Before Las Vegas had names like Wynn, Trump, Paris, or New York it was the Dunes, Sands, and Stardust that drew gamblers to this desert city of 60,000. Many of the early names have been eaten up by the mega resorts that took over the region as corporations realized they could make as much money as some of the gangsters that were running the casinos in the early years of its growth.
One that did survive the corporate onslaught was the Riviera Hotel. When it opened in 1955 it was billed as the first high rise at nine stories, with a then significant 300 rooms. Today’s casino hotels are regularly opening with 3000 rooms or more.
Winnipeg tour operator Lou Miles operated non-stop charters to Las Vegas for many of those growth years, often using the Riviera as his home base.
Today the Riviera Hotel proudly displays its history to visitors, and aggressively uses it as a marketing tool to attract new clients.
Flamboyant pianist entertainer Liberace was the feature act for the grand opening, with crooners Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra as headliners along the way enhancing the image of the property, as the new place to stay.
Most of the great entertainers that headlined at the Riviera frequented the Golden Steer. John Garber, who started as a bell boy at the Riviera in 1970 met many of the performers who stayed and played there. “Virtually all the famous entertainers of the day from Sinatra to D.L. Hughley have played the Versailles Room.”
Today the Riviera, after renovating about 1800 of its rooms at a cost of about $30 million, is able to still attract thousands to its shows and casino as it positions itself, with its history, as a value alternative to the major brands on the strip.
My visit to Las Vegas was to attend a trade show. Trade shows and conventions are major economic drivers for the city and state. Because of easy and reasonably priced transportation access from almost anywhere in North America, many associations and trade groups commit to holding their events there annually.
At the end of a long day at the show I was attending, it was the vision of a big corn fed sirloin which led me to drive around looking for a beef restaurant, which wouldn’t be too fancy or expensive. Driving along Sahara Avenue, the typically Las Vegas garish and massive yellow sign of the Golden Steer Steakhouse caught my eye.
Flashing signs like this one are common to Las Vegas. With reasonably priced power flowing from the Hoover Dam, which was constructed in the 1930’s, Las Vegas signage then, as now, was and is a factor in creating that extra sense of glitter and gold that kept visitors awake for most of the nights.
What penetrated my consciousness was the word simple invitation for steak, making my mouth water even as I turned the wheel into the parking lot. But what greeted me at the Golden Steer was not the budget beef I was looking for, but rather another piece of history which linked the Riviera and the great entertainers of a bygone era.
The Golden Steer was opened in 1958 during a time of segregation and racism. Entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr., loved by audiences for their talent but not their colour, were not allowed to stay in the properties in which they played to top billing. So the place many of them chose to stay was the Moulin Rouge Motel, a few kilometers away, but situated so the newly opened steak house could easily be seen as they traveled to work.
The Moulin Rouge, owned in part by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, who acted as host for the property after it acquired a casino license, became the Las Vegas home to famous black celebrities of the day. Dinah Washington, Harry Belafonte, and the Platters, plus future celebrities like Tom Bradley, who would later become mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993 all made the black acceptable motel, home during their Las Vegas visits for a period even after segregation loosened its clinch on who could have an equal right to squander their money at the tables.
The story has it that Sammy, after leaving the motel on his way to a song and dance gig, and curious about the new restaurant, pokes his head in to take a look. He suggests a dinner there to his Rat Pack friends, Sinatra, Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
Even though Davis Jr. was only allowed to dine at the restaurant because he was a celebrity, and at the insistence of his partners, the Golden Steer would become a frequent hang out for the Pack, as well as hangers-on and star seekers.
It has expanded several times since, and may still be one of the best steakhouses in the city, even if not as modern as the in house palaces of the large casinos.
The tables of the Rat Pack have been preserved, and their places marked. Visitors will call weeks in advance to book the Martin or the Sinatra table, and will forgo the visit to the restaurant if their table of choice has already been reserved.
Most of the great entertainers that headlined at the Riviera frequented the Golden Steer, although Liberace, who was a mainstay at the Riviera, had his own restaurant at the time as well.
Hotel staff are fond of explaining how the Riviera swimming pool, still the original, was designed in the shape of a grand piano, in honor of its opening and frequent act, Liberace.
Looking down from one of the poolside rooms the shape is definitely there, but it does take some significant imagination to fully integrate it into one’s perceived reality.
But time, and shifts in consumer demand, waits for no one. Places like the Riviera and the Golden Steer needed to re-invent themselves to survive and not fall into the pit of history, as did many of the popular names of the day.
Even the famous headliner acts were being replaced by more permanent shows.
It seems a long way to travel from Winnipeg to go to a skating rink, but the current draw at the Riviera is a show called ICE. With 42 performers from Russia, something no one could have imagined in the cold war days of the 50’ and 60’s, a kind of Cirque du Soleil is executed on skates. With flips, tricks on stilts, and high wire balances, one’s pulse races, wondering if they will survive the next attempt, seemingly more dangerous than the last.
No one should by-pass Las Vegas without seeing the modern marvels created by the Wynn’s and the Trumps of today, but it is also worthy to visit the places that created the foundation for what would become the gaming capital of the world; And become one of the fastest growing cities in America as well.
Two of the most impressive pieces of this city’s history can reach out to you at the Riviera and the Golden Steer Steakhouse.
How to Get There:
With the number of non-stop flights offered by Westjet from Winnipeg, it really is the best choice from both a budget and convenience perspective. Connections are also available through both United and Delta airlines.
What to Do:
Take a break from the gambling and rent a car to capture another important piece of Las Vegas related history, the Hoover Dam. Built during 
the depression and dedicated in 1935, the Hoover Dam would supply both water and inexpensive electricity to Las Vegas, enabling it to become the super-lit sign capital of the world as well. You can get there and back and even take in a tour in just over half a day.
Perhaps because few entertainers of old, Bob Hope notwithstanding, cared to partake in the sport, golf was not viewed as a profitable opportunity for investment in Las Vegas. Today there are many courses to choose from to satisfy the challenge for golfers from hacker to pro. We golfed at the Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock and enjoyed the challenge and the view or the nearby rock faces.
Where to Eat:
In addition to the Golden Steer for Steak at 308 W. Sahara, I also found a tremendous award winning Thai restaurant off the strip called the Lotus of Siam at 953 E. Sahara. Most of the major casinos have some form of all-you-can-eat-buffet along with ethnic and North American culinary options. Some of the most expensive restaurants are now located inside the largest casinos.