Yes, although it appears that the action will be confined to Wynn/Encore, where eponymous restaurant Sinatra has been offering a special "Ultimate Sinatra" menu all year and on Dec. 12 will host a special Sinatra 100 Celebration Dinner dinner for $195 per person. We don't know what this prix-fixe menu will comprise, other than that it includes osso bucco* and a "Sinatra Smash" cocktail, while all guests receive a copy of new CD "Ultimate Sinatra". (*According to Patsy's Cookbook, his favorite dishes -- at least at that famed NY Italian eatery -- were: Clams Posillipo, Stuffed Artichokes, Arugula Salad, Fusilli with Garlic and Anchovies, Veal Cutlets Milanese and, for dessert, Lemon Ricotta Torte.) Reservations are available at (702) 770-7171 but act quickly, they’re going fast.
Dinner at Sinatra was meant to be a prelude (or follow-up) to a live, all-star telecast from the Encore Theater of a Sinatra tribute. However, that has been changed to a December 2 taping before a live audience, for a December 6 CBS-TV special, Sinatra 100: An All-Star GRAMMY Concert. An incomplete list of participants slated to take part includes: Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Adam Levine, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Ariana Grande, Zac Brown, Harry Connick Jr., and Usher. (Note that some recent coverage has omitted any mention of Lady Gaga, although we haven't seen anything to indicate that she's pulled out, and each theoretical lineup we've seen is slightly different, so we get the impression nothing will be set in stone until the last minute.) If you want to try and score tickets for the December 2 event, e-mail [email protected]. It will air Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9-11 p.m. on CBS.
For another nostalgic dining option in a truly authentic setting, throughout the month of December the Golden Steer steakhouse on W. Sahara will be serving a special "Frank's Menu" option. Priced at $100 per person, dishes include: clams casino, a 16-ounce New York strip steak served with diced tomatoes, garlic, and wine (just like Frank ordered it), Jack Daniels, Italian red wine, plus a classic Zippo lighter engraved with the date of Sinatra’s birthday and a ticket to The Mob Museum. If you're lucky, you'll get to enjoy your meal in Booth 22 -- Sinatra's customary spot -- and, if you wish to partake on his birthday night, you'll also get to enjoy live entertainment and some extra swag, including a roll of dimes (which Sinatra carried after the kidnapping of his son, so that he always had change to use a pay phone). Note that there will be three seating times, at 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30 p.m., and on that special night Frank's booth will set you back $1,000.
Frank Sinatra Jr. has already come through town with his centennial-tribute show, playing the Smith Center for the Performing Arts last spring. As for other Sinatra-tribute acts, this has actually been a rough year. Sinatra imitator Pete Pavone was axed from the El Cortez and is now playing the CasaBlanca in Mesquite, along with some "Sam’s Town Live" gigs (when he's not playing in the Bahamas as he is currently, that is).
Meanwhile big Sinatra-tribute production, Frank, the Man, the Music, starring Bob Anderson backed by a 32-piece orchestra, was initially extended by Palazzo through year’s end, only subsequently to have its run curtailed once again. Anderson had hoped to be performing still on Dec. 12, but instead the show's now set to close on November 28. (The Sinatra centenary falls on the closing night of National Finals Rodeo, so Vegas casinos – judging by their entertainment lineups that week, are more focused on catering to visiting cowpokes than to Sinatra aficionados.)
Compounding the indignity, early this year the Riviera hotel-casino was closed after 50 years. That meant that, along with everything else, the contents of the Frank Sinatra Suite were up for grabs, sold to souvenir hunters and collectors on a first come, first served basis.
If Ol’ Blue Eyes has been enjoying a renascence in what should be a celebratory year, it’s been in the kitchen, not onstage. Last May 3, Sinatra (the restaurant) held a commemorative dinner and head chef Theo Schoenegger pulled out all the stops, whipping up sautéed Santa Barbara spot prawns and cannellini beans, Frank’s Clams Posillipo, veal Milanese, eggplant parmigiana and a baby arugula salad. Since Schoenegger used to cook for Sinatra himself at New York’s San Domenico restaurant, diners who paid $125 each for the meal could be assured of both an authoritative menu and authentic preparation (Sinatra was a stickler for details and liked his dishes just so. He actually published the recipe for his mother's tomato sauce in a cookbook and launched his own line of bottled marinara sauce in the late 1980s.)
Later this year, Schoenegger showed what it was like to cook for the Chairman of the Board, preparing pasta Pomodoro and other Sinatra favorites in a cooking demonstration, again at Encore. It cost $85 for the education but guests got a copy of the Sinatra Duets CD and a three-course lunch along with the lesson.
So while it’s not been a banner year in Sin City for Ol’ Blue Eyes on the musical-tribute or production-show front, Sinatra’s 100th anniversary year is definitely seeing some fitting gastronomic celebrations.
