Desert companion 2013july by Nevada Public Radio

JULY 2013

C I I L O A U E S D

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editor’s note

To a theater near you

It was the summer of 1992. We

Next month in Desert Companion

Time for your checkup: It’s our health and medicine issue

4 | Desert

were punk rock slacker vegans who lived on brown rice and rode bikes everywhere. One night during our usual wheelings around the city, we stopped in front of the Huntridge Theater. Something was different. “I thought this place was, like, a Mexican movie theater or something.” “How come it says Apocrypha on the marquee?” “I dunno. Sounds cool. Let’s check it out.” Flailing on stage was a brawny mass of hair, biceps, bandanas and blazing guitars: power metal band Apocrypha. Transfixed, we squeezed in among the seething mass of head-banging stoners and obediently submitted our ears for a nightlong rite of cleansing aural brutality. (Turning his guitar into a molten wand of pure shred that night was guitarist Tony Fredianelli, who’d later go on to play for alt-rockers Third Eye Blind.) At the end of the show, the band tossed out vinyl copies of their album. Its cover art featured an evil sorcerer in his candlelit study, contemplating a mysterious scroll. Yeah: Apocrypha was that kind of band. Rock ‘n’ roll inside a crusty old moviehouse? Little did I know I was witnessing the birth of an era — well, an era by Vegas’ humble cultural standards, anyway — and inaugurating a ritual of my youth. For roughly the next decade, the cavernous theater hosted hundreds of rock concerts, from Gwar to Lindsey Buckingham to Green Day to the Beastie Boys — not to mention local acts, community gatherings, art shows and film festivals. In a town tuned to shiny adult pleasures,

Companion | July 2013

the Huntridge offered something for teens besides playing Mortal Kombat in Commercial Center or getting drunk in the desert to caterwauling threechord punk bands. Historic Huntridge Theatre? I guess so. But historic implies a self-conscious stateliness the Huntridge happily scoffed at in its rock ’n’ roll adolescence. I admired its refusal to be precious about itself (particularly in a city that really would do well to embrace some preciousness about its own history). Sure, the building was accepted on the National Register of Historic Places; the state shoveled preservation money into it over the years — perhaps more out of pity than pride. But the highest purpose was use the damn thing. Out came the orchestra pit, which made more room for the mosh pit. And who had use for seats when this was a place for dancing? Out, too, came the seats. The Huntridge strayed far afield from its heyday of film premieres and Hollywood stars hamming it up in the ticket booth — which is perfectly fine. The venue’s evolution is an ad hoc, shirtsleeves version of what preservation wonks call “adaptive reuse.” Now a trio of entrepreneurs dubbed Huntridge Revival, LLC is hoping to reopen the venue after nearly a decade of disuse (page 13). They’re newgeneration urbanites whose big-ticket plan has inspired kudos from longtime locals and downtown cognoscenti — and sour gales of criticism from skeptics who are acting like some alien mothership is coming to suck up the building with a tractor beam, making off with their memories.

Will Huntridge Revival recapture the glory of the Huntridge? Will they respect the legacy? God, I hope not. I hope they do better. Maybe in its next incarnation, the Huntridge can be a neighborhood anchor and another jigsaw chunk of cultural development downtown — one a healthy distance from an East Fremont district that is, for both better and worse, evolving from crack alley to culinary hotspot to corporate investment vehicle at warp speed (page 64). The Huntridge’s era as a first-run movie theater is a fading footnote. Its stint as a raw rock venue was sweaty, dirty, smoky — and a perhaps necessary phase that’s now over. Keep that gorgeous tower, but let’s ditch finicky, arthritic fogeyism that denies an interesting proposal a fair shot. This thing sounds cool. Let’s check it out. Andrew Kiraly Editor

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contents desert companion magazine // desertcompanion.com

07.2013

DEPARTMENTS 13

All Things to All People For its next act ... By Andrew Kiraly

Media

The neon story machine By Steve Friess

Technology Awesome, Inc. By Andrew Kiraly

DEALittle meals By Molly Michelman

Guide

From rock to theater to dance, your guide to culture

End note

A mindful renaissance By Joshua Ellis

JULY 2013

FEATURES

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Companion | JULY 2013

A fluf of don fy bite fro m ut hea Gla zie ven rs

CAPITAL TALENT

Rising Washington journos tout Vegas roots

PLUS

The g-word

Downtown's midlife crisis

on the cover Photography by Brent Holmes

6 | Desert

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Chris Isaak Tour 2013 — 8/14

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Mission Statement

Desert Companion is the premier city magazine that celebrates the pursuits, passions and aspirations of Southern Nevadans. With award-winning lifestyle journalism and design, Desert Companion does more than inform and entertain. We spark dialogue, engage people and define the spirit of the Las Vegas Valley. Publisher Melanie Cannon Editor Andrew Kiraly Art Director Christopher Smith Graphic Designer Brent Holmes Sales and marketing manager Christine Kiely National account manager Laura Alcaraz Account executives Sharon Clifton, Robyn Mathis, Carol Skerlich, Markus Van’t Hul Marketing Associate Lisa Kelly Subscription manager Chris Bitonti Web administrator Danielle Branton Contributing writers Jim Begley, Cybele, Chantal Corcoran, Scott Dickensheets, Joshua Ellis, Steve Friess, Alan Gegax, Daniel Hernandez, Mélanie Hope, Debbie Lee, David McKee, Molly Michelman, Christie Moeller, Molly O’Donnell, Brock Radke, Lissa Townsend Rodgers, Mark Sedenquist, Kristy Totten Contributing artists Bill Hughes, Hernan Valencia, Sabin Orr Editorial: Andrew Kiraly, (702) 259-7856; andrew@desertcompanion.com

Fax: (702) 258-5646 Advertising: Christine Kiely, (702) 259-7813; christine@desertcompanion.com

Subscriptions: Chris Bitonti, (702) 259-7810; subscriptions@desertcompanion.com

Website: www.desertcompanion.com Desert Companion is published 12 times a year by Nevada Public Radio, 1289 S. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89146. It is available by subscription at desertcompanion.com, or as part of Nevada Public Radio membership. It is also distributed free at select locations in the Las Vegas Valley. All photos, artwork and ad designs printed are the sole property of Desert Companion and may not be duplicated or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The views of Desert Companion contributing writers are not necessarily the views of Desert Companion or Nevada Public Radio. Contact Chris Bitonti for back issues, which are available for purchase for $7.95.

ISSN 2157-8389 (print) ISSN 2157-8397 (online)

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Companion | JULY 2013

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For its next act ... The Huntridge has been a lot of things: movie theater, concert venue, art gallery, even house of worship. Its latest incarnation is no secret to anyone who’s driven by the weatherworn hulk lately: a monument to dashed hopes since it shut its doors in 2004. Now, three downtown luminaries are hoping to usher in a new act. Businessmen Michael Cornthwaite, Joey Vanas and Rehan Choudhry are hoping to complete a purchase of the property under some novel terms. They’ve put down a $50,000 deposit on the theater, and hope to crowdfund $150,000 more by July 17. “The crowdfunding element is our way of asking the bigger-picture question of, how much do people want this? How much do they want to be involved?” says Cornthwaite, owner of the Downtown Cocktail Room. “If they do care, is it a group of 20 people, or a group of 20,000?” Call it money-where-your-mouth-is market research. Meeting that $150,000 benchmark, they say, will help them better court a dozen or so prospective, unidentified investors to buy the theater from the current owners, the Mizrachi family. Total price tag: $4 million. They estimate a full restoration to be in the neighborhood of $12 to $15 million. Those donating money to the campaign (thehuntridge.com) get some perks for their patronage, whether they’re a “friend of the Huntridge” at $5 (a digital poster) or a “Huntridge angel” at $25,000 (lifetime VIP parking). While Huntridge Revival, LLC is a private, for-profit company, donors who kick in at least $10 get to vote at planned monthly programming meetings. Bigger donors get more votes. If it’s an unusual approach, it fits a venue with an unusual — and sometimes troubled — history. Opened in 1944, the Huntridge Theater was originally a first-run moviehouse known for its handsome Streamline Moderne tower and film premieres that saw live bands and star appearances from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich. These days, it’s remembered largely for its decade-plus run as a gritty, rough-hewn rock ’n’ roll venue that hosted everyone from Sonic Youth to the Beastie Boys, giving Las Vegas a storied slice of rock history. “There will definitely be live music, definitely per-

Hear more

Staging a movement: from left, Rehan Staging a movement: Choudhry, Joey from left, Rehan Vanas and Michael Choudhry, Joey Cornthwaite Vanas and Michael Cornthwaite

business

Tea party Don’t get Richard Sheffield started about lapsang souchong. “It’s wonderful,” he says. “It smells and tastes like a burning campfire.” No wonder: lapsang souchong tea is smoked over a wood fire. If the word “tea” brings to mind stale bags of Lipton, you haven’t been steeped in the latest intel. The tea biz is booming worldwide — and Las Vegas is brewing itself a role in this blossoming market. Not only do we host the World Tea Expo, but local entrepreneurs are starting to tap into an emerging market of “tea foodies.” “Tea foodies are just like regular foodies.

forming arts, definitely a lot of community-driven programming (in the next incarnation),” says Joey Vanas, managing partner of First Friday. “We want it to be the kind of place people can go every day and there’s something happening.” Of course, this isn’t the first time that big dreamers continued on pg. 14 have set their sights on the Huntridge. That said, Cornthwaite, Vanas and Choudhry are realistic. “If we don’t raise the money,” says Cornthwaite, “then we’re three guys who took it in the shorts.” It’s a calculated gamble with hopes of a cultural jackpot. “I live just a few streets away from it, and I think the Huntridge represents possibility,” Keep up with Desert says Vanas. “Every time I drive by, I don’t Companion events, news think about how sad it is that it’s in such a and bonus features at state of disrepair. I think how amazing it’ll desertcompanion.com. be when it’s turned back on. It’s not the nostalgia that resonates with me, but the potential and the possibility.” — Andrew Kiraly

Brenda Hear a discussion Priddy discusses of the Huntridge “car spy photography” revival campaign on “KNPR’s on “KNPR’s StateState of Nevada” of Nevada” at desertcompanion.com/hearmore at desertcompanion.com/hearmore DesertCompanion.com | 13

They’re people who enjoy cooking with and exploring tea,” says Sheffield, co-owner of Sheffield Spice & Tea Co. (9875 S. Eastern Ave., 877-4237). “But the wider public is also starting to discover the health benefits of tea, too.” When he and his wife Cheryl opened in May, they expected a sales mix of 75 percent spices and 25 percent teas. Surprised by the demand for tea, they’ve since expanded their tea selection to comprise nearly half their inventory. Carolyn Johnson of Indie Tea concurs. She’s a boutique blender who sells her varieties at more than 30 stores across the U.S., including seven in Southern Nevada. “We started as a little baby company in 2009, and we’ve quadrupled in sales each year,” she says. The secret: positioning tea as a “whole lifestyle brand,” which means using it for more than just sipping; indeed, Indie Tea works tea into everything, including hot cocoa blends, spice rubs and even body lotion. Oh, and you can drink it, too. — A.K

ON THE TOWN There’s a whale of a tale — sea monsters! ocean leviathans! — at Las Vegas Natural History Museum’s “Sea Trek” exhibit through Aug. 31. Info: lvnhm.org

14 | Desert

Companion | July 2013

High steaks: Mr. Lucky’s Gambler’s Special

dining

Any cheaper and they’d pay you to eat it One of the celebrated perks of living in Las Vegas is easy access to dirt-cheap food — buffets, graveyard specials and comped meals abound. But which beer-budget items can truly satisfy an eater with champagne tastes? Taking the spirit of our DEALicious Meals issue to its most miserly extreme, we crawled local casinos for their cheapest eats. Here’s a taste of what we found. Gambler’s Special ($7.77). Cheap steak dinners usually involve a wan hunk of flesh with gray vegetables to match, but this not-so-secret, offthe-menu special is shockingly up to snuff. The eight-ounce sirloin steak has a crusty char, a side of shrimp is plump and well-seasoned, and the mashed potatoes are as smooth as suede. The side salad is perfunctory at best, but you didn’t come for the iceberg, did you? (Mr. Lucky’s in the Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, hardrockhotel.com) Hot dog (75 cents). New York City’s famous dirty-water dog can’t hold a candle to this Vienna frank. It may not have the snap of a good grilled hot dog, but once it’s smothered in a slew of fixings (ketchup, mustard, relish, chopped onions and sauerkraut), you won’t notice the difference. To find it, look for a jewel-box-sized food cart near the sports book. (South Point hotel-casino, southpointcasino.com)

