Vegas vacation: Bars beyond the Strip

By Joe Vegas

There is, of course, more to a Las Vegas vacation than the glittering resorts borne of billions in casino winnings.

One hot new area is the Fremont East District.

Located at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, this is the part of Fremont Street that, just three years ago, you wouldn’t walk through at night even if you were heavily armored. But with city support, including cut-rate liquor licenses for taverns that promise not to have slot machines, the first four blocks of this newly neonized street is becoming nightlife haven.

The three first clubs to move in were Beauty Bar, The Griffin and the Downtown Cocktail Room.

The Griffin features an interior that I would describe as a
cross between a ski lodge and a dungeon. Almost every night, the place
fills up around 11 p.m and beer is reasonably priced. For a drink you
won’t find elsewhere, I like the Griffin Martini, made of
Absolut Pear, Midori, and other ingredients. During the week, the place
is a locals hangout, where city staffers, casino workers and city
newcomers commune. Tourists are finding it on weekends, with loads of
bachelorette partiers hanging among the largely 21-to-35-year-old
crowd. No pretension here. Just lots of drinking.

Little known fact: a Griffin co-owner wrote several movie scripts, including "Jumanji." This may also be the only Vegas-based tavern to have exported its name to another city.

The Downtown Cocktail Room is New York lounge-y. Dark, candlelit, curtained and with walls covered with paintings. This is a place where you can sit and hear yourself think. You don’t usually find too many of those who hang out at the Griffin here, as the crowd seems more dressed-up, slightly older, perhaps more professional. It also features some drinks you’ll find nowhere else, such as The Huntridge: a tangy cucumber, gin and absinthe drink named after a downtown Las Vegas neighborhood.

Beauty Bar is known for hosting a variety of touring bands, as well as its record spin on First Friday, a downtown art gallery walk held the initial Friday of every month. Here, you’ll find a larger contingent of young partiers, black body-hugging miniskirts and clubbers. The bar has a beauty pageant the last Sunday ofevery month. Specialty drink: Drop Dead Gorgeous.

In any of the three, newcomers never feel like outsiders. The bartenders are well attuned to Las Vegas’ reputation for good service. When I can tear myself away from the Strip and the slots, the first four blocks of Fremont Street are my first stop.

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Joe Vegas currently resides in the Writer’s Protection Program, and
somehow manages to lay low while living the high life in Sin City.

Tagged: Las Vegas