Waking up under the hot desert Las Vegas sun, in the middle of Summer, was not my first choice when thoughts of moving to a new city came to mind.
But that is indeed what happened! Whether I like it or not, I am a full-time resident of Sin City now. I often reflect back and ask myself why? I’m a person who believes that most things happen for a reason. Those reasons might sound crazy at times, but when you are dealt a set of poker cards, as they say in Vegas, fake it until you make it.
The truth is I love Las Vegas…as a tourist! Not necessarily as a full-time resident. It’s no longer my play ground, where I can be part of the problem, then promptly leave on a plane back to home far far away.
Now I’m the guy who gives death stares to tourists and detests the outrageous alcohol prices on the strip! My oh my, how the tables have turned on me. I still go to the strip despite what my new found Las Vegas friends tell me…which is to stay off the strip because they hate it more than I do!
Well, not so fast there folks! I have California friends who make the strip their home a few months out of the year. So, I will continue to witness their debaucherous ways. And they will have amazing nights that they won’t remember the next day!
During my full-time residency I will not be performing or singing on a fancy Cesar’s stage with the likes of Cher or Elton John. No, I will spare you that horrible notion. I can’t even sing Karaoke without killing birds, rats, and other animals with high pitch sensitive ears.
However, I will tell you about some good eats I came across recently both on and off the strip. I will also tell you about a recent ghost encounter locally in the desert town of Goodsprings!
Viva Las Vegas Baby!!
Battista's Italian Restaurant
Serving good Italian food in this original location since 1970! This is Battista’s Hole in the Wall restaurant a block off the strip behind Cromwell Hotel and Casino. Make reservations because they are always busy!
This place was recommended to me by Minnie! She is a local resident, former Bay Area resident, and fellow foodie, who bartends at Las Vegas Brewing Company in the Centennial Hills area of Las Vegas.
Battista’s has a simple menu posted on the wall. They also have a large collection of flight size alcohol bottles on display, and they are law enforcement, first responder, and military friendly. Check out their patch collection!
I had the meat lasagna! Don’t let the photo fool you…it was a wide and deep layered lasagna. I could not finish it. The sauce was savory and meaty!
My travel buddy and former colleague, Mark T, had the spaghetti and meat sauce. He finished his whole plate!! The only thing he didn’t do was lick the plate! He should have because it was that good!
Just as I was about to say I ate too much and want to throw up, the server brought out a cappuccino on the house! A standard practice of theirs along with free house wine that we declined.
Shuck's Tavern and Oyster Bar
Shuck’s is a 24/7 bar, gaming, and restaurant way off the strip and into my neighborhood up against the mountains of North West Las Vegas. Shuck’s seafood was fresh. Maybe not right out of the ocean fresh, but darn near close and definitely close enough for me to eat it here.
I had the “bucket” meal which included my choices of snow crab, clams, sausage, potato, and corn! Again, Minnie from Las Vegas Brewing Company suggested I try this place. The place did not disappoint and I will be be back for more.
Las Vegas Brewing Company
Speaking of LV Brewing Co. The Las Vegas Brewing Company has been in business since earlier this year and have some of the best tasting in-house crafted beer I have ever had. The company is located just a few short miles from my home and has become a regular hang out for me.
I’m not much of a beer guy these days, but they also serve hard liquor. Of course, they have plenty of Jameson in-stock to keep me coming back for more!
I tried several of their lighter beers and all of their beers are made right here in-house! You can also have it canned and take it home with you. Come down and sample the beers. They taste good!
One of my favorite food items at LV Brewing is their deep fried shrooms…I order this every time I’m here. It brings me back to my high school days when Cassidy’s Pizza in Watsonville, Ca. had deep fried mushrooms on their menu.
Strip Steak at Mandalay Bay
A nice hipster joint called Strip Steak puts out some amazing food. It’s located inside Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the south end of the Vegas strip.
This medium rare Tomahawk steak, weighing in at 3 plus pounds, was a whopping $250 dollars! But it was one of the best $250 dollar steaks I have had in a long time. Juicy, tender, melt in your mouth kind of steak! It was grilled to perfection. Kudos to the chef.
http://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com
Goodsprings, Nevada
6 miles off the I-15 near Jean, Nevada is a town called Goodsprings…pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But it is a town steeped in history, especially its saloon, which is well over 100 years old. And you know what that means to me…it is haunted!
Pioneer Saloon
I have been to Pioneer Saloon before, but that was long before my communication skills with the dead became enhanced! Practice makes perfect!
Pioneer Saloon came into existence about 1913. And much like any other western town with a saloon, it came with violence and death on a regular basis.
I actually showed up for the burger, trying to mind my own business, but got a lot more than I had anticipated. Pioneer Saloon recently changed owners and the new owner (I could be wrong) was not too excited about ghost hunts on his property from what I heard.
I had to keep my impromptu investigation on the down low. What I’m learning about myself and the paranormal: I have no control over when and where spirits decide they want to communicate with me, or show themselves to me. Or as I like to say: a shit show is about to go down!
The Ghost Burger! A quarter pound of meat, bacon, ghost sauce, your choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion! You also have the choice of one, two, or three patties of beef!
The ghost sauce has a nice spicy kick that lingers for a bit. I had mine with pepper jack cheese to add to the already spicy ghost sauce!
