Ding Awards 2016 | Vegas Seven Magazine | Oct. 20-26, 2016 by Vegas Seven

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2016 DINING AWARDS Photography ANTHONY MAIR

SEVEN NIGHTS: THE WEEKND

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OCTOBER 20-26, 2016

Toddy Shop Asian Persuasion Burger

FEATURE

14 2016 Dining Awards

We crown the best eats around town and spotlight the most innovative chefs. BY SEVEN STAFF

TO DO

23 24/7

Events around the clock in Las Vegas. BY SHANNON MILLER AND BOB WHITBY

TASTE

27 One Bite: The Feast

Menus from Las Vegasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bygone era live on. BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS

44 True Change

5SV'VTJPO FYQBOET JUT mUOFTT brand to Downtown Summerlin, its third location. BY AMBER SAMPSON

CONVERSATIONS

47 Exorcise This

Swedish heavy metal band Ghost possesses songs by other artists on its latest EP.

of Santa Anita

BY JARRET KEENE

China Poblano offers a Day of the Dead menu honoring artist Diego Rivera.

48 A Seat at the Table

BY GENEVIE DURANO

28 Now Serving: The Toddy Shop

#BS TOBDLT XJUI *OEJBO nBJS BY AL MANCINI

30 Dinner, Deconstructed

Slicing and dicing Tail & Finâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sushi burrito prowess. BY AL MANCINI

32 Amor Eterno

Celebrating the life and eternal love of Juan Gabriel with his favorite foods. BY JUSTIN FAVELA

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

38 First Steps

Nevada Ballet Theatre discovers the dancers and audiences of the future. BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS PLUS: Green

Felt Journal and who to follow on Instagram.

PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ

42 Savor the Past

Mona Steck on creating custom table linens for resorts. BY KAYLA DEAN

49 Cultural Shift

Openly gay rabbi Joel Alter on faith and the LGBTQ community. BY JESSI C. ACUÃ&#x2018;A PLUS: Ask

a Native.

50 Finding Wellness Within

Renowned integrative health practitioner Deepak Chopra discusses the future of health at The Smith Center. BY JESSI C. ACUÃ&#x2018;A

52 Lucky No. 7

Our favorite off-the-beaten-path restaurants.

ON THE FLIP SIDE Get Ready for NYE Sting and The Weeknd ring in 2017 at the Cosmopolitan BY MARK ADAMS

Seven Nights

SPACES & PLACES

From clubs to concerts, what to do after dark.

41 In the Garden of Good

BY IAN CARAMANZANA

and Evel

Interior designer Lieuchi Fine brings order and an eye for detail to Downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Evel Pie. BY AL MANCINI

OUR SITES TO SEE

VegasSeven.com 7UDYLV &ORHUÂ·V 6HFRQG $FW While Jersey Boys closed at Paris last month, some of the faces who played the Four Seasons are sticking around to perform in productions throughout the Valley. Get the deets on Frankie Valli performer Travis Cloerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new South Point gig at VegasSeven.com/TravisCloer.

DTLV.com When Chokeholds Come to the Theatre Power bombs, red ropes and man spandex make their way into Cockroach Theatre for Pulitzer Prizenominated play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Step inside the ring at DTLV.com.

RunRebs.com The Best Defense What will be UNLVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best defensive lineup this season? Hint: It includes a lot of new faces. Mike Grimala breaks down Rebels basketball from every angle at RunRebs.com.

SpyOnVegas.com The Hookup Find upcoming events, see highlights from the hottest parties, meet the DJs and more.

PLUS: Everything you need to know about Pride Las Vegas week, and a very colorful cocktail to go with the celebration.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

N EVA DA BA L L ET T HEAT RE PRE S E N TS

PHOTO OF THE WEEK â&#x20AC;¦

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Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger President Michael Skenandore &KLHI )LQDQFLDO 2IÃ&#x20AC;FHU Sim Salzman Vice President, Marketing and Events Keith White Creative Director Sherwin Yumul Graphic Designer Javon Issac Technical Director Herbert Akinyele Controller Jane Weigel

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October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

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Publisher

Michael Skenandore Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Melinda Sheckells MANAGING EDITOR

Genevie Durano SENIOR EDITOR, DINING, BEVERAGE & NIGHTLIFE

Xania Woodman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Mark Adams SENIOR WRITER

Lissa Townsend Rodgers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Shannon Miller EDITORIAL INTERNS

Sam Mendoza, Ashley Miles, Zauni Price, Ally Tatosian Contributing Editors Michael Green (Politics), Al Mancini (Dining), David G. Schwartz (Gaming/Hospitality) Art CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Benjamin Ward SENIOR DESIGNER

Cierra Pedro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Krystal Ramirez PHOTO INTERNS

;BDI .D,FF 8FT .PSFmFME VegasSeven.com DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT

Zoneil Maharaj SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM

Mike Grimala EDITOR, DTLV.COM

Jessie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien DIGITAL PRODUCER & WRITER

Amber Sampson Production/Distribution DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION

Marc Barrington ADVERTISING MANAGER

Jimmy Bearse Sales BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Christy Corda DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES

Nicole Scherer ACCOUNT MANAGER

Brittany Quintana ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Robyn Weiss DIRECTOR OF SALES, BILLBOARD DIVISION

John Tobin

2016 DINING AWARDS By Genevie Durano, Diana Edelman, Marisa Finetti, Al Mancini, Melinda Sheckells and Xania Woodman

BEST NEW RESTAURANT STRIP

Upon its October 2015 debut in Aria, devotees of Manhattan’s buzzedabout Carbone rejoiced. Now, a year later, the restaurant has earned an entire legion of new fans who crave big dining action—and by that we mean decadent Italian-American classics such as seafood cocktail, meatballs in red sauce, spicy rigatoni vodka, plump lobster ravioli and an epic veal Parmesan—set in a dining room that is an experience unto itself. The romance of Carbone washes over one from the first step inside the doors, inspired by the tone, the staff and the aesthetic. Like something from a movie set, the eye is drawn instantly to a cascading Murano glass chandelier, sourced by designer Ken Fulk, from a decommissioned 1960s Ferrari showroom back East. Echoing that mid-century vibe, soul, Motown and doo-wop music provide the soundtrack while whole branzino is carved tableside and marble carts roam the space. And for the encore, pick from a dessert trolley filled with elaborate Italian confections and another with rums from around the world. Chef Mario Carbone’s eponymous restaurant isn’t just a dinner reservation—it is an evening to remember with you as the star. In Aria, Aria.com.

Photography Anthony Mair

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

BEST NEW RESTAURANT OFF STRIP

Chef Gen Mizoguchi rocked the Las Vegas dining scene when he brought the most sublime sushi that the city had ever seen to Kabuto in Chinatown. So when he left there to open Yui Edomai Sushi, his legion of fans were understandably nervous about whether the experience would lose something in the move. It turns out there was nothing to fear. The place became a hit overnight thanks to species of fish youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably never heard, of brought in directly from Japan and cut with a precision that would trigger envy in most surgeons. You can stick to nigiri for a $68-per-head meal. Or you can have the chef toss in some grilled and otherwise prepared treats for either the $120 or $160 omakase experience. If that sounds like a lot, consider that this may be the closest you ever come to an experience the likes of that glorified in the classic foodie film Jiro Dreams of Sushi. And you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to travel to Tokyo to enjoy it. 3460 Arville St., YuiSushi.com.

Photography Krystal Ramirez

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

Richard Camarota has overseen the day-to-day operation of Shawn McClain’s Sage as executive chef since the restaurant opened along with Aria in 2009. In the nearly seven years since, Sage has remained a steadfast fixture in the local fine-dining scene. While trends and of-the-moment hot spots have come and gone, Sage’s reputation among serious food aficionados has never faltered. When McClain ventured into the casual dining sphere with Five50 Pizza, Camarota helped design a concept that delighted pizza lovers while never betraying his fine-dining roots. And he’s been pulling double duty as executive chef for both restaurants ever since. Most recently, Camarota helped his boss create the menu at Libertine Social, one of the most talked-about restaurants to open this year. “Richard is a lot [of things] to me, including a super-close friend, a confidant and an amazing chef,” McClain says. “He always wants to push things and improve upon things. He never wants to be stale.” You can experience some of Camarota’s latest creations at either Libertine or on Sage’s fall menu. Sage and Five50 Pizza Bar, in Aria, Aria.com; Libertine Social in Mandalay Bay, MandalayBay.com.

