by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

One of the pleasures in life is sitting down to a great hamburger (at least for me, that is!). And, have I found a perfect place to do just that - BLT Burger inside the Mirage Hotel/Casino.

Chef Laurent Tourondel opened his new restaurant a few weeks ago, and just recently held a special VIP-Media event to show off his many recipes. Tourondel was named one of Food & Wine magazines Best New Chefs in 1998, while cooking at the Palace Court Restaurant in our little village. He has since created several successful restaurants around the country and was honored as Bon Appetit magazines 2007 Restaurateur of the Year.

BLT Burger offers a variety of burgers including beef, American Kobe, lamb and Atlantic salmon. Our group was first offered what they called the Tex-Mex burger and let me tell you it was delicious, but extremely well seasoned. One of our group was unable to finish hers. But us guys even went for seconds. Our next tasting was the Kobe burger, which was the perfect match for everyone in our group-along with a great glass of wine.

The fries and rings come in eight different types, including waffle-cut, sweet potato, jalapeno poppers and fried pickles. The pickles were very interesting.

BLT Burger is a unique restaurant, in that its name implies only hamburgers, which is far from what it actually is. They offer excellent desserts and beverages in very pleasing surroundings, with comfortable banquettes and booths in the front section. Hours of operation are nearly around the clock, seven days a week, opening at 11 a.m. If you love great hamburgers, then you must give BLT Burgers a test. And, gang, the prices are not out of line and the burgers are perfect (at least for me!).

Larry G. Jones is not a name that would come to mind, when thinking of a person to go see for an evening of entertainment. Jones is not a big star (yet) and the room he's working in is rather small - at its best it can seat maybe 50 paying customers. But, what he lacks in name recognition he makes up for with talent.

His "Superstar Voices in Concert" has moved a bit closer to the Las Vegas Strip, after more than 1600 shows at the Fitzgerald Casino, downtown. Jones is a lot closer now to where he should be performing, "The Strip!" Danny Gans is just down the block and Terry Fator just signed a multi-million deal on the Strip. They too are impressionist with huge contracts. Jones has no huge contract, but he has lots of guts and talent up the kazoo!

Larry is at the Royal Resort Hotel, 99 Convention Center Drive. For this new show, which is definitely "up-close-and-personal," Jones has tailored some of his material for the intimate room, adding a number of new singing impressions and song parodies. The opening act (oh, yeah, Mabel there's an opening act), is Brian Hoffman, an excellent Red Skelton impressionist.

Just an aside here for a second. I don't remember the days of vaudeville, when actors also performed other duties besides their act-like moving scenery, manning the spotlights, etc. Hoffman, after opening the show and introducing the star, then goes to the rear of the small room and handles the spotlight. This, gang, is showbiz in the raw - but it's wonderful to watch and be a part of.

Just some of the new singing impressions and voices Jones uses during the 70 minutes include Tina Turner, Axl Rose and Randy Travis, along with all four of The Jersey Boys, The Rat Pack, and a very neat Phantom of the Opera, a funny Cher and Tom Jones. Others you'll recognize include Elton John, Barry Manilow, the group, The Temptations, Wayne Newton and Neil Diamond. There are so many voices during his 70 minute show you would think he would get confused - but he doesn't and the audience (small but appreciative) gets what it came for: entertainment at its best.

Showtimes for Larry G. Jones - 'Superstar Voices in Concert," at the Royal Hotel are Monday-Wednesday at 9 p.m. with tickets priced from $24 to $34 (including tax and fees).

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: The Las Vegas Tenors have been asked to perform the National Anthem at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, when the NASCAR Craftsmen Truck Series race is staged, Saturday, Sept. 20th. The race will be nationally televised and the tenors are looking forward to singing before a national TV audience and about 60,000 race fans.

Mary Wilson, who also performed the National Anthem at the same event last year, will be at the South Point Hotel/Casino next weekend, Sept. 12-14, with one show nightly at 7:30 p.m. Mary will fly in directly from a week long celebration for the 50th Anniversary of The Supremes, being held in Berlin, Germany. Tickets for Ms. Wilson range from $30 to $45.

Well, gang, that's about it for this week. I'm outa here!

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