Author: John Curtas

Clark County Corkage Crackdown?

It was reported to ELV yesterday that the ban on bringing your own wine into restaurants (in exchange for the payment of a corkage fee), has now spread into Clark County, i.e. every restaurant south of Sahara Avenue. Meaning: the Strip and all points south.

According to our source, the management of The Tillerman on East Flamingo informed diners that Clark County considers it illegal to allow patrons to bring their own bottles of wine into county restaurants. ELV has not confirmed this with Clark County enforcement officers (as we did with the City of Las Vegas officials months ago), but if the County is enforcing this ban, it means that a lot of prominent oenophiles are going to be most unhappy when they seek to open that long-held bottle of ’59 La Tache at Delmonico to celebrate their latest stock split….or more accurately these days — to drown their sorrows.

ELV will be checking with Clark County in the coming week to determine its official position on this critical issue to the health and welfare of our general, classified-growth-swilling populace.

What the f…k?

Rumor has it that Switch, the Mark Poidevin-helmed restaurant slated to open soon at Encore at Wynn….or Encore at THE Wynn or THE Encore at THE Wynn, will have a design and decor that switches mid-way through every evening. Get it? This change-o-rama will include: a ceiling that turns over, window and wall coverings that transform themselves….and costume conversions for the entire staff….once a night every night.

Just what these apparel mutations might be is anyone’s guess: Trousers to mini-skirts? Blazers to wife-beaters? Or perhaps from this to this?

And what the f…k does any of this have to do with food? The mind reels.

Steverino’s favorite in-house decor-guy Roger Thomas is the mind behind this design, to which ELV can only say: Go get ’em Rog! But watch out for all them moving parts!

James Beard Foundation TasteAmerica Panelists Announced

From Hot Buffets to Haute Cuisine: Defining an American Food City and the Culinary Transformation of Las Vegas

On October 25th, as part of the JBF’s TasteAmerica event in Las Vegas, a panel discussion will take place at UNLV, featuring two of the most notable, honored and cranky food journalists of our time. Be there to watch Alan (The Hitman) Richman trade ego blows with Jeffery (The Man Who Ate Everything) Steingarten, while Elizabeth Blau, ELV and a chef to be named later observe with detached bemusement…and try to get a word in edgewise.

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