Gambling With an Edge is back with Bob and I talking to Anthony Curtis, and Frank B. We talk about the Super Bowl coming here to Las Vegas, and then talk about other things happening around town.
Las Vegas’ newest food hall, the Canteen at the Rio has opened. It has some interesting outlets and we’ll eventually try them all, but we wanted to get one in right away,, so where to start? Easy choice. Everyone’s crowing about Tender Crush having the best chicken tenders (we call them fingers) in town. Really? Better than the Crown & Anchors? OK, let’s find out.
First the venue. The Canteen Food Hall is in part of the space that was the Carnival World Buffet. Not the entire space—the buffet was huge—but on a big part of the footprint, right across from the sports book. There’s seating if you want to eat there or you can take out. Ordering is easy. They even accept cash (what?). They take your cell number and text when the order is ready, so you can mosey over to the book to watch a game or play a bit if you like.
The tenders come crispy or grilled, three to an order for $10. Then there are about 10 choices of dipping sauce that are $2 each. Or you can have them tossed in a sauce for $12. There’s also a crispy chicken sandwich, also $10. We opted for the crispy tenders straight up and the sandwich. So what do you dip chicken fingers in? If you’re like us, you dip ’em in hot sauce and ranch dressing. But of the nine sauces available—Harlem hot sauce, lime honey mustard, bird pepper, etc.—there was no ranch. We settled for the closest thing, buttermilk dill.
They also serve kale, beans, and mac ‘n’ cheese sides ($7), fries ($5), New York drafts ($9), and a “Coney Island Cooler” made from vodka, tequila, and rum ($15). That Cooler sounds good, but we didn’t partake.
These are good fingers. Big ones (three is plenty) and made from real chicken breast. Less than awesome is the breading: tasty, yes, but made from cornmeal we think with no crunch at all, which is important. And buttermilk dill is OK, but we prefer ranch. We like and recommend these, but not over Crown’s. Oh, the sandwich is good, too. On to the next at Canteen. Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks anyone?
After all the hype and hoopla of Formula One in November, the real story may be December. Las Vegas Strip revenue alone was $905 million, an 11% leap from 2022—and a 53% moonshot over 2019. Similarly, locals winnings of $241 million were up 7% from the previous December and 10% higher than in 2019, while the statewide tally ($1.4 billion) vaulted 35% from 2019 … heretofore considered the Good Old Days.
Continue reading Vegas vaults; Wynn winning; Mega-Jottings
Bellagio – The Buffet at Bellagio: Dinner buffet has been discontinued and a new Seafood brunch has been added. Seafood brunch is Sat-Sun, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for $66.99. Regular brunch is Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $54.99 instead of $44.99.
Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: Brunch buffet has been discontinued and a breakfast buffet has been added for $19.95 instead of the $30.99 brunch. This week it’s Fri & Sun, 7 p.m.-11 a.m. and Sat, 7 a.m.-noon. Weekend dinner is now $19.95 instead of $32.99. They marketed that Friday is BBQ Night, Saturday is Mexican Night, and Sunday is Italian Night but when we called we were told there is no dinner this Sunday (2/4). This week’s hours are Fri, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. and Sat, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
Excalibur – The Buffet at Excalibur: Weekday and weekend brunch buffet prices went up by $1. Mon-Thurs, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. is $30.99 and Fri-Sun, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. is $33.99.
MGM Grand – MGM Grand Buffet: Weekday brunch went up $3. Mon-Thurs, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $31.99.
The following incident happened while a friend of mine was playing slots, but there’s enough in common to gambling at video poker that I think it’s worth discussing.
“John” was scouting a casino in Las Vegas looking for slot machines in positive conditions. There are many, many slot machines that are sometimes positive — but most of the time, on each of these machines, the house has the advantage. Most players, however, are not aware of when the game is positive or not and simply play the game, quitting whenever they feel like it. Sometimes they quit when the game is positive, and then when the next knowledgeable player comes by, that player typically sits down to play it off.
John has “strike numbers” on perhaps 20-30 different slot machine titles. That’s nowhere near all or even most of the beatable machines, but still, it’s more than most players know.
