Author: LVA

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Nathan Burton Comedy Magic

Nathan Burton Comedy Magic has been around the Vegas block a time or two. Burton’s show first opened at the Aladdin in 2006, then moved to the Flamingo in 2008 (we reviewed it in the July 2008 LVA) and the Saxe Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops in 2012. Last year, Burton landed at a new theater in the Flyover motion-simulator building on the south Strip across from Park MGM and we finally satisfied our curiosity about the new venue and old show.

The Nathan Burton Theater is literally two steps in from the south Strip sidewalk. Crowd control at the entrance to the theater is rough; stanchions define two short lines for 30 people, while 175 are waiting to get into this popular afternoon performance. The other interesting thing is that the ushers are all dolled-up in Vegas showgirl costumes; as soon as the performance starts, you realize they also are the showgirls!

The theater is 5,000 square feet and seats 189, with four TV size video screens in the audience and a 30- by 18-foot video wall at the back of the stage.

In our review 16 years ago, we wrote, “Burton’s show is mostly small-box magic, displaying a lot of the bits you’ve probably seen before. Consequently, our first impression was ‘nothing special.’

Well, it’s still mostly box illusions, maybe a dozen of those in all, plus some mind-reading, a levitation, and tricks involving a transparent straight jacket, audience cell phones, playing and bingo cards, confetti, a couple of fast switcheroos, and an audience member’s drink in a bag disappearing (beer bottle in our show).

The invisible-deck-of-cards segment is cute and the bingo bit is very funny — we’ve never saw an audience go so crazy and we were watching closely, having spotted this outcome from a mile away. The other cool routine involved mind-reading a six-year-old.

Overall, however, the comedy can’t compare to Mac King (now at Excalibur) or even Adam London (in his very small show at the Orleans), but the nonstop onslaught of tricks has a madcap feel to them and don’t blink or you’ll miss one or two. We can say that Nathan Burton works up a righteous sweat. This is definitely a family-friendly show (70 minutes) and there were lots of kids in the nearly sold-out crowd on a Tuesday afternoon.

We opted for the second least expensive section and sat in Row K, right in the middle of the room. Those seats were fine, though the base price of $28 quickly rose to $45.51 with a $7.56 service fee and $9.95 processing fee. The cheapest seats in the back might be a bit far away. Show your ticket at the Flyover box office and get a 30% discount to that attraction.

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Ai Pono Café


Hawaiian cuisine, such as it is, is getting good.

When we reviewed Zippy’s, we weren’t particularly complimentary, especially considering the irrational exuberance over the place. But 808 Café was a vast improvement, so when we read a highly positive review of Ai Pono on a San Francisco news site, we took notice.

Ai Pono (“Good Eats” or “Eat Right” in Hawaiian) Café is one of the sit-down eateries at the Eat Your Heart Out food hall at Durango.

It’s the brainchild of Hawaiian-born and -raised Las Vegan Gene Villiatora, a 30-year local who’s cooked at numerous restaurants around town and had a mostly successful run on “Top Chef: New York”; he opened the first Ai Pono in Orange County, California, in 2019.

The word is out about Durango’s Ai Pono. We were there at 4:30 on a Saturday, figuring to beat the dinner rush. No such luck. We waited a few minutes to order, but behind us, nine people were in line.

The menu is amusing, with names like Mento Bento, Dim Sum and Den Sum, Crackhead chicken (“everyone keeps coming back for seconds in one sitting”), and Ham Buggah steak. Most dishes are a major carb fest, with two scoops of rice and one of macaroni salad, along with some Asian slaw.

But the proteins and sauces are the stars of the show. The Crackhead chicken ($17) is sauteed in Ai Pono’s “secret batter” and topped with a coconut-garlic miso glaze. You’ll also find guava-chili chicken, Japanese chicken in a katsu sauce, and Korean chicken in a truffle sauce ($17 each), pork chops in a spicy garlic barbecue glaze ($18), mahi mahi in a garlic-butter-white-wine sauce ($18), and Korean short rib ($20). You can also get bowls ($14-$16), sampler plates ($20-$23), and add-ons such as kim chee, lumpia, potstickers, and lollipop shrimp ($5-$10).

