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Solamente Pizza


The first time we heard of this place was when Tasting Table rated it the Best Pizza in Nevada in 2025. That got our attention. Then it won the 2025 Vegas Pizza Wars, a community event where local food enthusiasts visit and judge 15 pizzerias. That propelled us out to W. Sahara (just east of Durango) to try the acclaimed pie — and it was every bit as good as the accolades would have you — and us — believe.

Solamente is the labor of love of a full-time Vegas special-ed teacher who developed a special crust, started his business as a pop-up at the Vegas Test Kitchen during the pandemic, and opened this restaurant in September 2023. Within a couple of years, it was winning awards.

The secret is naturally leavened high-hydration sourdough, fermented for at least two days before becoming a crust; this dough, with its high percentage of water to flour (as high as 85%), requires stretching and folding rather than kneading and results in thin, crisp, and sour, which was some of the best we’ve ever tasted — light, soft, puffy, chewy, and crisp. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll know it when you devour it. It’s no accident that Solamente’s slogan is “Trust in Crust.”

This place means business: extensive open kitchen, two big ovens, pizza boxes stacked everywhere. Our 16-inch pepperoni hit the table maybe 30 seconds out of the oven. Made with flour and tomato sauce imported from Italy, everything — pepperoni, sauce, cheese, extra virgin olive oil — was top notch. Tasting Table called the authentic artisanal Neapolitan-style pizza “flawless and phenomenal” and that’s no exaggeration.

The 16-inch pizzas start at $14 for the cheese and rise to $25 for the prosciutto-arugula. Our pepperoni was $20 and with a cream soda, the bill with tax before tip came to $26. Well worth it.

Solamente also serves sandwiches ($16-$17), calzones ($17-$21), side salads ($5), and canolis ($3-$5), tiramisu ($8), and a dessert pizza (sweet stuff on the crust, $14). We’ll be back soon to try all of them.

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Bobby Vegas — Kid in a Candy Store

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Wow. Why am I so happy? My MRB arrived!

Yes, I’m that much of a scuffler. Looking through it, planning my next trip, how will I use all these spiffs? A Fremont matchplay run?

Wait! It’s my birthday. Maybe read my own article, plan a birthday run. Go to Eureka, pick up my old-codger free play AND my birthday free play. It’s a tough job. No, it’s not. It’s a blast!

With Bruno in town playing Allegiant, I’ll pop in to the Pinky Ring. Free VIP.

I’m also psyched about the new Saturday night disco at the Linq, Club Honey. “Awww, honey. Sure I’ll dance with you.” And the tickets are free. Look it up.

Some folks want to spend four figures on 1000%-marked-up bottle service. If that rocks your world, fine. Me, I’m into four letters, f r e e.

I’m still recovering from my Christmas eve heart attack, surgical procedure, and the flu in January (talk about a bad beat), and there are many things that motivate me, but top of the chart? You got it. My next Vegas trip.

How’d you do on the Super Bowl? I didn’t have my heart in it this year after a three-out- of-four-year futures run and medical distractions, but I did end up with the Rams and New England in the playoffs (almost perfect) and, thank the sports gods, learned from SF-KC and hedged Seattle.

But I digress.

I ran across a discussion on Quora where the squares were complaining how awful Vegas has become. Yeah yeah yeah. I know, but people, here’s the thing. If it’s bad for the casino’s goose, it’s very good for us ganders. Why? The smart ones (Plaza, Wynn, Rio) try extra hard to get us back. Say hello sharps, scufflers, and advantage players.

Yes, the corporates are greedy. Yes, the Strip vacuums your wallet faster than a Paris pickpocket. SO DON’T STAY ON THE STRIP! Is that so hard?

Back to the MRB, its looking like a very good year. I need to scout new venues. One of my faves has gotten tired of me walking away a winner and the comps are drying up. MRB is my ticket to finding the next Hilton, El Cortez, Plaza, Rio, Downtown Grand —all of which have treated me well … until the head scratching becomes “Hey, this guy rarely loses! Why are we comping him?”

My bad.

I still remember an old-timer sitting next to me, bangin’ away, and I commented,
“I’ve been coming here for a while, but all I do is break even.”

He stopped and looked at me. “You play a lot and you’re breaking even? In Vegas, son, breaking even IS winning.”

