Author: John Curtas

THE V THAI CUISINE

The first time the staff at ELV tried to find The V Thai Cuisine, it couldn’t. The address did them no good because 4750 W. Sahara is a gargantuan shopping center occupying the entire northeast corner of Sahara and Decatur. The V Thai Cuisine (odd name that) is deep within its bowels, and not easily spotted from the road or the parking lot. If the good folks who recommended it had just told us it occupies the space of the old Mayflower, finding it would’ve been a snap.

So they gave up and went to Food Express Chinese Cuisine aka Chinese Food Express just down the street. Obviously, eventually, (insert additional adverbs here) we found it. The good news is, because V Thai inherited Mayflower’s upscale space, it’s now one of the snappier looking Siamese places in town. Even better, ELV was pleasantly surprised to discover the food (so far) is doing the decor justice.

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Freebasing Absinthe at Fleur de Lys

Absinthe maketh the heart grow fonder

Becky the Bartender is one diabolical drink diva. No sooner had ELV sidled up to the smart, cool and cozy bar at Fleur de Lys than she had him inhaling absinthe fumes through a long straw…and choking on the smoke like it’s 1983 all over again. Now, without giving away too much, let’s just say that ELV has been, at various times in his life….er…uh…well acquainted with the various highs and lows caused by various controlled substances. And one hit from the flamed-then-contained fumes of some Lucid absinthe took ELV straight back to a few wild parties from this era.

Becky is supposed to be getting us the recipe, but we think this is something best left to professionals. And you’ll have to excuse ELV now, as he needs to rock up some Peruvian flake and take another hit.

GIORGIO RISTORANTE…and Piero Selvaggio

When Piero Selvaggio first opened Valentino in Santa Monica in 1972, he will tell you he knew very little about Italian food and absolutely nothing about Italian wine. By the time he and Chef Luciano Pellegrini opened Valentino in The Venetian nine years ago, ELV (and many others) will tell you he was widely considered the best Italian restaurateur in America, and that probably no one, outside of Italy, knows more about Italian wine.

Selvaggio’s personal and professional pilgrimage began on the southeastern coast of Sicily. He and his family moved to Brooklyn in 1963, and six years later, he was a very young man with a lot of ambition and no prospects. So where did he head? Well, to Las Vegas of course! Yes, even in 1969 it seems Vegas was the land of plenty for expatriates and nomads looking to make their mark on the world. As the French would say: plus la change, plus la meme chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

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