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New in Town: D E Thai Kitchen
The Main Street area between Charleston Blvd and Imperial Ave has seen many changes. A revitalization (read: gentrification) is fully underway and has visibly transformed that part of Downtown. I have many thoughts and feelings about this, but that’s all for a different post. This post is all about one of the positive additions. D E Thai Kitchen has taken up residence in the former home of Rock’N’oodles (RIP). Intimate/Spacious The restaurant remains intimate, as it was before, with four tables and the ability to seat a maximum of 14 people. But the counter area has shifted giving the place a more open feel. On the walls, a cool grey…
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Las Vegas Book Festival 2018
It’s early Sunday morning and the rare Las Vegas rain is performing a duet with my roof shingles. The perfect moment to write about yesterday’s Las Vegas Book Festival. It takes place at the Historic Fifth Street School. Strolling in the morning sun I could just make out the curves and simplicity of Mission-Revival architecture through the vendor tents. Lofty literary discussions and colorful artwork meant for children are both at home in the courtyards and rooms of this 1936 gem. I attended a 9 AM panel titled Historical Fiction and the Search for the Usable Past. Moderated by John Hay, the panel included three writers with distinct contributions to…
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4 Spots for Fall Family Fun in Las Vegas
Fall is the time of year when a young woman’s thoughts turn to pumpkin spice and all things various shades of orange. It’s also the time to get out of the house. Here in Las Vegas fall is the tiniest of fantastic windows when it’s bearable to be outside without sweating or shivering. Therefore, it is our duty to take full advantage of said weather with these four fall family fun spots. Of course, when I say ‘family’ I don’t necessarily mean parents and kids (I just really like alliteration), take your BFF, your squad, your Tinder hookup, just get out there and enjoy the season. Gilcrease Orchard Gilcrease Orchard…
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Must-Visit Vegas: A Day at City National Arena
In Las Vegas, it can be hard to choose which club to dance at, restaurant to eat at, store to shop at, or show to watch. There’s only one place that combines all these elements into one experience, and that place is City National Arena. The Vegas Golden Knights practice facility is located away from The Strip in the Summerlin suburb. But don’t let the distance from the city’s center deter you from enjoying everything this arena has to offer. Practice Makes Perfect The first and best reason to visit City National Arena is to watch the superb Vegas Golden Knights in action. Tickets for games at T-Mobile Arena are a hot…
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New in Town: Tacotarian
I stumbled on Tacotarian’s Instagram feed in July thanks to Vegans, Baby. The images they were posting heralded a magnificent addition to the vegan and Mexican food scene in Vegas. I was excited but chose to temper that excitement and wait until all the kinks of new restaurant-dom were worked out, before planning my visit. Now that Tacotarian has been open for over a month, I finally made my maiden excursion to this new eatery. When it comes to traditional Mexican color palettes, black white and aqua, is not what you would expect. But at Tacotarian they’ve managed to swirl the hipster, modern aesthetic with more classic, authentic elements to…
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What to See, Eat, and Buy: Guide to Container Park
Nestled in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas is an intimate, unique shopping experience. Container Park, named for the shipping containers that make up some of the structure, is an outdoor mall unlike all others in town. There are no hidden undergarments belonging to a woman named Victoria, no two-lettered Swedish fast fashion, and no blazing subject where Goths can buy a Jack Skellington hoodie. Instead, shoppers can delve into a world of small, local businesses offering wares from fun to funky and everything in between. What to See: The centerpiece of Container Park is the three-story Tree House and Play Zone. This interactive playground was made to entertain both…
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Artist Feature: Joel Spencer and Nova May
In a nondescript warehouse behind the Strip on Harmon Avenue, magic happens. Not the abracadabra kind, but another more exciting sort. Ordinary everyday items are transformed into art. Real, tangible, immersive art. This warehouse is Joel Spencer and Nova May’s home away from home. It’s in this space that the partners in art (and life) create their impressive installations. Conjured from found, discarded, or unwanted materials, the couple conceives and builds fantastical experiences. We’re talking in the office of their commercial endeavor, ArtDepartment.Vegas, where clients can hire the pair to deliver anything from set design to public art, temporary or permanent. They’ve been involved nearly seven years, and have been…
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Brunch at Griddlecakes: Your Best Beginning
Its Labor Day weekend, as I write this, and what better time to let you know about my favorite Las Vegas brunch spot than on a holiday weekend. Brunch business has been growing steadily for what seems like a lifetime. This means entries into the market happen on a regular basis. New restaurants that push culinary boundaries and blur the lines of brunch are as popular in Vegas as artisanal locally sourced organic avocado toast is in California. But this post is not about any of those places. This post is about Griddlecakes, part diner, part modern eatery, all delicious. Griddlecakes has two locations on opposing sides of the valley.…
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Artist Feature: Krista Diamond
“The world is a violent place” Krista Diamond offers as an explanation for the often gruesome ends characters in her short stories suffer. We’re sitting in Lofti Café, enjoying iced beverages on another sweltering Vegas afternoon. She talks about “the feeling of dread that follows you around…as a woman, the world is a violent place.” When she repeats the last sentence her voice is steady and calm but a little softer than it was the first time. As if the addition of the word ‘woman’ demands compensation in tone. However, Diamond’s writing is not limited to reflecting the punishing anger women endure. She writes a combination of nonfiction as well,…
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New in Town: the Goodwich
When the Goodwich opened downtown—away from Fremont—food options were slim. The idea of having an upscale sandwich shop in that part of town wasn’t exciting, it was downright revolutionary. During slow days at the store, Rich would journey to that temple of bread and spreads, returning with mouthwatering spoils. Since we closed down our store over a year ago, I’m sad to report we have not ventured back to the Goodwich. So you can understand the whiplash-level of elation we experienced when we drove past the new location in the SouthWest, so conveniently close to Summerlin. We arrived at 7:30 on Friday, beating the dinner rush. A friendly server greeted…
