David McKee

Meantime, as he waits to be discovered again — next time on a national scale so he can make a living by playing music — Gadzhev drives a cab. He does weddings and is hard at work on a promotional video he hopes to post online soon. He’s even auditioned for Cirque. Until these plans coalesce, Las Vegans can catch his May 19 concert at Winchester, where he’ll be joined

by Bulgarian dancers, as well as Philip Koutev, the most influential musician of 20th century Bulgaria, and several other celebrated musicians. And if Gadzhev doesn’t necessarily hit the big time, there’s always a fringe benefit to a good gadulka session. “With music, it’s much easier to make friends,” says Gadzhev. “Nazdrave!” DC MAY//JUNE 2010

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S U P E R S U M M E R T H E A TR E : B I L L H U G H E S

The fateful pizza delivery

Super Summer Theatre’s Aida

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June 28 – October 23

Macbeth • The Merchant of Venice • Much Ado about Nothing Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps • Great Expectations, a New Musical • Pride and Prejudice The Adventures of Pericles • Greater Tuna • The Diary of Anne Frank

800-PLAYTIX • bard.org Conceptual photos, center then clockwise from top right: John Harris and Robyn Harris in Macbeth; Amanda Caraway and Wyett Ihler in Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps; Rebekah Harris in The Diary of Anne Frank; Susan Paige Lane and T. Anthony Maretta in Much Ado about Nothing; Steve Workman in The Merchant of Venice; Siroos Saifizadeh in The Adventures of Pericles; Benjamin Harris and Marlo Ihler in Pride and Prejudice; Joseph Alan Spear in Great Expectations, a New Musical; and James Harris and Jay Milles in Greater Tuna.

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MAY//JUNE2010

Spyro Gyra was playing jazz fusion before jazz fusion was cool. Er, assuming it was ever cool. But when your fillings are being rattled out of your mouth by a tsunami of synths and horns, who cares about cool? Prepare to fuse 8 p.m. May 15 at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. Admission is free. Info: www.accessclarkcounty.gov

What’s better than an evening with Sting performing his classic songs? An evening with Sting performing his classic songs backed by [swell of violins!] The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The ex-Police man gives some of his most celebrated tunes a full symphonic makeover 8 p.m. June 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets: $51-$201. Info: www.mgmgrand.com

Jimmy Scott’s distinctive falsetto voice has made him not only a celebrated figure in jazz, but also a stalwart of edgier fare. David Lynch fans, for instance, might recognize his unmistakable voice from the soundtrack of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. He performs 8 p.m. May 8 at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. Admission is free. Info: www.accessclarkcounty.com

Conductor David Itkin knows how to kick off spring: With a full-bodied sampling of work from some of the world’s most beloved operas, including Turandot, Aida and Rigoletto. He leads the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s Masterworks V concert 8 p.m. May 8 at UNLV’s Artemus Ham Concert Hall. Tickets: $35-$75. Info: www.lvphil.com

Given the dead housing market and the sluggish economy, you might call Las Vegas part of the Mild Mild West, but Sin City does still have a little Wild Wild West spirit left. Proof? Head downtown to Las Vegas Helldorado Days May 13-16 for four days of music, food, rodeos, parades and shootouts. Okay, maybe not that last one. Ticket prices for individual events vary. Info: www.lasvegasnevada.gov/helldorado MAY//JUNE 2010

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Guide Art “Nevada: The Photography of Cliff Segerblom” Through June 13. Nevada painter and photographer Cliff Segerblom devoted his life to capturing the landscape of Nevada. His photography has been published in Life, Time and National Geographic magazines and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Free. Big Springs Gallery in the Springs Preserve First Friday May 7 and June 4, 6-10 p.m. The Arts District’s monthly festival features more than 100 artists displaying their works downtown, plus live entertainment. $2 donation. 3840092, firstfriday-lasvegasorg “Unlikely Events ” through May 4. The sculptures and drawings of Brent Sommerhauser uses objects to explore the natural forces around us. Free. Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 South Casino Center Boulevard, www. brettwesleygallery.com “A Repository of Drumlins, from the Glittering Golden Mists to Prehistoric Boundary Markers” through May 15. Lisa Bigalke uses color, texture, pattern, paint and print media to create mixed-media works that focus on the places she’s been and the landscapes she’s experienced. Free. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 229-6383 “Double Vision: Two Unique Insights in Fabric & Thread” through June 12. Jean McLaughlin Cowie and Patricia Gould explore the natural world through quilt-making. These quilted objects transcend typical quilt-making to present work closer to painting and sculpture. Free. Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 2291012 “Cornerstones of Diversity” through July 9. This exhibit features photographs of city employees celebrating their diverse backgrounds. Free. Bridge Gallery, City Hall, 400 Stewart Ave., 2nd floor, 229-1012 “What Lies Beneath” May 6-June 1. Photographers Jana Cruder and

