Powerful people seek convenience, atmosphere when dining and dealing

Best Place for a Power Lunch

By Joe Hawk
Review-Journal
     Proximity. Proximity. Proximity.
     When the elite meet to eat -- lunch, that is -- it's not so much what's on the menu as it is how long it takes to get there to look at it.
     Hey, these are busy people, don't you know.
     A casual survey of Las Vegas power brokers revealed a three-way tie for first place when it came to their choice for power lunches: Cafe Nicolle, in the Sahara Pavilion; California Pizza Kitchen, inside the Golden Nugget; and Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., in the Howard Hughes Center.
     Not surprisingly, their locations are in three distinctly different areas of town: the west, downtown and the east, respectively.
     "For me, Gordon Biersch is close to the (Las Vegas) Convention Center," said Rossi Ralenkotter, vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "I can go there, have lunch, do business and then it takes less than 10 minutes to drive back to the office."
     The importance of proximity holds true for boxing promoter Bob Arum, of Top Rank Inc., whose office is in the Howard Hughes Center. Gordon Biersch and Fog City Diner, also in the center, rank high on his list for that reason.
     "Having a place or two close by is important, and it helps too when you're a regular because you can get a table quickly."
     Depending upon where the city's work takes her on any given day, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones may be talking business over lunch at Cafe Nicolle, California Pizza Kitchen or Frogeez on 4th, a restaurant within short driving distance of City Hall.
     "Cafe Nicolle has indoor-outdoor dining, it's centrally located (in town) and you can get a quick lunch there and it's quiet enough to conduct business," Jones explained. "And I love California Pizza Kitchen because of the salads they serve."
     California Pizza Kitchen also has the favor of first-term Las Vegas City Councilman Larry Brown. But it's not just because of its closeness to his downtown office.
     "I've always liked activity. I don't like it too quiet," Brown said, referring to the bustling nature of the nouveau restaurant. "I enjoy a good 'people' atmosphere, and they have it there. But it's not so noisy you can't carry on an important conversation."
     For those who aren't power-lunchers by nature, Cafe Nicolle serves Continental cuisine, in an $8-$13 price range. The cafe seats 140 people indoors but also has patio seating for 130.
     California Pizza Kitchen has 28 different types of pizza -- barbecued chicken and Southwestern burrito are the two most popular -- and features a variety of eight salads for the health-conscious. Lunch averages $11 per person.
     Rotisserie chicken and skirt steak are among the top two choices at Gordon Biersch, where a typical lunch runs $4-$11 -- that's provided you don't call it a day early and have one or two of their famous German-style lagers, priced at $3.75 for 16 ounces.
     Among other popular lunch locations for those with influence:
     Political consultant Billy Vassiliadis of R&R Advertising is partial to Big Dog's Cafe & Casino. Fellow consultant Sig Rogich of The Rogich Communications Group favors Fog City Diner.
     UNLV president Carol Harter likes the Las Vegas Country Club and, at the other end of the spectrum, the Moyer Student Union cafeteria on campus because "the people I want to meet with are always there."
     Former Las Vegas City Councilman Scott Higginson, who is in his third year as vice president of government and public affairs for Del Webb Corp., can be found lunching at any of a number of places: Cadillac Grille, Country Inn, Omelet House or, when he's in the mood to see some of the city's longtime politicos, the venerable Poppa Gar's in Oakey Center.
     "There really are two types of places for power lunches," Higginson said. "There are the places you go to to be seen and there are the quiet places you go to to do business. The business places are the ones with the high-back booths, like the Omelet House (on West Charleston Boulevard)."
     Lest you think all people of power are doing business over the noon hour, Gov. Bob Miller breaks the stereotype. When he's conducting business in Las Vegas, rather than power-lunching he plays power forward in pickup basketball games at The Sporting House, 3025 Industrial Road.
     "I can play some hoops, grab a light lunch (at the Sports Club Bar and Grill inside the facility) and watch other people play basketball -- all in a short period of time," Miller said. "It's a great time to get in my workout.
     "And then I get back to business."