Frozen margarita (99 cents). Cheaper than a Slurpee but just as cloying. The upside is that you don’t have to drink it out of one of those plastic bongshaped vessels that screams “tourist.” For some semblance of a legitimate cocktail, add a squeeze of fresh lime to cut through the corn-syrupy sweetness. (Available at Station Casinos, sclv.com) Spaghetti and meatballs ($4.49 after 10 p.m.). Lady and the Tramp would howl in disapproval. A generous portion for the price, but who really wants a large helping of watery sauce and limp noodles? The only saving grace is a side of light and moist mystery meatballs (“It’s chicken and pork and some other stuff,” a server informs me.) Still, if I wanted a late-night fix of carbs, sauce, and cheese, I’d sooner grab a slice of pizza. (Courtyard Café, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., orleanscasino.com) Orange Julius (free — but tip your server!). While trolling casinos for free drinks is not a recommended pastime, it’s worth noting that the complimentary beverages at the Wynn are the best on the Strip. This is basically a Creamsicle in slushie form. The only complaint is that it’s a little short on the orange flavor. It’s by no means sophisticated, but it’ll sustain blackjack players while they split their tens. (Wynn, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., wynnlasvegas.com) — Debbie Lee

h a r d r o c k s t e a k p h oto : B r e n t h OLMES

continued from pg. 13

news

PROFILE

16 | Desert

Companion | July 2013

Bobby Dean bingo and keno man, storyteller PHOTOGRAPH BY Bill Hughes

If it weren’t for an impending bank debt, Bobby Dean would never have gone into the casino business. Forty-three years later, he hasn’t had regrets. A throwback to the era of the “company man,” Dean has spent the last 35 years at a single casino, overseeing its keno and bingo rooms. He’s been at Palace Station since before it was Palace Station, back when Frank Fertitta Jr. was getting it up and running as Bingo Palace. Neither Dean’s 68 years nor spinal stenosis have slowed him down, as he swiftly navigates the casino floor in a walker. “I enjoy the work,” he says, “much more than I ever did.” Blessed with formidable memory, he remembers the exact day his parents moved to Las Vegas from Wichita Falls, Texas: Oct. 15, 1953. Then-small Sin City was hardly today’s retail magnet: “You’d have to go to L.A. to get what you needed to build a barbecue.” Classes at Dean’s elementary school would schedule recess so the students could watch A-bomb tests. “It’s OK to get pissed off” at losing, he says, but let go of grudges. Dean had a friend who’d blow his money at the craps table, shrug, then say, “Well, I’ll go paint something Monday.” Dean paraphrases the wisdom of pioneering aviatrix Pancho Barnes: “You can be unhappy if you want it, but choose happy and keep living.” But not too happy: “Back in (the ’80s), the whole casino got a little crazy. New Year’s Eve, we actually poured champagne on the keno counter. They were pouring a champagne toast for everybody in the building. We had a little problem with keno audit. It didn’t come out right at the end of the shift. Somebody must have had a second glass of champagne. Finally we decided that wasn’t the greatest idea in the world when people are trying to count money.” Going into full-time casino employment was the last thing on Dean’s mind in 1970. He was studying at UNLV, fixing

airliners at McCarran International Airport and becoming rated as a flight instructor. Then he needed to make a payment on his truck, stat. Serendipitously, a keno writer at the Hacienda was a no-show and Dean’s destiny was set. Until that fateful day, Dean had spent several years bouncing between engineering classes, part-time jobs and overseas duty during the Vietnam War. “Not being too smart and not realizing that the Army has more planes than the Air Force,” he says, he enlisted with the latter and found himself supporting the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing out of Takkhli Royal Air Force Base in Thailand. The 355th’s F-105 Thunderchiefs would attack North Vietnamese infrastructure and interdict supplies in the morning and Dean would patch them up in the afternoon. “I enjoyed the Air Force fighters because they were small planes,” Dean explains. “You get to know the whole thing.” The reluctant casino returnee discovered he enjoyed working for Hacienda owner Judy Bayley, but the “First Lady of Gambling” died on New Year’s Eve in 1971 and the Hacienda fell under the control of Mob patsy Allen Glick. “I didn’t like the philosophy there at all,” Dean recalls. “This was starting to feel like a noose” — he holds his floridly patterned necktie up like a hangman’s knot. Glick’s underlings “didn’t particularly trust the people in the keno game,” whom they suspected of stealing. Deliverance, in the form of Bingo Palace, presented itself on Dec. 1, 1976. Dean credits wife JoAnne, whom he married in 1976, with talking him out of becoming a table game executive and running the bingo hall along with the keno room, being an avid bingo player herself. While he acknowledges that bingo is “small potatoes” in the casino world, it does draw its share of colorful characters — like the man who brought his teddy bear to every session. “He didn’t play bingo,” Dean explains. “His teddy bear did.” — David McKee

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Companion | July 2013

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Brand spokesmodel, lingerie, swimsuit and fitness model Your personal style? Body-conscious, sleek, sassy and fashion-forward. But on my days off, I’m quite casual, either in jeans and a tee or workout clothes. I’m both sporty and girly. I never leave the house without Christian Louboutins or Converse on — depending on my mood. Favorite swimwear designer? Definitely Beach Bunny — because of the fit. Bottoms are always difficult to find in the perfect cut, but Beach Bunnys are the best for your booty. “Crunch butt” or rouched styles are a must. I also love Luli Fama and Syrup. Favorite beach? My favorite beach has to be in Cabo because there are a lot of private areas, so you can go top-optional. In Vegas, I love to swim at Lake Mead. The second summer hits, you’ll find me there every weekend on my boat and wakeboard — but I have my top on there. Ha! Your secret to staying swimsuit-ready? By eating fairly healthy and working out at least three to four times a week — even if it’s just sit-ups and jumping rope at home. Your best tip for women shopping for swimwear? You really need to pay attention to fit and be aware of your body type. I think a lot of women pay so much attention to the top fitting sexy, they forget about the saggy bottoms. Be aware! Nobody likes to look at a saggy butt. You need to play up your body shape! CM

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Painting the town Color us excited about this development. For decades, homeowners associations have been fairly restrictive about the colors they let homeowners paint their homes’ exteriors. But recently, many have been changing up their palettes in response to residents’ desires for deeper, richer shades. “They’re still painting earth tones, but the trend is to go darker,” says Jimmy Zades, owner of CertaPro Painters. “We’ve also been seeing some palettes with a little bit of red, some different blues and things like that.” Rob Groucutt, a sales rep with Sherwin-Williams, agrees. He’s the liaison between HOAs and the paint store, and helps build color schemes for HOAs. “With HOAs that have their original paint job from six or seven years ago, you see more off-whites and, I guess, safer palettes — for lack of a better word. Now, the trend

seems to be colors of more depth, darker Southwestern tones and to want to pop out architectural accents.” If you’re thinking of slapping on a fresh coat, Zades has a few tips. First, avoid red. Red pigments don’t fare well in the Vegas sun, which is why older homes still sporting the faddish pinks of the ’80s look almost white today. If you do opt for red, be prepared to repaint sooner. Also keep in mind that while the dark colors are lovely and stylish, they’ll likely lead to higher energy bills. Plus, painting a dark color over a light color will require more paint, so the initial project might cost a little more as well. Finally, all of this isn’t to say that you can go ahead and paint your home neon green. HOAs still have their rules. Before you head to the paint store, contact yours. —Chantal Corcoran

Want to add value and appeal to your home? We’re not blowing smoke when we say invest in a fire pit or a fireplace. This is expected to be one of this year’s most popular trends in outdoor living, according to the 2013 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey, conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Ninety-seven percent of landscape architects from around the country, specializing in residential design, agree that backyard flames will be the big trend in 2013. The survey also indicates that, in this still-uncertain economy, we want to hang out in our yards: Outdoor living spaces, like kitchens and entertainment areas, are expected to be just as popular as gardening and landscaping. If this seems like too much work, skip it and get a hammock — although you’ll be in the minority (24.1 percent), and I don’t imagine you’ll be able to snooze with all that partying going on in your neighbor’s yard. CC

That’s so yardcore

Outdoor living is hotter than ever, and not just because we’re in Vegas. Across the country, Americans are extending their living space to include their yards. The key to doing this well? Blur the lines between the interior and exterior, so that the design and décor flows naturally from one to the other. Pay particular attention to your outdoor kitchen. In the same way the kitchen is the heart of your home, your outdoor kitchen will also become a central gathering spot. It should be relatively close to your indoor kitchen and mimic it in style. Choose your materials

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Companion | July 2013

carefully. They should complement your indoor space while being resistant to the elements. Stainless steel is ideal for appliances and relatively easy to clean. Today, options for built-in cook stations abound. A sink, a refrigerator and storage space is nice, but if you like to entertain, why not a beer tap or a pizza oven? Newer hybrid grills that cook with gas, wood and charcoal are perfect for serious chefs, as are fresh vegetable gardens. Done that? Consider taking it a step further: The next big food trend includes backyard ponds with organically raised fish. CC

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media

The neon story machine

Why are former Las Vegas journalists finding such success in Washington D.C.? Our city breeds a talent for telling good stories By Steve Friess | Illustration by Hernan valencia A decade ago, if you asked which Las Vegas journalists had gone on to national prominence in Washington D.C., there was basically one answer: Major Garrett. He was a bit of a technicality, too, because Garrett had been a Review-Journal reporter way back in the pre-Mirage, pre-boom era of 1980s and only reincarnated himself in 2000 as the TV journalist he’s known as today. Yet in recent years, the once rarely traveled path from Nevada to the nation’s capital and broader media notoriety has become a wellworn — and much shorter — highway.

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Companion | JULY 2013

Turn on MSNBC on any given day and you’re likely to see former R-J and Sun scribe Molly Ball deciphering the latest political moves. Open any newspaper in the country and you’ll inevitably run into the trenchant investigative work of Pulitzer Prize-winning national security reporter Adam Goldman, formerly of the Vegas bureau of the Associated Press — and one of the AP scribes whose phone records were seized in a recent Department of Justice leak probe. Tune in to a White House news conference and there to pester press secretary Jay Carney

alongside Garrett is another ex-Vegas AP staffer, Kathleen Hennessey of the Los Angeles Times. Log on to POLITICO and you’ll see what former R-J reporter Mike Zapler, in his job as political editor, has deemed the agenda-setting stories of the day. Some of those might be mine. The list goes on — and for good reason: Las Vegas is that special news town that draws in young, adventurous journalists and feeds their ambitions generously with an endless parade of jaw-dropping stories. Some of those yarns have serious national implications, from the Harry Reid-Sharron Angle race for Senate to

media the housing market collapse to the challenges of the fastest-growing school district. Others — the tiger attack on Roy Horn, O.J. Simpson’s robbery trial, the spectacle of a mob attorney and now his wife occupying the mayoralty — are simply too riveting for the nation to ignore. “It made Washington seem like a cakewalk by comparison,” says Ball, a staff writer for The Atlantic who lived in Las Vegas from 2004 to 2009 and whose husband, former R-J cops reporter David Kihara, is managing editor for the website of WJLA, the ABC affiliate in D.C. “I can’t imagine a better molding and shaping experience for a young reporter. There were so many stories that nobody can do them all, and so much talent that everyone must be on their A games.”

Youn g pi o ne e r s The diversity of the journalists who have made the leap from Las Vegas to Washington is dramatic. Emily Richmond, the Las Vegas Sun’s longtime education expert, is now a mentor to schools reporters across the nation from her perch as public editor of the Education Writers Association. Sam Skolnik, who covered courts and Las Vegas City Hall from 2006 to 2009 and wrote a book on gambling addiction after falling victim to a massive round of layoffs at the Sun, remade himself as deputy editor of the National Law Journal. Kate Bennett, whose various Nevada identities from 1999 to 2010 included Sun gossip columnist, TV anchor and editor-in-chief of Vegas Magazine, is now fashion editor of Washingtonian

Bright past, brighter future

Former Vegas reporters reflect on breaking news in the neon Adam Goldman

Vegas gig: Gambling reporter for the Associated Press D.C. gig: Investigative reporter for AP focusing on national security; won a 2012 Pulitzer for exposing the New York Police Department’s secret surveillance of Muslims. Classic Vegas: Goldman was first on the scene after the white tiger Montecore attacked Roy Horn at the Mirage in 2003. He corralled audience members for eyewitness accounts that helped to debunk the resort’s shifting versions of what happened. “It was insane,” he says. “I don’t think I had ever heard of Roy Horn before that happened.”

Emily Richmond

Vegas gig: Education reporter for the Las Vegas Sun D.C. gig: Public editor, Education Writers Association Classic Vegas: “I got to go cover a career and technical program where people were

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Companion | JULY 2013

learning how to handle largescale hydraulic systems. That’s the backbone of the Cirque du Soleil set for ‘O’. ... That’s really about Las Vegas.”

Molly Ball & David Kihara

Vegas gigs: R-J political reporter and crime reporter, respectively D.C. gigs: She’s staff writer for The Atlantic, he’s managing editor at WJLA.com. Classic Vegas: Together they broke the story of cocktail waitress Chrissy Mazzeo accusing then-Rep. Jim Gibbons of attacking her in a parking garage weeks before Gibbons’ 2006 election as governor. “There was a lot of disapproval from the political establishment that we would report such things,” Ball says. “Then, the police report came out with all the details. Everyone saw this was a story.”

Kate Bennett

Vegas gig: Sun gossip scribe, TV anchor, Vegas Magazine editor-in-chief D.C. gig: Fashion editor at

magazine and editor-in-chief of its spinoff, Washingtonian Bride & Groom. What they all have in common is an ability to marvel at their Las Vegas lives as formative to their professional identities. “I immediately felt that Las Vegas journalism had a pioneering spirit,” Bennett says. “If you wanted it, you could make it. I had never been to the town before and I became an insider in a matter of weeks.” In fact, several of these journalists had never set foot in Vegas before considering jobs here. Neither Ball nor Kihara had ever visited, even though Ball’s uncle is, as she puts it, “the slightly famous professional poker player Barry Greenstein.” Zapler, who had been covering Nevada for the Sun from Washington, D.C., came out with his dad in part to take a look at the proposed nuclear waste dump site of Yucca

Washingtonian Magazine and editor-in-chief of its offshoot, Washingtonian Bride & Groom Classic Vegas: “I used to spend time with Siegfried & Roy and pet their elephant and hold their baby white tigers. I walked with Wayne Newton with his penguins on his ranch.”

Mike Zapler

Vegas gig: R-J Las Vegas City Hall reporter D.C. gig: Political editor, POLITICO Classic Vegas: “One day Oscar Goodman shows up on the steps of City Hall and announced he was going to run for mayor. I knew right away it was gonna be a fun race.” At the time, then-County Commissioner Jay Bingham was considered a shoo-in. Bingham dropped out, later citing a previously undisclosed heath condition.

Kathleen Hennessey

Vegas gig: General assignment for AP bureau D.C. gig: White House correspondent, Los Angeles Times Classic Vegas: She and her parents were eating at Settebello in Henderson when Celine Dion and her entourage came in. “Nobody paid that much attention. So by the end, we could tell it seemed like she wanted some attention. She definitely made a grand exit —

she kept saying ‘Goodbye!’ and ‘Goodbye again!’ And nobody really was noticing.”