BEST CHEF STRIP

BEST CHEF off STRIP

When John Courtney was brought into the culinary director role at the late Kerry Simon’s Simon Hospitality Group a little over a year ago, Carson Kitchen was already one of the hottest restaurants in town. But Courtney has worked with the company’s president and managing partner Cory Harwell to keep the menu current and exciting. Courtney now splits his time between that kitchen and the new Standard & Pour, where he was instrumental in developing a completely different menu and concept. While that spot has only been open a short time, it has already become a critics’ darling. “I have not met a chef in my career who rivals John in passion for what we do,” Harwell says. “If I have an idea for a dish, he has a solution.” The next project Courtney will help his boss tackle is an Asian concept in the Huntridge neighborhood. Standard & Pour, 11261 S. Eastern Ave., StandardAndPourLV.com; Carson Kitchen, 124 South 6th St., CarsonKitchen.com.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

BEST DESSERT BEST BRUNCH Brunch takes on an entirely new dimension when it happens outdoors and, with the exception of a few months out of the year in Las Vegas, the patio is the place to be. Herringbone, from chef Brian Malarkey and executive chef Geno Bernardo, has quickly become the place for Saturday and Sunday brunching and day-drinking because its al fresco seating option is such a big part of its 10,000 square feet. Thanks to $25 everlasting Bellinis available in four flavors—peach, passion fruit, blood orange and strawberry yuzu—and items such as a poached-egg benny done with crab cakes and doused in spicy hollandaise, the Island favorite Loco Moco and orange ricotta pancakes, and with such generous hours as 10 a.m.-4 p.m., there is little chance of oversleeping through this meal. In Aria, Aria.com.

Photography Anthony Mair

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

Born of a cocktail-fueled discussion of peanut butter pie between celebrity chef Chris Santos and Tao Group’s Marc Marrone, the glorious concoction that is Peanut Butter Pie Sundae at Beauty & Essex begins with the smoothest, lightest peanut butter ice cream you can imagine. (The cream is whipped before the peanut butter is added to the mix.) Marrone then folds in some chocolate chunks and sprinkles on a few pretzels. But the knockout blow is a hearty dose of meringue. “As a guy who grew up in New England eating peanut butter and fluff sandwiches,” Santos says, “this sundae pays amazing homage to those days!” Fair enough. To us, it’s closer to Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby, but better. $14, in the Cosmopolitan, BeautyAndEssexLV.com.

BEST OUT OF MARKET EXPANSION

Since arriving in Las Vegas in 2005, Nicole Brisson has learned from the best, and slowly ascended the culinary ladder one rung at a time. The native upstate New Yorker began her local career at Wynn, where she worked under acclaimed chefs Stephen Kalt and Paul Bartolotta. From there she joined Mario Batali’s B&B Hospitality Group, first overseeing the house-made salumi and antipasti programs and managing the kitchen staff at Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria. She was then promoted to executive chef at Batali’s steakhouse Carnevino before being promoted this year to B&B’s Las Vegas culinary director. Along the way, she’s been a strong behind-the-scenes supporter of the local restaurant scene and other community causes. Next up for the chef, she will bring Batali’s Eataly concept to the new Park MGM hotel. But as she seems to get better every year, one can only wonder when we might see a restaurant with her name on the door. BAndBHG.com.

BEST TASTE OF THE FUTURE

Hearthstone, Salute, Clique Lounge, Libre, The Still, Borracha, Bottiglia—Clique Hospitality and partners Andy Masi, Brian Massie and Shane Monaco have flooded the local market with seven fun, innovative and delicious food and beverage concepts in less than two years. And now the Las Vegas-based culinary influencers are expanding to both San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and MGM National Harbor in Maryland. Clique will install both Felt Bar & Lounge and Blossom Bar & Lounge in the D.C.-adjacent National Harbor, and Lionfish and Oxford Social Club at the Pendry by Montage Resorts in San Diego—all opening in December. /LRQÀVK by chef Jojo Ruiz will serve the day’s fresh catch in a two-story space above bustling 5th Street. The theme is healthful, sustainable, design driven and eccentric but never excessive. Dishes will include Hawaiian big-eye tuna, Baja hiramasa, ora king salmon, crab Oscar on toast and seared scallops with brown butter, roasted pistachios and preserved lemon. Also at the Pendry, Oxford Social Club will be a lauded addition to San Diego’s booming nightlife scene with music, sophisticated cocktails and a bignight-out vibe. At National Harbor, Felt Bar & Lounge, an indoor/outdoor environment with live music and a DJ, will offer three environments: cozy chairs for conversation, communal tables for revelry and ample space for dancing. There will also be a fire pit and stunning views of the nation’s capital. Expect to see Clique’s signature tableside mixology here, as well. At Blossom Bar & Lounge, the vibe will be high-energy gaming with 24-hour machines and tables, modern cocktails, fun shooters and craft and imported beers, all served under an ornate cherry blossom canopy. Now that’s worth booking a flight for. CliqueHospitality.com.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

BEST BREAKFAST SPOT

If breakfast is, indeed, the most important meal of the day, then there’s no better place to get your morning sustenance than at Kitchen Table. Here, breakfast goes way beyond omelets and pancakes. How far beyond? Think seared foie gras French toast or smoked salmon with caviar. The menu is extensive and you’ll be tempted to come back for lunch (there’s a lunch menu too, but much smaller), and we wouldn’t blame you. Because, really, how can you possibly choose between a pork belly green chile omelet and a duck confit with house-made mac and cheese omelet? Be forewarned: Although Kitchen Table is tucked away in a sleepy strip mall in Henderson, it’s not exactly a well-kept secret and the wait can be interminable. 1716 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., Suite 100, Henderson, Facebook.com/KitchenTableLV.

Photography Anthony Mair

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

RISING BAR STAR BEST POWER LUNCH Stop into Downtown’s Makers & Finders on any given day and you’ll discover a cast of characters that includes well-known local journalists, creative culinary impresarios, passionate smallbusiness owners, serious tech types and freethinking digital nomads—all power players in their respective industries. Between pitches, they’re shoveling in tasty empanadas and flaky croissant breakfast sandwiches and washing them down with the city’s best lavender lattes (trust us—we’ve tried them all!) as well as cold brew, pour over and good ol’-fashioned drip java. Eavesdrop on their brainstorming sesh if you dare, and you might even get a heads up on what’s new and next for the city and beyond. 1120 S. Main St., Suite 110, MakersLV.com.

BEST DL DINING If you’re at all familiar with Filipino cuisine, the kind you’ve encountered is probably of the “turo-turo” variety. The literal translation of “turo-turo” is “point-point,” and that’s exactly what you do at these cafeteria-style joints: You point at the dishes you want from a variety of choices. But at Fiesta Filipina, what you see isn’t all that you get. Bring a friend and ask for the crispy pata, a whole pork leg that’s been boiled then fried. It takes about 20 minutes, but your patience will be rewarded with a heaping container of fried pork that’s tender on the inside and unbelievably crispy on the outside, served with a soy vinegar dip. Pair with steamed white rice and you’ve got comfort food, island style. $19, 2980 St. Rose Pkwy., FiestaFilipinaCuisine.net.

Las Vegas native .DWLH &UX]·V bartending career may have started somewhat inauspiciously upon her return to Las Vegas after graduating from University of Nevada Reno, working the graveyard shift at a gaming bar. But she found her niche, writing a tequila manual for the bar, and she’s been on a breakneck trajectory ever since. After putting in the research, visiting the city’s bastions of mixology such as Herbs & Rye and Velveteen Rabbit, Cruz found her way to Oak & Ivy just as it was getting ready to open in Container Park, which proved to be “the perfect spot for me,” Cruz has said. “I learned a lot, and had a space to really get creative.” A year and a half later, Cruz is the “Intoxicology Director” (no, really though) for industry clubhouse Tacos & Beer and has been tearing up the cocktail competition scene with her tenacity and grit. Cruz survived round after round to make the top four of Vegas Seven’s own Las Vegas’ Best Bartender Competition this summer, took on Speed Rack Las Vegas and was most recently invited to the Jack Daniel’s Women & Whiskey competition at Intrigue. And now that she’s 25, Cruz is eligible to go out for the biggies—USBG World Class by Diageo and Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender competitions—the sky’s the limit for this rising bar star. Tacos & Beer, 3900 Paradise Rd., TacosAndBeerLasVegas.com.

