2/22/22

The new Harlo in downtown Summerlin can be added to the list of Vegas’ outstanding five-star restaurants. A spacious, dream-like dining room awaits inside where everyone can look 10 years younger. We never go to steakhouses, but friends invited us and we were impressed. The fancy “potato purée with Normandy butter and cream” is the stuff that dreams are made of.

2/18/22

Had a fun time checking in on (former clients) Chicago this past Wednesday at The Venetian for opening night of their latest residency. As the band noted from the stage, it was exactly 55 years + a day since they first formed (2/15/67).

For two hours, the packed crowd was with them the whole way. The 10-piece band with three original members—vocalist/keyboardist/acoustic guitarist Robert Lamm and horn players James Pankow and Lee Loughnane—played a seamless set that merged their progressive rock beginnings (“I’m A Man”) + early lyrical idealism (“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is”) with their melodic pop leanings (“Colour My World,” ‘80s hit “Hard Habit To Break”).

Lamm’s deep rich voice can still light up “Saturday In The Park”; horn players Pankow and  Loughnane, both in their ‘70s, breathed fire into their instruments; and new tenor vocalist Neil Donell (who joined in 2018) impressively hit the high notes in the songs with former member Peter Cetera’s vocal stamp.

It was a night about sheer musicality, joyous harmonies + high-energy—really well done. Their Venetian engagement runs through February 26.

2/15/21

Fun times last night on Valentines Day at the always bustling Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown. Never had Malaysian food before, so we tried the Banana Leaf Cafe. With his “blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European recipes,” Chef Lee brought the magic on all levels, with a vibrant + deeply satisfying mix of flavors + textures. Thumbs up on those Curry Puffs, the Chilean Seabass,  Banana Leaf Curry Chicken, Hokkien Noodles + the “Three Treasures” mix of eggplant, okra + string beans (plenty of leftovers for tonight!). It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without dessert, so we brought home some excellent cream-filled buns from the 85C Bakery Cafe at the plaza.

There was no shortage of breezy melodies, smooth high harmonies + tight musicianship last night when The Wind Jammers docked at the Santa Fe Station Hotel. They’re a popular Vegas attraction—musicians with credits specializing in covers of ‘70s AM pop hits including songs that would become branded as “yacht rock.” The showroom was packed, the masks were off (the mandate ended yesterday), and the music of the Little River Band, Pablo Cruise, Kenny Loggins, Gino Vannelli + more (Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Hall and Oates) was duly celebrated—like punk, alt rock, nu metal, etc. never happened. It was a fun escape from a complicated world, anchored by sheer musicality spotlighting six alternating lead vocalists. The Wind Jammers set sail again February 24 at the Santa Fe Station Hotel.

The perfect place for a secret rendezvous? Try Sushi Takashi in Chinatown. Their spacious booths are like mini-caves where no one will find you anytime soon.  Once inside, you can’t go wrong with their wide-ranging menu which includes excellent fusion rolls + “Japanese tapas,” particularly with names like “Bites of Heaven,” “Death Note” + “Forgot Name.” Sushi Takashi is located in the Cathay Hills Plaza, where there’s another gem: Rincon de Buenos Aires, an Italian deli + Argentinian restaurant all in one.

You never know what you’re going to see if you look up. Which is what I did sitting in the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino lobby, where there are so many paintings on the ceiling—and the effect was positively dizzying. They’re right near the entrance to the Delirious Comedy Club. Went there to see four comedians including Vegas-based Kathleen Dunbar who came onstage to a recording of “T.N.T.” by AC/DC and was explosive from the get-go. With her lethal mind + mouth, she blisteringly/lovably railed against everything including the unfortunate effects of aging.

I began the evening at the revered eatery Honey Salt in Summerlin, currently #1 on the Eater Vegas Essential Restaurants list. Started with the traffic-stopping Beets & Ricotta Salad with pumpkin seed brittle + pomegranate molasses. Moved onto the outstanding Scottish salmon, with beech mushrooms, beluga lentil ragout + carrot top pesto. And from their smart + substantial Vegan menu, we had the excellently flavored Vegetable Curry with basmati rice + chickpeas + papadums. Honey Salt definitely brings the magic.

1/24/22

With the real world really bumming people out more than ever, the virtual world is holding lots of interest these days. There’s so much chatter about the Metaverse, NFT’s, etc., for which video games + holograms have helped set the stage. So with that in mind, I decided to check out the “The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert” residency at Harrah’s.

Whitney did not disappoint. Her crystalline voice (with “original, never-before-released live vocal tracks woven throughout”) swooped + soared. She didn’t miss a note, didn’t forget a lyric, and got a loud standing ovation from the packed audience on a Thursday night. It was exactly this version of Whitney—moving + grooving + elegant, with no lines on her face—that everyone wants to remember.

She danced, bowed + changed costumes, with her centerstage hologram seamlessly appearing + disappearing throughout the show. And her in-between song patter (via show recordings from when she was on planet Earth) was warm + inviting, if surreal. Supported by a four-piece live band + six dancers, virtual Whitney opened with her 2019 posthumous collab with EDM artist Kygo, “Higher Love” (her original recording of it from 1990 had only been available in Japan as a B-side). From there, it was hit after hit, with the funky “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” How Will I Know” + “I’m Every Woman” eclipsing (for me) the ballads.

This was high-end “virtual entertainment,” and all of it, including the staging + lighting, was done really well. So what is the in-the-clouds Whitney thinking about all this? Probably that this was a hassle-free gig with no pre-show nerves or career anxiety about where her next hit is coming from.

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Had a terrific old-school Vegas Sunday. Started out downtown at The Mob Museum, coming up on its 10th anniversary this February. Then we headed  to the east side for dinner at Casa Di Amore…”Vegas the way it used to be,” in its own words.

The four floors of the Mob Museum, on the site of the first U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in Vegas, expertly tell the history of the Mob, Prohibition bootleggers and organized crime’s hand in creating Vegas. Our visit to the museum was well-timed—America took its last drink 102 years ago yesterday (1/16/1920) before Prohibition took effect the following day.

Next up: drinks + dinner at Casa di Amore, which instantly stole our hearts. It’s a beautifully lit dining room/bar with tufted banquettes and a vocalist/pianist + drummer conjuring a Rat Pack aura, plus slide show images throughout of classic Vegas. And the food delivered old school thrills. We had Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, Baked Clams Oreganata, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Chicken Piccata—and finished it off with an excellent cannoli. Love this place!