Las Vegas Mixtape v21: Late Night Dining Scene, Twang Heaven, and Dazzling Art

1. Track #1: Krung Siam Thai Restaurant & Bar @Chinatown

You can’t miss this “hidden gem” that occupies excellent real estate in Spring Mountain Square at the corner of Spring Mountain and Valley View. Open since 2009 and gorgeously remodeled during the pandemic, Krung Siam Thai Restaurant & Bar underlines Vegas’ late-night dining scene, serving food and drinks from noon to 4am every day.

Settle into one of their tufted circular leather booths in the spacious dining room and admire the grand high ceiling, modern lighting fixtures, and the attractive combination of brick, dark wood, and mirrors, not to mention the inviting L-shaped bar.

Krung Siam is notable for its creatively conceived Thai dishes, like their “Red Curry Crab Cake” and the irresistible, buttery Cognac-marinated “Ribeye Steak Crying Tiger,” served with Thai tamarind sauce. It’s also easy to fall for their traditional drunken noodle and Thai fried rice dishes.

At a relaxing dinner here recently—with consistently attentive service from 8pm-midnight—it was cool to see the momentum build after 10pm when sharply dressed folks began to arrive for the late happy hour. It lasts until 3:00am with half-off select cocktails and appetizers.

2. Track #2: Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives @International Theater, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino

Hippest band in the land? My vote goes to silver-haired Country Music Hall of Famer Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Decked out in sparkling customized cowboy suits, the quartet played with jaw-dropping musical dexterity at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

They’re a band that proudly resides at the anything-goes intersection of country, rockabilly, honky tonk, bluegrass, Western swing, and even surf music. Watching their show, I was transported to my teenage days when I would see the similarly wide-ranging Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Might I add that the sound at the historic venue (where Elvis Presley reigned supreme from 1969-1976) was the best I’ve heard at any Vegas show?

An alumnus of Johnny Cash’s band, Stuart possesses a clear-as-a bell-voice. The band’s sturdy original songs, like “Whole Lotta Highway,” “Tempted,” and the Byrds-inspired “Time Don’t Wait,” stood out with stellar three-part harmonies.

Both Stuart and Kenny Vaughan took the audience all the way up to twang heaven with seamlessly woven guitar licks. Lifting the show’s energy level even higher were covers including “Six Days On The Road” (with a distinctive bluegrass arrangement, caressed by Stuart on mandolin), Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and “El Paso” by Marty Robbins (for whom Stuart was named).

Look for Kool and the Gang to perform here on October 4 and 5 as part of their residency.

3. Track #3: Casa de Raku @Chinatown

Add Chinatown’s Casa de Raku to the city’s thriving Spanish tapas scene, which includes Jose Andres’ Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan, Firefly Tapas Kitchen, and Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine.

You’ll find Casa de Raku in Seoul Plaza along Spring Mountain Rd. Formerly dessert wonderland Sweets Raku, this intimate bohemian-cool space has been strikingly transformed into a softly lit, dark wood-adorned spot with few tables and a bar. The floor-to-ceiling rows of wine bottles in the front area look like an art installation.

As with a dim sum meal, the experience of ordering and sharing tapas stands apart from eating a standard dinner. My food adventure here consisted of one distinguished small plate after another:

• fried potatoes, enhanced with poached egg and Jamon Iberico
• succulent shrimp with garlic
• ham croquetas
• a beet salad with Greek yogurt dressing
• two pintxos (small snacks): egg salad and Spanish tomato bread.

Casa de Raku is also a late-night destination. It’s open 6 pm to 2 am except Mondays, and happy-hour pricing is available Tuesday through Saturday between 9 pm and close. You’ll get 20% off your bill.

4. Track #4: Elena Bulatova Fine Art @The Shops at Crystals

If you want freedom from the mundane, step into Elena Bulatova Fine Art at The Shops at Crystals on the Strip. The gallery, whose other locations include Miami Beach and Palm Desert, is a feast for the eyes.

Prepare to be dazzled by all the upbeat, brightly colored art for sale at this gallery helmed by Bulatova, an artist with Russian origins who’s known for her “Sweet Life” lollipop and popsicle sculptures. Bulatova also showcases the work of other artists, including David Mir, whose resin-and-acrylic tributes to Kit Kat and O’Henry’s candy bars are pop culture wonders.

Walking inside, you’re greeted by an Efi Mashiah-created sculpture of an astronaut branded with Prada, Dior, Gucci, Chanel, and Supreme logos. How perfect since it was announced in 2023 that Prada was designing NASA’s new spacesuits for its Artemis III mission in 2025.

Track #5: Around Town Medley @Beverly Theater, Westgate Las Vegas, and Fremont Country Club

Never underestimate the stimulation of bad taste, especially expensive bad taste. Case in point: the 1995 set-in-Vegas “Showgirls,” an NC-17 film that had a then-sizeable $45 million budget. Ahead of its 30th anniversary next year, the folks at downtown’s The Beverly Theater hosted a private reception and screening during the last weekend in July.

The movie’s devotees love its certifiably crazy blend of eroticism, violence, and campy humor. The adoring crowd at the Beverly laughed out loud at the screenplay’s classic key lines, like the lead character’s hilariously naïve and utterly unforgettable mispronunciation of Versace as “Ver-sayce.”

Walking around the vintage-groovy Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, I spotted this poster of Elvis Presley’s “first live appearance in 8 years,” promoting his four-week engagement that began there on July 31, 1969.

Wow, what an earth-shaking year that was. A week or so later (August 8-9), Sharon Tate and others would be viciously murdered by the Charles Manson followers in LA. Just around the corner (August 15-18) was the monumental Woodstock music fest in upstate NY. And, of course, the Rolling Stones’ tragic concert at Altamont Speedway in Northern CA on December 6 would wrap the ‘60s up with an ugly bow.

It was another fun Monday-night-is-the-new-Saturday-night at Fremont Country Club where Riki’s Rachtman performed his spoken-word show “One Foot in the Gutter.”

Back in the day, he was the host of MTV’s “Headbangers Ball” and owner of the legendary Hollywood, CA rock & roll dance club the Cathouse, a launch pad for bands like Guns N’ Roses and Faster Pussycat.

Rachtman told compelling and hysterical stories about the ‘80s and beyond to a crowd that included Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and Blue Man Group drummer Jeff Tortora, along with new-to-Vegas residents Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and Micki Free. Rachtman achieved a great deal of success back then but made bad decisions and took wrong turns that also led to exciting changes in his life.