BRETT’S VEGAS VIEW
Date: Aug. 19, 2018
AEROSMITH DECLARES RESIDENCY AT NEW PARK MGM
Legendary rock band Aerosmith will launch their Las Vegas-residency “Deuces Are Wild” on April 6, 2019, at the Park Theater inside the new Park MGM, and are currently scheduled through July 9. Tickets for 18 shows priced from $75 to $750, go on sale Aug. 24.
The Grammy-winning band sometimes referred to as the “Bad Boys from Boston” released its self-titled debut album in 1973. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, while singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry made it into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
ICELANDIC STAR WILL PLAY CAVEMAN IN VEGAS
Iceland-native Joel Saemundsson will be headlining in the hit comedy “Defending the Caveman” in the Showroom at the D for a limited four-night engagement, Aug. 22-26.
Saemundsson was theatrically trained in the United Kingdom and has performed in Europe. He is one of Iceland’s new actors and has received critical acclaim for his original take on Rob Becker’s classic and timeless Caveman comedy, which is the longest-running Broadway show in Las Vegas history. He rose to fame in his home country with his supporting role in Iceland’s popular TV series “Trapped.” He can soon be seen in his first full-length motion picture, “Pity The Lovers.”
DOWNTOWN EVENTS CENTER HOLDS OFFICIAL RAIDERS WATCH PARTIES
The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC) will host the Official Las Vegas Raiders Watch Party, on Friday, Aug. 24 with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the game against the Green Bay Packers starting at 7:30 p.m. FOX5 will be broadcasting live from the venue all night for play-by-play coverage.
Downtown’s largest football viewing destination features stadium-style seating, 72 feet of screen, a live DJ, official Raiders merchandise, on-site activities, food and beverages, plus more.
Admission will be free and open to all ages. On-field tables can be reserved for $25 and will include a $25 per person beverage minimum.
DLVEC will continue to host the Downtown Watch Zone series with weekly football bashes all season long every Sunday, including all Raiders games.
SHIRAZ OPENS ON WEST SIDE
Shiraz, owned by longtime restaurateur Raja Majid and named after the ancient Iranian City, has opened at the corner of Decatur and Sahara featuring authentic Persian, Indian and Pakistani halal cuisine. The menu offers an innovative take on Mediterranean food, a variety of vegetarian options, and dishes cooked by traditional methods, including tandoori specialties and Indian breads made in a clay oven known as a tandoor.
Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas grad Chef Jainine Jaffer oversees the kitchen while Jozef Letasi, who has more than 10 years of bartending at various locations on and off the Strip, handles the beverage scene. Shiraz has partnered with Ace of Steaks to provide kosher catering for private events.
The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. with live music.
HEADZUP IS OPEN AT BOULEVARD MALL
HeadzUP, which took over space at the Boulevard Mall formerly occupied by a major department store, is open with more than 40,000 square feet making up an amusement center environment. The massive area features the first 3D Trick Art Museum in the United States with more than 40 fun Trick-Art interactive original paintings making ideal optical illusions for taking selfies or portraits. Admission is $10 and $20 general admission for 12 years and older.
Inside HeadzUP there are several themed activity arenas. In the “Coat of Arms Archery Tag,” players can put on armor and hone their knight skills in the forest, shooting and dodging foam-tipped arrows with friends. Archery Tag is $25.
Especially intriguing are six interactive themed escape rooms adjoining the museum. Participants have 60 minutes to solve the mystery to get out of a themed room wearing costumes and role-playing. There are themes like “The smoking gun” Wild West Room, and the “High Roller” Casino Room. Cost is $30.
There’s also cornhole with ACL Cornhole leagues and DIY workshops.
THE MASTER CHEFS OF FRANCE HOST HAUTE CUISINE AT PALAZZO
Haute Cuisine, a poolside affair celebrating wines and food pairings, will be hosted by The Master Chefs of France on Friday Oct. 5 from 7–9:30 p.m. at The Aquatic Club at The Palazzo. Tickets are $75 or $135 per couple. For an additional $35, guests can get a copy of the Master Chefs of France cookbook with recipes from each participating chef.
For the second year in a row, this event will be environmentally friendly with healthy and sustainable food, reusable potted plants and flowers, plus art made from wine corks.
GOLDEN NUGGET HOSTS NINTH ANNUAL BEER FEST
The ninth annual Beer Fest will take place at the Golden Nugget on Saturday, Sept. 15 from 7-10 p.m. inside The Grand Event Center featuring more than 100 different beers from 30 different breweries, food, and live entertainment. Tickets start at $64 and will be $69 at the door. VIP tickets are $84 granting early admission one-hour prior to the start. A portion of each full-price ticket sold will benefit The Animal Foundation.
