Secret downtown Las Vegas bar teases wizards, unicorns, revealing leather

Branden Powers, the mad genius who brought Las Vegas Chinatown’s The Golden Tiki and Fremont Street’s Evel Pie, has a top-secret bar and restaurant in the works for the Arts District. While he’s not sharing much, he has been on social media taking early reservations, dropping hints of wizards, unicorns, heavy metal and revealing leather attire. He told us he’s signed a lease for a Main Street location, and says it will “top my previous projects and be a lot of fun.”

Openings at the Palms

The Palms has set May 18 as the official opening date for three new venues and the remodeled Center Bar. On the restaurant front, Scotch 80 Prime will be the resort’s new steakhouse, featuring N9NE’s Barry Dakake and Alize’s Mark Purdy cooking in the renovated N9NE space. Camden Cocktail Lounge will operate on the ground floor, with Apex Social Club taking over Ghostbar’s old rooftop perch.

Brawling to victory

Vincent Rotolo of the downtown pizza spot Good Pie was the winner of the final Back of the House Brawl of the 2017-18 season Saturday night at Sparrow + Wolf. He defeated Metro Pizza’s Chris Decker and Esther’s Kitchen’s James Trees in a competition that included preparing red fish, okra, dried rosebuds, orange cauliflower and, in a surprise twist, pizza dough the organizers had secured from their restaurants and randomly distributed to their opponents. The Brawl is expected to return after the summer heat subsides and cooking on a food truck becomes more tolerable.

Wine and bites

Master Sommelier Luis de Santos and District One and Le Pho chef Khai Vu are just awaiting their liquor license to move forward with a mid-to-late-May opening of their new boutique wine bar, Mordeo, on Spring Mountain Road off Lindell Road. The name is Latin for “bite,” a reference to the Spanish and Latin American- influenced small bites and Japanese-influenced seafood item on Vu’s menu.

Unstripped, and after

Tickets for this weekend’s Vegas Unstripped festival have officially sold out, just as the location has been revealed. The good news is that when the party ends in the lot behind Esther’s Kitchen (adjacent to the alleys behind Jammyland and Cornish Pasty Co.), an after-party will kick off at Jammyland. No tickets are required for that late-night bash, and we’re told the reggae bar’s Jamaican kitchen will be supplying some bites.

Seventh for Absinthe

When the Gazillionaire (the mustached, gold-toothed host of Absinthe) throws a party, he doesn’t rely on just one restaurant to cater it. The seventh-anniversary gala for Monday night’s show featured a seven-course meal by nine Caesars Palace restaurants. Guests started off with Guy Savoy’s signature truffle artichoke soup and wrapped up with Gordon Ramsay’s sticky toffee pudding and Giada’s lemon cookies, with dishes by Mesa Grill, Searsucker and others in between.

Sightings

Ariana Madix and Scheana Marie of “Vanderpump Rules” at Beauty & Essex at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Have an item for Kitchen Confidante? Email hrinella@reviewjournal.com or amancini@reviewjournal.com.