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Yasuko show works that explore race and gender issues in a diversifying world. Free. Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 South Casino Center Boulevard, www.brettwesleygallery.com The work of John Bell June 3-29. Artist John Bell uses icons, memorabilia, snippets of news feeds and other cultural artifacts to create provocative and humorous paintings. Free. Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 South Casino Center Boulevard, www. brettwesleygallery.com “Celebrating Life! 2010” Exhibition May 21-July 1. View selected and award-winning pieces in the ballroom from this annual art competition for Clark County residents, including mixed media work, painting and drawing and pastel. Awards reception is May 21, 6 p.m. Free. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 229-6383 “Cosine” June 18-Sept. 4. With blown glass and mixed media, Stacey Neff’s sculptures for this exhibition are single-line forms describing relational movement as they may separate from themselves as well as the floor or wall. Free. Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 229-1012 “Art of Lists” June 25-Sept. 11. John Nieman explores the powerful connection between words and images — especially powerful when the link is playful and subtle. The background is a pop culture list, anchored by a key visual that plays off the theme of the picture. Free. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 229-6383

Music An Evening with Bernadette Peters May 1, 8 p.m. The actress, singer and Broadway star delivers a night of White Way standards and classy cabaret. $45-$90. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 895-2787, www.unlvtickets.com Jazz Combos May 2, 2 p.m. Led by Matt Taylor, CSN’s Jazz Combo perform favorites and classics. Free. CSN’s Backstage Theatre, 651-5483, www.csn.edu

Go Back to Get Ahead… Are you rethinking your career choices? The UNLV Division of Educational Outreach will work with you to create new opportunities through professional certification, skill enhancement, and personal enrichment. We also offer online academic credit courses so you can take a step toward a college degree. Get your copy of the Summer 2010 Continuing Education Catalog to find out what new opportunities are available to you. Look in your mailbox for your free copy of The Catalog, call 895-3394 to have one mailed to you, or visit edoutreach.unlv.edu to view it online.

MAY//JUNE 2010

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Guide Las Vegas Youth Orchestras Spring Concert May 7, 7 p.m. The Las Vegas Youth Orchestras’ four groups perform various works in this spring concert. $5-$9. Henderson Pavilion, www.lvyo.org. Jimmy Scott May 8, 8 p.m. Vocalist “Little” Jimmy Scott’s distinctive falsetto voice lent itself to ballads and jazz standards, making his recording debut in 1948 with Lionel Hampton and the group’s hit “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” In his broad and varied career, he’s also supplied songs for the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Glengarry Glen Ross soundtracks. Free. Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, www.accessclarkcounty.com

Jana Cruder’s “Tea for Two”

You’ve come a long way, Barbie Half a million Barbie fans can’t be wrong. On the heels of the iconic doll turning 50 last year, those fans voted in an online poll to decide Barbie’s next career, which is … ta da: a computer programmer. Of course, America’s plastic sweetheart sports a coral-pink laptop and a cute li’l binary code shirt. Makes you wonder whether Barbie’s career makeover is a sign of enlightened thinking or a case of pernicious cuteness invading the world of geekdom. Such questions have provided plenty of food for thought for local photographer Jana Cruder, whose recent photo series explores what it means to be Barbie. Along with photographer Yasuko — whose photos juxtapose images of Snow White with minority groups — Cruder’s explorations make the title of this show, “What Lies Beneath,” more than apt. It’s on exhibit May 6-June 1 at Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 Casino Center Blvd. Info: 433-4433, www.brettwesleygallery.com

Orchestra in Concert May 3, 7:30 p.m. The CSN Orchestra, led by conductor Christopher Davis presents works from both traditional and less traditional orchestral literature. $5-$8. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, www.csn.edu/pac Concert Band May 4, 7:30 p.m. Conducted by Richard McGee, the 55-piece Concert Band presents a salute to Broadway, with music from The Lion King, Wicked, The Music Man and much more. $5-$8. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, 651-5483, www.csn.edu/pac

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Big Bands May 5, 7:30 p.m. Walter Blanton and Bob Scann lead CSN’s two big bands in a tribute to the Swing Era. $5-$8. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, 651-5483, www.csn.edu/pac Spring Choral Concert May 6, 7:30 p.m. The CSN College Singers, Chamber Chorale, Jazz Singers and students of the voice classes perform vocal music from their repertoire. Pieces range from folk songs to traditional favorites to music from the Broadway stage. $5-$8. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, 651-5483, www.csn.edu/pac