Pioneer Saloon refers to this burger as their “world famous” burger. In that regard it is their signature burger and it does taste good! I heard people ordering the burger often during my short visit. They also offer the Poltergeist Burger, which is loaded with Jalapenos and other items. Basically an angrier version of the ghost burger that is on steroids…
My first encounter with a spirit came when I went into the restroom. I was immediately hit with cold chills and dizziness, which for me, typically means a spirit is touching me trying to get my attention.
I could sense she was a young female who actually resides inside the women’s restroom, but came through the walls to the men’s restroom in an attempt to communicate.
I was struck with sadness and betrayal, which for me means she died of unnatural causes. I believe she was murdered either in this space or somewhere on the property. She went on to tell me she knew she was dead but was stuck here. Why she was stuck here is still unknown to me. I’m still learning how to communicate and I don’t have all the reference points to decode the message.
A reference point for me means I have some past experience with an item, a face, a color, or word that might refer to what is being explained to me, by the spirit, that I can match and interpret to decode the message in my head. Every reference point shows up in my brain as a picture or word.
This brief encounter opened the flood gates for other spirits to bombard me. As I sat at the bar trying to finish my burger I was overwhelmed with spirits! I had constant cold chills, I was pushed and pulled, I was at the point of being nauseated from all the commotion the spirits were making in their attempt to talk to me.
The problem I have is I don’t know how to block that yet. I am wide open and exposed which is draining for me. By the time I left the property I was exhausted. All my energy was depleted.
This might all seem like crazy talk to you as the reader, but this was how it all played out in just a few short minutes for me. It’s the level that I have evolved to this past year. It’s hard to explain to people that I am not crazy and that this has been a life long journey for me.
As I said earlier, I don’t have any real control over it. It just happens to me 24/7 these days.
There are several factors for Pioneer Saloon and the property in general to be overly haunted. And when I say “overly” it means the place, day or night, is constantly active.
A big reason for the saloon to be active in the first place is this space! The table in this photo was the original poker table used when the saloon first opened, about 1913. It was here that a man was shot dead, after the other poker players learned he cheated during the game, sometime in 1915.
If you look at the wall behind the table you can see 3 bullet holes. It’s presumed that the blood stained bullets went through the guy’s body and out the wall. It’s this type of negative energy that brews the paranormal storm on this property.
It doesn’t end there either! Other things happened over the years here and paranormal layers of activity have been created.
The layers of paranormal activity include this. This is the end of the bar that is closest to the front door entrance. Back in 1942, Clark Gable sat here for days waiting to hear news of his wife, Carole Lombard, on the doomed flight she was on.
He smoked cigars and the indentations on the top of the bar are from embers from his cigars. His sadness and these burn scares was negative energy left behind from his era.
To add to this layer of negative energy, the previous owner, set up a memorial on the wall of the dining room in the saloon honoring Carole Lombard and Clark Cable. Her plane crashed in the mountains not too far from the saloon. A piece of the plane wreckage was mounted to the wall.
For those of you that follow paranormal stories about plane crashes, car crashes, and ships sinking, will know that when you take a piece of the wreckage and display in a museum, private residence, or business…you will have paranormal activity in those places.
Pioneer Saloon is no different. It’s yet another layer in this storied building.
Here’s the cool thing about this 100+ year old bar…they stock Jameson bottles 5 wide and 3 rows deep. Now that’s a great bar!
The paranormal activity doesn’t end after you leave the saloon. One block from the saloon is the Goodsprings Cemetery. A place that is also over 100 years old.
I stopped to thank all the military service personnel memorialized here. I accidently took a spirit hitchhiker or two home with me. They invaded my dream state. The first Navy officer showed me he was a communication’s specialist. He did this by using my reference point of my former executive producer, Cami Covin, from KSCO radio.
The second Navy officer, an enlisted officer, showed me the physical work he did on his ship. I was scrubbing the ships toilets, walls, and floors, all night long in my dream. I woke up exhausted! I felt like I put in a 15 hour work shift when I woke up. That’s how real the dream was to me. And when my dreams are vivid and I can remember it all in great detail, it means spirits got into my dream state to interact with me.
As soon as their story was told, they were gone!
The October desert view was amazing. This is the time of year to get out and explore as the weather has become more tolerable. Finally, that repressive heat has subsided for the season.
It was my stomach that brought me to Pioneer Saloon this time around. Their burgers are good! Instead, I had an impromptu ghost investigation happen to me. I didn’t have any equipment with me, I didn’t have Lingering Souls Paranormal, or Lingering Souls Paranormal Nevada Chapter with me either.
I was alone, minding my own business, eating a really good burger, when the spirit world decided to interact in broad daylight. As cool as that may be, I realize now, my private life will never be same, as I elevate to new heights with the paranormal.
Until next time on Foodie Booze Explorer…
Awesome I will be at Mandalay Bay in January. I will be in touch.
Thanks Kevin! See you in January!!
Interesting! Not sure I would enjoy those dream visits. Stay safe my friend!
Lol…thanks Dave!!
A good read, as you always do. Makes me want to come to Vegas sometime, maybe. I would love to go check out ghosties and good restaurants!!
Awww thank you! You are always welcome to hang out with us in Vegas. DM me on messenger/FB.