Here is the latest roundup of restaurant news from around the Las Vegas valley:
1. Bahama Breeze's 4th annual Rumtoberfest is now underway. During Rumtoberfest, guests can surprise their friends with a special coconut delivery with a personalized message. This offer is only available while supplies last. Purchaser only pays $5.45 shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S. On Sept. 23, Bahama Breeze will partner with Uber for the first time to give guests a safe, fun and interactive experience when they head to the restaurants. Between 4 and 9 p.m., guests who use Uber to visit any of Bahama Breeze’s 36 locations nationwide to receive a free appetizer. Rumtoberfest ends Nov. 6.
2. Ferraro's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar's September Taste & Learn event takes place Sept. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. This wine and food-pairing experience invites guests to taste four wines, each accompanied by an authentic Italian small plate prepared by Ferraro’s Executive Chef Francesco DiCaudo. This month, Taste & Learn showcases wines from Tuscany’s renowned Il Poggione Winery. Il Poggione was the first winery to popularize Brunello di Montalcino, which it has been doing since the early 1900s. This installment of Taste & Learn will also feature not one, but two Brunello tastings, including a 2010 Riserva regarded as perhaps the best Brunello di Montalcino vintage ever. Space for this intimate event is limited and tickets (tax and tip included) are $65 per person. To make reservations, call (702) 364-5300.
3. Hank's Fine Steaks at Green Valley Ranch will host a wine dinner on Sept. 29 celebrating the wines of Joseph Phelps. Menu highlights include a roasted Brussel sprouts salad, braised veal cheek, black bass with Kabocha squash, red wine marinated flank steak, and an almond gianduja bar. Cost is $125 per person excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling (702) 617-6800.
4. If you are looking for the perfect drink for fall, head to Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip or on Paradise Road for one of their new Bold Sips through Nov. 13. Drinks include the Mango Tequila Sunrise, Peachy Keen Punch, Spiced Cinnamon Mule, Blackberry Peach Bramble, and Rush on the Rocks. Each cocktail comes in a Hard Rock Cafe souvenir Mason jar, available for $14.99 with refills for $10.49 (plus tax). The new drinks are part of the Smoke, Fire and Spice menu.
5. The 3rd annual Festival of Ravioli has returned to d.vino Italian Food & Wine Bar at the Monte Carlo. This year's menu created by Executive Chef Martin Garcia features 7 unique interpretations of ravioli using season, farm-fresh ingredients. Dishes include crab ravioli, corn agnolotti, short rib ravioli, four cheese ravioli, chicken ravioli, pear ravioli, and chocolate ravioli. d.vino is open Sunday through Thursday 4-10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4-11 p.m. The festival continues through Oct. 28. Reservations can be made by calling 702-730-7966.
6. Tom's Urban inside New York-New York has introduced several dishes for Fall. New items include a crispy chicken & cornbread pancake; urban skillets including choice of Nashville kickin' chicken, bacon two ways, or the ballpark breakfast; Banh Mi with choice of pork belly lettuce cup, burger, or pork belly street taco (all served with a chile lime Asian slaw, sliced cucumbers, picked onions, sliced jalapenos, fresh cilantro and chile mayo); the Pig in the Garden or Tastes Like Cheesesteak personal pizzas; low-country shrimp & grits; and fall-inspired cocktails such as the Blackbeard and Beergria (Blue Moon and Angry Orchard mixed with agave nectar and Angostura bitters).
7. PBR Rock Bar & Grill has updated its menu with new items from Executive Head Chef Joey Camacho. New menu items include The Smokin' Jerk Burger with pepper-jack cheese, charred jalapenos, sauteed onions and a chipotle pineapple mayonnaise ($15.95); the Red Velvet Krispie Cake made from made from red velvet crispy rice cereal bound by a gooey marshmallow sauce, with cream cheese frosting and drizzled with chocolate sauce ($8.95); and The Main Event Bloody Mary made with PBR’s house-infused garlic and basil vodka and PBR Mary mix, garnished with a celery stalk, a Buffalo chicken wing, a burger slider and two crispy strips of bacon ($30 / $125 bowl). Other new food items include smoked sausage bites, a grilled cheese B.E.T., Texas brisket pizza, S'Mores waffles and peach cobbler pizza. Other new drinks include the Kentucky Mash mary, PBR's Gin & Juice, How You Like Dem Apples and The Jalapeno Cucumber Mojito.
8. The Taste of Red Rock is happening Oct. 1. The event will feature a selection of food and beverage tastings poolside. More than 30 restaurants from the resort and local community will be participating including 8 Noodle Bar, Libre Mexican Cantina, Greens & Proteins, Kona Grill, MTO Cafe, N9NE Steakhouse, Nacho Daddy, Paradise India, Pier 215, Vinter Grill and Yan International. Guests will enjoy the sounds from DJ Dig Dug. A portion of the proceeds from tickets sales will benefit local charities such as American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen and Three Square Food Bank. General admission is priced at $80 and VIP admission is $105 plus tax and fees (complete with early entry at 6 p.m. and entry into the 10 p.m. after party at Crimson). Tickets can be purchased at any Stations Casinos Reward Center or online at SCLV.com.
9. A new restaurant is now open at Downtown Grand. Freedom Beat takes its cues from the best dishes found throughout the USA. The menu was created by Chef Scott Cumings (Season 12 winner of "Hell's Kitchen). The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items include pork belly benedict, upside down caramel apple pancakes, oyster po boys, a pot roast sandwich, an IPA burger, grilled corn 'elote' style, smoked wings, East Coast steamers, slow-braised greens, garlic mashed potatoes, ale-batter walleye, shrimp and andouille jambalaya, hoppy ale & cheese soup, the Freedom beet salad, a cast iron-seared sirloin, S'More donuts, skilled apple pie and funnel cake. The restaurant is also a live music venue.
10. Specials for the month of October at Aliante hotel-casino include 14 oz. Tuscan ribeye at Bistro 57 for $32; flat-iron steak with au gratin potatoes for $29 at MRKT Sea & Land; special Oktoberfest dishes at Medley Buffet through Oct. 27; all-you-can-eat taco bar during college football games on Saturdays at The Salted Lime for $10; and food and drink specials during the NFL and NCAA season inside the race and sports book.
11. The new restaurant Standard & Pour in Henderson has introduced a Happy Hour from 4 to 7 p.m. daily. The Happy Hour features $5 and $8 items. Some of the $5 items include salt & pepper fries, mac & cheese, meatball sliders, select beer and select wine. $8 items include mini burgers, kimchi tacos, spicy shrimp, special cocktails and a beer and whiskey shot.
12. Trevi Italian Restaurant is celebrationg National Pizza Month (October) with $10 pizzas for the entire month between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Chef Jose Navarro is offering a sausage and peppers pizza. a Margherita pizza, a herb roasted chick pizza and more.
13. Cantina Laredo is welcoming Fall with a new drink, the Avocado Margarita. Available for just $12, the limited-time only cocktail features 1800 Añejo Tequila, Midori Melon Liqueur, lime juice and smooth blended fresh avocado with a Himalayan salt rim. The Avocado Margarita complements the modern Mexican restaurant’s extensive food and beverage menu, featuring fan favorites such as Top-shelf Guacamole, Tacos de Barbacoa, Enchilada Veracruz and Fajitas.
If you would like to submit an item for an upcoming 13 Things list, send a press release to joyce.lupiani@ktnv.com.
