By Joseph Temple

Nearly a generation has passed since legendary hotels like the Stardust were demolished before our very eyes, ushering in a slick new corporate version of Sin City. Gone are the days when Las Vegas was declared an “open city” and run by the likes of Bugsy Siegel and Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. Today, with a skyline dominated by hotels like Treasure Island, Luxor Las Vegas and the Bellagio, the previous era synonymous with organized crime has been buried deep into the Nevada desert.

But with this transformation, many unique and outstanding restaurants that attracted tourists from around the world are also gone forever. While a few from the mid-century are still in business, the vast majority were blown up along with their respective hotels. So why don’t we take a look back at a very different time for Vegas dining as we reminisce about five iconic restaurants (there are simply too many for a blog entry, so excuse us if we miss any) from the City of Lights!

“Golden Steer Steak House” by Roadsidepictures is licensed under CC BY 2.0

1. Golden Steer Steak House

If you ever want to relive the old Vegas, there’s nothing like going to a great steakhouse! And since 1958, everyone from the Rat Pack to Joe DiMaggio has visited the legendary Golden Steer located on the north end of the Strip. Despite its lackluster location in a strip mall, the fabulous décor, consisting of red vinyl booths and paneled wood walls will bring back fond memories of the continental style dining that dominated the 1950s and 1960s. With tuxedoed waiters serving timeless dishes as you soak in this unique ambiance, you’ll feel as if you’re in a Scorsese movie while you chow down on a juicy steak.

Image: unlv.edu

2. The Garden Room

Arguably, one of the most historic spots in all of Las Vegas was the Sands Hotel and Casino—known by many as the place where the original Ocean’s 11 was filmed. With many famous guests that included Frank Sinatra and a young senator by the name of John F. Kennedy, the Sands became etched in stone as the place to be for anybody staying in Vegas during this time. And overlooking the hotel’s pool was the Garden Room, a popular coffee shop the featured an area known as the “Copper Broiler” where guests could watch the chef cook up their steaks and burgers. Originally a segregated restaurant, the first black diner was singer Nat King Cole, who was finally let in after an irate Sinatra raised hell.

3. Dome of the Sea

Following a massive multi-million dollar renovation in the early 60s by the Dunes Hotel and Casino, a new seafood restaurant called the Dome of the Sea replaced the giant fiberglass statue of a massive Sultan. Featured dishes included Lobster Thermidor, Oysters Rockefeller and the quintessential Shrimp Cocktail. Of course, the entire experience was enhanced by a nautical theme that encompassed the entire restaurant, complimented by a maiden playing her harp as diners ordered the Surf and Turf.

4. Aku Aku

Riding the Polynesian-themed restaurant craze of the 1950s and 1960s was the mob run Stardust Resort and Casino who opened Aku Aku, a Tiki inspired joint that was a big hit with tourists. Featuring exotic rum-based cocktails such as the “Easter Island Swizzle” and “Kahuna’s Spell,” this stand-alone restaurant even placed two enormous featherstone moai statues out in front, supplied by none other than infamous gangster Moe Dalitz. But by the 80s, the entire tiki craze had run its course and Aku Aku closed its doors for good.

Image: unlv.edu

5. The Hickory Room

When the Riviera Hotel first opened its doors in April of 1955, patrons couldn’t get enough of dining at night surrounded by wormwood panels while they watched their food cook over a large rotisserie blaze and an open hickory fire. Called the Hickory Room, this Western style restaurant became so popular that it had to remain open all night. Cooking steaks over an open hearth, it also became popular for its rack of lamb and flaming kebabs.

Sources:

Burbank, Jeff. Las Vegas Babylon: The True Tales of Glitter, Glamour, and Greed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008.
Moruzzi, Peter. Classic Dining: Discovering America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants. Layton: Gibbs Smith, 2012.
Papa, Paul M. Discovering Vintage Las Vegas: A Guide to the City’s Timeless Shops, Restaurants, Casinos & More. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Roman, James. Chronicles of Old Las Vegas: Exposing Sin City’s High-Stakes History. New York: Museyon Inc, 2011.
Russo, Gus. Supermob: How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America’s Hidden Power Brokers. London: Bloombury Publishing, 2008.

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Question: A follow up from last week’s question Sid. How is Rosé wine made?

Answer: A variety of methods can be employed including these 4 main ones:

1. MACERATION on the skins to obtain colour for the pale grape juice. Once the shade desired is reached it is taken off the skins and transferred to another tank.

2. SAIGNEE usually results from natural crushing from the weight of the grapes in the tank “bleeding” off the resulting juice only with limited skin exposure. A good method but sometimes difficult to control the final colour.

3. PRESS in a slow controlled way to get your initial colour but not usually the best method for utilization of all the juice available in the grapes.

4. MIX of white and red juice or wine is easy to control but more difficult to produce a delicate charming Rosé.

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By Joseph Temple

It’s summertime—the sky is blue, the ocean is blue—and perhaps your next glass of wine too! That’s because blue colored wine, one of Spain’s hottest exports is set to appear in restaurants and wine shops across North America, replacing rosé as the “in” drink for summer. And to compliment this new hip libation is a slick advertising campaign that equates buying this alternative product with an act of revolutionary defiance against the older generations. According to its maker, it “is not just about drinking blue wine; you are drinking innovation. You are drinking creation. You are breaking the rules and creating your own ones.”

