By Christopher Lawrence
Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS, NV — A good brunch is a magical thing.
Jams and pastries alongside big slabs of meat. An assortment of other foods that should have no business being served together, yet somehow work. All of it accompanied by a cocktail — or, as is becoming the case, an unlimited supply of them — as you linger over it with a group of friends.
If done correctly, brunch almost feels like you’re getting away with something.
“Brunch is absolutely having a moment,” says Jessica Somple, vice president of food and beverage for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. “I also feel like it’s continued to evolve a bit. I think what we thought of as brunch has just continued to change, and it’s become so much more of a true social occasion.”
With that evolution has come the theme brunch, which in Las Vegas celebrates everything from drag to butterflies to circus sideshows.
The latest of these, the Riviera-inspired brunch experience at LPM at The Cosmopolitan, opened over Memorial Day weekend and is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It’s just the third brunch, following those in Hong Kong and Miami, for LPM, which focuses on international moneyed hot spots, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Mykonos.
“I think that people are excited to participate in something that really gives them a sense of place and feeling like the location has an identity, the experience has an identity,” Somple says. “(At LPM) You’ve got this bright, vibrant artwork. You have these breezy drapes leading out onto a terrace that’s full of lush plants and more artwork and murals. So it does feel like you’re somewhere on the Mediterranean coast, just taking that all in.”
The brunch’s live music component, often a DJ spinning up-tempo bossa nova, plays into that feeling of being transported to the Riviera.
As for the food, a la carte options are available, but the highlight is the Brunch Affair shared table experience. The 10-course extravaganza offers fresh breads and pastries, avocado toast, salmon carpaccio, scrambled eggs, lobster eggs Benedict, roasted pee-wee potatoes, Provençal ratatouille tart, charcoal-grilled ribeye steak, mushroom risotto and French toast. It’s $85 per person, with endless rosé and Champagne starting at an additional $75.
“I think there’s an absolute affection for sharing for the table,” Somple says. “When you basically give a guest the opportunity to let you take the wheel and just fire those courses and bring them out, they can really focus on being present with the people that they’re there to share the experience with.”
Here’s a look at nine other theme brunches around the valley:
‘Brunch of Broken Dreams’
Hard Rock Cafe, 3771 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Singers, dancers and acrobats perform in an hourlong show that pays tribute to ’90s- and Y2K-era grunge and emo, with music from the likes of Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and The Offspring. “Brunch of Broken Dreams” takes place at 11 a.m. Saturdays. Admission, which includes the Hard Rock Signature Buffet, starts at $59. Add bottomless mimosas for an extra $19.99. brunchofbrokendreams.com
Surf Sunday Brunch
Red Dwarf, 1305 Vegas Valley Drive
Bands including Thee Swank Bastards, Generic Surf Band, Surfers of Mercy and The Eazy perform surf music from noon to 3 p.m. each Sunday. Brunch, consisting of a variety of Detroit-style breakfast pizzas, is served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For $25, you can drink bottomless beers, bloody Marys or Tiki Mosa’s. There’s no cover. reddwarflv.com
House Music Brunch
18bin, 107 E. Charleston Blvd.
The House Music Brunch at 18bin has been so popular, it’s added brunches and open-format DJs to Fridays and Saturdays. With a new menu that includes the likes of a chicken and waffle tower, Philly steak Benedict and Cinnamon Toasties, the House Music Brunch runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, with live DJs and $25 bottomless mimosas. 18binlv.com/brunch
Carmen’s Love Brunch
The Composers Room, 953 E. Sahara Ave.
Singer Skye Dee Miles headlines this nondenominational gospel experience, complete with an eight- to 10-member choir, three-piece band and dancers, every Sunday in the Commercial Center. The soul food brunch begins at noon and features Southern classics such as fried chicken, catfish, and biscuits and gravy. Miles takes the stage at 1:30 p.m. Tickets to Carmen’s Love Brunch start at $39.95. thecomposersroom.com
‘The Freakiest Brunch on Earth’
The Lexi Las Vegas, 1501 W. Sahara Ave.
This new monthly brunch is centered around a performance by The Obsidian Circus and its cast of circus and sideshow performers led by the burlesque artist known as Miss Brawling Beauty. The elevated circus-themed brunch menu offers up such delicacies as lobster popcorn and a funnel cake breakfast sandwich. “The Freakiest Brunch on Earth” will return 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 20, with roaming performances from 11:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m. and The Obsidian Circus Show from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Admission to the bottomless brunch starts at $50. thelexilasvegas.com
Drag Brunch
Señor Frog’s, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South
From one of the production companies behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live” at the Flamingo, this drag brunch is performed at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $72 for the show, brunch buffet and unlimited mimosas. dragbrunch.com
Drag Bottomless Brunch
The Garden, 1017 S. First St.
The LGBTQ lounge in the Arts District promises “bottomless cocktails, delicious food and sickening queens,” including resident drag queens Tamisha Iman, Elliott With 2 T’s and Jade Jolie. The Drag Bottomless Brunch takes place at 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $70, which includes bottomless mimosas and a choice of entrees such as tiramisu French toast, smoked salmon benedict and a smothered breakfast burrito. thegardenlasvegas.com
Butterfly Brunch
Park on Fremont, 506 Fremont St.
This colorful boozy brunch offers a butterfly-themed menu and specialty cocktails, including the Flower Garden, made with Butterfly Cannon tequila, mint, peach, ginger, fresh lime juice, club soda and an edible flower. Guests are given fans and butterfly sunglasses, and there’s a DJ. Butterfly Brunch is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. parkonfremont.com
Pink Brunch
La Mona Rosa, 100 S. Sixth St.
Everything’s pretty in pink at this weekly brunch at La Mona Rosa, which is Spanish for “the pink monkey.” Pink cocktails highlight the menu, and bottomless mimosas are $40. A DJ provides “high-energy Latin house tracks.” Attendees get free pink heart-shaped sunglasses. Pink Brunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. lamonarosalv.com
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