Filed under: CitySpoon, Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized | Tags: Business, club, Hotel, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Nevada, restaurant, TAO, Tao Beach, vodka
Tao restaurant and nightclub is regarded as one of the most popular venues in Las Vegas; it’s big, it gorgeous, and most of all, it’s very, very expensive – which attributes it to being among the wealthiest restaurants in the United States as well. So it should be no surprise that my visit there this past Thursday night – an evening which included: cocktails, dinner, drinks, and a booth at their club – was both fun and memorable.
When you first enter Tao – via the Venetian hotel – you feel as though you are entering a Buddhist temple; both sides of the entrance have rose pedal filled candle-lit bathtubs, with bikini-clad models seductively staring at you, making it very hard to remain focused on ANY task at hand. From there we entered the dark-yet-inviting bar/lounge area, where the wait for our table was minimal. The very attractive smiling hostesses then shuffled us upstairs to our extra large round table (there were about 15 of us). Without even a chance to scope out my surroundings, the waiter popped in, offering us water, menus, and of course food choices. Our appetizers were a very standard: vegetarian dumplings, chicken satay skewers, vegetable tempura, and assorted sushi rolls – I’d like to make notable mention that the food came quick, was piping hot, and tasted fresh. We devoured the food faster than they could bring it, and eagerly awaited our main course of New York Striploin; Korean short ribs; Shrimp, Chicken, and Beef fried rice; Salmon and Cod fillets; and of course, vegetables. The meal was delectable and not one piece of food was left standing, then the killer came – dessert. We ordered sugared donuts which came with milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel dipping sauce; needless to say, they stood no chance at survival.
From here we did what most frivolous spending Gen-Y’ers would do: bottle service in Tao nightclub. The bouncer walked us up to our table, where the party was not only well under way, but also filling up faster than you could imagine. Our hostess brought us the menu and we, without question, ordered our bottles and began the night. The resident DJ 5ive spun a great set and kept the club – and our group – dancing the night away. And before I even realized what time it was, the lights were on and our sweaty group was ushered out, still dancing and hugging everyone in sight.
Normally, a night like that would lead to a bad hangover and a relaxing day by the pool at Tao beach, but regrettably I did not get the chance to experience it as well. However, many friends have and have said it is also among the best “beach” parties on the strip – so i’ll just have to take their word for it.
Regardless, Tao of Las Vegas is an experience in itself and a “must-go” place for tourists and locals alike; Vegas is expensive as it is, you may as well enjoy it the right way, right?
Filed under: Events | Tags: Cityspoon.com, Coupons, deal, deals, Events, garage sale, history, Las Vegas, penthouse suite, Sahara, Sale, The Sahara Hotel and Casino, Vegas History
After the horror stories of what was the first day of the Grand Liquidation at the Sahara. I decided the second day wouldn’t be so bad. I have heard people waiting from 2.5-4.5 hours just to get in and be a picker for a huge day of savings and a piece of Las Vegas History. The truth of the matter is: Everything was for sale.
Driving through from the Cityspoon offices wasn’t bad. I was ushered up the garage and parked at the third floor. Waiting for an elevator that never came. So after a small heel toe express ride, you follow the signs to the front of the hotel and you wait. It wasn’t bad. I would say 20 minutes. You get ushered in and sure enough $10 admission. But wait, you get a tiny Sahara shot glass and a torn luggage tag you wear like you’re going to a club wristband.
When you get in, you wait again to get orientation. I didn’t realize there was an instructional seminar. I heard “sale” and “deal” and I went. So was it a sale or deals? Not sure about that. Walking through the Casino had this empty and eerie silence. Sure there were people there shopping, but without the sounds of the machines, it was kind of eerie. Plus being able to walk through the back of the house without being stopped by security was definitely an experience.
The smallwares were right in front of the cage. Stemware and glassware were $1-$2 and it was quaint and “not a deal.” Silverware was a $1 apiece and also not a deal. I didn’t find the deals I was expecting. Those are things I can find at AAA Restaurant Supply for brand new or better. Anything with “Sahara” on it had a higher price point. Like the Casino logo chairs were $95. Again…not a deal. Some back of the house stuff were priced ok, I guess if you’re a collector or you’re buying for a restaurant or bar, the sales aren’t bad. But the thing I wanted was a mirror for $28 but I realized I didn’t need it. For me to resell it wasn’t worth it.
I think in time yes it would be worth it. But I didn’t want to pay admission and if you bought something there’s a 10% buyer fee…like tax. To me, an average consumer…I could get different deals from other places. But there’s nothing like buying a piece of Las Vegas history. I got my shotglass and I’m happy.
