FREE June 22–28, 2017 « TRICKED-OUT LYFT RIDE / WINNER, WINNER, BLUE RIBBON CHICKEN DINNER / BEAT THE HEAT WITH SLUSHY DRINKS »
Nip &Tuck
— beyond botox & rhinoplasty, the big, beautiful world of elective surgery —
ON THE COVER
JULY 7-9
THE B-52’S
7:30PM 18+
JULY 10 7:30PM 18+
DITA VON TEESE
SEPT 27,29,30 7:30PM 18+ ON SALE 6/23
JUNE 30 10PM - 1AM ALL AGES
Read Vegas Seven right-side up and then flip it over and start again with Seven Nights, featuring after-dark entertainment and the week’s nightlife happenings.
JOE WALSH
ROCKSTAR KARAOKE
ROCK OUT WITH YOUR OWN LIVE BAND
NIP & TUCK ISSUE Illustration STUART BRIERS
JULY 1
DUELING PIANOS
10PM - 1AM 18+
JULY 8
12PM - 3PM ALL AGES
NOW TAKING REQUESTS
Redefining beauty and health through cosmetic surgery, elective procedures and shifting provider practices.
NO REGRETS BRUNCH WITH PAUL CHARLES BAND
WARREN G
JUNE 23
SPECIAL GUEST HOST & PERFORMANCE
10PM | 21+
SEVEN NIGHTS For the 20th anniversary of Drai’s, Victor Drai and his circle offer a retrospective of the After Hours club that partygoers have lined up for since the ’90s.
JUNE 24 10PM | 21+
KONFLIKT
HOUSEOFBLUES.COM/LASVEGAS @HOBLASVEGAS
702.632.7600
TABLE OF CONTENTS Blue Ribbon’s fried chicken page 26
JUNE 22–28, 2017 TO DO
30 Worth the Brain Freeze
11 24/7
What to do around the clock. BY JASON R. LATHAM
14 Back to the Future
The Ataris frontman Kris Roe on his early songwriting.
Slushy drinks you can order without shame. BY XANIA V. WOODMAN PLUS: Chubby
Cattle update
BY JARRET KEENE
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
17 A Different Stage
33 Call an (Art) Car
Cirque’s Parade the Collective brings fashion to the annual art exhibit.
BY DAPHNE-JAYNE CORRALES PLUS:
The Deal
Explore DTLV, Burning Man style. BY RYAN VELLINGA
34 The Scale of Things Derek Stevens looks to Downtown’s past to see its future.
FEATURE
BY DAVID G. SCHWARTZ
18 Plastics 101
CONVERSATIONS
A head-to-toe guide to noninvasive and cosmetic surgeries. BY MISTI YANG
20 Let’s Talk to
the Professionals
The pros and cons behind controversial elective procedures.
36 Powder & Paint
Cosmetic-line owner and former model Judith August continues to find success in the beauty industry. BY ERIKA KIMBLE
38 Lucky No. 7
BY ROB KACHELRIESS
Where we go for a beauty boost.
22 A New Kind
BY WENDOH STAFF
of Concierge
A peek inside the latest medical-industry shift.
PLUS: Ask
a Native
BY DIANA EDELMAN
SEVEN NIGHTS
TASTE
What To Do After Dark
25 Smooth Moves
The Fairytale Smoothie Bowl at Smooth Eats. BY GENEVIE DURANO
26 Taste of Home
The Bromberg brothers create throwback favorites at Blue Ribbon Las Vegas. BY MARISA FINETTI
28 Dish & Tell
OUR SITES TO SEE
Concerts, nightclubs, food and experiences. BY JASON R. LATHAM
[Behind the Bar] The Laundry Room’s speakeasy specialist puts the “DL” in DTLV.
VegasSeven.com Medical Marijuana Patients in Recreational Marijuana Times How will the switch to adult recreational cannabis impact those already in the medical marijuana program? Is it worthwhile to keep your card? Will there be different inventory? We take a look in vegasseven.com/cannabis.
DTLV.com Sin City Gallery Moves Out of the Arts Factory After nine years, the provocative studio is closing its doors. But this isn’t the end. Owner Laura Henkel plans to host sexy pop-up exhibitions nationally and internationally.
BY BOB BARNES
Drai’s Turns 20
Inside the After Hours club that transformed Las Vegas nightlife. BY JASON R. LATHAM
RunRebs.com UNLV’s New Starting Quarterback Tony Sanchez names the highly touted Armani Rogers as starting quarterback for fall.
[Drink This]
Waterfront dining, Breton salted caramel and a dessert-only spot you can “Bank” on.
Bottles that will light up your night.
BY MARISA FINETTI
BY XANIA V. WOODMAN PLUS: Pool
parties
SpyOnVegas.com The Hookup Find upcoming events, see highlights from the hottest parties, meet the DJs and more.
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
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ABOUT THE COVER ARTIST
STUART BRIERS Stuart Briers is a freelance illustrator who creates conceptorientated images for books and magazines in the U.S. and the U.K. Working from his London-based studio, he crafts illustrations using a variety of techniques. “I come from a background of making pictures with traditional materials—a practical experience I’ve transferred to a digital environment where I build up a picture using pen and brush tools, scanned drawn elements, man-made and digital textures and photography. These elements are composited on the computer, where color is then added as a final step. “I like to combine realism with the unrealistic-looking to find unusual juxtapositions while creating eye-catching images.” stuartbriers.com
Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger President Michael Skenandore Chief Financial Officer Sim Salzman Vice President, Marketing and Events Keith White Creative Director Sherwin Yumul Technical Director Herbert Akinyele Controller Jane Weigel
Letters and Story Ideas Comments@VegasSeven.com Advertising Sales@VegasSeven.com Distribution Distribution@VegasSeven.com
VEGAS SEVEN 701 Bridger Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101 702-798-7000 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada. © 2017 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.
Publisher
Michael Skenandore Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Melinda Sheckells MANAGING EDITOR, DINING EDITOR
Genevie Durano SENIOR EDITOR, LIFESTYLE
Jessi C. Acuña ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Mark Adams EDITOR AT LARGE
Lissa Townsend Rodgers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Shannon Miller EDITORIAL INTERNS
Michaela Chesin, Katie Michaels, Ryan Vellinga, Charlotte Wall, Kiona Wilson Senior Contributing Editor Xania V. Woodman (Beverage) Contributing Editors Michael Green (Politics), David G. Schwartz (Gaming/Hospitality) Art CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Benjamin Ward SENIOR DESIGNER
Cierra Pedro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Krystal Ramirez Online DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT
Zoneil Maharaj WEB EDITORS
Jessie O’Brien, Amber Sampson CONTRIBUTING WRITER, RUNREBS.COM
Tyler Bischoff Production/Distribution DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
Marc Barrington ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jimmy Bearse Sales BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Christy Corda DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES
Nicole Niazmand ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Brittany Quintana, Mimi Tran ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Robyn Weiss DIRECTOR OF SALES, BILLBOARD DIVISION
John Tobin
DANCING ZEBRAS AND A HUMAN TORCH,
Before hurrying off for an evening with
Yuliya takes a moment to tidy up around the yard.
”
Get to know your neighbors at CirqueduSoleil.com/neighbors Tickets From $49*
*
Subject to availability. Management researves all rights.
