No matter which teams end up going to the Super Bowl, this year’s game could be the biggest ever — Las Vegas will host the title match-up for the first time. For perspective, the city is already the world’s biggest destination for Super Bowl Sunday, with about 300,000 people annually flooding the hotels, sports books and restaurants. Add the excitement of proximity, and analysts estimate that number could go up to 450,000 visitors by kickoff on Feb. 11.
While only 65,000 fit into Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, those unable to score a ticket will have plenty to see. Here is the play-by-play on where to stay, what to eat, the pre-celebrations to attend and the thrilling game-day watch parties.
Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar at Mandalay Bar sits adjacent to Allegiant Stadium and showcases the 50-yard line experience with a 30-foot-long LED viewing screen in the main dining room and high-definition TVs throughout the venue. There is a premium open bar, an all-you-can-eat menu and a post-game party.
A Las Vegas-based restaurant group is set to open its first Boston-area restaurant next spring. The location is a natural fit: Encore Boston Harbor.
Carver Road Hospitality will open Seamark Seafood & Cocktails at the casino next April, joining outposts from other local restaurateurs like Frank DePasquale and Nick Varano and the restaurant and nightlife chain Big Night.
Carver Road’s co-founder and CEO, Sean Christie, is a Framingham native. He called the upcoming Encore opening a kind of homecoming, since Seamark evokes the kind of seafood restaurants he remembers from Cape Cod.
Christie began working in the hospitality industry in the Boston area before moving out to Las Vegas. There, he became an executive for Wynn Resorts, which made its name in Las Vegas but came to the Boston area itself when it opened Encore in Everett in 2019.
Christie recalled being in Everett when construction kicked off, and says the casino is now his entry back into Boston’s hospitality scene. He once worked shifts on Lansdowne Street for the Lyons Group, including at Bill’s Bar and Avalon. He also grew up around restaurants through his family: his father, Peter, was a longtime head of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
“I always wanted to come back to Boston,” the 49-year-old Christie said. “This is probably the most excited I’ve been about a project since we opened the company.”
Seamark will sit between Encore’s main lobby and the club Mystique in a space that was originally the restaurant Sinatra and later Harbor Lounge.
Salt Lake City is home to the University of Utah, Westminster, and Salt Lake Community College, which create a vibrant nightlife scene. However, for college students new to the city, it can be challenging to know what bars to check out and which ones align with your preferences. To assist in your quest for the best booze in Salt Lake, we’ve compiled a list of the top seven college bars in the city, complete with descriptions to aid in the tedious decision-making process.
BEST BARS TO DANCE AT
Good Grammar — The atmosphere at Good Grammar screams trendy, the colorful and art-decorated bar is always packed on a Friday night. It also has as an indoor and outdoor area that features some of the best DJs around the City. With a dance floor in the middle and three different areas to get a drink, your spirits will always be high and your glass will never be empty. 69 E. Gallivan Ave, SLC
Why Kiki — Despite being a recent addition to Salt Lake’s bar scene, this establishment has already gained a reputation as one of the city’s finest. The queer-friendly bar has a tropical theme and hosts drag shows upstairs and silent disco downstairs. The drink menu features a range of thrilling tropical cocktails, as well as $5 shots. Don’t forget to check out their Drag Brunch on Sundays, it is not to be missed. Find Why Kiki’s full schedule of events here. 69 W. 100 South, SLC
BEST BARS TO JUST SIT DOWN, GRAB A DRINK, AND RELAX
X Wife’s Place — This bar is the definition of laid back, and is a hotspot for University of Utah students.. It’s cash only, offers games of pool, and please for the love of god, don’t order anything besides just a pitcher of beer. Bring a friend, grab a pitcher, and sit down at one of the booths! 465 S. 700 East, SLC
Dick N’ Dixie’s — This dive bar strikes the ideal balance for its customers. The crowd is older than X Wife’s, with more recently graduated college students rather than freshly started ones. Although there is no designated dance floor, the music selection is consistently enjoyable. You can choose from a variety of refreshing cocktails and beer options. It’s the ideal bar to either kick off your evening or wrap it up. 479 E. 300 South, SLC
BEST BAR TO PREGAME AT BEFORE KICKOFF
The Green Pig Pub — This sports bar serves cocktails, beer, and bar food. With T.V.s on every wall, live music, and trivia, Green Pig is a hotspot during football season. Similar to Dick N’ Dixie’s this bar’s crowd tends to be older college students or recent graduates. The perfect step up if you’re trying to get away from underage kids! 31 E. 400 South, SLC
BEST BAR TO WATCH THE GAME AT
Flankers — A little bit newer and a lot more boujee! A sports bar that turns into a club at night. This bar is huge, and sits right in the middle of The Gateway. Service is always fast, events going on almost every weekend, and now has collabs with University of Utah for college nights! A personal favorite of mine, but make sure to get there early, or you’ll be stuck in line all night. 6 N Rio Grande St. Suite 35, SLC
BEST FOR EVERYONE
Shades On State — A bar located right next to The Green Pig Pub and Good Grammar, that makes it the perfect location to hit on a bar crawl. Offers an array of drinking games such as darts, pong, and pool, as well as a dance floor. Shades has a little bit of everything, making it a great option when your group is indecisive about where to go. However, it’s worth noting that the crowd can be a hit-or-miss. Some nights the place is buzzing, while on others, it’s not. So make sure it’s the move before you order an uber! 366 S. State St, SLC
Disclaimer: Salt Lake magazine does not encourage under-age drinking. Our guide to college bars is intended for students that are of-age to imbibe only.