“A Night at the Opera”: Las Vegas Philharmonic Concert: Masterworks V May 8, 8 p.m. Conductor David Itkin leads the Philharmonic in selections from some of the great operas including Turandot, Aida, Rigoletto and others. Featuring soprano Patricia Johnson and tenor Arnold Rawls. $35-$75. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 8952787, www.lvphil.com “With Love from the Musical Arts Singers”: Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65 & Gesang for Women’s Choir by Brahms May 9, 3 p.m. The Southern Nevada Musical Arts Singers celebrate spring with a sampling of vocal works by Brahms. $7-$9. UNLV’s Doc Rando Recital Hall, 895-2787, www.pac.unlv.edu Nevada Pops III: Guy Movies May 15, 7:30. Who said chamber music can’t be filled with pulse-pounding action? This pops concert features music from Star Trek, Rocky, Apocalypse Now, The Hunt for Red October and Gladiator. $15-$18. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 895-2787, www. nevadapops.org Spyro Gyra May 15, 8 p.m. The masters of jazz fusion bring their sound to Clark County’s Jazz in the Park Series. Free. Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, www.accessclarkcounty.com

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Guide American Guild of Organists Recital: Dorothy Riess & Voltaire Verzosa May 16, 4 p.m. This season finale presents local musicians in a program of works for organ and other instruments, including Marcel Dupre’s rarely heard “Variations on Two Themes,” Op. 35 for organ and piano, performed by Dorothy Young Riess and Voltaire Verzosa. Free. UNLV’s Beam Music Center Recital Hall, www.music. unlv.edu/home.shtml Lee Hughes Trio May 21, noon. Vocalist Lee Hughes, guitarist Ed Paliotta and pianist Joey Farina perform jazz from the Great American Songbook. Free. Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse Jury Assembly Room, 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 229-3515 Songs and Stories with Bill Harley May 22, 7 p.m. Tickets: $3 general admission; $10 family four-pack general admission. Musical artist Bill Harley uses song and storytelling to paint a hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. Tickets $3-$10. Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium, 401 S. Fourth St., 2293515, www.artslasvegas.org Gary Haleamau World Vibration May 22, 2 p.m. Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and falsetto singer Gary Haleamau will perform with his trio that includes his wife, Sheldeen. $7-$10. Winchester Cultural Center, 455-7340 Nick Colionne May 22, 8 p.m. Nick Colionne brings his Chicago-bred music that features the influences of rock, jazz, blues and even heavy metal. Part of Clark County’s Jazz in the Park series. Free. Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, www.accessclarkcounty.com Piano Festival Finale May 23, 2 p.m. Winners of CSN’s 10th Piano Concerto Competition receive their awards following a performance with the Las Vegas Youth Camerata Orchestra under the direction of Oscar Carrecia. Free. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, 651-5483, www.sites.csn. edu/finearts/piano.

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Desert Chorale’s 13th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Concert May 28, 7:30 p.m. This 60-voice choir presents its annual Memorial Day Weekend concert. Free. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 8952787, www.thedesertchorale.org.

Patricia Gould’s “Moonrise”

Nathan Tanouye & The Las Vegas Jazz Connection May 29, 8 p.m. Nathan Tanouye has been principal trombonist for the Las Vegas Philharmonic since 1998, and has performed in The Producers, Hairspray, At the Copa, Storm, and Bette Midler’s The Showgirl Must Go On. Free. Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, www. accessclarkcounty.com Star Wars In Concert May 29, 4 p.m., 8 p.m. Experience music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores live by a full symphony orchestra. This multi-media event will also feature costumes, props, narration and stunning visuals on three giant screens featuring Star Wars movie outtakes. $25-$125. Orleans Arena, www.orleansarena.com Christian Scott June 5, 8 p.m. Respected by the hip-hop community as well as jazz purists, Scott has performed his new genre of jazz with artists such as Jill Scott, Mos Def and X-Clan. Free. Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, www.accessclarkcounty.com “Broadway Melodies by Harold Arlen, Julie Styne & Johnny Mercer” June 5-6, 3 p.m. The Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society presents its endof-the-season annual Pops concert featuring the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Chorus, plus featured guest soloists. $9-$12. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theater, 651-5483, www.snmas.com Ricardo Cobo and Oscar Carrescia and Friends June 12, 2 p.m. Ricardo Cobo is a world-renowned classical guitarist; Oscar Carrescia is the violinist who created the Las Vegas Youth Camerata Orchestra. Together with a small string orchestra they perform Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet

