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Welcome to a.m. Intel, your bite-sized roundup of Las Vegas food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.
Hawaiian food truck-born Aloha Mamacita is pulling into Hawaii’s ninth island in mid-February with its first expansion outside Hawaii taking root at 4195 South Grand Canyon Drive. The menu includes saucy, crunchy birria tacos, plus birria bao and birria ramen. The location was most recently home to VeggieEat Xpress. [What Now Las Vegas]
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Weekly is gushing over the Spam musubi at Chinatown’s O.Onigiri (4258 Spring Mountain Road), an eatery built around the Japanese version of the common Hawaiian snack. The classic version (a rectangle of rice, Spam, tamagoyaki-style egg, teriyaki sauce and furikake wrapped in nori) runs $5.50, though there are a few variations on offer. O.Onigiri opened in September.
Paradise is all-you-can eat sushi
Love Paradise Sushi will soon bloom at 4865 South Pecos Road in Clark County. In addition to the usual rolls, Love Paradise will dish ramen varieties, salads, sushi burritos, and skewers. Plus, the family friendly spot has lower prices for kids based on their height. No opening date is set yet. [What Now Las Vegas]
Cocktail hour
S Bar Las Vegas (3950 S Las Vegas Boulevard) opened on New Year’s Eve at Mandalay Bay in the former Red Square spot. The swanky bar comes from SBE Hospitality and features cocktails and small bites. Opening hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. Red Square, a Russian-themed restaurant that opened in 1999, closed in 2019. [VegasChanges.com]
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Meanwhile, Bali Hai Golf Club (5160 South Las Vegas Boulevard) is pairing golf with tropical cocktails at the Tiki Bar and Grille, a tropical-themed sports bar with booze, bites, and views of Allegiant Stadium and Mandalay Bay. Open from sun up to sundown, the bar’s menu includes breakfast burritos, sandwiches, wraps, and grilled items like burgers and dogs. [EaterWire]
Dave & Buster’s is plotting a 30,700-square foot location in Henderson across from Henderson Hospital at the corner of Galleria Drive and David Baker Way. The gaming/dining/drinking chain from Dallas also has a location in Downtown Summerlin, which opened in 2016. The Henderson Dave & Buster’s will be the second in Nevada, though the 40-year old chain has over 140 outlets nationwide. No opening date has been set. [Las Vegas Review Journal]
Looking Ahead
As cannabis consumption lounges get ready to roar open in Nevada this year, Clark County is keeping a close eye on developments. The county has hired 50 additional employees since cannabis sales began in 2017. Officials are expecting to need more to handle the extra workload generated by these new developments. [Las Vegas Review Journal]
Looking Back
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Betty White’s 1963 Las Vegas wedding to the self-proclaimed love of her life Allen Ludden was a low-key affair at historic The Sands with champagne and hors d’oeuvres for 10 guests following the wedding. UNLV has photos and correspondence in its archives. White, 99, died on December 31. The Sands was open from 1952 to 1996 on the Strip.
Food writer Heidi Knapp Rinella says that when Wolfgang Puck opened Spago in 1992 with an open kitchen, everyone lined up for what they thought was a buffet. Rinella is retiring after two decades covering the Vegas dining scene for the paper. [Las Vegas Review Journal]