Oscars Steakhouse, Plaza Hotel and Casino and Fremont St

 

This past May 2022 we finally made it back to Vegas due to the COVID restrictions throughout our world. Three years later, we landed in our playland, Las Vegas. 

This time, we spent more time downtown Las Vegas, then on the strip. However, we did stay at The Wynn in the Encore Towers, simply because it was on our list of resorts to stay at before the epidemic broke out. 

We have so many new and established resorts to try out ; and the list keeps getting longer. For one, we like to stay at : 

1. Plaza Hotel and Casino
2. Circa, Las Vegas
3. The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas
4. Mandalay Bay 
5. Resorts World

As you already know, we’re from Canada, so visiting Vegas can be a costly adventure, due to rising gas prices. Flights are constantly rising in Canada, making our trips fewer then past visits. Patricia and I have been going to Vegas since the late 1980’s ; back then, we would visit Vegas two or three times a year. 

Interesting fun fact : In the ‘80’s we had to take a flight to Salt Lake City, then to Las Vegas. Today, we are spoiled with direct flights from major cities in Canada. 

The costs are going up, but Vegas Resorts are doing everything in their power to invite you. They are using comps or great room rates, to entice you to stay on their property. 

Downtown Las Vegas isn’t any different. 

Oscars Steakhouse and Plaza Hotel and Casino

During our latest visit, we had to go Downtown Las Vegas ( #DTLV ) to see all the improvements in the past five years. Sad to say, it’s been five years since we went down Fremont Street. Fortunate, we were also invited by CEO Jonathan Jossel of The Plaza Hotel and Casino to celebrate our 43rd anniversary at Oscars Steakhouse.  Both, Patricia and I are indeed grateful ; this is what we said :

“ I would like to personally thank plaza  CEO Jonathan and Oscars professional staff for a wonderful Anniversary dinner on May 28th 2022.   The 14 oz Steak with Béarnaise sauce and the 16 oz Prime Rib with Au jus,  were both presented to perfection 🙌 . 

We also had the privilege to meet Manager James Phillips. 

On top of the great dinner, Johnathan presented our 43 rd Anniversary above Oscars in neon lights, “ Happy 43 rd Anniversary Bari and Patricia”. 🥂 Can you imagine the surprise to see our names in neon lights. 

WOW ! We are both so humbled and grateful for the special attention that was given to us by Johnathan and the hardworking hospitality team of Chefs, maître d' and servers.  Bravo ! 👏👏👏

Truly, the menu is outstanding and I would highly recommend your next special occasion at Oscars Steakhouse, The Plaza Hotel and Casino. 

Oscars Steakhouse dining atmosphere is simply superb, overlooking Fremont Street, adding to a tranquil evening with your partner. Make your next occasion by reserving with Oscar Downtown Las Vegas. 

Thank you so much Johnathan 🙏 

Vegas Reviews / aka Bari and Patricia “

The time and detail to our anniversary at Oscars Steakhouse is indeed special to us, and we will remember it forever. 

Did you know Plaza Hotel and Casino officially turned 50 years old on July 2, 2021 ? 

History of Plaza Hotel 

The downtown property was once known as The Union Plaza, when it opened its doors on July 2, 1971, referred to the Union Pacific railroad station. Since then, the Plaza has gone through amazing changes from the past to present, thanks to CEO Jonathan Jossel  and UK investors. Jonathan and his diligent team have turned Plaza around for the better, understanding his customers to the T. 

Simply a genius to have lawyer Oscar Goodman promote the Oscars Steakhouse, featuring “Oscars Dinner Series” on a monthly bases. We all heard of Oscar Goodman, past mayor of City of Las Vegas, plus he was an attorney defending clients, such as Chicago mobster, Anthony “ Tony the Ant” Spilotro. You must of seen the movie “ Casino” where the character Nicky Santoro was in fact based on Spilotro, by the one and only, incredible actor, Joe Pesci. 

Did you know Oscar Goodman did cameo appearances too ? 

Mr Goodman also invited the actors of Casino to his home, for a nice celebration dinner of the movie. I hear Oscars neighbour, Steve Wynn wanted to crash the party - lol. 

With all the recent improvements to the Plaza Hotel and Casino, it’s clear, Vegas Lovers groups, like us are sure to stay and spend our vacations. Just recently, the famous “Vegas Confessions Podcast” Julian Romero stayed at Plaza Hotel to give his podcast listeners an inside view of the Plaza. It will be interesting to see his take. 