Quiltsplosion! We’ll admit it: The word “quilt” doesn’t exactly evoke excitement. For instance, you’ve probably never heard the phrase, “THIS QUILT IS BLOWING MY MIND!” But you might just say something like that after catching some of the spreads in “Double Vision: Two Unique Insights in Fabric & Thread.” This sampling of work by Jean McLaughlin Cowie & Patricia Gould isn’t about subdued, homey designs and bland quaintness. Rather, think of their work as nature photography expressed through quilt-making, bursting with bold colors and grandiose scale. Best of all, you can sleep on them. In theory — don’t actually try that. “Double Vision” is on exhibit through June 12 at Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Info: 229-6211.

No. 4 in D major (“Fandango”), Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Guitar and Orchestra, Bujol’s “Tangata de Agosto” and more. $10-$12. Winchester Cultural Center An Evening with Sting June 18, 8 p.m. The renowned pop musician will perform his songs interpreted through symphonic arrangement with The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Tickets $51-$201. MGM Grand Garden Arena, www.mgmgrand.com

Theater A Midsummer Night’s Dream May 1, 8 p.m. and May 2, 2 p.m. In this Shakespeare classic put on by Nevada Conservatory Theater, four Athenian

lovers seek refuge on a moonlit night in an enchanted forest, and become tangled in a dispute between the King and Queen of the Fairies. $20$30. UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre, 895-2787, www.unlvtickets.com I Ought to Be in Pictures May 7-23. Las Vegas Little Theatre puts on this Tony Award-winning tale of a Hollywood screenwriter who confronts the remnants of the family he left behind. $19-$22. 3920 Schiff Drive, lvlt.org Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka June 9-26. P.S. Productions and Super Summer Theatre presents their stage adaption of Charlie and the

MAY//JUNE 2010

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Guide Chocolate Factory. $12-$15. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, www.supersummertheatre.com

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Love’s Labour’s Lost Through May 15. Insurgo Theater Movement takes on one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies. Ticket prices TBA. Insurgo Theater, 900 E. Karen Ave., D114, www.insurgotheater.org Hedwig and the Angry Inch May 7-29. The wild life and times of an androgynous rock ‘n’ roller on a quest to understand himself. Ticket prices TBA. Insurgo Theater, 900 E. Karen Ave., D114, www.insurgotheater.org R.U.R. May 28-June 19. The celebrated Czech play, which premiered in 1921 and introduced the term “robot,” gets an updated treatment by Insurgo. Ticket prices TBA. Insurgo Theater, 900 E. Karen Ave., D114, www. insurgotheater.org Salome June 4-26. Oscar Wilde’s tragedy tells the Biblical story of Salome, Herod Antipas’ stepdaughter, who requests the head of John the Baptist as a reward for dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils. Ticket prices TBA. Insurgo Theater, 900 E. Karen Ave., D114, www.insurgotheater.org

Dance Daphnis and Chloë May 1, 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Concert Dance Company and CSN Dance Ensemble present Daphnis and Chloë. Set on the Isle of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea, this ballet received its premiere performances in Paris during the 1912 season of the Diaghilev Ballets Russes. Choreographer Kelly Roth has updated the storyline to resonate with today’s audience. $8-$10. CSN’s Nicholas J. Horn Theatre, 651-5483, www.csn. edu/pac.

*New Customers only! Offer expires 6-30-2010. Restrictions apply. Call or go online for details. $30 credit applied on your first delivery. Registration required. 70

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Future Dance/Dance Discovery Spring Concert May 12, 6 p.m. Young dancers from schools valleywide showcase their talents. Ticket price TBA. West Las Vegas Library Performing Arts Theatre, 951 West Lake Mead Blvd., 243-2623.

Ani Armenian Dance Company May 22, 7 p.m. The Ani Armenian Dance Company celebrates its national culture and tradition through ethnic dance. $13.75. UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre, 895-2787, www. anidancecompany.org Future Dance Spring Concert May 27, 5:30 p.m. Young dancers from schools valleywide showcase their talents. Ticket prices TBA. Las Vegas Academy, 315 South 7th Street, 243-2623 Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre concert 1 June 5, 7 p.m. and June 6, 2 p.m. The spring performance by the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre. Ticket prices TBA. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 895-2787, www. nevadaballet.com

