Track#1: The Liberace Mansion @Paradise Palms
The grand staircase at The Liberace Museum. (Image: Vegas 411)
In the mood to surround yourself with over-the-top opulence? Visit the mansion of a legendary pianist who was once the highest-paid entertainer in the world — Liberace. The late, glammed-out performer once said, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful,” and that ethos survives in his home.
The Liberace Mansion was initially built in 1962 and is now a historic destination. It’s a two-level kitsch palace with marble floors and 15,000 square feet of pure glitz, embodying Liberace’s expensive and tongue-in-cheek bad taste.
Book a private tour and wander through the mansion’s “eternal hall of mirrors,” modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Walk up the grand staircase whose railings—imported by Liberace from a can-can bar in Paris—inspired him to add a second level to his home. You’ll also see the original keyboard-painted outdoor steps that led to what once was the pool.
The inebriated guests who once partied at the house couldn’t expect to spend the night—the layout features only one bedroom (which is genius). And that bedroom, of course, has a recreation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. All hail Liberace!
Track #2: Leoncito @Red Rock Casino Resort Spa
Mini-tostadas with marinated watermelon at Leoncito. (Image: Vegas 411)
Take a break from the weight of the world, along with the dishes in your sink, by dining at new Mexican eatery Leoncito at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa. That’s where the softly lit, forever-young atmosphere is luxurious, with warm colors and hip lighting fixtures.
The small plates and shareable entrees here are a solid merger of Mexico’s soulful cooking with striking creative touches. Don’t miss out on the one-two punch of their mini tostadas with marinated watermelon (a distinctive, refreshing starter) and the wood-fired king salmon entree plated with seductive white bean, tomato, and lemon. You can also go the route of their tacos and choose between seven choices, including carne asada and sweet potato.
The Mexican fare at Leoncito is as impressive as Casa Playa at The Wynn, and I haven’t even mentioned their soul-satisfying chips and salsa (homemade and wisely complimentary). Finally, why not float out of the restaurant, like friends and I did, buzzed from the chocolate torta cake with vanilla soft serve?
Track #3: Stray Pirate @Arts District
The curious sea life at Stray Pirate. (Image: Vegas 411)
Grab a seat at tropical cocktail bar Stray Pirate, the colorful bar that opened this past October in the Arts District. If you order one of their signature creative drinks like “Robbing The Gulf” or “Get It Kraken,” you might notice fish, including a shark, swimming around in what look like aquariums. Wait a second—is that the alcohol taking effect?
Let Chris Gutierrez, partner and creative operator of the buzzy Commerce St bar, clear up the mystery. “We worked with a world-class animator to build our underwater world and have the types of sea life that we wanted to portray on eight screens.” Aha!
Conceptually, Stray Pirate is “located within the hull of a sunken dog pirate ship in the bottom of the ocean,” explains Gutierrez. “The idea of cursed dog pirates in this ship came from my partner and visionary, Kyle Schroeder.”
Stray Pirate’s drinks earn rave reviews. “We use fresh produce for the vast majority of our ingredients,” Gutierrez says proudly. You can enjoy them with the bar’s various snack mixes like “wasabi pea sesame stick rice cracker mix, and half popped garlic parm popcorn,” all of which sound as surreal to me as the shark I saw there.
Track #4: Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner @Huntridge Shopping Center
Modern throwback diner Winnie & Ethel’s is a highlight of the Huntridge Shopping Center. (Image: Vegas 411)
Glad we recently stopped into Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner, about a mile east of the Arts District on Charleston. Thanks to expanded hours (until 10:00pm Wednesday-Saturday) at this new quaint-meets-modern eatery, you can now order breakfast (and, well, lunch, too) for dinner in addition to the rest of their menu.
I had their egg salad sandwich with red-hot pickled eggs, tomato, chopped bacon, and red onion. It gets in there and does the job quick, served with cooked-just-right shoestring fries. Their sweet brown sugar ham with hashbrowns also keeps the breakfast-is-the-new-dinner vibe going strong. Wash it all down with the 25-cent bottomless coffee (with entrees $8.00 or over).
Winnie & Ethels is “modeled after the iconic, round-the-clock American eatery of the 1940s,” say married owners, Chef Aaron Lee and CEO Mallory Gott. They named it for Lee’s “grandma Winnie and her great-grandma Ethel, whose warm, loving kitchens were always open.”
Track #5: Vegas Rocks! Magazine Music Awards @Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall
Impersonators of KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley flank show producer Sally Steele at the top of the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Music Awards. (Image: by Joe Schaeffer.)
Hats off to rocker, publisher, and producer/host Sally Steele for continuing to unite the Vegas rock community, especially with her Vegas Rocks! Magazine Music Awards show. Held at the Sam’s Town Live venue inside Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, the packed-out 7th edition of the event (and the first one since 2016) attracted an audience of 1,000 and featured standout musical performances.
Via her website and socials, Steele provides the glue that connects many musicians who were either born in Vegas or moved here, like Bruce Kulick (KISS, Grand Funk Railroad), who received the “Guitar Legend” award. Anyone attending the show could feel the stirring camaraderie among the musicians in the room.
- Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top received lifetime achievement honors.
- Local alternative rock heroes Crashing Wayward won “Best New Vegas Rock Band” for their 2023 debut album.
- Other award winners include Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, Five Finger Death Punch, guitarist Orianthi, and singer-musician Frankie Moreno.
Yep, Vegas rocks.