”
TO DO
What to do around the clock in Las Vegas By Jason R. Latham
THURSDAY 22
Grab your bathing suits and hit up Wet ’n’ Wild as the water park joins a worldwide attempt to break the current Guinness World Record for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson: 36,564 participants from 24 countries. When it’s over, you get free admission to the park all day. 9:45 a.m., 7055 S. Fort Apache Rd., wetnwildlasvegas.com After you’ve spent the day in the sun, recharge and refresh at Divine Café’s happy hour at the Springs Preserve. Drinks start at $2 for beer and $6 for wine. 4–8 p.m., springspreserve.org
PHOTO BY GLENN PINKERTON/L AS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
FRIDAY 23
Get ready to celebrate, because the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con is back! The three-day extravaganza is celebrating its 5th anniversary at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with a guest lineup that includes Stan “The Man” Lee, comic artist Todd McFarlane, Star Wars and X-Men actor Ray Park and many of your favorite Las Vegas artists. The late, great Batman star Adam West was also set to appear before his passing earlier this month. He’ll be missed tremendously. Through June 25, 3–8 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sun., $25–$35 single-day passes, $60 threeday passes, amazingcomiccon.com Amateur boxers from around the country will be competing at Sam’s Town Live during the first Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Invitational. These Future Stars of Boxing range in age from 8 to 26 years old, so you could be catching someone really early in their career. 2 p.m., $10, inside Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, samstownlive.com
Downtown Grand’s eSports venue is hosting an Overwatch 6v6 Tournament with a $600 pot bonus. Participants should bring their own mouse and keyboards. 2 p.m. registration (4 p.m. start time), $15, downtowngrand.com Silverton Casino is showing the animated musicalcomedy Sing as part of its Sunset Cinema series. Families can bring food, and every guest gets a pair of headphones to enjoy the show. There’s also free karaoke! 6 p.m., silvertoncasino.com SATURDAY 24
The sweet, smoky smell of barbecue is in the air at the 14th annual Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at Cannery Casino Hotel in North Las Vegas. Southern Nevada Smokehouse, Road Kill Grill, Big Mess BBQ, 777 Brewery and more will be on the menu, and the music lineup includes the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bill Magee Blues Band and Luggnutt. 4 p.m., $10, cannerycasino.com Downtown Summerlin’s Andiron Steak and Sea welcomes the start of summer with its Hamptonsinspired White Party. The menu includes a poke bar, ceviche, carving and grill stations, along with a specialized cocktail menu. All-white attire is “strongly suggested,” which means you’ll be embarrassed if you wear blue jeans or a black dress. Just don’t do it. 6 p.m., $79, 1720 Festival Plaza Dr., andironsteak.com
The Lon Bronson Band will be performing the music of James Brown inside Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center. 8 p.m., $15–$35, thesmithcenter.com The Colosseum at Caesars Palace goes country for the latest round of its Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas residency shows. 7:30 p.m., $60–$205, caesarspalace.com Or get out of town for the night and enjoy classic hits from the ’60s to the ’90s as the James Presley Band performs at MonteLago Village in Lake Las Vegas. 7 p.m. free, lakelasvegas.com Introduce yourself to many of Las Vegas’ self-published and indie authors at the Local Author Showcase meet-and-greet at Downtown bookstore The Writer’s Block. 5 p.m., 1020 Fremont Street, thewritersblock.org Fiesta Rancho invites you to cool down to some tunes at its DJ Skate Night at Sobe Ice Arena, with tunes supplied by DJ Herrera. 7–10 p.m., $10 (includes skate rental), stationcasinosevents.com
Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con returns for another weekend of fandom and frenzy.
You could also try wearing all white to the Pig Roast at Mountain Springs Saloon. Let us know how that works out for you. Noon–5 p.m., $10, 9350 Williams Ranch Rd., 702-875-4266
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
11
TO DO
24/7
THE DEAL BY ANTHONY CURTIS
Happy Hour Burgers REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN A $10 PRICE
SUNDAY 25
TUESDAY 27
Green Valley Ranch Resort is hosting the alternative to the traditional 21-and-up Vegas pool party. Sure, there’s going to be a DJ at The Pond, but you’re much less likely to get caught in the crossfire of Champagne-spraying water guns. 11 a.m., $20–$30, stationcasinosevents.com
Clark County Library is hosting a free midday screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window as part of its Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou: Stories from the Big Apple movie series. 1 p.m., 1401 E. Flamingo Rd., lvccld.org
Tropicana Las Vegas is hosting Golden Rainbow’s 31st Annual Ribbon of Life dance production for one day only. The show, titled Reimagined, features acts by Strip production performers set to familiar Top 40 hits. Noon, $50-$200, troplv.com Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues will be transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for PotterParty Las Vegas, hosted by PotterCon. It’s a 21-and-up celebration of all things Harry Potter, with a costume contest, trivia, Wizards’ Chess and lots of merch. So clear some space off your shelves. 2 p.m., $15, houseofblues.com MONDAY 26
Those Dean Martin roasts were the greatest, so it’s nice to see daughter Deana carry on the tradition. She’s wrapping a weekend of South Point performances with the Deana Martin Celebrity Roast, where Las Vegas entertainer Dennis Bono is the man of the hour and proceeds will benefit Opportunity Village. 6 p.m., $35, southpointcasino.com
Catch a screening of a Hitchcock classic at the Clark County Library.
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June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
It’s only Tuesday and you desperately need to unwind. You’re in luck. Party at the Park on the Strip between Monte Carlo and New York-New York has free admission and $5 beer, wine and shot specials, plus music by the Tony Marques band. 5–9 p.m., theparkvegas.com WEDNESDAY 28
Start revving up your appetite for the 11th annual Las Vegas Restaurant Week, which will see several local restaurants offering specials to benefit Three Square Food Bank. On the menu at Buddy V’s Ristorante: a $20 lunch special with a choice of Spaghetti & Meatballs, Chicken Parm or the Chicken Chopped Salad for the main course, and a $40 dinner featuring entrée selections such as Spaghetti Bolognese, Mediterranean Sea Bass, Chicken Parm or My Dad’s Bucatini. Save room for dessert: a choice of tiramisu or cannoli and cookies. 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 702-607-2355 for reservations, Grand Canal Shoppes, buddyvlasvegas.com Grab a chair and a picnic basket and take the family to Downtown Summerlin for the free Summer Concert Series, featuring DJs and performances by Union Drifters and The Orange Feathers. 4 p.m., downtownsummerlin.com Looking for more stuff to do in Las Vegas? Check out vegasseven.com/calendar.
tag on a burger made you blink? That certainly isn’t the case anymore. Today, “gourmet burgers” at the big steakhouses top $20, and even bar burgers typically go for double figures. Can prime beef on a bun really be worth upward of 20 bills? It doesn’t seem like it. Then again, some of these top-shelf dandies are darned impressive. Solution? Eat ’em at a discount by taking advantage of happy hour. I’m not talking about the “sliders” that you’ll find on happy hour menus all over town, but full-sized burgers that fetch at least double the price when ordered from the main menu. One of the best is available at the two Fleming’s Steakhouses (Town Square and West Charleston Boulevard), where the 5-6-7 happy hour runs 5–7 p.m. daily in the bar. There are five discount food choices here, including the prime burger, topped with cheese, bacon, onion, lettuce and tomato, plus an order of fries. It’s normally $13.95, but just $8 during happy hour. You can also swap the fries for two giant onion rings that are almost as impressive as the burger. Cocktails and wine by the glass are $6-$8, Blue Moon is only $3 and other beers start at $7. An even better play is available at the new Hawthorn Grill inside the JW Marriott on Rampart Boulevard, where the Hawthorn burger is as good as any you’ll find in that $20 category and a relative bargain at $15 retail. But during the daily happy hour from 4–6 p.m., everything (except oysters) on the bar menu is half price, making this excellent burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and butter pickles, served on a brioche bun with fries, a steal for $7.50. Grab a $2 draft and you’re livin’ large for less than 10 bucks. The same concept holds true for bar burgers, where an already good deal can become downright awesome. The Porchlight Grille (8416 W. Desert Inn Rd.) has several hamburger variations starting at $8.99. That’s a good price for the quality, but from midnight to 3 a.m., almost everything on the menu is half price, making it just $4.50 for a loaded 6- to 8-ouncer with fries or rings. Get fancy with mushrooms, bacon, etc., and you’re still under $6. Not quite as cheap, but still a deal, all burger variations are $8 on Saturdays from 5–10 p.m. There’s more than hamburgers at Porchlight and good specials run every day, including a creative mix-and-match $9.95 lunch. A $4.50 burger is tough to beat, but Charlie’s Down Under (1950 N. Buffalo Dr.) beats it. This is another local bar with a strong 24-hour kitchen that specializes in big burgers. They’re good any time, but from 11 p.m.–5 a.m. the Charlie’s Burger is just $2.99. If you’re burgered out, other graveyard specials include a steak sandwich, sliders and biscuits and gravy, all $2.99. These are my best discount-burger gotos. There are others: See if you can find a banger of your own. 7 Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and lasvegasadvisor.com.
AMPLIFY
YOUR SUMMER!