PT’S TAVERNS HOLDS SIXTH GUINNESS PERFECT PINT CHALLENGE
The sixth annual Guinness Perfect Pint Challenge will be held at PT’s Ranch, located at 2430 E. Pebble Road in Henderson, starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25. Before the best draft pouring challenge, PT’s Ranch will serve complimentary pints of Guinness from 6–7 p.m.
Bartenders from PT’s and other local venues in the valley, including Flowing Tide Pub, Rí Rá Irish Pub and Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, will go head-to-head to pour the most perfect pint of Guinness topped with a white, creamy foam. The competition will test pouring skills for Guinness Draught Stout and Black and Gold in support of Vegas’ professional hockey team.
The cash prizes are $1,000 first place, $500 second and $250 third. The event will also feature a custom Snapchat filter as well as glass engraving by an Epilog Zing Laser from 8–10 p.m.
PT’s Entertainment Group, a division of Golden Entertainment, Inc., is the largest traditional tavern operator in Nevada with 59 locations in the state.
PLAZA WILL HOST INAUGURAL LAS VEGAS PICKLEBALL OPEN
The Plaza downtown, which has a dozen dedicated pickleball courts on its rooftop pool deck, is the official hotel and title sponsor for the first Las Vegas Pickleball Open, Sept. 25-29. The challenge will offer a total of $25,000 in pro-player prize money, split among grand prize, silver and bronze medalists. Players can register online, and the hotel has a special tournament room rate starting at $49 per night.
The tournament has different men, women, senior, amateur and professional categories. Matches will be played daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nearly 800 pickleball players are expected.
The Plaza will be constructing special grandstand seating for championship matches, which will be streamed live on the event website. There is a nominal fee to attend semi-final and championship matches, while spectators can attend all other matches for free. Pickleball is the fastest growing racquet sport in the country with more than 2.8 million players.
BEER PARK FEATURES ‘ELECTRIC FRIDAY’ WITH SINCLAIR WHEELER
Beer Park at Paris will host a performance by Sinclair Wheeler, former tour guitarist for rapper-singer Machine Gun Kelly, starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24. Wheeler’s performance will begin with a live guitar show and continue with a DJ set. Beer Park will have a drink special throughout the night, pairing a brewery-fresh Budweiser and whiskey shot, priced at $10.
BOK BOK CHICKEN IS NEW RESTAURANT CHAIN IN SOUTHERN NEVADA
Bok Bok Chicken opened its first restaurant in Las Vegas this month at 7501 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 100, at Buffalo Drive with plans to open two other locations by the end of this year. The Mediterranean eatery’s next two locations are being built in the Green Valley and Centennial Hills areas while a fourth location is planned for Town Square next year. This fast-casual dining concept is a family-owned business serving Mediterranean dishes made fresh from scratch and derived from family recipes.
To celebrate opening and to contribute to the community, Bok Bok Chicken is raising funds for Project 150 by donating five percent of all sales through Sept. 11. Project 150’s mission is to serve homeless, displaced and disadvantaged high school students throughout Nevada. The restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
ABOUT TOWN ITEMS
A new $400,000 welcome sign has been installed just north of the Stratosphere at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd. and Main Street. This sign features two 26-foot-tall showgirls and wording “City of Las Vegas.” Many folks don’t realize north of Sahara is the city of Las Vegas and the Strip is in the county. This photo op may give the mega-famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign competition. The Stratosphere is creating parking space in hopes of this being an attraction.
One-tail expert Mermaid Farasha, founder of Las Vegas Mermaids, will hold 90-minute sessions from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25-26 at the newly-renovated, third-floor Westgate Pool for participants between seven and 12 years old. Cost is $25, contact Serenity Spa at the hotel. Fins will be available for rent or purchase inside the Paradise Gift Shop and Cabana Shop.
Booze Yoga with Tas Upright will take place on the floor at the Vegas Valley Winery, located at 7360 Eastgate Rd Ste 123 in Henderson, on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25, and your first glass of wine is included.
VEGAS PREPARES FOR NASCAR’S MONSTER ENERGY CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS
In a couple weeks, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will invade Las Vegas in grand fashion. Festivities will revolve around three major events starting with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day Thursday, Sept. 13 at South Point.
The NASCAR Burnout Blvd Fueled by Sunoco (formerly known as Victory Lap) will also be on Thursday, Sept. 13. Sixteen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs racers will drive their race cars down the Strip. Pre-event pageantry will take place on Las Vegas Boulevard outside Miracle Mile Shops. The race car procession will then travel north to Spring Mountain Road where all 16 drivers will take a turn emulating victory burnouts. Fans are welcome to view events. NBCSN will have coverage as part of a special two-hour playoff edition of NASCAR America, beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
The inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Party will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 with a free evening concert on the third Street Stage at the Fremont Street Experience by musical artist and Platinum-selling 10-time No. 1 rising superstar Cole Swindell. The country music star’s third album, “All of It,” was released on Aug. 17.
