First Look at Diner Ross, Spiegelworld’s New Restaurant Opening in Las Vegas
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The new restaurant Diner Ross — a Las Vegas take on the classic New York City diner, created by circus-entertainment-hospitality company Spiegelworld — is launching with previews Wednesday night in sync with the debut of Spiegelworld’s long-anticipated new live production, DiscoShow.
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Inspired by godfather of dance music David Mancuso’s legendary 1970s New York City parties, the multi-level DiscoShow venue features Diner Ross, bars 99 Prince and Glitterloft and the standing-room-only DiscoShow production.
According to its creators, including Spiegelworld director of architecture and design Brian Buckner and director of art and experience Matt Hodges, the aim is that visiting these dining, drinking and live entertainment environments will allow patrons to enter into an alternate reality. In building this world, architecture is used as storytelling to distance people from the Vegas Strip, opening the portal to a different time, place and rhythm.
Las Vegas Strip businesses typically refer to their positioning as inside a resort instead of denoting a street address. Breaking that norm, Spiegelworld Creator Ross Mollison and crew describe the location of DiscoShow as 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard.
“It’s a fantastic location, 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard; everybody knows where that is. It’s in the middle of Las Vegas,” says Mollison, pointing to the massive DiscoShow sign that now covers the front of The Linq, across from Caesars Palace.
Guests of DiscoShow and Diner Ross will first enter Strip-side at 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard and step into cocktail bar 99 Prince, modeled after a New York City subway station from the ’70s, where so many New York disco nights began. The bar takes its name from the street address of Mancuso’s parties. Via 99 Prince, head up to the Glitterloft with makeshift furniture, industrial ceilings and vinyl DJ drawing inspiration from New York City-loft disco parties. Niko Novick, Spiegelworld beverage director, created uniquely themed drink menus for each spot.
Similar to how Superfrico, Spiegelworld’s restaurant in The Cosmopolitan, introduced “Italian-American-psychedelic” cuisine to the Strip, Diner Ross, located adjacent to Glitterloft, carves out an original food genre they are calling “New York American.”
Mollison says that Diner Ross “is a place where you can come, hang out and have some fun” preshow, postshow or even without a show.
“We’re sitting here talking about the culinary direction that a circus company is going in for our second restaurant in Vegas,” Mollison says. “We have the mindset of circus producers to just have fun with cuisine.”
Proof of concept: Superfrico was supposed to gross $8 million in its first year and went on to do $18 million.
At Diner Ross, the good times start at the ma?tre d’ stand, which was fabricated to replicate New York City’s ubiquitous hot dog carts.
Step inside, and you could be at any of the great corner eateries of yore. Checkerboard floors, caramel-colored leather booths, red swivel counter seats, New York City ephemera, Polaroids, and Diana Ross vinyls line the walls. Everywhere, there is something to look at.
Mollison promises the daily special boards will offer “statements of interest” inspired by legendary New York City all-night diner Florent.
The duo behind Diner Ross, Novick and Spiegelworld’s executive culinary director Anna Altieri, bring the storyline to life in the glass and on the plate.
Altieri showcases dishes inspired by iconic Manhattan restaurants and research gathered from trips around the world trying places such as Le Majestique Montréal and Vin Papillon.
The Delancey Deluxe Burger nods to the iconic Prince Street bistro Raoul’s with a chuck-and-short rib blend, Muenster cheese, sour cherry aioli, watercress, cornichon and gravy for dipping. The Dirty Martini Salad draws on the classic cocktail and features bibb lettuce, martini olives, juniper, pimento, Roquefort, lemon and chive. Rolls are swapped for popovers, served with cultured salted butter, pate and sour cherry or Osetra Caviar with accoutrements. And the French Onion Soup Mac & Cheese combines two beloved comforts into one dish.
Altieri honors her childhood neighbor, artist George Weymouth, with the Grilled George, a grilled cheese sandwich made with marbled rye and American cheese topped with chicken salad and bacon, which is also on the menu at her local hometown diner. And, of course, there are Disco Fries, covered in cheese, gravy and onions.
Novick’s craft cocktails drum up nostalgic tipples and spirits from the ’70s and ’80s disco era, like the Midori Negroni, featuring Midori, Italicus, Carpano Bianco, Suze and gin and infused in totality with green grapes.
“It’s very taboo in the bar world to mix Midori into something as regal as a Negroni, but we did it anyway,” he says.
A favorite of Mollison’s is the Wallbanger. “My parents used to make this for their friends at our house in Mount Waverley in the ’70s. I remember I was fascinated by the bottle of Galliano as a kid,” he says. The electric yellow liqueur, which comes in a towering vessel, is found in most bars collecting dust and receives a new life here.
The restaurant and bars are open to everyone, even those without a ticket to attend DiscoShow.
The live production DiscoShow, almost a decade in the making, is at the center of all the drinking and eating. It joins Spiegelworld’s roster, including Absinthe at Caesars, Atomic Saloon in the Venetian and The Hook at Caesars Atlantic City. But this groove thing is not like the others. DiscoShow is “totally different,” with no seats and no human circus acts.
Throughout the 70-minute experience, the artists and the audience become one. The setting showcases the essence of the sound and movement, enveloping everyone in divine disco disorientation. Listen to the great anthems of the era as they were meant to be heard in the club.
As DiscoShow’s spiritual guide, Eureka O’Hara of RuPaul’s Drag Race and HBO’s We’re Here fame plays the role of mother to an ensemble cast.
With a production that heavily relies on a dance vibe, Spiegelworld tapped director Steven Hoggett and choreographer/associate director Yasmine Lee. They have previously teamed on movement direction or choreography for Broadway and London West End productions, including Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Once, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A Beautiful Noise.
DiscoShow is written by Olivier Award-winner Michael Wynne (The Priory) with set and costume design by Tony Award-winner David Zinn (Stereophonic, Spongebob Squarepants), lighting design by Olivier Award-winner Natasha Chivers (Sunday in the Park With George), music production by Jamie Siegel (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), sound design by Colle Bustin (Melissa Etheridge: My Window) custom soundscapes by sound associate and Olivier Award-winner Tom Gibbons (Ivo van Hove’s West Side Story on Broadway), projection and video design by Darrel Maloney (American Idiot); and hair and wig design by Brittany Hartman (Saturday Night Live).
DiscoShow plays Wednesday to Sunday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. 99 Prince is open for cocktails from noon Wednesday to Sunday (free entry), and Diner Ross serves dinner starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday (reservations recommended). The world premiere of DiscoShow is on Sept. 7 and New York disco legend Nicky Siano will DJ the afterparty.
Spiegelworld continues expanding since entering into a multi-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment to create three live entertainment experiences nationwide. The first, The Hook, opened in the summer of 2023 at Caesars Atlantic City. Following the opening of DiscoShow, Spiegelworld is developing a third production to open at Caesars New Orleans in 2025.
Buy tickets for DiscoShow at caesars.com or take advantage of our exclusive promo codes for discounts at VividSeats (use code THR2024 for $20 off) and SeatGeek (use code HOLLYWOOD10 for $10 off eligible purchases of $250 and up).
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