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.

To celebrate our two-year anniversary of living in Vegas, I wanted to pick a restaurant that connected our adopted city to our former L.A. home. So happy we chose Best Friend at the Park MGM. It’s the out-of-this-world Korean fusion restaurant from L.A. chef Roy Choi whose Kogi food trucks put him on the map. The eatery’s signage—a fun salute to those tacky yellow strip mall signs—instantly brought a smile, and after walking through the separate bar + merch area, we were led into a spacious dining room filled with dazzling iconic L.A. images + waiters funnily dressed-down in L.A. casual wear. We decided to go all in for the pricey-but-worth-it Chef Menu. The complimentary buttered Hawaiian Rolls segued perfectly into the Banchan Sampler, the signature Kogi Tacos, the spicy Slippery Shrimp, Kimchi Fried Rice, and the like-butter Garlic Chicken + Kalbi platter. And then…the one-two dessert punch: the Medjool Date Cake, served with toffee + caramel ice cream, and the Mango Cheesecake with sorbet, and guava whip, both of which were seductive + captivating. Afterwards, it was real nice to walk through the hotel’s commendably smoke-free casino, with the taste of a terrific meal lingering in our mouths + minds.

There are many vegetarian + vegan choices here in Vegas, and Saffron, the Vegetarian Eatery in the totally happening Chinatown, goes to the top of this list.

Expect innovative + deeply satisfying fine cuisine in a gorgeously stylish + massive dining room which completely envelops its patrons. I’m ready to move in!  The restaurant’s location—in a non-descript strip mall—belies the magical elegance you’ll experience once you walk through the door, and that’s part of the fun.

Our waitress knowledgeably helped us curate our dinner when we asked her to make sure that none of the dishes we wanted were too similar. How could we not start with the Cha Lai Money Bags which she suggested? The eatery is donating all proceeds from this cinematic-looking appetizer to @chailaiorchid and @daughtersrisingthailand to “save the elephants + end trafficking and exploitation in Thailand.”

Next, we moved on to the dreamy Floating Gyoza Dumplings with pan-seared sweet potato, shiitake mushrooms + more.  Our two entrees—the Singapore Noodles with tofu, vegan fish sauce + curry spice,  plus the Saffron Red Curry with eggplant, chickpeas + more—were both home runs. Saffron puts so much care into the food they prepare; this relatively new Vegas gem did not disappoint in any way.

*Note: We arrived late to eat, so the ambience photos are from closing time.*

3/7/2021

Coming up on nearly two years of living in Vegas, we’ve started to explore restaurants in the southwestern part of town. Like Locale Italian Kitchen on Blue Diamond Road in the Mountain’s Edge area. It’s a stylish + moderately priced Italian eatery where the food is imaginative + soulful.  We started with their Poached Pear Salad (with candied pecans + goat cheese) and moved on to the Pan Seared Salmon (with roasted tomato purée, fried leeks + crispy brussells sprouts) + Red Snapper Putanesca (with sautéed spinach, capers, olives + tomatoes) + a side of smashed fried potatoes. Both entrees were distinctively flavored, with the Putanesca the most striking. Why stop there? The creamy pudding with a salted caramel topping was as sublime as it sounds + we floated home on the 215 to Summerlin North, knowing that we’ll definitely return.