In addition to Saturday evening’s driver appearances and the concert, fans will be able to visit the Fremont Street Experience anytime on Friday and Saturday to see all 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cars.
The South Point 400 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race will happen on Sunday, Sept. 16. The event weekend also features two other national series races: the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series World of Westgate 200 Playoffs on Sept. 14; and the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 regular season finale on Sept. 15.
ANDRE’S IS OFFERING LATE-NIGHT SOCIAL EXPERIENCE
CommunEATy is a new kind of social gathering with a mission to EAT, learn and grow. Andre’s Bistro & Bar located in a casual neighborhood setting at 6115 S. Fort Apache Road is hosting an exclusive late-night dining experience featuring a breakfast-themed menu on Saturday, Aug. 25 starting at 11 p.m. with welcome cocktails and appetizers. A five-course dinner with cocktails and music will take place from midnight to 2 a.m. Tickets are $88.
These social dining experiences are intended to expose Las Vegas’ own eclectic food and beverage talent. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit Notes with a Purpose.
RICK HARRISON WILL LEAD ANNUAL ‘PAWN STARS POKER RUN’
Rick Harrison of History channel’s show “Pawn Stars” show will lead his 5th Annual “Pawn Stars Poker Run” on Sunday, Oct. 14 to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Nevada. He is a spokesperson for the national Epilepsy Foundation. The day’s motorcycle event will start and end at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.
Other stops will include the 104-year old historic Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nev., and the Porchlight Grille. The final stop brings the riders back downtown to Pawn Plaza for the official after party featuring a raffle, live band and catering by Rick’s Rollin Smoke BBQ & Tavern. Participants will have a chance to win $2,000 for best hand, $1,000 for worst hand, a Kawasaki bike, and other prizes.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE NEWS ITEMS
Planet Hollywood is celebrating the Blu-ray™ and digital release of “Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut.” The Heart Bar offers the Deadpool’s favorite cocktail – The Sea Breeze garnished with a blood orange, pierced by two miniature metal katanas, reminiscent of the comic book mercenary’s weapons of choice. Café Hollywood is offering through the end of August a specialty fruity cocktail decorated to resemble Deadpool’s memorable mask as well as a decadent Deadpool-inspired milkshake topped with a Deadpool strawberry, decorated cookie and donut.
PT’s Pub at 10940 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson has introduced a Naked City Pizza menu. This is the Naked City Pizza’s fifth location in the state and first in Henderson. Naked City Pizza also has concession contracts with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Las Vegas 51s.
Border Grill owners, Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have a special menu available at the Mandalay Bay restaurant until Nov. 1, when the ladies will be honored with the Julia Child Award at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The menu items – Salade Niçoise, Duo of Duck and Crepes Julia – are inspired by Child’s love of French cooking, but with a Latin twist.
In addition, Chef Milliken will be biking 300 miles in three days with Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry next month. Through Nov. 1, proceeds from the Bicicleta cocktail, made with Diane Keaton’s The Keaton white wine and Campari, will be donated to Chefs Cycle to help end childhood hunger in America.
Therapy restaurant on Fremont Street will honor National Waffle Day on Friday, Aug. 24 with their Red Velvet Chicken and Waffle Sliders for $16. The sandwich consists of a buttermilk battered fried chicken breast, red pepper remoulade slaw and house-made vanilla syrup, sandwiched between freshly made red velvet waffles.
ONE DRUNK PUPPY WINE TASTING BENEFIT AT SILVERTON
The annual One Drunk Puppy wine tasting event to benefit The Animal Foundation will be held at the Silverton inside Veil Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 8 from 6–9 p.m.
Presented by CORE Construction, a portion of the proceeds will assist with the nonprofit foundation’s pet overpopulation. Admission is $30 and $35 the day of event.
The evening includes a silent auction appetizers, entertainment and selection of international wines from Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits of Nevada. The wine wall will return for guests to pay $20 and choose a number from a bowl, which is matched to a numbered bottle of wine on the wine wall.
ORANGETHEORY FITNESS HOLDS BOOT CAMP CLASS AT THREE SQUARE
In celebration of Hunger Action Day, Orangetheory Fitness will be hosting a high-intensity boot camp workout class at Three Square’s North Campus on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Light bites and refreshments will be offered after the class. Cost is a minimum $10 donation. Spots must be reserved online or call Alexis at 702-644-3663, ext. 344.
IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR FOOTBALL
PUB 365 inside Tuscany Suites is offering a fantasy football group draft party package until the football season officially gets underway on Wednesday, Sept. 5. Package includes a private party room with a big-screen projector, A/V hook up, free Wi-Fi, $200 in coupons and more. Guests can also enjoy a case 10 Barrel Brewing Company Pub Beer and two Pub Platters for $75.
Crazy Horse 3 gentlemen’s club for football season will offer hosted open bars from 5:30 p.m. through halftime for Monday Night Football viewing parties all season. There will also be drink deals, giveaways and food.