Here’s to riding the B/E line, getting some pops into positive on top of enough RFB freebies to keep this scuffler happy. And coupons, glorious LVA coupons. Not sexy enough for ya? Leave em for me.

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Top 3 National Margarita Day Deals + 49 Mexican Happy Hours

National Margarita Day Deals 2026

National Margarita Day is Sunday, February 22.
In most cities, that means one-day drink specials. In Las Vegas, it’s simply a reminder of something locals already know: margaritas are better (and cheaper) at the right happy hour.

Top 3 National Margarita Days Deals:

Hussong’s Mexican Cantina Las Vegas is celebrating National Margarita Day February 20–22, Friday through Sunday, with new $5 margaritas featured daily and half off original margaritas. Add street tacos, giveaways, and rock ’n’ roll mariachis, and you’ve got a full weekend worth celebrating. Hussong’s Happy Hour menu with prices here.

Nacho Daddy is best known for its stacked nachos, award-winning margaritas and “never a dry chip” attitude, is celebrating National Margarita Day on Sunday, Feb. 22, with buy-one, get-one-free margaritas offered all day at all three of its Las Vegas locations. They serve a solid $5 House Margarita during happy hour too!

Station Casinos is not rolling out the Mariachi for Margarita Day this year because everyday is Margarita Day with $1.99 Sauza Margaritas Available at Select Casino Bars inside Palace, Boulder, Sunset, Santa Fe, Green Valley Ranch, Red Rock and Durango. (FYI – Station Casinos has over 30 happy hours every week. Good happy hour deals listed here)

National Margarita Day deals 2026

National Margarita Day is one day, Happy hour is everyday

Vegas does Mexican Cantinas exceptionally well and we take our Margaritas seriously (frozen or on the rocks – we don’t judge). The best part is that the experience isn’t limited to one Sunday in February – Happy Hour Vegas tracks 49 Mexican happy hours across the city where margaritas routinely land in the $5–$8 range during weekday happy hours. See a few examples below and you’ll see why Vegas happy hours are several dollars below the national average of $9.49.

Uno Mass Street Tacos Happy Hour – Uno Mas Street Tacos happy hour at the Sahara open daily until 6 PM serves $5 Margaritas, $10 wine, $7 beer and $8 Cheese Quesadilla.

Taco Escobar Happy Hour – Everyday 3-6PM Downtown Las Vegas. 2 tacos + beer for$8, $20 AYCE Tacos, $4 beers, $6 margaritas.

Alebrijes Happy Hour – Fremont Street downtown Las Vegas. Happy Hours daily 4-6 PM & 10 PM-12 AM. Exceptional menu includes Mexican small plates at $10 each and margaritas $7.

Mas Por Favor Happy Hour – Located in Chinatown and open daily 3 PM-6 PM offering Street Tacos $3, Classic Burro $7, Draft Beer $5 and Margaritas on Tap $5.

La Mona Rosa Happy Hour – Arts District open 6-8 PM Wed-Thurs, 4-6 PM Fri & Weekends. Includes $3 tacos, $8 cocktails, $7 wines. Great menu, kitchen and Cantina Vibe.

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Bobby Vegas — Tips and Treats, Henderson to Fremont Street

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

I’m recovering slowly, but must be getting better, cuz I’m writing this blog.

Our good friends at Rainbow/ Emerald Isle have a sweet promotion for February: two premium tickets to the Eagles at Sphere, eight winners, four each at Emerald and Rainbow. Drawings last two days of the month. Each ticket earned with 200 base points or $200 coin-in. Same for video poker. Not too shabby.

These casinos are a stacking gold mine, with so many opportunities I can’t even list them all. Gifts, food giveaways, wheel spins, etc. Frankly it’s HARD to play there when several promotions aren’t happening at once. Stack! Pick up the lists at either promo booth.

Check your new MRB free wheel spin at Emerald. Just 100 points. $1 per point. That’s just $100 in.

Also, BOGO or 50%-off MRBs at both Emerald’s Grille and Rainbow’s Triple B Diner.
And if, like me, you’re chasing the fantastic middle-of-the-night super multipliers (50X! 75X!), Emerald’s Grille is open 24/7.