He found a game for $25 a play that he thought might be positive. This is a much larger game than usual for slot players. Most players can’t afford to play this game, but the size of the game was not a showstopper to him. He shifted the denomination on the machine so that it showed the $10-per-play game and consulted his notes. The $10-per-play game was nowhere near a positive play at the moment, and other pros seeking games would walk right by. He wanted time to think about this situation without drawing attention to the game.
His notes said that the game was a play when a certain meter was at 15 or higher — and sure enough this meter was at 16. So, it was a play. His notes also said the game is highly volatile. He knew that on a volatile $25 game, he could easily win or lose several thousand dollars. If he played this game in this situation several dozen times, he figured he’d make a sizeable profit. But there was no way to tell at the outset whether this time would be positive or negative.
He had $3,500 on him. He figured that would cover the swings most of the time. He wouldn’t likely run out of money, but if he did there were people he could call. He didn’t like making these calls — partly because that meant others would have the right to call him when they ran out. He trusted himself to run out of money very rarely, but some of the people he called wouldn’t have the same discipline. But if he asked for help, he had to be prepared to give help to others in the future. He didn’t want to open that door.
He actually called me to ask my opinion. John and I respect each other’s knowledge and have helped each other out occasionally. I know him well, know how he handles swings, and I thought he should go for it. I wasn’t in Vegas at the time, and he was, so there was no way I could get money to him if he ended up needing some.
He was just about to start when another pro, “Peter,” approached him and asked if he were going to play the $25 game. John knew Peter vaguely. He’d seen him checking out machines but wasn’t sure how knowledgeable he was.
John said yes. He thought it was a good play and he had the bankroll to play it. Peter said he had the bankroll too, but wasn’t in the mood to risk his daily score on such a volatile play.
Peter, it seems, had been losing recently and was sort of gun shy. He didn’t trust his own judgment, so he didn’t want to play such a big game. He could likely find a sizeable number of smaller games where he could increase his bankroll by dribs and drabs rather than making a big jump one way or the other all at once.
Peter said he had a few thousand dollars on him and suggested they partner up for this one game. John thought about this. It had some positive aspects to it. It essentially guaranteed he wouldn’t run out of money.
At the same time, John had never done business with Peter before. Was he trustworthy? Who was going to eat the W-2G if there was one? Peter was friendly now, but what if Peter was the one playing when the bonus round hit and denied making a deal? So John passed and played it by himself. Peter wished him luck and left.
As it happened, the bonus round went off rather quickly and John ended up making $900. This was a nice result, but it certainly didn’t have to be that way.
I want to look at Peter’s reaction to this. Peter had actually seen the game first and passed on it. He had the financial bankroll — but not the emotional bankroll — to play the game. So, I believe he was right to pass.
Everybody has his own emotional bankroll. Respecting your bankroll parameters, both financial and emotional, is critical to long term success at gambling. I also think that Peter suggesting they be partners was a move that made sense for him. This would lower the swings and lower the risk. So now it might have been within his comfort zone.
It couldn’t have been too much of a surprise for Peter that John turned down his offer to partner up. That’s probably the usual result. But you don’t know unless you try.
All in all, the situation was well played by both men.
We’ve written on many occasions about the Longhorn on Boulder Highway, but not often about the Bighorn on E. Lake Mead Blvd. in North Las Vegas. They have the same owners and are similar, including both having restaurants with good deals that are a big part of their success. However, we pay more attention to Longhorn, which is bigger and more accessible for most. Both have a camarones special. Bighorn caters to a predominantly Hispanic customer base; hence, the coctel de camarones probably started there, then replaced the shrimp cocktail at Longhorn. It’s available 24/7 in the restaurants for $7. We tried it at Bighorn.
Served in a big glass bowl, it’s made the traditional Mexican way with cucumbers, tomatoes, lime juice, and chips on the side. There are about 10 medium-sized shrimp and you can drink the broth when you’re done. Same as the Longhorn, the food in this restaurant is good and just about everything on the menu qualifies as a bargain.