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Carversteak will, you might say, be a product of serendipity when it opens at Resorts World on Dec. 30.
Carver Road Hospitality co-founder Sean Christie is a Strip veteran whose previous postings included jobs with MGM Resorts and at Wynn Las Vegas. So one might wonder why he chose Resorts World for his new venture.
”They had a space available. They were wanting a steakhouse. I was asking about something else, Christie said.” He had just launched his company, which also has Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club in Salt Lake City, which opened Dec. 8, and plans to open a restaurant in New York City in mid-February.
“There was a level of trust that we’d be great partners,” Christie said. “When I looked at the mix … steakhouses usually perform really well. It was a big space, which I liked. All those things collided to create this opportunity for both sides.”
For the chef and vice president of beverage and hospitality culture, Christie tapped two more longtime locals, Daniel Ontiveros, late of Scotch 80 Prime, Joel Robuchon and Bouchon Bistro, and Francesco Lafranconi, former corporate director of mixology and spirits education for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, who had Mr. Coco at the Palms.
“We feel like we hired one of the best chefs,” Christie said. As for Lafranconi, “he’s executed programs that are among the tops in town, and we’re trying to keep that level of excellence.”
While steakhouses do tend to perform well in Las Vegas, there are dozens of them, so the question arises of how Carversteak will be different.
We have a lot of technology that turns into an atmosphere of classic-into-contemporary,” Christie said. “Earlier in the evening, the lights will be brighter, music will be of a certain genre. As the place comes alive, the lights go down a little bit, music comes up, and there’s a pace and energy that’s still restaurant-forward and culinary-forward but that creates that buzz.
Another thing that will be a little offbeat is a big, 28-seat bar near the entrance that he says is sufficiently prominent as to take center stage.
Over the years the Las Vegas consumer has changed the way it relates to steakhouses — especially conventioneers,” Christie said. “There’s a sector of people who like to eat at the bars; I’ve noticed this in the past five or so years. For myself, when I go in with friends, the bar is a place we naturally end up.
For that reason, the bar, as well as its 10-seat counterpart on the patio, will serve the full menu.
And what will be on that menu? Details still are being worked out, but expect lots of steaks, of course, many of them dry-aged American cuts and Japanese-certified wagyu steaks. One signature will be a 40-ounce wagyu tomahawk rib chop; others include a whole Maine lobster en croute and hamachi crudo.
It’ll be served in an atmosphere that Christie says will be rich in “mid-century modern aesthetics,” inspired in part by Barry’s Downtown Prime at Circa and Maple & Ash in Chicago.
Bar & Restaurant Expo is pleased to announce the finalists in each category of the 2022 Industry Excellence Awards, sponsored by sunday. Finalists in each category are recognized for their talent, integrity and commitment to equality, sustainability, community, and culture across the industry.
The Industry Excellence Awards are dedicated to recognizing, celebrating, and supporting the companies and individuals who make the independent bar and restaurant industry great. Winners in each category will be announced at the 2022 Bar & Restaurant Expo on the Expo Hall Floor on Wednesday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m.
