Date: Jan. 26-28, 2020
RESTAURANT LINEUP FOR CIRCA UNVEILED
Excitement keeps mounting for the opening in December this year of the new Circa Resort & Casino currently under construction on Fremont Street. CEO Derek Stevens lead a press conference to reveal the curated selection of restaurants, present the owners and chefs representing each establishment, and showcase renderings. By his comments, a lot of time and care went into the selection especially choosing a steakhouse.
The restaurants will include Barry’s Downtown Prime, 8 East, Project BBQ, Saginaw’s Delicatessen, and Victory Burger & Wings Co.
The steakhouse will be Barry’s Downtown Prime showcasing vintage glamour evoking a throwback vibe of the 50s and 60s delivering the finest steaks and seafood, fresh tableside preparations, creative cocktails and a memorable service experience. The concept is from consulting partners Chef Barry S. Dakake and Yassine Lyoubi, who merged with Marco Cicione and Donnie Rihn to create Make It Happen Hospitality. Dakake was at the helm for restaurants N9NE Steakhouse and Scotch 80 Prime for nearly two decades. Lyoubi served as general manager for N9NE Steakhouse and Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, and most recently held the title of director of fine dining at the Palms Resort & Casino.
8 East will be the first pan-Asian restaurant from Chef Dan Coughlin. Inspired by metropolitan Asian food markets, 8 East will offer Coughlin’s creative takes on pan-Asian cuisine spanning Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai dishes and communal dining. Coughlin has been a key player sparking the food movement Downtown with his popular Le Thai restaurant. He will introduce new fusion dishes and techniques at 8 East full of shareable dishes such as Coughlin’s GaPow basil chicken pot stickers, dumplings, wontons, skewers and steaks. The beverage program curated by Sonny Ahuja and Don Welch of Downtown’s Bin 702 will highlight rare Japanese whiskies and sakes, and specialty cocktails.
Project BBQ by Chef Rex Bernales will be the first permanent food truck and Carolina barbecue joint situated on Circa’s exterior on the Fremont Street Experience. Project BBQ will spill out under the canopy with a built-in “backyard” for communal gathering at picnic tables. The menu will offer pulled brisket, pork, chicken and more. The overindulgent “Garbage Bowl” will include handmade potato chips covered in signature meats with a trio of Carolina BBQ, beer and cheese sauces, then topped with applewood-smoked bacon and coleslaw.
Saginaw’s Delicatessen will mark Detroit restaurateur Paul Saginaw’s first new restaurant outside of Michigan, where he’s famous for Ann Arbor’s famed Zingerman’s Deli, which he opened with partner Ari Weinzweig in 1982. A lifelong fan of Downtown Las Vegas, Saginaw has collaborated with Stevens to introduce a family-style deli touting sandwiches “so big, you’ll need two hands to eat them.” Saginaw’s menu will include his famous Reuben and several more of his creative sandwiches as well as Zingerman’s Coffee.
Victory Burger & Wings Co. from American Coney Island’s Chris Sotiropoulos and Grace Keros, who are third-generation owners of Detroit’s 102-year old business, will be the first new concept from the brand’s founding family in more than a century. Victory Burger & Wings Co. will overlook the sportsbook and serve specialty burgers, wings and appetizers. The star of the show will be the Victory Burger, featuring a ½-pound patty made with a proprietary blend of Angus beef, short rib and brisket topped with a secret sauce.
Circa will be Downtown Las Vegas’ first ground-up casino resort since 1980 and feature a massive pool open 365 days a year and the world’s largest sportsbook.
BRET MICHAELS WILL PERFORM DURING ANNUAL RACEJAM
Multi-Platinum rock star Bret Michaels, best known as the lead singer of the chart-topping rock band Poison, will headline a free concert at the Fremont Street Experience downtown during the 16th annual RaceJam celebration on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. over NASCAR weekend.
Michaels was the winning contestant on NBC’s reality show “Celebrity Apprentice 3” and also featured in his own reality docu-series “Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It,” which inspired his highest charting album in 2010 as a solo artist, “Custom Built,” reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock list.
NASCAR Weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway features three days of NASCAR racing from each of NASCAR’s three premier series including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and the Pennzoil 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
STRAT HELD EVENT COMMEMORATING TRANSITION AND NEW NAME
Sammy Hagar, Guy Fieri, Rick Springfield, Governor Steve Sisolak and Congresswoman Dina Titus were among the special guests recently commemorating the official transformation of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod and its new name with a ribbon cutting.
