$6Kids under2 years:

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Bring the Whole Krewe!Parade the whole family around the Springs Preserve during Mardi Gras Vegas.

Swing to the sounds of live music, dine on Cajun and Creole cuisine, enjoy cocktails in the Big Easy Lounge, and experience activities and Southern traditions of the only family-friendly

Mardi Gras celebration in town. T here’s something for everyone to enjoy at Springs Preserve’s Mardi Gras Vegas!

Tickets available at springspreserve.org or at the Springs Preserve box offce.

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THE LATEST

1 2 “A Caucus Primer” Understanding the system that

still confuses most of us.

By EMMILY BRISTOL

1 4 “The Thunderbird Flies Again” New owner revives historic Downtown

hotel. By JESSIE O’BRIEN

1 6 “2015 Casino Report Card” What last year’s gaming numbers

mean for the casino industry.

Green Felt Journal by

DAVID G. SCHWARTZ

Plus … Seven Days, Style,

Ask a Native and The Deal.

NIGHTLIFE

2 5 “Back to the Future” Anthony Olheiser wants you

to party like it’s “the aughts.”

By MELINDA SHECKELLS

Plus … Seven Nights and

a Q&A with Generik.

DINING

4 9 “All Things to Everyone” Walking you through Jardin, which is

so much more than Encore’s new

coffee shop. By AL MANCINI

Plus … What chefs eat when they’re

under the weather and DIY cello.

A&E

5 5 “With an International Swing” Pink Martini frolics its way into

The Smith Center. By JESSI C. ACUÑA

Plus … Seven’s 14, a Q&A with

Lamb of God bassist John Campbell

and what The Real Housewives of

Potomac says about race and class.

6 0 “It’s About Timey-Wimey” Steven Moffat is right to leave Doctor

Who now. The Most Fabulous Thing

by CHARLIE STARLING

SEVEN QUESTIONS

7 0 Elizabeth Jones, widow of

Hall of Famer Deacon Jones, on

their nonprofit, having fun with

QB Steve Young and a special trophy.

FEATURE

Super Bowl PreviewHow Super Sunday remains a cultural colossus, recommendations on intriguing prop bets, party do’s and don’ts, good bites around town and what if Las Vegas hosted the big game.

F E B R U A R Y 4 – 1 0 , 2 0 1 6C O N T E N T S

Cover photo illustration by

Ryan Olbrysh.

20 CORRECTION In his Politics column

(“Shades of Trump,” Jan. 28), Michael Green

incorrectly reported that Bob Stupak went bankrupt.

It was Stratosphere Corp. that declared bankruptcy.

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP

Vegas Seven, 702-798-7000, 302 E. Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada

c 2016 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.

LETTERS AND STORY IDEAS Comments@VegasSeven.com

ADVERTISING Sales@VegasSeven.com

DISTRIBUTION Distribution@VegasSeven.com

P U B L I S H E RMichael Skenandore

E D I T O R I A LEDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nicole Ely

MANAGING EDITOR Genevie Durano

SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman

SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Geoff Carter

SENIOR WRITER Lissa Townsend Rodgers

STAFF WRITER Emmily Bristol

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana

S E N I O R C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O RMelinda Sheckells (style)

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMichael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining),

David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

A R TCREATIVE DIRECTOR Ryan Olbrysh

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Cierra Pedro

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Krystal Ramirez

V E G A S S E V E N . C O MTECHNICAL DIRECTOR Herbert Akinyele

ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj

SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala

WEB PRODUCER Jessie O’Brien

ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson

P R O D U C T I O N / D I S T R I B U T I O NDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jimmy Bearse

DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Jasen Ono

S A L E SBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Christy Corda

DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Nicole Scherer

ACCOUNT MANAGER Brittany Quintana

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Robyn Weiss

I N T E R N SMichaela Chesin, Scott Luehring, Soni Richards

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger

PRESIDENT Michael Skenandore

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Sim Salzman

CONTROLLER Jane Weigel

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE | FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

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THU 4 Rumors of the music industry’s death have been greatly exag-

gerated. Learn the ropes, attend panel discussions and hear some great artists at work, today and tomorrow at the Vegas Music Summit Downtown. VegasMusicSummit.com.

FRI 5 Mix a rock band, a 21-piece or-chestra and stunning visuals and

you’ve got the Symphonic Rockshow, 7:30 p.m. at The Smith Center. You haven’t heard these renditions of classic rock by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Who and others before. TheSmithCenter.com.

SAT 6 February is Black History Month, but Frank Matthews is a

historical figure you don’t often hear about. In the 1970s, Matthews was one of the biggest heroin dealers in the coun-try. In 1973, he disappeared and, despite a massive manhunt, has never been seen since. Author Ron Chepesiuk dis-cusses Matthews’ life and times at 1 p.m. in the Mob Museum. TheMobMuseum.org.

SUN 7 Apparently there’s a football game going on today, and you’re

likely going to eat and drink too much and sit on your couch all afternoon. In prepa-ration, consider entering the Big Game

10K, a run through the streets of Down-town. Races start at 7:30 a.m., so you’ll be finished by kickoff. BigGame10K.com.

MON 8 It’s the Year of the Monkey, and that means it’s time to party

like a primate. Chinese New Year in the

Desert, through Feb. 14 at the Linq and the Forum Shops at Caesars, is a fine option. There will be food, dancing and a mass wedding ceremony. Caesars.com.

TUE 9 Want to be part of a science ex-periment? Then stop by UNLV’s

Marjorie Barrick Museum anytime be-fore Feb. 12 and sign up for a study on 3-D visualization and depth perception for film viewers. There’s no payment, but everyone who participates is entered in a drawing to win a smartwatch. UNLV.edu.

