It's the little cakes that are big these days, and nowhere more so than at the Third Annual Las Vegas Cupcake Bake-Off at the Suncoast, August 10. Admission includes an open bar (for those 21+) and all-you-can-eat sweets! Tickets benefit the Three Square food bank; last month's event raised enough to provide 18,000 meals for the hungry and working poor of Nevada. Deadline for cupcake entries was August 1, so you might want to get a head start on next year's event: the first-place baker takes down a $1,500 prize.
99-cent tacos: Now they're not just for Tuesday anymore, either. The Commissary at the Downtown Grand is now offering their 99-cent taco special all week long. They're now available at the original hours (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Sunday through Thursday, and Friday & Saturday from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Let's say you're not up to shelling out for the gourmet burgers at those trendy new places on the Strip. The Cafe Cortez at the El Cortez is always ready with their daily special: a half-pound burger, a big pile of potato chips, and a draft beer, all for five bucks. That's a darned good deal, and it is one tasty burger. While you're there, peruse the vintage photographs in their menu.
I hear there's quite a long wait for a reservation at Giada De Laurentiis's first restaurant venture, at The Cromwell...so how'd you like to be guaranteed a table for free? PARADE Magazine is giving one lucky winner two nights at The Cromwell and dinner for two at Giada. You can enter through July 18, so why not take your best shot?
99-cent tacos? Not just for Wednesdays anymore. The Commissary at Downtown Grand has them on Tuesdays only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That's just one of the cheap meal deals Anthony Curtis has found for you; he has the rundown at Vegas Seven. The Commissary has great deals all the time actually, so it's a great place to head with that food comp.
As my faithful readers might have inferred, few things tickle me as much as the phrase "All You Can Eat BBQ or Sushi." Well, the Cannery has you hooked up: Every Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m., their Hawaiian BBQ & Sushi Buffet is only $13.99 with your CAN card...or free if you earn 400 base points on your card that same day.
With El Sombrero gone, where are you going to go for quality Mexican food in a sketchy part of town? Fat Bar co-owner Darin Feinstein and VegasGoodBuys CEO Brett Talla come to the rescue with El Dorado Cantina, which will be having a Grand Opening celebration July 24 at 3015 S. Industrial Road, which is, as we all know, one of my favorite streets in the world. Feinstein describes the place as "upscale" and promises to source sustainably-raised products from U.S. farms that eschew antibiotics, pesticides and steroids. The menu will feature everything from street tacos to regional favorites like Yucatan conchinita pibil (pictured), while you can wet your whistle with your choice of everything from horchata and fresh juices to 100 brands of tequila. Meanwhile, entertainment nightly from live musicians and DJ's puts the cherry on the flan.
If your idea of a hot time is watching women gorge themselves on poultry, then you're in luck: Diablo's Cantina, Stripside in front of the Monte Carlo, is hosting its 4th annual "Hot Chicks vs. Hot Wings" wing-eating contest Tuesday, July 1. Watch 40 beautiful women eat their way to glory! Doors open at 9 p.m., with $5 pitchers and $3 well drinks as a bonus.
The Home Plate Bar and Grill at Blue Diamond & Decatur has updated their hours for their Industry Night Pizza Buffet: It's now from 4 a.m to 7 a.m., and is free with $10 of play.
The Opera House has been attempting to lure me in for months now with its offer to come in for their 99-cent breakfast, so I finally broke down and did. (It's one biscuit and gravy.) Located on North Las Vegas Blvd. between its sister casino the Silver Nugget and the Poker Palace, by my estimate it's the smallest of the trio of My Card casinos. But in between the slots it still manages to fit in a bar and lounge area, the aforementioned diner (also advertising $5.99 ribs), and a bingo hall. And live entertainment! Saturday is Latin Night.
Here's a great meal deal for you Las Vegans: Boyd's Gaming is offering a $7.77 dinner buffet Sunday-Thursday for locals (to be precise, if your ID shows your zip code begins with either 890 or 891). Just swipe your B-Connected player's card at the kiosk at the Gold Coast, Orleans, Sam's Town or Suncoast. No word on when this promotion might expire so eat hearty while you can.
Lucie's Lounge at E. Charleston and the 215 is celebrating its third anniversary today with a Customer Appreciation party, and you're invited! Festivities kick off at 2 p.m. and keep going all night long, with a free Italian buffet featuring Mike's Pizza, sausage and peppers, baked ziti, and cannoli (Mom's recipe), plus "massive" drink specials and dancing with a live DJ. Sign up for their player's card while you're there and try to score some bonus play, and keep coming back on Wednesdays for the free late-night comedy show.
