This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
Amari Italian Kitchen & Wine Shop — September 16
Amari Kitchen & Wine Shop at UnCommons will host a kitchen takeover. Amari’s Chef Alan Mardonovich will be joined by renowned Chef Roy Ellamar to celebrate Ellamar’s Las Vegas career as he heads to a new venture in Sonoma.
The family-style dinner will be a mashup of Italian and Filipino flavors. The menu includes Welcome Slushie with Italicus, coconut, and light rum; Crudo Kinlaw with tuna, calamansi, and calabrese; Okoy—Filipino fritters with sweet potato, summer squash, coloratura aioli, and bottarga; Burrata and Focaccia with manila beans, heirloom tomatoes, and locally-sourced mushrooms; Fusion of Porchetta and Lechon accompanied by arugula salad, salsa verde, atchara, and sawsawan; Whole Roasted Branzino with fennel, charred lemon, and ala pobre; Mafaldine Palabok—roasted shrimp broth, chicken chicharron, and scallion oil; Ube Panna Cotta featuring Alphonso mango, macapuno, and sweet basil; and Banana Lumpia with black sesame, jackfruit, ricotta, and burnt honey.
Seating is available every half hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the cost is $75 per person. For tickets and reservations, click here.
Bistecca — September 18
Bistecca, the fine-dining Italian restaurant at Tuscany Suites and Casino, will host a wine dinner featuring the Tuscan Uggiano Winery. Courses are:
- Grilled Baby Artichokes paired with Vermentino De Toscana I.G.T. “Ghibello”
- Tricolore Salad matched with Chianti D.O.C.G. “Ghibello”
- Alaskan Halibut paired with Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. “Ghibello”
- Porcini Mushroom Risotto matched with Burenno Di Montalcino D.O.C.G. “Uggiano”
- Caffe Panna Cotta paired with Cabernet Sauvignon Di Toscana I.G.T.
The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and costs $85 per person (plus tax, tip, and fees). For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.
Picnic in the Alley — September 21
Picnic in the Alley, an event founded in 2019 by Jolene Mannina to celebrate women in food, mixology, hospitality, and entertainment, will return to the Arts District for its 3rd installment. In addition to exceptional food and drink offerings, there will also be informative activities, live music, readings, and chats. Guests will be surrounded by local art and introduced to local wares available for sale.
Tickets, priced at $125 for general admission from 7 to 10 p.m. and $150 for VIP with 6 p.m. admission, include bites and drinks from some of our city’s top chefs, managers, brewers, and mixologists. Participating chefs and managers include Nicole Brisson (Brezza and Bar Zazu), Gina Marinelli (Harlo and La Strega), Dani Garcia-White (Yukon Pizza), Jamie Tran (Black Sheep), Erica Bell (00 Pie and Pub and Tinned Fish Club Las Vegas), and Jasmine Rocha (Sparrow + Wolf).
Drink creators include Amanda Koeller (Las Vegas Brewing), Amanda Payan (North 5th Brewing), Rose Signor (The Silver Stamp), Mariena Mercer (Wynn Las Vegas), and Kat Thomas (Ada’s Food and Wine).
All profits from Picnic in the Alley 2024 will be donated to the Women’s Hospitality Initiative, supporting the advancement and empowerment of women in the hospitality industry. The exact street location is TBA, so check in at the Picnic in the Alley website for updates, the list of participants, and to purchase tickets.
Winnie & Ethel’s Old West Supper Club — September 27
Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner’s next supper club dinner will be an Old West listening party. Titled “The Scoundrel of the Sage,” the evening will feature a night of storytelling, a thoughtfully crafted menu featuring hearty appetizers inspired by the Old West, complimentary soda, coffee, and tea, and an intimate live musical performance.
The appetizers will include:
- Smoky Guajillo & Bacon Queso Dip—smoked guajillo peppers, white cheddar, and bacon
- Golden Range Chicken Potato Pave—potato pave, crispy chicken skin, tarragon, and a rich smother sauce
- Cowboy Kick Slider—juicy chicken, smoky pepper jack cheese, a spicy ancho chili sauce, and fresh lettuce all served on a homemade potato bun
- Campfire Dessert Skewers—grilled pears and sponge topped with velvety vanilla ice cream and drizzled with honey.
