If there’s a theme to this “mixtape,” it’s about the pursuit of pleasure, for which there are many exciting roads to go down in Vegas. Enjoy Hawaii street food delights, mochi donuts, and a Tokyo-style Italian restaurant in Chinatown.
Don’t sleep on the new dance-fever Spiegelworld show on the Strip and seeing live bands in the strikingly visual ballroom-like space at AREA15. You can also get your dose of smart arthouse cinema at The Beverly Theater downtown. Vegas is here for your taking.
Track #1: Ai Pono Café @Eat Your Heart Out Food Hall, inside Durango Casino and Resort
Thumbs up for Ai Pono Cafe—one of the standalone restaurants inside the Eat Your Heart Out food hall at the Durango Casino and Resort. Chef Gene Villiatora, the owner of the Costa Mesa, CA-originated eatery, says he’s committed to “reintroducing authentic Hawaii street food to the community.”
The man has a delicious sense of humor, too, serving up lovably named creations like “Crackhead Chicken” and “Dirty Lickin’ Korean Chicken.” The latter offering consists of juicy “crispy boneless thighs with Chef’s Ko-Ju Truffle Sauce,” which comes with a side of their “mac salad,” Asian slaw, and two scoops of rice. Everyone needs a new addiction, and this dish is mine.
The colorful, upbeat, and wallet-friendly Ai Pono Café is a welcome addition to Vegas, known as the “ninth island of Hawaii” because of the city’s sizeable Hawaiian population. It’s a place that aims to please, right down to the photo of Hawaii’s golden child, Bruno Mars, gracing the back wall.
Track #2: “DISCOSHOW” @The LINQ
Congrats to the entertainment visionaries at Spiegelworld (“Absinthe,” “Atomic Saloon”). With “DISCOSHOW” inside The LINQ, they’ve delivered another hyper-imaginative and totally enveloping extravaganza. Set in 1977, it lovingly tips its hat to the ‘70s NYC disco nightlife as well as the history and staying power of dance music overall.
At the show’s world premiere and party in early September, Spiegelworld head Ross Mollison told the’70s-costumed crowd that “DISCOSHOW” was “10 years in the making” and wondered if “the future of Vegas entertainment is without seats.” For 70 minutes that whiz by, you’re up on your feet grooving in an ample, gorgeously lit disco space while the cast dances around you on risers and moves above you on other levels.
The show also incorporates historic footage, including scenes from the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” in 1979 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park stadium. That’s where disco records were blown up in an ugly Major League Baseball promotion that ended with rioting disco haters damaging the field.
Your “DISCOSHOW” evening can begin or end with cocktails and dinner at the adjacent Diner Ross, named in honor of the legendary Diana Ross, whose disco hits “Love Hangover” and “I’m Coming Out” helped define the genre.
Walking into the multi-room venue itself is a gas. You enter a gritty space with a bar that recreates the Prince St NYC subway stop near where David Mancuso’s pioneering ‘70s club, The Loft, was located (99 Prince St). Upstairs is the “Glitterloft,” which has the industrial design aesthetic of The Loft and features a bar and a DJ spinning disco classics. Next, you’re led into the disco for a show starring a drag queen MC who celebrates the gay, straight, and multi-ethnic inclusiveness of the early NYC discos. Fortunately, the velvet-roped, celebrity-driven Studio 54—which opened in 1977 and was all about who got inside and who didn’t—is not saluted.
As a native New Yorker who went to classic pre-Studio 54 NYC clubs like Le Jardin, Infinity, and Galaxy 21, I’m happy to say that “DISCOSHOW” gets the spirit right. It’s also a terrific night out in Vegas.
Track #3: Mama Chai’s @Chinatown
Looking to evade the police? A good place to go under the radar is the feel-good Mama Chai’s, a boba tea shop noted for their freshly made, chewy mochi donuts. It’s hidden all the way in the back of a Chinatown plaza that’s mainly known for the hot spots Mr. BBQ (Korean Premium AYCE) and 702 Karaoke Bar & Restaurant.
Out on Mama Chai’s expansive patio, one of the best in Vegas, you can relax on comfortable furniture and enjoy the donuts, plus salted fresh milk and fresh fruit teas, coffee, and smoothies.
Try the “Real Pistachio Latte” or the simpler chai milk tea and build on it with one of their toppings, like the “Strawberry Popping Boba.” Pair these drinks with chocolate-coconut, yuzi-pistachio, or cereal-inspired “Fruity Pebbles” donuts for a glorious sugar high.
Mama Chai’s launched in February 2023 and is open Monday-Thursday until 11pm and Friday-Saturday until midnight. It’s a relaxing place to end the night, tucked away from the madding crowd.
Track #4: The Frights and Surely Tempo @The Portal inside AREA15
The Portal venue inside AREA15 is a distinctive place to see musical acts perform—its 360-degree projection-mapped room envelops concertgoers with swirling imagery (like a mini-Sphere). While the visuals were not elaborate for a recent show by two Southern CA bands—The Frights (San Diego) and Surely Tempo (Santa Ana)—it was still worthwhile to see these proudly indie rockers play in this ballroom-like space where a sizeable young crowd moved about freely.
Noisy headliners the Frights formed in 2012 and released their released their fifth album “Gallows Humour” this past March. A decidedly unslick band like The Frights, with their joyous composite of indie, punk, and emo (try “Over It”), underline how important it is to keep edgy guitar-centric rock alive and well. Hope they stick around, although a post in all caps on their Instagram—which in part reads, “LAST SHOW FOR A LONG TIME!”—shrouds their future in mystery.
Surely Tempo creates a bass-heavy, hypnotic sound with Cure-like shadowy guitar lines and pumps it up with breakneck rhythms that went over strongly with the crowd. They’ve released two albums, various EP’s, and singles including the recent track “Here We Go.” The foursome is introspective and dialed into an audience who want a band that soundtracks their hopes and fears, as illustrated by the title of the group’s 2020 debut album, “Days So Bitter, Yet So Sweet.”
Track #5: Around Town Medley: Trattoria Nakamura Ya @Chinatown, “Casino” and “Crossing” @Beverly Theater
Last year I wrote about Trattoria Nakamura Ya—a unique Tokyo-style Italian restaurant in Chinatown–in my first “Las Vegas Mixtape” column. Returning to the intimate eatery recently, I ordered the “Linguini Spicy ‘Jidori’ Chicken and Paprika Tomato Sauce.” It’s a dish that’s easy to covet, underlining Chef Kengo Nakamura from Japan’s skillful blend of Italian cooking with Japanese flavors. Another popular pasta is the “Squid Ink Spaghetti” with calamari. It’s guaranteed to turn your lips, mouth and teeth black—and thus perfectly suited for the goth crowd.
Arthouse cinema/music venue The Beverly Theater debuted in March 2023 and continues to enhance Vegas’ cultural life. A full house of film enthusiasts was on hand for Martin Scorsese’s electrifying 1995 Vegas epic “Casino” as part of the downtown theater’s “Mob Month” series. I also went to see the compelling foreign 2024 film “Crossing” about a woman’s pursuit of her long-lost niece living as a transgender woman in the winding streets of Istanbul. It’s a true gift that Vegas has a theater whose smartly curated, quality programming can be trusted.
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