200 S. 3rd Street Las Vegas, NV 89101 800.745.3000 Get your tickets now at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center Box Office or ticketmaster.com.Â
TO DO
By Jarret Keene Photography Erik Kabik & Justin DeGuzman
Back To The Future To move THE ATARIS forward, frontman KRIS ROE reflected on his early songwriting efforts
A
fter a two-month tour of mainland Europe followed by a barebones jaunt through England, you’d imagine the Ataris frontman (and sole original member) Kris Roe might be, if only slightly, dreading a summer-long stint with the Vans Warped Tour. After all, that’s a lot of shows on sun-beaten blacktop across the U.S. Still, Roe says he can’t complain. He knows his life is amazing, and he insists he never takes it for granted. And no matter how many times Roe sings a tune he’s written—even one that’s 20 years old—he often finds himself onstage smiling, sometimes getting choked up. You can hear the emotion in his voice, which has matured and gone gritty, as evident in last year’s rocked-up and acclaimed October in This Railroad Earth EP. Fascinatingly, Roe, 40, wrote the six songs back in the ’90s, before the Indiana-spawned Ataris cinched mainstream success with a 2003 cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.” “I’d written [the Railroad Earth songs] when I was 14, and the way I sing them on the EP is how I imagined them as a kid,” Roe reveals during a recent phone chat with Vegas Seven, ahead of Warped Tour’s June 23 stop at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. You could easily make the case that the Ataris’ current performances of old chestnuts such as “In This Diary” and “San Dimas High School Football Rules” are—dare I say it—more forceful than and much improved over the original recordings. With a set featuring mostly favorites, the Ataris are more than happy to give fans what they want to hear. “These days I try to build on the songs I wrote when I was younger, rather than change them,” Roe says. “I keep them true to my original intent, but I also work to make them more powerful.” Power has always been an aspect of the Ataris’ punk-pop sound. Another adjective you might apply to the Ataris? Uncompromising. “I think it’s great where we are in our career,” Roe insists. “It’s good to be the underdog. You know when I’ve been happiest? Not when the Ataris were on the radio every five minutes. I’m happiest when we’re DIYing, packing our own merch, driving ourselves to shows. If I really had wanted to go further, I would’ve had to compromise, and I only compromise with people I respect—my band, my wife. But I’m content to play for several hundred to a thousand people every night.” 7
Vans Warped Tour June 23, 11 a.m., $35, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, vanswarpedtour. com/dates/las-vegas Clockwise from left: Kris Roe, scenes from Warped Tour 2016 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
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June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
B O R N I N S O H O. B U I LT for V E GAS.
For 25 years, Blue Ribbon cooked up something unexpected in the Soho dining scene: an eclectic culinary hot spot that served up surprising fare—and became adored by NYC chefs and epicureans alike. Now, the story continues as The Cosmopolitan adds Blue Ribbon to our famed restaurant collection.
NOW OPEN. DINNER. LATE NIGHT.
cosmopolitanlasvegas.com | 877.552.7778
TO DO
A Different Stage Cirque du Soleil adds fashion to employee showcase By Daphne-Jayne Corrales Photography Antonio ‘Turbo’ Allen
C
Parade the Collective Through June 30, Wed.–Sat., 12–5 p.m. Haute Neon Nights June 29, 7–10 p.m. Metropolitan Gallery Las Vegas, 450 E. Fremont St., Suite 270, donations accepted, facebook.com/hauteneonnights.
irque du Soleil’s annual art exhibition Parade the Collective, which features works from its local performers, technicians and staff, is now in its 12th year. On exhibit at the Metropolitan Gallery Las Vegas this month are sculptures, paintings, photography, video and mixed-media, including a jester-patterned aluminum chainmail shirt by Michael Rawlins of O and a 3/4-scale animatronics robot by Preston Altree of Michael Jackson ONE. “It’s an opportunity for our employees to exhibit their own original work,” says Brooke Wahlquist, project coordinator of community events at Cirque du Soleil. “Although [the Collective] is primarily a visual art display exhibition that is hung up on the wall, we also open it up as an opportunity to present work in a more live-action way.” And what better way to make it alive than with a fashion show. On June 29, four African-inspired collections hit the runway at the Collective’s Haute Neon Nights event, which also takes place at the gallery. Modeled by both Cirque employees and nonemployees, expect all shapes and sizes showcasing the looks, as well as dancing and even a contortionist—this is Cirque, after all. Lillian Love Dennis and Marisa Townsend, wardrobe technicians at Michael Jackson ONE, designed the collections, which are inspired by Ankara fashion and wax prints as well as their African heritage. The event is free, though donations are encouraged and benefit the Las Vegas Fashion Council, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the local fashion industry.
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
17
Microblading
arM liFt
This surgical procedure takes fat from other parts of the body and injects it into the buttocks to plump it up. Plastic surgeon Samuel Sohn explains: “I don’t know if it is a Kim Kardashian thing … but a bigger butt is very, very popular these days.” And that goes for all ethnicities and ages.
brazilian butt liFt (bbl)
At the top of the list for mommy makeovers, abdominoplasty creates a smoother, firmer stomach by trimming away excess fat and skin (after childbirth).
tuMMy tucks
To ensure the hands match the face, procedures such as fat grafting and laser resurfacing are meeting the demand for younger-looking mitts.
Hand rejuvenation
l ip service
Instagram queens on a quest for the perfect duck face can achieve the longest-lasting results with silicone implants. But lip reduction actually saw a 283 percent increase in 2016. A sign of overbilling, perhaps?
Brachioplasty, a procedure that reshapes saggy arms, has increased a whopping 5,184 percent since 2000.
A cell service worth roaming for, Switzerland-based iDDNA determines your personalized anti aging regimen of “vitamins, supplements, diet, skin care and lifestyle” after analyzing DNA collected through a swab of your cheek.
ModiFied creaMs & suppleMents
genetically
This permanent makeup treatment, a.k.a. eyebrow embroidery, is for anyone who wants those coveted thick brows or simply a reshape.
eye liFt
Facial
Dr. Sohn says he is “getting more requests to make things pretty down there” with labiaplasty. Meanwhile, new laser procedures such as ThermiVa can tighten, relieve dryness and possibly even help with a leaky bladder.
rejuvenation
vaginal
Beauty is in your blood with intravenous treatments concocted to boost everything from weight loss to hair growth.
iv treatMents
Breast augmentation and lifts are still very popular procedures for women, but increasingly, men are undergoing chest-changing surgeries. Pectoral implants bulk up muscles, while gynecomastia surgery reduces enlarged breasts in men.
Microneedling
It will prick just a little, but rolling the skin with teeny needles works wonders on skin, especially scars. Be sure to consult a professional before DIY-ing it with a roller you can buy off Amazon.
Filler up
Move over, Botox: Fillers are the new injectables of choice. Ranging from your own fat to hyaluronic acid, these infusions fill wrinkles, plump cheeks, chins and jawlines as well as reduce under-eye bags.
Gynecomastia
A volt of prevention is worth a pound of cream. Skinworks by Jane owner Jane Mann recommends starting this electrifying facial once a month in your 30s to prevent wrinkles.
Microcurrent
The solution to combating “You look tired” pronouncers, this procedure helps eliminate bags that creams can’t correct by removing fat or excess skin from the area.
l oweR BoDy lifT
coolsculpTing
DRy BRushing
It’s cheap. It feels good. And you can do it at home. Grab a body brush for 10 bucks and stroke your way to healthier, suppler skin.
The leader in nonsurgical body contouring is CoolSculpting, which, as the name suggests, freezes fat away. It can sculpt shapely gams and more.
There are two options for demolishing unwanted dimples: Cellfina uses a tiny needle like device to cut the fibrous bands of connective tissue that pull on the skin, while endermologie is a magical ménage à trois of massaging, rolling and sucking that reactivates cellular activity and smoothes the skin.
sculpsuRe
A noninvasive fat-reduction option, this 25-minute treatment relies on heat from light-based technology to melt away love handles and other flabby spots.
celluliTe slayeRs
Thigh lifT
Lipo will suck out the fat, but a thigh lift will smooth out excess skin and create contours.