Steve Friess & Miles Smith

Vegas gigs: Friess was

a former R-J education writer and longtime national freelancer; Smith was executive director of KSNV D.C. gigs: Friess covers technology for POLITICO; Smith is a producer at WJLA Classic Vegas: In 2005, for Condé Nast Traveler, Friess and Smith stayed at 15 Vegas resorts and ate at 20 restaurants in one month. “I would leave for work from the Mirage and come home to Caesars Palace,” Smith recalls.

Sam Skolnik

Vegas gig: Courts and City Hall reporter for the Las Vegas Sun D.C. gig: Freelance, recently stepped down as deputy editor of the National Law Journal; author, “High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America’s Gambling Addiction” Classic Vegas: An inveterate Texas Hold ‘Em player, Skolnik spent plenty of free time in casino poker rooms. “The Strip had a really fun vibe, especially when I happened to be winning and I was playing tourists because they’re there to have fun, so they’re not as upset about losing.”

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media Mountain that he was covering from afar. Goldman swooped in for his first time from Birmingham, Ala., where he covered the crime beat, and was dazzled. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, how do you cover this?’” he says. “I was dating someone, and I took the job without even telling her.” In some cases, friends and colleagues were baffled at their decision to go. With the exception of Skolnik, an inveterate poker player, and Goldman, who casually bets on sports, none were particularly given to the piece of Vegas that most Americans think of first. But that was sort of the point — that this was a city that had some very serious news that needed attention beyond its flashy exterior. “I don’t gamble and a big entertainment nightlife scene has never been high on my criteria for a place I wanted to live,” Richmond says. “But I was intrigued by what was happening in this community, and this was an opportunity to see from the inside.” ‘People had to deal with you’ The head-spinning pace of growth presented unusual opportunities for young reporters, Zapler says. Staffing at the local newspapers barely grew even as the city’s population exploded, an imbalance that gave any hungry journalist in Las Vegas an outsized berth to roam. “In any other big city, you’d probably have three or four people covering City Hall. I walked in there and on Day One I’m covering City Hall of this boom town and getting front page stories. Everybody read your stuff, you had a lot of clout, people had to deal with you. You learned how to handle yourself. That was where I really learned how to be a reporter.” For folks like Hennessey and Goldman, too, it was important experience in learning how to write and report a localized story for a national audience. Along the way, the experience has proved critical in pressure-filled moments. The night of the Boston Marathon bombings, for instance, former KSNV Channel 3 Executive Producer Miles Smith (disclosure: my husband) was in the control room overseeing an 11 o’clock newscast that the top management at WJLA in Washington, D.C. would later praise as among the best half-hour programs they’d ever aired. Smith, who had won four Electronic Media Awards in Vegas for breaking news, felt wellprepared for that moment. “In a place like Las Vegas, you do everything and learn how to do everything,” says Smith, who worked in Vegas from 2001 to 2011. “For a city of its

28 | Desert

Companion | JULY 2013

Las Vegas is that special news town that draws in young, hungry, hard-working journalists and feeds their ambitions with an endless parade of jaw-dropping stories. size, Las Vegas had so much big, breaking news that you kind of got used to it.” The rough-and-tumble of the Vegas media crucible also provided important lessons, too. Because the city continued for much of the last decade to have two robust, competing newspapers, journalists who came here learned more about vying with colleagues for stories than reporters emerging from one-newspaper towns. Some, like Hennessey, recall that fondly, noting, “It had just the right amount of cutthroat competition.” Others, like Ball and Goldman, were targets of barbs that their later success would prove to be a function of jealousy and pettiness. In 2006, for instance, Ball was mocked as one of the town’s worst reporters by Las Vegas CityLife on account of some minor story errors. “I wasn’t happy about it, but it’s part of journalism and part of covering a beat like politics, people are going to say really nasty things,” Ball says. “I knew I was not the worst journalist in Las Vegas. I didn’t let it bother me.” Goldman, for his part, routinely swapped harsh emails with a prominent columnist who delighted in pillorying him. Ground z er o There are many explanations for this surge in Vegas-trained journalists in D.C., not the least of which is, as Hennessey noted, it’s where the jobs are these days in a rapidly changing and financially challenged media industry. But, also, once they’ve arrived in

the capital, their intimate knowledge of increasingly visible Nevada politics becomes a clear asset as the Beltway tried to understand Harry Reid’s ascent, John Ensign’s fall, the impact of the changing ethnic and racial makeup of the electorate and more. Hennessey, for instance, understood the irony of President Obama hunkering down to prepare to defend his economic record in a 2012 debate with Mitt Romney at Lake Las Vegas, simultaneously the epitome of Vegas’ bubble hubris and crash devastation. After her piece describing that contrast moved on the AP wire, The New York Times and others followed with similar perspectives. The economic crash did figure in many decisions to move on, and several of these reporters lost their homes and savings to foreclosure or short sales “just like everybody else,” as Bennett puts it. That sudden shift in Vegas’ narrative from limitless growth and prosperity to a notorious financial disaster area was difficult to navigate personally and professionally; Skolnik lost his job in a slew of Greenspun Media Group layoffs, for instance. Looking back on it, Goldman feels he let readers down by not scrutinizing the questionably, highly risky economic underpinnings of the boom. “I regret that,” he says. “I should have taken a more critical look at how over-leveraged the casinos were.” Bennett also found it harder to feel good about publishing a luxury magazine amid such widespread devastation. “When you watch the rise of something as we did and see what happened, I took it personally,” Bennett says. “I watched fine dining places figure out how to make burgers and fries, I watched people toting coolers of beer as they checked in to the Bellagio. It became hard to see what it was and see what it was turning into.” Some just found Vegas a better place to be young and childless than older with families. But all who made this leap look back on their time in Nevada with fondness. The lessons from those stints resonate today in important ways. Goldman, now a married father of two, credits Vegas with showing him “how to deal with big corporations who have spokesmen who protect the interests of their companies.” Says Bennett: “I learned about ethics, reporting and sourcing — I learned about journalism every day without taking journalism masters classes.” And Ball, who also had her second child this spring, gave the town a lion’s share of credit for her success: “Almost everything I learned in journalism, I learned in Vegas. And it got me here.”

FOCUS NEVADA ON

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Hundreds attended the Desert Companion “Focus on Nevada” Photo Showcase Issue Party at Alios Gallery on June 6. It was a celebration of eye-catching photography from the “Focus on Nevada” Photo Contest and a collection of images from Desert Companion past and present. To view more images from this event and others, go to www.desertcompanion.com/dcscene. To learn about upcoming Desert Companion events, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/desertcompanion or follow us on Twitter @desertcompanion.

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technology

Awesome, Inc.

These innovators in tech, business and sustainability aren’t just creating a buzz — they’re making Las Vegas a better place to live By Andrew Kiraly | Photography Bill Hughes

Seems like you can’t hop onto the Internet these days without reading yet another mythic overnight-success story about some mop-haired twentysomething selling a novelty app for umpteenbazillion dollars to Yahooglebook. Indeed, as the flow of venture capital meets the rise of bedroom software whizzes to fuel what looks like another tech bubble, we’ve perhaps forgotten that technology is about more than clever Vine videos and grainy Instagram snaps of sandwiches — and business is about more than boasting the biggest bottom line. The designers, developers and entrepreneurs profiled here flaunt “killer apps” of a different kind — ones that solve problems, build community and inspire change. Co n v ersation start er: N i h ongo Master Call it Taylor’s Big Japanese Vacation. In 2011, the software engineer planned to spend three weeks exploring the country that brought us sushi, ninjas and Playstation. Aiming to brush up on his high school Japanese, Dondich cobbled together a crash course with the usual suspects: Rosetta Stone, online tutorials, books and apps. “Over six months, I studied my heart out,” he says. “And I had a fantastic time in Japan. But while I was able to get my point across in conversations, I still struggled.” Dondich suspected there was a better way to learn a language — a way that didn’t involve boring solo cram sessions in front of a computer or textbook. “Learning a language on your own is a very isolated experience that becomes very tedious very quickly,” he says. “If you’re not in a classroom setting, it’s likely you’re going to lose interest and drop off.” Dondich sat down at the computer and put to work a language he was fluent in — software code — to create a new language-learning platform, sinking in $70,000 of his own money to kick it off. In August 2012, the Las Vegas native launched a beta version of his Japanese language-learning website Nihongo Master. (“Nihongo” is the Japanese word for the Japanese language.) “I took some of the best

30 | Desert

Companion | JULY 2013

Speak easy: Taylor Dondich of Nihongo Master

things I saw from the tools out there and tried to make language-learning a more social and more entertaining experience to help motivate language-learners,” he says. No more lonely cram sessions: Nihongo Master (nihongomaster.com) employs many of the hallmarks of the social media age to teach language: community, collaboration and competition. Member pro-

files are decorated with cartoon achievement badges for acing quizzes or completing grueling drills. Teams with names like “Ice Cream Sailors” and “Imperial Voltron” vie to outrank each other. Learners post shout-outs and goodnatured digs on each other’s profile pages. If Facebook gave birth to an anime baby obsessed with Japanese, it’d be Nihongo Master.

With about 11,000 registered users so far, Nihongo Master is already generating revenue, says Dondich, thanks in part to his commitment to running a lean operation, comprising him, a full-time Japanese teacher and a handful of contractors. Which isn’t to say Dondich isn’t thinking big about his next phase as he begins the process of courting investors. “People are asking for (a similar system for teaching) French, German, Italian, even Yiddish,” he says. “We’re also looking at our system’s possibilities for teaching English as a second language.” Translation: Dondich is on the verge of a big success. D ec l arati on of wardrobe: Co m bata nt Gentl emen Vishaal Melwani was expected to carry on the family tradition. His family owned and operated the 17 Gianni Versace stores in Las Vegas, and Melwani was in line for the throne. But when it came time to take on the mantle, Vishaal rebelled — politely: He chose the classroom over the dressing room, enrolling in law school. That didn’t last. “I spent my time in the classroom reading fashion blogs,” he says with a laugh. “I dropped out within the first year.” Besides that, in the meantime, he also got tangled in a torrid affair: “I really fell in love with tailoring denim.” His latest venture in couture is menswear website Combatant Gentlemen, which he launched in May 2012. If jeans seem a bit, well, basic for a menswear website, that’s kind of the point. Combatant Gentlemen (combatgent.com) focuses on core alpha-male closet standards, on clothing as a tool — to snag that promotion, score a date, make an impression. Melwani’s unlikely inspiration: broke friends. “I saw a lot of them coming out of law school, friends who were strapped with debt, expecting these huge paychecks that would pay off their loans in the first year.” Of course, that didn’t happen. “They could barely pay their rent, and they’re sharing business clothes!” he says. Their challenge became how to live a GQ life on something closer to a Reader’s Digest budget. “So, we said, let’s create a brand that focuses on that guy, the guy who wants to get ahead and get the job done. Let’s focus on the basics — the business basics.” At the website, downticket dandies can score things like a two-piece wool suit for $160 and “Daily Grind” woven shirts for $25. Since the site’s launch, Melwani says he’s served more than 150,000 customers. But Melwani’s Vegas-based business is more than a url and a few servers. Combatant Gentleman is now getting into the manufac-

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turing side as well. The team recently relocated nine factory production machines to the Stitch Factory downtown, where Melwani expects to be able to put out up to 300 pairs of a jeans a week and employ at least 20 people. “If we can make great denim in the U.S. cheaper than in China, why not do it in here?” he says. Originally bootstrapped with $125,000 in friends-and-family money, Combatant Gentlemen is wrapping up its first round of $1.8 million in venture capital funding, Melwani says. “For me, having grown up in Las Vegas — and having seen the economic devastation that occurred — I feel like this is my chance to be like a baby philanthropist. It’s a great place to help get people back to work.” C h a ri ty ball: What Gives? It was a Vegas Spring Break trip that turned into a long medical nightmare for Traci Menga and her husband Robert. In March

