Who Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison Turned Down To Open at Pawn Plaza

Two things you need to know about the new Pawn Plaza from Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars, opening in September. First, Harrison says he turned down national chains who wanted to open at the container park. "If you have all this weirdness coming together, it makes it cool." Second, his goal with Pawn Plaza is to have a place with 13 businesses that can outlast the show. "Five or 10 years from now, people are going to be sitting around going, ‘Wasn’t there a show about four fat guys in a pawn shop?’" Harrison says. "And I am sitting on this really nice piece of property on Las Vegas Boulevard. Why not?" [LVS]

Golden Gate president and owner Mark Brandenburg wants you to know that the resort in Downtown Las Vegas has been serving drinks for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and more for more than a century. "[O]ur vintage bar serving specialty drinks in tribute to the dynamic people who made Las Vegas what it is today." That would be Prohibition Bar. He also notes that his stepfather introduced the shrimp cocktail in 1959. "That tradition thrives today served in the same classic tulip sundae glass with our secret cocktail sauce that’ll clear your sinuses." [LVS]

Yvonne Maatouk talks about being the corporate executive chef for Fine Entertainment Group. "People ask me how my mentality changes, shifting my gears from one restaurant to another. In my role as corporate executive chef, I think it’s important to maintain the same integrity when moving around each property. The concepts and menus vary, but my responsibilities, and the responsibilities and goals of my cooks, remain the same. Our focus is on consistency of our product, proper execution of recipes, effective staff management and more." [LVS]

Thrillist issues a list of barbecue restaurants in Las Vegas. [Thrillist]