Prince Harry parties royally in Las Vegas

Flying under the radar on his first trip to Las Vegas, Prince Harry went all but unnoticed while impersonating Prince Charming during a nightclub outing.

The 27-year-old nightlife-loving royal, who has been training in Arizona with the British Army Air Corps, showed up at Tryst nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas about midnight Friday and, fortified with cocktails, was anything but bashful.

People magazine's Las Vegas-based Mark Gray reported the prince spent about three hours with a group of nine -- four men, three women and two security guards -- in a VIP section at Tryst.

It didn't take long for Prince Harry to have eyes for some of the Tryst hotties.

The redheaded younger son of Prince Charles and the late Diana Princess of Wales was seen chatting up a blonde before they were spotted on the dance floor, "with zero daylight visible between their bodies," Gray reported. Later he was seen on his knees while dancing with a brunette at the VIP table .

He left about 3 a.m. with his party, on his way to his room at Wynn, wrote Gray.

It was reported here on Oct. 23 that rumors were swirling that the prince would be staying at Wynn.

Prince Harry's handlers, it was learned Saturday, have called local nightclubs in recent weeks saying he was coming in but was a no-show, apparently a ploy to throw paparazzi and gossip hounds off the trail.

Prince Harry's visit was the second by a member of the royal family in recent weeks. Princess Beatrice , the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, was in town in mid-October.

DEVITO ON BOARD FOR FILM?

Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Martin Scorsese , a powerhouse trio in the Las Vegas-set mob classic "Casino," are reportedly teaming up in another gritty mafia drama. And there's chatter that Pesci is bringing lifelong sidekick and Las Vegan Tommy DeVito on board.

DeVito, 75, was co-founder and lead guitarist of The Four Seasons, the inspiration for the Las Vegas hit show "Jersey Boys." He's been Pesci's personal assistant for years.

Titled "The Irishman" and directed by Scorcese, the film is based on the real-life story of Mafia hit man Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, said to be the contract killer who assassinated Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. The film is based on the book about Sheeran titled "I Heard You Paint Houses," code for a mob killer and his bloody handiwork.

BUYING INTO VEGAS

A recent restaurant story in the Denver Post caught my attention the other day.

Veteran Denver chef Sean Kelly had an explanation for the biggest restaurant boom in Colorado in decades.

"People are bailing out of Vegas, bailing from the coasts," Kelly said. "Established chefs are choosing to come to Denver and open restaurants. That wasn't happening a decade ago."

With the Las Vegas economy still in the doldrums, forcing chefs to greener pastures, why would a higher-end restaurant chain like Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian steakhouse concept, take a gamble here?

I asked Fogo de Chao's CEO Larry Johnson that question the other night -- between skewers of beef and lamb -- during a media night gathering.

For starters, he's sold on Las Vegas, with its convention business, and he likes the deal he worked out with the former owners of Cozymel's restaurant on East Flamingo Road.

"We wanted in here since 2005," said Johnson, who oversees 17 of the restaurants in the U.S. and seven in Brazil.

"We wanted the right location, the right price and the right time. But the market was so crazy by 2008 we couldn't do a deal with the numbers they were quoting."

So he waited. Late last year, the deal was resurrected and he got what he was looking for.

"We had 30 other cities that wanted us. We wanted Las Vegas. We're going to be a great addition," Johnson said.

That's music to the ears of this community.

SIGHTINGS

Oscar winner Christian Bale, backstage with his family at "KÀ" (MGM Grand) on Friday. They got a visit from the starfish puppet. He has been filming "The Dark Knight Rises." Their weekend plans included a motocross event. ... At The Mirage-hosted private golf tournament at Shadow Creek on Friday: A baseball gathering that included Bret Saberhagen, John Smoltz, Wally Joyner, Fred McGriff, Scott Erickson, B.J. Upton, Jim Edmonds and Bret Boone. ... Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine, signing autographs at the Forum Shops at Caesars .

THE PUNCH LINE

"I'm so pleased Regis invited me to be a guest on his show. What an honor to be on that show. He kept calling me Conan, but still." -- David Letterman

Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.