In honor of National Margarita Day it only seemed fitting to dish on a new restaurant that entered the Las Vegas dining sphere offering a killer tequila concoction. The world’s first Ramon Ayala’s Cocina & Cantina opened last Thursday at Primm Valley Casino Resorts in a true fiesta fashion. When I started on the project, I have to admit I was unaware of the stature that Ramon Ayala holds. The Mexican-American superstar has 50 years of experience in the music industry, producing 105 albums, gracing more than 150 stages across the United States and Mexico as well as starring in 13 feature films and winning four Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. Now that is was I call a roster of allocates!
The grand opening began with a ribbon cutting ceremony shortly after 5 p.m. The buzz escalated as Ayala made his way across the casino floor, admiring fans stopping the proclaimed King of the Accordion for pictures and autographs. Upon arriving at his self-title restaurant, he was welcomed by a sea of Primm Valley executives and cantina staff surrounding a crimson ribbon accented with red hot peppers to offer a unique Mexican flare. Ayala and a Primm executive shared the honor of cutting the ribbon with oversized scissors and an eruption of applause filled the casino.
The highlight of my time with Ayala was taking him back to the kitchen to ceresin the chopping blocks. The Head Chef donned Ayala with a chef toque and told him to whip up a signature dish. With grace, he prepared an order of taquitos as staff overlooked his techniques and eye for detail. He finished off the dish with just the right amount of his favorite garnishes and presented it to an applauding audience. Ayala made it very apparent that the kitchen was his second home.
If you are ever out in the Primm neighborhood, make sure to stop by the new Mexican restaurant that has a full menu of authentic cuisine. Plus 10 brands of tequila ready to be mixed into specialty margaritas and a live mariachi band beacons for one heck of a rowdy evening.
Cheers!
˜Kristen Merchant
Photo Credit: Erik Kabik/Retna
Fans (some drunk, some sober, all happy) were there representing all of the 16 international nations competing in the tournament, and their passion for the teams was electric. The audience of 30,323 on Saturday, Feb. 11 was the single largest crowd to ever watch a live rugby event in the United States.
