Diverse and vibrant, Las Vegas continues to evolve on and off the Strip. Take a good look, and you might find something new, like the intriguingly named Queen Cultivation. It’s one of the “tracks” in this “mixtape” spotlighting live music, food, spirituality, and art all over Vegas.
Here’s what I discovered.
Track #1: Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band @Venetian Theatre inside the Venetian Resort
Everyone should worship at the shrines of artists like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr. They have all the money in the world, yet these “active seniors” are still out there touring, recording, and notably proving that age ain’t nothing but a number.
On the fifth night of his six-show residency at the Venetian Theatre, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band encored with the Beatles chestnut “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Here was Ringo, who’s about to turn 84 in July, joyously imbuing the song with heart and soul and doing some forever-young jumping jacks.
You couldn’t help but smile and feel warm all over when the drummer and vocalist sang his 1973 smash solo hit “Photograph,” with its meaningful, enduring lines: “I want you here to have and hold as the years go by/And we grow old and grey.”
On his current tour, Ringo is backed by ace musicians, including Toto’s Steve Lukather, Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, and Men At Work’s Colin Hay.
But it’s Ringo who shined the brightest on Beatles classics like “Yellow Submarine” and his solo songs, including “I’m The Greatest.” It was especially moving when he introduced the latter song from his 1973 solo album by saying, “My friend John wrote this one and gave it to me.”
One can only hope that Ringo and Paul return to Vegas, particularly with July’s impending and sad closing of “The Beatles Love” at the soon-to-be-razed Mirage.
Track #2: ShangHai Taste on S Rainbow Blvd
It’s exciting to see Vegas’ so-called “other Chinatown” grow along S Rainbow Blvd. French-Asian bakery café chain TOUS les JOURS debuted here before it set up shop in the “proper” Chinatown.
And now Chinatown’s favorite ShangHai Taste—coveted for its traditional steamed soup dumplings and standout noodle dishes—has just opened in the “other Chinatown” on S Rainbow Ave near Windmill Lane. With 48 seats, it’s double the size of the original location, which opened in December 2019 at the bustling and parking-challenged Shanghai Plaza.
“We had so many requests to open in the Southwest,” says Joe Muscaglione, the restaurant’s co-creator and managing partner with chef and 2023 James Beard Award nominee Jimmy Li.
What defines ShangHai Taste? “Quality ingredients, skill, and passion.”
Plus, there’s ample, hassle-fee parking here.
At the June 8 grand opening, complete with a Chinese dragon dance and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the slurp-friendly dumplings (pork, fish, and vegan) I sampled were a serious cut above many other dumpling houses. They had the perfect amount of dough and were lovingly folded in the glass-enclosed kitchen. Equally irresistible were the noodles with scallion oil and soy sauce. Hats off to ShangHai Taste, which will also soon open a suburban Dallas outpost.
Track #3: Queendom Cultivation on W Sahara Ave
Thank heaven for places in Vegas that offer spiritual protection from an intermittently unforgiving world, like the Psychic Eye Book Shop on Eastern Ave in Henderson, The Realms Within on W Sahara Ave, and, further west on Sahara, Queendom Cultivation, a spiritual wellness center and crystal shop.
Go to Queendom to buy crystals for “loss and bereavement, exhaustion, and anxiety relief.” The shop also has chakra body oils, “intention” bracelets, incense, herbs, meditation pillows, smartly packaged gift boxes, and T-shirts. My favorite is emblazoned with the phrase “Master Manifestor.”
You’ll also find self-help books at this Black-and-female-owned store, like “Vibrate Higher Daily” and “Self Care for Black Men.” Notably, the shop’s books are curated by Analog Dope, another Black-and-female-owned shop in the Arts District.
Queendom is owned by Jazmine Danielle, who built her online business out of the San Francisco Bay Area before opening a brick-and-mortar store in Vegas. This is also the place to go for healing Reiki sessions, classes (“Intro To Candle Magic, on July 6), and a “Full Moon Sound Bath and Blue Lotus Tea Ceremony” coming up on June 23. Prepare to be enlightened.
Track #4: Promenade Food Hall @Fontainebleau Las Vegas
The Fontainebleau Las Vegas has many high-end signature dining experiences, such as Papi Steak, the Chyna Club, and Ito. The latter, on the hotel’s top floor, features a Japanese omakase menu and stunning views for 12 guests (presumably jackpot winners).
But there’s a more affordable way to experience the ultra-luxe hotel’s culinary options. Take the escalator to the Promenade food hall on the mezzanine level.
There, you can choose from multiple food concepts like: NYC celebrity chef Josh Capon’s Capon’s Burgers; Roadside Taco out of LA; Miami imports El Bagel and Miami Slice; and the premium sushi-focused Bar Ito, sister-concept to the above-mentioned Ito.
Feeling in a Los Angeles mood, I ordered a very good Chilaquiles burrito from Roadside Taco. But when I asked for some salsa, they shockingly told me it wasn’t offered with my food choice, and they were “out of hot sauce.” Hmm.
I followed this with a stellar chocolate-hazelnut creation from Break, a casual coffee shop with light bites. I enjoyed the dessert from a table with an awe-inspiring view of the grand casino below.
#5: Around Town Medley: Junior’s @Resorts World; Desert Valley Gallery @Tivoli Village; and More
You can experience a bit of NYC and LA all under one roof at Resorts World. I recently dropped into Junior’s, founded in 1950 in Brooklyn, for a satisfying Reuben sandwich with corned beef and steak fries—and capped it off with a glazed delight a few steps away at LA’s Randy’s Donuts. For my next visit to Junior’s—set in an inviting massive space with cool neo-mid-century design touches—I will try their famous cheesecake.
After dinner recently at El Dorado Cantina in Tivoli Village, we walked around and spotted this art piece in the window of Desert Valley Gallery. It pays tribute to June baby Marilyn Monroe and raises questions, if you look closely, about her mysterious death. “Who took her away…What did she do…Why?”
It’s easy to fall for the ahi tuna tostadas at the Vegas outpost of the Mexico City-originated La Popular at Palms Casino Resort. The crispy leeks, chipotle aioli, soy vinaigrette, and avocado are distinctively united in this adventurous appetizer. La Popular also has locations in California and Texas.
There’s lots of buzz about the giant sculpture in the Fontainebleau lobby—and its sheer size and dazzling abstract charisma totally enveloped me. In a recent profile about its artist, Urs Fischer, the New York Times described it as “…a craggy, otherworldly 46-foot-tall, 17-ton, gold-leaf and cast-aluminum abstract sculpture called ‘The Lovers #3,’ which suggests two asteroids from dueling solar systems locked in an embrace.”
Whoa, now that’s heavy in more ways than one.
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