Top 10 Things I Miss About Las Vegas

This is on my list - the venue, not the two staggeringly attractive dudes.
But you'll have to keep reading to see where Downtown's craft brewery
Banger Brewing lands on the list. And yes, I was drinking their Hazy IPA
while Mark was enjoying their Blonde Ale. The sort of thing I remember.

I didn't write a single blog in April. Neither this one nor my beer blog, Brew Ha Ha.

I was halfway through Part Two of our Kingston Craft Brewery Invasion for the beer blog and just stopped cold. That was back in late March.

Why? I think mostly the enormity of what's going on around us these days (virus-wise) frankly knocked me silly. Stunned me. In my long stay on this planet, I have never seen anything quite like this.

Not long ago, my buddy, Mark, from London, posted one of his critically-acclaimed (I'm the critic and as such, acclaimed it) Vegas vlogs: "The Top 10 Things I Miss About Las Vegas."

Okay, back in 2012, Motley Crue did a two-week
residency at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino. This is the kinda thing that I can't use in
this list. Why? Because the Hard Rock no longer
exists. It's gotta be something I can do in Vegas
right now! Boy howdy, this was a killer concert!!

For folks our age, it's kind of a David Letterman thing that we remember with love. Now Mark and I have only met once in Vegas but I think we got along like two houses on fire. (Is that an expression? I feel like it is.)

I kinda thought, "Maybe I should do that, too." Try to get past my... I don't wanna say Writer's Block. More like Writer's Malaise. Just wasn't into it. I saw Motley Crue do their residency at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino back in 2012 and to use their words, I needed to "Kickstart My Heart." I'll include Mark's vlog link at the end as his list is vastly different than this. That said, while some things on Mark's list resonated with me, a few of these will bring a smile to Mark's face.

Okay, despite the fact that my first 13 trips to Vegas were on the strip with Trips 14-16 in the Downtown, I have weighted the list equally for both. Why? Because I absolutely love Fremont Street. For reasons you'll see. And it's gotta be something I can do or see if I landed in Vegas tomorrow. Can't be something I haven't done yet, such as The Front Yard at Ellis Island Hotel-Casino. Also nothing from the past that no longer exists. To be frank, if that were the case and as unpopular as this choice would be, the Imperial Palace Casino would be Number One on my list with the old O'Sheas not far behind. (Not as keen on the new one.)

Sometime between the night of April 11, 2018 and the
following morning, workers had adorned the Statue of
Liberty outside New York New York with this humongous
Golden Knights jersey to celebrate their team's first ever
NHL playoff win. I've no idea how they did it so quickly.

So let's get this Vegas party underway, shall we?

Number 10: The Golden Knights jersey on the Statue of Liberty at New York New York. I can tell you exactly when this happened because I was in town. On April 11, 2018, in their inaugural NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights won their first ever playoff game 1-0 over the Los Angeles Kings. (They would sweep them in four.) On the morning of April 12, I came out of the Excalibur where I was staying, got onto the walkway bridge between New York New York and Excalibur. I looked up to do my now-traditional cheerful salutation, "Morning, LL" (Lady Liberty) and by gawd, she had this gigantic Golden Knights jersey on. How did they get it on her that quickly? I have no idea. But I have attended all three Toronto Maple Leafs games in Vegas and have seen first-hand their fans' enthusiasm, rowdiness and - this surprised me more than a little - true knowledge of the game. Vegas Golden Knights' fans are the real deal all the way.

This is Mike Palm (@mikepalmcirca) doing, as I recall,
college football predictions during the "My Guys At The
Longbar" TV show at The D way back in November. His
usual partner on the show is Derek Stevens, who owns
The D, Golden Gate and the coming-soon Circa. It was
fortunate Derek was not there as I would have Vegas
Geeked The F**k Out! We all need our heroes, right?

Now, by my own stated rules, would the jersey be on her right now if I landed in Vegas? Yup, it goes on her when the Golden Knights are in the playoffs and yes, right now, they would be if the NHL and Vegas were still up and running.

