Track #1 (of 5): Battista’s Hole In The Wall @The Strip
Satisfying old school food (Image: Vegas 411)
Bouncing around Vegas—it’s my favorite thing to do, soaking in the city’s vintage and modern places. Easily in the top five of old-school spots is the long-running (since 1970) Italian restaurant Battista’s Hole In The Wall. It’s where I go for chicken cacciatore, one of my favorite Italian dishes—it’s gloriously tender chicken stewed with tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, and various herbs. Glad to say the kitchen here does this classic especially well.
You’d be wise to arrive hungry at this sprawling multi-room gem which can serve 290 guests. I ordered the full-on dinner for $39.95, which included “a choice of minestrone soup or Italian salad, garlic bread, a pasta side, ‘Battista’s-style’ cappuccino, and complimentary house wine,” as noted on the website. If you’re into instant gratification, this is your place—the wait staff brought my salad, garlic bread, and wine in under two minutes. This was truly impressive since the place was absolutely packed on the Friday night I was there. If you have impatient friends, just send them here.
A wonderful “hole in the wall” (Image: Vegas 411)
Located just off The Strip at the corner of Flamingo and Linq Lane, Battista’s reopened a few weeks ago after a nearly six-month closure to accommodate major upgrades to the 60-year-old building. The place is a real old-school charmer with tufted red leather booths and soft lighting; it’s decorated with celeb photos, police force sewn badges, and “one of the world’s largest collections of miniature liquor bottles.” Big bonus point: free parking in their lot right in front.
Track #2 (of 5): “Faster, Pussycat…” Beverly Theater @Downtown
In the lobby at the Beverly Theater. (Image: Jerry Watson)
Whenever given the opportunity, I tell everyone around me they should run to The Beverly Theater. This beautifully designed neo-mid-century-modern building which opened downtown in March 2023 is an intelligently curated arthouse cinema and cultural space. It’s where discerning audiences go to see revival movies, edgy new films, and documentaries (not to mention occasional performances by indie musical artists).
The smart set was definitely on hand for a recent Saturday night screening of the Russ Meyer-directed “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” Before there was punk and gal power, there was this 1965 cult favorite in black and white that “follows sadistic go-go dancers Varla, Rosie and Billie as they break free from the nightclub where they perform and race out to the [California] desert to stir up a little mayhem.” The pre-feminist movement film gives all the power to women, even if they, well, partake in murder and kidnapping.
This classic film poster leaves little to the imagination. (Image: courtesy of Eve Production)
The film stars Tura Satana, the intimidating, beloved Japanese-American actress, showgirl, and exotic dancer. Satana’s lethal presence and her quick karate chops—plus of course her famous prominent bust—drive the movie which can easily be likened to a twisting roller coaster ride. Is the film (whose title contains no less than three exclamation points) an example of female exploitation? Or female empowerment? Or both? Just sit back and enjoy Tura’s searing (and campy) one-liners. When a guy tells her, “Look, I don't know what the hell your point is,” she snaps back, “The point is of no return and you've reached it!” (She goes on to murder this person.)
Be sure to consider joining the Beverly’s membership program to achieve maximum coolness. For $99 a year, members enjoy “$8 movie tickets, $6 popcorn, early access to premier show announcements and live events,” and many more perks. Sounds like a perfect holiday gift to give and receive.
Track #3 (of 5): GYU+ @Chinatown
Elevated egg salad sandwich with togarashi chips. (Image: Vegas 411)
I love a good egg salad sandwich—and they do an exceptional one for only $11.99 at Chinatown’s GYU+, known for their “Japanese-inspired sandos and rice boxes.” All the elements in this smooth and creamy creation—diced jidori eggs, mayonnaise, secret sauce, and that fluffy Japanese milk bread—come together perfectly. It lifted me right up into the stratosphere from the communal bar height table where I sat with other clearly satisfied guests.
Of course, I had to pair my sando with some “crunch” via an order of the eatery’s magnificent potato chips seasoned with togarashi (a spicy Japanese blend).
If egg salad isn’t your thing, try their other sandos—steak, spicy chicken katsu, shrimp, and veggie. Feeling depressed lately? You might want to seriously splurge by ordering the Japanese wagyu sando consisting of “1/2 lb. 100% Japanese beef filet,” served with truffle chips and dessert of the day for…$99.00.
