L.A. to Vegas: Blake Shelton, Guy Fieri Opening New Sin City Restaurants

Welcome to LAMag’s semimonthly update on major restaurant openings, club news, hotel announcements, celebrity and influencer sightings, and everything else you need to know before you venture to Sin City.

Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Slated for Late 2023 Opening

Ole Red, country star Blake Shelton’s restaurant, bar, and live music venue has broken ground in front of Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally’s) at the Grand Bazaar Shops. “If you are going to do something here, you’ve got to do it big,” Shelton said in a statement. “Every time I’m in Vegas, I want some country music and Ole Red is the remedy for that.” At approximately 27,000 square feet with a planned 686 seats, Ole Red Las Vegas is slated to be the brand’s largest location to date, with four stories of dining and entertainment, which includes a rooftop club.

Meanwhile, another big name will be opening up a new restaurant at Horseshoe when Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen opens this summer in the former Burger Brassiere space. The restaurant will feature the celeb chef’s signature American-style cuisine and show sporting events on multiple screens. At 6,540 square feet, Flavortown Sports Kitchen will seat up to 279 throughout the bar, main dining area and rotunda. Highlights of Fieri’s third Las Vegas venue for Caesars Entertainment include a 360-degree island bar with decorative liquor displays and enough LED screens to satisfy any sports fanatic. A third restaurant coming to Horseshoe later this year is M.Y. Asia, from PBS-famous chef, Martin Yan. The James Beard Award winner focuses on Asian flavors and dishes.

SoCal Favorites To Debut This Fall at Durango Resort

In other dining news, Durango Casino & Resort from Station Casinos has announced Eat Your Heart Out, an elevated food hall with eclectic cuisines and a lively communal dining experience scheduled to open when the property debuts in Fall 2023. The collection of eateries features beloved neighborhood restaurants from culinary-driven cities such as New York, Philadelphia and will include LA’s Uncle Paulie’s Deli, Irv’s Burgers and Ai Pono Cafe from Costa Mesa. Meanwhile, on Feb. 10, Wildfire Fremont by Station Casinos had its grand opening. The all-new 21,000-square-foot neighborhood casino boasts over 200 of the latest slot machines, plus bar-top gaming and electronic table games.

NFL Stars Head to Vegas Ahead of Sunday’s Big Game

Pro football players traveled to Sin City to enjoy some Vegas nights around the NFL Pro Bowl. On Feb. 3, Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas was the ultimate party hot spot as NFL players Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers were all spotted enjoying the night as Tiësto performed. On Feb. 3, more than a dozen NFL stars, including Hall of Famers Shannon Sharpe, Warren Moon and Ray Lewis, were spotted at Eight Lounge cigar bar, which is also at Resorts World.

Over at Drai’s Nightclub, NFL stars raged there throughout the weekend as well. And Zaire Wade, who is the son of NBA icon Dwyane Wade, and who recently signed with the Basketball Africa League’s Cape Town Tigers, partied alongside the NFL superstars while celebrating his 21st birthday on Feb. 4. The athletes sipped Casamigos and Clase Azul. With Super Bowl LVII happening on Feb. 12, Las Vegas magazine and Vegas.com have the rundown on where to place your bets, dine and view the Big Game.

Valentine’s Day Options Abound at The Venetian Resort 

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away and there is plenty to do in Vegas, beginning at The Venetian Resort. WAKUDA has curated a special nine-course tasting menu, and Chef Angelo Auriana’s dishes at BRERA osteria are available only on Feb. 14 (including squash blossoms, Hokkaido scallops crudo, lobster and spinach ravioli with truffle butter sauce). Buddy V’s will highlight a three-course prix fixe menu and at Chica, experience the flavors of Latin America with a unique prix fixe by Chef Lorena Garcia beginning with a flute of champagne. Of course, don’t forget to take a romantic gondola ride down The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes and a selfie in front of The Venetian’s famous LOVE sign in the Waterfall Atrium. Laura Kimpton’s monumental sculpture spells out the word LOVE with ruby red letters, standing 12 feet tall and collectively spanning 36 feet wide.

 

Universal Studios is Bringing Year-Round Horror to Vegas

AREA 15, the immersive art and entertainment district located minutes from The Strip, is collaborating with Universal Parks & Resorts to anchor a 20-acre expansion to its north along I-15. It will be dominated by a new, year-round horror entertainment experience inspired by Universal’s popular Halloween Horror Nights, which is popular at Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando. No opening date or timeline has been announced. The original concept is expected to bring to life Universal’s vast library of classic horror films and terror from recent years. This marks the first time Universal has created a permanent horror experience beyond its theme parks. The attraction will feature food and beverage spaces by day, which will transform into haunting bars and eateries by night.

Tyga Inks Exclusive 2023 Wynn Nightlife Residency

Tyga, the multi-platinum and GRAMMY-nominated artist, is set to perform live at Wynn Las Vegas’s XS Nightclub, Encore Beach Club and Encore Beach Club at Night beginning March 19 with dates scheduled into September. “We’re thrilled to have Tyga join Wynn Nightlife’s top-tier talent roster,” said Ryan Jones, vice president of Wynn Nightlife. Meanwhile, RL Grime is moving from Wynn to Zouk Group at Resorts World Las Vegas. The L.A.-based DJ and electronic producer is the newest resident performer to join the 2023 roster at Ayu Dayclub and Zouk Nightclub. His first date is Feb. 18. “I have always loved performing in Las Vegas which over the years has become a second home, and I can’t wait to begin my new residency at Resorts World,” he tells LAMag.

Princess Diana: A Tribute Exhibition has opened at The Shops at Crystals. Honoring her legacy and how the royal influenced popular culture, the 10,000-square-foot exhibition features more than 700 artifacts from her life including the largest on-display collection of Diana’s iconic fashions. Guests can admire famous creations from Diana’s favorite designer, Catherine Walker, to her good friend, Gianni Versace, and the incredible stories behind each piece. It was reportedly Prince William who suggested to Diana that she sell her iconic gowns and donate the proceeds to charity; her dresses raised $3.25 million to benefit cancer and AIDS research. Beyond fashion, the exhibit highlights 11 other themed rooms including “Wedding of the Century” and “Gone Too Soon: A Memorial.”