In addition, The STRAT, Hagar, Springfield and Fieri were celebrating a new partnership with Golden Entertainment for their spirits. Fieri and Hagar are partners in Santo, and during the event Hagar announced that Springfield is his new partner in Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum.
EL DORADO CANTINA OPENS SECOND LOCATION
El Dorado Cantina opened its second Las Vegas location at Tivoli Village last week serving its popular authentic Mexican cuisine featuring sustainably sourced, organic, non-GMO ingredients. Hours are 24/7 with Happy Hour running 3–6 p.m. and 1–3 a.m. daily.
The 6,200-square-foot restaurant’s interior celebrates the lifestyle and culture of ancient Latin civilization in a stylized and modern way. Dark wood, richly appointed booths and furnishings, stained-glass fixtures, gold and red accents, and one-of-a-kind hand-painted art installations are surrounded by El Dorado’s signature red rose walls.
The venue accommodates up to 268 guests including two private dining rooms and outdoor patio seating. Hand-painted frescos designed by local muralist and tattoo artist Brett Rosepiler of the ISI Group, adorn the front patio space adjacent to the entrance.
El Dorado Cantina is introducing several new additions to the menu including a variety of vegan selections and the inclusion of several Latin-inspired dishes crafted by their new corporate culinary team. Plans to launch Sunday brunch service are in the works.
SOUTH POINT AGAIN HOSTS TUFF HEDEMAN BULL RIDING EVENT
The Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding, presented by Boot Barn and Discount Tire, will be held again at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. The event’s founder and four-time world champion bull rider Tuff Hedeman’s signature style event will have 24 of the world’s best bull riders competing in an invitation-only, three-round competition for an $80,000 prize purse. Tickets start at $30.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for ticket holders to partake of pre-event activities including food, cold beer, shopping and autograph opportunities. The two-hour show will feature a star-studded lineup of world-class bulls pitted against bull rider champions.
LAUV’S TOUR WILL STOP AT THE COSMOPOLITAN
Lauv, Platinum-certified independent singer, songwriter, producer and pop visionary, will perform at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan on Saturday, Aug. 22 as a stop on his “~how i’m feeling world tour~.” Tickets start at $39.50 and $59.50 for reserved seating.
The 65+ date world tour will kick off in Mexico and mark the largest tour of Lauv’s career. His Las Vegas show will include opening performances from Charlotte Lawrence and Alexander 23. Earlier this month, Lauv dropped his newest single “Tattoos Together,” the latest song from his 21-track debut album, ~how i'm feeling~, set to be released March 6. Lauv also recently released his collaboration “Mean It” with pop band LANY as well as his surprise track “Changes.”
THE SHIRELLES WILL BE DEDICATED TO THE M RESORT
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, The Shirelles, will appear in concert inside the M Pavilion at the M Resort on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $15.
Celebrating their “Dedicated To The One I Love” tour, the legendary girl group will perform more of their timeless classic hits “Soldier Boy,” “Mama Said,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” and others. This music group made its debut in 1958 at New York’s legendary Apollo Theater and have since graced nearly every important stage in the world.
HUNGER GAMES LAUNCHES SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL ACCESSORIES
A partnership between The Hunger Games: The Exhibition and Swarovski crystals is making limited-edition jewelry and accessories for fans of the Lionsgate blockbuster film franchise, The Hunger Games. The exclusive movie-inspired collection available at the exhibit at the MGM or online at The Hunger Games Exhibition website includes necklaces, leather cuffs, bracelets, earrings, pendants, pens, drinkware and clutches.
The collection features uniquely designed accessories including Snow’s Rose Water Bottle embellished with 7,342 hand-placed Swarovski crystals on a stainless-steel bottle. The highlights are the Fire Burns Brighter Clutch with nearly 6,000 colorful crystals and Girl on Fire Clutch adorned with more than 4,000 crystals. There are only 10 production pieces of each clutch.
SKINNYFATS HOLDS ANNUAL BEER ZOMBIES CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
The 4th Annual Beer Zombies Craft Beer Fest on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 3-7 p.m. will be held at the recently expanded SkinnyFATS’ 6261 Dean Martin Drive location and will take over surrounding parking lot areas. Nevada’s largest independent brew fest will feature more than 100 craft beer brands, bites and live entertainment. Tickets are $50 and $100 for VIP.
