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Tags: Openings / Restaurants / CityCenter / Aria / Todd English / The Crystals / → All Tags
Todd English's P.U.B. Not Quite O.F.B.
OFB: Open for Business.
Todd English's Public Urban Bar or PUB was supposed to open yesterday, judging from the signage in front of the restaurant but when we strolled by last night, the lights were on but the windows were papered up.
The space, wedged between Julian Serrano at Aria and the entrance to The Crystals, has exterior signage and it looks like the interior is almost finished.
Meanwhile, according to the Boston Globe, English is a busy man and perhaps this is the reason for the PUB delay.
He is taping a pilot of a new TV show, and helping launch a men’s fashion collection at Club Monaco. He also has plans to open a cupcake shop on Beacon Hill with his daughter, Isabelle, start a line of children’s food products named after the character Eloise, and open restaurants in Las Vegas and at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
Hopefully, it's just a matter of training the staff before P.U.B is ready to open. As always, we'll keep you posted but if you've got any scoop, send it to us.
Tags: Aria / Technology / CityCenter / Hotels / Hotel Rooms / Control4 / → All Tags
Is There Too Much In-Room Tech at ARIA?
Full disclaimer. We’re not the most tech-savvy gal in the world. We don’t own an iPod. Or an iPhone. And we definitely don’t have our sights on the latest and so-called greatest iPad. We like modern conveniences, but when we checked into ARIA Resort & Casino a few weeks ago as part of a CityCenter hosted media trip, the Control4 in-room technology system proved to be a royal pain-in-the-ass and we lost count how many times we cursed the almighty bedside and televised command central.
Tags: Drinking / Absinthe / Restaurants / Sage / Aria / Shawn McClain / → All Tags
Get to Know the Green Fairy at Sage
We admit it. We met our long-time boyfriend over a bottle of then-illegal absinthe brought back from Czechoslovakia. Before you judge – let it be known the green fairy must have had some magical effect, because we’ve been together for six years.
The once illegal "hallucinogenic" spirit, is now available in the United States (since 2007) and Sage at Aria boasts the largest selection available on the Strip (tied with Fleur de Lys – GM Tobias Peach worked for Hubert Keller for 3 ½ years).
For a quick absinthe primer, read more about its history here.
Tags: Shows / Viva Elvis / Cirque du Soleil / Elvis / Aria / CityCenter / → All Tags
'Viva Elvis' Still Has Big Blue Suede Shoes to Fill
When VegasChatter caught a glimpse of Viva Elvis last month, we knew we couldn't make a solid judgment based on a preview of four songs. Yet five weeks later, after seeing the full show, we're afraid Viva Elvis is still not quite living up to its potential.
While we loved the costuming, sets and storyline, the production came up kinda short in the "Cirque" factor and felt more like a musical than an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, za za zsu (to quote "Sex and The City"), over-the-top show.
Sure, it was very entertaining, but were we blown away? Not really. Would we pay $100+ per ticket to see the show. Highly unlikely. We love the King and yes, this show does pay homage to his life and legacy, but this Cirque interpretation is a far cry from what they’ve done with The Beatles LOVE, "O" or even Zumanity.
Tags: Katy Perry / Haze / Aria / Celebs in Vegas / Nightclubs / → All Tags
Katy Perry's Waking Up In Vegas Again
Time to wake up in Vegas again for Katy Perry – tomorrow night she’s hosting the just-as-imaginatively-titled-as-we-just-wrote Waking Up in Vegas party at Haze.
Expect her to bang out a few hits, say a few things guaranteed to get her in the papers, and possibly snog Russell Brand, if she brings him along. Our bet is that she will, and that they’ll even toddle off to a chapel at some point. Just to complete their transformation from genuinely cute couple to shameless publicity whores.
Tags: Buffets / Aria / CityCenter / Food / VegasChatter Reviews / → All Tags
Is The Aria Buffet Trying To Put Us Off Our Food?
Our final spoils. Btw, if you’re squeamish, don’t scroll down
OK, hotel folk. We know times are tough in Vegas at the moment. We know you want to get as much money out of us on gamblin’ and shows as you can. But surely you can let us get our own back by stuffing our little tummies when it comes to the buffet?
We ask because, after our first bash at the Aria buffet on Saturday, which set us back a whopping $38 (including tax), we have a sneaking suspicion they might be trying to put us off our food to keep their profit margins up.
Tags: Video / Aria / CityCenter / Vegas Pools / → All Tags
Arriving at Aria May Cause You To Take a Bathroom Break
So much water everywhere! Not something you'd usually say in the desert but the fountain at the entrance of Aria reminds you that while you may be stuck in the desert, this is Vegas baby Vegas and anything you dream of can happen---or be made--here. You have to see it at night too when the colored lights really pop.
Speaking of water, the pool scene at Aria is not quite open yet thanks to the low season and low temperatures. But when it opens (probably in March or April) it will have three pool areas with a total of 50 cabanas and an adults-only pool, Liquid, run by The Light Group. We've got a sneak peek of the pool area taken from a room in the SkySuites tower. You can make out at least two pools.
Want more? VegasTripping has a sneak peek video of Liquid. Still curious? Aria is currently hiring its pool staff here. But just be prepared for a lot of job responsibilities. The list goes on forever!
