Summer is here and the farmers markets are open for business!
Although Las Vegas has farmers markets in various areas of the city and county all year round, summertime is always best for those fruit and vegetable selections for your entrees when the temperature climbs over 100 degrees.
Visitors will read this and say, “I’m on vacation! How am I going to get farmers markets products home?” The answer is not to buy the fruits and vegetables that will spoil; get crushed and leak their juices; find the other items.
Besides the normal offerings at the farmers markets, you can find other items which are packable. Let’s explore and see what other items we can find for you to take home.
Open on Friday only from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Downtown 3rd Farmers Market is a small, indoor market at 300 N. Casino Center Boulevard in the old Transportation Building. It is across from the Downtown Grand Hotel and next to the Mob Museum. There is free parking. Despite the small size of this market, you can still find some interesting items to purchase. Note: Make sure you do not park in The Mob Museum’s parking section or you could get a “warning” ticket.
Jewelry, buttercream moisturizer, honey products (flavored sticks), meat rubs, pickled veggies, fresh loaves of bread, coffee, jerky, doggie treats, dried strawberries, trail mixes, gourmet nuts, freeze dried sweet potato slices, and even China Ranch dates are just some of the items that can be found during different weeks.
They have the Intuitive Forager Farmshop Cafe located on premises so you can try their creations of home-grown garden fruits and vegetables as a meal. You will be surprised at how good the food is in the small café. It’s a nice change of pace.
They offer classes, at different times, in crocheting, gardening and crafts. Check their website for the specific dates and times.
The farmers market at Bruce Trent Park on Rampart (and Vegas Drive) in Summerlin is open 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday’s. You might find vegan roll-on deodorant, organic shampoo and body wash, jewelry, crafts, clothing, honey and pollen, salad dressings, sweet-heat-spicy Thai chili sauce, cookies, and dog accessories.
You can dine on homemade vegan sandwiches, fresh hot corn on the cob, fresh hot donuts and baklava while you peruse the merchandise. And if it’s hot you can wade through the animal water spray toys.
On the 3rd Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Tule Springs hosts their farmers market at Floyd Lamb Park, northwest of Las Vegas at 9200 Tule Springs Road (north of Durango).
Besides the canopy vendor tents, you will find food trucks with different specialties, like Kona Ice. The vendors are under the canopy of trees which keep the vendors and the customers a little bit cooler during the hot days. You might find glazed nuts, coffee beans, toffee, pepper jams, peacocks (you can’t take them home!), pies, live entertainment, and freshly made variety breads.
Once you need a break from the market, you can walk around and enjoy the trees, grass and lake filled park, which normally has a fee to enter. But if you are going to the farmers market you should tell them at the entrance booth that you are there for the market, and you will get in for free to the market and the park.
The Summerlin Farmers Market in Downtown Summerlin is held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. They are located on Festival Plaza Drive, which has canopies overhead and stretches from retail store business names LuLu Lemon/Trufusion to Basset/The Gap.
Freeze dried fruits, nuts, honey products, sweet breads, dressings, fragrances, potpourri, coffees, dog treats, craft items, filled & fried dough (malasada), vegan cakes, cookies, pies and pastries, fresh bread, jewelry, bath gifts, and more are available for purchase.
This is a nice outdoor area which allows leashed dogs to be present with their owners. After shopping here you can stop in the many stores and restaurants and even visit Red Rock Hotel and Casino, which is just west of the mall area.
On the east side of the County, in Henderson, there are a couple of farmers markets organized by Fresh52. The produce at these markets are from six Nevada farms and three California farms. Visit their locations at Solista Park and Sansone Park Place.
The market is on Saturdays at Inspirada’s Solista Park, 2000 Via Firenze (south of Volunteer Blvd and west of Sun City Anthem Drive) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
On Sundays from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., it is located at Sansone Park Place, which is at 9480 S. Eastern Avenue (at the 215).
Although you will not be able to purchase any to take home, the Fresh52 locations are unique because they have added a ranch to their stable of 35 vendors. (Notice how I got in the ranch and stable?) Dawley Creek Angus Beef is now selling their fresh beef products straight from Elko, Nevada at the markets.
Their different items at both markets are herbal, soup and dip mixes, teas, gourmet sauces, salsa and BBQ, vegan tamales, kettle corn, art, jewelry, oils, and snacks, and they might have live entertainment to keep you shopping longer. Try the WaterLemon Chewy Crunch snack made with Organic Watermelon and Lemon juice!
Notes: The On The Ranch Market, which was located at Craig Ranch Regional Park on Craig Road in North Las Vegas, closed in January until further notice. Also closed, as of September, is the farmers market at Tivoli Village in Summerlin. There just were not enough customers to keep the vendors coming to these locations.
Remember to bring cash when you visit any of the farmers markets since all the vendors do not take credit or debit cards.
You should ask the vendors you are purchasing from if they are in attendance at any of the other farmers markets in the area. This way you can visit another market if you want to purchase more of their products. Since most of us forget to do this you might just want to ask for their business card so you can call them for this information and/or to check their website.
— Pauline Cimoch
If you love lobster, come to the desert of Las Vegas. The Palm restaurant, inside The Forum Shops at Caesars, is offering a four-pound jumbo Nova Scotia lobster dinner for two until July 31. It comes with soup or salad and a family-style side for $109. That’s a lot of lobster, but know you can bring the leftovers home to make your own Lobster Roll or Lobster Cobb Salad. The restaurant was founded in 1926 and is still owned and operated by members of the Bozzi and Ganzi families. It is known for its signature steaks, Italian fare, and cocktails. 702-732-7256.