A speakeasy/social lounge for in-crowders. (Image: Vegas 411)
Hidden In the back of GYU+ is their social lounge/restaurant with speakeasy vibes and a colorful, seductive atmosphere. It’s open Thursday to Saturday from 6pm to midnight and they offer an attractive, select menu with specialties like Udon Carbonara, with fresh ink and crispy pancetta, that I’m salivating for.
Track #4 (of 5) Las Vegas Floral & Sweets @Chinatown
A bouquet in a handbag. (Image: Vegas 411)
People will sometimes ask me: what’s the best way to explore Chinatown? Easy. Pull into one of the plazas—some of which are massive—park your car and walk around. There’s so much to miss if you just do a drive-by.
It’s been a minute since I revisited The Center at Spring Mountain, the shopping center with an array of restaurants—including Asian, French, and Mexican—plus the magically eye-popping 24/7 Golden Tiki bar, which is one of the happiest places on earth.
Dropping in to the plaza recently, I wandered into the relatively new retail shop known as Las Vegas Floral & Sweets.The Rolls Royce golf cart in the window (from 1984, I would learn from the store owner) immediately tips you off that this a luxury gift shop, the kind you’d find at a high-end hotel.
Affordable luxury in Chinatown. (Image: Vegas 411)
But mostly everything here is moderately priced starting with the gorgeously prepared floral bouquets which you can also have customized and delivered. There are also cookies, specialty coffees (like M & M’s and Twix), and mini bottles of strawberry champagne. Conveniently, the store sells ready-made gift baskets—it's the kind of place you can run into and grab a last-minute gift that should impress anyone, particularly with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
Track #5: Around Town Medley: Hard Hat Lounge, Hard Rock Hotel, Pachi-Pachi
Be careful what you choose, or the integrity police will intervene. (Image: Vegas 411)
If you crave listening to punk rock songs—old and new—the Hard Hat Loungeon Industrial Rd in downtown Vegas is your place. This classic 24/7 dive bar with Bobby Meader’s deliciously charred “Stay Tuned Burgers” and gaming machines has one of those AMI jukeboxes (which can be played with the AMI music app).
The other night when I dropped in, it was spinning Sham 69, the Idles, the Jam, Turnstile, Dag Nasty, Southern Culture On The Skids, and even the Runaways. As it says on the jukebox, “We reserve the right [to] change, stop, or refuse any music selection.” Seems no one can kill the vibe by choosing songs by, uh, the Bay City Rollers.
It’s an easy life at the Hard Hat. (Image: Vegas 411)
Vegas-born Frank Sidoris bought the Hard Hat in late 2022. The longtime guitarist in Slash’s band who’s also in the touring lineup of Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH remodeled the bar before reopening it in December 2023. It’s been going strong ever since—day and night. Long may it run.
A ridiculous, but nonetheless marvelous, oversized guitar is coming our way. (Image: Vegas 411)
Everyone has an opinion about the guitar-shaped hotel tower that’s now under construction on The Strip at what will be The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, replacing The Mirage and opening sometime in 2027.
Lots of folks will miss The Mirage and its screamingly kitschy volcano that helped make The Strip so special. And true, there’s already a similar tower at the brand’s Hollywood, FL hotel. Still, I’m still happy that rock and roll history will again be saluted in Vegas via a memorabilia collection (like the one at the old Hard Rock Hotel before it became the Virgin Hotel). Guessing the new Hard Rock here will pull out every stop to secure the rarest artifacts from music’s biggest stars for everyone to view throughout the hotel’s property.
Handrolls from outer space. (Image: Vegas 411)
It was real nice to see Pachi-Pachiin downtown Vegas—the Japanese-themed cocktail bar/restaurant/listening lounge—positively percolating (despite the tourist slump) on a recent Saturday night a few months after its opening. I enjoyed the ahi tuna handrolls, gyoza (dumplings), and the house music, not to mention the space’s now famous surreal design touches (like a vintage telephone that connects you to another dimension). Thanks to the boundary-free mind of Branden Powers, Vegas has an essential new playground that artfully steers clear of the mundane.