We sampled the garlic shrimp in a cilantro-citrus-chili sauce, which comes with a fried egg on the rice, and the OG beef, hibachi-style slices of striploin marinated in “black-magic” teriyaki (both $19). Each ushered the Zippy-style Hawaiian plate lunch into a whole other dimension— a very good thing. Our bill, including a pickled-mango lemonade (delicious), came to a reasonable $48.77 (including tax, not tip).

The verdict: This is the kind of menu that, beyond our reviewer responsibilities, tempts us to go back and try everything else that looks so good. Villiatora claims that Ai Pono is on its way to becoming the standard of Hawaii fast-casual and street food and it might just succeed.

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ØØ Pie and Pub


50 Top Pizza is an independent online ranking service that’s dear to our hearts; like us, they evaluate restaurants, in this case pizzerias, with anonymous inspections, then pay in full for their meals. In this year’s 50 Top Pizzas USA Guide, two pizzerias in Las Vegas made the list, one of which is Døuble Zerø (or ØØ) Pie & Pub. TastingTable.com, a popular site that covers all things in the food and restaurant world, also identified ØØ as one of the top 14 pizzerias in Las Vegas. And ØØ being located within a three-minute drive of our office doesn’t hurt.

First, about the name. “00” is the most finely sifted flour, common in Italian pizza, calzone, and focaccia making, perfect for airy crispy crusts. Second, the pizza chef, Michael Vakneen of Popup Pizza fame (at the Plaza downtown since 2012), lets the dough rise enough to stretch it out in such a way that the crust blisters, then he burns it slightly to perfection.

Third, Vakneen, a New York Italian, went to Tokyo to learn how to perfect his Neapolitan pizza technique. Yes, it sounds like the start of a joke (with the punchline something like, Do Tokyo chefs go to Rome to improve on their sushi?). Apparently, in Tokyo, Neapolitan pizza is made with the obsessive and perfectionist attention that’s invested in sushi and rice. Oh, and did we mention that the ØØ oven is wood-fired? Heating pizza ovens with wood is classic Naples style that dates back to the 1700s, adds special flavors and textures, and retains the freshness of the toppings.

It all adds up, as the experts attest, to some of the best pizza in the country.

The restaurant is on Spring Mountain Rd. on the western edge of Chinatown near the corner of Valley View. It’s a pub as well as pizzeria, with a long bar and brick walls giving it an industrial feel. The kitchen, complete with pizza oven, is right out in the open next to the bar, so you can see everything that goes into making these fantastic pies.

The food menu is limited to antipasti, starting with the house pickles ($8) and a couple of salads, including Caesars, and roasted red peppers ($10) and going up to wagyu carpaccio ($20). There are eight pizzas — marinara, mushroom, pepperoni, eggplant, short rib, etc. ($17-$26) — with a choice of three special sauces. They’re smallish, though big enough for two if you start with an appetizer or salad.

house pickles

We tried the house pickles, seasonal vegetables naturally fermented, and a Caesar salad that were both as good as we’ve ever had.

Caesar

Then we got a marinara pizza topped with speck, cured ham that’s like prosciutto, but with the added factor of a smokiness that can’t be beat. We took home one slice and the next day, the crust was as crisp and airy as when it came out of the oven; the sauce, cheese, and meat hadn’t caused any sogginess at all. (Note that ØØ doesn’t do takeout; they’ll give you a box for leftovers, but you have to eat in.)

marinara with speck

It was an unforgettable meal — simple, striking, and scrumptious. The bill, with one glass of ale, came to $50 including tax, which was almost ridiculously modest for such an exquisite dining experience. We can’t wait to return.

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Scotch 80 Prime Happy Hour (Palms)

Scotch 80 Prime is high-end steakhouse at the Palms (formerly N9NE). The food is big and so are the prices. So a happy hour with several of its best dishes—appetizers and entrées—for 50%-off sounds ridiculous. An 8-ounce ribeye cap for $31? Yes, it’s good, but you need to know a few things going in.

Best HH in Vegas?

There are two happy hours Mon.-Thurs. from 5 to 6:30 pm and 8:30 to 10 pm. The number of HH items is amazing: oysters (6/$12.50), jumbo shrimp cocktail ($13.50), soups and salads ($8.50-$9), ribeye cap ($31), 8-ounce filet (32.50), New Zealand king salmon ($26), Chilean sea bass ($27), sides ($6-$7.50). Crazy. Beer is $5, wine $12, and cocktails $12. We went with appetizers: steak tartare, wedge salad, Caesar salad, brie fondue, grilled asparagus, and the snow beef burger. That’s a lot of food for a tab of $79 before tax. It sounds good, right? Heck, yeah. This HH was immediately anointed one of the best in Vegas. But we ran into some problems.