WED 10 Southern Nevada is home to some very talented kids. As

proof, check out the Scholastic Art &

Writing Awards, through April 3 at Springs Preserve’s Big Springs Gallery. The art and writing category dates back to 1923, and is the most prestigious recognition program for teens in the country. SpringsPreserve.org.

News, deals and a look at

the 2015 gaming report card.THE LATEST

➜ WHEN IT COMES TO CAUCUSING in Nevada, there’s no middle ground. Whether inveterate party loyalists or cu-rious frst-timers, the one certainty about the caucuses is that people either love them or hate them.

“I’m not a huge fan of the caucus system,” says JoNell Thomas, a Democrat who’s been caucusing since 2008.

“It’s scary for newcomers. Also, it’s a big-time commitment, which can be especially hard for people with 9 to 5 jobs.”

Thomas, an attorney who moved to Las Vegas from Salt Lake City in 1992, says she’s always been an active voter and involved in the election process. While she plans to caucus again this cycle, Thomas says she wishes Nevada went to a primary system.

It’s a common refrain, regardless of party.“It’s too limited,” says Lynn Armanino, a Republican who

started caucusing after moving to Henderson in 2009. “To me, it costs too much money. You’re paying for a cau-cus and you’re paying for a primary. Any year we have a caucus, we still have a primary. It’s kind of redundant.”

In Nevada, each party runs its caucuses differently. Democrats allow anyone who is a registered Democrat, or who will register the day of the caucus, to participate. Voters split up into groups based on which candidate they support. For a candidate group to be considered viable depends on the number of people at that par-ticular precinct. Once viability is determined, delegates are elected to represent each viable candidate-group. When the delegates are established, participants dis-cuss and choose platform issues to submit to the na-tional convention.

On the Republican side, participants have to be regis-tered to vote 10 days before the caucus. However, regis-tered voters may switch parties at the caucus. Voters elect delegates and propose platform issues for the county convention in March, as well as voting in a Presidential Preference Poll.

A little over a quarter of states still use a caucus sys-tem, which frst gained popularity at the turn of the 20th century. However, many states have moved away from

caucuses, which are paid for by political parties, toward a primary system, which are bankrolled by the state. While there were caucuses intermittently in Nevada over the years, 2008 was the frst year that both parties held caucuses from local to statewide levels. Already considered a swing state, Nevada being the frst in the West to caucus (third in the nation for Democrats and fourth for Republicans), the process has raised the pro-fle of our state delegates.

For some, caucusing is a rewarding civic privilege.“We have a great neighborhood, and it’s fun to see our

friends and neighbors excited about the political pro-cess,” says Democrat Amey Esparza, who works at Nevada State College. “I love the way people bring their children to caucus. Modeling civic engagement is just awesome.”

Thomas, who lives in the historic John S. Park neigh-borhood, agrees that caucusing has its moments. “It’s kind of fun to get together with other politically active people. The Downtown community tends to be pretty ac-tive and pretty liberal.”

Still, the process can be daunting for frst-timers.“I’m both nervous and excited,” says Melissa Gokmo-

gol, a Republican who moved here from Indiana in 2015, where she served as a state delegate. “A caucus process is defnitely different than a primary process. It does not end by fling a name [to be a delegate]. There are more steps to take [in a caucus].”

One thing that people from both parties seem to agree on is that they wish the state would end the caucus and just do primaries.

“Personally, I don’t like the caucus,” Armanino says. “There are two weeks for [early] voting in the primaries. That’s a lot of opportunity to vote, compared to a few hours at the caucus. The most important thing we have is the [right to] vote. If you can’t accommodate that four-hour window [for the caucus], you’re out of luck.”

To learn more about the caucuses, visit the party websites at NVDems.com and NevadaGOP.org.

A Caucus Primer

Understanding the system that still

confuses most of us By Emmily Bristol

Seven DaysThis week in your cityBy B O B W H I T B Y

WHERE TO CAUCUS DEMOCRATS: Saturday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. WHO: Any registered Democrat or those who will be 18 on

Election Day (Nov. 8) who register at the caucus. WHAT: Picking preferences for president, platform

proposals and electing 43 delegates (and three alternates) for the national convention.

FIND YOUR PRECINCT HERE: NVDems.com/caucus

REPUBLICANS: Tuesday, Feb. 23, starting between 5-7 p.m., depending on location WHO: Registered

Republicans by Feb. 13, those who will be 18 on Election Day and register Republican or those who will switch

to the GOP that day; government-issued photo IDs are required. WHAT: Election of delegates and platform

proposals for county convention in March; voting in the Presidential Preference Poll.

FIND YOUR PRECINCT HERE: NevadaGOPCaucus.org

➜ THE NEVADA GAMING CONTROL

Board released its revenue fgures for December 2015 last week, closing the books on the 2015 performance of the state’s casinos. Overall, it was a year that showed the continuing transition in Nevada gaming.

Overall, the state’s casinos’ $11.1 billion take let them notch a 0.97 percent increase in total win; they took in just under 1 percent more than they did in 2014. Now, $11.1 billion is a lot of money, but it still lags behind the $12.8 bil-lion Nevada casinos earned from gambling in 2007, a year that now seems impossibly far away. Lower gaming revenues are the new normal for Nevada casinos, which explains the intensifying shift away from slots and table games and toward DJs, small plates and live entertainment.

The distribution of gambling continued to evolve. Sports bet-ting grew in popularity, as did old standbys such as blackjack and craps. The double-digit increase in win for “other” games shows that casino gamblers seem to be look-ing for new ways to play.