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Companion | JULY 2013

2002, they had driven to Las Vegas from their home in Agoura Hills, Calif. to visit her husband’s parents. Sure, Robert had a history of health problems related to depression, but they considered themselves prepared. When he woke up in the middle of the night, complaining of not feeling well, they figured they were in for a routine trip to the hospital. Instead, the couple endured a drama that would turn into a three-year medical ordeal that would tie them to Las Vegas. According to Menga, her husband reacted badly to a prescribed sedative, which set off a chain of events that led to kidney failure and, eventually, his death in November 2005. But Menga’s memories aren’t of the countless, emotionally wrenching hours spent in the hospital. Rather, her memories are of the caring presence of people and organizations who were there for her during her husband’s illness. “I had people I didn’t even know sitting

with me in the critical care unit, offering their support — people from Big Brothers Big Sisters, people from Nathan Adelson Hospice to help me through grief counseling,” says Menga. “When I moved to the place I thought of as Sin City, I never realized there was a community here. That’s what brought me to creating What Gives.” Think of What Gives (whatgivesdeals.com) as Groupon with a conscience. In addition to dishing out bargains — say, a $100 Restaurant.com gift card for $30 — the site lets users pick what nonprofit gets a slice of the sale. But any comparison to deal-dishing giants like Groupon ends there. “When we launched the site, we thought we’d be fighting to attract the deal-surfers,” says John Bamforth, the site’s technology advisor. “We found that those aren’t our people at all. Our people are educated and engaged, and when they purchase a service, they want it to benefit the community.” Menga sold her family’s motorcycle dealership in California and moved to Las Vegas, sleeping on the floor of her in-laws’ home while she built the business. “I could have been fully funded if I were in California, Chicago or New York, but I scoffed at the idea,” she says. “I decided to launch in Las Vegas because Las Vegas gave back to me when I needed it.” For the next eight months, she spent countless hours and $150,000 of her own money building the website, which launched in January 2012. She’s since offered nearly 200 deals for 120 different merchants, and raised money for groups such as Aid for AIDS of Nevada, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Animal Foundation. Menga hopes to amplify that giving power — and score some big-name retail partners — with a new web platform she hopes to unveil soon. She’s got three investors on board, and is waiting for a few more to close the funding gap. “I can’t imagine sitting in a rocking chair someday, thinking how I once had a great idea that I never pursued,” she says. “I’m pursuing this idea and I want it to give back to the community.” D o m esti c po l i cy: The D e s er tS o l h o m e In the renderings and computer-ani-

mated videos, there’s something odd about the DesertSol home. It’s not the shape or the size. It’s something else. It takes a second to put your finger on it. Then you realize: The house looks situated. It looks perfectly in place. You kind of expect otherwise. The laundry list of features that make the DesertSol home wildly efficient are so advanced — and yet so common-sense — that you really couldn’t blame its student designers for wanting to make the house stand out proudly against the desert like a Southwest version of a Jetsons dream home. But the reclaimed Douglas fir and weathered steel is part of the point — a reflection of the home’s commitment to existing in harmony with the Mojave. “If you age the material already and work that into the design, that’s what the house is going to look like both now and in 10 years — meaning the house is timeless,” explains Jinger Zeng, project engineer for the UNLV Solar Decathlon Team. The home, currently under construction on the UNLV campus (solardecathlon.unlv.edu), is part of an international competition put on by the U.S. Department of Energy that chal-

lenges college students around the globe to design and build a solar home. “What makes our design so powerful is that it’s integrated,” says Zeng. Among the wonky stuff: new-school, high-efficiency photovoltaic solar panels; a ductless heat-pump system; LED lighting; a “tight-envelope” design to decrease energy load; and a home automation system that turns off lights and tweaks the thermostat as needed. (Also, it looks cool — imagine the home of a hipster Jawa.) The secret to that integrated design is another kind of integration: An unprecedented collaboration that literally spans the UNLV campus, engaging 60 students in disciplines from architecture and engineering to business and communications. But this is no ivory-tower project. “The competition really challenges us to use commercially available products instead of custom-built ones, to educate the public about what products they can use to make their homes more energy-efficient,” says Zeng. “It’s about a lot more than putting solar panels on top of your house. It’s about making the

whole house energy-efficient.” The team is also raising money to complete the house and transport it to Irvine, Calif. for the final competition in October. They estimate the house will cost $320,000 to build. It’ll cost an additional $430,000 to ship the house — and the students — to California for the showdown. This is the first time the UNLV Solar Decathlon team has made it to the finals, something they ascribe to their unprecedented collaboration. They’re also encouraged by a new contest criterion: affordability. They joke that in previous contest years, German students won handily with a $5 million home essentially covered in solar panels. The new affordability measure encourages these idealists to pursue realistic solutions. “Hopefully the public will look at this and think, ‘I can get this dishwasher, or get a house with this kind of insulation,’” says Project Manager Alexia Chen. “One of the goals of this contest is for us to learn, but also for the public to learn — and be inspired to imagine what they can do with their own homes.”

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HEAR MORE

Should we require restaurants to put nutrition information on their menus? Hear a discussion on “KNPR’s State of Nevada” at desertcompanion.com/hearmore

dining

Oh my dog: Buldogis serves up franks that kids will frankly love.

DEALittle meals

Got hungry little ones clamoring for noms? Skip the Happy Meal. Tykes will love these tasty eats — and you’ll love the price By MOLLY MICHELMAN | Photos by Brent Holmes 1. Dog deal. At Buldogis, I spied teen customers happily spending their allowance on a spicy “Smoked Dog” with slaw, caramelized onions, cheddar and garlic mayo and a “West Coast Dog” with pico and avocado mayo (each $4.95). For a dollar less, my older son wolfed down the “Naked Dog,” and my younger son tried the smaller “Puppy Dog” ($2.45). Need more flavor? Request kimchi or banh mi slaw for 75 cents. Adults: You’ll be more than satisfied when you order the “Beef Bulgogi Dog” or spicy pork “Angry Dog” from the Korean/American fusion choices under $6. (2291 S. Fort Apache Road #102, buldogis.com) 2. Localized deal. Presto Neighborhood Café is run by two young and enthusiastic UNLV alums with a “local food” focus. They suggested the kids’ all-beef meatball sliders on mini-brioche with celery or sliced apple for $4.95. “Berry Good 4 U” ($5.99) is also popular with

34 | Desert

Companion | July 2013

Presto’s younger guests — a strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, banana, and almond milk beverage. Personally, the sweetest deal is to split the canoe-shaped pide (Turkish flatbread) for under $5 per kid — a dish intended for two. Adults: Just try to pass up a $4.25 scoop of the seasonal salads. I barely made it out of the parking lot before devouring the Israeli couscous, wild mushroom and lemon truffle salad. (4950 S. Rainbow Blvd. #150, prestocafelv.com) 3. Psychedelic deal. Rambo’s Kitchen is a mellow spot with a kid-friendly atmosphere harried parents will recognize: It feels as though you’ve shown up at your neighbor’s house for breakfast before they had a chance to tidy up. Weekends before noon, pay $3.50 for any two items: egg, bacon, sausage, toast or two mini-pancakes. Smaller appetites can get away with $2.75 for four French toast sticks. Adults: Pick

Flat-out good: Rambo’s Kitchen’s mini-pancakes

three of the following for $4.99 on weekends: two eggs, two bacon strips, toast, two sausage patties, two pancakes. Bonus: Wear tie-dye, get 10 percent off. (6085 S. Fort Apache Road, ramboskitchen.com) 4. Can’t-resist deal. I’m a sucker for the relaxed and unpretentious Sprouts Farmers Market. The “Bunch-a-Lunch Combo” ($4.99) provides your budding frugalistas with a sandwich of the day (pastrami, turkey, whatever) and a quarter-pound of potato or macaroni salad and a bag of chips and a bottle of water. Adults: Pull yourself away from the extraordinary bulk aisles and get your own half deli sandwich and daily soup to go for $4.99 — it’s more than enough to satisfy your stomach. (3365 E. Tropicana Ave., 4020 S. Rainbow Blvd., sprouts.com) 5. Adventurous deal. I stumbled upon Parsley Mediterranean Grill and, after piling in the lovely, savory, crunchy shawarma, I noticed the kids’ menu. The same homemade ingredients are available in a shawarma plate (chicken or steak) with fries and a kids’ drink for $4.75. (Remind any potentially hesitant young ones that the Avengers ate the same thing after saving the world.) Adults: Spend $7.95 for the shawarma salad and nod enthusiastically when offered the spicy pickled carrot sticks. (6420 S. Pecos Road and Riviera Hotel Food Court, parsleyfmg.com) 6. Gluten-free deal. Lazy Joe’s Fish & Chips was recommended by a buddy whose child has been on a gluten-free diet for more than 10 years. They’ve got a casual, East Coast vibe, but they’re no slouches when it comes

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DesertCompanion.com | 35

AUGUST

SAVE THE DATE 08 Best Doctors Issue Party

6PM

dining to the menu. Codfish (fried with gluten-free breading) or gluten-free chicken fingers and fries for kids 12 and under ($3.99) are a treat for anyone who has to avoid gluten. Adults: The whole-belly clams are flown in from Ipswich, Mass., but too pricey for the premise of this article. However, the website boasts a “current coupon” area (15 percent off at last check), which makes the clams affordable. Fish and chips (with fries, coleslaw, hush puppy) are a practical alternative for $7.49. (7835 S. Rainbow Blvd., lazyjoesfishandchips.com) 7. Boulder City insider deal. A B.C. native told me she brings her boys to Vinny’s Pizzeria. Locals seem to favor the tiny spot, known for its warm, child-friendly and teentolerant staff. For only $3.99, kids get spaghetti, tortellini or ravioli (and a breadstick!). Tack on $2, and pat yourself on the back for ordering your child a side salad. If, for some reason, you have six kids with you, the “Big Jumbo” cheese pizza (24 inches, thin crust, serves six to seven people) is just $21.49. (That comes out to $3.58 per kid!) Adults: If the kids won’t share, try the $4.25 slice and drink special, offered all day long. (Note: Sort-of-odd business hours, so check the website before showing up.) (1632 Nevada Highway, vinnyspizzeriabc.com)

Join the

BEST DOCTORS from Desert Companion’s August Issue at TPC Summerlin for a sophisticated night of networking, cocktails and a little friendly competition on the greens. Space is limited. RSVP to dcrsvp@desertcompanion.com

8. Las Vegan vegan deal. Specify “vegetarian” or “vegan” on ANYTHING they make at Veggie Delight — and be pleasantly surprised. My hamburger-loving boy sat on the outdoor patio and ate every bite of the vegan crispy chicken sandwich for $5.50 and drank every sip of an enormous fresh mango smoothie for another $3. Adults: Conveniently, I didn’t know it was cash only. I had to mooch the meal off of my dining companions, which totaled about $8 per adult for the three entrees we shared, including lemongrass “beef” (you’d never even know it wasn’t). (3504 Wynn Road, veggiedelight.biz) 9. Kosher deal. After my kosher-keeping friend stopped laughing at my quest for inexpensive kosher options, she pointed me to Sababa Grille and Restaurant. Two bucks will take care of your kid, as a falafel ball is only 50 cents, and a pita pocket is 60 cents. If those tastes are too extreme, kosher hot dogs are $2.95 without the fries. (As the menu says, “It’s Kosher, so you know it’s good.”) Adults: Go for the Baba Salad, a “tangy mélange of crushed sesame and eggplant” in pita for $6.95. (3220 S. Durango Drive, sababarestaurant.com) 10. Wellness deal. Hunks of carrots,

36 | Desert

Companion | july 2013

department dining

Killer cereal: I Love Yogurt’s breakfasts of champions

celery, noodles and one giant Matzo ball overflowing to make this a decadent serving of Jewish penicillin from The Bagel Café. The $7.95 cup comes with a bagel and cream cheese, which should serve as tomorrow’s breakfast. Your sniffling kid will be stuffed and ready for a nap with just the cup. Adults: Try the overstuffed quarter-pound egg salad half-sandwich for $6.95 on a bagel with a side of coleslaw, macaroni, pasta or potato salad and a pickle. (301 N. Buffalo Drive, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., thebagelcafelv.com) 11. Drive-thru deal. Any article on kiddie grub worth its salt better include a PB&J. I never thought I’d utter “drive-thru” and “healthy” in the same sentence, but Sunrise Coffee serves a $3.25 organic peanut butter-jelly-and-banana sandwich that makes it a reality. Items are made to order, and Sunrise encourages you to call ahead to avoid a wait. Should time permit, skip the drive-through and sit inside. On a recent afternoon visit, nearly every patron was quietly working at a laptop, with a few chatting in the peaceful side patio. Adults: Hit the drive-thru for “Morning Crunches,” multigrain bread with organic peanut butter or almond butter slathered with granola, sliced bananas and honey for $3.45-$3.95. (3130 E. Sunset Road, sunrisecoffeelv.com) 12. Meaty deal. Henry’s American Grill is probably as close as you’ll find to a diner in these parts. Henry’s offers an “Awesome Burger at an Awesome Price” — $4.50 for a quarter-pound hamburger. The sweet potato puffs come highly recommended, and are a good value at $2.79 ($2.50 for waffle fries are

38 | Desert

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Slush fun: a snowy treat at Purple Penguin

an option, too). Adults: Have a burger. Sneak some of your kids’ fries or potato puffs. Bring a designated driver, stick to the budget, and enjoy a 16-ounce domestic beer for $3.75. (237 N. Stephanie Street #A, henrysamericangrill.com) 13. Sugar rush deal. How about an endless bowl of happiness? At I Love Yogurt, you’ll not only love the yogurt, but you’ll also enjoy the zany, retro vibe. Frozen yogurt is everywhere, but here, children can chow down on a $3.99 all-you-can-eat cereal smorgasbord of Quik, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, Fruity Pebbles, Count Chocula, Cap’n Crunch and others, served with milk. Adults: Everyone is a kid at this spot. Let your bowl runneth over. (11700 W. Charleston Blvd., 6430 N. Durango Drive, 2591 Anthem Village Drive, ilvyogurt.com) 14. Empty calorie deal. Feeling completely irresponsible about the nutritional integrity of your family’s diet? We’ve all gotta cut loose sometimes. Head over to Ronald’s Donuts

(and pick up a dozen donut holes for $1. The top two rows of the completely no-frills donut case are vegan — and you cannot tell the difference. Adults: As long as you’re being a questionable role model, spend an extra buck or two (cash only, by the way) and freeze two dozen in small plastic bags. They defrost quickly and deliciously. 4600 Spring Mountain Road, 873-1032) 15. Summer survival deal. It’s blazing hot, and you have no choice but to feed your children ice-cold sugary treats. Oh no! The Purple Penguin Snowcone Shack has a small, $2 solution to your problems. They’re only open from April-September, so your kids will think you’re a hero for at least 6 months of the year. Adults: The line may be long. Treat yourself to a $3 medium with Tiger’s Blood, tamarindo or pickle juice flavor. (1500 Horizon Ridge Parkway, 10490 Decatur Blvd., purplepenguinsnow. com)

Special Advertising Section

Chef Profiles 2013

Special Advertising Section

ChefProfile

WES KENDRICK executive chef

ChefProfile

Jason Hughes

Master Mixologist

Davalos Tequila Innovative Beverages LLC 633 s. 4th Street, Suite 7 Las Vegas, NV 89101-6631 702.203.7227 www.davalostequila.com If you have ever been to an event where Davalos Tequila is being served, you can’t miss Jason Hughes, with his outgoing personality and impressive mohawk, he is the mind behind some of the Davalos inspired cocktails including Señor Davalos Poohbear and the Davalos Fuzzy Grapefruit. Jason was born and raised in Las Vegas and has traveled around the world to some of the biggest parties the world has to offer including Oktoberfest and Brazil’s Carnival. Being a proud member of the Las Vegas Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG), Jason has been regular Competition Mixoligist where he has competed in Bols, Domaine De Canton and Shake It Up! Through the USBG, he has taken Advanced Mixologist courses and is working on his Masters accreditation. Davalos Tequila is excited to have Jason serving his unique Davalos blend of drinks to you. ¶ The success of Davalos Tequila starts with your satisfaction. Derived from over 100 years of experience and three generations, Davalos Tequila was brought to reality in 2007. The Davalos family has been farming the highlands of Jalisco for more than three generations, producing the highest quality Weber Blue Agave. The 100+ acre estate has been providing award winning tequila makers with the base of their product for many years. Finally after years of providing for other distinguished companies, the family made the decision to come full circle and showcase their superior product in the purest and most refined form, traditional 100% Agave Tequila. We are committed to producing and delivering the highest quality products at a reasonable price. Our goal is to carry on the legacy of the Davalos Estate while striving for continuous improvement, the rich history and tradition is present in every Davalos product. Please enjoy responsibly.