Caesar Salad
Wedge Salad
Steak Tartar
Brie Fondue

No Oysters

Our first choice was a couple orders of oysters on the half shell. At $12.50 for 6, that’s a pretty wallet-friendly $2.08-per in a fancy joint like this. Nope.

“Sorry, we’re out of oysters.”

“Really? Is that normal?”

“Yes. Everyone orders them. We run out every day.”

OK, we were at the late happy hour, so lesson learned, go to the early one.

No Sharing Entrees

Our food was delivered. That is, all except for the Scotch 80 Burger. This thing is $50 retail, so we had to try it for $25, but it never came. When we finished, we requested the check and asked the waiter to make sure we weren’t charged for the no-show item. “But it’s ready now” he said. We’d been there for 45 minutes and were ready to leave, but shrugged and told him to bring it with a couple of extra plates so we could split it between the three of us, since no one was in the mood to eat a big burger at that point. He did. We ate it. He brought the check. The price hawk in our party looked it over and saw that we’d been charged the full $50 for the late-arriving burger. When we brought it up to the waiter, he pointed out a clause on the menu indicating that entrées would not be given the discount if shared. Given the circumstances, we eventually got the discount, but that rule is brutal. What constitutes “sharing”? A bite? Several bites? Be aware of this one and make sure that if you order an entrée you can eat it all yourself.

The Verdict

So you need to come early for oysters and understand the sharing rule. Aside from that, this HH is a bargain on the high end, and we didn’t even do the big bangers on the menu. The restaurant is beautiful and, as pointed out, there are lots of discounted options. Of the items we sampled the winners were the fondue and the Caesar salad. We were disappointed in the tartare and that burger was too fancy for us (squid ink on the bun isn’t really our thing). We’re gonna try it again, going early for the oysters and one of those steaks.

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Atomic Golf Drone Show


Las Vegas’ first “residency” drone show is sponsored by Atomic Golf on Thursdays at 9 and 11 p.m.

We’ve read various accounts of the number of drones that perform the show. It’s somewhere between 200 and 1,000; it varies from week to week. But no matter how many there are, it’s an impressive display of coordinated flying and technology.

In formation, the drones assemble themselves into intricate images. Like the number of drones, the images change from show to show. For ours, they comprised words and logos, golf clubs and tees, a U.S. map with Las Vegas starred, the Vegas Golden Knights symbol, and more.

The show lasts exactly 10 minutes.

It all takes place just beyond and above the driving range, so when viewed from inside Atomic Golf, the towering posts holding up the fencing that encloses the range obstruct the view somewhat, as you can see in the photos. But that matters mostly for photographers (like us); for spectators, it doesn’t really interfere with the entertainment. The best view from Atomic Golf is bay 402 in the far north corner of the fourth floor.


The best view overall is probably from the top of the STRAT parking garage, but unless you have Nevada license plates (free for locals), parking will run you $20. No grace period. There’s free parking at Atomic Golf, but none was available when we drove in.

It was our first drone show, so we thought it was pretty cool and impressive. It’s definitely worth seeing for a quick cheap thrill and you can take in the grand new entertainment venue while you’re at it. The shows are scheduled to run Thursday nights through the middle of October.

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Atomic Golf


Atomic Golf is the $75 million 100,000-square-foot four story golf-entertainment mega venue that opened in March next to the STRAT. It’s an ambitious undertaking, with 101 golfing bays spread from one end of the four floors to the other, all using the 216-yard driving range. Each has a video box that you face as you play, loaded with seven proprietary games; you can battle aliens or another team’s space ship, play blackjack by hitting cards, aim for a bull’s-eye or the longest distance, or just practicing your swing.

There’s also a “putting district” with eight bays, mini-golf meets video games, where the clubs and the ceiling use sensors to track where the golf ball goes. The central Astrocade watch-party area features a 40-foot LED screen, a DJ spinning very loud music, and games such as cornhole. Six bars include the exclusive Tap Room on the third floor and a full menu of drinks and sports bar food is delivered to your bay by waitresses. Bays are $60 to rent.

