Las Vegas Mixtape v29: Rocking Burlesque, Doughnut Pleasures, and Boho Surprises — Track #5: Around Town Medley

Track #5: Around Town Medley

The ever-growing SoCal/Vegas culinary connection continues with the unveiling this past December of the Venice-originated Gjelina at The Venetian. The brand is known for its “produce-forward, locally sourced, sustainable cuisine,” and the restaurant is on my list to try.

But, especially with the horrific California wildfires on everyone’s mind, I instead felt the calling to dine at a simpler SoCal eatery, like the West Hollywood, CA-born Pinches Tacos at The Gramercy development on W Russell Rd in the southwest (there’s also another Pinches downtown at Container Park).

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Feeling vegetarian, I couldn’t resist the potato and manchego cheese-filled flautas, plus the sopes with pinto beans. Each offering was a delicious, soulful, and fresh celebration of Mexican food. The ambiance at the eatery and bar (marking its ninth anniversary this year) is fun and colorful, with carefree Day of the Dead dancers painted on the walls.

Downtown, The Beverly Theater continues to be an essential cultural spot. The programming at the gorgeously designed arthouse cinema and live performance venue makes Vegas, well, smarter. A case in point: the recent screening of the truly wild documentary, “Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story,” followed by a lively Q&A with Red Kross brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald (the pride of Hawthorne, CA) and the film’s director Andrew Reich.

It’s still amazing to think that Jeff was 15 and Steve was 11 when they started the band, merging feral punk rock with their unabashed pop culture obsessions. For proof, dive into their early nugget “Annette’s Got The Hits,” their punchy tribute to Annette Funicello and the California sun, and their self-titled new album on which they triumphantly come off like a micro-dosing Cheap Trick.

On hand at the packed Beverly event was punk hero Mike Burkett (NOFX frontman), who founded The Punk Rock Museum here—another place that makes Vegas smarter.