Spiegelworld is a good name for the Las Vegas-based live-entertainment production company: It’s definitely a world unto itself.
Producers of Absinthe at Caesars Palace, OPM at the Cosmopolitan, and Atomic Saloon Show at Palazzo, Spiegelworld also owns the entire town Nipton, California, 60 miles from Vegas, which it’s in the process of turning into a “circus settlement.” In addition, Spiegelworld operates Superfrico, the “psychedelic Italian” restaurant at Cosmo, and recently-ish opened No Pants at Caesars Palace.
The motto of this little enclave is “More Life, Less Pants.” Spiegelworld explains, “Anything you can do without pants is best.” And that more or less sums up the company’s philosophy — its shows are downright raunchy, somewhat loony, and always playful.
Similarly, the “Green Fairy Garden” (a nod to what you supposedly see after drinking absinthe) that fronts the old-style Absinthe circus tent is anything but routine for Strip food and beverage service. Three multicolored bars and the restaurant occupy small standalone shipping containers. The area is decorated by Astroturf, faux shrubs and hedges, and a centerpiece one-of-a-kind Absinthe electric oak, according to the the Department of the Posterior sign, a 35-foot-tall ersatz tree festooned in thousands of LEDs.
In addition, if you ever wanted to be completely immersed in Caesars Entertainment, this is the place. In one direction, you’re looking at Hell’s Kitchen, the Flamingo tower, Eiffel Tower, Cromwell, Horseshoe, and Planet Hollywood; turn your head and Caesars Palace looms over you in columns, gazebos, statuary, and hotel wings.
The food outlet serves only three items: a burger made from ground short rib, infused with grilled onions and topped with melted cheese, secret sauce, and fat dill pickles; a vegan burger, which we didn’t try, but is purported to be “almost identical” ($14); and tater tots in the shape of a five-pointed star ($6, or $19 when you buy both the tots and a burger, saving $1).
For being prepared in a shipping container, the burger was excellent; the star tots (crisp and crunchy outside, soft and smooth inside) were the perfect complement. They come in a creative box with ketchup and more sauce.
We don’t know how they grill it, but the No Pants burger is among the tastiest we’ve tried recently. In addition, the burger and tots are enough food for two people or two meals.
On an off note, watch out for the drink tabs. Bottled water from the bar is $9 (yikes!), Perrier $11 (yoy!). Iced tea, coffee, and latte are $10. With beer at $16-$19, wine $16-$22, and cocktails $19-$26, these are obviously for the after-show crowd in the mood to party. The food will make you thirsty, so most of the year, you might want to buy bottled water for a buck from the purveyors on the pedestrian bridge from Bellagio; the No Pants venue is right at the bottom of those stairs, across from the Purple Zebra daiquiri bar. You’ll see Absinthe oak towering above it all.
Finally, with this much prime Strip real estate to play with, you won’t be surprised that there’s yet another a speakeasy on the grounds. You’ll wonder about the colorful fourth shipping container in the far corner. That’s Pier 17, the small bar inside; it’s named for where Absinthe debuted in Manhattan. Look for the orange life preserver on the hedge to the right for the entrance to the hidden courtyard.
Here, you can get your absinthe drinks ($19), champagne (starting at $17 per glass), a Manhattan ($67), and star tots and caviar ($50-$100).
It’s amazing what you can do in shipping containers these days.
For a review of another excellent meal out of a Strip ship grill, look for an upcoming one of Luke’s Lobster Shack.
