Sunday, February 22, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

A Place of Their Own

Older crowd looking for night on the town minus the heavy beats, come-ons

Zuri lounge at the MGM Grand is designed for an older crowd looking for a quiet break from the jangling noise of the casino. Photo by Ralph Fountain. Bootlegger Bistro offers a classic touch of old Vegas that holds special appeal to longtime residents. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Can't we all just get along?

Sure we can, but that doesn't mean we all have to party together. It's true that age is a state of mind nearly as much as anything else, but it's also true that as we age, we generally aren't looking for the same things in entertainment as we did when we were in our 20s, all of those retro cover bands notwithstanding.

In the age of the ultra lounge, where lines are long, covers high, the bass thumps powerfully enough to put wall decorations at risk and it seems to matter not so much what one is wearing as what one isn't, the choices can seem slim for those who are seeking something a bit more serene.

"I call 'em Gerbers," quipped Robert Lepore, 55, who's self-employed. "When you walk in and you smell Clearasil, you know it's going to be a bad time."

"I'm 37," said Seth Martin, assistant director of beverage at the MGM Grand. "I've walked into Studio 54 and gone, `Wow.' It's packed, not my cup of tea at my age anymore."

"We went one place with somebody one time and all these young girls were hitting on Frank," said tour director Karen Lieberman, referring to her husband, a publicist. "I wasn't upset; I thought it was silly. I just like to go someplace that's casual and nice and not have to worry about people being rude. And the older generation isn't rude; they're more respectful. And they don't all dress trashy."

Frank Lieberman begged to differ, a bit.

"I think that the clubs -- whether it's (ultra lounges such as) Curve or Tabu, any of them -- are great for any age," he said. "However, the older the person -- unless they think they're really hot stuff -- it does get noisy, it does become what in the old days they used to call `meat markets.'

"But they can be fun. I think if you're older and you're really not into the scene, it's fun to sit there and watch. What goes on can be very funny."

Martin said when MGM Grand plans lounges to appeal to various segments of its market, "there's definitely guesswork involved -- but educated guesswork." Zuri, which appeals to an older market, came about through a "clearly identified need," he said.

"At the time, there wasn't anyplace in the casino for anyone to just go sit down, relax, have a drink and step outside the casino environment," he said. "If you sat at a bar, there was video poker staring you in the face and bells ringing in the machine behind you."

The guesswork seems to have worked.

"Zuri paid for itself in 10 months and has been incredibly successful for us," Martin said.

Ron Reese, director of corporate communications at The Venetian, pointed out that the casino's market includes business, leisure and group travelers of various ages.

"It's a unique task of trying to cater to each of those audiences," he said. "We feel we've accomplished it" with Venus for the hippest set, the more sophisticated V Bar, plus the bars at Delmonico Steakhouse, Bouchon, Aquaknox and Zeffirino.

Asked his favorites among local night spots, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman demurred.

"To be quite frank with you, at the end of the day, I'd just as soon go home," he said. "My wife is a wonderful wife. Those martinis are waiting for me when I come home -- like a degenerate Ozzie and Harriet."

When pressed, however, Goodman did admit to frequenting a few. In his beloved downtown, he said, he drops in "all the time at The Saloon," at Neonopolis, 450 Fremont St. Other stops are "the Ice House, (650 S. Main St.), on occasion at Jillian's, and I'll even have a beer at La Salsa," the latter two also in Neonopolis.

Goodman says his patronage is "part of my downtown redevelopment efforts. The people who work there are just decent and warm. It reminds me of old-time service in Las Vegas."

Here are a few more suggestions, from Goodman and others:

• Ava, The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday through Sunday, with entertainment from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Ava is representative of the spots in "any of the hotels ... where you can sit and hear jazz or hear a band playing, but it's not pickup joints like most of them are." -- Frank Lieberman

• Bootlegger Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 24 hours daily. "It's enjoyable, it's fun, it's our kind of music. People get up and do karaoke, especially on Monday nights." -- Karen Lieberman

• Caramel, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily. "A sophisticated, refined ambience for people to meet in an elegant setting, as well as an opportunity to enjoy a happening spot." -- Van Heffner, president and chief operating officer of the Nevada Restaurant Association and the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association

• Cleopatra's Barge, Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily. "It's a neat atmosphere and it's great for people-watching. I'm a writer and I have two radio shows and I love people-watching. It overlooks a huge portion of Caesars, so you get a million people walking by you." -- Charles Desiderio, publicist, etc.

• Delmonico's, The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 11:30 a.m to 2 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m. daily. "They have a nice bar. If we're in that area, we'll pop up there." -- Desiderio

• Fellini's, 5555 W. Charleston Blvd., 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. "Great drinks and a wonderful atmosphere. It sort of reminds me of old Las Vegas -- they know no end of the pour. By the time you're through, you don't remember you've had dinner." -- Goodman

• Firenze Lobby Lounge, Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, 1610 Lake Las Vegas Parkway, Henderson, 11 a.m. to midnight daily. -- Heffner

• Fontana Bar, Bellagio, 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. "It's peaceful, it's very relaxing. You don't feel pressured that you should be up there competing with all these youngsters. You can just relax and enjoy yourself." -- Angie Hughes, 39, marketing director in business development

• Gaudi Bar, Sunset Station, 1300 W. Sunset Road, Henderson, open 24 hours. "It's relaxing, they have a water fountain in there, in the center of the bar. And the staff is very friendly." -- Brenda Lee, manager in the spa industry

• Gordon Biersch, 3987 Paradise Road, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. "It seems toned down a bit. (I like) the selection of beers, and the good food." -- Lee

• Hookah Lounge at Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe & Lounge, 4147 S. Maryland Parkway, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. "The reason it's nice for us -- when you're in your late 40s and 50s -- is because it's different, it's exotic. They have very interesting drinks -- like I can get a martini made out of espresso coffee." -- Desiderio

• The Living Room at Curve, Aladdin, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South, opens at 6 p.m. daily. Curve is an "ultra lounge, but they have an outside area called The Living Room that's so comfortable." -- Frank Lieberman

• The Lounge, Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, 9 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. "They have some great amateur entertainment there" on open-mic night, which is Sunday. "It's intimate, it's cozy, it's warm and you can't hear the casino." -- Mary Jane Jarvis, restaurant co-owner

• Napoleon's, Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Nine Fine Irishmen, New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. -- Heffner

• Nora's Cuisine, 6020 W. Flamingo Road, entertainment from 9:30 p.m. to about 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. "They play a lot of jazz there. It's for older people." -- Lepore

• Piero's Italian Cuisine & New England Fish Market, 355 Convention Center Drive, 5 to 11 p.m. daily. "Another old-school watering hole where we'd sidle up to the bar and enjoy a drink. Those are the kinds of places we like." -- Goodman

• Plush, JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. "It's new and it's very relaxed and the food's decent. The music wasn't that bang-bang music." -- Lepore

• Pullman Grille, Main Street Station, 200 N. Main St., 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

• Sedona, 9580 W. Flamingo Road, 24 hours daily. "You find all the yuppies there, but they're not like youngsters. The food is nice, the atmosphere is magnificent -- very retro, very unique." -- Lepore

• Top of the World Lounge, Stratosphere, 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. daily. "I think it's a wonderful place. It captures the spirit of the city. It's elegant and it's romantic." -- Heffner

• VooDoo Lounge, Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily, with live music starting at 9 p.m. "It's kind of a sophisticated place." -- Heffner.

• Zuri, MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 24 hours daily.