Number Nine: The Longbar at The D. Settle in because despite the fact that this is not my beer blog, you're gonna see many alcohol-related (okay, beer) things on this list. The majority go to Vegas to gamble. I go there because I love the carnival-like atmosphere and drinking great American craft beer.

The D was the second hotel-casino I stayed at on Fremont Street (Golden Nugget, also much loved, was the first) and a big reason for that was The Longbar. I spent a week there and by Day Three, the bartenders there stopped asking when I approached and simply went about pouring me a 32 ounce (946-ml) plastic beer pail of Stone IPA. There were basically three guys I dealt with during the course of the week and if memory serves, two of them just called me "Canada" as in "Hey Canada, still having fun?" Yup, always.

So how long is the Longbar? There are 15 widescreen TVs behind it, each
showing a different game. They had a captive audience in me as one night
last November when they had a Maple Leafs game on one of the TVs.
The Leafs weren't even playing Vegas. But they know hockey fans from
Canada are down there and they mix it up pretty good on those screens.
So here's seven of those 15 widescreens. That'll give you a good idea of it.

But Derek Stevens, who with his brother, Greg, owns The D, isn't afraid with fist-bump with their Canadian guests. Bar Canada on the second floor of The D opened the night before I was meant to land there in March. And the following night, the town was shut down. British Vegas vlogger Matt Bridger has been there. I have not. If he wasn't such a cool dude, this would be a lawsuit. Regardless, the Longbar remains a stellar example of Vegas-Done-Exactly-Right. An absolute favourite of mine.

Number Eight: Excalibur. I already know this choice will meet with some serious derision. I get that. Pretty much every place on the strip is a solid step up. But bear with me.

In Vegas, I feel like I'm a king... and this is my kingdom.
Excalibur has been my home there much more than any
other hotel-casino and when I return to the strip (I'm kind
of a Downtown guy at the moment), they will see me once
again. I absolutely go there every time the Toronto Maple
Leafs are in town so hey, I'll be back soon enough, friends.

The digs against it is that it's old (built in 1990 - if that's ancient, then WTF am I?), too cartoonish with its Disney castle turrets (back when Vegas was trying to portray itself as family-friendly) and that there are too many kids there. Matt Bridger, also an Excalibur fan, says Circus Circus gets the same knock. No biggie to me. The reason is I quite like kids. If 50 of them were running around me, screaming and yelling, I likely wouldn't even notice. I'm a parent and we get desensitized to the raucous squeals of children early on. (Unless it's crying. Then we come running.)

But the simple fact of the matter is this. A room to me is just somewhere I sleep, shower and the place my clothes live for a week. The bar is not set too high for me. I'm there to see Vegas, not my hotel room. Cost-wise, it's usually the best bet on the strip. It's clean, it's nice, the staff are friendly but they have one more thing that the other places don't. Baja Fresh, right next to classic burger joint Johnny Rockets, is a fantastic 24/7 Mexican food place. To me, that means shrimp burritos any time day or night. And believe me, there hasn't been a time that Baja Fresh has not seen me. They're as likely to see me at 5 a.m. as 5 p.m. Because if you can't eat a tasty-ass burrito for breakfast, well, who the hell are you trying to impress?

The best band I saw on the Third Street Stage were rockers
Alter Ego. Don't get me wrong, there were other really good
ones, as well (Hey now, Crush Featuring Chandiss) but these
guys seriously kicked ass. Best of the 80s, 90s and '00s here.

Number Seven: Free Concerts on Fremont Street. This actually blew my mind when I landed on Fremont for the first time back in September. Free concerts every night. There's three separate stages on the street. The Main Street Stage between Golden Gate and soon-to-be Circa? Yeah, never saw anything happening there. The First Street Stage between Circa and Binion's. Same thing. Nada. But the Third Street Stage between 4 Queens and The D? Now we're rockin'. There were exactly two styles of music that bands played on this stage. Country and rock. I like country music just fine - it's quite danceable - but my key issue with it is that the men are always singing about how much they love their women while the women are always singing about what cheating scumbags their men are. Somebody is lying here. Best bet is the men. So make mine rock music where everyone lies and cheats but sings honestly about it. The Fremont Street Experience, a collective of the hotel-casinos, is paying for your free music. It's just appropriate that you enjoy it. To a non-gambler like me, Vegas doesn't send a lot of freebies my way. But this one? Free live concerts? I dig that action.