Photography Krystal Ramirez

TO DO

Thursday 20 Bring out your inner epicurean at Nathan Adelson’s Annual Wine & Food Tasting Extravaganza. Sample a variety of wines and foods from some of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas and bid on fantastic items in a silent auction, all to benefit Nathan Adelson Hospice. NAH.org Start the weekend early with Jack and Cake at Commonwealth, 9 p.m. Get down to performances by local DJs and complimentary shots of whiskey, with chances to win prizes throughout the night. CommonwealthLV.com

PHOTO BY ADAM ELMAKIAS

Get ready for the return of the Regulator at LAX’s Throwback Thursdays. The Luxor nightclub welcomes SoCal hip-hop icon Warren G, who will spin favorites from the ’80s and ’90s. Luxor.com You recycle your beer cans; why not your Halloween costumes? Henderson’s Halloween Costume Swap Shop lets you drop off gently used costumes, newborn to adult sizes, and pick up a new one. Don’t be that guy who dresses in a sheet every year. Through tomorrow at Whitney Ranch Recreation Center. CityofHenderson.com

Friday 21 Take your lunch break at Lloyd D. George

Federal Courthouse, just two blocks south of Fremont Street on Las Vegas Boulevard. From noon to 1 p.m., French-Canadian artist Naomi Emmerson will give a musical performance. Best known for her renditions of French cabaret singer Edith Piaf’s songs, this actor, singer, voice artist and director will sweep you off your feet. LasVegasNevada.gov Super Summer Theatre’s Off-Season series opens with Cemetery Club at 7 p.m. Three widows’ monthly visit to their husbands’ graves leads to a romantic encounter for one and meddling for the other two. This story of death, love and friendship is sure to bring laughter and joy. SuperSummerTheatre.org Check out Poets’ Corner, an open mic for established poets and the best local talent. Celebrating its 19th year, the event provides a supportive environment for uncensored poetry and spoken word. Show up and register to perform your own pieces, or just listen to what other writers have to say. Performances start at 7 p.m. at the West Las Vegas Arts Center Community Gallery. LasVegasNevada.gov With more than 2.2 million subscribers and widespread critical acclaim for her 2015 album, Melanie Martinez takes her Cry Baby tour to The Joint. Don’t miss her

twisted pop melodies and inventive lyrics at 7 p.m. HardRockHotel.com Netflix releases Season 3 of Black Mirror today. The Twilight Zone-style show revolves around the dark side of technology and its increasing role in our lives, making bizarre, sci-fi-like scenarios seem too close to reality for comfort. Netflix.com

Melanie Martinez plays The Joint on Friday.

Saturday 22 Engage at Standing Together Opposing Misuse of Power, a festival for domestic violence awareness. Providing a space for sharing experiences and learning about prevention, STOMP takes place at the West Las Vegas Library, 11 a.m. Community professionals host workshops on signs of abuse and sex trafficking and safety in domestic violence situations. LVCCLD.org Wear your sexy underwear for burlesque celebration Leather and Feathers. This variety show at Erotic Heritage Museum will feature body-positive performances and demos of ass tasseling, and belly and pole dancing starting at 4 p.m. Meet and greet special guest and national leather title holder Trixie LaFontaine and learn how to give the perfect spanking. EroticMuseumVegas.com

24/7 What to do around the clock in Las Vegas By Shannon Miller and Bob Whitby

Las Vegas’ most outrageous party, Ghostbar Dayclub at Palms Casino Resort, kicks October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

TO DO

Sunday 23 Rasputina, pioneers in using the cello as their only instrument, brings obscure female historical figures to life with costume and music. There’s never a dull moment when inspirational music is woven with theatrical performance. BunkhouseDowntown.com One of the benefits of fall is that we once again get to enjoy the talents on offer at UNLV. Example: the Jazz Ensemble and Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, both of which will be performing this afternoon at 2 p.m. in UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre. UNLV.edu

Monday 24 Not to mention that we get to be enriched by the cultural and political thought in the campus air. To wit, this evening’s University Lecture Forum Series on gender in the 2016 presidential campaign, 7:30 p.m. at the Barrick Museum. My, do they have a lot to talk about. UNLV.edu

Tuesday 25 Wine and Canvas at Container Park takes on a Halloween theme. Practice your plein air skills while sipping on drinks and hanging out on the Container Park lawn, 6 p.m. DowntownContainerPark.com Regal Colonnade Stadium 14 screens Danny Boyle’s 2011 play, Frankenstein. Best known in the horror world for 28 Days Later, Boyle does not disappoint in his interpretation of the classical monster, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Show starts at 7 p.m. RegMovies.com

off its fall season with new sideshows, resident DJs and surprise guests. Themed and squad costumes highly encouraged. Palms.com

Rasputina brings cello rock to DTLV Sunday night.

Hop over to Downtown Brew Festival at 5 p.m., where general admission will get you unlimited samples of more than 200 craft beers from 60-plus breweries, live music and entertainment, not to mention the best local cuisine served up fresh. Beer lovers, this fest is not to be missed! DowntownBrewFestival.com Vegas’ favorite Swiss sock monkey Hubert D’Givenski celebrates his birthday at ReBAR’s Socktoberfest! Enjoy beer specials, sausages and accordion music fit for Hubert’s south-central European sensibilities. Free entry. Facebook.com/RebarLV

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

Who can save the French aristocrats from being marched off to the guillotine? That would be The Scarlet Pimpernel, a vain socialite who is actually a crusader in disguise. Catch Signature Productions’ staging of this Tony-nominated musical comedy at the Summerlin Library & Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., with shows through November 19. SignatureProductions.net

Wednesday 26 How about some post-hardcore scream to jolt you out of that midweek slump? Dance Gavin Dance can do just that at the Hard Rock Hotel, 6 p.m. HardRockHotel.com Loosen up at Oddfellows’ weekly ’90s Dance Party with jams, moves and happy hour from 8-10 p.m. Facebook.com/OddfellowsLV

THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY • OCTOBER 21

SATURDAY • OCTOBER 22

bad religion

the fray

against me & dave hause

american authors

WITH

UPCOMING SHOWS SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 5

SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 12

alejandra guzman

ms. lauryn hill

FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 18

lukas graham

SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 19

method man & redman with slick rick

TASTE

China Poblano In the Cosmopolitan ChinaPoblano.com Instagram: @ChinaPoblano

ONE BITE

The Feast of Santa Anita Throughout Mexico, Diá de los Muertos is an important national holiday spanning several days, where people get together with relatives to honor and remember the dead. China Poblano is marking the holiday with a special menu that celebrates Mexican culture and pays homage to Diego Rivera, one of that country’s most renowned artists. Standout dishes from the Day of the Dead menu include fried broccoli-like huauzontles, sweetbread tacos, tamal rojo (fresh masa, braised pork, tomato and serrano chilies) and several iterations of mole. For dessert, this one-bite delight of corn-based atole espuma, a candy egg yolk yemita and charred corn husk housed in a cone shaped like a delicate calla lily ($3 each) is named after one of Rivera’s paintings. Calla lilies figure prominently in Rivera’s work, which exalted the beauty of Mexican flora and celebrated its culture and its traditions. The Day of the Dead menu is offered from October 19-November 2. The accompanying specialty cocktails—mezcal and tequila-based, natch—are also not to be missed. –Genevie Durano

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

STREET EATS

TASTE

By Justin Favela Photography Krystal Ramirez

CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND ETERNAL LOVE OF

Juan Gabriel WITH HIS FAVORITE FOODS

n August 28, Latinos lost a superstar. The prolific Mexican singer/songwriter Juan Gabriel, affectionately nicknamed “Juanga” by his fans, passed away in his Santa Monica home following a heart attack at age 66. He was an icon, revered by all of Latin America for his catchy pop songs, ballads, flamboyant personality and zest for life. This Día de los Muertos (Nov. 1-2), I want to make an altar with offerings for the legendary entertainer that will include his favorite dishes, all found at local restaurants. Juanga was born in the small town of Parácuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacán, known for its carnitas. I instinctively head to Las Vegas’ famous Lindo Michoacán (2655 E. Desert Inn Rd., LindoMichoacan.com) and grab an order of the delicious carnitas: chunks of pork marinated with oranges and spices, then braised and simmered in their own fat until tender. It is served with rice, beans, a roasted jalapeño, guacamole, salsa verde and handmade tortillas ($16.95). The ofrenda is off to a good start.

Clockwise from top left: carnitas at Lindo Michoacán; barbacoa burrito at Juárez Border Food; and yellow curry at Thai Room. Juan Gabriel illustration (opposite) by Rogelio CDA.

