VegasChatter

Tags: Lolita's Cantina / Locals Vegas / Bad Service / Bars / Restaurants / Town Square / → All Tags

Does a Bar Stacked With Tequila Make Lolita's A Cantina?

The latest from our new contributor, Amanda. Last week she told us why she liked Carnaval Court. This week: why she doesn't rate Town Square newbie, Lolita's Cantina.

Lolita's Cantina might be the newest hot spot in Town Square but in my opinion, it's not living up to the hype, with serious issues as regards atmosphere, food and customer service.

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Tags: Locals Vegas / Carnaval Court / Harrah's Casino / Bars / Entertainment / Live Music / → All Tags

An Unlikely Locals' Favorite: Carnaval Court at Harrah's

Come on, people, you know you love locals' joints. So we asked our new contributor, Amanda, to tell us her favorite bar in town. Be warned: her answer may surprise you.

Many Vegas locals claim they never visit the Strip because it's too expensive and full of you pesky tourists. Not me. One of my favorite places in the whole of Vegas is Carnaval Court at Harrah's (yes, really, Harrah's. Stick with me here).

I first walked into Carnaval Court three years ago when I first moved to Vegas, and it's now become my second home. Why? Because it's one of those bars that doesn’t have that "Strip" feel even though it's smack dab in the middle of the thing. The bartenders put on an amazing show, the drinks are strong enough to put you three times over the limit with one glass, the live band seems to always be a crowd favorite, and you can always expect your shoes to be stuck to the floor by the end of the night.

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Tags: Openings / Smashburger / Burger Joints / Cheap Vegas / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

Because There Can Never Be Too Many Burger Joints: Smashburger Opens a Second Location

When burgers get so smashed they look like hot dogs. Damn good hot dogs.

UPDATE: Smashburger's second location officially opens tomorrow. Today was a soft-opening for folks to test the "products."

Holly Madison isn’t the only one choosing this week to march toward world domination. Smashburger, the fast-casual burger joint that we’ve fallen for, opens their second location tomorrow at 9109 W. Sahara Avenue (Fort Apache and Sahara). Actually, it might be open today according to @CalvertCollins. We're just not so sure if @SmashburgerLV knows that.

Either way, the new spot will feature the same Vegas-specific items added to their Lake Mead menu: The Sin City Burger we tried on our first visit as well as the All-Nighter salad (romaine and iceberg lettuce topped with chopped Applewood smoked bacon, fried eggs, guacamole, fresh diced tomatoes, haystack onions, and cheddar cheese, with buttermilk ranch dressing).

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Tags: Gay Vegas / Websites / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

In Search of Gay Vegas? This New Site Might Give You Some Feelers

We went to Pride the weekend before last, and in amongst the vegan Jamaican stalls and the MGM Mirage and Harrah’s stands trying to out-camp each other (Harrah’s was giving away Cher tickets, MGM Mirage was giving away toy bears, which made us LOL a lot), we got word of a new website: GayVegasTravel.com.

It launched on the day of Pride itself, so it’s brand new and there’s not a huge amount of content just yet, but it looks like, with time, it could be good. They aim to have listings of events, clubnights, locals’ recommendations and places to hold commitment ceremonies.

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Tags: Openings / Smashburger / Burger Joints / Cheap Vegas / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

Smashburger Opens And Is Worth The Hype

Yours for $5.99 and an egg bun. Us, not the burger.

In n Out, you are dead to us. Smashburger finally opened today and, having had a sneak preview of its wares yesterday, we can announce we’ve fallen for it harder and faster than we did for Matt Goss that musician we promised not to talk about anymore.

The upsides – the hype was right. We chose the Sin City burger ($5.99, with egg, bacon, cheese and onion on an egg bun) and it was delicious. Soo juicy but not too greasy, a bun that’s good enough to actually eat on its own (ie not a normal fast food bun), and sauce and stuff that was full of flavor but not too sweet. We’d give it an A+, only we found it a little too well seasoned (next time we’ll ask them to go easy on the sodium), so we’re downgrading it to an A-.

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Tags: Packages / Deals / Locals Vegas / Scams / → All Tags

Nice Broad Definition Of "Locals" At NYNY, Shame The Perks Aren't Up To Scratch

The mythical locals discount in Vegas has always been something of a mystery to us. For a start, the shows you want never have them (hi Donny & Marie, ‘ssup Matt Goss), and for another, the definition of “local” (Nevada ID) seems a bit arbitrary – so you’re “local” to Vegas if you live hundreds of miles away up the other end of Nevada, but not if you’re from Baker. Oh-kay...

So initially, when a “Staycation” offer for locals popped into our inbox from New York New York this morning, we were tickled by their definition of locals - all residents of Nevada, California and Arizona.

But then we had a look at the rates. And then a good scour through them. And we can’t see a single date in the next six months when the price for locals is less than for our friends from, say, Ohio.

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Tags: Happy Hour / Strip Clubs / Locals Vegas / Larry's Villa / → All Tags

Larry's Villa Keeps Happy Hour Simple with T&A and Cheap Beer

Coins once accepted by slot machines at Larry's Villa.

