High-Energy Mexican Steakhouse Toca Madera Sets Opening Date on Las Vegas Strip

Toca Madera Las Vegas finally has an opening date. The high-energy Mexican steakhouse will open its doors August 9 in the courtyard between the Aria Resort and Casino and the Shops at Crystals. The third location of the West Hollywood restaurant is helmed by two co-founders of the hospitality and lifestyle company Noble33 and will feature upscale dining and nightly live entertainment in a 220-seat restaurant and speakeasy.

Menu items will include popular Toca Madera dishes such as sashimi Mexicano with ahi tuna and leche de tigre citrus marinade, and new offerings created by chef AJ McCloud, including the A5 wagyu tacos with kizami wasabi, an Osetra caviar dish with sieved egg and lemon crème fraiche, and cocktails like a gold-topped caviar martini with something called “fennel scented air.” Toca Madera Las Vegas will be open from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The Cabinet of Curiosities and the Lock are now open

The Cabinet of Curiosities on the Las Vegas Strip is equal parts bar and scavenger hunt, in which the myriad oddities scattered around the room all contribute to an overarching story. Through exploring the Cabinet, you may find a bedazzled skullcap with antlers — or a typewriter whose lore claims that any tale composed on it will make its author illustriously famous and immeasurably wealthy (with some caveats).

The Lock is an intimate speakeasy within the Cabinet. To gain entry, a visitor must find the Locksmith and solve one of two hidden puzzles. Both the bar and speakeasy serve craft cocktails, and mixologists inside the Lock can concoct a drink that matches your personality, mood, and desired flavor profile. The Cabinet of Curiosities and the Lock, both by Imagine Exhibitions, are located inside Bally’s Las Vegas and open at 4 p.m. daily.

The Cabinet of Curiosities and the Lock

Hawaiian Marketplace could soon be demolished

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Hawaiian Marketplace could soon be torn down. The shuttered marketplace on the Las Vegas Strip had been home to several retail locations and eateries like the Filipino fast food spot Kapit Bahay, the soul food restaurant Catfish Alley, and Zingers, which served all-day breakfast. The property’s landlord said in a court filing that it will start building temporary fencing on Aug. 1 and “begin demolishing structures” by Aug. 15, the Review-Journal reported.

Bradley Martin

ShangHai Taste opens seafood restaurant

The team behind the ShangHai Taste Chinese restaurant in Chinatown has launched a seafood-focused restaurant, Sea Fresh. The 216-seat, U-shaped bar serves daily air shipments delivered from Maine and Seattle of sweet-tasting diver scallops, lobster-like coral grouper, succulent abalone, and toothsome black cod, from Maine and Seattle. Sea Fresh is open Thursday through Tuesday, from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.