Las Vegas Mixtape v23: Hawaii Street Food, Disco Ecstasy, and Feel-Good Mochi Donuts

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.