Way back in 2010, Wonder Boogie entertained
my girlfriend and myself in Carnaval Court. It
was the middle of the afternoon and frankly, we
were already drunk. No one was allowed on the
stage. So I said to the security guy, "I just want a
quick picture." He said, "Okay" and here it is...

Number Six: Carnaval Court: Situated just south of Harrah's Hotel-Casino on the Vegas strip is a cool little spot called Carnaval Court. It has one of those circular bars where the bartenders pour booze straight into your mouth, as well as a mini amphitheatre. During the day-time, that amphitheatre was kind of an informal thing. The live music played but you wandered around at ease. Musically, the best band I saw there live was called The Spasmatics. Like Alter Ego, above, they slayed it. Looked like the guys in Revenge of the Nerds but nailed the rock.

But the most fun band I saw in Carnaval Court? Wonder Boogie. When I was in high school towards the end and Disco came out, I very much despised it. I was a Led Zep Head even then. Jeans, jean jacket and black t-shirt. I was that guy. Now that I'm older, I remember things, especially music, with a more nostalgic view. Wonder Boogie played not only Disco but tons of R&B that I always liked... then and now. But the best thing about this band wasn't even the music. The singer came down and got interactive. And I mean, in-your-face interactive. Suddenly, he was the one pouring shots in your mouth and making you sing along. Yeah, I did both, I admit not even sheepishly. Come on, it's Vegas! The rules of your life no longer apply. Being drop-dead drunk just past lunch time was now the new normal... when you're in Vegas. And again, free live concerts!

Me and the Manneken Pils out front of The D during my
November trip. Whenever I visited this little fella, I
always thought one thing. "Washroom inside the door
to the right." Being a beer drinker, even seeing a statue
do it, well, it brings that call of nature on. Excuse me.

Number Five: The Manneken Pils Statue At The D: This one is gonna seem a little bit silly and frankly, quite self-indulgent. But it was kinda thrust upon me by Hog of Hog-and-2cent fame. And that suits me just fine. The little boy in front of The D with his D out. I have, of course, seen pictures of the original in Brussels and apparently, ours (Sorry, Derek and Greg, I've taken partial ownership now) is a good head taller. So you know, "Manneken Pils" quite literally translates to "little man pee." It's a nod to the Stevens brothers' Belgian heritage. If this strikes you as somehow vulgar or unnecessary, all I can say is don't come to Vegas. Like, ever. I think it's a blast.

So how am I connected to this statue? Simple. Kaylene of Sin City Nerds (follow on YouTube - great couple) took a picture of hubby Nick, lying down in front of some fountain doing that sexy dude pose. (Nick will confirm guys can so NOT pull that shit off.) But Hog suggested the couple do a calendar, kind of a "Men of Vegas" thing, with all the guys in front of statues or fountains. He picked mine for me. "Don's got to do that peeing boy statue!" Hey, man, happy to do so. But be warned! You WILL be in front of the Bellagio fountain for yours! (FYI: He hates it.)

This is me showing my slick moves at a restaurant that was
called Stripper. For the record, there were no strippers but
there was a pole in the middle of the bar and every once in a
while, a waitress would climb the thing and do moves. Kind
of silly but very Vegas. I believe Stripper left the Miracle
Mile Shops quite some time ago. But, of course, I have a pic.

Number Four: The Miracle Mile Shops. I've always called it the Miracle Mile Mall. Because it is. I am not a mall guy. For most men, that likely goes without saying. But this is not your regular mall. Running a full circle around Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino for 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometres), I absolutely maintain that you could stay at Planet Hollywood and never once see the strip. This place has everything. More than 200 shops, 15 restaurants and more than a few live entertainment venues. It's humongous. I've been to about five of those restaurants and every damn one of them was great. My favourite, now gone, was Hawaiian-themed Aloha Spirit Cheeseburgers, which had, no joke, about 25 differently prepared cheeseburgers. Thought I'd died and gone to Heaven! No longer there because turnover (like rent) is huge in Vegas but one place I know for sure is. That would be Sammy Hagar's Wabo Cabo Catina. Love the Red Rocker. Been through that place a bunch of times. Two floors upstairs of just clothing and memorabilia. Sammy knows his shit.

