When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven."
St. Patrick's Day has arrived, and worship to the jovial saint bends elbows all over town. Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York is leading the gallant green charge with its three-day Celtic Feis running Friday through Sunday. They shut down the Strip sidewalk around the Brooklyn Bridge, and the party spills out onto the Boulevard.
A $60 advance ticket will get you in for all three days of carousing madness, not a bad idea when you consider the hoards of the inebriated who will all try to buy tickets at once when the weekend arrives. Celtic rockers and U2 cover band Elevation rock the stage on the bridge for most of the day, while the beer garden has a harvest like none other. A live remote with KOMP 92.3-FM is on the schedule for all three days, but the parade is only on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.
Down the way at the home of the $1 beer, O'Shea's will be throwing a block party on the street between O'Shea's and the Flamingo. A beer pong tournament will anchor the action with a $300 cash prize for first place. Rocker Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Shots and Green Cabo-ritas will be on hand (we still find it weird that they no longer carry Vince Neil's Tres Rios tequila despite the fact that his tattoo parlor is in-house), and of course the O'Shea's leprechaun will be in attendance as well.
The fighting Irish will go at it with Brendan's Irish Pub in the Orleans, just a stone's throw away from McMullan's Irish Pub, each having their own Saturday shindigs.
McMullan's will have the food advantage, offering a limited menu including classics such as Shepherd's pie and corned beef and cabbage. In addition to the live music both inside and outside, there will be a giant Guinness trailer, making sure a good brew is always within an arm's reach.
Fado in Green Valley Ranch will be packed tight with partiers, and J.C. Wooloughan is another grand place to get your Irish up.
McCormick & Schmick's has a two-day celebration Friday and Saturday, with live music, green beer and drink specials on Guinness, Bushmills and Baileys to complement the special menu addition of corned beef and cabbage.
For a grand green retreat, head out to Lake Las Vegas for the St. Patrick's Day Festival, which has everything from concerts to crafts in MonteLago Village.
The Auld Dubliner will serve as the hub, featuring special Irish drinks and dishes Friday and Saturday. And finally, straying away from the pub, Jet puts on its now annual Shamrocks and Shenanigans Saturday night, which really has nothing Irish except the staff in green outfits, but any excuse to party is a good one, right? Slainte!
Polly Esther's finally gets lucky
Long in the works, Stratosphere's retro nightclub Polly Esther's has finally caught up to the present, as the grand opening weekend kicks off Friday, March 16. In keeping with the brand's mission to restore bygone icons to their full and former glory, Deborah (formerly Debbie; we still listen to Electric Youth) Gibson will perform for the inaugural bash, which will be hosted by Danny Bonaduce, naturally. On March 17, '80s heartthrob Tiffany will perform, with The Brady Bunch's Barry Williams hosting. Already looking ahead, Flock of Seagulls will perform alongside a special appearance by Dancing with the Stars' (and, formerly, Saved by the Bell's) Mario Lopez on March 24.
Luck is not a lady
Hidden in the back of a strip mall across from what used to be the Stardust, Lucky Cheng's Drag Cabaret Restaurant never really got the chance or the recognition it deserved. Finally escaping from the obscure location where it had opened for a short stint last year, the hysterical restaurant/bar/drag show is appropriately moving to Krave. With the home base in NYC a hit across all sexual orientations, the move will likely cross over cross-dressing into the Vegas mainstream.
Good luck ...
Just in case one day of binge drinking on green beer and Irish whiskey isn't enough, the same advocates for brain-cell eradication who brought you the 12 Bars of Christmas are now putting together a St. Patrick's Eve Downtown Bar Crawl. Promoter "Poizen" Ivy S. Hover and her Sin City Bar Crawls will take 100 guests through both the newest and historic watering holes on Friday, March 16. To get your liver warmed up for St. Pat's, go to sincitybarcrawls.com for more info. Tickets are $20 per person and $15 for groups of eight or more.
Cocktail of the Week |
Cran Blueberi Lemonade
Gordon Biersch, $7.50
Ingredients
1.5 oz. Stoli Blueberi vodka
3 oz. fresh sweet and sour mix
1.5 oz. cranberry juice
4 blueberries
Once shaken and poured over ice, the fruity concoction is perfect for the rising temperature. Add to this the fabulous patio at the new Gordon Biersch Boca Park location, and summertime is already getting sweet.
Hey, don't bite the hand that feeds you your lines |
"I had no idea Las Vegas was going to be so much like high school, and I am trying to grow up."
—Jenner Evans, from E!'s new reality show Paradise City, just moments before screaming "Deal or no deal?" at Howie Mandel from the red carpet of the Billboard Music Awards.