Festivals Las Vegas Helldorado Days May 13-16. Enjoy four days of music, food, rodeos, contests and carnival-style fun, culminating in the Helldorado Parade May 15, from 7-9 p.m. Other events include the Sahara Coins Helldorado Treasure Hunt, Helldorado Whiskerino Contest, Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament, Art Show & Live Auction, Trail Ride and Shootout Charity Golf Tournament. Most events take place around Fourth Street between Ogden and Stewart avenues. Ticket prices vary, 870-1221, www. lasvegasnevada.gov/helldorado

Lectures, readings and panels The Mob Chronicles: Frank Cullotta May 8, 2 p.m. Frank Cullotta was Tony Spilotro’s lieutenant in Las Vegas, heading a cabal of swindlers, arsonists and killers known as the “Hole in the Wall Gang.” He appears with Lou DeTiberiis, the ex-detective who arrested him, crime writer Dennis Griffin, and other detectives and agents who worked on the case in this multi-media program. $15. Winchester Cultural Center.

Ethnic events 13th Annual Lei Day Festival May 1-2. Experience the best of Hawaiian

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Guide

Henderson Pavilion, home of the Henderson Symphony

VENUE GUIDE THE ARTS FACTORY 101-107 E. Charleston Blvd., 676-1111, www. theartsfactory.com Brett Wesley Gallery 1112 Casino Center Blvd., 433-4433, www. brettwesleygallery.com Bridge Gallery City Hall, second floor, 400 Stewart Ave. 229-1012, www.artlasvegas.org

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Contemporary Arts Center 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 120, 382-3886, www. lasvegascac.org east las vegas community center 250 N. Eastern Ave., 229-1515 fifth street school 401 S. Fourth St.

Centennial hills park 7101 N. Buffalo Drive, 229-1087

Green valley Library 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway,l 507-3790, www. lvccld.org

Charleston Heights Arts Center 800 S. Brush St., 229-6383

Henderson convention center and events plaza amphitheatre 200 S. Water St., 267-2171

Clark County Library 1401 E. Flamingo Rd., 507-3459, www.lvccld.org

Henderson Pavilion 200 S. Green Valley Parkway, 267-4849

Clark County Government Center 500 Grand Central Parkway, 455-8239

Las Vegas Natural history museum 900 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 384-3466, www.lvnhmorg

College of Southern Nevada (Performing Arts Center, BackStage Theatre, Fine Arts Gallery, Nicholas Horn Theatre) 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave., North Las Vegas, 651-5483, www.csn.edu

Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 229-3515

Reed Whipple Cultural Center 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North, 229-1012 Sahara West Library 9600 W. Sahara Ave., 507-3631 The Springs Preserve 333 S. Valley View Blvd., www.springspreserve.org summerlin library and performing arts center 1771 Inner Circle Dr., 507-3860, www.lvccld.org UNLV (Artemus Ham Concert Hall, Black Box Theatre, Beam Music Center, Doc Rando Hall, Dona Beam Gallery, Barrick Museum, Fine Art Gallery, Judy Bayley Theatre, White Hall) 4505 S. Maryland Parkway 895-2787, www.unlv.edu West Charleston Library 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., 507-3964, www.lvccld.org Winchester Cultural Center 3130 S. McLeod Dr. 455-7340

arts, crafts, food and music at this event. Hawaiian and Polynesian music, songs, chants and dances will be performed all through the festival. Free. California hotel-casino, 12 E. Ogden Avenue, www.thecal.com Clark County Mariachi Festival May 11-12, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Experience the world of mariachi music and culture at this two-day festival. Free. UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 799-8531, www.//ccsd.net/cpd/finearts/ finearts.html “This Is Our Mexico” May 15, 6 p.m. La Grana USA Folklorico presents the dance program “This Is Our Mexico,” featuring guest performers Mariachi Juvenil Acero. $5. Winchester Cultural Center Bulgarian Rhythm May 19, 7 p.m. Angel Gadzhev, master of the gadulka, a bowed string instrument with a rich, exotic sound, performs the traditional folk songs and dances of Bulgaria. $7$10. Winchester Cultural Center Corazon Vaquero: Cowboy Heart June 19, 2 p.m. Ballet Folklorico Izel celebrates its third anniversary with the debut of “La Boda Baja California,” danced in the style of calabaceados. $5. Winchester Cultural Center

Fundraisers Artisan Wisconsin Cheese & Wine Tasting Benefiting Nevada Ballet Theater May 1, 4 p.m. Listen to music on the patio, see the latest models from Lotus, and enjoy fine wine and artisanal cheeses. $45-$50, Vintner Grill, 10100 W. Charleston Blvd., www. vglasvegas.com Third Annual Tzedakah Brunch May 23, 11 a.m. “Miracles Take Work” is the theme of this year’s fundraiser brunch that highlights Project Ezra, a program run by Jewish Family Service to help ease the impact of unemployment on our community. $100 per person or $1,000 per table. Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 888 W. Bonneville Ave. 732-0304, www.jfsalv.com

