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Neighborhood nightlife thrives at Summerlin’s Jing and Henderson’s Blume

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Blume VIP host Valentino presents guests with the Valentino IV cocktail.
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

When Vegas started to open up again, nightclubs couldn’t. Locals looking for some semblance of that experience found it in an unlikely location near Henderson’s Seven Hills neighborhood.

“We were the biggest club in town over quarantine,” says Daniel Hackett, owner of Blume Kitchen & Cocktails (3415 St. Rose Parkway #120, 702-444-7820).

He started at the restaurant as general manager and took over when its original owners decided to sell in the summer of 2019. A year later, Hackett shifted gears to create a vibe dining hot spot and turned the banquet room into a late-night lounge offering cocktails and bottle service, hookah, DJs and live entertainment. Then the celebs started showing up.

“I did an event for Alexis Skyy, an Instagram model [and reality TV personality], and she posted it everywhere,” Hackett says. “Two weeks later, I got a call that Cardi B wanted to do her birthday party, then we did one for T-Pain’s wife. Bow Wow, Lil Baby, everybody was coming in, because it was the only place outside of Miami doing anything. Every time you’d come in you’d be sitting next to Shaq or Mike Tyson.”

There have always been Las Vegas night spots away from the Strip and Downtown, neighborhood bars, restaurants and lounges serving up music and drinks to industry folks and locals who want to party without driving to a casino megaclub. But it’s tough to build consistency. Blume is doing it by evolving its dining experience to match its clientele and by keeping its programming interactive.

“I hate nightclubs. I love going out to have a drink and smoke hookah and see a great DJ,” Hackett says. “Obviously, having local pricing goes a long way, not paying a thousand dollars for a bottle of Casamigos. We’ve changed to more of an urban ultra lounge, the food changes and we listen to guests to see what they’re looking for.”

Since so many customers work in the industry, service has to be a priority when it comes to neighborhood nightlife. That’s the guiding philosophy at Jing at Downtown Summerlin (10975 Oval Park Drive, 702-333-1512), the Las Vegas version of a popular upscale steak and seafood restaurant from Colorado that opened in January 2020.

“We put the emphasis on training our staff, so they can educate guests on all our programming,” says general manager Rob Velez, formerly of Bardot Brasserie and Sage at Aria. “It doesn’t matter what you’re into; we have a little something for everybody.”

Jing

Jing

Jing is a restaurant first, with an eclectic menu engineered by veteran chef Thomas Griese (Le Cirque, Andre’s, Mina Group). The elevated design—and literally elevated booths—might give you some STK vibes, and every week is stacked with events.

“We do something almost every day,” Velez says. “Monday is our industry night, and at 9 p.m. this secret industry menu kicks in with 50% off steak and sushi. We do some bottles and cocktail specials and get a lot of club kids and industry folks from the Strip coming to join us.”

Tuesday is wine night, with some old-school music for an older audience, and Wednesday is ladies’ night, with bottomless bubbles beginning at 9 p.m. Jing has been attracting some celebrities and entertainers, too, especially during October’s promotional partnership with Dan Bilzerian’s Ignite spirits.

Both suburban venues are providing nightlife experiences that could take place on the Strip but are clearly conceptualized for locals.

“Six months ago I broke up our team into groups and ... started spitballing ideas. That’s how some of our programming really came about,” Velez says. “That’s why it’s been successful, because we’re all invested. They book tables and tell their friends and family.”

Tags: Nightlife
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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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