Those new ways don’t necessar-ily mean better odds. Penny slots are among the tightest in the state, keeping more than 10 percent of all money played, which is double the hold of dollar slot machines. Yet penny slot win grew by 9 percent, outpacing the overall increase in slot win. Many gamblers, doubtless, are looking for a better shot at win-ning (or at least breaking even), but

the popularity of penny slots shows that many gamblers are looking for something other than an edge.

The big news, though, is in how the state’s former savior fared. For the second straight year, baccarat win—whose surge had pulled the state through the worst of the re-cession—dropped, underlining the reality that the transition to high-end play was a temporary solution to the problem of falling gaming win. Growing slot win indicates that more people are gambling, but it looks like they are still not gambling as much as before the recession.

Nowhere is the new normal more apparent than on the Las Vegas Strip, whose 42 casinos contributed more than 57 percent of Nevada’s total gaming win. Baccarat’s de-cline dragged down the Strip, as it fnished the year with $6.3 billion in total win—a huge number, but a slight drop from 2014’s total.

Downtown Las Vegas did pro-portionally better than the Strip. In absolute terms, the Strip is far ahead; Downtown’s total win, $542 million, is about 8.5 percent of the Strip’s total haul. But where Strip gambling treaded water, Down-town casinos won 5.95 percent

more in 2015 than in the previous year, with an 8.44 percent gain in tables. That’s particularly impres-sive, given the baccarat slowdown that dragged the Strip—and the rest of the state—down in 2015.The appeal to more traditional gamblers seems to be paying off for Downtown.

Away from the tourist core, it’s a largely positive story. North Las Vegas casinos won nearly 3 percent more in 2015, and Boulder Strip casinos increased their revenues by 1.5 percent. The rebound of the locals market speaks to the broader recovery—or transition—of the Las Vegas Valley’s economy. Even with tourists gambling less, locals are increasing their play.

Other parts of Nevada fared even better than Las Vegas. Wendover’s casino win grew by 5 percent, and Washoe County—with both the Reno/Sparks and North Shore Lake Tahoe reporting areas—increased its revenue by more than 3 percent.

Ten years ago, galloping an-nual gaming win was a given. The recession brought a drop, but the end of the recession hasn’t seen a return to nonstop growth. As gambling behavior has changed, Las Vegas itself has adjusted. This may be why, despite what in the past would have been considered a disappointing year, Nevada casino operators are bullish about the future; it still involves gambling, but not as much of it.

David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.16

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2015 Casino Report CardWhat last year’s gaming numbers mean for the casino industry

OUT FOR THE BIG GAME➜ Having some viewing options for the Super Bowl figures to be of increased importance to many this year, considering that the Cox/KLAS Channel 8 dispute could mean there’ll be no watching the game from your living room. Never fear: Problems like these have a way of sorting themselves out in the 11th hour. And even if this isn’t one of them, it’s more fun watching with a crowd anyway.

An easy, basic strategy is to watch the game at a bar that follows your team. That works for Broncos fans at Balboa Pizza Co., Black Mountain Grill, Four Mile Bar, Jake’s Bar and Roadrunner (Buffalo Dr.). Panthers fans will have to improvise, given that there are no bars this year that followed Carolina (I’m betting that will change next season).

Of course, every casino will have an event of some sort, but just hanging out at the sportsbooks is as good an option as any. All the books will be jumping, but the deals on dogs and drinks will be better in locals joints such as Stations and Coast.

South Point is running its annual free bash in the showroom, with $1 dogs, cheap beer by the bucket and prize drawings.

Ellis Island is hosting a free tailgate party in the lot in front of the casino, then a $50 viewing party during the game that includes a merchandise raffle, plus food and all the Ellis Island beer you can drink.

On the west side, the Rampart party is $49 (with a club card) for unlimited food and drinks at multiple “party venues” in the casino, plus a logoed T-shirt. Nice!

Downtown, the D will hold its viewing party in a big tent on the concert grounds near the casino (Downtown Las Vegas Events Center), with ESPN sports-radio personality Scott Fer-rall presiding. It’s free to enter, but food and drinks are extra.

Parties at bars and other non-casino venues are often less expensive or more creative. For example, Via Brasil on Fort Apache Road has an open bar for $40 and an appetizer bar for an additional $20. Davidoff of Geneva in Fash-ion Show is offering 2-for-1 beers and 4-for-3 cigars. The party at The Sporting Life bar at 7770 S. Jones Blvd. costs $125 for an all-you-can-eat pig roast and unlimited beer, wine and well drinks, plus a raffle with good prizes, including a TV and $2,000 in cash given away during the game. The expected return from the cash and raffle giveaways knocks the price down to well below $100 per person. The Sporting Life, with its impressive TV walls, is an excellent place to watch the game.

Better yet, the Dealer’s Choice Lounge at 4552 Spring Mountain Rd. is charging a $50 entry that includes a buffet during the game, but there’s also a squares pool worth $50 in expected return, which means the buffet is (theoretically) free.

Free, even when theoretical, is always good.

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas

Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.

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Jey Hall, 33Lifestyle Marketing and Business Development Manager

What does lifestyle marketing entail?

All of the lifestyle brands I work with and that are in the Louis Vuit-ton Moët Hennessy portfolio have incredible heritage, so it’s all about sharing that heritage and the prod-ucts through social activations.

How does working for a luxury

company affect the way you dress?

I have more suits than I did fve years ago. I also never owned a piece of Louis Vuitton prior, but I have been fortunate to receive some great pieces since [I started with the company].

How does working in the beverage

industry influence your style?

