I’m Noe Alarcon, and I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1981 – where did the 43 years go?! – and grew up in hospitality working at Caesars Palace (1988-1996) and then opening Bellagio (1998-2005) and Wynn Las Vegas (2005-2011). I left the Wynn for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to work at Scarpetta, then returned to the Wynn at Cipriani in 2018.
During COVID-19, the opportunity to work for Darin Feinstein and Black Star Investments presented itself. I now help Black Star Investments with El Dorado Cantina, Tix4 and, most recently, Vegas Prime Magazine.
I know Las Vegas, I love Las Vegas, and I hope, through my Noe Knows Vegas column, to share interesting anecdotes about The Entertainment Capital of the World, my home unbelievably for more than four decades now.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain started her third residency in Las Vegas, “Come on Over,” at Planet Hollywood on May 10. I’ve had the pleasure of taking care of her during my time at Scarpetta at The Cosmopolitan. We discussed horses. For Shania, they’re not just props. They are a passion and a way of life. She considers them her family, and they provide her with much-needed moments of relaxation. You may recall, she rode down the Las Vegas Strip atop a horse to announce her first residency at The Colosseum.
El Dorado Cantina
I work for El Dorado Cantina – all three locations – and it’s won many awards for many years by Yelp. You can’t beat the fresh guacamole made table-side. My personal favorite is the al pastor, and people rave about the filet and lobster tacos. The flan is fantastic. The pozole, which is a customer favorite, is offered in pork and chicken. Take caution! We are known to have plenty of heat in our food.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
One thing that stuck out moving from hotel to hotel over the years is how elevated and modern the industry became with the opening of The Cosmopolitan. It was a much younger workforce targeting much younger customers. It was definitely an eye-opening reality check for me.
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones is a longtime hospitality guy in Las Vegas, and I’ve heard he’s looking to open a new restaurant locally. He was part of the opening team for Mandalay Bay – China Grill, Red Square, Rumjungle and more. He and his team would come over to Circo at Bellagio to tell stories about their trials and tribulations in Las Vegas.
Secret Drinking
One of my favorite memories in my many years in Las Vegas is tasting Chateau Petrus and Margeaux out of a porcelain coffee cup because I wasn’t old enough to drink. I was 18 or 19 at the time, so not too far off. For obvious reasons, I won’t say where.
Sirio Maccioni
To end my first Noe Knows Vegas, I must pay tribute to Italian restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, who was known for opening Le Cirque in New York and its popular outpost at Bellagio and passed away in 2020 at age 88. Many greats passedvthrough his kitchen in New York and Las Vegas, and Sirio was the common denominator. When Steve Wynn brought in Sirio to open Bellagio, everyone followed.
Signing off until next time,
Noe
