Las Vegas Weekly

All about Eve. The Nightclub.

Eva Longoria Parker poised to put the glitter on Crystals

Eva Longoria Parker to usher in the era of girl-power when Eve Nightclub and Beso Restaurant and Lounge open this December at CityCenter.

ABC/FLORIAN SCHNEIDER

This time last year I thought that by this time this year, I’d be tipping back champagne in a soignée VIP booth at Vegas’ first female-owned (not to mention female-designed and female-operated) nightclub. But, alas, it was not to be. A collision of very small print and very ambitious, expensive plans resulted in one very big mess, and therefore, sadly, no ND’s Space atop Barneys at the Palazzo Shoppes.

But with Eva Longoria Parker’s pseudo-eponymous Eve Nightclub and Beso Restaurant and Lounge arriving this December—all located practically atop the valet at CityCenter’s high-end retail district Crystals—it looks as though my dream may come true after all.

Though Longoria Parker’s contemporary, Latin-flair steakhouse Beso comes to Vegas by way of Hollywood, making this the Texas native’s second dining venture with Chef Todd English, her follow-up nightclub is no copy of her debut club, Kiss. “Sexy and also a forbidden garden of sorts,” is how Longoria Parker described Eve when I caught up with her this past Monday.

No easy task—the award-winning actress/philanthropist/restaurateur is busy.

Similar to the Kiss/Beso duo in LA, Eve is located above Beso, the obvious intention being that you should have pre-dinner cocktails in the Beso Lounge, then dine sumptuously at Beso before retiring to Eve for the remainder of the night. This itinerary has long been a success factor for all the “Groups”: Light Group, N9NE Group, Tao Group, Drai’s Group, Angel Management Group, The Nightlife Group …

As a total package (lounge, restaurant, club, valet), Eve/Beso stands a much better chance of getting the tourist and local nightlife dollar.

Photo: City Center

Eva Longoria Parker stands in front of a model of CityCenter on July 21, 2009.

Like with other clubs similarly blessed—XS and Tryst mostly come to mind—all eyes will be on the view as Eve’s floor-to-ceiling mirrored windows and 50-foot arched ceiling draw the eye upward. Soaring windows also prevail at Beso, though the eye is likely to be first drawn to the custom chandeliers which, says Longoria Parker, had their origins in the Swarovski Crystal curtains created especially for the 2009 Academy Awards. “That’s a beautiful feature of the restaurant,” she adds.

“In general, just the opportunity to be in a development like CityCenter was a very different experience than what we had here in Hollywood,” she says. Whereas Kiss/Beso landmark Hollywood Blvd. home came with untold building restrictions, “in Vegas, it was different … no-holds-barred, bring your creativity.”

The 8,000-square-foot midsize Eve Nightclub features the It color scheme of the last few years: gold and black. “We have browns and deep woods in Beso,” says Longoria Parker, who did not hire an outside design firm to bring her venues to life, “and upstairs we have the theme of gold for the significance of luxury.” Video screens—now a staple in any major nightclub—flank the dance floor.

Beso diners will exit back into Crystals and enter the club from the Park, across from Aria. Of course, all this will make more sense when these places have actually opened. "You’ll have the opportunity to have a wonderful, amazing dinner and walk upstairs to one of the classiest, sexiest bottle services on the Strip,” she says.

Industry night is already slated for Wednesdays, the club being open Wednesday through Saturday. Longoria Parker herself will usher in the era of Vegas nightclub girl-power when she hosts the New Year’s Eve grand opening; already, a monthlong lineup of guest DJs awaits. Sighing, Longoria Parker says she “would have loved to have seen DJ AM spin there. He was a good friend of mine, and it would have been an honor to have him there.” Still, Longoria Parker says she would be very excited to see Franco-Moroccan turntablist DJ Cut Killer join her at Eve.

And by join her, I mean join her. No absentee landlord, Longoria Parker says, “I’ll be there plenty!” Her hands-on approach means an end to the Vegas nightlife boys club, at least symbolically anyway; she was floored to find out about her First Lady status. “When I was picking the uniforms … the guys had all their opinions, and I was like, ‘No, I know what sexy is, and I’m not doing that!’”

Atta girl! It’s just one petite step for an equally petite, impossibly gorgeous, smart businesswoman, one giant leap for Vegas nightlife womankind.