There’s so much ground to cover in Vegas, it’s head-spinning. And this “mixtape” is my latest attempt to keep up with restaurants, shows, and more. My all-over-town itinerary took me to the Sphere, a Chinatown restaurant serving tapas, and a guitar trade show in the south part of the city where I saw a “Swiss Cheese guitar.” I also couldn’t pass up a price-friendly vintage Vegas meal downtown. Plus I immersed myself in the natural scenery and museums at the desert oasis known as Springs Preserve and dined at a gorgeously designed off-Strip Asian eatery.
Track #1: Kenny Chesney @Sphere
Kenny Chesney gives everyone a big group hug. (Image: Vegas 411)
“We hear you, we feel you, we’re thrilled to be here,” Kenny Chesney told an adoring audience on a recent Saturday night at the Sphere. The mega-star’s 15-date engagement runs until June 21, notably marking the first country music residency at the venue.
Chesney’s show has lots to recommend, starting with his stadium-sized charm and smooth baritone, plus his band’s three-guitar army and the artful visuals alongside the real-time onscreen projections.
Chesney possesses an attractive easy-going voice, like James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, and Ricky Nelson. He’s celebrated for his feel-good classics like “Beer In Mexico” and “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem,” but he also subtly taps into an American malaise and anxiety in other hits.
The country mega-star balances hits about escapism with songs that scratch below the surface of American life. (Image: Vegas 411)
Among the set’s highlights with this theme were “Reality” (“Reality, yeah, sometimes life/Ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be”), “American Kids” (“A little messed up, but we’re all alright”), and “Noise” (“Sometimes I wonder how did we get here/Seems like all we ever hear is noise”), and “Get Along” (“Scared to live, scared to die/We ain’t perfect, but we try”).
Because Chesney has such a strong down-to-earth, beach-loving guy image, he doesn’t get enough credit for writing or choosing outside songs with relevant, meat-on-the-bone lyrics. At the Sphere, Chesney said he penned 2012’s “Welcome to the Fishbowl”—which contains the lyrics “You just lost your privacy/Welcome to the fishbowl”—as his statement about the effects of social media. His Sphere engagement is a terrific opportunity to see one of country’s best long-running artists whose debut album, “In My Wildest Dreams,” came out way back in 1994.
Track #2: A Different Beast @Chinatown
Sample the pintxos served from dim sum-style carts. (Image: Vegas 411)
Looking to embark on a true culinary adventure? Head to the Chinatown restaurant A Different Beast which delivers on the boast of its name and fully embraces its guests.
The menu at this airy space with sharp-looking modern design focuses on the Basque and Catalan regions of Spain. The kitchen sends out a distinctive array of tapas as well as pintxos (smaller tapas)—the latter impressively served from dim sum-style carts—along with main plates and a host of sangrias.
The eatery gets bonus points for its beautifully plated offerings. (Image: Vegas 411)
High-quality ingredients and bold taste sensations rule the day here. This was reflected in everything we ate: the patatas bravas, wagyu meatballs, shrimp with garlic oil, croquetas with ham, and a main plate of cod with Basque salsa verde, lemon, and oil. A standout pintxo consisted of egg and ham, with garlic oil and onion sprouts. No way could we leave without diving into the seductively creamy Basque cheesecake.
Co-owned by the culinary couple—chefs Kat and Justin Yi—A Different Beast is a spinoff of their shuttered downtown LA eatery Hock+Hoof, a Michelin Plate-awarded restaurant. “After the pandemic forced us to close our doors,” they explain on the eatery’s website, “we embarked on a global journey and fell in love with Basque culture in San Sebastián and the vibrant culinary scene of Barcelona.” The knowledge they gained from their travels is passionately reflected in the menu.
Track #3: The Bones @Veil Pavilion at Silverton Casino Hotel
You’re looking at Patrick Vitagliano’s uniquely “cheesy” custom guitar. (Image: Christina Vitagliano)
Watching The Bones perform at the annual Las Vegas Guitar Trade Show at Veil Pavilion at the Silverton Casino Hotel, it was impossible to take my eyes off the uniquely shaped guitar played by the Vegas foursome’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Vitagliano.
His signature guitar, available soon via the company Valkenburg USA, is known as “Bonnie & Clyde,” as a tribute to the bullet-ridden car the famous gangsters were ambushed and killed in. Although the guitar—cheekily described by Valkenburg as a no “holes” barred shred machine—will come in various colors, Vitagliano told me that he chose “Corvette Yellow” since “it would obviously forever be known as the Swiss Cheese guitar.”