By Misti Yang
a head-to-toe guide of noninvasive and cosmetic surgeries for all of your aesthetic needs
PLASTICS 101
Reconfiguring your main mode of transportation is tricky, but, for bunion sufferers, this procedure can rein in pointy foot bones.
Mini-TighTRope BunionecToMy
No trip to Amsterdam needed—just an appointment at your neighborhood tanning salon. Red-light therapy beds boost circulation and collagen, leading to healthier skin from head to toe.
l aseR legs
If you’re so vein, laser procedures can help varicose veins of all sizes disappear, and you’ll experience no downtime.
ReD-lighT TheRapy
If you’ve wondered how you could get a tummy tuck, butt lift and thigh lift with one fell incision, this is it—a face-lift for your bottom half.
l iposucTion
A mainstay of body contouring for all ages, lipo removes excess fat from backs, ankles, necks … practically anywhere, and often with just one treatment.
LET’S TALK TO THE
By Rob Kachelriess
PROFES THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY WEIGHS IN ON THE PROS AND CONS BEHIND CONTROVERSIAL ELECTIVE PROCEDURES
Beauty is only skin deep, but it may depend on the size of a scalpel. Or perhaps a needle. People are turning to medical professionals in growing numbers to enhance their appearance. According to a 2016 American Society of Plastic Surgeons report, minimally-invasive procedures are up 180 percent since 2000, yet some cosmetic procedures may raise a few more eyebrows than others—no pun intended. Vegas Seven caught up with some local experts to sort it all out and get the 411 on some of the controversies surrounding these elective surgeries.
THE PROFESSIONALS:
Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Haydee Docasar, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Lanfranchi, nurse practitioner at Simply Radiant Peggy Pruchnicki and medical director at Las Vegas Laser & Lipo Dr. Edward Zimmerman. Editor’s Note: In most cases, each pro wasn’t 100 percent for or against a procedure, and they often offered insight on both sides.
LABIAPLASTY
A procedure in which the labia (the folds surrounding the vagina) are tightened or partially removed to improve appearance, comfort or function.
PRO
“There are women who need it, so I would never judge anyone for having it done. Anything that makes you more comfortable with your body is always a good thing. It has its place. Some women are just born with large labia that hang down. Kind of like men and their scrotums, some are tighter and firmer than others. For other women, as they age, it loosens up and gravity pulls it down a little bit. Anytime you have children vaginally, that will also change it. Labiaplasty definitely has its place.” –Pruchnicki, nurse practitioner
CON
“Overall, I’m for it. We’ve done it more for women who have pain because sometimes the extra tissue actually causes discomfort. But there are a lot of risk factors related to bleeding, infection and scarring that can happen after the procedure. Sometimes when women do it just for cosmetic results and don’t really have a lot of extra tissue, they’re going to have a higher risk for those complications. You have to make sure you have a good candidate—patients who have an issue or just want to look a little bit better versus those who have body dysmorphic syndrome, where it’s not that bad, but they visualize themselves completely differently.” –Dr. Docasar
SIONALS INJECTABLES
Used by injection to augment tissue, often to help shape, contour and/or enhance parts of the face.
PRO
“There are people who come in and were born with hallowed temples, flat cheeks, a nose that’s not big enough for their face or a receding chin. In the old days, that would fall into the realm of the reconstructive plastic surgeon. Now with our fillers, we can ameliorate that and lift a heavy burden from those people. They can have a nose that people won’t notice because it fits their face. We can bring a chin forward without moving a piece of bone. Filler is like bacon in my practice. Everything tastes better with bacon, and most things look better with filler. When you take a balloon and inflate it, it looks firm. As we get older, we all lose one to three CCs of facial volume for every year we walk the planet from the age of 25. As the balloon deflates, the wrinkles show.” –Dr. Zimmerman
“I use fillers and I use Botox. I want to age gracefully. I don’t want to look tired. Botox can make you look less angry because it takes away those lines between your eyes and softens the forehead to make you look more friendly and less upset. Filler takes away that tired look where your cheeks look sunken, your eyes look droopy or you get a downturning of the mouth. So I’ll use fillers a lot to bring the corners of the mouth up—and take away that tired, sad look. I worked on a woman who had Bell’s palsy, which causes one side of the face to droop. We’ll put fillers in the droopy side and make it look like the other side. She’s so happy now. She’s having her picture taken with her grandchildren. It’s turned her life around.” –Pruchnicki
CON
“Injectables, meaning fillers and Botox, are, in my opinion, grossly overused. Because any physician or nurse can do injectables, it’s grown so fast and so large, everybody and anybody with a license is doing it. Most of these individuals are not formally trained in aesthetics. Their products tend to be a bit cheaper, and people will shop for the lowest price filler. We use fillers and Botox when it’s complementary to the procedures we do—face-lift, neck lift, blepharoplasty [which is a surgery to repair droopy eyelids]—as the icing on the cake, not the cake.” –Dr. Lanfranchi “In the face, you’ve got a lot of nerves and a huge blood supply. So if somebody doesn’t know what they’re doing, they can actually thrombose one of the vessels and produce decreased blood flow to the rest of the area. In very severe cases, you can actually get necrosis [death of cells in an organ or tissue] of parts of the face. If you interfere with one of the facial nerves, you can get drooping of the eyes and lips. Lips are a huge thing right now. Doing one syringe of a filler can look nice, plumping up what you naturally have. Anything in excess is never good. So if you’re doing three or four syringes, some of these girls can have not only thinning of the lip area, but sometimes product can come out and [cause] disfiguration.” –Dr. Docasar
COSMETIC SURGERY FOR THOSE UNDER 21
Once primarily an anti aging tool, cosmetic surgery and procedures are becoming more popular with youngsters as a beauty treatment, from boob jobs to nose jobs and everything in between.
PRO
“We judge people. Anything that’s asunder, our brain picks up. Does an ear stick out? Does a nose twist to one side or have a hump in it? Can we bring the cheeks forward so the eyes or chin don’t look so sunken? Those are all things we can do very easily in the office with minimal trauma. We can change lives in a very positive fashion. These kids, even their parents, have tears of joy. It’s very gratifying to help these folks. Certainly people who have cleft palates, who require surgery, it’s a major change and improvement to go out in society and feel whole.” –Dr. Zimmerman “Where do you draw the line? The reason you wait until about 16 for rhinoplasty is because the facial bones are mature at that time. If [an issue] is functionally causing a significant detriment to somebody’s life and daily living, it’s a medical problem and you have to address it. But if it’s obviously cosmetic, you just be a good partner and tell them you’ll see them at the appropriate age: 15 or 16.” –Dr. Lanfranchi
CON
“Big, full lips are a trend right now. Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez—they all have these full, beautiful lips. I’ve had fairly young women requesting bigger and bigger lips, where I’ve felt it’s gotten out of control. And I’ll tell them this is the last time we’re doing it and to wait six months to a year before we do anything else.” –Pruchnicki
“The youngest I’ve seen is 15 or 16 and mostly for breast augmentation. I personally do [discourage it]. As a teenager, they’re just developing their hormones. Their estrogen levels aren’t that high, and estrogen and progesterone would actually help with breast development. So you want to wait until their hormone levels have peaked because that’s when they’re going to reach their maximum size as far as natural breast development. You want that to happen before putting something else into their breast.” –Dr. Docasar
A NEW KIND OF
CONCIERGE
DOCTORS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL INSURANCEBASED PRACTICES. TAKE A PEEK INSIDE THE LATEST MEDICAL INDUSTRY SHIFT.
