Vegas Happenings | Block16 Hospitality Group Donates to The Shade Tree Shelter

Block16 Hospitality Group Donates Proceeds from Special Menu Items to The Shade Tree Shelter

Las Vegas based hospitality group, Block16 commemorated the season of giving by donating all of the proceeds from Holsteins and LBS Burger’s limited-edition “Billy Burger” and Pink’s Hot Dogs bestselling “Chili Cheese Dog,” to The Shade Tree. The generous Block 16 donation will provide assistance to Nevada’s largest and only 24-hour shelter, which provides over 100,000 nights of shelter each year.  The Shade Tree offers abused women and children in crisis housing, meals, emotional and educational support, job placement and a variety of life skill classes.

Block16 Hospitality’s corporate executive chef, Anthony Meidenbauer, proudly presented the $4,220 check, the result of a month long fundraiser at the three restaurant venues, to The Shade Tree’s director of development, DeAndre L. Esteen, Thursday morning on KTNV’s “The Morning Blend.”

Named after the owner of Block16, the holiday specialty “Billy Burger” featured a delicious juicy turkey burger topped with homemade stuffing, fresh cranberry-orange relish, tangy herb mayo and crisp fries and was a hit among customers who happily indulged in the delectable dinner dish, knowing they were helping the community.

The Perfect Burger on The Morning Blend


Donation check for The Shade Tree Las Vegas

Additional recent and upcoming happenings include:

AQUAE SULIS SPA AND SALON inside the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa announced the appointment of ARZU DELP as director of resort experience.  In her role as director of resort experience, Delp will oversee the daily operations of the Aquae Sulis Spa in addition to the resort pool, Waterside Café and Golf and Transportation. Working alongside the spa’s management team, Delp will help implement the new menu of specialized services designed to focus on the well-being of guests and incorporate a balance of wellness and relaxation into every treatment.

1OAK, the legendary New York nightspot, is opening a Las Vegas version at the Mirage on New Years' Eve, December 31 with the opening night bash hosted by pop star, Fergie. Five times bigger than the NY location, it’s a cross between an after-hours art gallery with suggestive Roy Nachum paintings filling up the walls from floor to ceiling, and a speakeasy, along with music spun by an enthusiastic DJ.

The new PUBLIC HOUSE, an 8,000-square-foot contemporary tavern, located on Restaurant Row in The Venetian, opens on New Year’s Eve.  With all the makings of a traditional tavern, what makes this contemporary adaptation stand out is the exceptional fare by corporate executive chef, Anthony Meidenbauer, who has crafted a menu of rustic American classics with a new-age spin, hard-to-find cask beer selections, Nevada’s first certified beer cicerone and, a comfortable, hip atmosphere reminiscent of a Prohibition-era speakeasy that celebrates the classic tavern through the lens of modern design. The laid-back restaurant and bar will be open daily for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Some of the hottest New Years Eve parties on the strip are:

KIM KARDASHIAN hosts the Tao/Lavo party on the big night.

Kim's younger brother, Dancing with the Stars contestant, ROB KARDASHIAN counts down the New Year at Tryst Nightclub inside Wynn Las Vegas.

Just west of the strip on Flamingo Road:  Legendary DJ, producer, and Grammy-nominee PAUL OKENFOLD along with Liquid Todd and Zen Freedman will perform at Rain Nightclub inside the Palms Casino Resort.

Additional musical entertainment to help ring in the New Year include:

STEVIE WONDER at the Cosmopolitan

MARY J. BLIGE at the Tropicana's RPM Nightclub

VANESSA WILLIAMS at the Riviera

THE COMMODORES at the Eastside Cannery.

The comedians scheduled to perform the week of Jan. 3 – 8, 2012 at the IMPROV inside Harrah's are:

DON MCMILLAN: In 1993, McMillan was the Grand Champion of “Star Search” and has since had numerous television appearances including "The Tonight Show" on NBC, CNN's "The Larry King Show,” MTV's “Half Hour Comedy Hour” and A&E's “Evening at the Improv.”

JOHN DIRESTA: In addition to being the title star of a short-lived UPN sitcom “DiResta” from 1998 – 1999, John DiResta has appeared in several films, including “Miss Congeniality” and its sequel, “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.” Currently, DiResta co-hosts HGTV’s “Hammered with John and Jimmy DiResta” and also stars as "Johnny" in the spoof series “American Body Shop” on Comedy Central.