Filed under: CitySpoon | Tags: Arts District, artwalk, Cityspoon, Events, First Friday, Las Vegas, Nickhole Arcade, pomona, tattoos
Recently I took a trip to Pomona to visit one of my favorite friends and Tattoo Artist Nickhole Arcade and it was a complete suprise. Growing up in LA the one thing I knew Pomona for was the LA County Fair. I never realized what kind of scene that city has. She tattoos at a Tattoo Shop called Ink’d Chronicles. But that’s a whole different story.
The real story is the town of Pomona. Just 3 hours away from our home base in Las Vegas. Pomona was incorporated in 1888. It has a rich past and exciting future where at times we don’t expect to find these gems glistening if you don’t stop to take in the sights. What was exciting was pulling into town and seeing all the people out and about, not all dressed up just being themselves. Music all around. Arts and culture everywhere. That’s what drew me to love this city. What really gets me too are all the antique shops. I wish we had the time to go to every one. Arg. Another time.
Pomona’s got this great Artwalk that we were fortunate enough to check out. It occurs every second Saturday of the month. It’s just like Las Vegas’ First Friday.
The moral of this story is: Don’t count out the diamonds in the rough. I can’t wait to have cityspoon.com there.
~myke
Filed under: Events | Tags: Big Badass Burrito, Burrito, city, Cityspoon, Closing, Coupons, deals, employment, Event, Hotel, Las Vegas, Man Vs. Food, NASCAR Cafe, Nostalgic, Old Vegas, spoon, The Sahara
It’s official today at 1:40pm Sahara closed it’s doors today. 20 minutes ahead of schedule. It’s a sad day when workers are hugging and saying their “goodbyes” and “good lucks.” The last guests checked out at noon. Sahara was also put on the map from the Rat Pack and Sinatra. It had so much nostalgia of Old Vegas. They even have a street named after it.
Man Vs Food had the Nascar Cafe with the 2 foot burrito. Adam takes on one of Sin City’s wildest food creations: The Big Badass Burrito at the NASCAR Cafe. This monster is loaded with beef, vegetables, nacho cheese, and topped with scoops of sour cream and guacamole.
I didn’t frequent the Sahara, but I remember being 10 years old and the old Sahara being my first trip to Vegas, that’s where my family and I stayed. My uncle would get wicked deals from it. My cousins and I would get quarters to play video games, and once in a while we snuck a quarter into a machine to gamble. Then we’d do the touristy walk around and eat thing. We would end up back at the room renting a movie till us kids passed out and the aunts, uncles and parents would sneak off to feed the Vegas economy.
Yes folks the Sahara is no longer open for business. The end.
Filed under: CitySpoon | Tags: ABC, city, Cityspoon, Coupons, deals, Event, Fatherhood, Joseph Simmons, Las Vegas, Lavo, MTV, Palazzo, Rev Run, Run DMC, Run's House, spoon
It’s tricky…Joseph Simmons aka DJ Run aka Rev Run transformed from rapper to a minister and reality TV star. The Run-D.M.C. member shared his inspiring words of wisdom to Las Vegans May 14th and 15th at Central Christian Church. He spoke to old and new fans about his journey to entering fatherhood and becoming the grandfather of hip hop,from getting high to finding God and sharing his positive healthy newfound family life on the hit reality series Run’s House on MTV. The show was originally set to air on ABC until P. Diddy called with a better offer with MTV. Rev Run was skeptical because he wanted to the show to be family oriented, however, it could still accomplish that on MTV. He wanted to show the public the possibilities of reaping the benefits from living a virtuous lifestyle.
Simmons also spoke about the struggles in his own personal life, including the passing of his daughter in 2006 and the adoption of his youngest daughter Miley, now three years old, which he said was one of the best decisions he has ever made.
With over 2 million followers on twitter, Rev Run tweeted about finishing speaking at 5 services Sunday and will perform at Lavo nightclub inside the Palazzo on Wednesday the 18th. With the energy and comical relief Rev Run expressed in the church, it can only be imagined what he can do in a nightclub. Nonetheless, the rapper turned Reverend still knows how to get down.
Filed under: Deals | Tags: Atlantis, Caesar's Palace, cheap, circus, city, Cityspoon, coupon, deals, family, Fountain, fountains at Bellagio, free shows, Fremont St, fun, Las Vegas, lions, show, Sirens at TI, spoon, The Rio, the spoon theroy, TI, Treasure Island, Vegas
Over the last few years Las Vegas has gone through so many changes. Celebrity Chefs have come in to open restaurants; Jose Andres, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, etc. Even high end shopping has expanded with places like Barney’s, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany’s, etc. One of the biggest changes is bringing Broadway shows into town. We lined the strip with The Phantom of The Opera, The Lion King, Jersey Boys. But we have a tip for you for some free shows when you come into town! Yep free is a deal!
Sure it’s not Cirque or Les Miserable, but it’s free and it’s fun.