The dinner show. It was a big deal in casino showrooms a few decades back. You bought tickets to see a headliner and dinner came off a prix fixe menu and was served during the performance. With a few exceptions — Tournament of Kings at Excalibur, for example — that version of the dinner show is long past. Supper clubs with live music were also a thing. Those, too, are rare these days, though more easily found in some non-casino restaurants. Recently, two casino venues have headed back down the dinner-and-show road: Mayfair at Bellagio and Delilah at Wynn Las Vegas. We tried Delilah. Note that photos and video aren’t allowed there. We snuck in a couple, but had to go with mostly stock photos from Wynn for this review.
The room is a big part of the overall experience. It’s designed as a 1950s’ Vegas showroom, but it also has a speakeasy feel, with a bar in front and a big dining area and show stage. We’ve heard complaints about it being too dark inside, but we didn’t find that to be the case. Cool place.
Fancy. Expensive. Good. What else would you expect? We were on a comp with a big group that opted to order for the table, so we were able to try several dishes. The seafood tower was ridiculous, featuring lobster, king crab, shrimp, and oysters. It cost $299, but easily served seven, so really a $43-per-person appetizer. The big deal here is Delilah Beef Wellington. We weren’t blown away and at $189 (serves two), you can go a less-expensive route, e.g., grilled branzino ($59), ora king salmon ($53), or roasted heritage chicken ($47). Steaks start at $79 for an eight-ounce filet. Sides run $19-$37 for dishes such as carrot soufflé, broccoli di ciccio, black-truffle mashed potatoes, buttermilk-ranch chicken tenders, and a decadent mac & cheese — excuse us, macaroni gratinée made with mimolette cheese fondue & black truffle béchamel. Fancy. Expensive. Good. Here’s the menu. There’s late-night dining with a small less-expensive menu (nothing more than $49) Thurs.-Sun. from 11 pm till close.
“Dinner show” is a misnomer here. You won’t see a show. The entertainment consists of a main stage with a live jazz band and singer doing classics. There’s a raised platform in the center of the room where female dancers perform, along with dancers near the stage. The performances by the singer and dancers are low-key and non-interruptive, with neither hindering conversation at our table. It makes for a pleasant dining atmosphere.
Make them as far in advance as you can As mentioned, we were with a comped party, so we don’t know how difficult it is to get a seat off the street. However, Delilah was included on a list from Vegas Luxury magazine of the “8 Most Sought-After Reservations in Las Vegas.”
Delilah isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly an option for something different and if the prices don’t bother you, it’s a worthwhile experience. The food wasn’t on a level of Vegas’ best, but neither was it disappointing. The whole thing seems to go best with a group rather than just two on a date. The weekend late-night option might be a good way to check it out on the “cheap.”
In the December LVA, we wrote the following:
Bar Oysterette and Center Bar in the Sundry Food Hall at the UnCommons complex (I-215 and Durango Rd.) has a happy hour Mon.-Thurs. from 4 to 6 pm, with $3 beer, $8 wine and cocktails, and $3-$5 appetizers, including $2 oysters.
Two-dollar oysters is something we always review, so we did. Guess what? The oysters are $3, not $2. That’s not a good happy-hour special, although the bartender thought it was, because they’re $4 non-happy hour.
The one good part of the experience was the oysters. They’re served six for $18 and the presentation is beautiful: Three Blue Points and three Arcadians, accompanied by cocktail sauce, a mignonette, fresh horseradish, and lemon.
It’s a good plate, but $3 per isn’t a deal. On top of that, the whole UnCommons/Sundry thing is just plain odd. Despite a trainload of hype and what seemed like a compelling dining program, our experience at UnCommons was uncommonly more bad than good.
UnCommons is located directly across Durango Rd. from Durango Casino about 10 miles west of the Strip. You can get there relatively quickly taking the I-215 freeway or going west on surface streets, but it’s a trek.
Yes, it’s directly across from Durango Casino, but it’s still almost hidden. Look for a small street off Durango called Maule to access.
Bar Oysterette is in the Sundry Food Hall. There’s only one sign outside over the main entrance that’s not on the main street, but faces the parking garage, but it’s fairly obvious which building it is. The problem is getting in. We walked to three apparent entrances (not the main) that were locked, then finally found a small unmarked door that was open. Are they trying to keep people out of there?
The space looks like a big warehouse. But not a chic New York-style industrial space. More like a big cafeteria.