Table 34 600 E. Warm Springs Road 702.263.0034 usmenuguide.com/table34 Chef Wes Kendrick’s creative philosophy begins with the freshest seasonal ingredients. As a hands-on chef, Wes oversees every aspect of his cuisine, from receiving and inspecting each product, to production and cooking, and finally chatting with guests to ensure complete satisfaction. This attention to detail has earned him recognition from Zagat, Michelin Guide, a spot on Rachel Ray and high marks from local food critic Heidi Knapp-Rinella. ¶ “Las Vegas residents are very discerning and it’s important to be consistently at the top of your game” – Chef Wes

Special Advertising Section

ChefProfile

Randall Richards executive chef / owner

The Painted Pony 2 W. St. George Blvd. #22 St. George, UT 84770 435.634.1700 www.Painted-Pony.com

FRESH | LOCAL | ORGANIC

ChefProfile

Nestled in the heart of Historic Downtown St. George, Utah, The Painted Pony’s menu and atmosphere celebrate the mix of traditional dining favorites and culinary creativity that come together in Contemporary American dining. ¶ Executive Chef Randall Richards cultivates from his own one acre organic garden as well as the local Downtown Farmers Market to design and create a seasonally driven menu.

Brad Burdsall

Open 7 days a week Lunch: Mon – Sat 11:30 to 4 p.m. Dinner: DAILY at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time Zone)

Chief Eggineer

Egg & I/Egg works 4533 W. Saraha Ave. 9355 W. Flamingo Road 2490 E. Sunset Road 6960 S. Rainbow Blvd. 10839 S. Eastern Ave 702.485.5585 theeggworks.com Brad Burdsall is the admired Chief Egginer at The Egg & I and the Egg Works restaurants in Las Vegas.¶ After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Restaurant Administration from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Brad bought his first restaurant, The Egg & I in 1998. Since then he has opened Egg Works, Egg Works 2 and Egg Works 3. He recently opened his fifth restaurant, Egg Works 4, in Henderson. Brad’s restaurants have been Zagatrated since 1999 and have been featured in USA Today and Food Network’s Rachael’s Vacation.¶ In addition to bringing Egg Works to new parts of the valley, Brad has been working on his own production lines, Habla Diablo and Fog Fields. Under the Habla Diablo label you can find his hot sauces line: Habla Diablo Original, Habla Diablo Chipotle and Habla Diablo Verde. He has also produced his own Habla Diablo Bloody Mary mix. These items are currently available at all his restaurants. The Fog Fields production line will consist of salad dressings, country gravy mix, Hollandaise sauce and a spice line. These items will come to the market by the end of this year. Brad’s recipe for success and growth in the restaurant industry is a solid business foundation accompanied by a passion for food, excellent service and happy employees.

| DEALICIOUS MEALS Desert Companion |

Baguette CafĂŠ's curry chicken sandwich

DESERT

COMPANION

C I I L O A U E S D

MEALS JULY 2013

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

Okay,

so the economy’s improving, but it’ll be a long time before we’re all eating gold-dusted moneyburgers like we were before the bust. In the meantime, our fifth annual DEALicious Meals is here to tide you over. From spare-change street food to fine dining deals on the Strip, our annual guide to the city’s tastiest food finds will keep you full for months to come. Happy eating.

Our DEALicious Mealers Jim Begley, Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Kiraly, Debbie Lee, Molly O’Donnell, Brock Radke, Lissa Townsend Rodgers, Kristy Totten

Photography Christopher Smith & Brent Holmes

Desert Companion |

Complimentary fries at StripSteak

A wise person once said the best things in life are free. In consideration of StripSteak’s complimentary duckfat fry trio, that couldn’t be truer. While this is somewhat heartier than your typical amuse-bouche, your mouth will nonetheless be very happy with the combination of fries and dipping sauces. Being a Maryland grad, I’m particularly fond of the Old Bay fries in the truffle aioli. While it's not the pairing from the kitchen, my combo will not be denied! JB Mandalay Bay, michaelmina.net

79-cent donuts at Glazier’s Visit Glazier’s supermarket on any given morning and your nose will inevitably lead you to the shop’s in-house bakery department. There, under a rainbow neon sign that reads “Jelly’s Donuts,” cloudlike puffs of pillowy dough come filled, frosted or in the form of Frisbee-sized fruit fritters. If the choices are overwhelming, stick to the classic glazed donut. A single bite could bring even the most fanatical Krispy Kreme devotee to her knees. DL 8525 W. Warm Springs Road, glaziersfoodmarketplace.com

your previous junk-food choices and saving your empty calories for happy hour. MO 3130 E. Sunset Road, sunrisecoffeelv.com

$1-$5 Thai food festival 75-cent double chocolate donut | DEALICIOUS MEALS

at Al’s Donuts

Desert Companion |

Yes, Al’s Donuts is next door to a dive bar and behind a 7-Eleven, but this ain’t foie gras. Don’t let a little snobbishness come between you and rich, chocolatey bliss. Dunkin’s 44 might be cheaper, but Al’s are still only $.75 apiece and always taste like they were just made. Plus, the dudes behind the counter are at least as sweet as the orbs of vice they’re pushing. You can’t get that extra fix at Dunkin’s. MO 1220 E. Harmon Ave., 735-3039

$1 chocolate chip cookie

at Sunrise Coffee The fact that after 5 p.m. everything in Sunrise Coffee’s pastry case is only $1 sweetens an already magical experience. You doubt that an end-of-day pastry can be compared to astounding, wand-waving enchantments? Clearly you’ve never tried their chocolate chip cookie. Lightly crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and lip-smacking delicious all the way through, their cookie will have you questioning

at Chaiya Monastery Hidden away in a residential area near Rainbow and Windmill, Chaiya Monastery hosts an off-the-radar monthly Thai food festival right in their parking lot. Food selections run the gamut from Thai standards such as satay and pad Thai to more unusual, including roti (crepes slathered in condensed milk) and an irresistible tod mun goong (fried shrimp cakes). Imagine a Bangkok street food market, just with a lot more Hangover 1 and a lot less Hangover 2. JB 7925 Virtue Court, chaiyacmm.org

$1.69 lengua and cabeza tacos at Tacos Mexico

I once ate pig tongue at a hipster luau in Brooklyn — and it was the worst thing I ever put my teeth into. Cow tongue is different, though. And cow face is good too. Yes, this is a tongue and cheek recommendation. But, you know, literally. These meats, deep in the recesses of the taqueria menu, tend to turn Americans off, but they happen to be the tenderest, tangiest beefs, and Tacos Mexico serves them round-the-clock for only $1.69 each. DH Multiple locations, tacosmexico.com

$2.50 carnitas at Yayo Taco

Yayo Taco is back from its hiatus, which means juicy tomatillo Ser-

Du-par's shrimp cocktail Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Shrimp cocktail

MiX vs. Du-par’s Sometimes it’s the atmosphere and not the food that makes the meal. So when you stare into your $2.99 tulip glass of Sea Monkey-sized shrimp at Du-par’s (inside the Golden Gate Casino), remind yourself that you’re not there to sample pristine seafood. Tacos Mexico's lengua and cabeza tacos

It’s all about experiencing classic Vegas. Eavesdrop on locals and soak up the scene while you pick at your prawns and nibble on saltines. But for those who prefer something a little more refined, consider Alain Ducasse’s shrimp cocktail at MiX. The Derrida

$2.50 tripa tacos at Taqueria el Palenque

of fine dining deconstructs one of our city’s most iconic dishes

at Kabob Korner

and then reassembles it with horseradish cream, tomato syrup and

Aside from the dated décor, the only thing cringe-worthy about Kabob Korner is the name. For $2.99, you can get five beautifully crisp golden balls of falafel that, when tucked into a soft pita with veggies and sesame sauce, may make you weep with joy. This little spot on Fremont might become another cut-crystal “place to be” unless people start doing the logical thing and dropping in. Let’s face it: You can’t eat a chandelier. MO

of eyes — at least, for the few seconds before you devour it. DL

507 Fremont St., 384-7722

$3 ice cream cookie sandwiches

Tripe isn’t exactly a staple of Tacos for Gringos 101, but Taqueria el Palenque is shelling out probably the valley’s most approachable version. Perfectly fried, the meaty morsels aren’t nearly as mineral-y as found elsewhere — surprising given the very authentic surroundings — while the frying endows each bite with a bit more texture, balancing its typical chewiness. Order it on a housemade tortilla — completely worth the upcharge — and experience one of the best tacos in town. JB

at Sweet Addiction

2722 E. Lake Mead Blvd., 504-3216

5165 S. Fort Apache Blvd. #160, sweetaddictionlv.com

Longtime Las Vegans might fall in love with the southwesterly Sweet Addiction for its use of throwback Thrifty ice cream, but its the combination of your favorite smooth and creamy delight with fresh-from-the-oven cookies — and the whimsy of creating your own flavor partners — that makes this neighborhood shop a must-try. You knew when you were a kid that money can’t buy you love, but three dollars will bring you joy. BR

candied lemon. You will see the once ho-hum dish with a new set

Du-par’s inside the Golden Gate hotel-casino 1 Fremont St., du-pars.com MiX inside Mandalay Bay hotel-casino 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., mandalaybay.com

$3 Asian fusion tacos

at Dragon Grille Fusion tacos remain as popular as when Kogi took the food truck movement by storm. The latest renditions are available

from a new valley entrant — Dragon Grille. Assemble your own tacos by choosing from meats and sauces layered atop rice in a corn tortilla. Kalua pig and beef brisket are among the protein options, while toppings include a sweet Korean Galbi-

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

4632 S. Maryland Parkway, yayotaco.com

$2.99 falafel

Sweet Addiction's ice cream cookie sandwiches

Desert Companion |

rano verde, cilantro, and onions smothering the tastiest pork pieces ever to be roasted. The corn tortillas these tiny piles of paradise come on might seem like throwaways, but after they absorb the inner essence, they become clutch. It’s true that as a street-food staple, carnitas sometimes seem omnipresent. Why go elsewhere though, when this egalitarian delicacy has been perfected for $2.25? MO

Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Nachos

Nosh & Swig vs. Casa Don Juan Nachos are one of those foods that lend themselves to variation — whether that means choosing jalapeños over green chiles or reimagining in Asian, Southern or seafood versions. Casa Don Juan serves a classic plate of nachos in a classic Mexican restaurant, right down to the Frida Kahlo mural and weekend mariachis. A heap of tortilla chips is topped with a pile of beef, chicken or pork with cheese and sour cream (customize with more of the chips or either of the salsas that automatically come to your table). Nosh & Swig specializes in fusion-y twists on comfort food served on small plates in an urban-minimalist setting. Their Nachos O’Brien is an Irish-styled rendition — a pile of house-made potato chips are heaped with peppered beef and Dublin cheddar cheese. It’s not as spicy as the trad version, but with a bit more stick-to-your ribs gusto. LTR Nosh & Swig 3620 E. Flamingo Rd., noshandswig.com Casa Don Juan 1204 S. Main St., casadonjuanlv.com Casa Don Juan's nachos

cue and spicy Asian sweet chili. Without a constant location to pin them to, you’ll have to work to track them down. It’s worth it. JB dragongrille.com

$3 fried stuff at Yonaka

Desert Companion |

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

The latest new/exciting Japanese eatery in town, Yonaka specializes in brilliantly colorful, brightly flavored and creatively configured raw fish dishes, way beyond sushi. But the appetizing list of fried dishes, ranging from three to seven dollars, brings even more bang for your buck. Crispy Brussels sprouts with 46 lemon and chili will recalibrate your taste for this wayward veggie, and juicy nuggets of fried chicken with jalapeño, mint and basil are so good, you better start with two orders. BR 4893 W. Flamingo Road #A, yonakajapaneserestaurant.com

$3.50 chicken karaage

$3.76 tacos and wine

It’s easy to miss Fukumimi, a small storefront on the face of an aging battlestar-class strip mall that commands a corner of Trop and Eastern. (Fukumimi’s the blip on the north flank of Baskin & Robbins). Just a bit peckish? The $3.50 deep-fried karaage appetizer will tide you over with its four tender fried-chicken chunks and crisp green salad. Bigger appetites should dive into the noodle menu, which features generous bowls of ramen tonkatsu ($7.50) with various twists and tweaks. The signature fukumimi bowl ($9.50) — loaded with extra pork slices — will unleash its own battlestar on your hunger. AK

Ah, the classic American taco night, with a hard shell barely containing ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce (iceberg, of course), cheese, taco sauce and, if you’re lucky, sour cream. It might not be auténtica, but taco night isn’t about auténtica. It’s about comfort. The same can be said for Stake Out, a homey spot where on Tuesdays you can still get two tacos and a glass of wine for $3.76. A better deal? Not outside your childhood home. MO

at Fukumimi

4860 S. Eastern Ave. #2, 631-2933

at Stake Out

4800 S. Maryland Parkway, 798-8383

$4 calamari tacos at Curbside Café

Years ago, Curbside Café owner Doug Porter had a west-side brick-and-mortar seafood joint.

