Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the kitchen. It's to make the guy out there go home and want to cook it.” Joining
Keller will be a number of other noted chefs as guests.
There is, however, a downside to this format. Because these classes are being
filmed for TV, there are some limitations for learners. First off, they're not going
to hand you a whisk and say “go ahead and try,” as they do at Creative. Instead,
you'll simply be sitting there, sipping a glass of wine (included in the cost, though
whether you really want to drink at 9am is the question). And though you'll pay
$75 for the experience, you won't be getting a full meal out of it; instead, audi-
ence members will get to taste tidbits, as they do on most cooking shows.
Still, if you want to see a famous pro go at it, this is your best opportunity.
AND COCKTAIL-MAKING, TOO
Highballs and swizzles! Sure you can get 'em anywhere, but there are few other
places where they're served with such panache and sometimes acrobatics (check
out the “flare” bartenders at the Rio or the “Carnival Court” outside Harrah's).
According to Alan Katz, host of the Cocktail Hour on Martha Stewart Living
Radio, Vegas is on the forefront of “mixology” nationwide. “It's one of the great
cocktail centers in the country,” says Katz. “There's a tremendous focus on train-
ing here, and most bartenders know how to produce a well-constructed cocktail
and the basics of the classic cocktail.”
If those are skills you'd like to bring home, head to a museum that would
only exist in Sin City, the
Museum of the American Cocktail
(www.museumofthe
americancocktail.org).
It's actually a small room at the Commander's Palace
restaurant (in the Miracle Mile Shops, in the Planet Hollywood Casino & Hotel),
filled with plaques on cocktail history and all sorts of memorabilia, from napkins
of all sorts to shakers to swizzle sticks—you name it. It's not worth stopping by
just to see the museum, but you'll have a ball when a seminar is in session. Staff
here bring in some of the top bartenders in the country to lecture and teach their
recipes. Prices for these lessons can vary but will usually top out at $100 per per-
son, including a meal at Commander's Palace (a good idea, as you'll learn a lot less
when your stomach is empty). For information on upcoming classes, go to the
website (see above).
STRIPPING 101
Yup, this is a class that teaches you how to strip. Don't snicker. The art of the strip
tease is alive and well in Las Vegas and is supporting numerous families. Some say
Vegas has the finest strip clubs in the country. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to
weigh in on the matter, but there's no underestimating these clubs' popularity or
the fascination among the clothed about this type of career.
So a blonde, leggy, warm-hearted dancer named Trixie, who worked as an
ecdysiast for 13 years, has started classes for women interested in learning the
“how tos.” Called
Stripping 101
(in the Miracle Mile Mall;
%
702/260
-
7200;
www.stripper101.com;
$
30 for the class and a drink,
$
50 with a 5x7 photo and T-
shirt; Thurs-Sat 5-6pm or 6-7pm; AE, DISC, MC, V),
the class gets the basics across
in a nonexploitative, terrifically enjoyable, empowering manner.
First things first: These classes are for women only. Men are not allowed to par-
ticipate, or even watch. In case you were wondering—and I can't imagine that you
wouldn't be—there's no nudity. And you're not going to be trying your moves