Although he was born in Michoacán, Juanga was known as “El Divo de Juárez” because he grew up in the border town of Juárez, where he was orphaned as a child and sold burritos to survive before starting his music career. At Juárez Border Food (412 N. Eastern Ave., JEPBorderFood.com), you can find the star’s favorite burritos, made with barbacoa (beef cheek; $4.69). The slow-cooked meat is accompanied by fresh refried pinto beans, onions and cilantro wrapped in imported flour tortillas (made by the owner’s family in Juarez!). Also worth trying are the El Paso flautas: ground beef in crispy rolled tacos served with red sauce and topped with cheese ($4). Oh, and while you’re waiting on your burrito and flautas, have an elote en vaso—that’s corn in a cup with mayonnaise, butter, cheese and chili powder ($2.77). It’s the bomb dot com! Later in life, Juanga became a vegetarian because of his love for animals. Thai food was his preferred cuisine, and he almost always ordered curry dishes for their depth of flavor and spice. When I’m on the eastside (which is always) and I want Thai, I choose Thai Room (3355 E. Tropicana Ave.). During the week, you can enjoy a $7 lunch special that includes a curry entrée served with an egg roll, green salad, steamed or fried rice, soup and a soda. For Juanga, I’ll have the yellow curry with tofu at a life-affirming Level 5—the spiciest they can make it. 7

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

TASTE

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Slicing and dicing Tail & F inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sushi burrito style By Al Mancini Photography Cierra Pe dr

The sushi burrito is taking Las Vegas by storm. What might have been a joke about passĂŠ fusion ideas two years ago is now a bona fide trend. Of course, since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so new, every place treats them differently. Some are more sushi, others more burrito. At Tail & Fin, chef Karu Wedhas makes sure each individual ingredient has its chance to shine.

Seaweed Wrapper To envelop your meal, you can choose soy paper or nori paper made from sea kelp thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been processed, dried and cut into sheets. While seasoned and salted versions are available, Wedhas sticks with a traditional plain product. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I come from Nobu, which is very traditional,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so I try to find products that are very traditional.â&#x20AC;? He does buck tradition, however, by running it through a machine that coats it with a layer of rice in order to handle his restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high volume.

Rice Tail & Fin uses a traditional Japa-

Clockwise from left: The Omega, Angry Birds and Flaming Tuna. Tail & Fin 9845 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite B TailAndFin.com Instagram: @TailAndFin

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nese short-grain-style rice thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farmed in the U.S. The team washes it multiple times, soaks it and dries it before cooking. The amount of time spent on each of these processes, and the order in which theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re done, is a trade secret developed specifically for the Las Vegas climate. After these steps, vinegar would traditionally be added in a wooden bowl called a hangiri, but due to space and time constraints, Wedhas employs a machine called a â&#x20AC;&#x153;shari makerâ&#x20AC;? to properly add the vinegar, the exact brand of which he also keeps secret.

)LĂŠLQJV Options here lean heavily toward the sushi side of the sushi-burrito line of demarcation. In fact, seven of nine items are among the most popular sushi-roll fillers. They include plain raw cuts of tuna (in this case, ahi), yellowtail, salmon, spicy tuna, tempura fried shrimp, fried soft shell crab and surimi (imitation) crabmeat. From the burrito family, there is

a lightly seasoned, tender and juicy grilled chicken. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know a lot of people like to add their special spice mix,â&#x20AC;? Wedhas says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really care for that. I just want my chicken to be a beautiful filet, and then have all the other ingredients create the whole concept of the burrito.â&#x20AC;? There is also a tempeh option for vegan diners.

9HJHWDEOHV The team uses a combination of veggies to provide flavor and texture. These include romaine lettuce, avocado and red onions. Then come the sliced jalapeĂąos, for which the team works hard to get a consistent level of spice. They taste each batch and mix and match the spicier with the milder, sometimes reserving the very hot specimens for sauces. And when they get an overabundance of heat, they utilize various tricks of the trade to tone down the mixture. But Wedhas is adamant that they never remove the hot membrane, and always mix in the seeds. *DUOLF &KLOL $LROL Made in-house, this sauceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just one of nine optionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;brings even more spice to the party. It also adds acidity and, according to Wedhas, â&#x20AC;&#x153;makes things pop.â&#x20AC;? But while the jalapeĂąos represent Mexico on the chili pepper family tree, the red chili paste that serves as the base for this sauce comes from Asia. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called sambal oelek, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often associated with Indonesian cooking. Another key ingredient is the juice of the Asian citrus fruit yuzu. While you can find this juice in a variety of forms and infused with other ingredients, Tail & Fin uses a basic, unsalted version that the chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been working with for years. Teriyaki Sauce â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just brings everything together,â&#x20AC;? Wedhas says. A common themeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;nobody outside the Tail & Fin kitchen knows which brand the chef uses. He also insists it is essential to any Japanese chicken dish, boldly proclaiming, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teriyaki sauce with chicken is the greatest marriage anybody ever created, ever!â&#x20AC;? 7

TASTE

By Al Mancini Photography Krystal Ramirez

Now Serving:

Toddy Shop S

elf-proclaimed Six-Pack Chef Hemant Kishore has ventured beyond the healthy meals he’s known for at this new collaboration with Inn Zone on N. Rainbow Boulevard. In exchange for use of the kitchen for his healthful meal-delivery service, Kishore’s now providing in-house food for the establishment’s drinkers and gamblers. Sure, Kishore could have played it safe with wings, chicken fingers and pizza and saved his creative juices for the delivery biz. And he does offer a fairly traditional classic menu, although he can’t resist turning up the quality a little by serving his fennel and rum pork sausage sandwich with pickled apples and sambal aioli on ciabatta. But the chef was determined to use the opportunity to create some of the most original bar food in town on his “Inspired” and “Exotic” menus, both based on the working-class toddy shops of India’s Kerala region, where savory snacks accompany a rustic, fermented drink made from the sap of coconut palms. The star of this menu is inarguably karimeen pollichathu (known here as Queen Karimeen): a whole pompano fish marinated overnight in a banana leaf, then steamed or fried and served with a spiced semisweet onion and tomato masala with coconut milk. Another highlight is a Chinese-Indian fusion of a parotta bread stir-fry called kothu parotta that is also the official dish of Kerala. In addition to the bread, kothu parotta features chopped beef seasoned with ginger, garlic, onions, tomato, hot sauce and soy sauce. The sides are also unlike any other bar food in town. Be sure to try the beautiful, fried, multicolored chips made from the sometimes frightening-looking bitter melon. But also look into the duo of sweet potato and taro root chips, the fried chunks of taro and the tiny fried anchovies seasoned with onions, curry leaf, chili powder, turmeric and lemon juice. Toddy Shop might not make you feel like you’re actually in India, but you might very well do a double take when you remember that you’re in a video poker bar. 7

TODDY SHOP 238 S. Rainbow Blvd., TheHKLife.com, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun-Thu, 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri-Sat. The Inspired and Exotic menus start at 5 p.m.

Serving: Bar snacks with Indian flair. Opened: October 10, 2016 :KR·V EHKLQG LW Hero of Las Vegas’ healthy meal delivery scene, Hemant Kishore.

Did you know? Bitter melon is renowned for its health benefits. )DFHERRN Facebook.com/ToddyShopTS1 Twitter: @The6PackChef Clockwise from top left: Queen Karimeen with fried bitter melon; a detail of the same; parotta bread stir-fry with beef; and a detail of the same.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

We put the “Lit” in Literature. 2 foerts1*

tick de with co

LOCAL

“Brilliantly “Boozy, Bawdy conceived!” Hilarity!” -Time Out New York

-The Upside News

For tickets, visit Shotspeare.com *Restrictions apply.

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@marialtamirano Marisela Altamirano shares fashion tips, beauty tricks, travel adventures and interior design steals in her blog, DiverseCityStyle.com. Her aesthetically pleasing Instagram features stylish daytime outfits and beautiful shots of local eateries and lookout spots. For your daily dose of inspiration, follow Marisela at @marialtamirano. 2,120 followers.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

CARTOON COMMENTARY Forget the cable news pundits—South Park will satisfy your current events cravings By Charlie Starling

Question 1: When traditionally satirical news shows such as Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, The Daily Show and (RIP)The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore become your legitimate news sources, where do you turn for satire? Question 2: How exactly does a duo with a disdainful, fuck-it attitude toward just about everything become the masters of that field? The answers to these questions, for many years, have been Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and South Park. The long-running animated show is a fecally fixated funfest of “fuck you” to society. It is universally and viscerally offensive ... and I love it. If you’re already watching, you may want to move along lest I seem a tad nerd-splainy, but please stay. There’s a chance I’m going to turn into a complete wanker and start quoting Shakespeare, and I’m fairly sure that’s what Trey and Matt were going for, right? When I was in school, I used to joke that South Park was my main source for news on current events. But watching the documentary 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park (which I highly recommend), it became quite clear that a social “message” is not what the creators were going for. The writers’ room is pretty much dedicated to making one another laugh and being as offensive as humanly possible. The result, however, is a closer and more scathing representation of our reality than most of modern entertainment achieves. There is no lip service to anyone, nothing is out of bounds and what you’re left with is the dirty, jagged pill of truth. So, here’s that Shakespeare quote I promised ... “For anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.”