Atomic Golf has experienced well-publicized problems since it opened. The driving range faces west, so when the sun is setting, it not only gets very very hot, but you’re looking straight into it as you play; portable a/c fans and misters provide little relief. The lack of early business forced the venue to lay off 33% of its workforce.

But on a Thursday night in late July when we visited, the place was jam packed with golfer-partyers drinking, eating, and slicing, hooking, shanking, and whiffing golf balls all over the range. The parking lot was full, so we had to park at the STRAT (covered elsewhere in the newsletter).


Frankly, we didn’t play. We were just there to see one of the two drone shows performed on Thursday nights at 9 and 11 p.m. After dark, the sun wasn’t in anyone’s faces, though it was good and toasty in the open 100-degree air and the kids retreated to stand in front of the fans from time to time to get some relief.

But the golfers were having a blast, people were watching the big screen in the Astrocade, and when the drone show started at 9:01 p.m., no one noticed. They barely knew to look out at it over the fence posts. That’s the best advertisement we can imagine for the place.

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Buffet Update – August 2024

buffet, fries

Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This week’s buffet schedule is: Weekend Brunch is Friday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for $24.95. Weekend Dinner is Friday-Sunday, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $24.95.

Luxor – The Buffet at Luxor: Brunch buffet prices went up $1. Weekday Brunch is Wed & Thurs, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for $31.99. Weekend Brunch is Fri-Sun, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for $37.99.

Palms – A.Y.C.E. Buffet: New times and prices expected by early August.

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Palms A.Y.C.E. Brunch Buffet

The validation at Club Serrano took five minutes. The wait to get into the weekday brunch buffet (served 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1 p.m. on Wed. and Thurs.) also took five minutes — plus an hour.

The line wasn’t especially long, but it moved in fits and starts, stalling when people waiting for a table backed up to the cashier. Yes, it was a drudge, especially looking into the room and seeing half the tables empty, but dirty. Eventually, however, you pay (more on that below), get seated, fill your plate and then your face, and all is forgiven and forgotten — unless you have to write a review.

Filling your plate is easy. The good stuff: steamed snow crab (worth the wait alone), six-ounce steak (grilled to perfection), carved bone-in ham, pork loin, and chicken breast, dill salmon, medium peeled shrimp, bagels and lox, cooked-to-order eggs, and two types of Benedicts. You’ll also be tempted by Middle Eastern choices (baba ghanoush, Fattoush salad, falafel/tzatziki), scrambled eggs and Tex-Mex scramble, bacon, sausage, several potato dishes, hot and cold cereal, parfait bar, melons, salads, lobster roll, fajitas, tamales, several pizzas, and chicken and waffles.

steamed snow crab
steak, lobster roll, Benedict, chicken and waffles
parfait, melon, lox and bagels, peeled shrimp
bacon/sausage, scrambled/Tex-Mex, breakfast potatoes

For dessert, there’s scooped sorbet, soft-serve, and assorted pastries cakes, and pies.

As you eat, you’re secure in the knowledge that with our MRO coupon, you’re getting the best buffet deal in town, without a doubt, and one of the best deals in town overall. With the 50%-for-one option, you pay $21.50, for two $42.99. (The brunch buffet price was raised $10 on August 12; dinner Sat.-Tues. is $46.99, an increase of $10. Snow crab and prime rib on Fridays is now $52.99, up $10 and the all-you-can-eat lobster dinner on Wed. and Thurs. is $79.99, up from $64.99.) With a $5 toke, a couple is out of there for $50.

As we say, this deal is so strong, it erases the memory of standing around for an hour.

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Toasted Gastrobrunch

Wow. How is it that we never even heard of this place until Yelp named it the number-one brunch restaurant in the entire country? Talk about under the radar.

In May, Yelp compiled its annual list of the 100 top brunch restaurants in the U.S. based on reviews on the site. Though California had the most brunches at 15, followed by Florida (11) and Texas (9), Las Vegas had the number-one-ranked restaurant. Toasted Gastrobrunch moved into the top spot after being ranked #22 last year.

It’s been in business in Las Vegas for five years and has two locations, both out in the western valley near the Beltway (9516 W. Flamingo right at the Beltway and 7345 Arroyo Crossing Parkway just south of the Beltway a bit west of Buffalo), plus three in San Diego.