But wait ! There’s more ! Did you know Johnathan and his team also have a Podcast called,” On the Corner of Mainstreet Podcast “. Here’s the inside scoop : 

“ On the Corner of Mainstreet Podcast provides an inside scoop on everything Downtown Las Vegas. From gaming and special events to new projects and the growing art scene, hear straight from the amazing people who are making downtown Las Vegas a unique and fast-growing destination. Recorded at the Plaza Hotel & Casino – on the corner of Main Street – Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel will be joined by special guests, including gaming industry leaders, entertainers, local officials and downtown partners, who will share their own exclusive and often entertaining perspective on where Vegas got its start and where it’s going now.

Hosted by Lisa Melmed, Johnathan Jossel and Gary Vickery. “ 

Tune into “ On the Corner of Mainstreet Podcast to learn everything that’s happening in Downtown Las Vegas. The introduction of the Podcast is very clever — hear it for yourself— Click HERE. 

There are so many cool things happening in Vegas, it’s hard to keep up. As a Vegas Lover, I’m always intrigued with the new changes, and look forward to my next stay in wonderful Las Vegas. Be sure, to make your next stay at The Plaza Hotel and Casino. As well, check out the mural artwork on the building and take a dip at the pool. Don’t forget to book a Cabana, it’s one of the better priced Cabanas around. 

I hope you enjoyed my latest blog about Downtown Las Vegas, Oscars Steakhouse and the amazing Plaza Hotel and Casino. Please take the time to join us all on Twitter : 

1. @plazapod ( On the Corner of Mainstreet Podcast )
2. @PlazaLasVegas ( The Plaza Hotel and Casino)
3. @JonathanJossel (CEO Jonathan Jossel ) 
4. @liisapphire 
5. @vegasreviewsvg - that’s me 
6. @Vegasconfesspod  ( Julian ) 

Cheers ! 

Vegas Reviews/ aka Bari 

Like my #blog posts - buy me a coffee will help support my efforts - thank you in advance :

See more in my YouTube video: 

#Plazahotelandcasino #anniversary #Oscar #VegasReviews #Vegas #DTLV

Travelling Chef Bari 

Traveling Chef Bari

 

Hey There VegasLovers ! 

Everyone in the Vegas community know me as Traveling Chef Bari. My wife and I have been going to Vegas since the 1980’s. Our first stay was at Maxim Hotel, which today is the Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa. We also had the privilege to stay at Aladdin hotel in the 1990’s. Today, that hotel was transformed into Planet Hollywood. 

Since those earlier days, we’ve seen a lot of Las Vegas and stayed at pretty much , most of the resorts on the Vegas Strip. We are indeed Vegas Lovers, never getting tired of the same vacation, because Vegas is constantly changing, offering new entertainment, tours and resorts to visit. The newest resort on the block is, of course, Resorts World. 

Come join us on Twitter or FB. On Twitter you’ll get up to the minute Vegas Videos from our VegasLovers Group, showcasing everything Las Vegas, including the gambling at the casinos. If you don’t gamble, not a problem, Vegas offers everyone something different. Be sure to try out Vdara Hotel and Resort ; it’s a non-gambling resort. It’s sister resort, ARIA Resort and Casino offers an array of high end restaurants, plus quick grab-on-the-go. 

As a retired Chef I enjoy Vegas as any other foodie, but with a keen eye on perfection, which Vegas restaurants have proved themselves, over and over, again. So, I’m not there to be picky. On the contrary, I’m there to enjoy the labour of love, each Chef puts into their menu. Being a Chef, like any other profession, takes time and a lot of hard work and long tedious labour, in order to reach for the top. In Vegas, we have the top celebrity chefs showcasing their restaurants, such as Gordon Ramsey, Bobby Flay or  Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, (showcasing the art of sushi). The point is, Vegas is teaming with professional chefs ready to serve you an whole new experience with food and fine dining. 

Every time I visit their restaurants, I’m honoured to have the opportunity to experience their form of culinary art, knowing all to well, the hard work and time, it takes to be a Chef. 

About myself

 I’m a retired red seal chef with over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.  Before I started my career as a chef, I was once an architectural technologist for a good 8 years, working for UMA Underwood Engineering in architectural and urban planning ;  my personal highlight was planning for the Calgary Olympics. 

After 1987, the economy crashed ; it forced me to move my family as far as Saskatchewan to continue my career. Unfortunately work became so scarce, this company went bankrupt and had no choice but go back into the hospitality industry that my parents did, when owning their restaurant. 