I may be in meetings during the day and out at an event or night-club at night, so “dressing for the occasion” is out the door and dressing for all occasions is key. Function and comfort are the overall infuencing factors.

Why is personal style important to

you? Personal style is a channel for expression. Style and fashion should always be fun. We should look forward to dressing as much as undressing.

What’s the one thing you splurge on?

Denim.

How often do you shop and where are

your favorite places in Las Vegas?

[About] 80 percent of what I wear is sent or gifted to me, so I actually don’t shop very often, and I guess I really can’t take credit for my sense of fashion. My favorite plac-es to shop in Las Vegas are CRSVR, Institution 18b and KNYEW. From the LVMH house, Marc Jacobs al-ways has great pieces, and Given-chy at Wynn—the frst U.S. loca-tion—is an incredible boutique.

Do you have anything you cherish in

your closet? My Hennessy Futura hand-painted Chuck Taylors and Hennessy Buscemi sneakers. —Liz Powell

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Rag & Bone shirt, UNIQLO jeans, Super Color Adidas by Pharrell Williams shoes, 1982 Rolex Oyster Quartz watch, Koa wood bead bracelet and #RAKE rubber bracelet.

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Anthony Olheiser wants you to party like it’s “the aughts” By Melinda Sheckells

Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and DJ Generik is anything but

NIGHTLIFE

➜ REWIND TO 2007, when Luxor was in a full-scale revamp to de-pyramid-ize itself, pumping $300 million worth of GenX chic into its dated, kitschy, family-friendly reputation. The improvements in-cluded CatHouse restaurant, helmed by the late chef Kerry Simon; its adjacent ultra lounge; and the rustic, ski lodge-vibe Company American Bistro, a Pure Management Group restaurant driven by golden boy chef Adam Sobel. The high-profle LAX nightclub, imported from Los Angeles, led the party-forward atmosphere with an opening hosted by a mid-meltdown Britney Spears (wig included). All at once, Luxor was less theme and more approachable fun.

In the years since, LAX kept pace for a while, but was eventually overshadowed by the formation of an

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impenetrable pantheon of Las Vegas nightlife com-panies that swayed toward luxury service and EDM. After several changes in management, from Pure Management to Angel Management to Hakkasan Group, MGM Resorts assumed control of the space in February 2015 and began a major refresh. This is not the frst time that a nightlife venue has been managed “in house” without the help of an outside operator. In the early 2000s, before the giant groups such as Light and Hakkasan took over, that’s the way it was. The man at the helm of some of the most suc-cessful lounges and clubs in the second half of that era, including Tabú, Studio 54 and Wet Republic, was Anthony Olheiser, the former director of entertain-ment and development for MGM Grand.

Following a two-year stint in Los Angeles as the director of food and beverage for the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, Olheiser has returned to Las Vegas as Luxor’s executive director of brand activation. His current focus is to refresh the ethos of LAX. “The fees for a lot of these DJs became astronomical,” Ol-heiser says. “It made sense at the time to say, ‘OK, this group can operate it; [it] has relationships with DJs, and then we’ll see what happens. Now we’re taking a look at the proftability and the viability [of that system].”

And while the old thought process was for MGM Resorts to partner with a nightlife operator that had the ties and pocketbooks to bring in big DJs, the new philosophy is to look to T-Mobile Arena and other live-music opportunities for synergy. “If we have an

[artist] performing at Mandalay Bay [Events Center], we need to do a better job of making that artist a part of what we’re trying to do [at LAX] versus hav-ing them go somewhere else,” Olheiser says, noting that in a perfect world, artists would continue the experience for their fans at LAX. He also alludes to reciprocities with a new theater at Monte Carlo that will focus on A-list artist residencies that will stay for two to three weeks. Plus, New York-New York doesn’t currently have a nightclub, nor does Monte Carlo, and Luxor is at the epicenter of 8,000 hotel rooms. In essence, all those people need somewhere to party.

In preparation for his big year, LAX received the requisite nightclub facelift: a new lighting system, boasting one of the biggest rigs of any nightclub in the country; added LED panels that can be pro-grammed with content to support the DJ; and an enhanced sound system. The advertising campaign

refects a party scene where the guest is the star, aimed at appealing to a more conventional and more mature demographic. “[There’s a] mainstream American nightlife market that is not being spoken to right now,” Olheiser says. “My goal is to go after those folks. I want 2,000 people dancing and party-ing, affordable drinks, approachability, [a place] easy to get into, where people are smiling at you.”

Drinks average $12 and bottle service is offered, but it’s not a hard sell. “It’s a table minimum,” Olheiser says. “And during the week, we’ve been doing no-minimum tables. Like a restaurant, you’re presented a bottle-service menu and you can spend freely. We had a table that didn’t want to spend $500 at the front door for six or seven people. So, we said no problem, sit down. They ended up having a mag-num of Grey Goose and a bottle of Dom Pérignon. Their bill was $1,300. They would have never spent that if we hustled them at the front door.”

In late January, LAX launched a Thursday-night Throwback party, with live performances by acts from the ’80s to 2000s. “It’s a great experience. It’s fun, relatable. It’s Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, these guys who just put on good shows. They do three or four songs and people go crazy and everybody’s dressed up in Adidas, and we’re just having fun.”

Upcoming Throwback Thursday artists include Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella on February 4 and Young M.C. on February 18. You can still “Bust a Move,” can’t you?

New LED screens light up the night at LAX.

“[There’s a] mainstream American nightlife market that is not being

spoken to right now. My goal is to go after those folks.”

