by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Went to a party a few days ago. So what else is new, as it seems we attend a lot of parties. But, honestly gang, this was a very special one tossed by my very good friend, heart specialist (my heart) Dr. Tali Arik and his Lady, Julie, at their home.

Nancy and I asked our friends, Mel Carter and Jackie Brett, to come along as our guest, guaranteeing them a good time. We had been told by Dr. Arik that it was possible a couple of special guests might attend the party - but was not told who. I thought perhaps it would be Robert and Vera Goulet (they are also friends of the doctor's - he treated Vera's mother). So as guests began to arrive, I kept bugging Tali and Julie to tell us who the special guests were? They finally told us - Jack Carter and Tessa Hafen. Wow, Nancy and I both wanted to meet these two Democrats, as we had a few pertinent questions we wanted to ask, as did Mel and Jackie.

Tali and Julie are the best hosts ever. The food was outstanding and prepared by their good friend from Denver, Eric Hitchcock, who flew in special to prepare the dinner. As the sun was going down in the west, the first candidate arrived - Ms. Hafen. What a nice human being this young lady is. She answered all of my questions without hesitation. Mel, Jackie and Nancy peppered her with more questions as did the other guests. There was no hesitation with this lady. She had the answers and not all the answers were what everyone wanted to hear. But then, one can not satisfy everyone all the time. But I personally was very impressed with Ms. Hafen.

Soon Jack Carter and his wife, Elizabeth, arrived. He reminds me so much of his father, the 39th President of the United States James Earl Carter, Jr., who I had the privilege of meeting at a wedding in Washington D.C. back in 1977. As with his fellow Democrat we peppered Mr. Carter with a ton of questions, and he answered them with ease.

Jack sat down at our table and broke bread, while we kept the questions going. He and his wife are so easy going - it's like we knew them for a hundred years. Nancy has volunteered to help them out during the final weeks of the campaign. He asked me to autograph one of my books, "Magellans of the Sky," and he promised to send me one of his father's books. The book arrived today and was "The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture" and autographed by the former President. I'm glad Nancy has jumped into the foray.

As for me this time around, I'll be voting for the best person and right now they seem to be pretty high on my list!

Went to another party at Mandalay Bay the other evening for the Grand Opening of acclaimed Chef Michael Mina's newest endeavor, StripSteak - his first steakhouse. Just about everyone, who is anyone was there during its opening. There was of course the tasting of the food which was nothing to sneeze at. If the tasting were anything like what you can expect when you sit down to have a dinner, then you are in for a very special treat. The restaurant offers modern American fare with a focus on all-natural Certified Angus Beef and American Kobe cuts of beef cooked over mesquite wood. Other specialties include slow poached prime rib cooked in its own juices for 12 hours; American Kobe beef short ribs, and wood-grilled Maine Lobster with truffled pearl pasta and cipolini onions.

StripSteak offers more than 600 wine selections with a definite focus on American wines - which we had a nice sampling of by the way. The décor is as modern as you can get with a highly polished appearance. Designed by Super Potato of Japan who chose a more refined aesthetic by balancing raw industrial materials - steel, fiberglass and roughhewn teak - with clean, fluid lines and rich hues such as plum and garnet. There is a wonderful lounge (it accommodates 70) with plush seating and the dining area is unbelievably comfort plus (seating 140). StripSteak opens nightly at 5:30 p.m., with the lounge opening at 4 p.m.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: The good doctor (mentioned above) and his lady will be attending the Steve & Eydie Show at the Stardust on Friday, Oct. 27 with Nancy and this writer. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence who continue to prove that "Old is Great" every time they step out on a stage, will be the last act to perform in the Stardust Theater. The hotel is scheduled to close permanently on November 1st. I understand there are no more tickets for this last weekend. While on the subject of the Stardust, one of the pioneers in Hotel Public Relations, Jim Seagrave, will be moving to The Orleans to team up with Ron Bell, who heads up the in-house advertising agency for Coast properties. Jim has been on the Strip for more years than I can count and is, without question, the best-of-the-best hands down. I met Jim when I arrived in this village some 41 years ago... Went to the "V" Theater last Friday to catch up with singer Alben and went away pleasantly entertained (a full review will appear next week). But, while there ran into David Saxe, who owns the theater. We had a conversation about the attempted take-over of his theater by some former minor partners. As he was leaving he asked me what I thought about "The Mentalist," Gerry McCambridge - as he was going over to see him at the Stardust. I told him I thought he would be a tremendous asset to his entertainment line-up. I have a strong feeling that McCambridge will be announcing his move to the "V" Theater very soon... Remember you read it here first... Paige O'Hara, who plays the Soap Star in "Menopause the Musical" at the Hilton Hotel, is taking a few days off to travel to Los Angeles. She'll be recording a Richard Sherman song for a new release of "Peter Pan" and, will also shoot a video for the Disney Channel. This weekend, however, you can see and hear her at UNLV when she appears with Jerry Herman in concert...

Well, gang, that's about it for another week.

I'm outa here!

CONTINUE ON TO...:
>It's The Norm Article Archives
>Las Vegas News - "Heard Around Town"
>Las Vegas Leisure Guide