The Palazzo celebrates its grand opening in style

The official three-day opening for Las Vegas' newest luxury resort, the Palazzo, took place Jan. 17. Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., William Weidner, president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., Bradley Stone, executive vice president of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Rob Goldstein, president of the Palazzo, gathered at the front entrance of hotel, where fireworks lit up the sky signaling with a bang the resort's opening.

Inside the new structure is a giant atrium, where a three-story waterfall and two large reflecting pools are the focal point. On the side were escalators, which were surrounded by a carpet of colorful fresh flowers.

Here, lovely models stood on unseen supports under the water as women danced on the first pool, and models wearing beautiful gowns looked as if they were walking on water in the second pool. An orchestra played overhead on the third level. The red carpet circled the ground floor of the atrium, where celebrities Nicolette Sheridan, Hilary Swank, Christina Ricci, Mandy Moore, Angie Harmon, James Denton, Claire Danes and Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson entered.

It was an evening of fashionable attire, as invited guests attended a party hosted by Barneys New York. The 85,000-square-foot Barneys New York is one of The Shoppes at Palazzo, where there are 60 international boutiques and 20 luxury stores that will soon open.

On this opening night, however, it was all about Barneys, as the guests delighted in taking in all that was offered throughout the three-level store. Admiring the designer shoes were Lynn Weidner, Heidi Sarno Straus, Cheryl Purdue, Dale Wynn and Sheryl Goldstein.

Canapes and miniature desserts were passed on silver trays, as was champagne and wine. In the atrium area, chocolate martinis were served, while aerialists performed high above on silk swaths of material. Buffets of appetizers included plated salmon and duck confit, and an array of desserts was set up in the hallways leading into the atrium area.

Guests admiring all that Barneys has to offer were former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, Toni and Victor Chaltiel, state Sen. Joe Heck, R-Las Vegas, and Lisa Heck, Dorit Schwartz, Shannie Schwartz, Bernie Yuman, Max Jacobson, David Kasdan, Sharon Cristal, Stephen Cloobeck, and Ming See, and Theresa, Tony and Peter Woo.

The Palazzo offers easy parking by using the underground garage off Sands Avenue. The Palazzo is home to more than a dozen new restaurants and, on Friday, a dine-around was in The Venetian's ballroom. At that event, Goldstein introduced the chefs and spoke about their new restaurants and mentioned that The Venetian and the Palazzo now have 30 restaurants offering 10,000 seats. Among the chefs attending were Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Trotter.

New restaurants include: Carnevino (Italian steakhouse) by Batali, Cut (steakhouse) by Puck, Table 10 (coastal Creole cuisine) by Lagasse, Restaurant Charlie (seafood) by Trotter, as well as Dos Caminos (Mexican), Grand Luxe Cafe (a sister to the Grand Luxe in The Venetian from the creators of the Cheesecake Factory), Jade (noodle dishes), Mainland (French and Vietnamese), Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro, Sushisamba (Japanese and Brazilian), Woo from the Woo family of the now-closed Mayflower Cuisinier, and the 40/40 Club (an ultra sports bar serving entree-size appetizers).

Seen enjoying the beautiful presentation of the house specialties were Joshua Zinder, Betty and R.H. Duke, Josette LeBlond, Tony Sacca, Judy Thorburn and Robin Leach.

Concluding the three-day extravaganza was a concert on Saturday night emceed by Wayne Brady and featuring Seal, Andy Garcia and his Cineson All-Stars Band, the Jersey Boys and Diana Ross.

Happy un-birthday: The older a person gets, it seems like birthdays arrive more frequently, so Maria and Ted Quirk and Linda and Gary Vause threw an un-birthday bash to celebrate that significant birthdays for Ted and Gary had not yet arrived.

The fun evening beckoned friends to celebrate their un-birthdays at the Spanish Trail Country Club, where 115 guests gathered to toast the birthday boys and mingle with good friends over a lovely supper. Many of the party-goers proved they were not over the hill yet, as couples cut a rug on the dance floor, doing the twist and a little disco dancing.