Multipliers aren’t available on their highest multiline VP games, like 10/6 DDB, but plenty of games (9/6 JoB at the Rainbow bar or 8/5 Bonus Poker) when combined with multipliers are positive expectation.

Multipliers start at 25x and go up to 100x. Points are normally .067, so you’re adding 1.7% up to an incredible 5+% for 75 X. I’m not even including the two 100x periods as they only last 30 minutes. 25X-earning periods last up to 2 hours and there are LOTS of these.

You can play both casinos back to back for 50X an hour each, then 75X if you’re willing, like me, to play all night (2-5 a.m.). Then “eat your points” at Emerald Grille.

Summarizing: You’re earning wheel spins, gifts, and freebies, while earning tickets for the Eagles on base points, then multplier points can be used for dining combined with your MRB coupons. Sweet!

Anthony raves about Emerald Grille’s super breakfast special, while I really love Triple B meals and handmade milkshakes.

Here’s the kind of deals they have. Friday night at Emerald Grill: lobster AND filet mignon with a shrimp cocktail and salad. $25. That’s high end for them. Most entrées are low to mid-teens, breakfast specials less. With your MRB? Half-price. On points, free.

Oh, and the monthly mailer gives you a free meal every week at either diner.

Next!

Down on Fremont, Downtown Grand is slowly re opening Freedom Beat. Yay!

There’s a breakfast special you can get with one of their room deals and a double-burger deal on Thursday (now open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to Sunday). Or hop over to Magnolia at Four Queens with your MRB.

At the Plaza there’s been a rare downgrade to the Max Bingo prize, which is now $30,000 (was $50K). The bingo-and-room deal is still fantastic.

The deals keep coming, folks. So keep scuffling.

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Hi Matthew Promotion at Circa and the D

The Hi Matthew promo at the D and Circa is for real.

Admittedly, it feels a little strange walking up to a slot booth and saying, “Hi Matthew.” You think they’re going to look at you like you have three heads. But I’ve done this several times without any issues.

The promo is good twice lifetime at the D and Circa, but only once per day. You receive one $25 matchplay chip. Just walk up to the booth and say, “Hi Matthew,” or ask, “Is the Hi Matthew promo still going?”

And as long as you’re doing this promo, you might as well hit the D boarding pass promo and the El Cortez boarding pass promo. The D gives you two $25 matchplays if you show them a Southwest boarding pass within 24 hours of arriving in town. I think this is good each time you fly in, but I haven’t confirmed that.

Show any boarding pass and the El Cortez will give you $25 matchplay, a free drink, and a wheel spin for $10-$1,000 in freeplay ( usually $10). You can’t do the El Cortez MRB coupons and boarding pass offer in the same day; it’s one offer per day per person.

If you combine all the offers, you have $125 in matchplays , $10 in freeplay, and a free drink.

It’s a little walking to hit all three casinos, but worth about $70. Even if you skip El Cortez, you’ll have $100 in matchplays, worth about $48. Plus, you can also use the Members Reward Book for various downtown offers.

Elsewhere on this site is “Las Vegas Savings Tips,” with a table that shows other ways to save money on travel to and in Las Vegas.

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Bobby Vegas — Bad Beats and Keeping Cool

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

My crew and I were relieved that during my December Golden Week trip to Vegas, on the boot heels of NFR, I didn’t end up in the hospital. Kinda broke that curse. But that history also went on my long list of things I’ve done in Vegas twice: hospitalized twice, pulled over twice (sober), seen it snow twice, and been propositioned twice before breakfast.

It was a great trip and a great time to be there—if you didn’t mind bumping into A LOT of cowboys. Funny thing, there was no parking on the first floor of Rio self- park the last Saturday of NFR. It was full of horses. But the winning and dancing were wonderful.

Still, as bad beats just seem to keep coming, I had an unexpected and unwanted Christmas present on Christmas Eve back at home. While otherwise in a great mood and having a good day, at 1 p.m. I started having vertical stabbing pains across my left chest and down my arm.

Just days before this I thought I was having a heart attack when I woke up at 5:30 a.m., drenched in sweat and the room spinning. When I sat up, I started to retch.

Called 911 and in the ER they determined it was vertigo. I was out in seven hours after being given Meclazine.

Three days later, I actually had a “small” heart attack and found myself back in the same ER. Being Xmas Eve, they told me I’d be there a few days, as only critical patients get treated on Christmas. I had a stent put in Friday morning. Duke Hospital is top notch, though being there three times in five months, not so much.