2022 Industry Excellence Awards Finalists include:
Bartender of the Year
Brooke Rodwancy, The Gristmill Bar, OH
Inga Tantisalidchai, OLEA, CA
Josh Davis, Brown & Balanced, IL
Chef of the Year
Nicole Brisson, Brezza & Bar Zazu, NV
Rhonda McCullar, Uchi Dallas, TX
Tim McDiarmid, Tim the Girl Catering, TX
Cocktail Bar of the Year
drink.well, Austin, TX
Rocks & Drams, Los Angeles, CA
The Jones Assembly, Oklahoma City, OK
Community Leadership Awards
Adam Orman, L’Oca d’Oro / Good Work Austin, TX
Jeremy and Natalee Price, Taste of Tuscany Ristorante, CA
Sam Mustafa, Charleston Hospitality Group, SC
Innovator of the Year
Christie Lawler, The WITI Group, TX
Lindsey Johnson, Lush Life Productions, NY
Vyoone Lewis, Vyoones Restaurant, LA
LGBTQ Venue of the Year
Bachelor Forum, Rochester, NY
Downtown Olly’s, Indianapolis, IN
Numbers Nightclub, Houston, TX
Most Original Concept
Cosmic Gorilla, Cincinnati, OH
Dad’s, Minot, ND
Loro, Dallas, TX
Operator of the Year
Barbara Sibley, La Palpa / Holiday Cocktail Bar, NY
Leslie Martin, Bouldin Creek Café, TX
Tara Gillum, Steiner’s Speakeasy, OH
Restaurant of the Year
Carversteak, Las Vegas, NV
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, CA
Lumi, San Diego, CA
Sports Bar of the Year
Caddies on Cordell, Bethesda, D.C.
Chatterbox Bar & Grill, Benton Harbor, MI
Dawg House Saloon & Sports Book, Las Vegas, NV
All thirty finalists will receive 2 Expo + Party Passes to attend the 2022 Bar & Restaurant Expo, plus coverage on the Expo’s website, social media, newsletters and more. In addition, the 10 winners will be given a beautiful custom award, additional media coverage, and a VIP Ticket to attend the Expo in 2023. Winners are also eligible to become part of the judging panel moving forward.
Sin City is coming to the Big Apple.
Carver Road Hospitality, the lifestyle company behind Las Vegas hotspot Carversteak, will debut its first-ever project in New York City this fall, Page Six has exclusively learned.
Starchild Rooftop Bar & Lounge will be opening at the Civilian Hotel in the Theater District in late October, a rep for Carver Road Hospitality tells us.
“There is an insatiable appetite for rooftops in Manhattan,” CEO Sean Christie says in a statement. “Starchild is the convergence of the energy and culture of the burgeoning neighborhood, and our success and passion for creating intimate and exhilarating experiences.”
The lounge, designed by renowned architect David Rockwell, will offer speciality cocktails and bottle service, and patrons can snack on light bites including caviar and chips, charcuterie and pizza.
“Starchild will be the neighborhood’s newest destination for happy hour, corporate events and late-night revelry in a safe and secure environment,” the rep shares. “Thursdays through Saturdays, esteemed DJs, special guest artists and original programming will elevate the energy as guests commune, dance and party under the stars.”
We’re told the hospitality group will celebrate the lounge’s opening with not one but two extravagant Halloween parties.
One Management models will christen the lounge with a private Halloween bash on Oct. 27 before the venue opens to the public the next day.
Then, on Oct. 29, Anderson .Paak will deejay as his alter ego Pee .Wee for a Halloween party dubbed “27 Club,” which will celebrate famous rockers who have died at the age of 27, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.
We’re also told Carver Road Hospitality will be opening a restaurant, Rosevale Kitchen + Cocktail Room, in the Civilian Hotel.
“Chef Jeannie Glass’ menu of American and French fare with global twists borrows from the immigrant cultures that make up the fabric of New York City,” the rep shares of Rosevale, which will open its doors in mid-November.
PHOENIX — A new high-end sports bar recently opened at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Flanker Kitchen and Sports Bar located at BetMGM Sportsbook has a 265-square-foot video wall, more than 35 high-definition televisions and two private game-viewing rooms, Carver Road Hospitality, operator of the new sports bar, said in a press release.
The new location also has indoor and outdoor seating and a second-floor balcony with views of the Great Lawn.
The restaurants offers scratch burgers, sliders, tacos and salads, in addition to its beverage program, which provides international whiskeys, craft cocktails and Mexican agave spirits.
There are various special programs offered throughout the week, including happy hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, $7 select food and drink on 777 Wednesdays and specials on Taco Tuesdays.
Doors will also open at 9 a.m. on game days.
“It is an honor to partner with the Arizona Cardinals and BetMGM,” Sean Christie, Carver Road Hospitality’s chief executive officer, said in the release.
“Both organizations share our passion for excellence and innovation in hospitality and delivering unique and guest experiences.”
Resorts World Las Vegas just got a new luxury steakhouse.
Just in time to ring in 2022, Carver Road Hospitality will open Carversteak, its highly-anticipated luxury steakhouse, at Resorts World Las Vegas on Dec. 30. The opening date is an intentional kickoff to New Year’s Eve weekend on the Las Vegas Strip.