With that kind of recommendation, we ran out to the one on Flamingo to see what all the fuss was about. We saw!

To start with, it’s an Interesting place, full of farm-animal decor.

The brander/decorator also has a distinct sense of humor.

It also has a seven-seat counter, outdoor patios on two sides, and plenty of tables inside, but the word is out. When we arrived at 11:30 on a Monday morning, Toasted was less than half full, but by the time we left at 12:15, every inside table was taken (the counter had availability).

The menu is extensive and creative to the point of innovative, no mean feat for breakfast/brunch.

Eggs start with the Plain Jane — two eggs, bacon or Portuguese sausage, truffle potatoes, and a roasted half-tomato ($17) — then go off on flights of fancy all the way to Eggs in Purgatory, a sunnyside egg in a sourdough bowl with shakshuka sauce, scallions, and mint ($18). They also come with smoked brisket, veggie, or ABC (avocado, pork belly, and cheddar) hash, steak ($28), just the whites, omelet, and scrambles. Benedict fans (like us) choose from short ribs, fried chicken, regular bacon, and veggie with nut-free pesto hollandaise ($17-$19.50). Then there are four French toasts ($12-$18), four south-of-the-border breakfasts, three toasts including salmon and lobster ($17-$18), plus sandwiches, burgers, and desserts.

The drink menu features eight mimosas, including a four-drink flight ($22), three Bellinis ($11), cocktails, wine, beer, flaming coffees, and all the lattes, capuccinos, and espressos you’d expect.

We went for the regular bacon Benny. The bacon was thick (good), the asparagus was thin (better), the eggs runny (perfect), the English muffins crisp (they barely got soggy throughout the meal), the hollandaise creamy (beautiful), and the roasted half-tomato with parmesan juicy (excellent). It also came with a big bowl of truffle potatos, similar to tater tots, but round, with a stainless-steel cup of ketchup. Trust us when we tell you that it was an astounding meal, both in quality and quantity, and we had to consciously stop ourselves from moaning in culinary rapture from start to finish.

Speaking of finish, we couldn’t. It was a ridiculous amount of food, especially for the price ($18). All the dishes we spied at tables around us were the same. It seems that it doesn’t matter what you order or how big an appetite you have, you probably won’t be able to eat your entire meal.

We can easily see how Yelpers rated Toasted Gastrobrunch the nation’s number one.

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Junior’s Cheesecake, Resorts World

Junior's Cheesecake, Resorts World

Junior’s Cheesecake was founded in 1950 in the heart of Brooklyn on Flatbush Avenue (and DeKalb). The original restaurant remains in place 74 years later; Junior’s has four other locations: two in Times Square, one at Foxwoods, and the 300-seat venue that opened at Resorts World in late February in the space formerly occupied by the Kitchen. Junior’s is, essentially, Resorts World’s new coffee shop.

Junior’s is renowned for the best cheesecake in New York City and beyond, with 25 varieties, plus rich and fancy cakes and pies, along with pastries, brownies, cookies, and more.

It’s also a full-service deli and New York-style diner, with a huge menu of breakfast items and soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, barbecue, and chef’s specialties.

On our visit, we opted for the cup of soup and half-sandwich ($19.95), in order to try the matzo ball and corned beef. But the half-san comes on a roll (on the menu, it’s actually called a “plain roll”) and you can’t substitute for bread.

We weren’t about to have a Jewish-style-deli corned-beef sandwich on a hamburger bun (it’s against our religion), so we got the full sandwich (also $19.95, with the soup at $7.95).

We snuck a photo of the half-san on a bun from the table next to ours. Pretty weak.

The sandwich was big, as expected, but not among the better corned beefs we’ve known and loved — dry and tasteless. It comes on marbled rye (so much for good Jewish caraway-seeded rye, let alone double baked) and the house-brand mustard was bland. Likewise, the matzo ball was big and light, but the soup was really salty, indicating the lack of chicken-soup finesse. And the $29.15 (before tax and tip) left us even more unimpressed.

We also got a slice of cheesecake to bring back to the office. That did live up to its reputation. Everyone agreed: rich, creamy, sweet with a little tang, firm rather than full of air, with a soft crust. Redemption!

We’ll probably give Junior’s another chance in the breakfast or all-day-dining department, but so far, we’re considering it go-to place for a decadent dessert.