Leslie Ventura
Story Archive
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A&E
Wynn’s dance-focused Art of the Wild returns for a Fall party weekend
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 Elrow featuring Fisher and Pete Tong; Paradise with Jamie Jones and Nicole Moudaber; Guy Gerber, Idris Elba, Black Coffee and more.
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A&E
Hard Rock Hotel closes its Vegas run with a memorabilia celebration
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 A picture Jimi Hendrix drew while on acid. Ringo Starr’s bright-green, rhinestone-emblazoned Nudie Cohn suit. Britney Spears’ iconic schoolgirl outfit from her “...Baby One More Time” video. And much more.
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A&E
Sausagefest has something for early risers, too
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 Owner Oliver Naidas has a traditional brekkie menu with the classics everyone craves, with enough imagination to make every dish unique.
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A&E
Head straight to the Crack Shack for your new favorite chicken sandwich
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019 My favorite bite? The behemoth Firebird sandwich. The giant, spicy fried-chicken thigh is the crispiest, crunchiest fried chicken I’ve tasted, yet it maintains the perfect balance of juicy, mouthwatering tenderness inside.
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A&E
DJ Viva La Vivi digs up throwback ‘magic’ for Love on the Beat
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019 She spins rock, pop, punk and garage vinyl—mostly recorded by European artists from the 1960s through the 1980s.
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Hot Spots
J Balvin at KAOS and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019 Blueprint Sound celebrates its anniversary at On the Record.
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A&E
Poor Richard’s Players and Super Summer Theatre get on their game with ‘Noises Off’
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019 We spoke with directors Maxim Lardent and Benjamin Loewy about the Michael Frayn-authored play-within-a-play, the duo’s last show before Poor Richard’s debut its new playhouse in October.
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A&E
Brigitte Navarrete of LA’s Deux Twins talks hip-hop’s boom and going hard in Vegas
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019 “We used to read the crowd and be like, ‘Oh, we need to go an EDM route to make this part of the room happy,’ but now the entire room is moving when hip-hop is playing. It’s been dope.”
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A&E
Water Grill brings fresh ocean favorites to the Forum Shops
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019 Water Grill’s chilled seafood platters deliver good value for the Strip. The most modest arrives with an assortment of oysters, clams, scallops and mussels, wild jumbo white shrimp, wild Dungeness crab, lobster and Channel Islands red sea urchin.
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Fine Art
October’s Mural Mecca aims to continue New Orleans Square’s artistic ascension
Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 The event will feature the installation of four new murals from October 11-13, with more mural-painting festivals planned for the future, says Nancy Good, who runs Core Contemporary gallery.
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Hot Spots
Saint Clair at JEMAA and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 Juice WRLD hits XS on August 30.
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News
Group helps make recreational activities accessible to those with physical disabilities
Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 After talking to others with spinal cord injuries, Ashlee Kalina decided to start her own group, Las Vegas TRAILS, an acronym for Therapeutic Recreation and Independent Living Skills.
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Taste
Get to know the spirits in your favorite summer cocktail favorites
Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 Aperol, Campari and cachaça 101.
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Hot Spots
Cardi B at KAOS and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 Cirque du Soleil visionary Guy Laliberté celebrates his 60th birthday with a DJ performance at Light.
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A&E
Valencian Gold takes a fast-casual approach to paella
Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019 The restaurant takes after the Chipotle model, in which your meal is prepared to order along an assembly line of fresh ingredients.
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Fashion
Supercharge your back-to-school wardrobe with vintage threads
Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 Vegas hasn’t always been known for its street style, but that’s changing. Layer it up ’90s-style by pairing denim jackets with Doc Martens, go ’80s with trousers and button-ups, or go retro with leather jackets that James Dean himself would envy.
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A&E
Formerly Alaska, King of Heck’s name isn’t the only thing that’s all new
Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 “It’s really just been kind of a refocusing of what we like in songwriting and music. … In a way, it was the most natural thing to do.”