Since transitioning to mobile dining, he hasn’t forsaken his roots, offering a duo of memorable seafood tacos — blackened mahi mahi and fried calamari. While mahi mahi is somewhat common, calamari tacos are a rarity and a nod to Porter’s past. Lightly breaded and mixed with pico de gallo and salsa blanca, these tacos boast a noticeable heat without overwhelming the subtle squid. JB curbsidecafelv.com

$4 ceviche and $5 coconuts at Cocos Frios

With summer’s oppressive heat upon us, we’re all on the lookout for refreshing meals. For coconuts and ceviche, look no further than the trailer in the tire store parking lot on Nellis south of Owens. Seriously. The ceviche ($4 and up) is not overly acidic and well-balanced, while coco-

$3.50 pepperoni slice at Pop Up Pizza Secret pizza? The real secret is that the savory, saucy, spicy pepperoni slice at downtown’s Pop Up beats the Cosmo’s Brooklyn-style hands down. Vegan pie’s great, but there’s no better measure than the classic. The toasted outer layer of golden mozzarella gives way to a sweet and salty tomato gravy, only surpassed by the crisp meaty goodness flown here from Chicago on the regular. Italian nirvana for $3.50. This Plaza joint better change its name to Permanent Pizza soon. MO

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

Inside the Union Plaza, popuppizzalv.com

Desert Companion |

$4.99 curry plate at Kaba Curry

It’s a simple build-your-own situation at Kaba and it begins with lumps of white rice and ultrasavory, slightly sweet Japanese curry gravy for $4.99. Add your favorite tasties for a dollar or two more, stuff like hamburger steak, fried chicken cutlet, potato croquette or Filipino egg rolls. Sprinkle on a 50-cent topping or two (kimchi, corn, cheese?) and commence shoveling into your face. Try not to grin too much while you’re eating. BR 6475 W. Charleston Blvd. #160, kabacurry.com

$5 appetizers at Zenshin

$4-$6 burgers at Badger Café and Dispensary Lounge

Within a half-mile of one another on east Tropicana are two of the town’s best bargain burgers — at Badger

Badger Café's burger

Café and Dispensary Lounge. Both have an outstanding dive ambiance — Dispensary has a waterwheel and lawn furniture, while Badger is replete with Wisconsin paraphernalia — and each serves a damn fine burger with the proper char on their handmade patties. Make an

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

afternoon of it, walk off some calories and you can decide

Desert Companion |

on your favorite. JB 1801 E. Tropicana Ave., badgercafe.com 2451 E. Tropicana Ave., thedispensarylounge.com

nuts ($5) and their accompanying water are a perfect summertime snack. Pay no attention to the passing traffic and you may find yourself transported to a tranquil beachfront resort. JB 1395 N. Nellis Blvd.

$4.95 chicken gumbo at Weeziana

The stand-alone food court that hosts Weeziana, along with

other nichey micro-eateries, is like a cheap foodie United Nations. Here, peddlers of curry, kimchi, hot wings, tacos and po’ boys come together to solve Las Vegas’ lunch problems. For operating out of a glorified cubicle, Weeziana manages a broad menu of sandwiches, fish baskets, gumbos and desserts (including from-scratch corn bread), but my favorite quick lunch is their spicy, chunky and satisfying $4.95 chicken gumbo. Bump it up two bucks for their seafood rendition, which features fat shrimp and crab legs. AK 6475 W. Charleston Blvd., 822-4626

Wade through the classic locals’ casino gauntlet of jort-clad chain-smokers, and you’ll be rewarded with Zenshin, an understated sushi restaurant hidden in the southwest crevice of the South Point. Its daily 2-6 p.m. happy hour slashes appetizer prices in half. Skip the standard sushi and instead cast your line for well-executed apps such as $5 hoisin pork belly buns, Asian corn dogs, garlic edamame and a delicate and flavorful salmon poke. Quench the wasabi burn from a $5 cocktail menu rife with stripper names and innuendo: Strawberry Bangkok, Blushin’ Jasmine, Monkey Jacket. AK Inside the South Point hotelcasino, southpointcasino.com

$5 meatless eats at Veggie House

You can totally pretend this is just a solid, good value Chinese restaurant. Order appetizers for $5, devour a $6.50 lunch special with broccoli shrimp or fish with hot bean sauce, or share a few entrees that rarely reach the $10 tipping point (we recommend spicy crispy beef or pineapple duck). It’s not that important that

$6 PB&J dessert

at Republic Kitchen This school lunch mainstay gets a French makeover at Republic Kitchen, where the childhood and, uh, aging-bachelor staple is cut into mini-sandwiches, deep fried like French beignets, sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with whipped cream and served with chocolate and strawberry dipping sauces. Un-nostalgic, this $6 remake is decadent: nutty and sweet, crunchy and soft. It also inspires frequent requests from friends to trade. DH 9470 S. Eastern Ave., republickitchenandbar.com

$7 bar bites

at View Wine Bar & Kitchen Let’s get the happy hour tractor beam out of the way first: The charming View Wine Bar offers $2 “draft” red or white wines and $3 Stella Artois during the early eve-

Tivoli Village, 420 S. Rampart Blvd., viewwinebar.com

$7-$12 savory stuff at Chocolate & Spice Bakery

Of course the pastries, custom cakes and artisan chocolates are sublime at Megan Romano’s neighborhood sweet spot; no surprises there. The shock comes when you stop in for lunch and realize 1) the basil tomato soup, roasted vegetable frittata, heirloom tomato and mozzarella napoleon and honey maple ham on brioche are as good as it gets, 2) that everything is between seven and 12 bucks and 3) this place still hasn’t been discovered by the west side masses. BR 7293 W. Sahara Ave. #8, chocolatenspice.com

$7.50 noodle soup at ChaCha

This new pan-Asian fun starts at $7.50 and only goes up to $11.95, if you want to “splurge”

Elements' banana cream pie martini

Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Banana Cream Pie

Elements vs. Du-par’s Oh, fluffy delicious and sticky sweet, a cushiony soft meeting place between banana pudding and marshmallow fluff. Du-Par’s pies are legendary, but their banana cream is among the best. A luxurious pillow of whipped cream tops rich

Republic Kitchen's PB&J dessert

banana filling, golden and thick with slices of banana. The crust is flaky and somehow remains unsoggy despite the moistness of the pie. However, if you’d like that banana cream taste, but are looking for something a bit less dense, Elements Kitchen & Martini Bar offers a white chocolate banana cream pie martini. It’s made with Cruzan banana rum, crème de banana liqueur and Godiva white chocolate. The white chocolate adds a bit of sweetness and density to the banana, while rum gives a bit of caramel and brown sugar — think pie crust. Elements’ suburban location, low-lit décor and mature clientele are the opposite of Du-Par’s Fremont Street vintage diner-shininess and tourist-heavy crowd, but both will satisfy your sweet tooth. LTR Elements Kitchen & Martini Bar 4950 S. Rainbow Ave., elementskitchenandmartinibar.com Du-Par’s 1 Fremont St., du-pars.com

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

5115 Spring Mountain Road, veggiehousevegas.com

ning hours. But stay for lots of wellpriced and tasty dishes, including a killer “farmers market” salad with fried goat cheese nuggets for $7, roasted chicken with pesto for $12, and one of the most buzzed-about new burgers in town for $13. BR

49 Desert Companion |

no meat product is served at Veggie House, because you won’t be able to tell the difference in the delicious dishes coming out of this creative kitchen. BR

2021 W. Sunset Road, noodlechacha.com

$7.99 Lasagna Explosion

at Montesano’s It began as an accident. One day Steve Montesano divided his famous lasagna into thick, hefty portions — yet still had a sliver left over. He cut that piece into bites, breaded, fried and served them to staff with homemade meat sauce. And thus the Lasagna Explosion was set off. A $7.99 antipasti, it’s their regulars’

favorite: rich, melted ricotta with hot pasta in a golden brown crust. So if Montesano’s friendly atmosphere or generous charity events haven’t drawn you, go now and try this. DH 9905 S. Eastern Ave., montesanos.com

$7.99 Green Goddess

at Rainbow’s End You know when a vegetarian’s like, “It’s so good, you won’t miss the meat?” One sandwich will make you a believer: the Green Goddess. Rainbow’s End has been doing organic since Whole Foods was Safer Way. At $7.99, this wrap is a steal: myriad freshly sliced veggies topped with cheese and wrapped in a locally made pita. This might sound like something you could do at home, but this sandwich tastes like it’s been blessed by a goddess. MO 1100 E. Sahara Ave. #101, rainbowsendlv.info

$7.99 pad Thai

at Mr. Chop-Chop Mr. Chop-Chop is a like an urban legend in a way. People are always talking about it, but who’s been? Once you order your first $7.95 pad Thai at this weird little spot tucked away near a Wal-Mart, you start talking about it like Bigfoot. A spicy-as-you-like concoction of al dente noodles layered with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, and carrot and onion shoots, this dish will make you feel like a pad Thai virgin all over again. MO 5075 S. Pecos Road, mrchopchop.net

$7.99 meatball parm at Cugino’s

Cugino’s means “cousin’s” in Italian, and since its owners arrived here from New York seven years ago, it has been embraced like family. Everything is made from scratch, providing a freshness rare around the UNLV campus. The prosciutto

Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Beef Wellington

Gordon Ramsay Steak vs. Hugo’s Cellar Want to recapture the glory days of Continental cuisine? Salvation awaits at Hugo’s Cellar, in the basement of the Four Queens Hotel. The restaurant’s traditional Beef Wellington, complete with foie | DEALICIOUS MEALS

gras and Bordelaise sauce, looks like it hasn’t changed since the

Desert Companion |

old school hideaway first opened (and neither does the wait staff). You’ll wish you’d dressed like Don Draper to complete the experience. For a more modern take, head to Gordon Ramsay Steakhouse, where the British-themed space-age décor hints at your meal to come. Ramsay understands and honors the basic Wellington formula (meat + buttery pastry = ecstasy), but adds some twists in the form of English mustard and parma ham. Rule-breaking, typical of the bad-boy chef, never tasted so good. DL Gordon Ramsay Steak, inside Paris-Las Vegas, 946-4663 Hugo’s Cellar, inside the Four Queens, hugoscellar.com Gordon Ramsay Steak's Beef Wellington

sub is their signature, the chicken and broccoli rabe is a hit, but the meatball parm at only $7.99 is their Mona Lisa: a toasted Italian roll with saucy meatballs and melted mozzarella. Bravo, paisanos. DH 4550 S. Maryland Parkway, cuginositalian.com

$8 cevapi

at Prince Restaurant Prince Restaurant is essentially an ethnic social club, providing a valuable tie to the motherland for the valley’s surprisingly robust Serbian population. The menu is awash with Eastern European specialties, the best of which is the housemade cevapi, or miniature sausages. The cevapi ($8 regular, $10 large) are served on a browned, buttered housemade bun alongside kajmak, an addictive amalgam of butter and cream cheese. Slather kajmak onto the bun and you’ve got a smoky, creamy concoction worth seeking out. JB 6795 W. Flamingo #A, 220-8322

B eef W e l l ington : S A B I N O R R

on the mouth-blasting delight of kimchi seafood ramen in a spicy vegetable broth. The lower end of ChaCha’s noodle soup selection doesn’t skimp on bold flavor, including rich roasted duck over chewy egg noodles, beefy pho with rare steak and well-done flank, or mixed veggie udon in a Japanese curry-tinted broth. Every noodle culture is wellrepresented here, and you get it all for cheap. BR

$7-$11 sandwiches at Baguette Cafe Everything here is so good, it’s infuriating. Why? It’s only open Monday through Friday, even though it’d be the perfect quiet weekend morning munch. The fragrance of strong coffee and fresh croissant lures you in, then difficult decisions abound: Prosciutto on panini or baguette? Or curry chicken or caramelized eggplant? Bleu or brie or both? Never has sandwich selection been so deliciously frustrating. If it didn’t smell so damn good in here maybe we could concentrate. BR

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

8359 W. Sunset Road, 269-4781

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Baguette Café's prosciutto sandwich

$8-$9 pides

at Presto Café Turkish cuisine doesn’t run rampant in Vegas, so stumbling across pides at Presto Café is a welcome surprise. This staple mimics an open-faced Stromboli, with your choice of toppings nestled in light, buttery crust. The Italian robustly combines more common ingredients of housemade meatballs, mozzarella and pomodoro sauce, while the less traditional Blanco melds ricotta cheese, white garlic sauce and pistachios. Either is a welcome introduction to the cuisine of Istanbul (not Constantinople). JB 4950 S. Rainbow Blvd. #130, prestocafelv.com

ribs ($8.99 with two sides) and salty fire-roasted chicken ($8.49 for a half with two sides) that doesn’t smack of franchise. Pair with a tart passion fruit or guavalike soursop drink. KT 1616 Las Vegas Blvd. S. #120, vivalasarepas.com

$8.50 spicy ramen bowl at Ramen Sora

Warning: The ramen you are about to discover is highly addictive. Turn back now. Ramen Sora has two things that Monta does not: spicy broth and thicker noodles. Soup-slurpers have a choice of three broths: soy-sauce-based shoyu, salt-based shio and miso,

$8 bulgogi waffles at 28GO

The Transformers, Voltron and Robotech murals might not scream culinary avant garde. But they should. 28GO’s menu is Asian-fusion — fused with American. Their amazing grilled hot dog topped with kimchi and homemade Korean ketchup is a hit. The short rib sliders are a multicultural revelation. My fave, though, is the $8 bulgolgi-stuffed waffle. Tangy marinated tenderloin in a crunchy syrup-catching vessel: It’s a high-tech super-dish made to thwart the evils of dull cooking. DH 4632 S. Maryland Parkway #12,