KENNY KANE:  In addition to being a regular in Las Vegas and touring the U.S., Kane has performed for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has been heard by millions of listeners on the nationally syndicated “The Bob & Tom Show” and was seen regularly as host, stand up and sketch comedian on UPN’s “Seriously Unusual TelevisionNetwork.” Most recently, he can be seen on Fox's “Talkshow with Spike Feresten.”

Other Happenings:

RPM Nightclub, at the new Tropicana Las Vegas, introduces STARFKR, its new Wednesday industry night party featuring award-winning mix master and STARFKR resident, DJ Hollywood, starting January 4. The night will also serve as Hollywood’s official birthday celebration featuring special surprise guests. STARFKR Wednesdays will celebrate local service industry personnel as well as the city’s entertainers with a one-of-a-kind interactive party scene.

Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy “The Natural” Couture will host his fourth annual “OPERATION ALL IN”  POKER TOURNAMENT AND CHARITY AUCTION benefiting the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 14 starting at 2 p.m.

This event, held in The Grand events center, is open to the public and will feature a celebrity charity poker tournament, live and silent auctions, autograph sessions with photo opportunities and raffle prizes while giving back to injured troops. “Operation All In” will welcome professional celebrity poker players and stars from the MMA world and Hollywood to play alongside the public in its charity poker tournament, where several great prizes will be awarded along with the grand prize of $10,000 cash. The buy-in for “Operation All In” at the Golden Nugget is $220 with $100 multi re-buys.

World Market Center Las Vegas announced it has inked a monumental multi-year deal with Top 20 manufacturer BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. The new 20,000 square foot showroom is located in Building A, Suite A-953. The space will be open for the Las Vegas Market, which will be held from Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2012. "This announcement marks the addition of yet another major exhibitor to our growing list of key resources offered at World Market Center Las Vegas," said Tom Mitchell, president of furniture for International Market Centers, parent company of World Market Center Las Vegas. "We believe this partnership with Bassett will also attract more noteworthy industry leaders to the Las Vegas Market, driving continued growth for our exhibitors and give buyers even more compelling reasons to shop this market."

The MGM GRAND LAS VEGAS LION HABITAT AND THE HABITAT RETAIL SHOP will close on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.  Plans for the space will be released at a later date.

Celebrity Sightings:

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert was spotted at Marquee Mondays.

Wednesday night, December 28,...

American soccer star Josmer “Jozy” Altidore was spotted enjoying Blue Man Group at The Venetian Las Vegas with a group of friends.

Jozy Altidore (far right) at Blue Man Group

Thomas Dekker from The Secret Circle on the CW celebrated his 24th birthday with dinner at LAVO.  He was joined by co-stars Chris Zylka and Shelly Henning, along with Jade Ramsey who he shared the screen with in All About Evil and Anthony Fitzgerald, his co-star from Laid to Rest as well as actress Nikita Ramsey.

Also spotted at LAVO was UFC pro Alistair Overeem who fueled up for his upcoming match against Brock Lesnar.

At TAO TV doctor Drew Pinsky dined with friends.

Thursday, December 29...

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, recently in the news for the critical head injury she suffered from a gunshot wound in Tucsan was sighted at BODIES…The Exhibition  inside Luxor Hotel & Casino, with her husband, Mark Kelly.

Singer Brandy dined at TAO.. She was with beau Ryan Presson.

Actor Jareb Dauplaise dined at LAVO with a friend.

DJ Benny Benassi headlined as Insomniac took over TAO for a special Halfway to EDC edition of Worship Thursday.

Benny Benassi
Photo credit: Brenton Ho/Powers Imagery

Floyd Mayweather Jr., along with some friends, had dinner at N9NE Steakhouse inside the Palms Casino Resort to celebrate Floyd’s mom’s birthday.

UFC president Dana White along with some friends hung out at the Playboy Club.

Friday afternoon, December 30, Four time NBA All Star and Olympic Gold medalist Spencer Haywood dined at Greens & Proteins,  a nutritious new hot spot in Henderson serving favorite foods, including fresh made-to-order pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and more, with a healthy twist. Haywood showed off his 1979-80 season LA Lakers Championship ring before posing for a photo with John Kinney and Jeff Kovatch of Greens & Proteins.

Jeff Kovatch, Spencer Haywood, John Kinney, Greens and Proteins


Spencer Haywood