Bring drums! And nachos! And unlit cigars! Guy Fieri is throwing a party

In person, some famous folks seem diminished, like action movie actors who are actually short and slight. But not Guy Fieri. The other evening at the opening party for his Flavortown Sports Kitchen in Horseshoe Las Vegas, Fieri’s signature indicia are distilled when experienced in person, allowing them special efflorescence.

There are the famous bleached spikes of hair, the tinted shades, the tattoos, the cigar as garnish, the symbiosis between man and red sports car, the billowing bonhomie (with far less of the bro-ness than critics might expect). Up close, what also catches the eye is Fieri’s jewelry: thick (but not too thick) chains about his neck; a diamond pendant incorporating a skull in a chef’s toque, with ruby eyes; a bracelet fashioned from sinuous links of pavé diamonds.

Diamonds are a Guy’s best friend? Clearly. And why not?

But what also comes across, in person, is the restaurateur and philanthropist’s love for his alma mater, UNLV; his enthusiasm for Vegas, in its continual becoming; and his deep sense of hospitality.

“When we get somebody here, we get them for about six meal periods,” Fieri said. “We get them in on a Friday, they’re here for Saturday, they go home Sunday. I think it’s my fiduciary responsibility — and I don’t even know how to spell that word — but I think it’s my responsibility to give them the best experience I can when they come to my restaurants.

“Everybody in the Las Vegas food and entertainment scene should feel the responsibility to give people an awesome time.”

Exuberant dishes, Rebel days

At the party, dishes unfurl down the Flavortown Kitchen bar: a Crispy Cheese burger with a lacy wafer of baked cheese extending beyond the bun, a watermelon salad spiked with tequila and mezcal, American Royal Ribs with a puck of jalapeño cornbread, a layered cylinder of nachos rising from the plate, a trio of doughnut burgers and more. The food partakes of the same baroque exuberance as Fieri himself.

“My son said to me, ‘Dad, what was going on when you started to write the menu — everything from a mezquila watermelon salad to birria quesadilla pizza?’ The great thing about this is, there’s no boundaries.”

Fieri remembered his time at UNLV. “I loved going to the Rebel games. I come from a small town in Northern California — I’d never been to a stadium like that. I loved the hospitality. I loved working with the people in the industry. It’s the greatest hospitality school there is.”

Fieri said he “might have hung out” at the Stake Out Bar & Grill, across from the university, and the T-Bird Lounge & Restaurant, now closed. He worked as a meat salesman and a plant manager, he said, in his early Vegas days. When he began returning to Vegas, now as Guy Fieri, “I was so happy to see the developments of the restaurants.”

A party for Formula One

These days, as Guy Fieri, the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix is on his mind. He said to executives of Caesars Entertainment, with whom he has opened a host of restaurants, “I don’t know where you need me, how you need me, or if you want me, but I want to come and do something for F1. I’m a big NASCAR fan, don’t get me wrong, but it’s another level of great things that go on.

“And the way Vegas is getting behind F1 — what are we going to do in Vegas? Add more days to the calendar? I can almost assure you, I’ll be throwing a party. It will be with Caesars, and before I go and shoot my mouth off and tell you something I’m not supposed to say, let’s just say something is in the works.”

Outside the restaurant, the Vegas Golden Knights drum line pumped up the anticipation for gathered fans. Then next night, Fieri would chat with Donald Trump at a UFC fight at T-Mobile Arena; cue the contretemps. But this evening, it was all big food, big screens and big bling.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram and @ItsJLW on Twitter.