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.
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).
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.
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.
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
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.
— 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 
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
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.
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