Dish With Trish Delivers 100% Stratusfaction for Wrestling Fans in Las Vegas

Trish Stratus continues to build on her strong relationship with wrestling fans with restaurant takeover in Las Vegas.

By the time I had arrived at Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar inside Mandalay Bay on Thursday night, the joint was already packed with eager pro wrestling fans who were ready to ‘Dish with Trish’, and there was a growing line of folks outside the front door.

Reservations were highly encouraged for the latest stop along what has been a highly successful First Crush Tour for the woman who has been doling out 100 percent Stratusfaction for over 26 years.

As she does with everything in her life, Trish Stratus poured her heart and soul into this restaurant takeover for WrestleMania week. She helped curate an entire specialty menu of food and cocktails, organized watch parties and put together special events like her sit-down Q&A session with legendary ring announcer and longtime WWE travel partner, Lilian Garcia.

“I’m so happy,” Stratus told The Takedown on SI as the evening was drawing to a close. “As this started to come together, I could just see the pieces. I’ve been here since Sunday. I landed, my right and I hand came right from the airport, literally here. And we just like started putting it together and it was a little overwhelming.”

The WWE Hall of Famer didn’t exactly travel light. She brought suitcases of her old wrestling gear, keepsakes, title belts, and merchandise. Enough to set up a mini-museum alongside the main stage of the restaurant.

Trish and her team started from scratch by assembling the tables and the mannequins, and worked late into the night to transform this empty party room into a gallery of the most iconic matches and moments from her career.

“Honestly, there was one point, I said this to my team, ‘Who the hell do I think I am?’ I’m gonna have this whole place filled with me, me, me, Trish, Trish, Trish and expect people to show up. And before we even launched, like as soon as we said we’re open, there were people buying the merch and looking at the stuff.”

Stratus remembered one gentleman in particular who walked into the museum and proclaimed that he had just stepped back into his childhood. He then turned around to find none other than his first crush kneeling on the floor, putting price tags on the merchandise.

“He was like, ‘I didn’t think you were actually gonna be here.’ I’m like, ‘Of course!’ This is my baby. And that’s how I do everything, from my matches to my promos, to my everything. It’s how I approach everything. So I’m just happy to see it come out and have happy people who came and supported it.”

As I took my seat at the bar, I sparked up a conversation with a man who had been following Trish’s career from day one. He was there the night she made her WWE debut with Test and Albert at the Nassau Coliseum in New York back in March of 2000, and he was even able to quote her first-ever promo word-for-word.

Trish has countless dedicated fans like this gentleman, and she really goes out of her way to pay them back for the love and support in any way that she can. Thursday night was the latest example, as Lilian Garcia and herself regaled the crowd with stories from the road, the Attitude Era, and answered questions about potential dream matches in the future.

After discussing a number of great options, including Rhea Ripley, Trish landed on either running it back with a heel Becky Lynch or facing off against Liv Morgan as the ones that most intrigued her in the moment.

Prior to the show getting started, I couldn’t help but dive into the menu that Trish put together. As more of a beer drinker, I was hesitant to order a cocktail, but screw it. You only live once.

The ‘Mic Drop’, named in honor of her good friend Lilian Garcia, is a mix of Absolute Vanilla, Mr. Coffee Black Coffee Liqueur, cold brew and sea salt caramel. Not to sound like Ron Burgundy, but man did it go down smooth.

It had the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and didn’t have an overwhelming punch of alcohol flavor, which typically leads me to shy away from these types of beverages. It also packed vibrance and a shot of energy, perfectly encapsulating some of the best qualities of Garcia herself.

Nailing this cocktail the way she did, is all the more impressive when you learn Trish doesn’t drink.

“I did some research, preparing for this opportunity. That’s absolutely what I did. I was like, I needed something country. I needed a whiskey. When I think of Mickey James, right. Hardcore country. Jazz, I needed like a classic drink, you know? And then, it just kind of all came together.”
Garcia was a huge fan of the drink herself and agreed with my own assessment that Trish’s knowledge of her friend played a vital role in crafting this beverage. Plus, the dedication, drive and attention to the details that Lilian first saw in Trish years ago on the road.

“That’s the thing is I got to see from day one,” Garcia said. “The determination, the hours put in, the training and being like, I gotta do better, I gotta do better. And the car rides… deciphering and just breaking down what she would do. Getting on the phone with her husband Ron, and him [breaking down what he saw]. Just… always wanting to improve.”

I’ll say this much, there was nothing to improve about the food. On the recommendation of the seven-time Women’s Champion herself, I ordered the ‘Stratusfaction Smash’ burger and was absolutely blown away by what the kitchen had prepared.

Covered with bacon onion jam, garlic aioli and American cheese, and topped with a pink bun, the double smash patties were cooked to perfection. They still had some thickness, which allowed them to be crispy on the outside and still gushing with juice in the middle. Most importantly, they were perfectly seasoned, as were the side of tater tots, which had the exact type of crunchy exterior and soft, pillowy inside that you want in a good tot.

‘Dish with Trish’ was a rousing success all the way around, and the takeover of Flanker Kitchen + Bar is an enjoyable experience for wrestling fans of all ages who have flocked to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42.

The rise of streaming content has given birth to an entirely new generation of Trish Stratus fans, and she’s noticed a sizable shift in her following over the past few years.

“It used to be just all men at my autograph signings. And now you have kids, and you have the dad and the mom. They’re like, I grew up watching you and now my kids are growing up watching you. And it’s super cool. It makes you feel super old, but it’s very cool. It’s really good to know, even the wrestlers, that I’m touching a different generation.”
That reflection of parents and their children bonding over their love of professional wrestling really hit Trish and Lilian during our conversation. Stratus recently lost her mother, and said that because of her condition last summer, she almost didn’t accept her booking against Tiffany Stratton at Evolution.

“My mom made sure I did that match. I was like, ‘No, mom. I have to take care of you.’ She said, ‘go do that match. Do what you can while you can.’ And she made me go out there and she had that as like one of her last memories.”

My First Crush week at Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar will continue through this coming Monday, with a SmackDown and Raw watch parties, plus Golden Era night on Saturday with appearances by Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Jazz and Lisa Maria Varon.