PLASTICS & ELECTIVE
Every day, Dr. Jeffrey Ng of Jacobs Medical Associates receives more than 40 calls from Las Vegans with the same question: Is he taking new patients? The answer is yes, but with one big caveat: He’s booked solid until September. According to Ng, the influx of
calls is the result of the growing medical concierge industry in Las Vegas. Essentially, it is a model in which patients pay annual fees or retainers directly to their doctors instead of using insurance: Concierge doctors practice mostly family medicine and internal medicine, with a small number of dentists also offering the service. In the past decade, more doctors have made the switch from a standard practice to one operating under a concierge model. “We don’t get reimbursed as well for seeing the same type of visits as other states, where they get a little more reimbursement per visit,” Ng says. “It’s hard for new physicians to stay here when they realize they have to see volumes in order to keep their doors open. That’s where the concept of concierge came up: What if we just charge?” In the last six months alone, at least four doctors who Ng knows of have switched to concierge, rendering many of their 2,000 to 3,000 patients doctorless, leaving nonconcierge physicians like Ng to absorb these patients. “After building a large practice and trying to accommodate 25 to 30 patients a day, we came to the realization that quantity was possibly interfering with the quality we wanted to give to our patients,” says internal medicine doctor Jerry Schwartz of Schwartz & Tung, MDs. “It was very apparent that we needed to make a change to a membership type of practice to ensure quality at the highest level.” So what do you get as a patient when you opt for a concierge service? Something standard-practice physician offices don’t offer: extensive face time with the doctor and appointments on the fly, all for an annual
membership to the tune of about $1,500 to $5,000 (in addition to other charges that may arise). For many, it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of having a doctor they can visit nearly immediately (some even make house calls), speak with on the phone and, most importantly, get to know and trust. It’s all about access, and this model grants exactly that. “I wanted to go to a doctor who worked in a plant-based healing system, but I also wanted to go to a doctor more often and have access to bloodwork and visits on demand,” says Stacey Miller, who has an autoimmune disease and is treated by Dr. Evan Allen, a concierge doctor in Green Valley. “I’ve been going every two weeks to get blood drawn and then have a follow-up visit two days later. If I was going to a normal
doctor, it would be too expensive, and scheduling wouldn’t be easy. … My doctor listens to me and we have an open dialogue. Sometimes I’m in there 45 minutes, and I never feel like he is rushing me or that I’m not important. ... It’s probably the most positive medical experience I’ve had.” At Schwartz’s practice, he and his partner limit the number of patients they see each day to between 10 and 14, guaranteeing each individual receives at least 30 minutes of their time, as well as two-hour physical exams with extensive diagnostics that he equates to being on par with the Mayo Clinic or Scripps Health. Aside from the physicals, Ng affirms the quality of care from primary care physician is still the same. “We are all licensed doctors, not smarter than any other doctors,” he explains. And at the end of the day,
SO WHAT DO YOU GET AS A PATIENT WHEN YOU OPT FOR A CONCIERGE SERVICE? SOMETHING STANDARD PRACTICES DON’T OFFER: EXTENSIVE FACE TIME WITH THE DOCTOR AND APPOINTMENTS ON THE FLY
any patient who is referred to a specialist for treatment (an oncologist, for example) will be seen simply as a patient, regardless of who is giving the referral. Concierge doctors aren’t for everyone, though. “An ideal patient would be one who wants to spend a lot of time talking with their primary care doctor in one stint … especially complex patients,” he says. Ng is quick to note the idea that if someone only needs to see a doctor once a year, the concierge practice isn’t a match, pointing out it’s one of the reasons his practice is so slammed at the moment. In terms of insurance, Schwartz says that most concierge practices, including his, take some form of insurance (which does not cover the annual fee). If a doctor isn’t covered in a plan, PPO plans may also pay for out-ofnetwork office visits, Jared Vargason, vice president of Pathway Insurance Inc., says. But they would be insured at a reduced rate and usually after the deductible is met for the year. “A lot of folks have tried to be more creative, using concierge and maybe a critical illness [insurance] plan,” Vargason says. “Rather than going traditional or fully insured, people go with a concierge relationship and try to insure some of the events that might occur.” Don’t expect all the doctors in town to jump onto the concierge bandwagon, though. For practitioners like Ng, his patients keep him coming to work every day. “The concierge concept is nice,” he says, “but if I go [full] concierge, I will lose some of my favorite patients because they won’t be able to afford it. It’s what’s stopping me. I want to figure out a hybrid model where I can keep my practice and help serve Nevadans without a fee.” 7
By Diana Edelman
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
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800.274.5825 | thed.com | 301 Fremont Street | Las Vegas, NV 89101
TASTE
OT
HM OV E S
ONE BITE
SM
O
Enough with the $12 juices already. Sometimes you just want a no-frills smoothie, chock-full of delicious and nutritious ingredients to cool down with on summer days. The newly opened Smooth Eats (124 S. Sixth St., Suite 160, @smootheatslv on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter), which has taken over the old Grass Roots space, offers just that. Smoothies in the $5-$6 (add-ons $0.50–$1) price range, along with paninis ($6–$7) and breakfast bowls, are on offer at the to-go-only space, giving Downtown denizens a healthy option on the go. A must-try is the Fairytale smoothie bowl (above, $7), made with Blue Majik Spirulina, dragon fruit balls, kiwi slices, coconut flakes, banana, green algae and coconut milk, sprinkled with granola and chia seeds. The blue hue is reminiscent of the Greek Islands, and while you may be stuck in the desert, you can at least feel better about putting something good in your body. Eat this for breakfast and glow all day. By Genevie Durano Photography Cierra Pedro
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
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TASTE
TASTE OF HOME
The Bromberg brothers create throwback favorites at Blue Ribbon By Marisa Finetti Photography Krystal Ramirez
G
rowing up, when brothers Bruce and Eric Bromberg’s mom wasn’t in the mood for cooking, they’d order their favorite meal—fried chicken—delivered directly to their door. “We loved fried chicken, and it always came with barbecue sauce. But my mom brought out the golden honey bear bottle, and we ate it that way.” It was years later, after French culinary school and frequent travels and escapades, when the brothers from New Jersey decided to unleash their childhood inspiration at their very first Blue Ribbon location in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City. Now, 25 years later, the newest iteration of the original Blue Ribbon, located inside The Cosmopolitan, is a culinary throwback (fried chicken is on the menu, natch) and a mix of everything they love to eat. When they were conceptualizing their first restaurant, “we literally asked ourselves what our favorite memories were,” says Bruce. Eventually they brought their worldly influences with their fondest food recollections woven into the menu. Their inspiration for cheese fondue? Colorado ski trips with parents. Raw bar? Eric’s culinary education in New Orleans. Ask about the genesis of each dish and the brothers draw into their culinary memory bank. “It’s a pleasure to revisit the original Blue Ribbon. Its concept allows us to express what we have been holding inside all these years. It’s the best of our favorite culinary moments growing up as kids in New Jersey, frequently going with our dad in search of the next great place to eat.” At Blue Ribbon, diners will find many of their gastronomic throwbacks, from matzoh ball soup inspired by the brothers’ visits to their grandparent’s house to paella from their travels through Spain. The crispy-crunchy fried chicken is served over savory fried collard greens alongside mashed potatoes, gravy and honey, just the way the Bromberg boys liked it. Other signature items include the beef marrow and oxtail marmalade—scooped up with a diminutive demitasse spoon, the marrow provides a luxurious bite with or without the accompanying toast; and cheese fondue, an interactive nod to the ’70s with a pot of melty cheeses, including raclette and Gruyère, in which to dip chunks of bread, apple slices and a sprinkling of bacon bits that you can share among friends. There are also creations exclusive to Las Vegas, such as pan-roasted Dover sole with artichokes and capers; bourbon-glazed pork prime rib; and, most notably, the skin-on red trout filet seared to perfection and served with spätzle, wild mushrooms, sage and almond butter. From the raw bar, there is an array of fresh offerings, from a sashimi plate of yellowtail, salmon and tuna, to a platter of seasonal shellfish, including oysters, clams, New Orleans shrimp, lobster and shrimp cocktail. 7
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The Vibe
When you enter Blue Ribbon, prepare for a festive feeling. A welcoming focal point is a large rectangular bar showcasing all the necessities for cheerful imbibing. Along the sides are alcoves of velvet-covered dining booths for intimate conversations. “It’s extremely convivial,” Bruce says. “It sparkles; there is a sea of shimmering lights, color and rich velvets.” Under a sky of low-hanging, vintage-inspired globe pendants, guests will experience a social casualness, inviting them to pull up a chair for a burger and beer. But it’s also an elegant spot fitting for Champagne and caviar.
An Origin Story
What’s not to love about fried chicken? You sink your teeth into that crunchy, crisp crust, fried to golden-brown perfection, knowing that super juicy, moist meat is just beneath. How did the fried-chicken-loving brothers from New Jersey come up their famous recipe? The story goes that they were making matzo balls one day and had a little extra matzoh meal on hand. They wondered what it would be like to coat the chicken in the matzo then toss it in the fryer. “It was the ‘Aha!’’ moment of our careers,” Bruce says. “The matzo is not leavened so it has a different absorbing quality; it sticks beautifully. It was unbelievably crispy, delicious, flavorful.”