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What Hamlet is saying is that art should represent reality, even—and especially—the shitty bits. So, there you go, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone. If the Tony, Emmy and Oscar nods didn’t clinch this for you, you now have a full-time bubble-stripper-ballerina/part-time pop-culture columnist quoting Shakespeare about your work: You’ve arrived. These days, the show is a whole different animal to the paper-animated VHS tapes we used to pass around at middle school like contraband. Stone and Parker’s revolutionary/maybe-really-dangerous-and-stupid method of creating one episode per week means that South Park is ahead of every curve that animated television has to throw. Also, in recent seasons, they’ve moved from stand-alone episode formats to sweeping, season-long arcs that pretty much dismantle the world we now live in. At the time of writing this, Season 20 was only three episodes in, and they’ve already covered Black Lives Matter, standing versus sitting during the national anthem, J.J. Abrams reboots, women in comedy, internet trolls, misogyny and how quitting Twitter is a big fucking deal. The main storylines that are shaping up this season are about “Member Berries,” relaxing superfruits that articulate nostalgic phrases (and are slowly destroying everything I love about nostalgia—my houseful of Chewbacca goodies seems massively tainted now), and, of course, the impending apocalypse, whoops, I mean election. Set up in the finale of the previous season, we see Mr. Garrison running for president (with Caitlin Jenner as his VP pick), facing Hillary Clinton at the ballot box. The question is, will you be voting for the Turd Sandwich or the Giant Douche? Or will you be wrapped in a blanket, binge-watching Stranger Things while stuffing your face with Member Berries and pinpointing every single ’80s reference? Make sure you tweet your answers, folks! Your actions don’t exist unless they’re evidenced online! Finally, South Park seems to have been prophesying its own demise for years. During Season 15 in 2011, my friends and I all shed a tear after the “You’re Getting Old” episode, sure that Trey and Matt were preparing to sign off. Thankfully, we were wrong, but the same creeping fear returned during Season 19 with the emphasis on politically correct culture and how difficult it is to bring certain things up in comedy. I’d like to plea that South Park NEVER END. Keep writing and fighting, Trey and Matt, and I’ll keep comparing you to Olde English dead guys. Now, in the immortal words of Eric Cartman: “Screw you, guys. I’m going home.” Just kidding! I’m already home. And I’m not wearing pants. Journalism is fun. 7 See Charlie Starling in Absinthe, twice nightly in the Spiegeltent at Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wed-Sun. Visit AbsintheVegas.com for tickets. Follow her on Twitter: @charlistarling

SOUTH PARK STILL COURTESY COMEDY CENTRAL

THE MOST FABULOUS THING

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By David G. Schwartz

A Fallen Empire LESSONS FROM THE FALL OF ATLANTIC CITY Last week, the Trump Taj Mahal closed its doors. That’s one less casino on the Boardwalk, one more light dimmed in the city that, 40 years ago, might have knocked Las Vegas off the map as a casino center. Even without the current Republican presidential candidate’s name on the building’s crest, the Taj is as perfect a symbol of Atlantic City’s quick decline as can be imagined. Opened in 1990 as the city’s largest, it kept its place on top of the casino win pile until the 2003 opening of the Borgata. The stilled casino’s minarets and gilded domes now give the sense of a dying empire. It is a stark decline. Since 2006, six Atlantic City casinos have closed. But that’s not the whole story of Atlantic City’s casino woes. Add in the Claridge, which opened as a casino hotel in 1981, was incorporated into Bally’s Atlantic City in 2002, and has since been stripped of its casino, sold and reopened as a nongaming hotel. The former Playboy/Atlantis/ Trump Regency/Trump’s World Fair was closed in 1999 and demolished in 2000, and eight out of the 15 casinos that have opened in Atlantic City are gone. That is an unprecedented collapse for an industry once proclaimed as the city’s savior. Only one property, the Sands, was imploded for a newer, better casino, as has been custom in Las Vegas. But due to declining prospects, the Sands’ replacement failed to materialize. Four of them, including the Taj, had their employees dismissed and doors locked because there was

simply no way to keep them open—the money wasn’t there. Caesars Entertainment reportedly closed its still-profitable Showboat casino in order to improve margins at its three remaining properties. What went wrong? Simply put, those building casinos in Atlantic City banked on an improbability—other states continuing to refuse to legalize gambling even as New Jersey was thriving thanks to a regional monopoly. Clear-sighted observers, going back to then-governor Brendan Byrne in 1977, understood that Atlantic City had only a small window of gambling exclusivity. Instead of anticipating that window’s closure, casino operators, labor leaders and politicians mostly refused to confront the possibility. Over the past 15 years, as competition has become acute, only a handful of properties have committed to the substantial capital investment needed to remain competitive. Those that closed—with one major exception, Revel—did not make those investments. There were plenty of bad decisions, too. Where to start? Burdensome regulations clipped the industry’s growth even in its best years and drove operators like Steve Wynn from the city. Failing to legalize sports betting in the early 1990s, before the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act barred it, was another entirely self-inflicted wound. Legal challenges to Wynn’s late 1990s return to

FIRST STEPS Nevada Ballet Theatre discovers the dancers and audiences of the future By Lissa Townsend Rodgers NEARLY 140 CHILDREN FILL THE cafeteria at Dondero Elementary School in Spring Valley. Benches, backpacks and baby brothers line the walls, clearing space for Thursday’s dance class. Rows of kids turn sneakered toes outward in first position, as a teacher says to make their arms “nice and round, like you’re hugging Santa Claus.” It’s part of Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Go-Move-Dance!!! program, currently in its 25th year of bringing dance to youth in Las Vegas.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

When one thinks of NBT’s presence in our city, their performances at The Smith Center come to mind, but the company also reaches about 20,000 of Clark County students each year. “[In] any major ballet company, educational outreach is always a main component,” explains Terane Comito, the company’s director of education and outreach. “We have a lot of different programs that cover [students] from kindergarten through 12th grade.” Students can experience dance as both observers and

the city denied it not only a world-class resort, but a heavily invested innovator who could have helped it better face the crises of the 2000s. In general, focusing too narrowly on immediate benefits and failing to take intelligent risks sealed the fate of Atlantic City’s casino industry. There is plenty of significance for Las Vegas in Atlantic City’s decline. It, too, has faced mounting competition, but a substantial commitment to both nongaming attractions and marketing has not only kept the city relevant in a post-monopoly era, but actually boosted its appeal. The continuing growth of Las Vegas was never guaranteed or inevitable. For other cities and tribal lands tethered to casino development, Atlantic City’s fate is a reminder that, in a hypercompetitive American gambling market, the house does not always win. Casinos can create jobs and bring in revenues, but they are not a long-term guarantee of prosperity, particularly in the absence of other attractions. Just as Las Vegas shows the upper bounds of a casino-centric tourism strategy, Atlantic City shows its lower bounds. Most cities with casinos likely have experiences somewhere in between these two extremes. That’s no consolation to Atlantic City, of course, but it may help other cities as they negotiate the ups and downs of casino legalization, growth and decline. Barring major social and political realignments in the United States, Atlantic City will never again be a major casino destination. So the city has the chance to pioneer once again. Forty years ago, it showed the rest of the country that a casino gaming industry could be conducted in close proximity to major population centers. Now it has the chance to show that there can be life after casinos. That’s a dubious honor to claim, not doubt, but at this point, there are few other options. 7 David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.

participants, both within their schools and at The Smith Center. Go-Move-Dance!!!, which is in 16 schools, also provides opportunities to see NBT live, and culminates in a yearend performance at The Smith Center. “Most of the schools we go to don’t really have after-school programming. So the kids are excited—it’s like being part of a club or a team,” Comito says. Students who do outstanding work in Go-Move-Dance!!! may progress further: Dance Discovery offers selected students weekly ballet classes. Ultimately, some become Future Dance Scholars, receiving scholarships at the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre. One of the performance opportunities for the Future Dance Scholars is the annual A Choreographer’s Showcase. At NBT’s facility in Summerlin, the 38 students in the program work with company performers and artists from Cirque du Soleil. In a studio, a dozen teenagers run through their piece—after several misses, they nail it and the students seated on the floor applaud. “That was amazing. Do you know why?,” asks the choreographer. “You followed each other. You worked as a team.” Future Dance Scholars will appear in NBT’s upcoming production of The Sleeping Beauty (October 22-23) and in The Nutcracker this December. It’s a full circle: Along with the regular performances of each ballet, NBT does

a School Matinee Series. Students who can’t get to The Smith Center can participate in the In-School Performance Program, which brings authors in collaboration with dancers. In the company’s Story Time Program, NBT dancer Ariel Triunfo reads a book and shares her own story. “She was one of our Future Dance Scholars. She was in our professional company and she just went to school on a dance and drama scholarship,” Comito says. Nevada Ballet Theatre’s programs have also fostered careers. “We have quite a few success stories,” Comito says, noting one former student who is on a partial scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Ailey School and a Future Dance Scholar who’s been accepted as an NBT company trainee while still in high school. “Four graduates of the program are teaching artists in the schools, as well as here in our academy,” she says, adding that some are currently in shows on the Strip. But NBT’s programs aren’t just about developing dancers; they’re also creating audiences. “We are committed to dance education and passionate about bringing the joy of dance into young people’s lives,” says NBT executive director and CEO, Beth Barbre. Whether it’s a day’s performance, a year’s classes or a longer engagement, Nevada Ballet Theatre is teaching Las Vegas’ kids to dance. 7

