BRETT TORINO investing in Nevada's children people philanthropy community culture march 2012 fashion society CONTENTS vol 2 | no 3 | march 2012 REAL ESTATE COVER: BRett TORINO LAS VEGAS “You can’t be everything to everyone, so we decided to be what we could to children with disabilities FINE Homes that didn’t have normal childhoods.” 46 GOOD LIFE: RAZOR SHARP Fino for Men shaves mystery away from the most masculine of rituals 13 GOOD LIFE: OSCAR'S PLACE Martinis and a mobbed-up menu made the Mayor into Vegas’ happiest restaurateur 16 GOOD LIFE: BOUncING BACK Carla Pellegrino creates a family feeling in the southern valley with Bratalia 20 See Page 67 GOOD LIFE: MEET AND EAT Project Dinner Table brings people and food together for a purpose 22 AboUT THE coVER LVB: FIVE-stAR BLIss Visiting the top spas in Vegas as determined by Forbes Travel Guide 24 FINER THINGS: STYLE SAnctUARY Crystals at CityCenter is the Strip’s bejeweled monument to high-end retail 28 FIneR THINGS: ICE CREAM, YOU scREAM Wrap yourself in the sweetest flavors of spring 37 InstAnt STYLE: Into THE FOLD Pleats on everything from dresses to jackets and handbags 44 CLose UP: LEIGH SAVOY In the court of restaurant royalty’s truffle queen 52 DOWntoWN: ALEXANDRA EPsteIN Diamond Cake may never find El Cortez’s Alex Epstein is helping to develop as reluctant a cover subject as Downtown Las Vegas’ brighter tomorrow 58 developer/philanthropist Brett Torino, but easing lens anxiety and bringing WHeeLS IN motIon: DRIVING FOR DesseRT out true personality is photographer Celebrity Cars Las Vegas offers a menu Jerry Metellus’ specialty. Spiritually of custom-autos and cuisine 62 minded Torino doesn’t fear the tee OFF: PRIstIne GReens camera as much as consider Shadow Creek gives a whole new meaning image superficial, but when it to fantasy golf 66 comes to bringing attention to the kids’ camps at Torino Ranch he’s THE WALL: PHotoGRAPHY BY ERIC ItA 77 willing to take one for the team. publisher Jimmy Foster editor Matt Kelemen creative director Timothy Carvalho editorial contributing writers cover photographer Danny Axelrod Jerry Metellus www.jerrymetellus.com Nur Kausar Jarret Keene contributing photographers Al Mancini Eric Ita www.ericitaphoto.com David McKee Shane O'Neal Christie Moeller www.shaneonealphotography.com Susan Stapleton Sabin Orr Max Plenke www.orrdigital.com Dave Surratt Duane Prokop www.prokopphoto.com Ryan Weber www.radiantphotography.com art and media art director online media director Jina Hustler Lauralie Lee Ezra graphic designer creative copywriter Eric Vozzola De Jackson web developers Jason Miroy Raja Sinha sales and marketing ad partner relations event coordinator Aubrianna Atwell Jennifer Hixson special thanks Brett Torino © SSF Media, LLC Holding Company Florence Shapiro, Ivan Sher, Jimmy Foster 150 N. Las Vegas Blvd #2107 | Las Vegas, NV 89101 | 702.202.4120 (o) | 702.430.9041 (f) | [email protected] | www.DiamondCakeMagazine.com Strategy. Choreography. Organization. contRIBUtoRS JARRet KEENE MAX PLenKE NUR KAUSAR DAVE SURRATT Jarret Keene’s books include The Max Plenke is an arts and culture Nur Kausar loves new beats. Although his primary focus is now Underground Guide to Las Vegas, writer from Minnesota. His writing The former editor-in-chief of on writing plays, producing, directing an unauthorized rock bio of The has appeared in GQ, Desert UNLV’s The Rebel Yell and concert and acting in local theater productions, Whispering Giants is a strategically innovative marketing firm that Killers and Las Vegas Noir. His Companion, and Billboard among connoisseur for online publication Dave Surratt has been published in specializes in brand communication and business development. primitive nuclear doom metal band other publications. His more reliable MojoRepublik worked as a reporter Las Vegas CityLife, 944, Racket, Methods include design, development and execution of events; lifestyle and partnership marketing; new media; corporate Dead Neon terrorizes Sin City dive source of rent money comes from his for The Spectrum & Daily News and Vurb and Desert Companion. responsibility and community outreach. bars. He is a regular contributor to position as the arts and entertainment St. George Magazine in Southern Maxim, The Los Angeles Times, Vegas Seven and Desert Companion staff writer for Las Vegas CityLife. Utah. While there, she wrote her Billiards Digest, the London-based magazines, and lives in the heart of It took a curiously long time for his watchdog stories revealing child Time Out travel guide series, and downtown with his wife and two beard to grow back after writing the predators, covered murder trials the International Institute of Modern young sons. For this issue, he profiled feature on Fino that opens this issue and scooped papers on bank heists. Letters' Rainmaker