Popular chef opens 2nd restaurant in southwest Las Vegas

Chamana’s features breakfast, lunch and brunch items, many drawing on Mexican cooking. Look for pozole, empanadas, an eggs Benedict sandwich, lox toast, a birria omelet, chilaquiles, a barbacoa skillet, a pork Milanesa sandwich spiked with jalapeños, and a Chamana’s burger with classic fixings.

Also on the menu: a children’s section with dishes such as French toast fingers and a cheese quesadilla with fries. Desserts run to agave flan, arroz con leche and cheesecake with churro crust. A grand opening celebration will take place Nov. 2. Opening hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Visit chamanascafe.com.

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At his Orla restaurant in Mandalay Bay, acclaimed chef Michael Mina recently launched the Habibi-Q experience. The name combines the Arabic word for “beloved” with shorthand for barbecue; the experience combines the American tradition of barbecue with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean ingredients and flavors.

The menu features 10 mezze-style dishes divided into three courses. The items include a selection of breads, spreads and pickles; 12-hour smoked short rib with Habibi barbecue sauce; and lemon olive oil semolina cake.

Cost: $139 per person (plus two optional supplements) for groups of four or more. A copy of “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots,” the chef’s new cookbook, is $25 more.

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Score another one for James Trees, the chef-owner of Esther’s Kitchen, Ada’s Food + Wine and Al Solito Posto. The chef, the team from Esther’s and chef Adam Rios of Al Solito recently took to the 50-yard line of Allegiant Stadium to cook a four-course menu for 38 guests attending the IMEX Brand Experience Summit.

The menu, in brief: an elevated five-item seafood platter (including live scallop in the shell and Golden Osetra parfait), tuna and artisan tomatoes with dashi gêlée, rib cap sous vide with wagyu tortelli, and bananas Foster baked Alaska with brown butter cake, banana ice cream and toasted meringue.

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Beginning 6 p.m. Oct. 24, Basilico Ristorante Italiano, 6111 S. Buffalo Drive, Suite 100, will present a four-course dinner featuring pours from the portfolio of Caymus Vineyards of the Napa Valley. Executive chef Francesco Di Caudo designed the menu. Among the pairings are venison loin with the ’22 California and ’22 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignons. Cost: $155. Required reservations: basilicolv.com/specials.

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From 7 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 25, Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner, 1130 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 140, will host Haunted Home Means Nevada, its final Supper Club of the year. Chef and co-owner Aaron Lee will be joined for the evening by chef Jen Yee, executive pastry chef of Wynn and Encore Las Vegas and a Winnie’s regular.

The dinner features six eldritch courses and free-flowing fountain soda, coffee and tea. Cost: $125 inclusive. Added wine, cocktail or mocktail packages: $45. Tickets: eventbrite.com.

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From Monday through Oct. 25, El Dorado Cantina, in Tivoli Village and at 3025 Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, and sibling The Cantina by El Dorado, 8349 W. Sunset Road, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the original on Sammy Davis with $5 street tacos, $15 tableside guacamole, $20 surf and turf tacos, $5 Don Julio 1942 shots and $10 house margaritas.

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Through October, Fat Sal’s Deli, 450 E. Fremont St., Suite 101, is donating $1.50 from the sale of each Fat Jerry sandwich to Project 150, a local nonprofit that provides support and services for homeless high school students in Southern Nevada.

The yowzah Fat Jerry ($19.99) stacks thinly sliced ribeye, grilled onions, melted American cheese, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, crisp bacon, a fried egg, French fries, mayonnaise, ketchup, and salt and pepper on a hero.

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The annual Cider Fest runs through Nov. 3 in the Shady Grove Lounge at the Silverton. Among the offerings are Angry Orchard Apple Cider and cranberry cinnamon cider on tap, autumn sangria with brandy and apple cider, a caramel apple cider martini, pumpkin hummus with house pita chips, and a charcuterie spread of cured meats, cheeses, dips and pickled vegetables served with a house pretzel styled after an everything bagel.

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Through December, the Lobby Bar in Aria is being reimagined as The Macallan tasting lounge featuring whiskies from Macallan, the globally acclaimed distiller celebrating its 200th anniversary. A rare 1940 Time: Space, the oldest whisky ever released by the brand, leads the pours.

Among more than two dozen other offerings are the Sherry Oak and Double Cask 12-, 18-, 25- and 30-year-olds; the Harmony and M Collections; whiskey flights; and craft cocktails made with Macallan. Many offerings at the pop-up were previously available only to private buyers.

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