Instead of going big on New Year’s Eve (which has become a logistical bête noire, for yours truly), I opted to make my New Year’s Eve Eve count; and then stay home on the 31st.  And you know what?  It was marvelous!

I was hitting the town with my go-to plus-one, Dawn Hume; which always translates to a great time.  When it comes to finding a person with whom I can hang for three to five hours, who simultaneously won’t be put-off by my constant nattering – Dawn gracefully checks-off both boxes.

Working backwards, we knew we were catching An Intimate Evening with Lady Gaga at 9pm; so we decided to grab a pre-theatre dinner at Allegro, and this worked-out on multiple levels.  First of all, in addition to being a very convivial fellow, Chef Enzo Febbraro knows his Neapolitan cuisine (tracing back to his childhood habit, of following his grandmother around her kitchen, in Naples).  And second, it’s a mere stone’s throw from the show theaters (both Wynn and Encore), so we could savor our meal, and linger; without fear of getting to missing the curtain, at the Encore Theater.

I had a couple errands to run, first; including a pop-in to the Grand Opening of The Dorsey (the swanky new cocktail lounge, at The Venetian, in the space previously occupied by Piero Selvaggio's Valentino); where I ran in, gave proprietor David Rabin a big congratulatory hug, then turned right around and went back to Valet (where they’d kindly kept my car “up”), before zipping across the street to Wynn Las Vegas.  There, after valeting in the Tower Suites, I took a detour and stopped by Wing Lei to make sure my table was booked for the restaurant’s annual Dim Sum Buffet that the Far Eastern Marketing Department puts-on, every year, for Chinese New Year.  As per my custom, since it’s the most wonderful time of my year, I take a table for the entire week, and invite a different group of friends to join me, each day (feel free to drop me a line, if you're so inclined - seats are filling, quickly).

Anyhoo, my Chinese New Year lunch plans confirmed (and a big Gong Xi Fa Cai to all of you, in advance), I moseyed down the promenade to Allegro, where I checked-in and was seated.  Since Dawn had made the dinner res, people kept calling me “Mr. Hume” (which, seeing as I’m considerably shorter and wider than the ‘real’ Mr. Hume, amused me to no end).  Then, when the chef and the manager came over to greet me, we all had a big chuckle – joined by Dawn, who arrived at that moment.

Our intention had been to share a bunch of things, with the premise being that we’d have a “light” supper.  Oooops!  It all started, innocently enough; with our splitting a Caesar Salad with Chicken, and an order of the Housemade Meatballs in a silky sauce (that really is silky, and also benefits from some particularly sweet tomatoes).

We were both hankering for some pasta, so splitting an order of Potato Gnocchi really seemed fantastic; and since Dawn cares naught for sausage, we ordered it with a fresh pesto sauce that was particularly lovely.  This is the point where, to riff on Kenny Rogers, we decided to hold when when clearly we should've opted to fold; and we each ordered an entrée.  (Again, oooops!)  This translated to a pair of Parms - the Eggplant Parmigiana, for Dawn; and the Veal Chop Parmigiana, for me.  Granted, all of this ordering was done when we first arrived; and with our seats close by the open kitchen, we were no match for the wonderful smells wafting toward us. 

Let me be the first person to say that we definitely over-ordered.  But thanks to my now-legal medication, I’m pretty confident in my ability to clean a plate.  Nope!  Those meatballs were amazing; and I think Dawn had one, while I had three.  Then I ate the chicken breasts that accompanied both of our salads.  By the time the pasta and then the parms were presented, we couldn’t do anything but laugh (which, due to how full we were, hurt just a bit).  Fortunately, service is always job one, at Wynn Las Vegas, so we asked if we could keep our leftovers, there, while we enjoyed our jazzy night with Gaga; and when they agreed, we sauntered down to the Encore Theater.

Come back for Part 2, where I give you some insight into our enchanting evening à la Gaga!

Pre-Theater Dinner
Allegro | Wynn Las Vegas
Click HERE for info

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