Las Vegas country nightspot returning to casino

Station Casinos is setting up taps in an untapped market.

The country hang Stoney’s North Forty is returning this summer to Santa Fe Station at 4949 N. Rancho Drive. The tavern will offer live entertainment, a mechanical bull (which is also live entertainment, technically).

The all-new, 13,000-square-foot country bar will be a home for dancing, a stage for music, featuring an outdoor pergola with a fireplace, beer pong (or, FizzyWater pong) and other nightlife-styled distractions.

Stoney’s North Forty will be open seven days a week starting at 4 p.m. Closing times vary depending on the vibe and crowd. But if you see someone turning over bar stools and pushing a vacuum cleaner, leave.

Officials are certainly ready to party.

“The addition of Stoney’s adds an exciting entertainment and nightlife element to the property and the surrounding neighborhood,” Santa Fe Station Vice President and GM Brent Arena says. “Stoney’s is known for a-rockin’ good time, and we know our guests will love it.”

The Stoney’s that Arena mentions is Stoney’s Rockin’ Country at Town Square. Chris Lowden of Porchlight Hospitality Group (and the famous Lowden family of Las Vegas) operates that venue, and also the just-launched Vic’s Las Vegas in Symphony Park.

“We’re very excited about the return of Stoney’s North Forty to Santa Fe Station,” Lowden says. “I feel there is a great, untapped market for us in the Northwest, and there is no better home than Santa Fe. With their already great dining and entertainment choices, this is a terrific partnership.”

What has us intrigued is that live-music option, with North Forty as a complement to the underrated Chrome Showroom. That setup would be worth dusting off the Tecovas.

The Katy dish

Katy Perry has unveiled her “Play” dinner menu at Carversteak at Resorts World. “I Kissed a Salad,” “The Filet That Got Away” and “Firework Sunday” are offered only on Perry’s show nights. To borrow a title, “”Bon Appétit.”

Breakout single

Molly Martin, a proud Las Vegan and currently theater major at Syracuse University, has released her debut single, “Heartbreaker,” on iTunes and all streaming platforms. The song makes your heart skip a beat, especially when you know Molly is the daughter of Smith Center President Myron Martin and Dana Martin, who was for years the principal singer in “Jubilee” at Bally’s.

Prolific Vegas showman/songwriter Frankie Moreno produced this gem, mixed Pat Thrall (the studio and guitar ace who has worked with innumerable rock stars). It wasn’t so long ago that Martin won Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen at the Westgate. The Syracuse sophomore has passion, drive and real talent.

Line!

Going out to Grace Lusk, who plays the lead role of Andromeda in the revamped “OPM” at the Cosmopolitan. Lusk took after yours truly (or, me) with a vacuum cleaner in the Jan. 25 performance. So, “The character’s fun, but the prop sucks.”

Flashback!

In the murky period after I moved to Las Vegas in 1996, I spent quite a lot of time in the famous Stardust famous sports book. Maybe I wagered on the Grey Cup, and also Pro Bowl. It was a different time.

I met the director of that place in those days, at about the same time I introduced myself to Jimmy “J.J.” Walker. The exec’s name was Joe, something.

Tuesday, I chatted with the new Mirage/Hard Rock Las Vegas President Joe Lupo about the dolphins moving out of the hotel’s Secret Garden habitat. Lupo mentioned his time in Las Vegas, covering 1981-2003, before he left the market for high-level positions in Florida and Atlantic City. Afterward I checked his bio — Stardust sports book director. OK. We have put together this uniquely VegasVille memory, and we will bet the Grey Cup at Hard Rock Las Vegas.

Great Moments in Social Media

Star comic actor Sebastian Maniscalco posted a wonderful black-and-white photo with his wife, Lana Gomez, on Twitter for Valentine’s Day. He’s in a tux, she’s in a chic, dark gown. And we recognize that spot, the Encore Theater green room. The photo in the background of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra at the Sands’ Copa Room gives it away.

Happy Valentine's Day pic.twitter.com/mv4XlgzfsH

— Sebastian Maniscalco (@SebastianComedy) February 14, 2023

What works in Vegas

The variety show/adult revue”Rouge” is reportedly, and verifiably, killing it at The Strat Theater.

Cool Hang Alert

Sonny Charles. Anywhere. Anytime. If there’s a Mount Rushmore for Cool Hangs, he’s on it. The legendary member of the Checkmates performs at 9:30 p.m. Mondays at Bootlegger Bistro, with Joey Singer on the keys and Bob Sachs on stand-up bass. That Charles was a full-fledged member of the Steve Miller Band after his Checkmates career tells you all you need to know. No cover, but there are two times to tip this trio: Before, or after, “Black Pearl.”

PodKats! Episodes

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.