SkinnyFATS has six Las Vegas locations. Founded in 2013, Beer Zombies is a Las Vegas-based Craft Beer lifestyle brand, brewing project and ambassador. Starting out as an online community and blog, Beer Zombies has evolved and grown into a brick and mortar draft room and bottle shop in the South West Valley.
The Day After Bottle Share Add-On allows Beer Zombies Festival ticket holders to purchase $10 entry to this additional, exclusive event located at Able Baker Brewing on Saturday, March 1. Attendees are encouraged to bring beers from their personal collections to crack open and share with other attending enthusiasts and meet-and-greet with visiting brewers.
RESTAURANT HIGHLIGHTS
Guy Fieri, chef, restaurateur, Emmy Award-winning TV host and New York Times Best-Selling author, celebrated his birthday at his Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The LINQ on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The party was complete with Las Vegas Raiders’ Raiderettes, a drumline, fans and a toast of Santo tequila shots. Fieri recently partnered with legendary rocker and entrepreneur Sammy Hagar to launch a premium tequila brand, Santo.
PT’s Taverns will celebrate National Pizza Day with discounted personal pizzas on Sunday, Feb. 9. All 64 Las Vegas Valley locations, including PT’s Pub, PT’s Gold, PT’s Ranch, PT’s Brewing Company, Sean Patrick’s, Sierra Gold and SG Bar, will offer personal pizzas for $5. In addition, PT’s happy hour menu with extended hours through the month from 5-8 p.m. and midnight to 2 a.m. offers a 50-percent discount on all regular pizzas, drinks including wines by the glass, premium spirits and all craft and import beer.
SHOPPING NEWS
A trio of first-to-market retailers opened at premier retail destination The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace before the holidays. The lineup included energetic fashion boutique Altar’d State, tech-savvy b8ta and contemporary men’s brand Psycho Bunny.
Altar’d State located in the Festival Court area has the common thread for shoppers desiring to share personality through stylish, comfortable, on-trend clothes, shoes and accessories.
B8ta designed for discovering, trying, and buying new tech products features new products every month and is located near the iconic spiral escalator.
Centrally located near the Festival Court is Psycho Bunny, the menswear staple which first debuted in New York in 2005. This is the store’s fourth Las Vegas location and it includes prism dichroic glass panels, custom artwork commissioned by a local artist, a giant neon bunny sign, and gallery wall space for merchandise.
At outdoor mall Town Square, Jacinta Boutique is opening this month in Bldg. Q Suite C-163. A center focus to this store along with the merchandise inventory is a runway for fashion shows and/or shopping buddies trying on the merchandise and modeling.
RAMPART CASINO ACKNOWLEDGES NATIONAL BLACKJACK DAY
The Rampart Casino will celebrate National Blackjack Day with its third annual event on Monday, March 2. National Blackjack Day brings attention to the game as well as the declining number of casinos who still offer a 3:2 payout of the centuries-old game - hence the day falling on March 2 (3/2).
The Rampart Casino will be offering free Blackjack lessons throughout the day at 8 and 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. The casino bars will boast the Jack in Black cocktail for $3.20, which is a mix of Jack Daniels Old No. 7, coffee liqueur and cola. The Clubhouse Deli will feature The Double Down Burger for $9.99 featuring two all-beef patties served with French fries and a soft drink.
The 2020 Blackjack Bonus throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m. will reward any Blackjack player (Rampart Rewards club member) who hits a $10 Suited Blackjack with a minimum $10 bet with a bonus $20 free bet.
ABOUT TOWN NEWS
Major League Rugby will be a two-weekend event Feb. 9 and 15-16 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The city of Las Vegas will host two all-ages music events in February, improvisational “Broadway’s Next Hit Musical” on Friday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush Street and The Finest Hour Concert on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth Street. The concert celebrates the 75th anniversary of the music which ended World War II featuring two bands with different sounds and styles, Davina and the Vagabonds and The Hot Club of Cowtown. Tickets for each event are $25.
A Be Mine Wine Walk will be held at Downtown Container Park on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $30 online and $35 at the door. Must be 21.