The Team
“I absolutely attribute our success to my partnership with my brother and our staff,” Bruce says. “When we first opened, we had 14 employees; 11 are still with us, but now they are owners, managers, partners …” Jason Corwin, executive chef of Blue Ribbon Las Vegas, is one of them, originally coming from Blue Ribbon Brasserie in Brooklyn. Bruce and Eric strive to provide a dynamic environment for their staff. “We also stay focused on making our customers happy and we know where our strengths are in the culinary world, and that is provide a place that is fun.”
“OUR BAR IN THE NEW BLUE RIBBON LAS VEGAS IS NEW ORLEANS MEETS NEW YORK MEETS NORTHEAST COAST OF FRANCE,” BRUCE SAYS.
Blue Ribbon Las Vegas inside The Cosmopolitan Sun.–Thurs., 5 p.m.–1 a.m., Fri.–Sat., 5 p.m.–2 a.m. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
TASTE
DISH & TELL
Waterfront Dining, Breton Salted Caramel and
a Dessert-Only Spot You Can “Bank” On
I
Above: The Patio’s berry grilled cheese sandwich. Opposite page, from top: Hong Kong Waffle; The Patio’s interiors; French SuperBlue Lavender Tea
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love restaurants that are situated right on the water’s edge. They remind me of the days when I worked at the Fish Market restaurant, which was (and is still) located on the salty lagoon that meanders through San Mateo and Foster City along San Francisco Bay. Americana Las Vegas (2620 Regatta Dr., americanalasvegas .com), headed by chef Stephen Blandino, invites guests to a dining room with a classic seaside ambiance. Nantucketstyle windows, rich wood floors and shimmering chandeliers set the mood for modern American cuisine. While dining on the Desert Shores waterfront, start with the grilled octopus—tender and succulent—which is served over a celery root puree and cilantro-poblano pepper sauce. Main dishes include smoked lamb chops, which arrive in a glass cloche that releases a sublime cloud when lifted. The chops are matched with pillows of Parisian gnocchi and then punctuated with bright green flavors from Argentine chimichurri mint sauce, garnished with red Holland bell peppers and served with a red wine reduction. Americana doesn’t take itself too seriously, though. Seamlessly fusing elegance with playful, you’ll find evidence of this in their whimsical cocktails, such as the Pop Rocks martini, which comes complete with a Ring Pop. And instead of boring mints at the reception area, there are assorted old-time candies and kazoo lips, just for kicks. There’s no shortage of salted caramel iterations. The exotic indulgence became a culinary obsession at restaurants, which offered their renditions in cakes, sauces and ice creams. While the trend has subsided in the U.S., it was never a passing fancy in Brittany, France, because the salty, sweet and buttery wrapped candies (caramels au beurre salé) originated in this historic coastal region and have been part of its heritage for as long as one can remember. During the 1500s, Brittany was the only part of France to be exempt from a salt tax. As a result, salt was liberally sprinkled in the local cuisine. Then, a creative pastry chef decided to use salted butter to make caramel, and a beautiful union was born. To enjoy the true flavors of salted caramel is to have it at Café Breizh (3555 S. Fort Apache Rd., cafebreizh.com), here in Las Vegas. The region of Bretagne (Brittany) is also called Breizh (the local dialect), which is where owners Pierre Gatel and Jerome March were born and raised. You can bet that the two take their local specialties quite seriously. Try the Breizh crepes with salted caramel and baked apple, salted caramel macarons and salted caramel Macchiato for a trip to their hometown. And for more sweets, I told you about Bank Atchar-
By Marisa Finetti Photography Cierra Pedro
awan (the man behind Chada Thai and Chada Street) and his new spot The Patio Desserts & Drinks (5255 S. Decatur, Suite 107) back in April. The sweet concept that he created with his wife, Pimmie, was born out of her love for desserts. Pimmie grew up in her family’s dessert business in Bangkok and, as a couple, they wanted to provide a familiar place for guests to gather and enjoy sweets and drinks. Inside their patio garden–themed spot, sink into Asian casualness by removing your shoes and sitting on floor mats around a low picnic table to share a number of specialties, or grab a table and chairs for a more Western affair. Choose from an assortment of teas and coffees, including the refreshing and ethereal chrysanthemum tea and the French SuperBlue Lavender Tea. These and the rainbow rose tea are as beautiful as they are delicious. Desserts that top my list include the Affogato, your ice cream of choice “drowned” with a shot of hot espresso. I suggest the banana vanilla ice cream, but feel free to browse through a number of innovative house-made flavors, such as corn berry or peach Earl Grey. Also, the Hong Kong Waffle is a futuristic, spherical egg-based waffle (quite Instagram-worthy, by the way), again with your choice of ice cream and topped with seasonal fruits. As I wrote this they were perfecting the cream cheese–filled red velvet Hong Kong Waffle and by now should have it on the menu. Finally, if you’re like me and willing to skip the meal and just have dessert for lunch or dinner, go for the berry grilled cheese sandwich. Featured earlier as Atcharawan’s favorite thing to make for the people he loves: I can see why, because he would receive all the love in return. The fresh strawberry slices and rich Brie cheese grilled to perfection between two slices of bread is lunch and dessert in one. Marisa savors with all five senses. Read more at vegasseven.com/ dishandtell or visit her blog, loveandrelish.com.
A SMALL BITE
Chubby Cattle’s
Little Lamb WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE UNABLE
to source quality lamb meat for your traditional Mongolian dish served in a metal hot pot? In the case of industrious 20-something Hai Bin Yang, owner of Mongolian hot pot Chubby Cattle (3400 S. Jones Blvd., chubbycattle.com), he breeds his own. Yang went in search of breeds similar to the ones found in his native Mongolia. After a series of DNA tests, he found the South African Dorper sheep was as close to a perfect match and he gave his flock a happy home in Texas. In the recent relaunch of Chubby Cattle (now Chubby Cattle 2.0), Yang served his black head Dorper lamb, which had been specifically bred to produce superior-quality meat for the restaurant’s type of cooking method. ¶ “It is perfect for a hot pot, perfect in both flavor and texture,” Yang says. ¶ Chubby Cattle’s organic sheep are pasture-raised to Yang’s specifications, grazing in low-stress open fields under unlimited amounts of sunshine, with plenty of fresh air, clean water and exercise. Since they are not raised for wool, the lanolin-gamey taste of most wool breeds is absent in Chubby Cattle’s meat, which is tender, milder and leaner. The entire process from farm-to-table is USDA-certified and delivered to Chubby Cattle in under 72 hours. ¶ Fresh and ready to be sliced thin and served, the only decision to make once you arrive is which broth to try. –M.F.
Illustration Cierra Pedro
TASTE
Worth the
Brain Freeze Frozen blended slushy drinks you can order without shame Do it. You know you want to. Go on, order that frozen blended
daiquiri. The one dispensed in the blink of a bartender’s eye from the wall-mounted canister that spins a siren’s song directly to your soul. Because some days (single malts and sotol be damned!), what your soul really wants is a gem-colored frosty delight to knock the temperature down a few notches on a punishing summer day. Of course, some frozen blended drinks are better than others. There are several options around town that boast top-shelf spirits and ingredients, made by people who share your enthusiasm for giving these lowbrow treats an upgrade. Hey, if New York-based mixologist Sam Ross—creator of the Manhattan-inspired cocktail menu at The Dorsey in The Venetian— can turn his modern classic, the Penicillin, into a frozen blended drink without sacrificing quality, then nothing is off the table.*
(* It’s called the Penichillin, and you can crush them with wild abandon at Ross’ new Brooklyn, New York, spot Diamond Reef.)
By Xania V. Woodman
Frosé —that is, frozen rosé wine—is arguably the most versa-
The Mango ChiChi is creating pandemonium among Starboard Tack customers.