And Sin City Brewing is in there. They make a damn fine malt first, pine back-end hybrid IPA. And I quite liked it. Also, a great amber ale and a solid straight-forward stout. They only have five styles there. All are very good examples of their styles. Solid brewery.

Okay, also a Nacho Daddy there, a big favourite of mine. And of course, for Hog and 2cent, there is an Earl of Sandwich, their favourite.  There's two ABC convenience stores where I get my craft beer. And a few memorabilia shops that I frikkin' loved. I dunno. Pretty much the only mall I've ever enjoyed in my life. What can I say?

This is Toby at Freedom Beat serving me up a Sierra
Nevada Brewing Hazy Little Thing IPA. I have NO idea
if this is the 2-to-5 Happy Hour in the afternoon or in
the wee hours of the morning. Because of the 14 I could
have potentially gone to, I made it to 12. When $8 craft
beers are suddenly $4, you make that extra effort, right?

Number Three: Freedom Beat restaurant/bar at the Downtown Grand. Okay, I stayed at the Downtown Grand, just a three minute walk off Fremont Street, based on the strength of a Matt Bridger vlog that I watched about it. Turned out to be a fantastic choice as I spent my 2020 Birthday Week there in Vegas back in February.

Now the Downtown Grand has a lot working in its favour. Great hotel! Room was fantastic. Never went to the pool but on Matt's video, it looks fantastic and it's a rooftop pool with a view so that rocks. Because it's a smallish casino, their bar service to the slots and games was the best I've seen of any place in Vegas! And I mean, by a long stretch. Every 10 minutes someone came by. No place in Vegas has that. Strip or downtown.

But the best part of the Downtown Grand? Their restaurant, Freedom Beat, which was actually something of a gem that Matt Bridger missed. (A very rare occurrence, I assure you.) Okay, let's start with the obvious. Their Happy Hour. Every afternoon from 2 to 5 pm and again, every morning from 2 to 5 am, they have half-price drinks and appetizers. So my $8 (16 ounce) pints of craft beer were suddenly just $4 a pint.

The sign in the background at the entrance of
Freedom Beat caught my eye. Yes, that one about
half-price Happy Hours at 2 to 5 pm and again at
2 to 5 am. I asked the hostess, "Is this for real?"
Yup, she smiled. So I walked into the bar, asked
for a menu to see what appetizers I could make a
meal out of, as well as asked what was on tap. It
was then I realized, holy shit, I'm set for the week

And here's the situation with that. They had Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing New England IPA on tap. They also had Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on tap. So a great east coast and west coast IPA. You can't lose. And if I was eating (even breakfast), they had Mother Earth Brewing (Vista, California) Sin Tax Imperial Peanut Butter Stout on tap. Second best Peanut Butter Stout I've ever had after Belching Beaver (San Diego) Peanut Butter Milk Stout, also imbibed in Vegas.

So here's what happened the week I was there at the Downtown Grand. I started by drinking their Hazy Little Thing NEIPA but two days in, the keg tapped out. So I switched to 60 Minute IPA. A few days later, it tapped out but the bartender said, "Donny, we got Hazy Little Thing back." The universe truly had this guy's back. And the appetizers? Two of them were easily a full meal to me. My favourite? The deep-fried Cheese Kurds with a dill dipping sauce. I wish I could say I only eat and drink like this in Vegas but why lie? No one who knows me is gonna buy that shit. So the Downtown Grand. Go when it's back, thank me later!

Number Two: Banger Brewing. The first time I landed on Fremont Street last September, I had pre-Googled nearby craft breweries. Two - Tenaya Creek and Hop Nuts - were listed as 10-15 minutes Uber rides away. Quite reasonable. Another, Banger Brewing, was listed as a 10 minute walk. I certainly liked that idea.