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

28gotherestaurant.com

$8.49 wood-fired half chicken

at Viva Las Arepas

Desert Companion |

Think El Pollo Loco, minus the bottled charbroil flavor. Viva Las 52 Arepas started as a shack, slinging cheap, late-night grub to a mostly intoxicated crowd. Today, the sunny brick-and-mortar Venezuelan spot offers day- and night-time diners the same satisfying gluten-free cornmeal arepas ($4-$6), plus pork spare

the familiar, cloudy bean-paste. Each bowl is loaded with tender pork slices, bamboo shoots, green onion and soft-boiled egg. Spicy ramen ($8.50) is crowned with a scoop of tongue-tingling ground pork guaranteed to leave you fiending. KT 4490 Spring Mountain Road, 685-1011

$8.95 lamb chops at Cuba Café

The waitress is going to recommend the lamb chops ($8.95 for two), and seriously: Get the lamb chops. They’re tender, moist, perfectly grilled, mildly sweet, and will make you curse those misled teenage years you wasted so foolishly on veganism. Served with an herby concoction that will dominate conversation for at least 10 minutes. Next, check out the croquetas ($3.95 for

three) — also meat! — which are something like a tiny ham and cheese corn dog, but better. KT 2055 E. Tropicana Ave. #1, cubacafelv.com

$8.95 pork-stuffed pocket bread at China Mama

Thankfully, the cooks at China Mama possess more finesse than the menu writers. Although the dishes may not sound appetizing in print (spicy pig ear, anyone?), they’re undoubtedly drool-worthy on the plate. Pork stuffed pocket bread ($8.95 for four) is a lesser-known but equally desirable cousin of the doughy bao sandwich. The thin, unleavened bread is toasted on both sides and topped with sesame. It’s buttery, but unassuming, and sets stage for the savory

on bread. Well. You know what I’m going to do to your mom? I’m going to take her to dinner at Blue Nile and split the $9.99 vegetable combo with her. Plenty for two, it’s a generous sampler of Ethiopian standards — spicy lentils, sauteed spinach, seasoned green beans, mashed chickpeas, crisp salads laced with jalapeños — and I’m going to soak up all that rich flavor with unreasonably huge swatches of their spongy, juicy injera bread. I’ll stare her down. I’ll eat my bread in grim, silent defiance, a rebel champion of irresponsible deliciosity. AK

3420 S. Jones Blvd., 873-1977

$9-$11 broken rice plates at Pho Bosa

This stalwart Vietnamese hole-inthe-wall added traditional pho to the menu when it moved closer to the Strip, but the criminally inexpensive com tam hay bun (combo plates with “broken” jasmine rice) are the sweet spot. Priced from $9 to $11, these massive meals offer elaborately flavored proteins galore—from grilled pork chops to Korean-style short ribs—plus a puffy, exquisite shrimp cake and a few extra trimmings. BR 3355 Spring Mountain Road #35, phobosa.com

$9-$17 deli meats at Cardenas Markets

You’re under the impression you can’t get a delicious, satisfying meal for your family of four for 20 bucks. You can do better. Get out of the drive-thru line and stop at one of these giant markets,

beeline it to the deli counter and behold: grilled chicken to shame El Pollo Loco, the best carnitas in town, or barbacoa-style beef, plus salsas and side dishes to boot. Shop it up Cardenas style. BR Multiple locations, cardenasmarkets.com

$9.50 blue crab sliders at 28GO

The menu at 28GO is crazy fusion, all sorts of wild and playful Asian flavors and presentations. Start your exploration with blue crab sliders ($9.50), totally approachable and utterly tender cakes of panko-crusted crabby goodness on a tomato disc with wasabi-lime aioli and over-thetop balsamic glaze. You’ll be holding onto the sweet Hawaiian roll for dear life and loving every second of this adventure. BR 4632 S. Maryland Parkway #12, 28gotherestaurant.com

$9.99 vegetable combo at Blue Nile

We all remember mom’s fussy dinner-table adage not to fill up

Chada is simply the most exciting new restaurant in Vegas, making the low prices for its authentic, dynamic Thai dishes tough to beat. Big plates hover between 15 and 20 bucks, soups and curries go for 10 or less, and a long list of snacks will keep you busy forever. Try tamarind chicken wings or a plate of braised and fried pig parts (both

4180 W. Desert Inn Road, 485-1158

Republic's tater tots

Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Tater tots

Love Grub Truck vs. Republic Kitchen & Bar These are not the frozen tots of your youth — pale, soggy, zapped in a microwave (although the directions specifically called for baking!). Although plain, Republic Kitchen & Bar’s tater tots ($6) are perfect — crispy, golden, perfectly salted, fluffy inside but crunchy outside, with a bite that’s like chomping on a crinkle-cut potato chip. Good news: You’re a big kid now and can have seconds. Bad news: You’ll want thirds. Try them with Sriracha sour cream for a potato-skin experience. Sloppy tots are for lovers, friends and drunks on First Friday. Love Grub Truck’s mobile specialty piles tots high with nacho cheese, black beans, pico de gallo and chicken. Don’t dismiss them because the cheap cheese sounds dubious. The panacea that is greasy food after a night of drinking has the power to cure any skeptic. Best shared, if you can manage. KT Love Grub Truck thelovegrubtruck.com for locations Republic Kitchen & Bar 9470 S. Eastern Ave., republickitchenandbar.com

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

filling: fluffy pork crumbles with fragrant green onion and cilantro. KT

at Chada Thai & Wine

53 Desert Companion |

Ramen Sora's spicy ramen bowl

$10 curries

$10 short rib grilled cheese at Fat Choy

Bacon does not in fact make everything better. In the case of Fat Choy’s grilled cheese, a filling of luscious braised short ribs puts the standard breakfast strips to shame. Gooey provolone and onion jam lend a cheesesteak-like quality to this popular sandwich, while the rib meat — braised in a bath of soy sauce, rice wine and rock sugar — adds the signature Asian flair that put chef Sheridan Su on the map. DL

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

inside the eureka, 595 E. Sahara Ave., fatchoylv.com

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Bonus

How about some STEALicious Meals? Learn to make some classic Sin City recipes in your own kitchen at desertcompanion.com

$11 lamb sliders

at Shakespeare’s Pub Classic British pub fare, this $11 appetizer was introduced by Shakespeare’s Pub and Grille’s former owner — a Scotsman. The new regime kept it on, even though customers tend to shy away from lamb. But why? Hath not a lamb luscious flavors, just like beef? Be it not rich in essential proteins? If you braise it, does it not become succulent and savory? Served on a roll with gravy, does it not become dramatically good? They doth protest too much. DH 790 Coronado Center Drive, 837-7900, shakespeares-pub.com

$12.99 half tray meatball pizza

at Meatball Spot Firebrand chef Carla Pellegrino’s fun and friendly Town Square eatery specializes in two things — crispy, chewy, almost-deepdish pizza and tender, tasty, home-style meatballs. Order the best of both worlds with a half tray pie ($12.99) saturated with tangy tomato sauce and golden brown mozzarella, plus loads of the Spot’s classic pork-beef-veal meatballs, each bite offering plenty of spice mingling through finely ground meat. One slice is a meal within itself. BR Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. S. #145, meatballspot.com

$13 vegan farmer’s toast at Honey Salt

Thanks to Kim Canteenwalla of Honey Salt, even the most

1031 S. Rampart Blvd., 445-6100, honeysalt.com

$14 lomo saltado

Ferraro's fried calamari

at Inka Grill

A recipe dating back to Peru’s 19th-century trade boom, the most popular dish at Inka Grill is both delicious and historic. Named “jumping loin” for the way Chinese immigrants tossed soy-sauce marinated beef in a wok with onion, bell pepper and tomato, lomo saltado, served with fried potatoes and rice, is a marriage of indigenous Andean ingredients with Far East cooking. It seems pricey at $14, but is cheaper than a flight to Lima, and just as transportive. DH 9400 S. Eastern Ave., inka-grill.com

Contemporary upstarts take on classics

Fried calamari

Honey Salt vs. Ferraro’s Fried calamari is our collective appetizer Achilles heel, is it not? Everybody’s got it. It’s almost always the same, almost always mediocre at best. But we keep trying. Why? Maybe because we remember the time we shared it with wine-lubed friends at Ferraro’s happy hour, all crunchy and a bit chewy and delicious with a squeeze of lemon (the squid, not the friends). It was only eight bucks, so we got another plate. But wait, is that ... is Honey Salt’s version completely different? It’s $14 on the afternoon menu, but there are Ipswich clams in there, too, plus roasted

$20.13 three-course lunch at Milos

While East Coast expats often grieve over the dearth of good bagels in this town, Canucks are a more fortunate bunch. As part of Costas Spiliadis’ Milos three-course lunch, legendary St-Viateur bagels are flown in direct from Montreal. Silky slices of Nova Scotia smoked salmon and all of the accouterments (sharp rings of red onion, mouth-puckering capers, and cream cheese for schmearing) are also included. It’s a plate that any carb fiend, Canadian or not, will relish. DL Inside The Cosmopolitan, milos.ca

shishito peppers and a luxurious lemon aioli for dipping. All of a sudden we’re not settling for fried calamari, we’re craving it, thanks to neighborhood favorite restaurants old and new. BR Honey Salt 1031 S. Rampart Blvd., honeysalt.com Ferraro’s 4480 Paradise Road, ferraroslasvegas.com

$22 all-you-can-eat sushi at Sushi House Goyemon

All You Can Eat sushi is not for everyone; however, under the right circumstances, it can be quite the windfall. This is true of the spread at Sushi House Goyemon, where high-quality

| DEALICIOUS MEALS

3400 S. Jones Blvd. #11A, chadavegas.com

militant vegans can now find a place among foodies and ladies who lunch. The chef’s farmer’s toast — an open-faced sandwich made with hummus-slathered artisan bread and a confetti of colorful vegetables — is a thoughtful and artfully composed option for the often-neglected ethical eater. Finish with a glass of “green goddess juice” on the side for a virtuous (but still tasty) end to your meal. DL

fish is being served alongside Japanese staples. Besides the sushi, don’t miss the seared pork belly or innovative desserts. And here’s a secret: If 55 you’re dining there after 11 p.m., you can even order Monta’s renowned shoyu ramen. Just keep that secret between us — they’re busy enough already. JB 5255 S. Decatur Blvd., sushihousegoyemon.com

Desert Companion |

$8), crab and ginger lettuce wraps ($9) or amazing chilimint charbroiled pork ($8). BR

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a r t s + e n t e r ta i n m e n t

take The sea: Home to fish sticks and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Also: TERRIFYING SEA MONSTERS. Look into the unblinking eyes of underwater horror in the educational exhibit “Sea Trek.” “Sea Trek” is on exhibit through Aug. 31 at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. Info: lvnhm.org

Fun fact: The members of soul-drenched, heart-gripping roots-rock powerhouse Alabama Shakes originally met in a high school psych class. Phew! Just think: They were thiiis close to being a soul-drenched, heart-gripping roots-rock powerhouse firm of marriage and family therapists. The Alabama Shakes perform 8p July 19 at the Pearl inside The Palms hotel-casino. Tickets $54.65. Info: palms.com

How quintessentially American is Willie Nelson? Here’s an insider tip: If you recite the lyrics to “On the Road Again” three times in a dark room with a mirror, whiskeyflavored fireworks will shoot off in your pants. Willie Nelson performs 7:30p Aug. 13 at Reynolds Hall in the Smith Center. Tickets $39-$129. Info: thesmithcenter.com

58 | Desert

Companion | July 2013

Jesus: Who was he? Raving prophet, son of God, or just a hippie who made the Romans really, really mad? Scholar and writer Reza Aslan’s new book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” gets to the bottom of the man who launched Christianity and invented the beard. Reza Aslan speaks 7p July 22 at Clark County Library’s Main Theater. Free. Info: lvccld.org

Science: Where would we be without it? Scurrying from cave to cave while clutching our loincloths, as fighter jets piloted by evolved cats patrolled the skies, that’s where. In his exhibit “E’ry Day Science,” Miguel Rodriguez’s six large-scale sculptures explore the relationship between science and society. “E’ry Day Science” is on exhibit through July 26 at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery. Info: clarkcountynv.gov

Want your event in our Calendar? Submit your event with a brief description to guide@desertcompanion.com.