“We’re proud of our work and the ‘supporting role’ our company and its people play in our community . . . including Nevada Public Radio!” www.klaijuba.com MAY//JUNE 2010

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Get your products and services in front of nearly 2,000 new customers Experience the Art of Business

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N E W S // r e v i ews // i n t e r v i ew S

Organically grown up Shawn McClain was a relative unknown in Las Vegas. With the opening of Sage, he’s officially a rising star By Al Mancini

Shawn McClain wants people to question his food — with questions like, “How was that done?”

PHOTOGRAPHY By SABIN ORR

When CityCenter’s Aria opened in December, it featured restaurants from at least six of Las Vegas’ most successful chefs and restaurateurs, and one New York superstar. Yet it’s the local debut of Chicago’s Shawn McClain, a relative unknown in our town, that’s emerged as the resort’s top culinary destination. McClain’s gorgeously appointed contemporary American dining room Sage quickly captured the attention of foodies in Las Vegas — and across the country. Fewer than three months after Sage opened, the New York Post named it one of the “10 top tables” on the Las Vegas Strip, and The James Beard Foundation chose it as a semi-finalist for 2009’s best new restaurant in the country. McClain’s no stranger to attention. After spending seven years in the kitchen of Chicago’s legendary Trio, the chef ventured out on his own. Today, he runs three of The Windy City’s

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Dining most popular eateries, serving up Asianinfluenced seafood at his restaurant Spring, exploring vegetarian cuisine at The Green Zebra, and putting his spin on the steakhouse concept at Custom House. In 2001, the James Beard Foundation nominated Spring for Best New Restaurant, and Esquire named McClain Chef of the Year. Five years later, The Beard Foundation proclaimed him Best Chef: Midwest. The catch: Word didn’t travel very far. As McClain himself admits, Chicago is a “lowkey, insular town when it comes to food.” His hometown fame didn’t necessarily assure him the spotlight in Las Vegas, particularly when surrounded by new restaurants by local favorites such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Prime), Julian Serrano (Picasso), The Maccioni Family (Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo), Michael Mina (Michael Mina, Seablue, Nobhill Tavern and Stripsteak), The Light Group (Fix, Stack, Brand, Diablo’s Cantina and Yellowtail) and Jean-Phillippe Maury (pastry chef for Bellagio) as well as The Big Apple’s Masa Takayama. “These are the guys that I read about,” he says of his neighbors at Aria. “And these are the guys that you read their books. And then to be next to them, I mean, to say I’m flattered is an understatement.” The powers that be at Aria, on the other hand, aren’t surprised by McClain’s success at all. Vice President of Food and Beverage Christina Clifton is a longtime fan of the chef. “He’s filling a niche in the food offerings here in Vegas that is so different,” she says. That niche? In McClain’s words, it’s “recognizable new American refined food.” But within that context, he draws on a world of influences, from Mediterranean flavors to modern European cooking techniques. “I want it to be fun,” he says of his food. “I want it to be tasty and flavorful. Not overmanipulated, but it’s always fun to have a few things on a dish that people wonder about, or just say, ‘How was that done?’” Those fun twists include the Tabasco sorbet and aged-tequila mignonette that adorn McClain’s Kusshi oysters. For his yellowtail crudo, he complements the raw seafood with unexpected earthy tastes. And then there’s what’s quickly becoming Sage’s signature dish: a savory appetizer based on the classic dessert crème brulee, made with a foie gras custard. But McClain brings more than his creative culinary vision to Sage. He also brings his presence and his personal attention to detail. Unlike many of this town’s absentee celebrity chefs, he has made Las Vegas his 76

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Sage signature: Foie Gras Custard Brulee The most talked-about item on Sage’s menu is McClain’s foie gras custard brulee, a savory and sweet appetizer patterned after the classic French dessert crème brulee. The chef blends the rich, fatty duck liver with brandy, cream, white pepper, bay leaf and allspice to create a custard base. After it sets, raw sugar is gently burned on top to create the traditional brulee caramel topping. The dish is then garnished with seasonal fruits, and accompanied by salted brioche. McClain first developed the recipe for a tasting of three foie gras preparations at Chicago’s Trio. He later reintroduced it at his own restaurant, Custom House. But in 2006, animal rights activists objecting to the force-feeding used on foie gras ducks convinced the Chicago City Council to ban the product in the city. The ban was overturned in 2008, but because of the controversy that still surrounds foie in Chicago, McClain rarely serves it in his restaurants there. Fortunately for Las Vegans, the delicacy faces no such stigma in Sin City. “So, when we came out here it just seemed like a perfect, interesting signature to try to put out here, to see how it would go over,” McClain says. So far, it’s going over incredibly.