This was more than just a pleasant little surprise. As well
as being super close, their beers are exceptionally solid
and, in some cases, way off the beaten track style-wise.

So I landed in Vegas late at night and as is my opening night tradition, especially in an area that's new to me, started staking out the bars at the nearby casinos to see what their bars had on tap. Almost all had Stone IPA (so I would never go thirsty) and Sam Adams Boston Lager (a solid day-starter after coffee), as well as a few other sporadic craft selections. Not in abundance, mind you, but I've always been exceptionally good at tracking them down elsewhere. Also when I land in Vegas late at night, I tend to roam about until about 4 am (because I'm so damn jazzed to be there) until my body says, "Hey, asshole, it's 7 am Toronto time. Go to fakkin bed!!!!"

So it wasn't until Day 2 that I tracked down Banger Brewing, still with my morning (so, noon... ish) coffee out of the Golden Gate Hotel-Casino. Okay, I said to myself, right turn equals east... go. It was less than 10 minutes but there it was on my left so... north! I hadn't eaten yet but there was some kind of food stand within their boundary so I figured a cheeseburger and fries equaled a balanced breakfast because any qualified registered nutritionist will say it totally does.

Here, JJ at Banger Brewing holds up a glass of El Heffe
Hefeweizen that I am about to devour. Pretty much one of
my favourite Vegas beer discoveries. The brewery and I
have an ongoing battle about how much heat is in this
one that mostly involves them calling me a wuss. Okay,
the truth is it's more spicy than hot but it is the most
unique wheat I've ever had during my craft beer days.

Unless they're, y'know, honest or whatever.

But when I step into a brewery that's new to me, there's some strict criteria that has to be met. Do they make both a traditional west coast IPA, as well as a hazy New England IPA? In Banger's case, check and check. A solid stout? Their Long Knight Oatmeal Stout, top notch. Okay, moving on, unique beers? This is where they really stepped up their game. Their Morning Joe Kolsch is so damn good with its touch of coffee flavour, I found myself saying, "Are you sure this is actually a Kolsch?" (Not a style I usually seek out.)

But it's their wheat beer that truly sets them apart from others. The German purists, who created the style over 500 years ago, would faint if they tried Banger's El Heffe Hefeweizen which includes roasted jalapenos, serranos, habaneros and red-green peppers in the brewing mix. I am always calling it out on Twitter as the "hottest" wheat I've ever enjoyed. The brewery always responds by saying, "Dude, it's not even remotely hot!" The actual truth is it's beautifully spiced, very peppery and that's the problem the German diehards might have with it. Even Bud-drinking buddy Mark liked it! This is not your Grandpa's wheat. Long story short, Banger Brewing is one of the greatest discoveries I've made in 16 trips to Vegas.

I have landed. This is my Vegas Mothership. The
Yard House. Over 170 taps and some of the best
craft beers from across America and beyond!!
I honestly can't say enough about about the Yard
House. Fantastic servers, great vibe and the food?
Aye carumba! What Heaven looks like, people!!

Number One: The Yard House. Okay, true story. I was wandering down the esplanade between The LINQ and The Flamingo on the strip when I spied a bar that has "Craft Beers" on its marquee. So I wandered in, grabbed a menu and saw a few decent ones. Ordered a Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, California) Union Jack West Coast Style IPA. (This is NOT my beer blog. But dammit, I think it's the one of very few parts of my life that my brain actively remembers. Back to Vegas.) But when talking to the bartender about craft beers, he sorta looked around to make sure no one was listening and said, "Look, forget this place. You know too much about good beer for here. (False! You can never know enough about good beer.) Go further down until you get to the Yard House. They've got this peanut butter Stout that tastes like a Reese's Cup. Trust me, a beer guy like you will love it." (That would be the aforementioned Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout.)

So, after thanking him, I wandered further east until I came upon Yard House. Wandered in like the scruffian I am and plunked my butt down at the bar. Really nice looking restaurant. I mean, I'll happily jam fast food and pizza slices down my gullet while in Vegas but it's also nice to have a few really good places you can recommend to your friends. Checking both their bar menu and their food menu, this was that place.