The Fall of Atlantis Fountain Show
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
866.227.5938
www.caesarspalace.com
Located in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. They have lifelike animatronic figures who are fighting it out to who gets to rule Atlantis. Is it fire or ice going to be dominant? You decide…Other than that, there’s a cool 50,000 gallon saltwater aquarium there with over 100 species of fish and plants.
The Festival Fountain Show
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
866.227.5938
www.caesarspalace.com
An animated show of Roman Gods starring Bacchus, Apollo, Venus, and Plato. It’s almost a Three’s Company sitcom, that plays every hour on the hour 7 days a week.
The Fountains at Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
702.693.7111
www.bellagio.com
If you’re visiting Bellagio or cruising by. You definitely want to catch the Fountains. You can watch the fountains dance and shoot water hundreds of feet into the air to the sounds of Sinatra, symphonies, or songs like Nessun Dorma
It’s a beautiful site. Great date place to walk hand and hand, feel all warm and fuzzy romanticlike. Shows are usually every half hour starting in the early afternoon and every 15 minutes 7pm to midnight. Subject to change during high winds.
Sirens of TI
2200 Las Vegas Blvd S
702.894.7111
http://www.treasureisland.com
The Sirens is located outside TI, it’s like this Electronica high seas adventure that happens nightly. They sing and dance and they’re scantily clad women and washboard ab master seamen that put on a show usually 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm. It’s not America’s Best Dance Crew, but it’s fun to see and F-R-E-E! Who doesn’t like that deal?
World’s Largest Permanent Circus at Circus – Circus
2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.734.0410
800.634.3450
Further down the strip in Circus Circus there high above the casino floor, the World’s Largest Permanent Circus performers do death-defying stunts every half-hour between 11 a.m. and midnight.
Acts include jugglers, unicyclists, trapeze artists and acrobats, oh my! Each act lasts about 10 minutes.
When you walk through the casino, follow the signs toward the midway – Otherwise you will be stuck joining the Circus and it could be dangerous.
The midway features Carnie games of more than 200 games of skill and chance; In the evening, the rotating “Horse-A-Round” bar featured in the movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is definitely a must see if you’re a big Hunter S Thompson Fan
Masquerade in the Sky
Rio Hotel
3700 W Flamingo Rd
866.746.7671
www.riolasvegas.com
At the Rio there’s a huge stage with floating “Floats” overhead with dancers, singers, and people who like to chuck beads at you. No you don’t have to take your top off. It’s family friendly. But it’s a smaller version replica of Carnival or Mardi Gras….So where’s the kingcake?
Freemont Street Experience
425 Fremont St
702.678.5600
www.vegasexperience.com
If you’re up to it, a short cab ride downtown, or even if you’re driving…it’s where old Las Vegas is. A place to get cheap drinks, cheap food, and fun times. Freemont Street Experience is a covered area with Ziplining, free concerts on weekends and an awesome lightshow above. It plays accordingly with the song they blast nightly on a 500,000 watt sound system and 12.5 million lights. It usually starts every night from 8pm to midnight on an hourly basis. Yes I said Ziplining. It’s cool and new and fun! I did see some people get stuck once. It was pretty funny!
The Lion Habitat
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702.891.7777
To honor the lion and help safeguard its preservation for future generations, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino has created a one-of-a-kind Lion Habitat as a showcase for public education and appreciation for this majestic creature of nature. The lion has been a part of the MGM heritage for many years, beginning with the legendary Leo, whose roars have welcomed generations of moviegoers to epics of the silver screen. The Lion Habitat is open daily from 11am-7pm. It’s pretty cool to see them close up and laying there. Sometimes I just wanna see them go crazy! But it doesn’t happen that often. It’s free and a must go!
Filed under: Events | Tags: Attractions, audition, Cityspoon, Dance, Electronic Daisy Festival, Electronica, Events, Festival, insomnia, June, Las Vegas, Music, Techno, Trance, Vegas
Amazingly enough there’s a new festival coming into town. Should we call it a festival? The Electronic Daisy Festival is looking to Las Vegas to house their music extraveganza. Now amazingly enough there were about 160k in attendance. There were carnival rides, music, dance, food, dance, music, food, dance, food, drinks, music, and bathrooms….did I mention music?
There’s no lineup annouced yet, but this may be a good thing for Vegas. It’s got this subculture of DJ underground and it will be successful. Economically, it should bring a lot of business into town. Ultimately you’ve got over 100k of people showing up in the summer for this. It’s gonna be a crazy, crazy 3 days. Hopefully Las Vegas will be able to make this event fun and safe for everyone.
To get updates and ticket info click here
There has been a date set for June 24-26, 2011 however the venue or lineup has not been determined. I think we here at Cityspoon will make an appearance. But hey why not? We hope we can dish out some deals for this event!