So I’m taking a few weeks to get back and as soon as I can I’ll be blogging, about the new MRB, matchplay runs, and more.

For now, I can report I was happy to receive an invite to Wynn with an old-school offer: $25 in freeplay, $25 in resort credit (the waterfall at the spa is a wonder), and two tickets to Awakenings (it’s a few years old and I’m guessing Sphere is taking a lot of business), all for $174 a night, resort fee included. And I barely play there. I mostly go to see an old dealer friend.

Taking out the tickets and credits, that’s $75 a night for two nights. At Wynn. Free parking, no triple zero roulette, some JOB, and all is well.

See, folks, there’s hope on the horizon and as for me, well … The Cat in the Hat? With maybe nine lives.

It’s apparently very hard to kill me. And no worries, scufflers, I’ll be back soon so … Keep cool and know when to cash in.

The adventure continues.

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Nom Wah

Nom Wah has expanded to Las Vegas, having opened a few months ago at the new food hall at the Rampart (now known as Resort at Summerlin). Nom Wah is the oldest continuously running restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown, New York City’s first Chinese tea and dim sum “parlor,” which debuted in 1920. The brand has two other locations in New York, one in Philadelphia, and one in Shenzen, China. The original venue was featured in a scene in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The Resort at Summerlin Nom Wah is a bustling little eatery, with a 12-seat counter, a handful of tables along the wall, and more tables out in the hallway next to Jade Asian Kitchen and Noodles.

The menu is small but mighty, offering classic and modern Cantonese dim sum. Nine dumplings ($9-$12) include pork/chicken soup, chicken and cabbage, shrimp, pork and shrimp shu mai, and edamame; spring rolls, scallion pancakes, and turnip cakes are $7-$9.50. Egg fried rice, lo mein, and wonton noodle soup ($13-$15), along with crispy chicken, Peking duck, and chili tofu buns ($10-$14), round out the choices.

You mark your selections right on the long paper menu in the usual dim sum fashion, then sit back and watch the chefs in the open kitchen do their magic. The food comes piping hot right off the grill or out of the pots and the service is so fast that steam rises from the dishes as they’re set in front of you.

We sampled the scallion pancakes, which were the essence of crisp, the exquisite chicken and cabbage dumplings, and the shrimp siu mai. Sitting at the counter watching many other dishes being prepared and served, next time we’ll be sure to try the wonton soup, duck buns, and noodles or rice, all of which looked tasty and abundant.

We took home one of each of our dishes and should confess that they barely made it in the door; we couldn’t wait to relive the 105-year-old experience and everything traveled well. Our bill came to $30.35 (with tax, without tip).

While there, we also checked out Pearl Oyster and Crudo Bar and Ai Pazzi (both a fast-food pizza place and Italian restaurant) and we’re more than ready to try those too.

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Where to go on National Happy Hour Day in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Advisor Happy Hour. National Happy Hour Day

If there was ever a holiday made for Las Vegas, it’s this one. November 12th is National Happy Hour Day. A day to raise a glass (or two) to that sacred window of time when the world slows down, the prices drop, and life just feels a little lighter.

Vegas is the envy of the foodie world with more happy hour options than most cities could dream of. From family-friendly deals to global flavors that transport your taste buds, there’s literally hundreds of great places to get together, unplug, and eat and drink really well.

Here are a few great deals to celebrate National Happy Hour Day the Vegas way.

holsteins happy hour

Holsteins Burgers & Shakes Happy Hour

After 15 years on The Strip, Holstein’s moved to the udder side of town in the Arts District. For National Happy Hour Day, Holsteins is extending its happy hour from 11 AM to 10 PM for an all-day celebration. $5 drafts and a $16 Happiest Meal (burger, fries, cocktail). emooojis here:

Spy Ninjas HQ – Retro Bar Happy Hour

PacMan and Pumpkin Martini for National Happy Hour Day?It’s on like Donkey Kong at The Retro Bar with 80’s themed drinks & bites from $4-$11 and a seasonal happy hour menu. Plus, the Cabbage Patch Kids get to zip, jump, climb and crawl around the huge indoor park. Happy Family Hour!

