The Many Adventures of The Mirage
Saying that The Mirage has a special place in my heart only skims the surface of the ties between me and this property. It was truly my first Vegas family after moving to the city and I worked there for four & a half years, so I know a thing or two about what's awesome here. Let's peruse this Polynesian goddess of the Strip together and optimize your time in Vegas.
Pantry
This brand spankin' new cafe just opened on September 12 and is exactly what the hotel's patrons have been craving for years -- a casual 24-hour cafe. Walk inside Pantry and get that great sustainable-restaurant-feel with fresh menu ingredients on their menu, clean white decor and (the surest way to my heart) breakfast items available 24 hours a day. Located in the space that was formerly B.B. King's and before that Caribe Cafe, Pantry's square footage will surely be able to cater to the flocks of hungry visitors looking for that much-needed French toast fix after a night of clubbing. I instantly recognize some menu item titles are affectionately named after The Mirage's executive staff ("Big T's Grilled Cheese" and "A Brit's Fish & Chips").
Three White Lion Cubs | Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
Are you frequently overcome with moments of "OMG SO CUTE" and "MUST SQUEEZE ADORABLENESS OUT OF YOU" when seeing baby animals? Then you must get to The Mirage's Secret Garden as soon as possible while these three white lion cubs are residents of the property. Recently, The Mirage adopted these 'lil nuggets of fur from Siegfried & Roy and they are on display from noon till 4 p.m. every day, as well as through the live video feed they have set up on their website. Don't be mad and freak out if the cubs aren't on display, though, since hours are subject to change due to the fact that they're baby wild animals and, you know, things happen. Regardless, treat yourself to some quiet contemplation about nature's fragility and wander around Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat to see the cubs, full-grown lions, tigers, dolphins, panthers and more. The Instagram pics you'll get out of here will be worth it on their own.
Portofino
It's no secret that The Mirage has been upping their ante lately with their food and beverage offerings, and a perfect example of this (besides their addition of mega-celebrity chefs Colicchio and Morimoto) is Portofino. Formerly Onda Ristorante, the hidden gem of an Italian restaurant got a makeover/rebrand this year and is nestled in the back of the casino in an admittedly nondescript corner, but that's what makes it even more of a great find. Headed up by Chef Michael LaPlaca, the team in the kitchen really knows what makes Italian cuisine unique, versatile and fresh. Their wine selection and cocktails are pretty on-point and it's worth stopping by their Lounge area for drinks and some plates if you want a teaser of what's cooking.
Basically All Entertainment
A serious heavyweight in the Vegas entertainment game, I think The Mirage's show offerings can really be up everyone's alley. Unless you don't like live entertainment to begin with, in which case that's truly weird and you're missing a huge chunk of Vegas culture. The ever-popular The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil is still running strong and a great show for everyone, even if you aren't a diehard fan of The Beatles. The soundtrack itself is a three-time Grammy award-winning album comprised of Beatles' song compilations and previously unheard Abbey Road Studio recordings of John, Paul, George & Ringo.
The constantly-evolving Aces of Comedy lineup is worth mentioning, too, with some big names in comedy in rotation like Daniel Tosh, Ron White, Gabriel Iglesias and more. Oh, and in case you didn't get the memo, Motownphilly is back again with Boyz II Men headlining a considerable amount of weekends here.
So many other things are worth mentioning at the original mega-resort of Las Vegas. I could go on about The Mirage's importance to developing what we know as modern-day Vegas, its richly innovative history and more random factoids than you could tweet in a year - trust me (have you ever found the three Spongebobs in the lobby aquarium). Maybe I'm unavoidably biased towards The Mirage because of a shared past contributing to "The Dream Team," but at least I can leave you, Dear Reader, with some solid advice as to what you can explore center-Strip.