This photo screams R-O-C-K.(Image: Christina Vitagliano)
If you’re a fan of bands like Social Distortion and Cheap Trick, it’s easy to cozy up to The Bones’ brand of punk-meets-hard-rock crunch, strong melodies, and tight songcraft. Their sound is overlaid with Vitagliano’s appealingly cranky, snarling vocals and witty lyrics on standout songs like “Shoulda Known Better” and the dominatrix-themed “Ms. Discipline,” both from “Circle,” their recent and fourth full-length studio album. Filling in for the band’s lead guitarist Jeff Duncan (Armored Saint) at the Silverton was Vegas-based powerhouse guitarist Stoney Curtis.
It wouldn’t be a Bones show without the inclusion of band’s trademark cover songs, and tonight they dug their heels convincingly into The Cars’ “Let’s Go” and the ‘80s classics “Don’t Change” by INXS and Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
Track #4: Jade Asian Kitchen @JW Marriott/Rampart Casino in Summerlin
Jade Asian Kitchen’s artful modern design is, in a word, fabulous. (Image: Vegas 411)
Restaurants inside off-Strip hotels can easily be overlooked. “Dig a little deeper” is what I always tell myself, and that led me to Jade Asian Kitchen & Noodles at the JW Marriott/Rampart Casino in Summerlin North.
The setting here is modern and beautifully lit, with a soaring ceiling that instantly envelops diners. The wide-ranging menu encompasses Chinese dishes and dim sum and sushi as well as Teppanyaki (the Japanese cooking style which involves chefs grilling food in front of diners on a flat iron griddle), for which reservations are required.
These chicken and vegetable potstickers really “stick” together. (Image: Vegas 411)
Everything we ordered hit the mark: chicken/vegetable potstickers, orange chicken, the “Tweety Bird” sushi (accented with Amarillo salsa), shrimp lo mein, stir-fried green beans, and Jade’s unforgettable ube cheesecake, topped with a “lace halo cookie.” A welcoming and accommodating wait staff puts a bow on the experience. Enjoy happy hour on the patio Wednesday-Sunday between 4-6pm.
Track #5: Around Town Medley:
Don’t pass up this attractively priced prime rib special. (Image: Vegas 411)
Out of town friends who haven’t been to Vegas in years always ask me: does “old Vegas” still exist? Happy to say that it’s alive and well at the old-school-cool 24/7 restaurant Siegel’s 1941 inside El Cortez Hotel and Casino.
Seeking comfort from these weighty modern times, I finally tried their “world famous” (as noted on the hotel’s marquee) and easy-on-the-wallet $19.95 prime rib special.
The meal delivered on all counts. I asked for my prime rib—hailed as the “undeniable king of meats” by Bon Appetit—to be cooked between rare and medium rare. It was succulent and juicy, amped up by the burning sensation of the creamy horseradish sauce and served with mashed potatoes and perfectly sautéed vegetables.
Bugsy Siegel’s cigar smoke enhances the vintage vibes. (Image: Vegas 411)
As a bonus, I enjoyed it at my table that was situated right under a giant vintage black and white photo of that sharp-dressed, cigar-smoking mobster Bugsy Siegel.
Springs Preserve is one of Vegas’ crown jewels. (Image: Vegas 411)
Feel the need to “Zen out”? A good place to do it is at the Springs Preserve, just minutes from The Strip. Wander through the four walking trails, a botanical garden, and a collection of museums, including The Nevada State Museum, and galleries that illuminate “the birthplace of Las Vegas.”
I stopped in recently to explore the seasonal Butterfly Habitat. It’s a magical, outdoor-but-enclosed space to walk around in, with beautiful butterflies flying all around you and the plants that sustain them. The habitat reopens again on October 4 after the summer heat subsides.
You better run when a flash flood rushes through a canyon. (Image: Vegas 411)
In the Origen Museum, I enjoyed an exciting recreation of a desert-style, run-for-your-life flash flood, plus the “Brick Planet” art-and-science exhibit, with wondrous LEGO® brick sculptures created by artist Sean Kinney. See it before it wraps up on September 8. There’s a lot to absorb at Springs Preserve, both indoors and outdoors, so I missed dining at Springs Café which closes at 3:30pm. Its healthy fare is brought to you by the same folks who oversee the Bronze Café, a favorite of mine that’s located adjacent to Desert Shores.
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