Changing careers trying to support my family was indeed challenging.  I went into the apprenticeship program at a high end private golf course, working under French Chef, Marcel Paron and then Chef Angelo, struggling through the intense training throughout high end resort hotels to even more private golf clubs. Eventually I got my Red Seal in the cooking trade. Once that was done, I moved along the line, from Cook 1 , Cook 2 , Cook 3, Chef de Partie, Junior Sous Chef, Day Sous Chef to Executive Sous Chef. From there I went on to become a Chef for Private and Public establishments, including the armed forces as a Public servant Chef ( not military) at Lancaster Park. 

Before all of this, however, I was an architectural technologist — you never know how many careers you may end up having. In the end, you experienced both professions under your belt.  Today, I’m retired and guess what, I’m back to my college years writing science-fiction - lol 

I miss the architectural aspect but still admire the architecture, and, as it is, Vegas showcases an ample portion of architectural bliss. My playland is Las Vegas where I can enjoy the food and the architecture at the same time. 

In Conclusion: 

Hope you can join me on Twitter as a group of us VegasLovers showcase our fun thru Vlogs on YouTube, giving our personal experiences of resorts, food, entertainment and tours.

See YOU in Vegas ! 

Cheers ! 

Chef Bari 

Website: https://chefbari.com 

Fountainbeau Las Vegas - The Journey

 

Photo Credit: @FormerlyWTC 

Formerly The Drew, Las Vegas , the Fountainbeau hotel chain has once again repurchased the same property, it had started to build in 2007.  The grand property was designed by Carlos Zapata Studio with Bergman Walls and Associates as the executive architect, featuring 95,000 sq ft (8,800 m2) casino, 2,871 hotel rooms, and 1,018 condo hotel units. 

Unfortunately, in 2008 all things went to hell, due to the Great Recession from 2007 - 2009. The financier ( a group of banks ) bailed out of their agreement with Fountainbeau ; of course Fountainbeau sued the group. With that, construction slowed to an eventual halt, with everything put on hold in 2009 ; not long after, the property filed for bankruptcy.  

A year later, Carl Icahn scooped it up with 70% of the resort completed. Carl is famous for purchasing properties with some kind of hardship and reselling for a handsome profit. Carl is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, located in New York.  He has a lot of interest in Las Vegas. Everyone has either heard of or dealt with him personally. All I can say, you can certainly learn from his financing expertise. He sat on the property until 2017, where he sold it to Witkoff Group, who joined partnership with Marriott International ( believe it or not, the original founders of Marriott was Mormon missionary, under John Willard Marriott, Sr.) 

Steve Witkoff ( the Witkoff Group) renamed the hotel “The Drew”, after his son, Andrew Witkoff, who unfortunately passed away in 2011. 

The Drew Hotel looked promising to finish in 2022, however, due to COVID restrictions, construction once again stopped. Again, Fountainbeau bought it back with a new investor, capitalizing on their past investment. Today the resort property is in full throttle, expecting a completion date of 2023. 

If you follow Scott Rouben with Vital Vegas, he recently wrote about the new features of this amazing resort. It’s going to a grand display, featuring a pool oasis, sure to give The Resorts, Las Vegas, a run for their money. Of course, Fountainbeau will display luxury throughout its property and technically, becoming the newest built property on the Las Vegas Strip.  As a long time VegasLover, I’m looking forward to staying at Fountainbeau. Hopefully all goes well, and we can welcome the Fountainbeau to the VegasLovers Group on Twitter. 

See YOU in Vegas ! 

Vegas Reviews ( aka — the VegasLovers Group ). 

Vegas Thoughts 2022 — Vegas Vloggers

 Good Morning Vegas Lovers ! Happy New Year 2022

I’ve been away concentrating on writing my science-fiction novel” #manuscript BLACK ANGELS , so haven’t posted for awhile on Vegas Reviews website .However, I do check-in on Twitter on a daily basis to chat with our Vegas friends.  If you haven’t joined in on Twitter yet - connect with me and I’ll introduce you to our  Vegas Lovers Group. 

Todays topic : Vegas Thoughts 2022 - Vegas Vloggers 

There are five things in my life that I’m passionate about. 

First is my thirst writing science-fiction either in short-story form or , to see my story on the big screen, using the screenplay format. 

Second would be my love for ART.  It’s such a big part of me. 