Maybe we were expecting too much, but for whatever reason, we thought there’d be kind of a hip vibe, with the cool upper-crust of the southwest valley hanging out. No. We were there during happy hour and nothing could be described as cool going on. The bar itself is underwhelming.
In addition to the dollar bump on the oysters, the rest of the happy hour is nothing special—$3 sliders, $5 tacos, $4 beer, plus PBR and a shot of Jameson for $11! At Downtown Grand, a PBR and a shot of Evan Williams (the “Joe Special” at Furnace Bar) is $3.50.
This is another no-paper-menu QR code ordering system. If you’re over 40, you probably don’t like it. Get the whole story on that in this earlier review.
There’s a garage with two hours free. So that’s good. After that, it’s $3-per-hour up to a 24-hour max of $15. There’s also some street parking, but with 30-minute time limits.
We’re not sayjng don’t go, we’re simply pointing out what you’re in for if you do. Heck, you could parlay with a visit to Durango Casino, which is worth at least a one-time visit. Park at Durango and walk across the street. But there’s not much reason to go just for UnCommons.
Or maybe there is, at least according to that hype train. The latest buzz is all about the “world’s greatest sandwich shop” from Italy, All’Antico Vinaio, coming to Vegas. It opened yesterday at … UnCommons.
What I’ve learned? AFGE. AFGE? That’s “Another Effing Growth Experience.”
So we’re sitting at the bar at Circa last March and my client, a national sales manager, tells me my Encore Villa gig (see previous post) was the best corporate event in the company’s history.
I already knew that. I saved them $100,000 and launched their new EV-charger line, selling a million simoleons’ worth in 90 days. But I’m cool, so I say, “Let’s do it again. For the Super Bowl! Upstairs at Stadium Swim.
He’s cool too. “I’m in for fifty K.”
“Great!” (Lesson One: Stop talking after you close the deal.) And we go to dinner at Barry’s Prime.
Lesson Two: Get it in writing.
Lesson Three: Get my fee upfront.
A month before the event, he cancels.
Now, I’m a guy who grew up in very unstable environments, so I always have back-up plans. Yes, plural: sometimes back-up plans to my back-up plans.
So it was good I’d made a completely separate set of reservations and, since I’d been greasing palms, I flip the deposit. Phew. But wait! What?
My casino host quit? Ruh roh.
Okay, but are my reservations still good? Yes? Pass the CBD, please.
See, I still have a dozen folks flying in and those rooms I booked last August? They’re gold today, literally half-price for Super Bowl weekend. Should I have resold the cancels? Hmm.
Then the corporate guys are on the fence. “Well, we might go.”
Lesson Four: Bang head on desk. Repeatedly. ’Til numb.)
“Wait. The other sales manager is going and he wants two extra rooms.”
Oh! The ones I cancelled because of you? ARGHHH.
Well, it’s a good thing I’m on a first-name basis with the entire reservations department, so I take three back and they give me my original rate. How good? $875 for Super Bowl weekend Downtown Grand Gallery Tower kings, Friday through Monday, taxes and resort fee included. Today those rooms are $1,600. And I still have 11 reservations.
And did I mention that I employed my Super Bowl futures strategy? (Lesson Five: Hedging is a good bet.) I’ve won on the Super Bowl three years in a row (Bucs, Rams, Chiefs). I expected to blow this year, but guess what? Even though I had the Lions and Ravens, I’m still carrying the 49ers and am a 100% Brock Purdy fan. I am, however, nervous about the Taylor Swift effect and the very dangerous Chiefs juggernaut. Well … we’ll see.
To be continued …
As I write this, I’m off the coast of Florida, aboard the Icon of the Seas, presently undergoing a somewhat shaky shakedown cruise. Unfortunately, Yr. Humble Blogger has been stricken, not with mal de mer, but with the aftereffects of what was probably undercooked food, of unknown provenance. As such, I’m ill-positioned to provide any more industry news and analysis until we dock on Friday. Wednesday’s dinner was spent surrounded by loathsome, loudmouthed Wall Street fatcats. Now I now what Hell is like and really don’t want to go there. Perhaps that’s what made me ill.
