January Love Letter

January isn’t the most exciting time to visit Vegas—it’s a hangover month from New Year’s Eve celebrations, which are over the top, even for Sin City.

 
But there’s always something going on in Vegas, and this month Larry Forgione’s An American Place (anamericanplacestl.com) replaces Tableau, which will be moving to Encore (encorelasvegas.com) at the Wynn. We haven’t seen the redesign, but the space will be getting a more masculine look, one befitting the so-called Godfather of American Cuisine. Forgione counts himself as one of the dirty dozen chefs (including Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, and Charlie Trotter) who introduced the US to the idea of locally grown ingredients. We can’t wait for his world-famous panini and his ice cream sandwiches, which layer vanilla and strawberry ice cream with brioche or coconut mango ice cream on lemon poppy seed.

The Florida-based Eleven Spa (elevenlv.com) will also open its door at Town Square. We’re willing to make the trek (it’s only three miles, or roughly 10 minutes from the center strip) for the 1940s Hollywood-inspired decor, salon by Ken Paves, stylist to the stars, and fully-stocked bar (martini with your blow-out?). We don’t mind that massages come with chocolate truffles, either.

Geraldine Campbell