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA TRUDEAU

GREEN FELT JOURNAL

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SPACES & PLACES

In the Garden of

Good and Evel

Lieuchi Fine brings order and an eye for detail to 'RZQWRZQ·V (YHO 3LH By Al Mancini Photography Cierra Pedro

When Branden Powers, the creative mind behind Golden Tiki, decided to bring an Evel Knievel-themed pizza spot called Evel Pie to 508 Fremont Street, he needed someone to convert the jumbled images in his head and the memorabilia stored in countless crates and boxes into a workable, inviting restaurant. For that, he turned to Lieuchi Fine, the wife of Powers’ business partner, Jeffrey. Fine served as the designer for her husband’s Summerlin concept Daily Kitchen, but even she admits that didn’t quite prepare her for her current undertaking. “I could do [Daily Kitchen] all day long,” she says. “It was sort of homey and more my style. This Evel thing is more interesting. Branden is like the magic man—he’s an anomaly. And I just have to take his ideas and say no to a lot of them, and then he [talks me into] some other ones. It’s an interesting collaboration.” With Powers, Fine faces the blessing—and sometimes curse—of dealing

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with an all-out Knievel devotee. Her knowledge of the legendary stuntman, however, is a bit more casual. “Growing up, I remember Evel,” she says. “I don’t remember his stunts, per se. But I remember the great pride he took in his suits—they were always these crisp white suits with his matching bike. And he had great hair.” Powers, however, has been collecting Evel-themed items for a while now, securing them from sources as diverse as eBay and Knievel’s son Kelly, a partner in the venture. The interior of the pizza place, which is being kept under wraps until a grand unveiling, is reportedly filled with sealed boxes full of memorabilia. And Powers, whose knack for collecting has made Golden Tiki an adventure in kitsch, insists he has no recollection of what’s in each until he opens them. But they were not secured with any consideration of how they might work together in a restaurant. “Branden’s a great big-idea guy,” Fine says diplomatically. “So I fill in the blanks. There’s a lot of, ‘That’s not gonna work. This doesn’t go together. This wood finish doesn’t work with this.’” Fine says her greatest challenges have been with items that are just too big to work in the space, which has been home to Radio City Pizza and most recently the fondue spot F. Pigalle. She’s already put her foot down on at least one motorcycle and a custom T-shirt press. But she’s given in on a taxidermied wild sheep. And then there are the fire features. “We have talked a lot about pyro,” Fine says, laughing. “I love the pyro idea, but it’s a commitment. It’s still on the board. Love the idea, but we could also achieve that doing smoke and lights.” Despite Fine’s calming influence, the restaurant still promises to be a manic menagerie for the senses. We’ll see just how manic she allows her partner to get at the opening later this month. 7

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

SPACES & PLACES

Savor the

Past By Lissa Townsend Rodgers Menus courtesy of UNLV Libraries Special Collections

“Dinner and a show” used to be how Las Vegas had a good time, where men in suits and women in cocktail dresses would sit beneath crystal chandeliers, noshing on self-consciously fancy dishes from pâtés de foie gras to trout almondine. While the dining rooms may be gone, their legacy lives on in the menus—glossy time capsules of a bygone era. The Venus Room in the New Frontier was adorned with pink swag curtains around the stage and abstract Googie art on the walls. The menu design was similarly discordant: sleek and space-age outside, serif fonts inside. The menu itself is a memorial to the haute cuisine of the mid-’50s: Chicken a la King au Sherry, Lobster Thermidor, Chateaubriand Bouquitière for Two. The Venus Room was also where young Elvis Presley had his first, unsuccessful run in Vegas—apparently “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes” didn’t go over so well after one’s Frog Legs and Cherry [sic] Jubilee. The Sands’ Copa Room was hip ’60s Vegas—a Frank Sinatra/Nat King Cole/ Peggy Lee soundtrack in a setting of turquoise walls, red chairs and blond wood. Menus sometimes commemorated special events—a holiday or a headliner or both, such as a late-December program featuring the unlikely combo of Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé with Richard Pryor. The cover makes a graphic Christmas tree out of images of the Sands’ iconic circular roof, and the menu leans toward holiday-oriented offerings such as roast turkey and boiled ham, along with hot mince pie and English plum pudding and something called the Santa Claus Salad. The menus at the Showroom Internationale, the headliners’ home at the International Hotel (now the Westgate), were designed to be souvenirs—heavy leatherette folders adorned with a portrait of the evening’s star, along with an official-looking beribboned seal. Before watching Barbra Streisand or Tom Jones or Ann-Margret, one could dine on Seafood Cocktail Supreme Neptune and Roast Prime Rib of Beef, choosing from a wine list that ranged from $5.50 bottles of Almaden Grenache Rosé to $19 for Mumm’s Vintage Cordon Rouge. The Internationale’s ’70s Continental flair extended to the showroom itself, a vast blue-and-gilt space with purple plush banquettes. Of course, “dinner and a show” has given way to bottle service, celebrity chefs and big-name DJs. But the menus live on … 7

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

SPACES & PLACES

W·V ODUJHU WKDQ LW ORRNV RQ WKH RXWVLGH “In terms of the space itself, I feel confident that this is probably one of the most thought-out and planned fitness studios,” says co-owner and general manager David Craig. The Summerlin location clocks in at 13,000 square feet, which is a 3,000-square-foot upgrade from the Eastern Avenue location. It houses five group fitness studios— two heated and three unheated—and one private studio. The largest room, used for hot Pilates, has a capacity of up to 70 people; the heated yoga room accommodates 60 people and indoor cycling holds 15 bikes. Solo sessions in the private studio are also available, and will be especially useful for soon-to-be-moms once TruFusion Summerlin introduces its prenatal classes. 7KH\ GLG WKHLU KRPHZRUN WR PDNH WKH ULJKW LPSURYHPHQWV “We really researched ... the industry in every [way] that we possibly could,” Craig says. “We learned from the negative reviews of other companies and even … TruFusion Eastern, which actually is very highly rated, but you’ve gotta listen to what people say.” This receptiveness is the reason you’ll find more seating, a wider open concept and additional storage to stash your workout gear. 7UX)XVLRQ NHHSV LWV VSDFH QDWXUDO “This floor is Cali bamboo, driftwood cork, ” Craig says of the heated yoga room. “We really wanted to keep as much of a natural feel as possible.” Seating units and tables are made out of butcher-block wood, which can handle the wear and tear of everyday use. The walls in the heated rooms, Craig says, are treated with a waterproof barrier commonly used in grow houses and ponds. It guards against humidity that causes wall damage, but doesn’t release any potentially harmful substances because the barrier is an all-natural rubber.

/DGLHV UHFHLYH SOHQW\ RI ORYH To say TruFusion Summerlin is for the ladies is an understatement. Based on the other TruFusion locations, Craig says women are “75 to 80 percent of my total clientele,” and the team’s doing everything it can to build on that. In the women’s locker room, you’ll find a makeup corner, a wealth of mirrors backlit with LEDs and plenty of Instagram-friendly lighting. It’s a place where a woman can get ready, not just showered off, he says.