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➜ AUSTRALIA’S TYSON O’BRIEN IS

making big moves as DJ Generik, and, subsequently, in his plans for a home base. By the next time he plays Omnia in support of Calvin Harris on February 26 (and March 17 at Hakkasan), he’ll have already moved into his new Los Angeles abode to begin the next leg of his career, which includes the launch of his second single this month.

What prompted your move to the U.S.?

Last year, I was living in Melbourne, basically fying to Las Vegas every sec-ond weekend. That gets taxing on the body after a while. This year, we’ve got a lot more shows coming up at Hak-kasan and hopefully a lot more U.S. touring. But I would like to make my life easier, get a lot of work done and also have, like, a lot of fun.

Do you see yourself ever

returning to Australia?

I will defnitely be going back to see [my parents] for Christmas. This year is going to be a learning curve for me and a new experience. We will see what America has to offer and what I have to offer America.

What will you miss most about

your home country?

My mom’s cooking! She is an awesome cook, and I am a terrible cook. I eat out a lot.

What is your favorite dish that

your mom makes?

Mom is Italian, so she makes the best spaghetti Bolognese in the world. If anybody comes to Australia and they want a good dinner, I will give you my home address and then you can go and eat there with my mom.

What are you looking forward to most

about living in America?

One of the best things about L.A. is that there are so many amazingly talented music producers, writers and singers out there. The collaboration

and the work ethic that L.A. brings is something very inspiring to me, and I really can’t wait to get back into the studio. Music is my passion, and it’s millions of other people’s passion in L.A., and if I can fnd those people and work with them, I can make something really amazing.

You support Calvin Harris pretty often.

How did you guys first link up?

We met at Stereosonic, a big music festival in Australia, fve years ago. And we were just sort of chilling together at the time, having lots of fun. We kept in contact ever since and, obviously, I love what he has been doing and he loves me. [Laughs]. I am a funny guy, I like to think; I make him laugh. He gives me hints on how to make better music, and he is pretty good at that.

Yeah, I am pretty lucky to call him a mate. He has got me warming up for him for a lot of shows in Vegas.

How do you make sure your sets

are not, uh, generic?

[Laughs]. The main thing is, in Aus-tralia, we get a lot of amazing artists not very many people have heard of yet. So I play a lot of Australian music. [At Omnia and Hakkasan,] I am going to play a lot of my stuff, which no one has heard before.

How do you find these Australian artists,

online or in person?

I get a lot of tips and people sending me songs all the time. I take pride in actually sitting down and listening to the demos and songs people send me. In the Australian culture—it is

amazing—we just share each other’s music all the time. You always ask for feedback; I’ll have a listen and then I’ll send Hayden James mine and vice versa. So it is a really big family in Australia, which is great.

You’ve said before that you have a lot

to accomplish before you’ll consider

yourself “successful.” What sort of

things do you still need to do?

I want to put out my second single, [“Late at Night”]; that would be a good start. It’s almost fnished now, and it’s going to come out in Febru-ary. I would like people to be able to listen to my music all over the world—not just in Australia. I would like to be able to do my own shows in Vegas and have Calvin Harris supporting me eventually. [Laughs.]

NIGHTLIFE Mad

Skills, No

FrillsA wholly original

interview with Generik

By Kat Boehrer

PARTIES

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

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MARQUEEThe Cosmopolitan

[ UPCOMING ]

Feb. 5 Vice spins

Feb. 6 DJ Khaled spins

Feb. 7 Big Game Viewing Party

PARTIES

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

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[ UPCOMING ]

Feb. 4 Throwback Thursday with DJs R.O.B. and Spinderella

Feb. 5 DJ Eric Forbes spins

Feb. 6 DJs Cass and Scooter spin

F R I F E B 0 5

C A L V I N H A R R I S

S A T F E B 0 6

D I M I T R I V E G A S & L I K E M I K E

T U E F E B 0 9

T H E C H A I N S M O K E R S

F R I F E B 1 2

A R M I NV A N B U U R E N

S A T F E B 1 3

S H O W T E K

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A F R O J A C K

T I C K E T S & V I P R E S E R V A T I O N S | O M N I A N I G H T C L U B . C O M | 7 0 2 . 7 8 5 . 6 2 0 0 |

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Dr. Chef Is in the HouseAn unscientific look at how professional cooks battle cold and flu symptoms with food and beverage By Al Mancini

DINING

➜ YUP, IT’S COLD AND FLU SEASON (not to mention pneumonia, bron-chitis and, in my case, whooping cough!), and a pretty rough one at that. Whatever’s taking you and yours down this year, there’s no denying that ’tis the season to lie in bed feeling like crap. And since getting an appointment with an M.D. in this town isn’t always easy, I asked a bunch of my chef friends what I can put into my body to fght off the billions of microbes conspiring to sideline me. Their scientifc validity may vary, but their recommendations are tastier than most of the antibiotics I’ve swallowed over the past few months. So what the hell, you may want to give some of these home remedies a try.

Eating your vegetables is about as classic as health advice can get. But, of course, how you ingest them matters tremendously. Gary LaMorte, corporate executive chef for the Mina Group, advises using “whole raw vegetables to supercharge your system.” Or, you can drink your veggies. Border Grill’s Jamaal Taherzadeh says, “When I’m feeling ill, I’ll make a carrot and ginger juice, or something with kale and apples.” And if you’re not juicing at home, it isn’t diffcult to fnd stores selling fresh, cold-pressed juices around the Valley.