For connoisseurs who adhere to the gold standard of Bordeaux and Burgundy, blue wine will probably be seen as an abomination, on par with drinking coolers and boxed wine. Based on its “anti-technical sheet,” there is no aging procedure while the red and white grapes (which aren’t named) come from an “innovative mindset, respecting both the environment and our aim to disrupt.” Traditionalists have been warned!

Now if you’re wondering how it got to be blue, the creators trace its origins back to the University of Basque Country in Northern Spain where two years of in depth research gave birth to this unique beverage. Made through a pigmentation process, the company’s website states: “Firstly a base is created from a mixture of white and red grapes, which is then added to two organic pigments: indigo and anthocyanin –the first one proceeds from the very skin of the grapes used to make wine.”

Judging by a social media presence consisting of young hipsters sipping poolside accompanied by the hashtag #BlueWine, it’s clear that Millennials, a group that consumed 42% of all wine purchased in the U.S. in 2015, is the main target market for blue wine once it arrives in America en masse. Not a bad strategy since according to one study, 85% of this coveted demographic are more likely to try unfamiliar brands from lesser-known wineries. Add in a friendly price tag with a creative label and you definitely have a wine that is sure to catch one’s eye.

However, what is fascinating from a marketing standpoint are several incendiary statements that blue winemakers have made to the media.   “We thought about how it would be to have real people making wine for real people, not a wine made by experts to pseudo-connoisseurs,” said one of the co-founders to Eater.com. “Ignore all the preconceptions and standards regarding [the] wine industry and turn a deaf ear to what the sommelier told you in the wine tasting last week,” according to the anti technical sheet. Judging by these quotes, it is almost as if blue wine is trying to bait the establishment. But since Millennials are far less likely to purchase a bottle based on the score of a prominent critic, there definitely seems to be a method to this madness. It’s not going to help the sales of blue wine if the likes of Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator embrace them; it’s only going to help if they rebel against them, wearing their condemnation as a badge of honor.

Sound like a blueprint for success?

Examples of social media postings using #BlueWine

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Question: I am confused by wines being called rose, pink and blush. What is the difference?

Answer: It is confusing! As a long time Champagne lover I understood rose to mean a sparkler showing various shades of pink produced from either a little time spent on the dark skins of the grapes or with some red pinot noir wine later added to the clear juice. There were also those special still roses from Provence including Tavel AOC & Anjou in the Loire as well as rosato from Italy and rosado from Portugal. Sweeter styled Mateus became a big seller in the seventies along with the commercial pink “white Zinfandel”. As more red grape varieties were being used for still roses around the world the name evolved to include blush for those showing less red colour. Hard to know by the use of the name alone which wines are going to taste dry or sweet. Now it is all rather confusing and the three words you mention seem to be used interchangeably.

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By Joseph Temple

For the people of Romania, viticulture is a cherished art that has been practiced on their land for over six thousand years.  Producing more wine than any other Balkan state, this republic currently ranks as the fifth largest area for wine acreage in Europe, behind only France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.  Surviving both phyloxxera in the late nineteenth century and a collectivist system that diminished the quality of its wines for decades, Romania appears to making a comeback with certain regions standing out to foreign investors and wine buyers.  So have a look below at ten facts that cover the basics of a wine industry that is one of the oldest in the world.

1. It has been said that when the Romans conquered Dacia in 106 AD, they found the local wines to be superior to their own.

2. In Romania, the Black Sea provides a moderating influence and the Carpathian Mountains serve as a barrier to cooler weather from the north.

3. Generally, the northern regions produce white wines and the southern regions are known for their red wines.

4. In 2008, Romania was the sixth-largest producer of wine in the EU, representing roughly 3.1% of their total wine production.

By Vincon Romania (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

5. In addition to indigenous grapes like Fetească, Romanian vintners also grow many vitis vinifera varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling.

By Ulrich prokop (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

6. Romanian wines tend to be sweet or off-sweet, which is the preferred style for domestic consumption.

Image: www.cotnari.ro

7. One of the most famous wine regions in Romania is Cotnari in the northeast, which produces dessert wines that have been compared to Hungary’s Tokaj region.

8. Located on the 45th parallel, another famous region is Dealu Mare, which means “big hill” and has excellent conditions for winemaking.

9. Under Communism, quantity was preferred over quality in order to get stable western currency. This resulted in destroying the image of Romanian wines abroad.

By Vincon Romania (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

10. Despite its production, exports have historically represented less than 10% of the Romanian wine market. In comparison, Hungary exports approximately 40% of it wines.

Sources:

Clarke, Oz. Oz Clarke’s New Wine Atlas: Wines and Wine Regions of the World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002.
Facts on File Incorporated. Romania. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2004.
Harding, Julia. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Jackson, Ronald S. Wine Science: Principles and Applications. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2014.
Oxford Business Group. The Report: Romania 2008. Oxford: Oxford Business Group, 2008.
Roberts, James. The Mountains of Romania: A guide to walking in the Capathian Mountains. Milnthorpe, Cicerone Press Limited, 2013.
Shakespear, Nigel. Times New Romanian: Voices and Narrative from Romania. Leicester: Troubador Publishing, 2014.

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