You’re invited to chef James Trees’ birthday. But hurry!

Updated July 31, 2025 - 4:33 pm

Chef James Trees is turning 45, but he’s not throwing a party for himself. Instead, he’s celebrating with a special wine dinner that pays tribute to his friends, supporters and the chefs from his five restaurants — Esther’s Kitchen, Ada’s Food + Wine, Al Solito Posto, Bar Boheme, High Steaks Vegas — and from his JET culinary group.

“I’m really not a fan of birthday parties,” Trees said, “so I thought it would be great to use this day instead as a way to highlight all the great chefs and team members at our restaurants, and for me to show my thanks to so many wonderful people who support what we do every day.”

The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Aug. 11 at Al Solito Posto, 420 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 180, in Tivoli Village. Passed canapés from sous chefs and chefs de cuisine of the restaurants will be followed by six seated courses created by some of Trees’ executive chefs. The courses will encompass chilled and hot appetizers, pasta, fish, meat and dessert, with wine pairings from the Kobrand portfolio.

Seating is limited to 60. Cost of $275 includes tax and gratuity. Reservations: OpenTable.com. A portion of the dinner proceeds will be donated to the ProStart culinary team at Rancho High School.

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From noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 8, all 16 L&L Hawaiian Barbecue locations in the Las Vegas Valley are offering customers a free Spam musubi to celebrate National Spam Musubi Day. L&L created the holiday in 2021 to pay homage to Hawaii’s 808 area code and to the importance of Spam musubi to Hawaiian cuisine. L&L sells more than 6.2 million Spam musubi annually across more than 230 stores in the U.S. and Japan.

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At The Pepper Club in The English Hotel, 921 S. Main St., chef Bruce Kalman, a James Beard Award nominee, and executive chef Manny Rivera have introduced a summer menu featuring 15-plus dishes, including watermelon salad with feta and mint, beef carpaccio with lemon-caper aïoli, bucatini cacio e pepe with summer truffles, chicken Parmesan with Calabrian chili and tomato-basil rigatoni, and a double-cut pork chop with broccolini and marsala sauce.

The restaurant has also introduced $6 full portions of pasta served from 4 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Look for cavatelli with wild mushrooms and garlic and tomato and basil rigatoni served with roasted garlic and stracciatella toast. Visit thepepperclub.com.

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At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays beginning Aug. 9, Alebrijes by Chef Paco, 450 E. Fremont St., Suite 310, in Neonopolis, is presenting its Viva Drag Brunch Vegas with drag performances, buffet brunch and bottomless mimosas. Tickets begin at $64.99. VIP tiers with special admission line, reserved seating, cocktails and meet-and-greet with the performers begin at $84.99. Tickets/details: vivadragbrunchvegas.com.

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Summer House in Durango offers pizza making for children 12 and younger during daily lunch and dinner. At the table, kids shape their pizza dough with a sprinkle of flour, spread with choice of red or white sauce, then finish with mozzarella and favorite toppings before the pizza heads to the kitchen for baking. Cost: $9.95.

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Beginning Aug. 19, Istorya, the Vegas culinary collective, is presenting Galeón, the fourth chapter of its pop-up dinner series, at Saffron The Eatery, 3545 S. Decatur Blvd. The dinner and guided storytelling explore the impact of the Spanish colonial period and the Spanish galleon trade on Filipino cuisine.

Chefs Dio Buan (Joël Robuchon), Joseph “Coco” Lim (Raku) and Anjelique Leslie (plant-based culinarian) are preparing a 10-course prix fixe menu that spotlights ingredients used in colonial and creole kitchens across oceans. Seatings are at 5 and 8 p.m. Cost: $110. Optional beverage pairing: $45. Tickets: calendly.com/istorya.

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Lotus of Siam, led by James Beard Award-winning chef Saipin Chutima at 620 E. Flamingo Road, has introduced its first-ever happy hour, running from 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the bar only. The menu features $7 small plates (crisp papaya salad, satay skewers, steak tartare cups and more), $4 sake, $5 draft beer, $6 wine by the glass and $8 cocktails.

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Ocean Prime in 63 CityCenter has extended its happy hour to run daily from 3 to 6 p.m., with 50 percent off the lounge menu, specialty cocktails (including the hot and dirty martini) and select wines. The lounge menu ranges from Parmesan truffle fries, Point Judith calamari and short rib sliders to oysters on the half shell, chilled crab meat cocktail and sushi long rolls, including a tempura shrimp and beef carpaccio Prime roll.

Email tips, questions or feedback to ontheside@reviewjournal.com.

This story has been updated to correct the pasta portion size at The Pepper Club.

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