Inherent Freshness & Cultural Paradoxes: Las Vegas Food & Entertainment Highlights - Summer 2009

The road into Cinevegas always brings different visions of Vegas which allow the intrepid thrill seeker and lover to enjoy eclectic and entertaining facets of this constantly changing town. This vision of the snapshot offers a diversity of culinary trevails, nightime libations and artistic visions.KA One of the latest from Cirque De Soleil is their most ambitious by far which intermixes an element of storytelling with the inevitable symmetry and grace known in their performances. The difference here is the intermixing of an almost neo-gothic perception along with a more grounded organic essence. The story follows two Imperial twins that are separated when attacked by an outside force. They go off on their own way where the essence of who they are or what they represent becomes paramount. Granted the archetypal essence is a tried and true narrative motif but within the hands of Cirque, the aspect of movement becomes of specific value. The difference here, unlike other shows like O and Mystere, is the technical prowess and physical element which the sets achieve to provide. The basic adventures through different elements like earth and mountains involve using a gimbaled surface plain (which looks like the Monolith from "2001" at times) and a retracting platform behind it optimizing sands which fall below into a chasm and replicate the side of sheer cliffs covered in snow. The best use of the set however is a neo-metallic based world oriented with the bad guys in the story. Its industrial architecture provides a grand paradox to the other parts of the story. An added essence particularly with this set is the use of music which on a basic level combines cello and synthesizer. However a very intense guitarist enhances it with a kind of rock score that brings to mind Queen's "Flash Gordon" or Toto's "Dune". The set is in many ways a hark to the "Harkonnen" world in the latter.There is also many physics based aspects that are tried to varying degrees of success. One sequence involves a battle being watched from above as the characters battle in impossible gravity sequences using wire work that is both artisticalluy compelling but also overly ambitious. This show is also a step forward in terms of story. Despite many plot holes, it is a full story and not seemingly a mismash collection of short subjects which at times can disjoint the audience. It is a very different experience from last year's "The Beatles' Love" at The Mirage which had a music video essence to it. Cirque continues to build their presence and challenging expectations which in turns creates a more visceral experience for their discerning audience.First Food & Bar - The Palazzo - Grand Opening Party The late night convergance on a place depends if it can chill and also operate during the day. Most places decide to go for one or the other. One of the few places that seem to have really had it down with the balance was The Rainbow Las Vegas (across from the Hard Rock) which no longer exists. First creates a great vibe between the blast-you-off concoctions, simply rocking music that didn't overly pander to a certain trend, filling and unbelievably comatic food and bartender girls that just played it right and didn't take any shit. The only one that still does that and gets it right at least on the bar end is Michelle Dell's Hogs & Heifers off of Fremont. No slots. No tables. Just booze.First Bar does it up in style as the backed up bar with the businessmen and head chefs of Vegas all descending to see the new kid on the block. While the food was good (specifically the mouth watering tacos), a full perception of the menu was not immediately apparent. The concoctions were simple (save for a nip and tuck now and again) while the whiteness of the Russians mixed with the right amount of flavor. The hues continued to burn while the music, both nostalgia and ultra spun, dreamed the night away to nothing.Hash House A Go Go As the heat betrays and the planes roar overhead, the thistle of misdirection leads the road astray. Once back on track heading north on Sahara beyond the contradictions, this oasis reveals itself with a silver lined roof. Going into Hash, the ambiance is a mix of the diners loved as a kid but with an inherent industrial aesthetic. Like the former Rainbow LV, photos of famous patrons (among them Bjork) populate the opening wall. Sitting down, the drink to cool the sights became the "Champagne Supernova" vindicating mint against the lemonade fission creating a lighter perception. The food doesn't so much fill you as "feel" you giving the aspect of content but with incessant portions The split became the rub with a one-pound burger darkened with bacon and a swish of avocado made the mouthfuls watering but it was "The Kokomo" (seen in photo above) wrapped with meatloaf, roasted tomatoes and silken mozarella that simply sizzled like a lustful lover screaming in the night.Imperial Luau The dusk behind the casino leaks into the night as the corridors are transversed from the shadowy reception to the converted pool area. Simple but effective, the Mai Tais sip themselves as a generous cross section of patrons from long to short enjoy the salads mixing comparative elements of both grilled beauty to tasteful shrimp within a neon-specific tropical setting. Upon gathering in conversation as hotel guests above watched the unfolding performance with interest, the perception of the Luau as the Vodka Red Bulls flowed became that of a geography portal. Having personally attended multiple lauas in Waikiki, the vision and technique remains similar though the desert backdrop melds with the essence of a certain Native American basis creating a fusion of sorts. Unlike Hawaii, this show combines elements of many different cultures including Fiji and New Zealand. The focal is, of course, respect but with entertainment which is a different balance than that seen in the South Pacific (especially in Hawaii). There spiritualism becomes the focus and thus the humor comes within that. In intermingling with a broader audience from such diverse cultures, the intonation might have been homogenized in its translation. Which is not to say the show isn't entertaining, especially with one of the lead performers who also serves as percussionist and fire twirler. For those who have not seen such acts before, the show is a good precursor in a more mainstream setting of what can be expected at first glance at a similar show on the Islands. Granted bachelorette parties are hardly commonplace in full swing on Hawaii but the honeymoons sure are which give creedence for a test drive in the cabanas of Sin City.Ricardo's Situated moments away from the Palms on Decatur, this Las Vegas mainstay revolved in its impact from indie to MGM Grand stalwart then back to its original home. The secludedness of its interior tends to jump alive as the lunch rush comes in place. Very few local arenas like Ricardo's can boast the organic and spicy interaction of Southern California cuisine with true Mexican flavor. Envisioning the cross-section gets the blood flowing but the key is the possibility of the follow through. The starters mix the known with an element of freshness which shows a pride of circumstance. From the soft and crunchy taquitos bathed in a light flutter of sour cream when dipped in the chunky richness of fresh guacamole to the beans kissed by wisps of finely grated cheese, the taste buds enriched give way to a sample of dishes that fall left of the expected norm. Granted burritos and the like are available for necessity of comfort but between the decadant Pollo Arroyo (seen above), enveloping elements of a would be chiclen marsala within a Mexican perogative and the deliciously intense Camarones Chipotles (also above) which envelopes shrimp in butter, garlic, chipotle chile and cream over of a bed of rice balanced with a carne asada steak, powerful in flavor which melts with taste, the angle of getting your spice on becomes a matter of being. Satisfaction is simply a given.Within the auspice of Cinevegas, Vegas continues to tingle with hidden gems. From the new auspices of the hot First Food & Bar inside the Palazzo to the secret diamond Hash House to the stalwart and fulfilling Ricardos's, culinary continues to diversify. Considering "KA" or the Imperial Luau, cultural paradoxes continue to evolve whether dramatic or infused with humor, classical interpreted or spiritually inclined. Vegas has always been about irony and the edginess that populates that line. The change continues to melt this perception as Vegas looks towards the next evolution.