Not only were there plans, but they've already been realized!
For those of you not in the loop, the former ESPN Zone sports lounge at New York-New York was closed in June of this year, as was the the one in Times Square in the real New York, and three others, with owner Disney citing declining visitation and high rent at the brand's high-profile locations as the culprits that made it increasingly difficult to operate the sports-themed restaurants profitably.
However, while we've watched as more venues than we care to recall have closed their doors during this recession, this particular tale has a rare happy ending. As unexpectedly as the ESPN Zone closed, it reopened a mere four months later as The Sporting House, and, according to Anthony Curtis, who checked it out as part of his weekly quest for the best places in town to catch Monday Night Football, is as good, if not better than the original. Here's what he wrote in the Week 10 Las Vegas Football Update at LVASports.com:
"It's very similar to ESPN, with TVs everywhere and a good vibe. The NY-NY sports book is right outside the door and you can see the board with all the lines from the window on the second floor. It's actually the closest thing we've seen to Lagasse's Stadium at Palazzo [which A.C. raves about]. The only problem is no deals during the game; a draft Bud is $6.50."
Click the link for our full listings of Sports Bars around Las Vegas.