S P E C I A L A DV E R T I S I N G S E CT I O N

Osaka Japanese Cuisine

Rosemary’s

Porchlight Grille

In 1969, Sam and Aiko Nakanishi opened the first Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas and named it after their hometown, Osaka. Thirty years later, their daughter Joy opened the Summerlin location, spreading Las Vegas’ favorite flavors of Japan to the newest part of town.

Rosemary’s combines great food, drink and service with uncommon value and dining diversity. The Jordans draw from a variety of culinary influences to create a unique American cuisine with regional twists from New Orleans, the Deep South and the Midwest.

Rave reviews from the day they opened. The best in steaks, burgers, pastas, salads and killer appetizers. Comfort food in an upscale setting and some original artwork or enjoy the bar with its 10 HD plasmas and 10’ HD projection screen

7511 West Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 702-869-9494 www.osakalasvegas.com

8125 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV (702) 869-2251 www.rosemarysrestaurant.com

8416 W Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas, NV (702) 562-3990 www.porchlightgrille.com

DINe IN StyLe.

Nora’s Wine Bar & Osteria

todd’s Unique Dining

Giovanni and Marcello Mauro (the sons of Nora Mauro) have expanded on a tradition of culinary achievements to bring a non-traditional approach to wine tasting and the dining experience. They create delectable Italian dishes to indulge all of your senses and they feature the first Enomatic Wine Dispensers in Las Vegas.

The critics and the dining public agree. KNPR food critic John Curtas named Todd’s Unique Dining “Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year” (East Side) in his 2009 restaurant awards. Also voted Best Gourmet Restaurant by Las Vegas Review Journal editors and readers.

1031 S. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (702)-940-6672 www.noraswinebar.com

todd’s Unique Dining 4350 east Sunset Road Henderson, NV (702) 259-8633 www.toddsunique.com

Memphis Championship Barbeque For over 15 years Mike Mills has brought his award-winning barbecue to Las Vegas. Mike has had his ribs voted “Best Ribs in America” by Bon Appétit Magazine. Memphis prides itself on great food, great service, and great value. Now Memphis is also serving Country-Style Breakfast on the weekends from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 3 locations in Las Vegas: 2250 e. Warm Springs Rd. 1401 S. Rainbow 4379 N. Las Vegas Blvd. memphis-bbq.com

Dining

Valley Cheese & Wine 1770 Horizon Ridge Parkway #110 Henderson, NV 89012 702-341-8191 This gourmet cheese and wine shop in Henderson supplies Las Vegas with the finest artisanal and handcrafted specialty foods, wine, and cheeses available. Hours: Monday - Saturday 10 AM until 8 Pm Sunday 11AM until 5 PM Free Wine Tastings Friday 4 PM until 7PM Sat. noon until 7 PM

Sage signature: Pacific Yellowtail Crudo Crudo traditionally consists of raw slices of fish dressed with olive oil, sea salt, citrus juice and herbs — think of it as Italian sashimi. The version at Sage is a bit more complex, balancing light, fresh seafood with rich, earthy ingredients. It starts with perfect cuts of yellowtail. The chef then reduces mushroom tea stock, adding a little veal stock for richness, extra virgin olive oil and a touch of truffle oil, creating an intense mushroom-veal vinaigrette. That’s drizzled over the fish, which is then sprinkled with sea salt, pine nuts and shaved radish. At the center is a delicious pine nut espuma (a light foam with the consistency of whipped cream), topped with shaved winter truffles. The dish was inspired by one McClain serves at Custom House. He came up with the basic concept during the early planning stages of Sage’s menu, but waited until the last minute to work out the actual recipe with his chef de cuisine Richard Camarota. “The way I write menus — and Richard can attest to this because it drives him crazy — we write the menu and then two weeks before we’re gonna open we’re like, ‘Alright, we’d better figure this s--- out!’”

home base — at least through the spring and into early summer. The chef rented a house here in November. And during his first three months in town, he spent less than a week in Chicago checking in on his empire there. “It really was important for me,” McClain says of his decision to be at Sage full-time. “You know, to be an unknown is going against me. And to be around this kind of an environment of chefs, and to be an absentee chef right off the bat, I thought would be a disaster.” Those who know McClain’s may not be surprised by Sage’s success. But even his biggest supporters at Aria are a little amazed by how quickly he catapulted to 78

