Rat Pack-era music, food kept alive at My Mother’s House

Frank, Dean and Sammy would feel right at home here.

At My Mother’s House, 9320 Sun City Blvd., chef Michael Leonetti serves up Italian staples paired with just the right vintage music.

“I wanted this to be like what Vegas was,” said Leonetti, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Laura Rispoli. “Unfortunately, although there are wonderful restaurants in Las Vegas, they’re just restaurants. I wanted to do something a little different, bring back the way Vegas was, where people can come in and dine and hear phenomenal music.”

Pianist Chad Michaels performs solo Mondays and Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, he is joined by drummer Ryan Rose and bassist Kirk Kuykendall. Diners can expect the songs from the Rat Pack days: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “You Made Me Love You,” “Misty,” and “Fly Me to the Moon” among them.

“We take special requests,” Michaels said. “(Leonetti is) around to make everybody feel welcome. People start singing along, clapping. Everybody gets involved. It just makes the night really special.”

Michaels, who got his start in Detroit and comes from a family of musicians, heads the self-named trio. Kuykendall, who has been playing for 36 years, can also be heard in the high-roller area of Bellagio and Dispensary Lounge.

“I didn’t even know Sun City Summerlin existed, but it’s a good deal, a good set up,” Kuykendall said.

Rose’s father-in-law, a singer, was hired to open Wynn Las Vegas as one of the Fabulous Baker Boys. That resulted in Rose getting a Strip gig, too. He has played for Debbie Reynolds and Suzanne Somers and is the musical director for Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show.

Soloists join the trio on occasion. On Jan. 3, it was singer Toscha Comeaux, who performed in Cirque du Soleil’s “Viva Elvis,” which debuted in 2010 at Aria before closing in 2012. She took a Sarah Vaughan approach for a sassy “Lullaby of Birdland” and went off script to skat for a bit. The diners applauded her enthusiastically.

Las Vegas resident Audrey Smith, a retired music teacher, brought her 4-year-old grandson, Ryan Koons. She appreciated being able to bring him somewhere with entertainment, she said.

“We came out on a little date tonight,” Smith said. “How many places can you go to in Vegas that have live music anymore? It used to be what we were known for. Here, it’s very accommodating, very homey. It’s very old Vegas style, which I love.”

Leonetti opened My Mother’s House after a career as a lounge performer, beginning in 1972. He has worked at the Marina Hotel, Caesar’s Palace and MGM Grand. He learned to cook alongside his mother, Dolores, and grandmother, Julie, both deceased. Just like they did, Lionetti serves food on oversized plates good for sharing.

He still has the wooden spoon his grandmother used to hit him with when he acted up as a child. It hangs on the wall along with pictures of, who else, the Rat Pack, as well as other notables from Las Vegas’ heyday.

With his background, Lionetti is not opposed to taking the microphone and stepping out among the diners to serenade them.

“You took my advice and tried the mussels, huh?” he asked while schmoozing with a patron between lyrics.

Frank, Dean and Sammy would be proud.

Contact Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.