Third is without a doubt Vegas Baby ! Every time I arrive in Vegas, it’s like it has a spell over me. I can’t get enough of the luxurious rooms, the service, the eating and entertaining experiences. Of course, gambling in responsibly is part of the journey.  Since the 1980’s we’ve seen so many incredible changes, where most cities would have a hard time keeping up. The money poured into Las Vegas landscape makes me breathless. You know the old saying,” Money makes money”. Vegas corporations spend billions building mega resorts and sports venues, while their overhead costs  are millions per day ! At the same time, each business is competing with each other. That’s an Enterprise!  Vegas offers everything for everyone. 

Fourth is Hawaii. Unfortunately I haven’t been financial capable of visiting Hawaii for over ten years. And now — well… What can we say about this COVID crisis. Travel from Canada has made it literally impossible. I have some wonderful memories from Hawaii. Truly miss Hawaii. Anyway, a strong fourth on my list. 

Fifth is my respect for the hardworking Vegas Vloggers who love sharing their experiences with Live Feeds, Youtubers Vlogs and updates on Twitter, showcasing Viva Las Vegas.  The commitment to Vegas and their followers is hands down amazing ! My top four Vloggers are so well respected, Vegas Corporations are keeping a close eye on their marketing achievements. Each Vegas Vloggers have full time jobs, so taking valuable time out their lives, showcasing Vegas, tells us all how much they love Vegas. 

There is a long list of Vloggers, however these particular three are my personal favourites.  

THE COIN SHOW 

First and foremost, I’m totally entertained by Jason and Cailey Vegas #Vlogs, with the way they present their YouTube Channel, “ The Coin Show”. You could say they cover the finesse of Las Vegas Resorts, featuring Fine Dining opportunities.  They cover it all, from slots, fine dining restaurants to travelling off the strip, exploring interesting side Casinos. Their favourite spot is, without-a-doubt, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Apparently the Cosmo service is accommodating to each guest and it’s like home away from home. 

You can see more with their #YouTube feed  — just follow the link below and get to know them : THE COIN SHOW 

HOG AND 2 CENT 

My next Vegas Vlog couple are Hog and 2 cent. It’s pretty hard to say their second, because they’re just as good as The Coin Show. Each Vlogger have a particular theme and audience, that will totally jive with your taste.  A down-to-earth friendly, warm couple who invite you into their life’s. As I said before,”…truly a great couple sharing what we all love 💕 . Indeed making our little world a better place to live.” When your feeling down and out Hog and 2 cent will make you smile; and truly, that’s what we need now. A little happiness in our lives.

Hog and 2 cent are both professional teachers. It really is a romantic love story, finding each other in the same school district. Their hearts are big enough that “Make mistakes, take chances, be silly, be imperfect, trust yourself and follow your heart.” would indeed be their motto.  Our wonderful couple have a certain warm charisma, certain to attract your fancy. Their love for downtown Vegas is showcased throughout their Vlogs on YouTube. Be sure to check them out : HOG AND 2 CENT

PENNYS4VEGAS

My third and following neck-to-neck, is my friend Mark, from Toronto. His Vlog YouTube message, is how to enjoy Vegas on just pennies a day. That’s right! Penny4Vegas showcases the cheapest way to enjoy Vegas. Mind you, he’ll get some crazy awesome free stays at The Wynn, Las Vegas too.  From a Canadian side of how to see Vegas on just pennies a day, Mark is your man. 

Please Follow Mark here : PENNY4VEGAS

Now — the list doesn’t end here. I’m also entertained by Bobby G along with Mrs G. 

BOBBYGs GAMBLING 

If you’re looking for gambling tips on Poker or restaurants reviews throughout Nevada, Bobby and Mrs G have got you covered. Check them out BOBBYG GAMBLING 

Listen, like I said, there are a lot more Vegas Vloggers to choose from. Just follow us on Twitter and I’ll introduce you to them all. 

Mr Bari VegasLover / Vegas Reviews 

Hope you enjoyed my topic today and, as always, I will see YOU in Vegas ! 

Don’t forget to check out my website: Vegas Reviews - learn more interesting facts about Vegas right here on my website. 

Put on your Vegas Face and make your vacation plans soon - Vegas is waiting just for YOU. 

Vegas Reviews / aka Bari 

 PS : If you’re interested in science fiction, then go and explore my JAMES MONTANA SCRIPTS : 

See my Scifi YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

#VegasLovers #Vloggers #VegasVloggers #VegasFun #Youtubers #VegasThoughts #SaturdayVibes #writer #Vegasenthusiast #VegasTips #VegasReviews