Park MGM is almost home. There are very few traces left of what was the Monte Carlo, and the transition will be complete this month once remaining food spots Eataly, La La Noodle and Best Friend are open and when Houston Hospitality’s speakeasy and club On the Record debuts on December 28 for Lady Gaga’s afterparty following her Park Theater residency opening.
OTR is the renovated resort’s true nightlife venue, though it’s looking more and more like it will be vastly different from any other Strip nightclub. Juniper is lovely and covers cocktail lounge needs, but now that I’ve spent a couple nights lingering at the NoMad Bar, it’s clear MGM Resorts and the Sydell Group have snuck another clubby venue into the property.
Like its restaurant counterpart, the NoMad Bar plays a soulful, eclectic soundtrack loud enough to get the blood flowing but not too loud to kill your conversation. The food, which includes breakfast, lunch and late-night dishes, is naturally glorious, and the cocktail menu is expansive and creative. There’s varied seating making an elegant dinner as comfortable as a post-show drop-in. There’s a small stage and piano in the corner, but the live music strategy won’t settle in until the new year.
It’s a bar and a restaurant and a lounge, so you probably won’t think of it as a club. But a DJ booth and booming EDM is not the definition anymore. This place has too much atmosphere for just food and drinks, a vibe that’s both vintage and fresh and completely unique on the Strip.