MGM Grand 24 hours of Happy Hour

MGM Grand is taking National Happy Hour Day to a whole new level with 24 hours of rotating happy hour deals. Try $7-7-7 wells, wines, beers across multiple MGM Grand venues including BetMGM Sportsbook. Sip and celebrate all day, all night and all the time where happy hour never sleeps. Yep, that’s Vegas!

Scotch 80 Prime Happy Hour – Palms Casino

Scotch 80 Prime new social hour menu items including 30% OFF the really good stuff. Try steak tartar, shrimp cocktails, wine from the gods and signature cocktails for $11-$18. Today and every Mon -Thurs 5-7 PM.

Bottiglia Cucina & Enoteca Happy Hour

Giornata Nazionale dell’Aperitivo! Happy Hour Day Deal! Half-off the regular $8 happy hour menu. From 4 to 6 PM Wednesday, Nov. 12, guests can enjoy $4 dishes including mozzarella & tomato caprese, zucchini chips, meatballs and pizzettes with $4.5 specialty cocktails and wines.

Enjoy National Happy Hour Day and check out Happy Hour Vegas for more Las Vegas Happy Hours everyday.

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Wizard of Oz at Sphere

Like everyone else, I’d heard all the amazing things about Sphere over the last two years. I’d been wanting to experience it firsthand, but none of the bands that have played there so far have interested me enough to go and certainly not enough to pay Sphere prices to see them.

So I was excited when I realized that my next scheduled Vegas trip was only a few weeks after Sphere’s debut of the remake of The Wizard of Oz. I grabbed tickets early and was glad I did; demand has only gotten stronger after all the word of mouth about the show.

Two caveats. This review contains spoilers and is from the perspective of someone who hadn’t yet experienced the largest screen on Earth. If you’ve already seen a concert or movie there, some of this will be old territory for you.

I went to a 10 a.m. show and arrived a little before 9. There were plenty of kids and families at that hour and a handful of people (kids and adults alike) were dressed up in character; Sphere is encouraging people to don Oz costumes for their Halloween-weekend screenings. Doors opened between 9 and 9:15 and entry/security checkpoints went more smoothly than I expected. You don’t need to arrive as early as I did, but do give yourself some extra time. Merchandise lines are long and there are a few fun things to see in the lobby.

My seat was in Section 307, row 11, which was ideal: dead center and not too high up. I would have had a better view from one of the lower rows of my section, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be in the 200s; in the rear rows of the 200s, your view is partially blocked by the overhang from the 300 sections.

You have to climb down some very steep stairs from the concourse to the 300-level seats; if you’re prone to veritgo or dizziness, keep your head down, focus on the stairs, and wait to look around the theater until you’re in place. And no one, vertigo or not, should navigate the stairs without hanging onto the handrail for dear life.

The show itself was absolutely amazing all around. You felt like you were inside the movie. The best comparison I can make is that it’s like riding Soarin’ at Disney World for an hour-plus. At certain points, you feel like the theater is actually moving (it’s not, but again, if you’re prone to vertigo, maybe close your eyes for a few seconds during these sequences). The film is so high def that you can count individual pieces of straw during the Scarecrow’s scenes. The sound is impressive (though I did spot some minor lip-sync issues in one or two spots — barely noticable and not surprising, considering all the work they did to transform the original film).

And the effects … man! I can’t overstate how impressive they are. There’s not a lot of Disney/Vegas crossover in general, but this really was Disney-level Imagineering, like you’d get on a ride such as Remy or Rise of the Resistance: Apples fall from the sky during the forest scene, actual flying monkeys in the theater supplement the ones on screen, and the tornado scene causes the audience to break into spontaneous applause. I won’t completely spoil it for you. Suffice it to say, you’ll be very impressed.

Runtime is 75 minutes (the movie has been edited down slightly, though what’s missing isn’t particularly discernible), but budget some time to take in the post-show theatrics in the lobby.

Tickets are expensive (and dynamic — check the website for your preferred show and seat location), but I paid $150 to a company owned by someone I find distasteful to see a movie I own on video and definitely felt it was worth it.

Sphere’s website claims to have strict no-bag and no-photo/video policies, but I saw both violated with abandon and no apparent consequences, but your mileage may vary.

If you’re on the fence about this, don’t be. The Wizard of Oz lives up to all the hype.