We headed last week to the newly remodeled Latin eatery Chica at the Venetian. I mean, how could we not go after receiving a $75 free credit via the Chica newsletter? It directed us to download the In Kind app + receive the 50 Eggs Hospitality Group Credit (this free-money special lasts through month’s end).

So with $75 to play with, we stepped into Chica’s visually playful interior  + jumped headlong into Chef Lorena Garcia’s magical menu with influences from Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Mexico,  Argentina + more Latin countries.

I was instantly seduced by an insanely great non-alcoholic drink— “Cranberry Fizz: Cranberry Cordial, Lemon, Egg White, Soda Water”—which set the tone for what was to come. We started with “Lorena’s Arepa Basket with Beet, Cilantro, Black Bean, Cheese, and Nata Butter.” From there, the hits kept coming—in the form of the “Spit-Roasted Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken Pollo a la Brasa Style, Plantains, Watercress, Aji Verde & Ají Amarillo Sauce,” which was full-on flavorful + succulent, and the two sides we ordered:  the “Wood Fire-Roasted Heirloom Carrots, with Avocado Yogurt, and Sunflower Seed Dukkah” plus the “Huancaina Mashed Potatoes.”

For food, ambience + service, Chica is hard to beat. To top it all off, the parking is free at the Venetian/Palazzo…which is something us Vegas locals take serious note of.

It’s definitely Taylor Tomlinson’s moment, and the packed audience at the Wynn’s Encore Theater in Las Vegas this past Saturday night showered the 28-year-old southern California comedian with non-stop love.

The star of two Netflix stand-up specials and intelligentsia coverage in the New York Times and Vulture has already been through life’s ringer, losing her mom to cancer when she was eight and riding the mental health roller coaster with depression, night terrors and panic attacks. Tomlinson’s shows offer insight and comfort, especially to folks who’ve been dealing with these issues. Taylor’s advice to herself and her audience is right there in the name of her current theater tour:  “Deal With It.”

She also resonates with her young audience who face the humiliation of being single in a cruel dating app world. Funny, too, to hear her lampoon the boredom that can creep into longtime marriages.

Tomlinson is smart, funny and commanding, hitting all her targets with rapid-fire precision. No guerrilla-style humor or political commentary here.  She’s an artist who aims to please, having sharpened her craft on the church comedy circuit (as part of her conservative Christian upbringing) before ascending to the national arena and “going dirty.”

Tomlinson is also fearless and vulnerable. From the moment she walks on stage, she masterfully gets you on her side. She is clearly pissed off, and you want to cheer her on as she works through her own issues. Because of her tight professionalism, you don’t get the sense that this sky’s-the-limit star is going to unravel in front of her audience. There’s this show to finish of course, and another one to do in another city.

YouTube screen grab from her current Netflix special, “Look At You”

Big thanks to Ava Berman + Carlos Adley for inviting me this past Saturday night to see Shannon & The Clams at their sprawling + massively cool Fremont Country Club in downtown Vegas. The vocal harmony-rich Oakland, CA quartet packed out the venue + lit it up with their crazy + playful hybrid of garage, surf, garage, girl group, psych and doo-wop. You definitely can’t pull the reins in on the band, whose latest album “Year of the Spider” marks their sixth, and the crowd was absolutely ravenous. For those who haven’t been, the venue (across from the El Cortez Hotel in a giant brick building that once was the home of Metro Police) has been key to the redevelopment of the East Fremont Street area. Hats off to Ava and “Big Daddy” Carlos, who are not only visionaries but really nice people. Long may they run and keep Vegas vital.

How cool is it that Las Vegas is home to The Burlesque Hall of Fame, the world’s only museum dedicated to the history + art of burlesque?

And like many nonprofit museums, it depends on contributions from folks who believe in the art of the “Tease.” 

That’s the name of the burlesque revue that raised money for the museum this past Saturday night at the packed The Space—a performance/event venue located in a warehouse area in the shadow of The Strip. 

And what a sensual, electrifying + ultimately life-affirming event it was, with one beautiful, colorful + sexy performer after another throughout the never-dull two-hour show.  And as the 76-year-old iconic burlesque performer Lovey Goldmine (a ‘70s headliner in Paris and L.A.) noted from the stage—during what was a lively history lesson “interview” conducted by the lovably bawdy emcee + burlesque performer Blanche DeBris (wink)—the neo-burlesque movement triumphantly differs from the past in its celebration of body diversity. 

So let’s raise our collective glasses to women of all shapes + sizes who proudly celebrate themselves in the face of societal pressure of how women should look. This is a revolution whose time has come, with a singer like Lizzo breaking down boundaries, removing some of the power from those who hold the reins in the advertising world + ultimately making the world a much better place.

Head over to The Burlesque Hall of Fame in the Arts District, whose neon sign outside is as sizzling as the museum’s “several thousand pieces including costumes, stage props, photos, sheet music, magazines, manuscripts, and personal effects from performers at every level of fame.”

Next up is the “The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend” at the Orleans Hotel June 2-5. It’s billed as “four days of incredible fun, learning and performance, and a fundraiser for The Burlesque Hall of Fame.” 

And long live The “Tease,” which returns to The Space July 16.