Tales of the City

I hear a lot of wild stories in this job.

This one came up while I was buying a new suit after a lucky night at the roulette wheel. Really lucky.

I was new in town and I wasn't paying attention. A Hard Rock Hotel pit boss recognized me from the new column and mentioned the night before he had carded a kid who was gambling.

He looked like a teenager trying to hide under his cap, said the pit boss, whose jaw dropped when the ID read "Leonardo DiCaprio," age 24.

During that minute of chitchat, I mistakenly put $100 -- instead of the intended $10 chip -- on the zero and another $100 chip to split the zeroes.

Zero hit and paid $5,200. I walked away, envisioning a wardrobe upgrade.

So while I'm buying a suit the next day, the salesman, a young man from the Middle East, asked if I would mention him in my column.

He said he had just met a beautiful lady and he had just spent "a lot of money" on their first date.

Curious about what "a lot" would be in Las Vegas, I asked for details.

He told her he would be flying in by helicopter and asked her to meet him at a prearranged landing area on the Strip.

When he got out of the chopper in his expensive suit, he was accompanied by a detail of fake bodyguards he had hired. He even had them wearing earphones "like the Secret Service," he said, proudly.

With his girl on his arm and "security" leading the way, they headed for dinner and a Cirque du Soleil show. But not before one last special touch: He hired a camera crew to ambush him and shout out questions as they entered one of the new resorts.

All of this to give the impression that he was a celebrity high roller.

That was week one here and my impression was: This was going to be a job like no other.

More First Glance observations and information:

Best impersonation of a UFC beatdown:

There's a reason why we haven't seen a lot of local attorney/food critic John Curtas lately. I just saw a photo of his face and ... holy guacamole! The poor guy was reeling after losing a bout with bad shellfish recently and took a nasty tumble in his bathroom. But he's a gamer. He's having a private viewing/dinner/competitive cooking party Sunday at Marche Bacchus, 2620 Regatta Drive, during the airing of his appearance as a judge on "Iron Chef America" on the Food Network (9 p.m.). The secret ingredient: sturgeon.

Best downtown hoedown this weekend:

If you missed Sturgis, the Hogs & Heifers Saloon, 201 N. Third St., will be at full throttle today with the kickoff of BikeFest. Two live bands will play every day through Sunday, including Cash'd Out, the premier Johnny Cash tribute band, starting at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Five reasons why Lotus of Siam still packs 'em in:

1. When star chefs such as Joel Robuchon and Mario Batali show up for the first time to check out the buzz, this hole-in-the-wall jewel is hotter than some of its five-alarm dishes.

2. Owner-chef Saipin Chutima's mastery of a 150-menu item of northern Thai cuisine is staggering. The quality is there because she's in the kitchen seven days a week.

3. If you're not sure you like Thai food, try the lunch buffet, at $8.95, it's one of the best deals in town. The address: 953 E. Sahara Ave.

4. The most popular dishes, according to manager Bank Atcharawan: Sea Bass with Drunken Noodles (Robuchon thought it was magnifique.), Pad Thai and a whole deep-fried catfish. Mayor Oscar Goodman is a fan of the black pepper garlic chicken wings, a buffet staple.

5. Being coronated the "single best Thai restaurant in North America" by Gourmet magazine brings in celebrities such as Smokey Robinson, Billy Joel and curious super chefs.

Reach out and touch Elvis' celebrity star on Las Vegas Boulevard:

The concrete still is drying and the star site had a protective wall around it earlier this week, but Elvis' star is now available for public viewing on the sidewalk in front of the Riviera near the stars of Liberace and Sammy Davis Jr. They soon will be joined by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

(Next week: A look at what's changed and what hasn't since the IRS raid at Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace in February and five off-Strip hot spots.)

Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. His new book, "Vegas Confidential: Sin-sational Celebrity Tales," comes out in November.