The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m.; tickets are $33.85, including fees. Two specialty cocktails or mocktails are an add-on option for $20, or they can be purchased individually at the event. For more info, the complete schedule, and to purchase tickets, click here.
Pick of the Week: Caramá
Wolfgang Puck’s Italian concept Caramá opened in February, replacing the celebrity chef’s Lupo at Mandalay Bay, which is just inside the casino entrance from the self-parking garage.
The Austrian-born Puck grew up in Sankt Veit an der Glan, a small town on the Italian border. Caramá showcases northern Italian food and honors the famed chef’s mother, Maria, who taught him to cook Italian cuisine when he was a preteen while working as a chef in a hotel restaurant in southern Austria.
The décor contributes to a warm and opulent ambiance with black and white tile, marble chandeliers, brass light fixtures, mahogany arches, a functional ice cream car, and a large bar with colorful floral wallpaper and a vintage-style mirror. A fun feature is an interactive salumeria in the middle of the restaurant where guests can choose their meat, cheese, and marinated vegetable accompaniments which are then assembled in front of them onto an appetizer board. There’s also a bar where you can sit and enjoy a beverage with your appetizer creation.
A collection of salads includes Little Gem Caesar with ciabatta croutons and Fennel & Arugula Salad with blood orange vinaigrette and dried tomatoes.
Pizzas are creative like the Pizza Patate e Pancetta with fromage blanc, Yukon Gold potatoes, and crisp pancetta.
Pastas are ideal for sharing, such as Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with toasted pine nuts and sage brown butter and Linguine alle Vongole with Manila clams and white wine.
Entrees feature Branzino alla Piastra—grilled whole Mediterranean sea bass with lemon and capers and 12 oz Prime New York Strip with confit tomato and mushroom-red wine reduction.
Desserts include Lemon Semi-Freddo with seasonal fruits and pistachio crunch, Torta Caprese with raspberry compote and pistachio gelato, and Tiramisu della Nonna with mascarpone cream and Italian coffee-soaked Savoiardi cookie.
Complementing the fare is a wine cellar with over 7,000 bottles, including rare Italian, and an extensive whiskey collection with gems such as Baker’s and WhistlePig 10 year.
Caramá is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. To view the complete menus, click here.
Dining News
Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge Prime Rib and Whiskey Special
Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge at Town Square has added a Prime Rib special to its menu, available on Sundays and Mondays. The meal includes an organic 10-ounce slow-roasted grass-fed Prime rib served with au jus, potato, vegetable of the day, and horseradish sauce. Priced at $24.99, the special includes a complimentary Whiskey of the Month tasting.
The Cantina by El Dorado Football Specials
The Cantina by El Dorado, located at 8349 W Sunset Rd., has unveiled several food and beverage specials for football fans to enjoy every Sunday and Monday during games throughout the season.
On Sundays the “Sunday Starter Package” ($25 per person) includes 2 draft beers, 5 street tacos of choice, $20 match play on slots, and 1 complimentary shot for the first Raiders touchdown. The “Game Day Brew Blitz Package” ($65 per person) includes a two-hour open draft beer bar, 5 street tacos of choice, $20 match play on slots, and 1 complimentary shot for the first Raiders touchdown.
On Mondays, the “MNF 2-Pint Conversion Package” ($25 per person) includes 2 draft beers, 1 food item of choice from the MNF Special Menu, $20 match play on slots, and 1 complimentary shot for the first Raiders touchdown.
Drink specials, available both days, are $10 Patrón Silver Margaritas; $35 house margarita pitchers; $5 Modelo, Pacifico, and Corona drafts; $25 Modelo buckets (includes 5 bottles), $12 Howler shot + any draft beer; $12 Howler shot + Happy Dad hard seltzer; and $8 Pineapple Jalapeño Sour shot.
Entertainment News
Easy’s Cocktail Lounge Hosting “Diva’s Night”
Easy’s Cocktail Lounge, the hidden cabaret inside Proper Eats Food Hall at ARIA, will present “Diva’s Night” on September 26 beginning at 6 p.m.
The evening will be filled with covers of classic girl-pop hits. Performers will include former American Idol contestant Destiny Malibu, vocalist Abby Bellmer, and powerhouse “pop princess” Megan Williams. The performances will feature cover favorites from Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, the Spice Girls, and more.
Reservations can be made here.