But if you’re juicing primarily to fght off a bug, you may want to look beyond the standard veg-etable and fruit concoctions to the more concentrated health shots. At the Juice Standard’s two loca-tions, you’ll fnd a trio of “shots” intended to keep you healthy with less traditional ingredients. The Flu Shot is made with turmeric, apple cider vinegar, oil of oregano and black pepper. The Wellness Shot contains ginger, lemon, cayenne and black pepper. And the E3 Live Shot contains live algae and coconut water. They’re sold together in a fight of shot glasses (which makes the often challeng-ing tastes easier to handle), and washed down with an envelope of vitamin C gel. You’ll fnd four similar shots at Fruits & Roots that rely on many of the same ingredi-ents, but are sold separately.

Remember how Mom used to tell you to eat chicken soup when you got sick? Well, according to Taherzadeh, she was on to some-thing, because chicken contains vitamin C—although you can spice your bird up with a preparation a bit more exciting than soup.

“Because I’m a chef, I don’t want to eat things that are bland,” he says. “When I’m feeling sick, I’ll braise a whole chicken at home with some chilies, and eat it with some white rice and some fresh salsa on top.”

If chicken isn’t for you, chef Vincent Pouessel of Daniel Boulud’s DB Brasserie suggests you warm up with French onion soupon “those cold and dry days of the Las Vegas winter.” The chef insists “the gelatin of the shanks just sticks to the inside of your body as a blanket would do, the tender caramelized sweet onion will fll you up, the reduced sherry wine will add an extra layer of sweet and the melted Gruyère cheese will just go down your throat as a warm honey infusion would and maintain your body temperature for hours to come.” OK, sure, I’m not hearing anything about vitamins or minerals in there, but it certainly sounds comforting.

Ginger tea is also a popular remedy for many chefs. “When-ever it’s cold/fu season, I always lean toward ginger,” says Micah Waltz of Andiron Steak & Sea. “Raw ginger tea is a go-to for me. The ginger brings up your body temperature to help fght whatever cold/fu causes, while also reliev-ing any stomach issues. If you have allergies, honey is the way to clear up your stuffy head. I use local honey from Pahrump.”

Stratosphere executive chef Rick Giffen is also on board with this home remedy, although his recipe varies slightly. He makes his ginger tea with lemon and promises “it works great for symptom relief.” And chef Anthony Meidenbauer of Block 16 Hospitality goes all in, making green tea with ginger, honey and lemon.

Perhaps no suggested remedy is more surprising than ceviche. But Jeremy Jordan of the catering com-pany Cut & Taste insists that the marinated raw fsh dish is the cure for what ails you. Jordan, whose family is from Peru, tells me, “This is a standard dish that Peruvians use to fght off illness, [because] ceviche has a high level of vitamin C, which helps build the immune system and battle a cold.”

Meanwhile, the recommenda-tion that probably contains the least scientifc validity to back it up also sounds like the most fun. Chef Kim Canteenwalla of Andiron, Honey Salt and Made L.V. swears by “great small-batch bourbon.”

At the very least, it should make your symptoms more tolerable.

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➜ GOT FRUIT? BOOZE? SUGAR?

And the time to combine them? You could be making your own cello! Winemaker and hospitality consul-tant Corey Nyman has been whip-ping up batches of the sweet Italian fruit liqueur in all sorts of enticing favor combinations, from his debut “science experiment” with lime peel and nailing a classic limoncello to the far more exotic white apricot, strawberry-mint and grapefruit-ginger with cinnamon. And he is confdent that you can do it, too.

For starters, cello is all about hospitality. After dinner in Southern Italy, it’s customary to share a little nip of chilled limoncello. So much the better if the stuff is made with love—your love. “It’s about embracing the past, looking to tradition and being able to give something to friends and family that you made yourself,” Nyman says.

As the founder of Labor Wines and director of operations for the Nyman Group, Nyman travels extensively for business, and has ample time to observe the inner workings of res-taurants along the way. It was a over a dinner at John Besh’s Domenica in New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel that Nyman encountered another tradition, the lagniappe—in Louisiana Creole culture, a treat given gratis. At Domenica, this means cello.

“The bar staff shared with me a tasting of three different cellos and al-lowed me to enjoy their hospitality.”

Back home, when a friend showed off a bowl of lemons he’d been gifted, Nyman jumped at the chance to make a proper experiment out of it. “I told him that if he gave me the bowl, I would return in six weeks with a treat—and I did. I made him li-moncello and really was off and run-ning with my cello passion. I started making cello with whatever fruit was ripe at the time, putting it into glass jars scattered around my house, in any dark place I could fnd.” With passion comes perfection.

Homemade cello makes a great gift, as does the jam that results from the maceration process. And it’s easy. You’ll need a few key ingredients: ripe fruit, about a bowl full; 1 liter of high-proof vodka or grain spirit; a large glass jar or vessel (at least two gallons); granular sugar; and water. The other crucial element is time. It will take anywhere from two to four weeks for the fruit to macerate in the alcohol, and then another few weeks after the sugar and water has been added (Nyman like 21 days for both).

To make his pineapple cello, Nyman begins with a ripe pineapple, which he cores, skins and cuts into chunks. They don’t have to be perfectly sliced because they’re going tight into a

large glass jug with one liter of vodka. (If you’re the type who likes to keep your limoncello in the freezer so that it becomes a little viscous, you’ll want to use something over 100-proof, Nyman advises.) The booze goes in with the fruit and then you wait. You can taste-test along the way, but generally around 21 days later, you’ll be ready to add 1 liter of simple syrup (sugar dissolved into water at a 1:1 ratio). Another 21 days later, strain out the fruit (jam time!) using a cheesecloth and bottle your creation. “You can’t really rush it,” Nyman says. “Forty-two days makes you really re-spect the tradition of the process and those who’ve made it before you.”

