This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.

Events

Food Truck Mania School’s Out! — May 24

This annual event celebrating the end of school at the five venues within the Henderson Booze District will offer a “thank you” to teachers and support staff with deals on beer, wine, spirits, cider, and mead, all within walking distance of each other.

Each of the locations will have food trucks and deals from the Booze District businesses for teachers and support staff with ID, including:

Neon Desert Brewing-20% off
CraftHaus Brewery-20% off and $12 Crafthaus Belgard Coffee Stout + Mini Barrel Aged Old Fashioned or Espresso Martini with Crafthaus Hop Vegas IPA + Mini Eastgate Sour
Deadwood Meadery-10% off
Las Vegas Distillery-25% off all retail (excluding bottle sales) and a complimentary Mini Espresso Martini
Vegas Valley Winery-15% off

Participating food trucks include Rebellion Pizza, Happy Ending Chocolates, and Ice Cream Tacos at CraftHaus; Papa’s Papas at Deadwood Meadery; Cousins Maine Lobsters at Las Vegas Distillery; Mood Truck 702 at Neon Desert Brewing; and Atomic Goodies at Vegas Valley Winery. For more info click here.

SoulBelly BBQ — May 25

SoulBelly BBQ will celebrate its 4^th anniversary from 5 to 9 p.m. with an Asian Night Market theme with James Beard Award nominee/Chopped winner SoulBelly Owner Bruce Kalman and SoulBelly Chef Myrhissa Bautista along with some of their local chef friends Keris Kuwana (Baker’s Blueprint), Lanny Chin (@cheflannyc), and Chef V (Cin-Cin Brewhouse & Seafood Bar).

Priced at $50, your ticket includes a sampler platter of Asian fare and a complimentary drink. There will also be @AdamtheDj spinning on the patio and Suntory will be pouring samples of 196 Seltzer. To purchase tickets, click here.

Ahern Hotel — May 25

The Ahern Hotel will host Splish Splash American Bash to celebrate Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of the summer season.

Held at the Ahern Hotel pool, the free-admission event, open to all ages, will run from 5 p.m. to midnight and feature country music by DJ Glitter; $39 All-You-Can-Eat BBQ with BBQ Brisket, five different Gourmet Dogs, “A Whole Damn Chicken” Nashville Style Hot Fried Chicken, 12-hour Slow-Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Southern Style Green Bean Fritter, and Southern Style Peach Cobbler; karaoke; and pool games and challenges.

For more info, to order free admission tickets, and to pre-order the all-you-can-eat package, click here.

Nicco’s — May 29

Nicco’s at the Durango Casino & Resort will host a five-course wine dinner featuring Heitz Wine Cellars with Master Sommelier Erik Elliott, Heitz Wine Cellars Estate Director.

Courses are:

Welcome Canape of Truffled Wagyu Tartlette paired with Sparkling Racines Grand Reserve, Sta. Rita Hills
California Crudo: Pacific snapper, chilled coconut broth, honeydew, brioche crouton, and crispy garlic, matched with Heitz Cellars Quartz Creek Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2022
Mi Brasa Roasted-Cedar Smoked Ora King Salmon with pomelo beurre blanc and rainbow chard, paired with Heitz Cellars Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2018
Ravioli al Uovo with confit duck leg, Heritage yolk, foie gras crema, roasted apricot, and walnut brown butter crumble, matched with Heitz Cellars Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley 2014 and Heitz Cellars Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley 2018
Lamb Loin Roulade: loin of Colorado lamb with double green creamed spinach, buttered peas, potato pave, and mint & pistachio dukkah paired with Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley 2006 and Cabernet Sauvignon, Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley 2015
Cherries Jubilee with fresh Bing cherry, vanilla custard, cocoa palmier, and cinnamon flambé matched with Heitz Cellars Ink Grade Vineyard Port, Napa Valley

The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and the cost is $275 per person. To reserve, call 702-567-7850 or visit durangoresort.com/eat-and-drink/niccos.

Pick of the Week: Ocean Prime
The aptly named Ocean Prime offers the finest fruits of the sea and Prime offerings of beef, but the word prime is equally apropos in regards to its location on prime real estate on one of the hottest corners of the Vegas Strip.

Situated on the 4^th floor of the 63CityCenter building on the SW corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Ave., excellent views of the Strip below can be found from its rooftop terrace with large built-in umbrellas complete with heaters, misters, and individual sound systems. The restaurant’s interior design is inspired by the meeting of land and sea, with soft wave elements and hues of the ocean.

The chef-driven menu represents the meeting of land and sea. An enticing beginning is the “Smoking” Shellfish Tower, which you customize to only include the shellfish you prefer, with selections including Maine lobster, King crab legs, crab meat cocktail, jumbo shrimp cocktail, and oysters served in a bowl of dry ice to accomplish the smoking effect. Several hand-rolled sushi rolls are offered, such as the Ocean Roll with tuna, salmon, hamachi, avocado, and chili garlic oil. Highly recommended fish entrees are the extremely tender Chilean Sea Bass served with broccolini, pearl onion, and potato puree; and Teriyaki Salmon with shiitake sticky rice and soy butter sauce.