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

7KHUH·V D VFLHQFH WR HYHU\ URRP In the heated yoga room, you’re bound to breathe deeply and release long sighs. But it’s not always because you’re doing the pose right— it’s the color of the walls. Craig explains certain rooms “were designed to evoke certain moods.” In a heated room, you’re going to get a cooling effect from the pastel purple paint that counteracts the muggy atmosphere. In unheated rooms, a warm brickred color gives you a toasty, snug feeling. And in the private studio, a blue and green palette symbolizes self-growth, Craig says. 7KH ORFDWLRQ LV WDLORU PDGH WR WKH QHLJKERUKRRG Craig acknowledges that the Summerlin location needed to align with the Summerlin crowd’s high-end taste. This leads us to the amenity room, which offers everything from massage and acupuncture to IV therapy and facials. “We didn’t cut any corners,” he says. 0DQDJHPHQW LV MXVW DV HQWKXVHG DERXW WKH 7UX7ULEH When we think of management, we think of guys in monkey suits, not guys like Craig in his button-down shirt and sunglasses talking about the Sanskrit significance of the 108 yoga blocks on the studio’s main lobby wall. Yoga repaired much of what was fractured in Craig. A life of sports left him with a broken clavicle and collarbone, and a screwed-up spine, but taking up yoga seven years ago changed his life. He’s practiced regularly since. It’s this notion of a TruTribe—the band of practitioners within TruFusion— that motivates him to grow the fitness community. “That’s sort of the great aspiration,” he says. “We want to make it home.” 7

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CONVERSATIONS

EXORCISE THIS By Jarret Keene

Ghost possesses songs by other artists on its latest EP Throwing heavy metal shade at religion isn’t original, but Sweden’s Ghost does it in a way that’s visually arresting, musically stunning and darker than midnight. The Grammy-winning group—five Nameless Ghoul musicians and papal-frocked, skull-faced frontman Papa Emeritus III—is set to play a packed Brooklyn Bowl this weekend for a stop on its Popestar tour. Expect many in the crowd to loudly sing along with the band’s blasphemous lyrics, from the Lucifer-loving chorus of “He Is” to a guitar-blasting ode to blood-soaked Countess Báthory in “Elizabeth.” “We perform exceptionally well in Las Vegas,” confesses one of the Nameless Ghouls during a recent phone call with Vegas Seven. “We seem to be skilled at tapping into the moneymaking entertainment machine of your super-Satanic city.” The Nameless Ghoul insists Sin City will never reach the depraved depths to which older European locales descended over the centuries. Still,

he admires the Strip. “We love the pop culture surrounding it,” he says. “Elvis. The Mob. Nuclear tests. The city’s background is enthralling.” So is Ghost’s background. Formed in 2008, the band has released three albums and two EPs, and has somehow kept secret the identities of its hooded members. But Ghost’s strongest asset is in blending sinister guitar riffs with alluring melodies like an updated version of ’80s rock-radio arcanists Blue Öyster Cult. Indeed, eerie symbolism and metaphors abound.

The first (and only original) track on the band’s recent Popestar EP, “Square Hammer,” is the epitome of weird beauty. On one level, the song seems to address the rites of Freemasonry. But closer inspection reveals an impenetrability designed to conjure an aura of mystery and menace. “It’s an occult song,” explains the Ghoul. “Sometimes you happen upon an inexplicable phrase, a sequence of words, that gives you pause. Like when The Beatles met Bob Dylan for the first time and tried weed. In the morning they found a note: ‘There are seven levels.’ No one knew what it meant, but it haunted them for years.” The Ghoul claims to cherish the artists and songs Ghost tackles on Popestar: Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Nocturnal Me,” originally a symphonic, acoustic-guitar ballad, is amplified and toughened up. The Eurythmics’ “Missionary Man,” too,

is savagely rendered. Ghost also manages to inject venom into British house-music duo Simian Mobile Disco’s “I Believe.” “Not every song we’ve attempted to cover works,” he admits. “Sometimes a song isn’t cut out for rock-based instrumentation. We can usually make most pop tunes sound ‘metal,’ because their melodies allow for exploration.” The online heavy metal community certainly labored to explore the possible identity of Ghost’s new female bassist. One has to ask: Where does Ghost fall on the question of gender equality? Is it even possible under Lucifer? “Oh, we wish it were possible,” the Ghoul says. “We’ve talked for years about expanding the range of our membership, but the opportunity didn’t present itself until now.” Wait, it sounds like Ghost doesn’t believe America can be made great again. I mean, how satanic can the band be if it doesn’t think we should move backward to go forward in accordance with Donald Trump’s vision? “America is great, but maybe not in the way the dumb guy with the hair believes. There are many things we love about your country. Your nation’s potential is a beautiful thing. You should be proud.” 7

Ghost With Marissa Nadler, Brooklyn Bowl, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., $31.75-$275, BrooklynBowl.com/Las-Vegas October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

CONVERSATIONS

hen your business provides luxury linens to the best hotels in the world, it’s the hand-embroidered details that make guests feel like they’ve slipped into something truly special. Just ask Mona Steck, founder of Settings by Mona, a Las Vegas-based luxury linen company. Steck has created customized table linens, napkins and bedding for 16 years, with a client roster that includes the Mansion at MGM Grand, the Cosmopolitan and her most recent project, Wynn Cotai Palace. “We don’t have a catalog you pick from,” Steck says. “We custom-design for each property we work with.” When silk prices rose, Steck crafted her own poly-silk fabric that feels and looks just as luxurious and is washable. She says her textiles survive the wash cycle almost twice as long as many others. Guests kept calling about where they could buy the signature dragonfly napkins she made for Sinatra restaurant that Wynn now offers them in the hotel’s home store, where they also sell Steck’s designs exclusive to Wing Lei, The Country Club and Mizumi. “It becomes a look, and people come to expect that napkin,” Steck says. “Once the restaurant decor changes, the napkin changes. There is something very sensual about a beautiful-feeling fabric. It’s going to be on your face.” Steck reveals that the creative process with Wynn’s famed design director Roger Thomas is nothing short of exciting. “Sometimes it’s very specific and I execute what he wants,” Steck says. “Other times I come up with several options for him, present them, and then he chooses and picks what works best.” Looking ahead, Steck sees her business heading toward bedding, with a potential for retailing her collections. But for now, it’s all about providing a unique product for customers with discerning tastes. “At the end of the day, we really are all about making sure that it’s as durable as it is beautiful,” Steck says. “We would much rather have a happy customer, and it’s all about custom here. You don’t want what someone else has at the other end of the Strip. We’re able to offer that—something they can’t find anywhere else.” Settings is currently working with Aria on their newly renovated banquet and meeting space designing custom linens, as well as Vdara. Steck is also involved with a top secret hotel project overseas that is being billed as the “most luxurious hotel in the world” slated to open end of 2016. 7

By Kayla Dean

Photography Krystal Ramirez

A Seat at the Table 48

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

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CONVERSATIONS

A Conversation With a Gay Rabbi Oct. 20, 7 p.m., free, Midbar Kodesh Temple, 1940 Paseo Verde Pkwy., LasVegasPride.org

Cultural Shift Openly gay rabbi Joel Alter talks about his faith, life and experience in the LGBTQ community By Jessi C. AcuĂąa

Hendersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Midbar Kodesh Temple will host Rabbi Joel Alter on October 20 for â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Conversation With a Gay Rabbi,â&#x20AC;? which is part of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weeklong Pride Las Vegas celebration. After spending five years in the closet during his training in rabbinical school, Rabbi Alter now works at his alma mater, New York Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish Theological Seminary of America, as director of admissions for its inclusive rabbinical and cantorial schools. Vegas Seven caught up with Rabbi Alter to discuss his speaking engagement and how the LGBTQ movement has progressed within Judaism. What can we expect at your event at Midbar Kodesh? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m anticipating that there may be some sense

of alienation, however vaguely felt, from the organized Jewish community. I want to deliver a message: â&#x20AC;&#x153;No, actually, this place called Judaism, this place called Jewish community, is home.â&#x20AC;? And [share] how I experienced that and continue to experience that. ,W ZDV GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WR EH RSHQO\ JD\ LQ \RXU FKRVHQ SURIHVVLRQ DW WKH WLPH \RX HQWHUHG UDEELQLFDO VFKRRO 'LG \RX KDYH D 3ODQ %" I knew exactly

who I was, Jewishly. I was coming out to myselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;becoming aware, in a concrete way, that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m gayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;during the year or two between college and when I started rabbinical school. [Being gay] seemed to threaten my prospects for my Jewish life, but I forged ahead. I figured it would work out because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the path that I was on. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what it meant to be gay, anyway. As it turned out, the world of Jewish education, and

the world I entered upon ordination, on a professional path, was quickly very accepting. :KDW UROH KDYH $PHULFDQ FXOWXUDO VKLIWV VXFK DV PDUULDJH HTXDOLW\ SOD\HG LQ WKH HYROXWLRQ RI WKH -HZLVK /*%74 VFHQH" Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been hugely important.