Picked up this tip from a fellow attendee of the Capriotti's Pub Crawl: The third Wednesday of every month, Pizza Rock at 4th & Ogden (over by the Downtown Grand) hosts a Fan Appreciation Party with complimentary libations from the alcohol sponsor of the evening. April's party featured Jameson Black Barrel and free drinks from 8-10 p.m. To keep apprised of each month's events, be sure to be a fan of the Pizza Rock Facebook page. I mean, sure, right now they're promoting the Pizza Rock Mother's Day Brunch, but keep your eyes peeled.
Being no stranger to pub crawls, I was delighted to accept an invitation to attend Desert Companion magazine's second pub crawl, last night at Town Square. In all we toured four bars and restaurants, each of which served up a different concoction using the sponsor's tipple, Davolos Tequila. The efficient organizers shuffled our three groups off to English's (great hors d'ouerves), Double Helix (Grey Goose swizzle sticks!), Tommy Bahamas (that was one tasty beverage), and finally to Brio, where we arrived to find desserts laid out on the table (cookies and brownies), but surprised when that was followed by pie. Pizza pie. The staff started bringing us thin-crust pizzas and just wouldn't stop. Dear to my heart, the DC staff also held giveaways, with Town Square gift cards and restaurant gift certificates. I even won a $10 credit at English's for answering some movie trivia, to the surprise of no one who knows me. Were I you, I would certainly keep my eyes peeled for the next event from #DCPubCrawl.
Sure, there may be plenty of Denny's locations in Las Vegas, on and off the strip, where you can grab that free Grand Slam on your birthday. Still, none can match this beauty at Neonopolis, just across from the Fremont Street Experience. Not just because of the cool lattice-work exterior. Not just because it's a Denny's with a full bar, either. No, in an area of downtown that sports 17 bars within one block, you can't consider it all that unusual.
No, what makes this Denny's unique is its own wedding chapel. Yes, if requested, the staff will clear the tables from this cozy little nook and you can say your "I Do"''s right here. If my sources are correct, they'll also serve you a wedding cake...built out of pancakes. Next step: Honeymoon Over My Hammy?
Our old friends at the Home Plate have a new special to tempt those Vegas shift workers getting off work at some ungodly hour of the morning: A free pizza buffet from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.! The "gambler's buffet" only requires that you be playing something through your machine...anything. There's also a lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but that sucker will cost you $20 in play. I checked out the spread, and it's a good'un: salad bar, two different pasta dishes with meatballs on the side, and five varieties of pizza (I'm partial to the BBQ Chicken myself). They still have their $500 Royal bonus after midnight (and a $1000 bonus on Tuesdays), and the first four-of-a-kind dealt each day earns you a $50 bonus for setting the card of the day.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop has long been a Vegas favorite, and now the venerable sub maker is celebrating its 21st year in Sin City with a B-Day Pub Crawl on April 25, Downtown. Celebrants meet at the Mob Bar at 7 p.m., move on to the Beauty Bar, and finish at Insert Coin(s) before adjourning. Free admission, free drinks, free food, and giveaways: free subs for a year, limited edition swag, and more! Free stuff? I'm in.
With locations all over Vegas, Roberto's Taco Shop is marking its 50th year in the business, and here's cause for celebration right here: Every Wednesday is 99-cent chicken taco day! That is a $2.35 value right there, folks. You can order up to a dozen per visit, so get to it. Each taco is crammed with white-meat chicken, stuffed with a mound of cheddar and a little bit of lettuce, and sprinkled with crumbles of cotija. I could see this becoming a regular Wednesday lunch stop for me.
Fiesta Henderson is playing to the 50+ crowd with Senior Tuesdays, with an even better deal on their slot tournament (Tuesdays 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.). While the first entry is still free, your second and third entry now only cost you 50 points, whereas before you had to earn 200 points apiece! You also get a free cup of coffee at Cafe Fiesta and Denny's, and half-point dining and bowling. Just the thing after you play your free 9 a.m. Bingo game at their nearby Sunset Station, and before you hit the Station Casinos for their free slot tournament on Senior Wednesday!
Whether it's the food critics for Vegas magazines or my friends' neighborhood mechanic, everyone raves about the adobada at Tacos El Gordo, the Tijuana-based restaurant at 1724 E. Charleston. (Oh, sure, you can go to the one on the Strip, but I'm sure the ambience won't be the same.) There are separate carving stations for each of your meat preferences, where a cook will carve a few strips of your selection, drop them on top of two corn tortillas then cover them with toppings and sauce. Prepare your taste buds for a little slice of Tijuana heaven. They may not be gigante, but at $2 a taco, it's hard to go wrong.
