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It’s Absolut(ly) Las Vegas D i n e / coming Soon: La comida
A Small Bite Downtown has a lot of things going for it right now. But despite the area’s profusion of hip watering holes, dining is still a challenge. Come spring, the Fremont East entertainment district will have a place for authentic Mexican cuisine, as presented by nightlife and restaurant impresario Michael Morton. Opening in March, La Comida (named for the family meal cooks eat communally before service) takes over 106 Sixth St., 3,000 square feet abutting the recently opened Commonwealth cocktail bar, and sharing that venue’s history as a former El Cortez laundry facility. Guests enter from the alley, dining at the 25-foot cocktail bar below restored church windows; in the dining room filled with found and reclaimed objects and with an open kitchen below a Dia de Los Muertos offrenda, or on sidewalk tables. There will even be a window on Sixth Street with stools that belly right up to the bar. “It’s got good bones,” says Morton, who also owns La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway in Wynn Las Vegas. “La Comida is a place where we want to hang out,” reads an informal mission statement by Morton and his wife, Jenna. “We have incredible memories of dinners with friends both in Mexico and here, when the combination of the flavors, the music, the camaraderie and, of course, the tequila made for the perfect feeling. We want to re-create that moment for everyone. That is La Comida.” –Xania Woodman
D i s c ov e r / Grab a Brew
A Plush Place
20 / vrated.com
and lounge filled with antique and found items, local art and music and, above all, genuine character. As co-owners, Pamela, 28, and Christina, 25, have spent the better part of two years combing thrift stores for the pieces that will adorn the 1,800-square-foot space, including the mismatched glassware with which they’ll serve affordably priced original and classic cocktails using seasonal produce, as well as craft beer and punch from a chalkboard menu. Although Las Vegas has been home base, their post-collegiate travels through
Tokyo, India, Nepal and Thailand contribute to the bar’s eclectic, bohemian vibe, which includes a wood plank edifice, a secluded back patio and chandeliers comprised of repurposed glass bottles and jars. “We want to make it really personal,” Pamela says, “and to put ourselves into this place.” velveteenrabbitlasvegas.blogspot. com –XW
Name Tat Tune, created by mixologist J.R. Starkus In a mixing glass, combine 1½ ounces absolut Pears, ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ ounce St-Germain elderflower Liqueur, two dashes Fee Brothers Barrel-aged Bitters, ½ ounce Fever tree Ginger Beer and 1 ounce tune. add ice, stir and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. top with grated smoked cinnamon.
VELVETEEN RABBIT: ERIc ITA
The Victorian era, known for its sentimentality, idealism and modesty, also gave rise to the Belle Époque and saw the gathering momentum of the women’s movement. No surprise, therefore, that sisters Pamela and Christina Dylag would choose the period as the inspiration for the bar they will open at 1218 S. Main St. in the Arts District. Named for the beloved children’s book and slated for a late-January opening, Velveteen Rabbit is transforming a forlorn former furniture showroom scarred by fire into a whimsical bar
absolut has to have had Las vegas in mind when it devised its latest marque, absolut tune, a harmonious blend of Sweden’s iconic vodka with sparkling New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Te curvaceous bottle arrives in formal dress, a sleek foil wrapper from caged cork top to bottom. But once “unzipped,” tune reveals a slinky little black-and-gold number, and she’s ready to party. tune, which debuted in Las vegas on 12.12.12, blurs the line between vodka, wine and bubbly—a fresh, fashionable fusion that takes bottle service to a more femalefriendly place. and come summer, tune will shine in poolside cabanas. But as summer is still a ways off, stay tuned with tune Bellinis over brunch, tune French 75s before dinner and tune bottle service in the club. vegas’ new ‘It’ girl has arrived. $450, Bagatelle Restaurant & Supper Club, 702.701.0200; bagatellelasvegas.com; absolut.com/us/tune