Entertainment

In these pandemic times, when last year’s shocking shutdown of the Las Vegas Strip still looms large in our minds, the reopening of any show, concert residency, nightclub or live music lounge is significant enough to be called a milestone. The momentous arrivals of various entertainment venues at Resorts World and Virgin Hotels also deserve to be celebrated, and we’ll do that all year long. But the following were some of the biggest dots on the comeback graph, events that pushed us closer to our Vegas norms and showed the potential of the future.

1. Golden Knights beat Colorado in Game 3 (June 4) This 3-2 victory set the Knights on the course for an impressive second-round playoff series comeback triumph, but it was also the first full-capacity crowd for an NHL game during another super-weird season. If you were one of the 17,504 fans, you know what it felt like to truly be back in the Fortress.

2. Intermission is over (June 28) Cirque du Soleil returned to the Strip stage with the reopening of its first Las Vegas residency show, Mystère at Treasure Island, followed on July 1 by O at Bellagio. The Canadian company has defined the Vegas production show for decades with epic theatricality; You couldn’t really claim Vegas was back until Cirque was.

3. Summer explosion (July 3) Amid a Fourth of July weekend stacked with big-room headliners, packed pool clubs and the first concert at Allegiant Stadium, Bruno Mars became the first Strip resident to return to his stage at Park MGM.

4. Garth Brooks makes history (July 10) The first major stadium concert in the country since COVID began was also the first full-capacity event at Allegiant. Five weeks later, the country superstar had already shut down his remaining tour dates, but he’ll be back in Las Vegas in February—the same weekend the NFL Pro Bowl is planned for the stadium.

5. Finally, football (September 13) The Las Vegas Raiders won their first home game with fans in seats against Baltimore live on Monday Night Football in front of a crowd of nearly 62,000. Talk about delayed gratification.

Meals

This year in Vegas dining was all about getting back into your favorite restaurants for celebratory meals and discovering some of the exciting new culinary destinations that have popped up on the Strip and in the neighborhood. We did a lot of the former and are still working on the latter, but these are the meals that meant the most in 2021.

1. Barry’s Downtown Prime. As soon as Circa opened in October 2020, we earmarked its lavish steakhouse as our designated comeback dinner. It didn’t disappoint. Like most things at this new casino resort, Barry’s blends old Vegas with smart new touches, and the cocktails are killer.

2. China Mama. There’s nothing like a big family lunch—complete with all your favorite dishes spinning on that Lazy Susan in the middle of the table—and there’s no place we want to have that experience more than this Chinatown institution. The food remains unforgettable.

3. Fukuburger at Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegans are finding their first experience at the stadium to be a thrilling one, but it’s hard to describe the joy of seeing longtime favorite local eateries serving their food at this epic venue. Once we chomped into the Silver and Black Burger with its savory miso-bacon slaw, the Garth Brooks concert was almost an afterthought.

4. Casa Playa. All the new openings of the past two years were clouded by unprecedented challenges, but Wynn’s first-ever Mexican restaurant has carved a truly unique path. Coastal cuisine (crudos, octopus mole, branzino and more—and soothing atmosphere combine for an experience the Strip has never seen before.

5. Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen. How would you feel if you went back to your favorite neighborhood Thai spot down the street for the first time in more than a year, only to find it in a bigger, nicer home with an expanded menu including perfect crispy pork belly, lemongrass chicken wings, green curry egg rolls and garlic basil lamb chops? Yeah, same.

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