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the top of the Las Vegas culinary scene. Clifton admits she and her staff had expected the restaurant to be slow out of the gate because McClain didn’t have the same type of marketing machine in place as the resort’s more established names. To combat that, Aria had planned an intense promotional campaign for the restaurant. “We decided Sage was going to need a bigger push since he’s not as well known and doesn’t have an entourage following him around in Las Vegas like the other guys,” Clifton says. “But it didn’t need to happen that strongly. It just happened organically, on its own.” This time, word has clearly gotten out. DC

Essay

story by By John Wallin

P h o t o g r a p h b y Ad a m B r a d l e y

An energetic yes

I’m a passionate environmentalist. I’m also realistic about the urgent need to develop renewable energy On Earth Day, Adam Bradley set off on Nevada’s longest hike — a grueling, 501-mile trek from Las Vegas to the NevadaIdaho border. He brought food, water, a camera crew and his own wits and determination. The hike will have taken him about two weeks. (Hey, he’s not one of the nation’s best throughhikers for nothing.) Why is Bradley doing this? To document a wild Nevada landscape that will be changed forever — scarred, in fact — by a future transmission line corridor. An energy transmission line that, as a conservationist and longtime wilderness proponent, I strongly support. It’s called the Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP), a new transmission line running from southern Idaho to the Harry Allen Substation just north of Las Vegas. It will carry primarily renewable energy from the wind farms of Wyoming to the urban centers of the Southwest. This project represents a sea change in how we generate and move electricity, and it will result in tremendous renewable enAdam Bradley ergy generated right here in scales Egg Nevada. Clean, homegrown Butte as part energy that won’t run out. of his transYet, as the Obama adminNevada trek. istration pursues a new clean energy future on Western public lands, conservationists find themselves between a rock and a hard place. After 40 years of clamoring for renewable energy, it’s finally here. And it is here on public lands, in places people care about. It’s here in the form of transmission lines across virgin habitat, entangled in a complex web of public lands uses and priorities. As energy executive Jonathan Weisgall once said, “You can’t love renewables and hate transmission. They go together.” There’s a legitimate and vigorous debate going on about the value of utility-scale projects on public lands. Due to the imperative of a changing climate, public lands projects — lots of them in short order — are critical to stem what soon will be irreversible damage from climate change. This irreversible damage, proponents say, will hurt the species and habitats of Nevada’s deserts far more than will the effects of the footprint of the development. Meanwhile, opponents of utility-scale energy projects on public lands say we shouldn’t sacrifice the desert for a haphazard approach to energy development. At the Nevada Wilderness Project, we recognize that mil80

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lions of acres of public land could be developed for renewable energy tomorrow without making a dent in climate change if there isn’t a much broader strategy to deal with it. This includes addressing massive changes in efficiency standards and our consumption patterns. Without an “all hands on deck” approach, public lands will be sacrificed for a hodge-podge solution to a problem that requires bigger thinking. We also know this: Because of cost certainty and the need for short-term progress in the face of climate change, public lands that people care about are going to be developed. As public lands leaders, we have a responsibility to help devise solutions that include smart energy renewable projects. We believe that Nevada’s landscapes — previously unravaged by energy development — provide a fantastic opportunity to develop what we call “smart from the start” energy projects: Develop renewable energy. Protect wildlife habitat. Do both at the same time. How? By engaging developers and other stakeholders to support energy projects that also provide additional land protections, as well as money for habitat restoration and land acquisition. We’ll find ways to allow conservationists and renewable energy developers to collaborate — a collaboration based on mutual goals and cooperation, not cast into the old model of “us against them.” The part of the Bradley’s “SWIP Trip” we’re most excited about (okay, besides the fact it’s a great outdoor adventure,) is that it allows us to focus on an incredible story: We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape a new energy future. As wilderness advocates and wildlife conservationists, we see that as an extraordinary and exciting challenge. Our goals for Adam’s “SWIP Trip” are simple: We want to tell Nevada’s unique renewable energy story. His extraordinary journey — documented in photos, video, audio and words — will help envision the Southwest Intertie Project line in its entirety. It will help us understand its impact on wildlife habitat. And most important, it will help us identify new ways to make habitat conservation gains along with that development. DC John Wallin is director of the Nevada Wilderness Project. You can follow Adam Bradley’s journey at www.wildnevada.org.

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