Restaurant Week in Las Vegas is fantastic so I want to start with a reminder that it continues through at least June 29. A bunch of restaurants at The Venetian are extending their deals into July.
Approximately 150 restaurants around Las Vegas participate and some meal deals are better than others. I visited Capital Grille at Fashion Show Mall for the first time and paid $50 for a four-course meal. The steak alone is $50 on the regular menu. After drinks and a steak upgrade, the bill was a little more but we each saved about $25-$30.
I highly recommend browsing the Restaurant Week menus if you’re in Las Vegas this week and are looking for a deal. The special menu from Capital Grille is below.
Sounds Like There Might Be A Virgin Delay
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is supposed to open in late 2019. Well, the hotel name may change from the Hard Rock but construction may still be underway. In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal the casino-hotel’s new CEO, Richard “Boz” Bosworth, says “We have entered into our design stage. The earliest we would be able to start renovations is April 2019.”
The late 2019 opening seems a bit tight if the work doesn’t begin until April 2019. I’m not sure how the Virgin renovation timeline would work but a full remodel in a few months seems unlikely. The renovation of Park MGM started in 2016 and might be finished by the end of the year. The Palms remodel started last year and won’t be finished until 2019. Whatever the timeline, I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store. Just don’t get too excited too soon. We might have to wait a little longer for the new Virgin Hotel.
Comp Drinks At Park MGM
After I toured the Moneyline Sports Bar and Book at Park MGM a couple of months I was tipped off by a single source that they didn’t offer complimentary drinks at the bar when playing video poker bar. I haven’t heard anyone mention it again…until now.
Vital Vegas stopped by for a visit this week and confirmed Moneyline doesn’t comp any drinks. I believe a $100 bet will get you a drink ticket from the sportsbook if you’re looking for a comp Miller Light. Scott also mentions that the high-end gin bar, Juniper, doesn’t offer complimentary drinks at their bar with video poker.
All hope isn’t lost. The casino bar does comp drinks when playing video poker. I’ll be curious to see if MGM Resorts takes this policy to other bars. They already have drink monitoring systems in some bars to minimize waste. It wouldn’t be surprising to see other high-end cocktail bars like Whiskey Down at MGM Grand enact the no comp policy but I’m not sure casino bars will be affected. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.
On The Record Coming To Park MGM
Speaking of Park MGM they now have a “nightlife concept” that isn’t another EDM nightclub. The 11,000 square foot club will be a modern speakeasy. The three-room venue will include both indoor and outdoor spaces. Drinking outside on a summer night in Vegas is just fantastic. The club doesn’t open until New Year’s Eve so we’ll have to wait a year to enjoy those cocktails outside.
The modern speakeasy/cocktail lounge seems to be a trend in Las Vegas. Palms Casino Resort recently opened Camden Cocktail Lounge while the Cosmopolitan opened Clique Lounge a couple of years ago. I’m sure there’s more but I’m blanking right now. Variety is the spice of life and this sounds like a place that people of all ages might be able to enjoy.
Drinking and Dining Related News
- Smith & Wollensky will return to the Vegas Strip. The new restaurant won’t be a freestanding building like the previous restaurant. The new S & W will be inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. Read more here.
- This isn’t confirmed but Eater Vegas is reporting that a Korean BBQ restaurant will be opening at the Rio. More variety in casino dining is a good thing. Read more here.
- MGM Resorts and the culinary union finalized their deal. Definitely no strike at MGM or Caesars properties. Read more here.
- Mon Ami Gabi at Paris is one of the best restaurants in America to eat outdoors according to OpenTable users. The view of the Vegas Strip and Bellagio fountains is fantastic. The food is pretty good too. Read more here.
- Hakkasan Group (all of their clubs) are getting rid of single-use straws. Read more here.
- The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian is also adding a pizza shop and a gastropub. Read more here.
Vegas Golden Knights 2018-2019 Schedule Released
The Vegas Golden Knights released their schedule this week. Tickets go on sale later this summer and should sell pretty quickly since they had such a great season. You might want to start making plans to visit when your favorite team comes to town. I’ll share some popular teams and large market dates and you can see the full schedule here.
Thu. Oct. 4 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 4 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 6 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 8 vs. NY Rangers, 7 p.m
Sat. Jan. 19 vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Thu. Feb. 14 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.
Wed. Feb. 20 vs. Boston, 7 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 23 vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.
Quick Hits
News in Las Vegas has been slow for a couple of weeks but this week flips the script. There’s a lot to digest in most of the quick hits so read with care.
- The Miracle Mile Shops has a chatbot to help with your shopping needs. I’ve been lost in this mall more often than I care to admit. This could come in handy. Read more here.
- The taxi taxicab authority is fun to watch. Evidently, they have no idea where the drivers are going and want to keep tabs on them with GPS. Read more here.
- This is fun. The world’s largest gentlemen’s club, Sapphire, now offers a complimentary fleet of Tesla Model X SUVs for its guests. You can book a ride here.
- Gwen Stefani started her “Just a Girl” residency at Planet Hollywood this week. Read more here. (I may have shared this just because I want to hear “Hollaback Girl”
- Palace Station just unveiled renovations to the casino floor. The work wasn’t finished during a recent visit but the pics look nice. You can see them here.
- Caesars Palace Las Vegas is installing a tree near the “Absinthe” tent. Read more here.
- The Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon is changing the course for this year. Read more here.
- Plans for the new Las Vegas Sports Book at The Linq are interesting. Simply known as The Book, it will have a restaurant with patio, self-serve beer, probably a bar, man caves and more according to Eater Vegas. You can read more here and here.
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