Report can also El Cortez executive vice-president of Diamond Cake. After chasing cops and rinsing the claim they published Surratt before he and downtown renaissance woman red dirt from her hiking adventures, eclipsed David Mamet as the sharpest Alexandra Epstein. she is refocusing on her favorite voice in theater. pastime: food. 702.202.4120 || www.whisperinggiants.com || 8 march 2012 LetteR FROM THE PUBLISHER STRONG. STABLE. SECURE. JImmY FosteR ope springs eternal, and as Las Vegas experiences its own spring awakening, along comes an invigorating March issue of Diamond Cake. Bringing our readers a valuable public service spotlighting the very finest our community has to offer across the areas of society, philanthropy, and culture, one can just feel the sense of good things around the corner. And one doesn’t have to look far; the heart of the Las Vegas arts community beats strongly like a beacon with the Hopening of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. One cannot overstate the achievement this represents from a multitude of perspectives, from economic to an aspect of group psychology. Las Vegas has been in need of a ‘win’ to bolster team morale through some tough times. From Zappo’s to The Mob Museum, to a resurgent UNLV basketball team, and now The Smith Center, Las Vegas’ 2011-2012 record is shaping up to look like a winning season. But all this should remind us of how much more can and must be done. This is why we are proud to spotlight the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Their effort to “Keep Memory Alive” is bringing hope to countless families dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease across the valley and the country. By doing so, they are contributing to a spirit of innovation and the feeling of momentum our community continues to experience in 2012. This effort is one shared by all of our valued partners. Please do your part in considering how they can help you, and join the Diamond Cake group of Ad Partners in welcoming our newest members, CityCenter Properties and The Ridges. It is by recognizing the value we all have in shaping Las Vegas’ future, by working together, that we ensure our Ross Goodman spring is made glorious summer and beyond. DEEP ROOTS. ROSS C. GOODMAN GOODMAN LAW GROUP Civil & Personal Injury Claims | Criminal Defense | Corporate Transactions 520 South Fourth St | Las Vegas, Nevada 89101 | 702.383.5088 (o) | 702.385.5088 (f) | www.goodmanlawgroup.com 10 march 2012 YOUR GARAGE ATTRACTS DUST, OUR SHOWROOM ATTRACTS BUYERS. RAZOR SHARP FIno FOR Men SHAVES MYsteRY AWAY FRom THE most MAscULINE OF RITUALS by Max Plenke photography by Duane Prokop rowing up, my father always told me there barber never referred to his red-and-blue-poled hole-in- were two small luxuries every man should the-wall as a “gentleman’s grooming lounge,” nor were experience: pressed, dry cleaned clothes and there any celebrity hair designers or complimentary a straight-razor shave. The staff at Fino for mimosas. To learn more about the High Performance Consignment Program, contact Ryan Hamilton or Ken Tangen. Men shares that mentality, though upon first impression In the back, past the display cases of grooming products 3325 Las Vegas Blvd South Suite 200 Dal Toro | Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 G I wouldn’t have believed it. After all, my neighborhood and stacks of men’s magazines, is where Fino’s homage Located on the Strip inside the Palazzo Hotel 702.818.1031 | www.celebritycarslv.com diamond cake 13 B E LI E V E ... T HERE ’ S A CHANGE AROUND T HE CORNER to the era of the classic American barber shop is found. the beard. He added pre-shave oil to further soften, Of course, that was a time when you knew more about a preliminary run of shaving cream then another hot towel. your barber’s home life than you did about that brother- By the time he got to the actual shaving, 10 minutes had in-law with whom you only talk fantasy sports, and before gone by and my face felt like a fleece blanket. “Supercuts” became to “barber shop” what “Kleenex” is to If your barber knows what he’s doing, a straight-razor “tissue.” Fino provides a very contemporary window into shave should feel like warm fingernail scratches. Most of that past, shaving away the nostalgic connotations while the time beneath the blade, I was fairly certain no cutting maintaining reverence for the most masculine of rituals. actually occurred. But Jimmy didn’t let me down. After a My barber Jimmy led me to his hardwood station, final hot towel, aftershave, and a pore-shutting cold towel, adjacent to two regulars wrapping up a conversation they I felt as if my face had just done yoga. I was relaxed. had surely put on hold last time they sat in the big black Tingly. Lethargic but ready to finish a productive day. chairs.