Justin at the Yard House gives me an old-school
double thumbs-up for my selection of a Big Sky
Brewing (Missoula, Montana) Shake-A-Day IPA in
their (28.7 oz, 850 ml) half yard glass! That's a
whole lotta tasty in one killer-ass glass. Cheers!

This was the place I could send my friends who love craft beer. The ones who love a great meal. The ones who love a chill but still upscale meal environment. Are there fancier places on the strip? Yes, of course, there are. It's Vegas. But the Yard House checks off all the boxes coming in from two sides. It's quite respectable... yet also hugely accessible. A place you'd be happy to bring a date. Unless you're a high roller who disdains at the public at large, this is a place where you can be seated comfortably near the low rollers among us and hey, just have a great beer, a martini if you're a little more Fancy Dan, a fantastic meal or even a couple of tasty appetizers if you're an eat-and-run guy like me. (Try their Onion Ring Tower. It's seriously dope.)

While I was compiling this list (I'll add some runner-ups in a second), I had no doubt the Yard House gang would be #1. In fact, I'm such a vocal and fervent fan of theirs on Twitter that Brandon from their HQ (no idea where that is) sent me a DM thanking me and asking for my home address. The next night(!), Fed Ex knocked on my door with a box of Yard House swag - a couple of T-Shirts, sunglasses, coasters, bunch of stuff, along with a card, thanking me again for being "such an awesome fan!" Yard House, you earned the status of being the Best Craft Beer Bar in Las Vegas, combining my two favourite things! So thank YOU!

Something that was definitely considered as I compiled my Top-10 List
was Marc Andre Fleury's save on Leaf Nic Petan on November 19 last
year. It saved the game for Vegas (VGK 4-2 win) and sent Leafs coach
Mike Babcock packing. (Thank you for that, Marc Andre!) But I have
seen all three Maple Leafs games at the T-Mobile Arena and each has its
great memories. On New Years Eve 2017, a 6-3 VGK win, I saw William
Karlsson score the first ever hat-trick for the Knights. And on February
14, 2019, I watched a 6-3 Toronto win on my birthday. All very cool...

Winnowing this down to 10 choices was bloody tough so here's a few that were considered but edged out. Attending all three of the Toronto Maple Leafs games against the Golden Knights in Vegas (reasons under the picture of Marc Andre Fleury, right). Posing at the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign on my birthday 2018. The crazy entertainment circles on Fremont Street. The Super Liquor store across the highway from Mandalay Bay (whatta craft beer selection there!) Zingerman's Coffee near the elevators at The D. The Prohibition Bar at Golden Gate Hotel-Casino where Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin used to drink back in the day. Whiskey Licker Up, the rotating bar attached to Binion's Casino on Fremont (which I saw being built!) Surviving three hours getting drunk at Hogs & Heifers Saloon in the Downtown Grand complex despite being the non-biker dude in the joint. 

Being Canadian and having our border with the US
being locked down right now, I have no idea when I'll
get to see Vegas Vic and the cool Viva Vision screen
on Fremont Street again. It can't come soon enough...

Checking out the Triple-7 Restaurant-Microbrew at the Main Street Hotel and Casino at Hog and 2cent's urging. (Great call, guys!)

When I attach Mark's Top-10 List link at the end, you'll see his list is very different than this. But that's the thing. But if I asked any of my Vegas friends for their Top-10s, I can guarantee you'd virtually see a different list from everyone.

But that's Las Vegas. We all find joy in different things there, come for different reasons but the commonality among us all is none of us can get enough of the place. My coworkers are convinced I will live there some day and man, I hope they're right. Because there's no place anyplace I'd rather be. It truly energizes me and as gamblers go, well, I sure do love my craft beer! (I'm pretty bad.)

Until I can land there again, I will continue to follow updates from Vital Vegas and Las Vegas Locally as they are the premier scoop-grabbers of the place, far surpassing the local media. So here's Mark's vlog: Top-10 Things Mark Misses About Vegas! As for me, I can't "wait to cross Casino Center, wait to cross Casino Center, wait to cross Casino Center, walk to cross Casino Center." Peace out and stay safe, my friends.