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A&E
Neon Museum resident artist Julie Henson gets deep into Vegas’ fabric
Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 Henson is working on a variety of sculptures that will translate the Neon Museum’s behemoth relic signs into softer fabric forms, using materials you’d typically find in showgirl costumes.
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A&E
New Orleans karaoke favorite the Cat’s Meow curls up on Fremont
Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 This massive karaoke bar, now open on the second floor of Neonopolis, is an offshoot of the 30-year-old Bourbon Street original. The Vegas location has over-the-top kitsch on lock, with velvet leopard prints covering nearly every inch of the space.
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A&E
New LGBT nightclub Iconic sets a high bar with its opening run
Thursday, July 25, 2019 The two-level venue features Instagram-worthy touches like the neon-pink Iconic sign in the entryway and a #beiconic sign over the main bar on the lower level.
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A&E
Dining Out for Life benefits the HIV/AIDS community
Thursday, July 18, 2019 Eat at one of the participating restaurants on July 23 and part of the proceeds will go toward Golden Rainbow.
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A&E
A Downtown Vegas neighborhood built on the arts is losing galleries and cultural businesses
Thursday, July 11, 2019 “I’ll be OK, others will relocate, but the opportunity for that synergy in one place? That’s what the city is losing.”
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Noise
Concert review: Paul McCartney at T-Mobile Arena (June 28)
Sunday, June 30, 2019 After 35 shows, seven months and four continents, there’s simply no slowing down Paul McCartney—and that’s something for which we should all be grateful.
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Noise
Vegas’ Geykido Comet Records celebrates two decades of impact with a Dive Bar bash
Thursday, June 27, 2019 “I don’t want to stay quiet,” Shahab Zargari says. “If there’s a way [GC Records] can inspire others to think about humanity and community, then I think I’m doing my part.”
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Taste
Fergusons Downtown spills rum in the alley
Thursday, June 27, 2019 Pour in the Alley highlights a new spirit every month, providing education about various brands and different ways to enjoy them.
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Nightlife
Kaskade at KAOS and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Yo Yolie DJs at Chateau.
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Nightlife
Skrillex at KAOS and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 He$h & Bommer team up at Vinyl.
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Taste
Big Jerk adds fish to its menu of addictive Caribbean food
Thursday, June 13, 2019 Dishes like whole snapper, rubbed in a potent blend of herbs and spices and then fried deliver a different vibe entirely.
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A&E
How Noel Calizo went from party photographer to SPCKRFT pilot
Thursday, June 6, 2019 The multiuse space was recently awarded $1,000 from Meow Wolf’s DIY Fund, and Calizo just partnered with Mojave Studios for an expansion. Going forward, he says, the possibilities are endless.
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Noise
Emerge takes a meaningful step forward during its second festival edition
Monday, June 3, 2019 Emerge got a whole lot right during its second go-round. What’s left for a potential year three? Drawing bigger crowds, across the board.
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News
Las Vegas Sex Worker Collective to march in support of International Whores’ Day
Friday, May 31, 2019 “We deserve rights, just like any other labor group.”
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A&E
Big Freedia—the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Bounce’—brings her infectious energy to Emerge
Thursday, May 30, 2019 “[Las Vegas] will enjoy a great show full of energy and fun and lots of love, and I hope that they can reciprocate that and give it back in return.”
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A&E
deadmau5 details the real-time tech capabilities of his KAOS residency in Las Vegas
Thursday, May 23, 2019 “Any DJ can come in and bring a video playback system where he’s got a VJ mashing away on buttons, but you can only do so much, because the video is video; it’s linear, it’s not modular.” Real-time output, on the other hand? “It’s something I already exercise on my massive Cube tour, so they’ve kind of been developing in tandem. I’ve been borrowing things from my Cube and putting it into this system and vice versa.”
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Noise
Electric Daisy Carnival Night 1 scene report: The new look of EDC?
Saturday, May 18, 2019 This year marks the Insomniac-produced festival's ninth in Las Vegas, and while there were some big logistical changes this year—a larger footprint and additional interactive art, to name two—perhaps the most noticeable difference came from the attendees themselves.
