ML - Vegas Magazine

2014 - Issue 8 - December

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/419349

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 33 of 135

1 2 andr ea bennett // this issue // on my r adar Follow me on Twitter at @andreabennett1 and on vegasmagazine.com. photography courtesy of caesars entertainment (flay); by al powers (spade); Jeff green (truffles); flash curd (Venetian) Nearly a decade ago, i was sittiNg at luNch with a frieNd on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris casino, which, despite its view of the La ke Como – t hemed Bellag io ( br ief ly obscured by a mobile ad for ladies-on-demand) and convenient walk- i ng d ist a nce to ou r pigeon-f ree Ca mpa n i le d i Sa n Ma rco, cou ld, a s t he rest au ra nt hopef u l ly suggest s, evoke dining in a chic Parisian bistro. "I love this place," she sighed. "It reminds me of Epcot." And there, sunnily free of irony, she had summed up the sentiments of both Vegas's biggest proponents and its harshest detractors. (Try the same phrase with with- er i ng sa rca sm. It work s bot h ways!) T he L a s Vega s St rip is either a cluster of derivatives—now with ext ra retail and amusement park rides—or a t rue A merican original, the unlikeliest of all cities in the most unfor- g iv i ng la nd scape, now g leef u l ly st a ck i ng K i s s, Givenchy, and "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto onto a toppling pile of unapologetic excess. A friend of mine, w r iter Ma rk E llwood, descr ibed our conf licted rela - t ionship w it h Vega s bet ter t ha n a nyone I k now in a 2008 article he wrote for GQ Style: "Las Vegas embod- ies the American clichés the world hopes are true, and the USA prays are not." There is no better time to suspend your disapproval— or, if you're already one of the enthusiastic, rejoice—than over the holidays this year, when Vegas doubles down on the weird and the wonderful. You have only to look at a New Yea r's Eve lineup t hat includes Tony Bennet t crooning with Lady Gaga and Snoop Dogg transform- ing Tao into a 1920s-themed cabaret to understand just what you cou ld be m issi ng. However you decide to usher out the old and ring in the new, I wish you peace, prosperity, and an extra little something in your stock- ing (look inside for some brilliant ideas). Fi na l ly, I welcome ou r new a ssociate ed itor, Tess Ey r ich, who is a l ready ha rd at work u ncover i ng ou r city's best treasures. Welcome, Tess! 1. I know what's concealed inside the gilded breasts of this mermaid sculpture in Venetian, but you'll have to wait until the Ultimo event, December 5–7, to get a look for yourself. 2. I expected Juice Standard's black Bee Positive juice with activated charcoal to taste like a spent freplace. I was wrong and I'm obsessed. 3. I'm catching the tail end of white truffe season, notably in B&B and Carnevino, Bartolotta, Sinatra ( shown), and Guy Savoy. When they're gone, they're gone! It's rare to get photobombed by your own cover photo. David Spade and I celebrated our Men's Issue cover at Stack in Mirage, where he performed later that night. Bobby Flay's mouthwatering Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace celebrated its 10th anniversary, and Bobby graciously cooked for us himself. Delicious! 3 32  vegasmagazine.com Letter from the editor-in-Chief

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of ML - Vegas Magazine - 2014 - Issue 8 - December