Sometimes it’s best to keep happy hour simple – tits, ass and a cheap beer. When multi-tasking locals want topless dancers and to tie one on, they head to North Las Vegas to Larry’s Villa.

Make no mistake about it; Larry’s is definitely a dive bar. Its slogan pretty much says it all, “Girls, gambling and booze since 1972”. But, Larry’s has improved its dumpy image with an upgrade in eye-candy, new plasma TVs, a bumpin’ sound system, new décor, new bathrooms and a fancy new draft beer system.

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Tags: Capriotti's / Food / Sandwiches / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

How Far Should You Go for a Capriotti's Sandwich?

Answer: Whatever the distance, it's worth it.

Over the summer we told you that Capriotti's sandwiches were the best in Vegas, hands down. Not long after that, it was confirmed that Capriotti's sandwiches were the best in the nation.

But as good as these sandwiches are--Capriotti's homecooks all their own meats and uses fresh veggies and freshly baked bread--they aren't all that accessible to folks who fly in for the weekend and shack up in a room on the Strip. Tasting a bite of Capriotti's while you're in town involves either walking quite a bit, riding on The Deuce or taking a cab.

So what's a Vegas visitor to do? Don't worry, we got you covered.

The closest Capriotti's to the Strip is at 322 West Sahara Avenue, right next to The Golden Steer. The sub shop sits in low-key strip mall and has been recently renovated. It's not quite no man's land but it does require some effort to get to. If you make a trip to the Bonanza Gift Store or the NASCAR rides at The Sahara or for some inexplicable reason are staying at the Riviera, it's only a one block walk to Capriotti's to get your fix.

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Tags: Snapshot / CityCenter / New Developments / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

Looking To The Future: The Constant Reinvention of Vegas

We were having a gawp at the CityCenter skyline last night when we were reminded of what Loanne Miller Parker – widow of Elvis’ manager Colonel Parker, and longtime* Vegas resident – was saying about the city at the Elvis forum on Sunday.

Obviously she spoke a lot about Elvis, but it was what she had to say about Las Vegas itself that really caught our attention:

Vegas is a city where you’ll never see the same place twice – it’s always changing. It’s not a city that values what was; it’s always looking to what can be and what will be. It’s constantly reinventing itself more quickly than any other city in the world, and that’s why people come here to find themselves.

We can’t speak for you lot, but for us it felt like she put into words what we feel about Vegas – except we hadn’t really realized that we felt that before she said it. Clever lady!

*When we say longtime resident, we mean it – she’s been here since 1968.

Tags: Bars / Locals Vegas / Off the Strip / → All Tags

Beware of the Cellar Lounge, Its Charms Could Keep You There Through the Night

Serendipity--the feeling, not just the ice cream shop at Caesars-- can be a good thing, case in point - the Cellar Lounge. It’s the kind of basement bar just west of the Strip that you may have discovered while driving past it, curious of its interior, but may never had the time to step and take a look - and that’s where we come in. The bar's name states just what you’re going to get with this place - a cellar, an underground bar that gets to the business at hand, smart bartenders serving affordable cocktails in an atmosphere that we like to call...festive.

It’s a hideaway for sure, with a nice courtyard patio in the back of the building to grab some fresh air if things feel a touch crowded inside. The interior is sparse but still inviting and thankfully, they didn't go overboard with any sports memorabilia.

As for the mix of people here, there are tourists who took a 10 minute cab ride from the Strip, divorcees looking for a new lease on life, casino workers trying to unwind, or literature majors who just want to hang and observe.

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Tags: Restaurants / Foods / Locals Vegas / Peter Greenberg / Venetian / → All Tags

What Do All These Media People Think About Vegas?

Last Saturday, CBS Travel Editor and frequent The Early Show guest Peter Greenberg broadcast his radio show from the Venetian Resort. The line-up of guests was pretty spectacular and the topics jumped all over the travel map.

But it was Greenberg’s restaurant related interviews, locals’ commentaries, and caller’s questions that were of particular interest to our Vegas dining scene lovin’ selves. From Michelin-starred fine dining to hole-in-the-wall finds, Greenberg’s show ran the gamut.

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Tags: Strip Malls / Donuts / Locals Vegas / → All Tags

Even 'Jesus' Hangs Out at The Spring Mountain Plaza Strip Mall

In keeping up with our hip credibility, we continue to strive for those out of the way places that are not too ubiquitous, and that normally means some interesting mom and pops and a few offbeat minor chains. Now we do understand that with rising gas prices and our ever dwindling spare time, it’s hard to roll off the couch and head out to that one quirky store or restaurant. Instead, we will again recommend a keen, under the radar "Low-Fi" strip malls that just you’ll most likely find amusing.

Spring Mountain Plaza at Spring Mountain Road & Decatur Boulevard.

Just up a few blocks west from Chinatown and generally just a 15 minute drive west from the Strip is the Spring Mountain Plaza, a contagiously fun little strip mall that’s quite popular on a daily basis. It suffers from an unbelievable tight parking area, but those in the know will seek out Ronald’s Donuts (702.873.1032).

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