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A&E
Electric Daisy Carnival’s massive stages take an army to set up—and some serious imagination
Thursday, May 16, 2019 The logistics behind the stages are so in-depth, planning for EDC 2020 has already started.
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A&E
Uno Más serves up crave-worthy Mexican fare at SLS
Thursday, May 16, 2019 There’s some local flair, too. The mural on the outside of the restaurant—layered with sugar skulls, flora and fauna—is the creation of Vegas-based art collective Recycled Propaganda.
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Hot Spots
Claude VonStroke and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 Masters at Work stop by JEMAA on May 18.
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Taste
Warm your mom’s heart with a fantastic Mother’s Day brunch
Thursday, May 9, 2019 A few May 12 suggestions, from Cleo to Masso Osteria.
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Taste
Hazel Coffee & Cocktails satisfies your thirst, sunup to sundown
Thursday, May 9, 2019 It’s an elegant gem of a meeting space, where time slows down and the smallest luxuries can be appreciated.
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Features
Taking the pulse of Las Vegas’ exciting—and growing—pro wrestling scene
Thursday, May 9, 2019 “People want to be entertained, but they can’t always go to the movies or Cirque. Wrestling it just another entertainment option here”
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Hot Spots
Nelly at Drai’s and other Vegas club musts this week
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Lost Kings drop into Intrigue on May 11.
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Immigration
UNLV Immigration Clinic offers legal counsel to undocumented immigrants, children
Friday, May 3, 2019 As a professor of law and the director of the UNLV Immigration Clinic, Michael Kagan’s passions are twofold: make sure students get the education they need and make sure undocumented immigrants, primarily immigrant children, get a fair day in court.
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Taste
Patty’s Tamales serves no-frills comfort food, perfect for Cinco de Mayo
Thursday, May 2, 2019 You can’t beat the pollo rojo, filled with delicious, won’t-stop-till-it’s-gone shredded chicken that’s been marinated in a salty, spicy red sauce. The queso con rajas are the next best thing, loaded with Mexican cheese and poblanos.
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A&E
Las Vegas’ new, free-spirited queer dance party emphasizes inclusivity
Thursday, April 25, 2019 “We really wanted to get back to the core values of what we founded, which was a pansexual, creative flow space.”
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Taste
The Palms’ Greene St. Kitchen offers an eclectic, globally inspired menu
Thursday, April 25, 2019 Tuna Pizza might not sound amazing, but these thin slices of sashimi-grade tuna, black garlic soy aioli, micro shiso and white truffle oil on top of a crisp corn tortilla, could change your mind.
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A&E
Barrick executive director Alisha Kerlin is bringing the UNLV museum into the here and now
Thursday, April 18, 2019 She has ushered in a cultural shift, focusing on the perspectives of people of color, women and LGBTQ communities.
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News
Members of LGBTQ community in Las Vegas skeptical of Mormon church's motives in revoking 2015 policy
Friday, April 12, 2019 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revoked a policy earlier this month which prohibited children of parents in a same-sex relationship or marriage from ...
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A&E
D E Thai Kitchen serves up food that honors country and tradition
Thursday, April 11, 2019 You’d be remiss not to try the chicken or beef kao soi. That northern Thai/Laotian curry noodle soup is made with egg noodles, coconut milk, lime, chili and shallots and topped with crispy pork rind chunks and pickled radish.
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A&E
Saga Pastry + Sandwich brings a taste of Scandinavia to Henderson
Thursday, April 4, 2019 The Smorgasbord combines the spot’s three main proteins—Arctic shrimp with mayonnaise; smoked salmon and boiled eggs; and Fra’ Mani rosemary ham with Jarlsberg cheese—into one giant, open-faced sandwich.
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A&E
Could a new Downtown art space also help save troubled Huntridge Circle Park?
Thursday, April 4, 2019 The “Time Machine” will be an art “wonderland” comprising mostly local artists. In a City Council meeting last month, the partners also proposed a new use for the currently closed Huntridge Circle Park: a sculpture garden and children’s park.