You can personalize your home-made cello by introducing a second-ary, complementary favor during the simple syrup stage, such as vanilla, mint, pink peppercorn, saffron or an-other fruit altogether. Just remember, Nyman adds, you’ll want to use the rind of any citrus fruits, not the fesh.

Incidentally, pineapple is a great place to start for your frst cello. It takes just one really ripe pineapple (sniff the bottom) to make the maceration magic happen. Is it any wonder the pineapple is the interna-tional symbol of hospitality?

Find step-by-step instructions and a how-to video at VegasSeven.com/HowToCello.

[ SCENE STIRS ]

HYDE BARMAN’S PASSION PROJECT IS READY TO SERVE➜ If you’ve ever worked behind the bar

or waited tables, you’re probably familiar

with the custom of the shift drink—that

afterwork tipple or brew your employer

ponies up for your day’s toil, or maybe

the one you seek elsewhere, at a bar

whose problems aren’t your own.

That’s the starting point for the pas-

sion project of Hyde Bellagio barman

William Fanning. His online magazine

for bartenders and waitstaff, The Shift

Drink (TheShiftDrink.com), will launch

February 8 with a mission to be “the

independent voice of our industry.”

Written for and by industry members,

Fanning says, “It’s an accurate depic-

tion of the actual conversation that’s

happening in every bar and restaurant

in the country after work every shift.”

The flipbook-style site will at first

refresh quarterly, with more than 20

feature-length articles and columns

penned by not only the luminaries

of the food and beverage world, but

also tapping its unsung outliers, the

outspoken and the as-yet-unknown

with something to say.

Fanning has chops in both realms of

hospitality and publishing. After high

school, he went to the Netherlands to

play semi-pro soccer. He worked hos-

pitality jobs to pay the bills there and

later during college in Santa Barbara.

Even after school he managed bars

and restaurants in the L.A. area. And

it was his sharp attention to detail that

got him writing about bar technique in

Nightclub & Bar magazine from 2011-

2013. But when he wanted to cover

more than his column could accommo-

date, he started his own product, Bar

& Restaurant, which ran for three is-

sues before being shelved for no other

reason than publisher Fanning and his

art director/co-founder Elliot Glass

couldn’t do everything themselves.

It’s for this reason that The Shift Drink

will debut as “Issue 4.” Technology

has enabled Fanning and his team of

12, including tech director/co-founder

Scott Cruwys, to collaborate virtually.

The Shift Drink’s inaugural issue will

include singer-songwriter Chadwick

Stokes’ explanation of the lyrics to

“The Waitress”; Entourage’s Jerry

Ferrara on his time in restaurants; Vel-

veteen Rabbit’s Andrew Shumaker on

his multilayered ice cubes; and a cover

story by BarMagic of Las Vegas’ Tobin

Ellis on the genesis of the signature

bar station he designed for Perlick.

I actually got to weigh in on an

early draft of Ellis’ story, and look for-

ward to flipping through all 250 pages

of The Shift Drink, with my own hard-

earned shift drink in hand. –X.W.

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Show & CelloWinemaker Corey Nyman demonstrates how to make top-shelf

pineapple cello liqueur at home By Xania Woodman

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A Tiny Taste of Pink Martini➜ If you’re in a hurry to get out of

here, buddy, tough luck. Pink Martini

mixes ’em slow. The group has re-

leased only eight albums’ worth of

material in 19 years; the gap between

their first and second albums alone

was seven years. Luckily, this makes

it easy for newbies to familiarize

themselves with their Latin-flavored

jazz, all of which is available on Spo-

tify. Here’s a primer.—Geoff Carter

Sympathique

(1997)

Pink Martini’s

debut album

established

the style from

which the group

has rarely strayed: percolating Latin

rhythms, lush instrumentation and

coquettish vocals. “No Hay Problema”

and “Song of the Black Lizard” are

highlights, though their version of “Que

Sera, Sera” is the best take on the Doris

Day hit that’s been recorded since 1956.

Hang On Little

Tomato (2004)

“Anna (El Ne-

gro Zumbón)”

is easily the

highlight of

Pink Martini’s

sophomore album. This bouncy rendi-

tion of Armando Trovajoli’s theme

to the 1951 Italian film Anna is so

genuinely giddy that you don’t even

mind it’s only about two-and-a-half

minutes in length.

Hey Eugene!

(2007)

The album’s

closing num-

ber, “Tea for

Two,” is a duet

between China

Forbes and the late, great jazzman

Jimmy Scott, who lived out his final

years in Las Vegas. There is argu-

ably no more affecting version of this

1925 standard to be found anywhere,

and seeing as both Art Tatum and

Thelonious Monk have played it,

that’s saying something.

1969 (2011)

An album-

length col-

laboration

with Japanese

vocalist Saori

Yuki, 1969 finds

Pink Martini slowing up to comple-

ment the singer’s soft, mature vocals.

It’s the group’s most cinematic record,

and home to the only version of “Puff,

the Magic Dragon” normal humans

can stand. It’s a close call, though.

The group performs internationally, rotating between guest appearances and its two leading ladies, Large and her counterpart China Forbes. They also release well-crafted albums every few years, records that refect the group’s evolving musicality and include an always surprising cast of guest performers. For their ninth album, Dream a Little Dream, the group teamed up with the Von Trapp great-grandchildren. Yes, the Von Trapps, whose story was the basis of the clas-sic 1965 flm The Sound of Music. And Dream a Little Dream also includes an appearance by local favorite Wayne Newton, who lends his distinctive vocals to a cover of The Sound of Music’s

“The Lonely Goatherd.”For Large, who’s been perform-

ing with Pink Martini since 2011, this crossing of genres keeps her role exciting and challenging. She regularly masters new challenges, from learning lyrics in multiple languages to capturing the lush, booming sound bandleader Thomas Lauderdale strives to achieve. (“He loves cinematic music,” Large says.)

