HOME TURF MAC KING
WORDS BY CATHERINE ARNOLD
Mac King, Las Vegas’ finest magician, conjures up a unique city guide.
Mac King: wearer of plaid stage suits; gravel-voiced teller of seemingly innocent but very funny tales; world-class performer of comedic magic. Though not a big name outside of Las Vegas and magician fan circles, he’s appeared on television shows including "World’s Wildest Magic”, "Houdini: Unlocking His Secret”, "Comic Strip Live”, "Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular” and the Cybill Shepherd vehicle "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venu”. Since 2000, King has made his home in Las Vegas, where his one-man show, The Mac King Comedy Show, headlines at Harrah’s Las Vegas Casino & Hotel. Las Vegas Weekly’s Reader’s Choice Awards made him "Entertainer of the Year” in 2004.
From The Strip to the desert, King knows Las Vegas from hole-in-the-wall burger joints to the finest restaurant with a view of the Bellagio Hotel’s nightly fountain show. So, peek over his plaid-clad shoulder during a tour of Sin City.
Besides your own show, what’s the best entertainment that Vegas has to offer?
"In my opinion, singer Clint Holmes is the city’s finest entertainer-it’s like watching Sammy Davis Jr. in his prime, just dazzling. He’s a great singer, terrific storyteller-and he has the best live band in Las Vegas.
"As a magician, I have to note the cream of the crop (present company excluded, of course), Penn & Teller. Lance Burton: Master Magician is also great, and I’m not just saying that because he and I are pals. At the start of his show he performs a 12-minute piece that I think is the finest 12 minutes of magic you’ll see anywhere, ever.
"Because I also do comedy, I keep an eye on that, and the best show, for my money, is Vinnie Favorito. He’s at Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino, which is downtown in the older section of the city, an area that doesn’t have too many shows.
"I’ve seen Vinnie’s show more than 10 time””it’s always different and always hilarious. He talks to the audience and finds out about them, but doesn’t make fun of them. If he learns that a plumber, a UPS driver and a book publisher are in the audience, he’ll include all those positions in the act by the end of the show in a very funny way.”
Where should we eat?
"For what I consider the city’s finest food (pictured), and an amazing view, I like Alizé, which is a French restaurant at the top of The Palms. It’s not large, so from every table you can see the glittering vista beyond three walls of glass. "Also good-though expensive-is the Picasso, a French-Mediterranean restaurant at the Bellagio. I like to arrive at 5:30pm before I do a show, slip the maitre d’ a little money and ask for a seat on the patio. From there we have a clear view of the Bellagio’s fountain show, which is choreographed in time to music. A crowd always gathers to watch, but since they’re on the other side of the fountain we don’t have to look over anyone. The show is unbelievable, absolutely spectacular. [The Bellagio’s lights and music show is 900 feet long and consists of 4,500 lights and 1,200 nozzles.]
"For a small, romantic place that has live jazz every night, my wife and I like Jazzed Café & Vinoteca. The food-Northern Italian-is really, really great. If I weren’t a magician, I’d probably be a chef, and this place impresses me. We heard about it from the head dancer in the Lance Burton Magic Show. Her husband is Jazzed’s chef/owner, and one night she said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come over to my restaurant?’.
"I’m also a hamburger connoisseur. Schoop’s, my favorite burger place, is a long way off The Strip, located in the back of a former gas station. It’s part of a small chain located only in Indiana and Illinois. Their burgers are crunchy around the edges, just the way I like them.
"Lastly, I should tell you about where I take my four-year-old daughter: to Red Rock Canyon to see water in the spring- amazing here in the desert; also to Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef Aquarium and the surprisingly beautiful, un-hokey Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy. But most of all, what you should do in Las Vegas is see some of our amazing shows, and eat!”
HERE’S WHERE TO GO:
Clint Holmes
Harrah’s Casino & Hotel, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South 800-392-9002
Penn & Teller
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, 888-746-7784
Lance Burton
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, 877-386-8224
Vinnie Favorito
Binion’s Horseshoe, 128 E. Fremont St., 702-366-7555
Alizé Restaurant
Top of The Palms Resort, 4321 W. Flamingo Rd., 702-951-7000
Picasso
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. 702-693-7223
Jazzed
Café & Vinoteca, 8615 W. Sahara, 702-233-2859
Schoop’s
9487 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-617-9085