Vegas Forgot One of Its Best Tricks.
Dinner used to be entertainment. Now entertainment has its own ticket.
Before we sat down for dinner, someone started singing. Then a burlesque dancer was doing some table dances. A mermaid was on a food cart. Then a group of people on unicycles. The lights were already dimmed. There was no announcement. There was no extra ticket. It just happened.
And somewhere between my chicken parm and dessert, I realized...
Vegas forgot one of its best tricks.
Let’s be honest. Vegas nostalgia has become its own industry and a split social topic. People complain about casinos they never walked into. They mourn attractions they skipped for twenty years. The second something closes, suddenly everyone claims it was their favorite. If it re-opens, people still don’t go. People are funny like that.
I don’t actually miss everything.
I miss the things that made Vegas feel unpredictable.
Bellagio’s fountains don’t require reservations. The Mirage volcano didn’t care if you bought dinner. Carnival in the Sky wasn’t hidden behind a VIP package. Even walking through a casino used to feel like something could happen, not because it always did, but because it could. And I’m a big believer that nostalgia can work, but it still requires some evolution.
We’d already seen The Party a few months earlier and loved it…
So when Restaurant Week rolled around, going back to Superfrico was an easy decision. It’s been a year or so since we had been. The place was packed, like it always is. Psychedelic. Loud. A little chaotic, but that’s the Vegas I love.
Superfrico has never been my favorite restaurant because of the food (although it’s pretty good). It’s one of my favorites because of the feeling. The little gem salad is excellent. The chicken parm is different and better than most. A three-course meal for $80 (Restaurant Week special) with continuous entertainment is a pretty reasonable deal in this town. But I didn’t leave thinking about the plate. I left thinking about how long it’s been since dinner itself felt like the show, without really paying for….. A show!
Somewhere along the way we decided restaurants should only serve food. Entertainment moved to theaters. Music moved to clubs. Magic moved to…. well IDK who even does it anymore that’s good. Everything became its own purchase. Vegas used to blur those lines, and that’s what made the city feel alive.
We’ve seemed to have lost the feeling that anything unexpected might happen before the check arrives. Hell, most of the time the “check” is the biggest surprise of the evening. These days we wait in line for “secret” bars with hashtags. We reserve experiences months in advance. We buy VIP access to surprises that have scheduled start times.
If I had $500 million to build a casino tomorrow, I would NEVER DO a celebrity steakhouse. I’d start with dinner shows. One mob. One Rat Pack. One Rock n Roll (Hard Rock are you listening?) One completely ridiculous. Because memories don’t happen when you’re sitting quietly looking at your phone. They happen when something interrupts dinner.
People always say they miss “old Vegas”, the volcano, the pirate ship show. I don’t even think they miss free shows. I think they miss not knowing what was going to happen next.
For a couple of hours, Superfrico reminded me that Vegas can still surprise you. Not because the food was unforgettable. Not because the performers were world-famous. Because for a little while, I forgot what was coming next.
That’s the Vegas I hope never disappears.
Do you miss that old feeling of not knowing what might happen next, or are places like Superfrico enough?
-Jason
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As always, my thoughts are my own; they are NOT sponsored, I pay for my experiences, and I reserve the right to praise and talk shit about whoever and wherever I feel warranted… Hope you enjoy!