The Conservative movement [which, in Jewish American nomenclature, is a liberal movement] has always prided itself on a deep engagement with contemporary society, ethics, morality, science and sociology. The job of a religious community thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engaged in the modern context is to be engagedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;learn with, learn fromâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but not to be led by. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be in a position where you say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I think current society has a better argument, [so] weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just going to set aside the religious tradition.â&#x20AC;? You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that [and maintain] integrity. What are you most proud of in terms of SURJUHVV PDGH LQ WKH PRYHPHQW" Publicly, the

formal establishment of gay and lesbian weddings, marriages and divorce rituals is a wonderful marker of advancement, where the will of the ethical and social desire is translated into a concrete religious structure. Here is what it looks like when two people of the same gender marry and when that marriage is dissolved. The rhetoric that we hear so often in American culture is that marriage is between a man and a woman. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what marriage was exclusively in Judaism, too, until people sat down and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to create a structure that is marriage and is between two people of the same gender.â&#x20AC;? 7

By James P. Reza

Vegas Pizza, Part 2: Late-Night Pie Your Native has frequently lamented the lingering decline of late-night Vegas. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also pointed out where fans of overnight frolic can still find it (Chinatown). Still, while researching last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s column about old Vegas pizza places, it was surprising how many late-night local joints we once enjoyed. While reader-fave Carboneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was open (and delivered) â&#x20AC;&#x153;onlyâ&#x20AC;? until 11 p.m. on weeknights (1 a.m. Friday and Saturday), Pizza Bella delivered until 1 a.m. seven days a week. Many others were open for dine-in and delivery 24/7, including both Tower of Pizza locations, Back East Pizza, Galloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Italian Food and my personal fave, Genoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. (Research side note: Who knew Larryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Villa, the divey topless club recently stripped of its licensing and shuttered, was once a 24-hour pizza, spaghetti and sandwich joint?) Looking back, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure if any of Genoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three locations even had a dining room, but their delivery vans were ubiquitous throughout the valley. Many a sleepless sleepover was powered by an Atari 2600 and Genoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pizza while the parents were out on the town. (We all survived; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t call the authorities.) Genoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crafted deeply delicious Sicilian pies featuring quality toppings layered under melted cheese on a delectable crust. One of my current pizza faves so reminds me of Genoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that whenever I open the Naked City box and inhale, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m immediately transported back to those moments. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing how food can do that. With the decline of late-night Vegas and the ascent of national pizza chains, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting harder to get a local pie delivered to your door at 3 a.m. Harder, but not impossible. Sofiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Cafe Verdi each offer 24/7 delivery; while Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never tried them, their accessibility counts for something. The Bootlegger is open 24/7, though you have to dine in, pick it up or use one of those fancy app-based delivery services. Boston Pizza (founded in 1974) once boasted three locations. Two were 24 hours, but the Las Vegas Boulevard spot closed at 2 a.m. Today, only that location remains. The good news? It now delivers until 3:30 a.m. every day. Even better? Supposedly, their celebrated Buffalo chicken fingers can be added as a pizza topping. Winning!. 7

CONVERSATIONS

Finding Wellness Within Author and alternative medicine advocate Dr. Deepak Chopra comes to The Smith Center to discuss the future of health By Jessi C. Acuña “‘What do I want from my life?’ That’s just asking a question, but if you start with a question, you will start to experience that all the answers are within you.” This self-inquiry is author and doctor Deepak Chopra’s suggestion of an entry point to meditation for the weary or uninitiated. As we speak, he’s walking the streets of New York City. It’s surprisingly quiet in the background, calm even. He offers up more queries: “What kind of relationships do I want?” “What kind of physical health do I want?” The daily examination is a path to change, according to the integrative medicine doctor, and it’s one of the themes he will address during his one-night engagement, The Future of Wellbeing, at The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall on October 28. His talk, which concludes with a 15-minute guided meditation, focuses on the human experience—thoughts, emotions, relationships— and how it influences our biology. “We now know through what is called neuroplasticity and epigenetics that we can actually influence the expression of our genes to optimize our well-being,” he says. This includes physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, as well as what Dr. Chopra believes extends to social, economic, financial and even community well-being. “They are all results of how we experience or interpret life in our consciousness.” These concepts are fresh off his two latest books: Radical Beauty: How to Transform Yourself From the Inside Out (co-authored with celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder) and Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being (co-authored with Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D.). He’s in New York promoting the former. Regarding his upcoming event, he says to expect lots of slides as he guides the audience through research and studies revolving around higher consciousness, transformation and healing. It’s evident from his over 80 published books to regular television appearances that the medicine man is the manifestation of what he preaches: spirited, robust, on the go. In addition to having just launched Radical Beauty, this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, the workshop and retreat space in California that he co-founded. Though much of its research initiatives, such as the effects of mind-body practices on health, are funded through his Chopra Foundation, the offerings at the center are the inner workings from which the foundation’s studies can now back up the wellness claims. “We didn’t have the science; we couldn’t measure gene expressions,” he says. “Now we have the science to look at how our body ages, gene expressions and so much more.”

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

You wouldn’t be alone to write him and his alternative medicine jargon off—despite a cultural shift pointing in his favor. He’s still optimistic about the cynics. “After all these years, I’ve realized that the best way to deal with all these critics is to totally ignore them, because they can’t stand it,” he says. One skeptic he can’t ignore, however, is presidential nominee Donald Trump. “A lot of times we do things out of fear, not realizing the impact,” he says. “Trump has no idea about economics. He’s so used to not paying his taxes that he thinks he can get away with anything.” Dr. Chopra is active in anti-Trump dialogue via TV appearances as well as covering it in his column for The Huffington Post. He has a fervent approach to castigating Trump. This is perhaps the same ardor he applies to disregarding his detractors: “[My] critics are old, obsolete males, the ones who are going to vote for Trump.” As our conversation nears its end, a siren sounds in the background while he’s describing the inefficiency and impracticality of multitasking. “We live in a culture that has a lot of stress—like the siren you just heard,” he says. His goal? To help your future self recognize that you’re an empowered being—perhaps one day even the type who can make a walk down a New York City street seem meditative. 7

“‘What do I want from my life?’ ... ‘What kind of relationships do I want?’ ‘What kind of physical health do I want?’ ... The daily examination is a path to change ...”

Deepak Chopra: The Future of Wellbeing Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m., $35-$175, Reynolds Hall, TheSmithCenter.com

CONVERSATIONS

Rollin Smoke Barbeque Hwaro My favorite under-the-radar restaurant is Hwaro in Chinatown because you can never go wrong with $20 all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue! 5030 Spring Mountain Rd. –Zach McKee, photographer

Broadway Pizzeria

Jjanga Japanese Restaurant As an avid sushi lover, my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas would have to be Jjanga, a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown. I’ve tried countless sushi joints throughout the Valley but nothing comes close in terms of quality and roll creativity. They even have private rooms for karaoke sessions. 3650 S. Decatur Blvd., Jjangas.com –Ashley Miles, writer

Settebello Settebello at The District is my local dig. If you love thin crust, the Napoletana kicks it up a notch. At the center of the back wall is their wood-burning oven, which pumps out creative combos such as the spicy Diavalo (peppered salami and roasted bell peppers). 140 S. Green Valley Pkwy., Settebello.net, @settebellopizzeria –Shannon Miller, editorial assistant

Top of the World The sleeper hit of Las Vegas. The dining room revolves so you are never stuck with a view you don’t like for very long. I love the galactic motif of the carpet with planets and asteroids—it reminds me of Disneyland. The food is superb—steaks, seafood and other classic favorites. And watching the bungee jumpers soar from the upper deck of the tower while you dine is a completely surreal experience. Only in Vegas! In the Stratosphere, TopOfTheWorldLV.com –Melinda Sheckells, editor in chief

October 20 -26, 2016 vegasseven.com

As a New Yorker, Broadway Pizzeria is the only slice in Vegas that isn’t disappointing. Go Neapolitan or Sicilian crust on everything from the white pizza to the Sicilian marinara pie—calzones and stuffed garlic knots are also standouts worth getting stuffed for. 840 S. Rancho Dr., BroadwayPizzeriaLV.com –Lissa Townsend Rodgers, senior writer

Lucky No.

Rollin Smoke Barbeque is the best BBQ in town hands down. The portions are more than generous, the food is smack-yomamma tasty, the staff is super outgoing and friendly and the “spudtastic” baked potato is a must try. Did I mention they have an all-you-can-eat option? 3185 Highland Dr., RollinSmokeBarbeque.com, @rollinsmokebbq –Ally Tatosian, writer

Tacos & Beer

A hospitality industry hang like its cousins Herbs & Rye and El Dorado, Tacos & Beer offers a warm, bright environment for friends to gather over delicious, satisfying and inexpensive tacos and an intriguing revolving beer list. 3900 Paradise Rd., TacosAndBeerLasVegas.com, @tacosandbeerop –Xania Woodman, senior editor

Our favorite off-the-beaten-path restaurants

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