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tile of the modern blended drinks, marrying the celebrated brunch staple with the insta-party aesthetic of a frozen blended margarita. The first to import it from other hot-climate cities such as New Orleans, New York and Dallas was Lavo Italian Restaurant at The Palazzo, where it’s made with a still Spanish rosé and served by the glass or pitcher ($16/$90). You’ll also find a fancy version at Sugarcane Raw Bar inside The Venetian, where it’s made with vodka, rosé, citrus syrup, grapefruit juice, prickly pear puree and peach schnapps ($13). Sticking with The Palazzo, the Moscow Mule joins the margarita in being offered on the rocks (traditional) or frozen (um, epic) by the cup, pitcher or “party tub” ($18/$60/$200) at the property’s new Aquatic Club party puddle. It’s not rocket science: Belvedere, fresh lime and ginger beer go into a blender with ice. Served in the requisite copper-tone mug and garnished with a lime wheel, candied ginger and a knowing nod, the Frozen BlendedMoscowMuleisanadultsippy-cupversionofthecocktail so popular even your mom drinks ’em. Rumor has it that a frozen blended Moscow Mule might make an appearance at the Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival, where the classic format has been the official drink since the music festival’s inception. It may take a second to get the joke—Lieutenant Dangle was a character on Reno 911!, and carrots do sort of “dangle” in the ground, don’t they? Even if that sails overhead, if you appreciate the good work carrots do in juices and smoothies, you’ll applaud their work as a slightly sweet, slightly savory base for Lieutenant Dangle ($13), the frozen blended wild card on the opening menu at chef Brian Howard’s new Chinatown restaurant, Sparrow + Wolf. Its creator, lead bartender Cody Fredrickson, approached it as a sort of more complex, farm-to-glass piña colada, with a split base of Knockmore Irish Whiskey and Don Q Spiced Rum mixed with fresh carrot juice, coconut and ginger topped with grated nutmeg and garnished with a carrot top.
June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
Photography Krystal Ramirez
For the most part, Howard leaves much of the beverage program up to Fredrickson, but there is one drink the chef always knew was going to be on his menu, a recipe he’s been carrying around in his head since he created it in 2016. The off-menu GermanSlurpee($13)blendsTito’sHandmadeVodka,Germanriesling, peach, lemon and fresh thyme for a sip of the Alps that will make one hell of a palate cleanser between courses of his in-house smoked meats and charcuterie. “We wanted a fun frozen drink that was ‘crushable’ on a super-hot Vegas day,” Fredrickson says. “If you take a sip and don’t immediately say ‘Ahhh,’ we’ve failed.” The twin machines spinning 24/7 at the far right of proprietors Lyle Cervenka and Bryant Jane’s new Downtown rum bar, Starboard Tack, present a conundrum. Will it be the tangy, sweet, seasonally flavored frozen blended Chi-Chi? Served in a photogenic ceramic panda, the piña colada’s vodka-based cousin will be flavored seasonally; right now, it’s a Mango Chi-Chi ($8), made with vodka, coconut cream, pineapple juice and mango puree to evoke one of Cervenka’s favorite Indian beverages, mango lassi. There’s also the boozy perk of the Jamaica Me Rum Coffee ($8; amber rum, coffee liqueur, cold brew and evaporated milk), which alternates with Thai Tea ($8; tea, condensed milk and amber rum). This is why we have two hands. Momofuku Las Vegas in The Cosmopolitan might be the last place you would expect to find something frozen and blended, but that’s exactly what has been done to the Seven Spice Sour mixologist Don Lee created for the opening of Momofuku Má Pêche in Manhattan. The Seven Spice Slushie ($8) blends sake infused with the seven-spice blend shichi-mi tōgarashi, lime and yuzu juices. Unique yet accessible, the drink’s low-alcohol sake base freezes to a luxuriously silky texture that lasts and lasts. For more familiar flavors, the frozen blended White Cosmo Slushie ($8) combines vodka, cranberry and crème de pêche. Both pair exceptionally well with anything from chef David Chang’s diverse menu. 7
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Call an (Art) Car Explore the streets of Downtown in Burning Man style By Ryan Vellinga
W
hat has steel skin, bright purple-and-pink LED lights and a lot of bubbles? A 20-foot art car dubbed Nightcrawler, which will bring a taste of the Burning Man festival to Downtown Las Vegas next month. The project is a result of a partnership between ride-sharing company Lyft, online retailer Zappos, art car rental company Fired Up Management and the City of Las Vegas. Built on the body of a Chevy Express 3500 van and inspired by Dragomi, an art car seen at the annual Northern Nevada gathering, the street-legal behemoth will prowl DTLV starting July 7. On Fridays and Saturdays throughout the month, Nightcrawler will take off at Container Park and give riders a free tour of more than 20 murals and art installations—including “Big Rig Jig” (which made its Las Vegas debut during the 2016 Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival) and “The Mantis,” both formerly seen at past installments of Burning Man. “We hope to give proof that there is a thriving community of artists and activists in Downtown Las Vegas,” says Kris Cuaresma-Primm, Lyft’s head of Vegas marketing. Nightcrawler was created by Burning Man veterans Joshua Levine and Justin Mitchell, who have been building art cars for several years and are the founders of Fine Print Agency, an advertising and marketing firm. Want to roll around DTLV like a Burner? Interested riders need to download the Lyft app and sign up at Container Park. Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. 7
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SOCIAL INFLUENCE
GREEN FELT JOURNAL
By David G. Schwartz Photography Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau
The Scale of Things Derek Stevens looks toward Downtown’s past to see its future
T
he past few weeks have offered a good perspective on the dance between old Vegas, new Vegas and new old Vegas that characterizes our times. In particular, two incidents involving Downtown casino owner Derek Stevens that could only have happened in 2017 show just how far Las Vegas has come and why it’s important not to lose sight of its past. The first, and most obvious, is the removal of Vegas Vickie. The neon cowgirl was created at the behest of Bob Stupak in 1980, and since then she’s stood guard over the property that, most recently, was Girls of Glitter Gulch. Vickie came down because Derek and Greg Stevens, owners of The D and Golden Gate casinos, bought the block that includes the former Mermaids, Glitter Gulch, Las Vegas Club and other businesses. They are planning a major round of demolition prior to building a new hotel-casino on the site. It might take a minute to fully digest the last sentence. Someone is building a new casino on Fremont Street. Five years ago, let alone 10, that would have been unthinkable. But Stevens has found a way to not only make a go of the Golden Gate and The D (the former Sundance Hotel and Fitzgeralds), but to invest in the kind of ground-up new resort Downtown hasn’t seen for decades. The link pushing this New Vegas development into New Old Vegas territory is Stevens’ commitment to preserving the venerable lady of Fremont. “I think that Vegas Vickie over the few decades has become iconic,” Stevens says. “I thought she was a rather important symbol of Downtown, so I wanted to make sure that we protected something from the past while we’re building something new.” But there’s more. “She came from Bob Stupak, a legendary guy in Las Vegas history,” Stevens adds. “The connection to him made me want to protect her even more.” The other Stevens throwback is a return to old-school Downtown casino community involvement. Certainly modern casino corporations donate more to volunteer organizations today on a dollar basis than the owners of the past, but it doesn’t have
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June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
the same small-town feeling as, for example, Jackie Gaughan’s personal generosity to organizations, from Bishop Gorman High School to the Boys and Girls Club. Stevens took a page out of Jackie’s book (Gaughan was an owner of the Las Vegas Club at one point) by donating $100,000 to the Golden Knights Foundation, which will promote youth hockey across the Valley. These hometown heroics were inspired by Stevens’ own hometown. “I got to see two NHL owners build up youth hockey in Detroit. It’s a way to build future fans. It’s also great to see the impact of youth sports on the community,” he says. “We’ve had a great run of baseball players coming out of Las Vegas the past few years—Joey Gallo, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant. Maybe 10 or 12 years down the road we’ll be seeing the same thing on the ice.”
At the same time as the youth hockey initiative, Stevens and the Golden Knights announced that The D will be the official “host” of the NHL expansion team, holding fan festivals and otherwise providing a Downtown home for hockey lovers. At first it seems a curious move for a casino located miles from the Knights’ rink in the T-Mobile Arena. But for Stevens, it makes perfect sense. “For a while I lived in an apartment building connected to Joe Louis Arena,” he explains, “and I got to live the impact hockey had on Detroit, how it galvanized the team. It’s what you saw last week in Nashville—the Predators making the finals was a community event. The Vegas Golden Knights will galvanize this community. I can envision all of Fremont Street turning into a giant watch party when the Knights make the playoffs.”
