Las Vegas Weekly

March 24, 2010 · 4:37 PM

Strip Scribbles: Facts and figures about Encore Beach Club, Surrender

By Robin Leach

Encore.

Photo: Robert Miller

Hotel tycoon Steve Wynn today revealed the first details of his new, lush 60,000-square-foot oasis of playground pleasure he’ll open in time for Memorial Day weekend. Encore Beach Club and Surrender nightclub features three tiered pools within a circle of 40-foot palm trees. There will be a more private experience within the 26 cabanas and the exclusive opulence of eight double-decker 350-square-foot bungalows each with hot tubs, showers and temperature-controlled cooling and heating.

Steve has partnered with Las Vegas nightlife impresario Sean Christie of Blush at the Wynn and Society Cafe at Encore and casino marketing veteran Bob Mancari to unveil the entertainment complex they say will set a new standard. Encore Beach Club, Surrender and a newly revamped Switch blend daytime beach party, upscale restaurant and sexy nightclub into a nonstop day-into-night destination for trendsetters who normally frequent European hotspots. Sean promises to showcase chart-topping acts, including world-renowned DJs Kaskade and Steve Aoki.

Photo: Wynn/Encore

DJ Kaskade will hold down the Sunday pool party residency at Encore Beach Club.

Surrender is a 5,000-square-foot nightclub open to the surroundings, which includes a gaming pavilion offering blackjack and craps to high rollers. Executive chef Rene Lenger of Switch has designed a daytime menu of salads, sandwiches, wraps and BBQ in the restaurant’s main dining room and on the new 1,200-square-foot outdoor patio. The back wall of the restaurant is being removed and replaced with glass so that diners can gaze at the nightclub revelers.

Photo: Judy Bryer

American Idol Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis shaves the head of CBS Radio's Cat Thomas on March 6, 2010.

*In the past two weeks, I’ve written about the amazing St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events in town to benefit the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases. Final totals raised at the events are still being tallied, but it looks as if it will surpass $350,000, so added to the $613,000 raised here since 2007, the overall total is just shy of $1 million. Now the Circus Couture group from Cirque du Soleil plans to top that by climbing Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro. The Las Vegas team will wear Cirque incognito masks and unfurl a Cirque flag at the summit when they shave their heads. Climb for Five sets out at the beginning of May, and they’re looking for sponsors. The team has promised Vegas DeLuxe readers photos, video coverage and a report from atop Kilimanjaro! Check out Climb for Five on Facebook.

Photo: Henry Diltz

Garth Brooks performs at Encore Theater in the Wynn on Dec. 12, 2009.

*A limited number of Garth Brooks tickets are available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The tickets -- unclaimed or seized from scalpers -- may be purchased in person at the Wynn box office or by calling (702) 770-1000. Tickets will be released on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a limit of two tickets per transaction, and the name of each person attending the concert must be provided at the time of booking.

*Hollywood hairstylist Kim Vo, who has a salon at The Mirage, is in hot water with customer allegations about their hair being set on fire. Kim, who has appeared on Extreme Makeover and Shear Genius, has been sued by actress Carly Steele in L.A. County Superior Court for health care costs, plus damages that aluminum foil on her hair and scalp “smoked and burned under a hair dryer.” The next hearing is in April, and another client has filed a similar lawsuit.

Photo: Ron Koch/Pure Management Group

Doug E. Fresh performs at Pure in Caesar's Palace on March 23, 2010.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

It must be the dancing and onstage bedroom antics that keep the calories off for Peepshow princess Holly Madison. When she dined at Serendipity 3 outside Caesars Palace with her choreographer, she ate a salad and shared a giant banana split without a worry in the world. … St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson celebrated his sister’s 40th birthday with a group of 12 at N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms. … The Apprentice star Kwame Jackson partied with five friends at Moon in the Palms. … UFC star Randy Couture enjoyed drinks at Ghostbar in the Palms. … Hip-hop star Doug E Fresh performed his hits last night at Pure in Caesars Palace, and contributing photographer Ron Koch captured these shots. … Artist Peter Max, who has a gallery store in Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, hops to L.A. this weekend to unveil a portrait of singer Taylor Swift at his first L.A. showing in more than 12 years. The painting has Taylor’s approval.

Photo: Maui Celebrity Series

Brian Evans and William Shatner.

*Las Vegas crooner Brian Evans, who commutes to Maui to present his concert series, has moved to the Lahaina theater there from the Hard Rock stage because of high ticket demand. This week’s guest was comedian Paul Rodriguez, who followed Brian’s performance. The two posed for photos and signed autographs at an after-party in Longhi’s Restaurant. Next up is The Venetian headliner comedian David Spade.

Photo: IS Photography/ImagesofVegas.com

The Fly Girls premiere party at Lagasse's Stadium in the Palazzo on Feb. 26, 2010.

*It’s being tipped as the hottest new reality TV series. Fly Girls premieres tonight on The CW, as the cameras follow five Virgin Air flight attendants who perform their duties between Las Vegas and other cities on the Virgin America routes. We covered the launch party at Emeril Lagasse’s Stadium this month.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

It’s a tribute to the music of AC/DC with Bonfire at the Las Vegas Hilton. … Camillionaire with guest Paul Wall entertain at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. … Comic Andrew Dice Clay returns to the Hilton cabaret room for another run through Sunday. … Top Las Vegas retailers compete in a Style Off walk of fame fashion show at the Label Junkie party in Lavo at the Palazzo. … The arena spectacular Walking With Dinosaurs with 10 lifelike species, including a 36-foot-tall and 56-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex, roams Thomas & Mack through Sunday. Fun fact: It takes 50 experts one year to put each one together!

Photo: TVT

Wolfgang Puck, Larry Ruvo and Thomas Keller at the Keep Memory Alive 14th Annual Power of Love Gala at the Bellagio on Feb. 27, 2010.

TOMORROW’S TEASES

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck opens his two poolside restaurants for the summer season, while contributing photographer Tom Donoghue has an amazing photo gallery from his Maverick Helicopter aerial tour of the Mojave Desert that includes Las Vegas, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. Plus, world-renowned architect Frank Gehry gets a first look at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health that he designed.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Share This