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ART POW WOW PHOTO EXHIBIT Through July 7. Pow Wow Portraits, a photo essay by photographer Lamar Marchese, comprises 24 large-format color digital prints from the 2012 Snow Mountain Pow Wow hosted by the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. The exhibit coincides with the 25th annual Pow Wow to be held this year on the Paiute reservation. Free. Clark County Library, Rainbow Branch, lvccld.org THE PERFECT FUTURE IS SANITARY ... THE SANITARY FUTURE IS PURRRFECT! Through July 12. Jesse Smigel’s vision-ascaricature of the future proposes that all humans live on spacecraft and are addicted to antibacterial hand sanitizer. The installation of sculpture and paintings, including an iron lung for an animatronic house cat, narrates a dark comedy about the collision of the present-past with the future. Free. Winchester Cultural Center Gallery SU LIMBERT/SIERRA SLENTZ Through July 14. A n interactive installation created to captivate imaginations and draw participants into a magical world where understandings of home and safety are explored. P3Studio will be altered into a largescale forest diorama featuring a five-foot bear covered in a mosaic of ceramics. Guests will create tiny homes in the workshop area to help shape the village nestled within the forest. Free. P3Studio at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com OUR LAS VEGAS: A CULTURAL ANIMATION PROJECT Through July 18, Mon-Thu, 7a-5:30p. A collaborative exhibition featuring representative work from artists with studios and galleries inside of Emergency Arts who will be participating in the “Our Las Vegas” spring exhibition at Emergency Arts. Free. Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery, 229-1012 MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ: “E’RY DAY SCIENCE” Through July 26. A sculpture exhibition centered in the wonders and weirdness of science and society. Miguel Rodriguez will bring his Neo-Pop aesthetic to six largescale sculptures consisting of stand-alone pieces and installations that consist of many, many small “clones.” Themes of Human Anatomy, Evolution and Light and will draw analogies to The Civil Rights Movement, overdependence on agricultural technology and collective consciousness. Free. Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, clarkcountynv.gov GGW Through July 26, Mon-Fri, 9a-4p; Sat, 10a-2p. Local artist Wendy Kveck uses painting,

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a r t s + e n t e r ta i n m e n t

performance and video to examine images of women from art history and contemporary media as cultural signifiers of excess and desire, anxiety and fear, regret and loss. Her hybrid figures often incorporate food imagery and references, creating literal, over-the-top representations of Woman as Consumer and the Consumed. Free. CSN Fine Arts Gallery, Cheyenne Campus, wendykveck.com WHITE ROSE EXHIBIT Through Aug. 22. Chronicling the student resistance group that peacefully opposed the Nazi regime during World War II. The exhibit includes 47 panels of photos, text and biographies depicting the actions of White Rose, the members of which were executed in 1943 when their activities were uncovered. UNLV Lied Library, unlv.edu DOROTHY AND HERBERT VOGEL COLLECTION Through Sep. 28, Mon-Fri 9a-5p; Sat 12p-5p. In 2010, UNLV was the recipient of fifty contemporary works from the celebrated collectors Dorothy and Herb Vogel. The Vogel Collection has been characterized as unique among collections of contemporary art, both for the

character and breadth of the objects and for the individuals who created it. Free. Suggested donation: $5 adults; $2 children. UNLV Barrick Museum, barrickmuseum.unlv.edu ART IN MOTION: THE KINETIC WIND ART OF MARK WHITE Through Sep. 30. M ark White’s kinetic wind sculptures were designed to encourage self-reflection. They are precisely balanced to respond to the lightest of breezes, yet strong enough to withstand 100 mph winds. Free with general admission. Springs Preserve FIRST FRIDAY July 5 & Aug. 2, 5-11p. C elebrate Downtown Las Vegas’ unique brand of arts and culture with exhibits, open galleries, live music and DJs, food trucks, vendor booths and special activities for the kids. Free. Arts District; hub at Casino Center Blvd between Colorado St. and California St., firstfridaylasvegas.com

DANCE TWISTED CHERRY BURLESQUE July 11, 11p. Twisting together neo-burlesque, cabaret and the art of magic to entertain, amaze and tease you. Music, magic, drama,

comedy, talent and, oh yes, glitter! Onyx Theatre, onyxtheatre.com USA BALLROOM DANCE July 20, 7p. What did Fred and Ginger have that you can’t learn? USA Dance Las Vegas Chapter #4038 is dedicated to the promotion of ballroom dancing and presents this dance as a way to introduce it to a new generation. Children aged 13+ only. $10, $5 members/military/ students/ages 13-25. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., usadancelasvegas.org HERENCIAS MEXICANAS July 27, 6:30p. T he anniversary concert of Ballet Folklorico Izel in which they will be presenting the colors and excitement of traditional dance from all over Mexico. Special appearance by the folkloric group WA-KUSHMA from Chula Vista, California. $10 in advance, $12 concert day. Winchester Cultural Center Theater, clarkcountynv.gov

MUSIC JETHRO TULL’S IAN ANDERSON PLAYS THICK AS A BRICK 1 & 2 July 5, 7:30p. J ethro Tull’s Ian Anderson will be performing both his composition Thick as

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a Brick in its entirety for the first time since 1972, and his new album, Thick as a Brick 2, for his world tour which began last year in the UK. $45-$88. Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.org JOE TORRES SEXTET July 14, 2p. Joe Torres is a true legend of Latin jazz and had the first hit record in the genre. His new band is himself on vibes and percussion; Rocco Barbado, tenor sax; Cocho Arbe, piano; Jiovanni Cofino, baby bass and standup bass; Leandro Mena, drums; Noybel, voice. $10 in advance, $12 concert day. Winchester Cultural Center Theater, clarkcountynv.gov MESHUGGINAH July 21, 2p. The self-proclaimed “crazy musicians” play klezmer, the wild, exuberant music known as “Jewish Jazz.” The musicians include: Lee Schreiber, violin; Dr. D. Gause, clarinet; D. J. Sinai, voice and piano; Ginger Bruner, tuba and bass guitar; Brett Barnes, drums. $10 in advance, $12 concert day. Winchester Cultural Center Theater, clarkcountynv.gov LUCKY DIAZ & THE FAMILY JAM BAND July 24-25, 10:30a. Spinning tunes that make grown-ups smile even as the lyrics speak directly to kids, this family band has won awards and wide acclaim from People Magazine, USA Today, Zooglobble, Parent’s Choice (Gold Award), NAPPA, Cool Mom Picks and more. . $3. July 24 performance at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St.; July 25 performance at the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium, 401 S. Fourth St., artslasvegas.org

THEATER 2 GALS & A SHOW July 10, Noon. As a singer, Laura Manning’s specialty is writing original comic lyrics and music. Dancer Leigh Christiansen brings not only her legs, but her comic sense and a dead-on Phyllis Diller impersonation. Laura and Leigh combine their talents to present a delightful romp through jokes, witty songs and dance. Free, tickets required. Winchester Cultural Center Theater, clarkcountynv.gov HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING July 10-13, 17-20, 24-27, 8p A hilarious satire of big business from the authors of Guys & Dolls, the show follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch from lowly window washer to highpowered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” nepotism, the office party, backstabbing coworkers, caffeine addiction and true love. $12 advance, $20 at gate. Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com

XANADU July 12-28, Fri-Su, 8p. A hilarious roller skating musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others have set for you. Original hit score by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. $25/$20 season ticket holders. Las Vegas Little Theatre, lvlt.org LAS VEGAS IMPROVISATION PLAYERS: CLEAN-BURNING COMEDY July 27, 7p. Inspired by suggestions from the audience, the Las Vegas Improvisation Players will create on-the-spot hilarious new scenes, songs and poems in a format similar to the popular TV program “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Keeping the comedy swift, fun and clean, the show provides an enjoyable evening for the whole family. $10. American Heritage Academy, 6126 South Sandhill Road, lvimprov.com

LECTURES, SPEAKERS AND PANELS VITO COLUCCI’S ROGUE TOWN July 7, 2p. As part of the Summer Mob Series, the author shares the true stories of his involvement with bringing down the Mob in Connecticut, which became the basis for his new book. Free. Main Theater, Clark County Library, lvccld.org ZEALOT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS OF NAZARETH July 22, 7p. Book signing after event. Scholar and internationally acclaimed bestselling author Reza Aslan provides a bold and fresh perspective on Jesus as man, revolutionary and historical figure. Join Aslan as he balances the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources. Free. Jewel Box Theater, Clark County Library, lvccld.org SAME-SEX DYNAMICS AMONG 19TH CENTURY AMERICANS-A MORMON EXAMPLE July 30, 2p. J oin the conversation with gay Chicano historian D. Michael Quinn, who specializes in cross-national social history, as he discusses several examples of long-term relationships among Mormon gay and lesbian couples and how they flourished in the early years of the church. Free. Jewel Box Theater, Clark County Library, lvccld.org

FAMILY & FESTIVALS RAINFOREST ADVENTURE Through Sep. 8. G o on a multi-sensory expedition of the world’s tropical rainforests. Delight in a wide variety of hands-on exhibits, role-play as scientists, climb a 9-foot kapok tree, explore a gorilla’s nest, study plant and animal life, visit a village and even weave on

a loom. Free for members or included with general admission. Springs Preserve, springspreserve.org THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM’S 22ND ANNIVERSARY PARTY July 13, Noon. T hey really know how to party at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. Celebrate with them by joining in events such as games and activities, food trucks, free ice cream and even a shark dissection. Tickets are half price all day! Regular prices: $10 adults; $8 students/seniors/military; $5 children ages 3-11. Children 2 and under free. lvnhm.org 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA PUPPET SHOW July 17, 10:30a. T ears of Joy Theatre presents a family-friendly adaptation of the classic book by Jules Verne. The performance includes some of the most exciting scenes aboard the Nautilus and under the sea. $3. July 17 event is at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St.; July 18 event is at the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium, 401 S. Fourth St., artslasvegas.org THE DRAGON KING July 31, 10:30a. M aster puppeteers Tanglewood Marionettes tell the story based on Chinese folklore about a wise grandmother who journeys to the bottom of the sea to seek the king and the answer to why he has forsaken the land above. With colorful sea creatures and an exciting adventure, the production is a heart-warming tale that will enthrall young and old alike. $3. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., artslasvegas.org RTC VIVA BIKE VEGAS 2013 GRAN FONDO PINARELLO Sep. 21, t ime tbd. Registration is open for the sixth annual RTC Viva Bike Vegas, the noncompetitive ride that takes you through the Strip and Red Rock Canyon. Choose between 103, 60 or 17-mile courses. After the ride, meet at Town Square for a celebration that includes live entertainment and a children’s bicycle rodeo. Proceeds benefit local charities. $85 early registration, $65 jerseys. Town Square Las Vegas, vivabikevegas.com

FUNDRAISERS Gatsby Gamble July 9, 5:30p. R evisit the Roaring Twenties with live jazz, hors d’oeuvres created by a surprise celebrity chef, Jazz-era inspired cocktails and lots of photo ops. Benefits the Three Square Food Bank. $75 tickets, $250/hand poker tournament buy-in. The Crown Penthouse at One Queensridge Place, 9101 Alta Drive, oneqrp.com/one-queensridge-poker-tournament

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end note A mindful renaissance (continued from page 64)

Fremont or the Strip by demolishing their flophouses and quietly encouraging Metro and the casinos’ security to keep ’em moving. And why not? After all, nothing kills the buzz of being a venture-funded master of the startup universe quite like looking out the window of The Beat coffee shop and seeing

an aging, shirtless crackhead on the other side of the glass, waving his arms and shouting nonsensical profanity at the empty air. In all fairness, the gentrifiers of Downtown seem to have become more aware of these issues in recent days. When the Downtown Project purchased the John E. Carson residential hotel at the corner of 6th and Carson in April, the residents were provided with moving supplies and a month’s free rent

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at the nearby Dragon Hotel. It was a humane and thoughtful way of handling the transition ... and a marked and welcome change from the treatment of the inhabitants of the Town Terrace apartments, who were given summary eviction notices when the Downtown Project purchased the property in 2012. (Spokespersons for the Downtown Project have said that the evictions were a result of miscommunication, and they were ultimately rescinded when residents complained to the press.) But much of the gentrification of Downtown still seems to be happening without any real accountability. Nobody seems to be thinking very hard about the consequences of tearing down inexpensive housing or lowcost businesses in favor of hip apartments or trendy boulangeries. Or if they are, they aren’t really talking about it, at least in public. It’s a complicated situation. I’m both chief technical officer of a Vegas tech startup and — unlike a lot of the Downtown tech people — a longtime resident of the city, and that makes my feelings about the issue even more ambiguous. And as a lot of people involved in the Downtown tech scene have reminded me at parties and networking events, sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Maybe so. But what if you happen to be one of those eggs? All those poor scum who beg for change on the mean streets of Downtown may be winos and crackheads and lunatics, but they’re still human beings. They still occupy a place in the world. Much as we might hope otherwise, they won’t just disappear. They have to be somewhere. If it’s not Downtown, the last refuge of the down-and-out, then where? North Las Vegas? Midtown? The suburbs? Part of both individual genius and collective scenius is mindfulness, awareness of one’s place in the world and the consequences of one’s actions. Tony Hsieh’s Downtown is an exciting and vibrant place, full of hope and potential, and I’m truly hopeful that it will succeed, and bring not only new industry and new economies but new social and cultural opportunities to the city. But I also believe that, in urban development as in medicine, the primary directive must always be Hippocrates’ dictum: First do no harm. We must be mindful. As we build this bright new future for Downtown, we have to ensure that it benefits everyone, prosperous and poor alike, those who are arriving and those who have always been here ... especially those who have nowhere else to go. Otherwise, Downtown’s victory will be a hollow victory indeed.

end note

A mindful renaissance By Joshua Ellis | Photography by brent holmes

The musician and cultural critic Brian Eno once coined the term “scenius” to describe the burst of collective creative energy that occurs when you put the right people together in the right place at the right time. There was scenius in Florence, Italy at the end of the 15th century, and in the expat bars and cafes of Paris in the 1920s. While scenius was flourishing in the New York music and art world in the 1970s, Silicon Valley was producing its own high-tech version, exploding out of the garage where Jobs and Wozniak built the Apple computer and architectured the personal computer revolution. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has been cultivating scenius here in Las Vegas via his Downtown Project, Delivering Happiness movement and VegasTechFund startup investment fund, all of which seek to draw in the kind of brilliant tech startup entrepreneurs who would normally congregate in more traditional locales like Palo Alto or New York. The process is ongoing, but if you take a walk down East Fremont Street, you’ll already see the impact of his efforts: new businesses, new co-working and hacker spaces with lots of power outlets and high-speed Net access ... and a whole lot of new, hip, young, super-bright nerds, their startups fueled by energy drinks and unbounded enthusiasm.

If you’re the kind of person who gauges urban progress purely by the financial bottom line, this influx of geeky new blood is an unqualified success. Developers can’t build the foodie joints and artisanal cocktail boutiques fast enough. After decades of single-industry cultural stagnation, Las Vegas is finally seeing the rise of Richard Florida’s mythical creative class, right smack in the middle of an area that has long been one of the most economically depressed in the city. A lot of the tech crowd who’ve been moving into Downtown have publicly likened the experience to colonizing a new planet or a new frontier: a blank canvas to paint a bright future upon. But the unpleasant reality is that Downtown isn’t a blank canvas. It’s a canvas that has showcased a lot of bright futures over the decades, futures that faded away and rotted as the fortunes of the city moved slowly south along Las Vegas Boulevard. Once-prosperous casinos became seedy hangouts for down-market locals and homeless people looking to get out of the relentless desert heat. Motels where young couples once cuddled on their Vegas honeymoons became flophouses, longterm housing for transients and addicts and lonely pensioners. So far, the strategy of the new Downtown tech elite has largely been to entirely ignore these existing inhabitants, or to push them further down (continued on page 62)

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