Filed under: Spooning People | Tags: Anthony Bordain, Asian Cuisine, City Spoon, Food Network, Gastronomy, Giada De Laurentis, Guiness Book of World Records, Jet Tila, Las Vegas, Le Cordon Bleu, Los Angeles Times, No Kid Hungry, Strength.org, Taste of The Nation, Thai Food, The Encore, Wazuzu
Jet Tila is a nationally renowned chef of all styles of Asian cuisine. His passion for Asian food began at an early age. As a boy, he spent time learning the ancient traditions of classical Asian cuisine in family restaurants and at the Bangkok Market. At age 10, Jet realized his deep connection to food sprung from a deeper connection to his history; learning family traditions from his Cantonese grandmother further piqued his interest. In his early teens, Jet was making appetizers at his family’s restaurants. At 22, he was teaching cooking classes in his backyard a phenomenon that caught the attention of The Los Angeles Times.
Chef Jet’s Le Cordon Bleu education, coupled with his extensive knowledge of Asian gastronomy, have given him a wide range of ideas to draw upon and a broad framework to craft incomparable and innovative cuisine. � In culinary school, Jet began to develop his style by seeking novel and inventive ways to approach Eastern ingredients with classical French technique. He has also completed an intensive program of study at the California Sushi Academy.
Chef Jet has written two cover pieces and several articles for the food section of The Los Angeles Times and has been featured in Los Angeles magazine. He has appeared on Food TV’s “The Best Of,” “Food Finds” and “The Secret Life Of”; The Learning Channel’s “No Reservations” with Chef Anthony Bourdain and “Take Home Chef”; HGTV’s “Smart Solutions” and “Weekend Entertaining”; PBS’s “Visiting With Huell Howser”; and is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s “Good Food” with Evan Kleiman.
Chef Jet was awarded the Los Angeles Times best recipe of the year for his Tom Yum soup and his Tom Kha Gai soup was named one of the 10 best recipes of 2000.
He holds the Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Stirfry” at 1,805 pounds. Chef Jet is highly sought after to consult, teach cooking classes and cater meals; he is the Asian food consultant to the Bon Appïtit management company.
I met Chef Jet 3 years ago at an event called Taste of The Nation where he served the biggest portion in the event. I went to his restaurant Wazuzu at The Encore shortly after and I must say it’s pretty amazing. Although I never really got to share or make drinks or cocktails for Chef. I will one day find an oppurtunity to because he’s a talented chef. I’ve watched him grow in the Las Vegas community with so many different web shows, tv, Whole Foods Demonstrations and I definitely am a big Jet Fan. I would love to some day work with him on a collaboration of drinks and asian fusion or even traditional asian faire. If you’re in Vegas or visiting, go see Chef Jet at Wazuzu inside the Encore Resort and Casino!
Maybe I need to pitch a Food Network show spinoff of the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” to the “Best Thing I Ever Drank.”
Note to self: Send Jet an note regarding being a BAMF in the kitchen. Because that’s what I am!
Filed under: CitySpoon | Tags: BBQBoy, chopped, city, Costco, Curbside Cafe, dinner, food, Food Trucks, foodies, grill, H & H BBQ, Las Vegas, Local businesses, Lulu's, lunch, meals, Metro Pizza, parking lots, reality, Snow Cones, spoon, sweet bunz, The Great American Food Truck Race
In 2010 came the vehicular culinary extravaganza which changed the culinary world of Vegas. It’s funny because all these other cities are already ahead of us with these amazing trucks. This brings us to the topic of the day. With shows like “Chopped” or “Hell’s Kitchen,” even the “The Great American Truck Race” reminds us that this is the time for the “Foodie” or self proclaimed “Foodies.” These food trucks that are popping up all over the Vegas Valley are out and ready to cash in on this glorious concept!
For instance, on April 2, 2011 there was a Food Truck event with some of the local big boys like Slidin Thru, the LBS Patty Wagon, the snow cone ppl, plus some new ones like BBQ Boy and Sweet Bunz, Lulu’s , Curbside Cafe.
What made this cool was there were a lot of people there. It was like 200 an hour from just watching. It was nice to see droves of locals come out and support the local businesses. Even though there were some corp guys there, its the mom and pops that make it worth it.
It was cool because BBQBoy was the first Filipino Truck out. There was actual taco trucks there…OH Yea H & H BBQ was ridiculously off the hook! You need to check out the bohemeth they came with….one of the biggest smokers I’ve ever seen. It just gave me an idea to do our own CitySpoon sanctioned event with the trucks even from other cities….It would be amazing! Check out the video here!
Yes this is my cheesey attempt on Videography…but hey I tried!
How rad is it to have that many people show up and all that good food go out! With so much to try I hope people will come out and support more. Watch out big guys! Because the little guys are putting up a fight!
CITYSPOON 