Downtown Container Park is a 1.1-acre, open-air shopping center and entertainment venue featuring 39 shops, restaurants and bars at 707 Fremont Street. The innovative shopping space is constructed of 43 repurposed shipping containers and 41 locally-manufactured Xtreme cubes. The open-air center is home to The Treehouse, an interactive play area complete with 33-foot slide and NEOS play system. The Lawn at Container Park, a live entertainment venue and event space, hosts live entertainment nightly. Container Park’s retail stores and restaurants open daily at 11 a.m. downtowncontainerpark.com.
The Stratosphere Hotel has been renamed The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod. Diamond Jack was there when The Stratosphere opened April 29, 1996, and it remains, at 1,149 feet, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and the second-tallest in the Western Hemisphere. He still enjoys dining at the award-winning Level 106, the 360 degree rotating dining room.
The newest addition, beside the name change, is BLVD & MAIN Taphouse on the main floor. Twenty-four draft beers are available in 64-ounce and 128-ounce growlers. Located just steps from The STRAT’s main entrance, BLVD & MAIN combines craft beer and elevated pub cuisine with a lively scene, complete with comfortable seating to catch any game or sporting event. www.StratRising.com. 702-380-7777. BLVD & MainTaphouse webpage.
— Diamond Jack Bulavsky
Foodie Tour Offers a Taste of Las Vegas
Recently had a fabulous opportunity to experience the award-winning Lip Smacking Foodie Tours downtown excursion. When you consider the unreal number of dining establishment choices in Las Vegas nowadays on the Strip, Downtown and then all around the valley, choosing places to go can be overwhelming. These well-organized dining tours are an excellent option for checking out selected well-vetted restaurants, while meeting new folks and touring an area, like in this case Downtown.
Everyone meets at the first location where they will be introduced to the owners, managers or chefs, and will be seated together family style, which is great for meeting new people. At each location, participants are treated like a VIP as they are whisked to the best table to enjoy three or four signature dishes at each stop. For instance, some specialties included Crispy Chicken Skins, Chicken and Red Velvet Waffle Sliders, and Hearth Over Bread + Dip 4 Ways.
As you walk to each location, it’s at a moderate pace while your guide passes along interesting facts and stories. Places we visited included Caron Kitchen, Therapy, downtown cocktail room, and 7th & Carson.
Our guide was the company’s founder Donald Contursi, who after years as a server at fine dining Las Vegas establishments worked his way to management and then about four years ago took the leap and started his foodie tours, which have taken off. He’s even getting requests in other cities and puts together special tours. His advice is to take a tour the first day of your trip, which will allow you to experience different restaurants. At the end of the tour, you’re given a booklet telling about numerous recommended dining places. Some tours start at $125.
One of Lip Smacking Foodie Tour newest tours “Savory Bites & Neon Lights” is a partnership with Maverick Helicopters. Guests visit five of Las Vegas’ most exclusive restaurants before boarding a helicopter for a 12- to 15- minute bird’s-eye view of the city’s unparalleled glittery glamour in a helicopter.
Mothership Coffee Roasters to Open at Fergusons Downtown
Local coffee shop, Mothership Coffee Roasters, will open in Downtown Las Vegas in time for Life Is Beautiful at Fergusons Downtown, which through the revitalization of the historic Fergusons Motel is a new community neighborhood. Jen Taler is the co-founder and creative 
strategist of Fergusons Downtown and believes this coffee venue will be a perfect fit.
Mothership owner Juanny Romero is designing the new 1,300-square-foot café inspired by the idea of being transported away from the outside world. The coffee shop expected to seat 35 will take advantage of its floor-to-ceiling glass windows and the surrounding greenery of Fergusons Downtown’s courtyard. Mothership will be a place for coffee and pastries, happy hour, and a comfy spot to co-work. A Picnic Basket with a choice of pastries, charcuterie boards, sandwiches, coffee and frosé will be available as well as a selection of aromatic-forward frosé and beer slushy options. Hours when it opens will start at 7 a.m. daily.
Del Frisco’s Unveils New Happy Hour Menu
Ultra-premium Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is introducing a happy hour menu served in the chic bar and lounge area Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. with limited seating available.
Del Frisco’s Mai Tai is $15.50 and can be paired with the new elevated comfort food items: Dry-Aged Burger (pictured above); Corn Dog Battered Lobster Tails; Alaskan King Crab Cocktail; Salmon Crudo; Portabella Blue Crab Stack; Citrus Spring Scallops; and Sweet Potato Truffle Fries.
“Locale” is New Italian Restaurant
Locale is a new Italian Kitchen from Executive Chef Nicole Brisson and restaurateur Andy Hooper, located in Mountain’s Edge at 7995 Blue Diamond Rd. #106 and open for dinner daily 4:30–10 p.m. The goal is to offer an elevated casual dining setting and departure from the Strip’s more costly dining prices. Starters range from $6–$20 and entrees $14–$36.
Another mission is celebrating ingredients produced by local farms, such as Herbs by Diane and Prime Color Growers and select items straight from Italy. All the dishes complement the extensive wine list and signature cocktails created by mixologist Erin Hall.
The intimate 75-seat setting features a modern interior atmosphere with industrial lighting, a decorative mirrored wall, eye-catching copper accents sprinkled throughout the establishment and framing the open kitchen, and large slate-colored barn doors separating the patio from the main dining room. https://www.localelv.com/
— Jackie Brett
