Star chef cooking up new ‘surprise’
Star chef Jose Andres’ midrecession gamble in Las Vegas continues to pay off.
Andres, who has three restaurants at The Cosmopolitan and an upcoming venture in SLS Las Vegas, said he’s sitting on a “surprise” announcement.
“I can’t say any more right now,” said the Washington, D.C.-based chef who added Las Vegas to his growing empire 3½ years ago when The Cosmopolitan opened.
“I have no regrets about moving here,” said Andres, whose current restaurant lineup includes Jaleo, China Poblano and é by Jose Andres, a hidden, eight-seat high-end gem inside Jaleo.
Next year, when Sam Nazarian transforms the former Sahara into SLS Las Vegas, Andres will open his latest, The Bazaar.
LUCKY CONNECTION
Knowing the “Pawn Stars” has its advantages.
A visit to the “Pawn Stars” store last June by Boston Bruins’ legend Cam Neely paid off for Mike Long, a salesman at Gold + Silver Pawn.
Neely, president of the Bruins and a fan of History channel’s hit reality show, met Long during a VIP tour of the pawn store, and they shared their passion for the Bruins.
Long mentioned he was going to be in Boston for Thanksgiving and wanted to buy a couple of good seats.
Neely said no problem and set up Long with the ticket office.
But the National Hockey League strike derailed Long’s plans to take his father to a Bruins game.
Fast forward six months. Knowing he was going to be in Boston last weekend, Long decided to try his luck at scoring tickets for Game 3 of the Boston-Chicago NHL finals.
He attempted to reach his original ticket contact with the Bruins. Bad news. The contact had moved on. But, during the telephone conversation, it turned out that the contact’s replacement with the Bruins was a fan of “Pawn Stars” patriarch Richard “Old Man” Harrison.
Long’s lucky long shot turned into a Father’s Day surprise. He and his father got to see the Bruins win 2-0 and take a 2-1 lead over the Blackhawks in the best-of-7 series.
MISS AMERICA
The ungracious hits keep coming from the Miss America Organization.
After Las Vegas took in the orphaned and ratings-challenged pageant eight years ago, Miss America announced in February it was returning to Atlantic City.
It was a nice run for Las Vegas, and Miss America benefited from a ratings boost.
It was welcome news for New Jersey, too, after all the damage from Superstorm Sandy.
So why does the organization feel the need to kick dirt on Las Vegas?
“There were 100 other things going in Las Vegas,” Sam Haskell, the chief executive of the organization, told a pageant gathering this week.
“We were just one thing,” Haskell added. “It all feels much more special here, like a warm blanket being wrapped around us. It was colder in Vegas. There was no blanket.”
A thank-you would have been nice for all the Las Vegas businesses that picked up the tab for nearly eight years and helped nurse your pageant back to life.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day, but I’ll celebrate it a day early on KTNV-TV’s “Morning Blend” with Dao Vu and Shawn Tempesta. Tune in between 9-10 a.m. for the TV debut of our Silky Terriers, Rumor and Scandal. Check out Rumor’s reaction to the one song he hates with passion.
THE PUNCH LINE
“Edward Snowden is the guy who leaked all of the NSA secrets. He had a 98-minute press conference today, and yet they can’t find the guy. This is the biggest manhunt since Martha Stewart started online dating.” — David Letterman
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or email him at norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke. “Norm Clarke’s Vegas,” airs Thursdays on the “Morning Blend” on KTNV-TV, Channel 13.
