TIVOLI BEATS ODDS
Developers of an $850 million retail and residential project in Summerlin are proceeding despite a miserable economic outlook for many mixed-use projects.
On Monday the developers behind Tivoli Village at Queensridge announced another batch of tenants, including some that are new to the Las Vegas Valley.
The announcement came at a time when credit woes and a bleak outlook for consumer spending have undermined larger, higher-profile projects than Tivoli, such as Boyd Gaming Corp.'s Echelon resort on the Strip and Summerlin Centre near Red Rock Resort.
"With the support of our investors and tenants, we continue to instill the confidence desired by businesses looking to grow and expand," said Tivoli executive vice president Patrick Done.
Tenants announced Monday include two based in San Francisco, Tres Agaves and Townsend.
Tres Agaves Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Lounge is an upscale restaurant that focuses on dishes inspired by cuisine in Jalisco, Mexico.
An About.com review of the San Francisco location praised Tres Agaves for margaritas made with agave nectar instead of sugar and for a wide selection of tequila.
The review criticized the restaurant for high prices for traditional Mexican restaurant fare such as enchiladas and for spotty service and attitude by hosts and servers.
Townsend, another San Francisco transplant, is a dining and wine lounge.
In California, it is known as District in San Francisco. But developers of the Las Vegas version changed the name to Townsend to avoid confusion with The District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. The San Francisco-based District is on Townsend Street, hence the name.
Other Tivoli tenants announced Monday include Martin Yan's 9 Dragons and Ritual Spa & Salon.
Martin Yan's 9 Dragons is the first Nevada business for Martin Yan, a chef and host of the PBS show Yan Can Cook. Yan was also a food and culture commentator for NBC during the Olympics in Beijing.
Ritual Spa & Salon at Tivoli will be the second of its kind in the area. There is a Ritual location at 9480 Eastern Ave.
Customer reviewers at the Web site Yelp.com praised the Ritual experience as "heavenly" and "incredible." One said the company charges too much for pedicures and another said pedicures don't last long enough.
Other tenants in Tivoli will include Gold Class Cinemas, BCBG, Cohiba Cigar and Grand Lux Café. The mall is scheduled to open in fall 2009. It will also include office space.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