It took a major corporation, MGM Resorts International, to build the arena that lured the Knights to Vegas, and the role that it and similar companies played in creating new Vegas is undeniable. But it takes an operator with Stevens’ passion and commitment to connect this latest incarnation of Sin City to the community. Wherever Vegas Vickie ultimately ends up, and however long it takes the Golden Knights to hoist a Stanley Cup or Las Vegas youth hockey players to light up prospect boards, we should remember that, back in 2017, Derek Stevens saw a little of the future—and it looked, in some ways, like the past. 7 Vegas Vicki (a.k.a. Sassy Sally) on top of Girls of Glitter Gulch bids farewell to Fremont Street June 12, 2017.
CONVERSATIONS
Powder& Paint Cosmetic line owner and former model Judith August continues to find success in the beauty industry By Erika Kimble Photography Krystal Ramirez
A
cool splash of water, orange juice and oats may serve as an eye-opener for most morning routines, but not for Judith August, the owner of Judith August Cosmetic Solutions. “I put my lipstick on first thing in the morning—and my concealer,” August says. “I don’t like to look at myself all dragged out. That’s me!” August’s fascination with all things cosmetic sprouted as a preteen, snooping through the vanity of her best friend Carla’s mother. “She had hundreds of lipsticks, in so many colors. That was my introduction to makeup … with Stella’s drawers,” August says. The beauty world hooked August, and she ultimately become a fashion model during the 1960s, landing her big break with a contract as a May Company girl at 18 while studying art at UCLA. However, being behind the camera came with scrutiny. “I had the look of the day, but photographers would have to do special lighting for me because I [had] very large bags around my eyes. Over the long term, if I wanted to stay in the game, I had to learn how to conceal,” August says. This was the catalyst for her career in makeup. August begged for the help of her childhood “cosmetic junkie” inspiration: Stella. The mother of her longtime friend made a key introduction for August to natural skincare guru Aida Grey of Beverly Hills, who took August under her wing. With many days spent tinkering in the boutique, August became an ace in the field, and she soon branched out to conduct lectures and training programs as well as make appearances on behalf of the beauty company. But she wanted more from her work. “I began working with plastic surgeons on the corrective side of things. I didn’t want what I was doing to be frivolous; I wanted it to be important,” August says. This work included teaching patients to conceal scars and bruises. She also freelanced for various doctors, who enlisted her cosmetic skills to teach makeup techniques to children and battered women. August’s role in cosmetic medicine had her traipsing across town, dragging her tools in heavy duffels. In an effort to decrease the load, she switched to using a concealer pencil from Germany she discovered in a local beauty store. “It replaced a lot of stuff I had to carry,” August says. Eventually a doctor with whom she worked wanted to purchase her new tool as a gift for post-surgical patients. “Then I got the idea: This could be a business,” August says.
ASK A NATIVE
Downtown
Las Vegas
Where it is and what it needs most By James P. Reza
In 1986, August created her own formula for “The Everything Pencil,” a concealing color stick to cover discolorations of all types. With a feature in Allure magazine, this single product launched her company. Eventually she found her way to Southern Nevada. “I came to Vegas from California, because I was engaged to a man who was opening a business here. At the same time there was an earthquake in 1994 where I was living. My house collapsed around me—it was the Northridge Earthquake. I was living in a three-level condo and the top floor fell into the first floor. It was pretty serious. Everything that could break, did.”
Today, Judith August Cosmetic Solutions covers the gamut of corrective color makeup with a focus on covering up scars, under-eye circles, rosacea, dark spots, tattoos and more. Through the years, August’s aesthetic prowess has retained her as a veteran competitor in one of the top-grossing industries in the world. “You know, my success can be summed up in that I’ve been successful in my own little way. I’ve never advertised. Anything that’s ever been written about me has just come to me. I’m certainly not a household name, but I found a niche, and I’m still here 30 years later.” 7
Recently, this column drew a broad picture of Downtown Las Vegas by way of boundaries extending from Sahara Avenue to Washington Avenue and from Maryland Parkway to Valley View Boulevard. Some readers took issue that this description was too expansive. “No person ever in Twin Lakes would say they live in Downtown ... people who have lived in those neighborhoods for 30 to 40 years do not consider it Downtown,” wrote one. I’m sure they don’t. Then again, 30 to 40 years ago, the western edge of Las Vegas was Rainbow Boulevard, and just beyond that was the desert where local teens partied, Dazed and Confused–style. But this isn’t 1977, and the city covers a much larger area today. So I’m sticking with my “greater Downtown” boundaries, for a variety of reasons. One of the more practical ones has to do with something social scientists call “underserved populations.” At a recent Downtown Las Vegas Alliance symposium (“Successes & Insights on Downtown Residential Living”), urban redeveloper Peter Cummings noted four things that urban residential requires, in order of importance: safety and security; places to buy groceries; an institutional presence (governmental, educational, health care); and proximity to culture and the arts. In Downtown, safety has improved dramatically, UNLV’s Medical School is about to welcome its first class (while the architecture school has been chugging along for years) and the Smith Center has cemented the area as the cultural heart of our city. But grocery stores? Ugh. Several nearby supermarkets have cut hours or closed altogether, while the closest Trader Joe’s Decatur will soon “relocate” its central valley store about 10 miles to the northwest. At the symposium, it was half-jokingly mentioned that the day a Whole Foods opens in Downtown will be a great day for redevelopment (because, I suppose, everyone likes $10 butter). But here’s an interesting observation: For anyone living near Rancho Drive and Charleston Boulevard (near the Medical District), Whole Foods is about 7 miles away. The Arts District? It’s less than 2 miles. Here’s where a broadly drawn Downtown can help. By including the homes within a 4-mile radius of Main and Fremont streets, you add roughly 150,000 residents to the 41,000 living in the 89101 zip code, according to city-data.com. That’s a true urban slice, stretching from inexpensive studios to the pricey high-rises, from the modest bungalows of the Huntridge to the multimillion-dollar mansions of Pinto Lane. All of them need groceries, and all of them are far closer to Downtown than they are to Summerlin. Mission? Attract a grocer that appeals to this varied demographic. Build it somewhere walkable for the high-rises and studios, drivable for the outliers (with a modest parking lot), and include a bike rack and a shuttle stop. Now that’s a “greater” Downtown! 7 Have a question or comment about Las Vegas past, present or future? Send them to askanative@ vegasseven.com
37
CONVERSATIONS
LUCKY NO. 7
We asked the WENDOH Media staff:
Where do you go for a beauty boost?
Angie’s Aesthetics—the best facialist in town. She’s been doing microdermabrasion on me for years and it’s completely changed my skin. I had deep scars from MRSA I had in 2006 and I tried just about everything—lasers, peels, etc. Angie has completely transformed my skin. She is truly a miracle worker. –Nicole Niazmand, director of digital sales I go to Xcycle and Trufusion. I always feel like my skin glows brighter after sweating out those toxins. –Haley Obata, executive assistant
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June 22 –2 8, 2017 vegasseven.com
Radically Curly salon in Henderson. They understand my hatred of combs and my love for Beyoncé’s Pandora channel. –Shannon Miller, editorial assistant Cindy Hernandez’s Laser Genesis facials at Image Advanced Laser Skin Center are the best. It evens skin tone and texture, [smooths] fine lines and tightens pores—I highly recommend it! If you only knew my real age. –Kara Dennis, human resources manager
I visit my fave burly bear hair dude, Larry Reha, at Makeshift Union in the Arts District for a cut and some occasional live tunes from him while he’s making my hair pretty. –Cierra Pedro, senior designer
Advanced Aesthetics ... Shhhhhh. –Kris Kass, social media manager Imperial Spa. It ain’t fancy, but it’s got hot/ warm/cold tubs, saunas and steam rooms. You can bring your own scrubs and masques and treatments and do your own head-to-toe self-renovation for the price of an add-on at a regular spa. Also, the preponderance of naked old women means even my negative body image feels comfortable in the buff. –Lissa Townsend Rodgers, editor at large
Photography Cierra Pedro
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