72°F
weather icon Windy

Usher drops in to downtown favorite for Italian

Updated March 17, 2021 - 1:20 pm

Usher is a hit, and so is Esther’s Kitchen in the Arts District.

Months before he’s in residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the recording superstar has found a cool downtown hang. The 42-year-old artist and his entourage hit Esther’s on Tuesday night, arriving just before closing at about 10:30 p.m.

His residency run, dubbed “Usher — The Las Vegas Residency” is due to begin July 16 and run through the end of the month. It is the first residency scheduled to return to the Colosseum during the pandemic. The show is also set to run Dec. 28, 29 and 31, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2022.

Usher, his team reports, was conducting “research” for the show. Caesars Entertainment officials said the star was in town to visit The Colosseum, and also visited Omega Mart by Meow Wolf and Wink World at Area15.

While at Esther’s, a bustling Arts District location, the headliner and his crew enjoyed the following menu items (furnished by restaurant PR): warren poached pear salad with fried goat cheese and truffle pear vinaigrette; fried cauliflower with anchovy, chili and garlic; house-made spaghetti with sungold tomatoes and basil; pan roasted Mary’s chicken with celery root gratin, cabbage conserva and balsamic onions, winter squash risotto (vegan); and the restaurant’s famous sourdough bread.

Usher is a famous “foodie,” and afterward a member of his camp reported, ““Usher was literally hugging himself after each bite of cake.”

The Vegas newbie also chatted up the staff, including Chef Pedro Vidal, and left behind his commemorative $100 bill. Money plays, as they say, and we’ll see him in July.

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.

THE LATEST