Friday, Jan. 31, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
When the Masquerade Village at the Rio opens to the public on Feb. 7, around midnight, it will offer a multitude of wondrous new entertainments with an exciting new concept.
Imagine a casino area with a dazzling interactive attraction smack dab in the middle, where performers drop from the ceiling, rise from the floor and waft around the room on five themed fantasy floats -- Brazil, Riverboat, Balloon, Venetian Gondola and the Faces of Masquerade.
Now imagine yourself as part of the float, costumed and performing. Three of the floats have access for as many as nine wannabe entertainers. You pay to be a part of the show, but it's free to watch.
During a preview visit, I watched, mesmerized, as some of the lighting effects and floats were tested. The special effects, lighting, music and costumes are stunning. The amount of imagination and creativity it took to come up with the concept is staggering.
Masquerade Village is part of the smashing new 41-story tower that also includes a collection of speciality shops, many of which have never before been in Las Vegas.
Six new restaurants and a glorious wine cellar that is more like a museum will offer untold gustatory delights.
Walking through the restaurants with Rio General Manager John Lipkowitz was the best kind of cook's tour.
Lipkowitz began his career at the Rio as executive chef and then directed all of the food and wine operations. With Rio founder Tony Marnell as his guide, he traveled the world refining his palate. Today he sits in the executive suite, but like his mentor, his affection for the pleasures of the table is never-ending.
The Rio is well-recognized for the quality of its restaurants. Five of them made the top 40 list in the first Zagat restaurant survey and there have been many national dining awards.
Ready for the opening on Feb. 7 are Mama Marie's Cucina, Mask, Bamboleo, Napa and Village Seafood Buffet.
Voo Doo, located at the top of the tower, will open when the tower is completed in March.
Mama Marie's
Marnell named Mama Marie's Cucina in honor of his mother, who instilled in him the passion for food that is evident in every Rio restaurant. Adding to the warmth of Mama Marie's homey decor are Marnell family photographs, including his parents' wedding photo and a tender image of Tony as a toddler with his beautiful mother.
Mama Marie's Cucina will offer home-style Italian food and many extras. The intoxicating aroma of coffee roasting will greet diners as they enter. A handsome commercial-size coffee roaster near the entrance will roast beans throughout the day. The showcase in the foyer will be filled with authentic Italian pastries, baked by an expert hired just to make the traditional favorites. Coffee and pastries can be enjoyed in the cafe portion of the restaurant or are available for takeout.
Italia Boldari, the chef for Mama Marie's Cucina, cooks like the loving Italian mother she is. This home-cook-turned-professional is a real find. The pastas she prepared at the annual Rio Italian Festival were the best.
Mama Marie's features hot and cold appetizers ($2.25-$9.95); soups and salads ($2-$6.95), including a best-buy chopped Italian salad ($3.95); pizzas ($8.95-$9.95); and a selection of pastas with a choice of sauce ($8.95). All entrees ($7.95 to market price) include Mama's roasted potatoes. The Cucino also serves panini (Italian sandwiches, $5.95-$7.95) on homemade focaccia bread.
Two generous family-style dinners are available for four or more diners. Mama's Family Dinner ($17.95 per person) includes Caesar salad, fettucini Alfredo, rigatoni Bolognese, chicken cacciatore, grilled sausages and spumone for dessert. Antonio's Favorite Dinner ($19.95 per person) includes fried calamari, pasta fagioli, cheese ravioli Alfredo, lasagna, chicken Milanese, scampi al vino Bianca and tiramisu.
Anyone who has ever partaken of a family-style Italian dinner knows what fun it is to dine this way.
Mask
Mask, for Asian cuisine, is a tropical paradise complete with a climate-controlled "rain forest," lush plants and island artifacts. Dorothy Lamour would have been right at home here.
Mask offers Japanese teppan cooking along with Chinese, Japanese and Thai specialities. Unlike most Japanese restaurants where a teppan dinner must be ordered for all of the diners in a party, Mask's teppan grills are freestanding, not part of the table. Only the teppan diners are close to the grill adjacent to one end of the table. The rest of the party can watch the chef as he performs, but are free to order off the menu. It's a terrific feature.
Included on the extensive Mask menu are Chinese, Hong Kong and Thai family dinners ($16.95-$22.95 per person); a complete selection of sushi and nigiri sushi; many Chinese, Thai and Japanese appetizers; dozens of entrees, noodle dishes, fresh seafood and other Asian specialities. The only problem here is deciding what to choose.
Bamboleo
Bamboleo is a sexy South American dance; Bamboleo at the Rio is a sexy restaurant with South American and Mexican foods.
Among the many features of this festive eatery are a multi-salsa bar, homemade tortillas fresh off the tortilleria, mucho generous margaritas, imported beers and the party feeling evoked by the colorful decor. Spanish tapas, myriad small dishes of savory bites, have at last come to Las Vegas.
A drink at the bar and a few dishes of tapas, and before you know it you'll be doing the Bamboleo.
A meal could easily be made just from the appetizers, soups and salads ($3.25-$7.95). Classic taco and enchilada plates ($5.95-$8.45) and combination plates ($6.95-$10.99) include green rice and beans. Such house specialities as carnitas, polla asada, carne asada, snapper Vera Cruz and a 12-ounce porterhouse ($8.99-$19.95) include a choice of baked potato or rice and beans.
Also available are fajitas ($8.95-$11.95), burritos ($5.95-$7.95), chimichangas ($6.99-$7.50) and a long list of a la carte side dishes, such as enchiladas, chili relleno and tamales ($1-$2.99).
And how about a banana chimichanga or fried ice cream with cactus banana bread or a margarita flan or a rice-pudding tamale from the list of original desserts created by the Rio culinary staff.
Seafood Village
Seafood Village Buffet featuring Baja, Chinese, Italian and American fish and seafood dishes in the atmosphere of a fishing village, Rio-style, is the first daily buffet of its kind. Fans of finny edibles will find a remarkable selection appearing on a regular basis as well as seasonal specialities.
Live action cooking, of course. The five stations include a Sao Paulo grill and a Mongolian grill, where even diehard waist-watchers can pig out just for the halibut.
Seafood Village Buffet will serve lunch ($14.95) and dinner ($16.95) daily.
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