Tags: Restaurants / CityCenter / Aria / Bar Masa / Masayoshi Takayama / Shaboo / → All Tags
Has Anyone Tried the $500 Omakase Menu at Shaboo?
Day-um. We thought we threw down some serious cash for sushi at our 30th soiree at Nobu at The Hard Rock. Our final tab for kitten squad, party of three, didn’t come close to what it costs one singular person to dine at Shaboo, the fancy restaurant-within-a-restaurant at BAR MASA at Aria CityCenter.
Raw fish lovin’ folks have been in a tizzy since famed Japanese chef Masayoshi Takayama set up shop in the desert. His eponymous restaurant in New York City is unapologetically touted as the most expensive in the country (earning him a four-star review in the New York Times, as well as a three-star Michelin rating) and he’s not sheepish in charging a mandatory $500 prix fixe price tag for Shaboo’s omakase-only menu.
The menu is said to feature Masa’s interpretations of shabu-shabu "hot pot" cookery, as well as other items, although we’ve yet to get our hands on a menu to see for ourselves (if such things even exist). The space is more intimate than its more casual counterpart, with just 54 seats.
Tags: New Year's Eve 2009 Guide / Nightclubs / Haze / The Light Group / Aria / → All Tags
Kick Off the New Year in a Haze at Aria
If you're planning on doing some bottle-popping and bumping and grinding during your stay at Aria, you should know before you go that the all the nightlife options are run by The Light Group, the company behind so many other popular Vegas nightclubs like JET and The Bank.
In fact, you really can't pump a fist in Aria without doing it inside a Light Group venue. Here's their line-up: The Gold Lounge outside the Viva Elvis theater; the Deuce lounge off the casino floor; several small bars like The View, Bar Moderno, City Bar and Pool Bar; Liquid, which will be a pool dayclub a la Bare at the Mirage; and the Haze nightclub which is located downstairs.
Tags: Video / Sweet Suites / Aria / Killer Views / CityCenter / → All Tags
The Aria's SkySuites Make You Feel Sky High
The sweet suite with the killer view is, as Theate3541 guessed correctly, a one-bedroom Sky Suite in the new Aria Resort and Casino. These suites have a separate entrance from the rest of the hotel, a dedicated check-in desk, a private lounge stocked with food and drink and roundtrip transportation from the airport. It's actually quite similar to the Hotel32 the swank digs atop The Monte Carlo.
Inside the rooms have all the high-tech amenities of the regular rooms like flat-screen TVs and a control panel that controls all the lights, drapes, temperature etc. But there's a separate living room area, a powder bathroom, a huge master bathroom, a wet bar and a small dining room table for four. The table has the killerest (?) views of all. We can't wait to strike it rich one day and order room service up in this suite.
But until then, staying in the suites will require some creative accounting. One-bedroom Sky Suites start at $575 a night.
Tags: Slot Machines / Gambling / Aria / Vegas Technology / → All Tags
Tired of Waiting for Jackpot? Pick a Place for Dinner from Your Slot Machine
If you find yourself playing slots at the just-opened Aria Resort and Casino, you might notice there's some action going on the screen, that has nothing to do with hitting jackpot.
The Aria slot machines all have an interactive component that allows you to surf the offerings at the hotel such as the restaurants, nightclubs, and even room descriptions. You can even check on your Players Club status too.
Simply touch the screen on the category you want and up pops descriptions of the offerings. So if you're deciding where to eat for the night, you can peruse the listings here.
Aside from reading about all the things you want to do after you cash out, several slot machines will allow you to switch to another game, right at the same machine. So if you are sick of playing "Noah's Ark" you can request the machine to start playing, "Betti the Yetti" simply by pressing the game button at the top of the screen.
Tags: Photo Gallery / Aria / Restaurants / Chefs / CityCenter / Michael Mina / Sirio Maccioni / Julian Serrano / Shawn McClain / Masayoshi Takayama / Jean-Georges Vongerichten / Jean-Philippe Maury / Todd English / → All Tags
Inside Aria's Culinary Funhouse
CHEF ORGY!
As we've been telling you for quite some time, the restaurants at Aria Resort and Casino are going to require some serious stomach training.
During the CityCenter Grand Opening madness, we were able to sample bites at each of the restaurants as well as admire the restaurant spaces. Since we will probably roll out individual restaurant reviews throughout the year, we're only going to concern you today with photos of the restaurants.
We've broken it down into two parts: Upstairs and Downstairs.
The Upstairs restaurants, placed near the Viva Elvis theater on the Promenade, include: Sirio, Michael Mina's American Fish, Jean-Georges Steakhouse and The Buffet.
The Downstairs restaurants include: Blossom and Lemongrass off the casino floor; Sage, Julian Serrano, Bar Masa and the forthcoming Todd English gastropub off the lobby and registration; Jean-Philippe Patisserie and the casual Cafe Vettro near the back entrance of Aria.
For some reason (probably: vodka cranberries) we didn't snap a picture of the Cafe. D'oh. Sorry for that. We'll get right on it. For now, enjoy the food porn and chef orgy.
Note: There are even more eateries than the ones we photographed here but these are the ones with the big chef names behind 'em.