Adding an orchestra to the mix makes it that much more rewarding.

“I’ve been to The Smith Center, but I’ve never played with the Philhar-monic,” Large says. “(The Smith Center) is such a beautiful oasis in a dusty, desperate town, known for its

wild, unapologetic decadence.”So which song is Large most ex-

cited to perform while in Las Vegas? “There’s a song from an old Mamie Van Doren flm that’s this fun, hip-shaking romp called ‘Ich Dich Liebe,’” Large says, adding, “Mamie Van Doren is actually planning on doing a song with (Pink Martini) at some point. She’s about 84 years old, and she’s still performing. She prob-ably had quite a heyday in Las Vegas.”

As for Cabrera, he’s most looking for-ward to the conga line—a fairly com-mon ending to a Pink Martini show.

“I am expecting everyone to get in that conga line,” Cabrera says. “I’m not joking; I’m serious. I would get in that conga line if I wasn’t conducting.”

“I’ve been to The Smith Center. ... (It’s a) beautiful oasis in a dusty, desperate town,

known for its wild, unapologetic decadence.”

PINK MARTINI

7:30 p.m. Feb. 6, Reynolds Hall,

$100-$250, 702-749-2000;

TheSmithCenter.com.

Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale

and Storm Large prepare for takeoff.

M A R K E T P L A C E

M A R K E T P L A C E

M A R K E T P L A C E

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.com You moved here in 2014 and resuscitated

the Deacon Jones Foundation with your own funds. How has it impacted the area?We provided all the supplies and mate-rials—worth more than $2,000—for the after-school art program last semester at Mojave High School. And we will give scholarships to three of those students to further their education. That class started with 22, went to 28, then 30, and it’s at 34 now. Many kids want to take it. There’s a waiting list. We plan to expand it to other Las Vegas high schools.

What prompted the foundation in 1997?Deacon always talked about what he might have been had he had oppor-tunities that didn’t exist for him. He wanted to put two ninth-graders, from [inner-city L.A], into a seven-year program to get them through college. He demanded that they take all the tools we provided to them and go back and help other kids. We had corporate sponsors and organized fundraisers. I didn’t want to deal with teenagers, but Deacon was twice my size and 50 times louder than me, so …

You met Deacon—a 1980 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee—in 1982 and married him in 1991. What was the bond?There are platitudes you hate repeating, like soul mates. Deacon and I were com-pletely different on the outside. He was black and came from poverty in Central Florida. He experienced racism, had no formal education and was raised South-ern Baptist. He came to Hollywood when he was young, in 1961, to play with the Rams and became a superstar. I was born in Hollywood, affuent, highly educated, white and little. I had many

acting friends; my cousin is Ed Asner … but it was like two sides of the same coin. In the middle, we were alike; loyal, honest, straight-forward people. We just ft, like it was supposed to be.

How well do you know Michael Strahan, the New York Giant credited as the single-season record-holder in sacks [with 22½ in 2001], a stat only been kept since 1982?Deacon was his mentor. I love him to pieces. Deacon has a trophy from the NFL that [reads], in 1967, he had 26 sacks. In 1968, he had 24. He’s not touchable. Guys like Michael and Bruce [Smith] and Reggie [White], when he was alive, they know it. You can’t just take stats from ’82. Supposedly, offcial-ly, Deacon had 173½ sacks in 191 games. But I have a painting on which he’s credited with 193½, and there are still fve games that haven’t been [studied].

What happened when Steve Young, then a greenhorn quarterback for the 49ers, tried to meet Deacon at a Super Bowl party?It was late. Everybody is looped. Steve walks in. Our friend coaxes Deacon to approach Steve. Deacon says, “Hey, boy, you want to meet me, huh? You don’t want to meet me! You are crazy if you want to meet me! You’re just lucky I’m not playing!” Steve keeps backing up and backing up … [Deacon] chased him right out of the [hotel] suite. Everybody was laughing. “What did I do?” Deacon says. “Just tellin’ him the truth. He’s a lucky boy [that] he’s not playing with me.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell’s letter to you on June 22, 2013, after Deacon’s passing, informed you of the creation of the Deacon Jones Award, given to the league’s annual sacks leader. How special is that?It makes Deacon immortal. The NFL had never created an award in a player’s name. As long as there’s an NFL … young players will never forget who he is.

How did the unique NFL art-licensing agreement you received come about?NFL [executives and personnel] are family to me. I had this bright idea … so I called the commissioner. He gave to the foundation the priciest, most diffcult license on the planet to get. We have 16 artists, and there are about 100 [NFL player-themed portraits], with 125 limited-edition prints of each. Tony Carnevale opened a gallery in Caesars Palace on New Year’s Day, the only place you can see the paintings. The NFL also had me commission one artist to do a painting of all 49 Super Bowl MVPs for its NFL Honors showcase at Super Bowl 50. It all benefts the foundation. Dea-con’s football legacy is in cement. And the rest of it, as long as I have anything to say about it, will be, too.

To view the artwork, learn more and donate, go to DeaconJones.com.

What did Deacon think of today’s

NFL and what was his illicit

incentive to sack opposing quarterbacks?

Read the full interview at VegasSeven.

com/ElizabethJones.

Elizabeth JonesThe widow of Hall of Famer Deacon Jones on their nonprofit to help youths,

having fun with QB Steve Young and a very special trophy in his honor By Rob Miech

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