Las Vegas Weekly

November 11, 2008 · 4:07 PM

Silverton’s Mi Casa steals the spotlight at illuminating awards

By Jennifer Grafiada

At Vegas restaurants like Mi Casa, scene-stealing decor is just part of dinner.

You would think a sizzling plate of beef fajitas and lobster skewers, a basket of crispy chips paired with fresh guacamole, a shot of aged tequila and a dessert of warm cinnamon churros would be enough.

But this is Vegas, and enough is never enough. To go with its menu of Mexican favorites, Mi Casa Grill Cantina inside the Silverton Casino Lodge has taken dining ambiance to a whole new level, installing an elaborate, colorful lighting system that was recently awarded the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s (IES) 2008 “Award of Merit.”

Circular, tiered rows of tequila bottles in the bar are lit by an ever-changing rainbow of colors. Effects like rolling color and a slow color fade from tier to tier create a mesmerizing mini-light show that has helped the restaurant stand out.

“The fiberoptic lights are crazy! They change colors 24 hours a day,” says Scott Marisato, Mi Casa Grill manager. “You can see them from the casino floor and they attract people to our bar. People love it.”

Complementing the bar-side show are hand-painted multi-colored glass globes embedded in the walls that look like giant skittles stuck there by Willy Wonka. Clusters of bright green, orange, yellow and blue glass lamps hang from the ceiling like festive paper lanterns.

Of course décor this good doesn’t come cheap. It will take plenty of people and at least as many tequila shots (there are over 65 varieties) to cover the $2 million it took to build the restaurant’s lighting system. And Mi Casa isn’t Silverton’s only example of interior experimentation. For another wildly colorful, over-the-top Las Vegas restaurant, just go next door to the Mermaid Lounge.

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