Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 | 6 p.m.
Michael Monge has done all he can to become one with the Las Vegas entertainment community.
He’s been to Kelly Clinton’s open-mic night at Bootlegger Bistro. He’s been spotted at Cabaret Jazz in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. He’s hung with Frankie Scinta at The D Las Vegas and even ducked into Tap House on West Charleston for that tavern’s Monday night musical hodgepodge.
Happily, Monge is going to be sticking around for a while. The vocalist of such classics as “Fly Me to the Moon,” “My Girl,” “Save the Last Dance,” “Quando, Quando, Quando” and “What Kind of Fool Am I,” among dozens of easily recognizable tunes, has been extended at Eastside Lounge in Encore. The announcement has been delivered this week and is met with resort owner Steve Wynn’s approval.
Wynn even suggested cutting back Monge’s schedule from six nights to five.
“Now that we’re going forward with a full year, he wants to preserve my voice,” Monge said in a phone interview today. “He understands the challenges of singing in Las Vegas.”
Backed by a crisp three-piece band directed by pianist Jamie Grant, Monge performs Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. This is not a traditional two-drink-minimum lounge experience; Monge’s performances require a $10 cover and a one-drink minimum. Nonetheless, the crowds have descended on the lounge since Monge started. The shows have helped bring a crowd into that formerly anonymous and overlooked lounge space.
Monge says the result is “like living a dream.” His arrival to Las Vegas is a story of great aptitude and timing. In February, he was singing at Bice Italian restaurant and lounge in Boca Raton, Fla. Wynn happened to be in the audience that night and noted the vocal and even physical similarities between Monge and Wynn’s old friend Frank Sinatra.
The two talked after Monge’s set, and Monge asked — somewhat sheepishly — if Wynn might know someone in Las Vegas who could hire him as a singer.
And now Monge is that singer, booked at Encore through the end of next year.
“I’m concentrating now on keeping the show fresh, learning new songs, adding new songs,” Monge says. “For me, every day is a different day, and every show is a different show.”
Encore is nearly a mirror image of the Wynn Las Vegas, from the brown glass exterior to the style and placement of the logo — and it's just as luxurious as the original. Some call Encore the younger, hipper sister of Wynn.
Located steps from Wynn Las Vegas, yet under the same roof, Encore's fanciful and intimate atmosphere is unlike anything anywhere, with an environment that is uniquely Wynn and distinctly Encore.
Steve Wynn spared no detail in his newest property when designing Encore. The casino floor is decorated in rich reds, browns and purples with mosaic butterflies embedded into the marble floors and fresh flowers greeting guests in the casino atrium.
Luxury doesn't end of the casino floor. Encore boasts 2,034 impeccable guest rooms and suites. The standard suites resort accommodations are 700 square feet with the larger suites measuring in at 5,800 square feet. Standard suites guest rooms feature plasma screen TVs, high-end bath products, spectacular views of the Strip, and also plush linens and mattresses, which can be purchased in the Encore store, in case you can't get enough.
Dining options include Chef Theo Schoenegger's fine Italian cuisine at Chef Theo Schoenegger's, Sinatra's and the pan-Asian café creations of Chef Jet Tila at Wazuzu.
Guests can also dine on steaks and chops at star Botero Steak. At Switch, Encore's French restaurant, the walls come to life mid-meal and your surroundings appear to change before your eyes. For decadent, hip Asian dining before or after a night at one of resort’s ultra-chic nightclubs, visit Andrea’s, the newest dining experience at Encore.
XS headlines Encore's nightlife and pool party scene while Danny Gans takes care of humor and entertainment. Encore also features two of the most celebrated nightlife experiences in Vegas, XS Nightclub and Surrender. Both feature main room dance floors that flow outside to pools, patio spaces and gaming areas.
When the temperature rises, don’t miss Encore Beach Club, the premier daylife destination that features three tiered pools and luxurious cabanas and bungalows with private infinity pools.
Encore Esplanade features 11 high-end retail stores, with brands like Hermes, Chanel, Loro Piana and Rock, and Republic Piaget luxury watches. The resort also has a Forbes Five-Star spa, a salon and an 18-hole, on-site golf course, which is adjacent to the Wynn.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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