Prime beef cuts include 8 oz and 10 oz filet mignon, 14 oz NY strip, 16 oz ribeye, 32 oz bone-in ribeye, and 7 and 12 oz Australian wagyu from Westholme Farms. There are several “accessories” to dress up your steak such as au poivre, black truffle butter, lobster tail, and Maytag Blue Cheese crust.

Those preferring neither beef nor seafood have options like the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Golden Oak Mushrooms; Roasted Chicken with spinach bread salad, roasted tomatoes, olives, and balsamic jus; and Truffle Omelet (on the brunch menu) with mushrooms, Camembert, asparagus, roasted tomato, arugula, and garlic croutons.

Stars of the dessert menu are the humongous Ten Layer Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing and pineapple syrup; and Peanut Butter Pie with peanut butter mousse and bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Undoubtedly one of the best deals on the Strip (or anywhere in town for that matter), is the Weekday Prime Lunch. Priced at $45 and offered Mon.-Fri. until 4 p.m., the three-course prix fixe includes choice of Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Bisque, Ocean Prime House Salad, or Caesar Salad; Blackened Snapper, Sea Scallop, Crab Cake, or 6 oz Filet ($10 upcharge); and fresh baked cookies.

The Wine Spectator-honored wine list includes 500 labels mainly from California, France, Italy, Spain, and South America and a Coravin list, utilizing the preservation system that pulls from the bottle without opening it extending the life of premium selections. In addition, there are quite extensive lists of sake, whiskey, bourbon, rye, tequila, mescal, and cognac.

As for getting to the restaurant, the closest option is the valet parking (free during weekend brunch) located on Harmon and S. City Center Road directly between the Cosmopolitan and City Center. If you prefer self-parking, the closest is at the Cosmopolitan and walking across the pedestrian bridge or the longer trek being from the Aria and walking through Crystals and exiting at the north end.

Ocean Prime Las Vegas is open Mon.-Thur. ll:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Dining News

Le Café Central Now Open in Chinatown

Le Café Central, the newest addition to the Le Café du Vegas family, is now open in Las Vegas’ Chinatown neighborhood at 3616 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 101 near Valley View.

Co-owned by power couple Carmen Barbur and David Gazzano and featuring internationally renowned pastry chef Claude Escamilla as partner, executive chef, and director of operations, the new opening expands upon the brand’s success with Le Café du Val in Henderson and Le Café du Sud in Southern Highlands.

The group’s signature blend of authentic French and European offerings includes galettes, artisanal sandwiches, fresh salads, an assortment of Viennoiseries (rich, sweet, and pillowy pastries), macarons, sweet and savory crepes, and espresso-based drinks and teas.

Le Café Central is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will extend its hours to include dinner service in the fall.

For more info and to view the complete menu visit lecafeduvegas.com.

Pinkbox Doughnuts Offering Patriotic Themed Creations

Pinkbox Doughnuts will sell a special line up of patriotic-themed doughnuts for the Memorial Day holiday.

The specialty doughnuts are available for pre-order online now and for in-shop purchase Friday, May 24 through Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. The menu includes:

American Pee Weez: glazed vanilla cake Pee Weez with stars and stripes sprinkles
American Flag: white frosted bar topped with red, white, and blue flag décor
Hot Dawg: glazed bar topped with chocolate buttercream and drizzled with yellow and red frosting
It’s Ya Birthday: white frosted doughnut filled with birthday cake whip and topped with blonde Oreo and party décor
American Pooh: chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream, covered with chocolate icing with stars and stripes sprinkles, and an American Flag
American Pinky: vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream, covered in pink icing with candy décor, and an American Flag
American Vegan: cherry frosted raised vegan shell topped with white whip and stars and stripes sprinkles

For info on store locations, hours, and to preorder, visit pinkboxdoughnuts.com.

Entertainment News

Plaza Hotel & Casino Weekly Firework Shows

Plaza Hotel & Casino is again lighting up the downtown Las Vegas sky with Welcome to the Weekend fireworks.

The pyrotechnical displays shot from the Plaza’s towers are inspired by the fireworks shows at Disneyland, and go off every Friday night at 9:15 p.m. through Sept. 26. The fireworks are visible to the thousands of tourists and locals in downtown Las Vegas and miles beyond. The Plaza’s fireworks are dependent on weather conditions and are subject to change or cancellation.

Plaza hotel guests can enjoy the fireworks from an exclusive viewing party on its rooftop pool deck where the fireworks are “ignited” by a special guest pushing a detonator button on an oversized TNT box. The Friday night rooftop pool party for hotel guests starts at 7 p.m. and features a DJ, photo opportunities, and drink specials. After the fireworks conclude, the DJ-led party continues for all at the Carousel Bar under the Plaza’s iconic dome on Main Street until 11 p.m.