{"id":2867,"date":"2026-09-02T08:17:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/?p=2867"},"modified":"2026-09-02T08:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:19:15","slug":"vegas-visitors-are-jumping-for-its-two-newest-exciting-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/travel\/2867\/vegas-visitors-are-jumping-for-its-two-newest-exciting-experiences","title":{"rendered":"Vegas Visitors are Jumping for its Two Newest, Exciting Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mike Patterson with Evel Knievel\u2019s canyon-jumping Sky Cycle. Photo by Bobby Shiels<\/p><\/div>\n

Adrenaline is released into the body of a person feeling the emotion of excitement or even fear. Legendary daredevil Evel Knievel felt both as his motorcycle, about to fly through the sky, sped its way up the jump ramp. Executive Chef Michael Rubinstein has a similar sensation while his playlist pumps music in his car when he drives to work each morning past the spot where Knievel jumped the famous fountains on Las Vegas Boulevard.<\/p>\n

Both Knievel\u2019s courageous stunts and Rubinstein\u2019s culinary skills are causing the hearts of Vegas visitors to pump in two new establishments: The Evel Knievel Experience, in the Arts District; and Sartiano\u2019s Italian Steakhouse, in Wynn Resort.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe closer I get from home to the kitchen at Sartiano\u2019s, the more I transform from \u2018Michael\u2019 into \u2018Chef Rubinstein,\u2019\u201d said the Las Vegas-native. He was awash in awesome adrenaline when he previously fed the Las Vegas Raiders players as executive chef of the NFL team\u2019s first culinary program. \u201cA pro football team is a bit militaristic, and so is a kitchen. There is lots of communication,\u201d Rubinstein allowed. \u201cThe Raiders\u2019 coach then was John Gruden, and he worked longer hours than a chef!\u201d<\/p>\n

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The dining room\u2019s atmosphere is exciting. Photo by Bobby Shiels<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u00a0It would be late into the evening at Sartiano\u2019s before Rubinstein\u2019s all-pro culinary crew could cheer the announcement \u201call in\u201d (meaning the night\u2019s last order is taken). At nearly 10 p.m., a bachelorette party of 16 energetic, stylish, young women wiggled in around the big table behind the sliding doors at the back of the soaring, vaulted-ceilinged, brass-detailed dining room.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThose little ladies will eat more than you might think,\u201d Cutris, a server, said.<\/p>\n

At the opposite end of Sartiano\u2019s, past a sidewall of wines behind glass, are windows to an outdoor veranda overlooking the verdant Wynn Golf Course, the trees and hills and bushes of which are dramatically illuminated in the glow of the biggest \u201cgolf ball\u201d of all: The Las Vegas Sphere.<\/p>\n

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Patio views of the Wynn Golf Course and Vegas skyline. Photo by Bobby Shiels<\/p><\/div>\n

Joseph Franchino looks longingly out at the 18th<\/sup>hole, but is too busy to play golf. He\u2019s managing the mid-century Milanese-style restaurant concept hospitality magnate Scott Sartiano brought to Nevada from the Big Apple with James Beard Award winner Alfred Portale. For diners, the arrival at Sartiano\u2019s is dynamic: a leopard-carpeted floor leads from the chic cocktail bar down a narrow, arched hallway, with framed artwork lining each side, and is bordered with diagonal stripes reminiscent of the chicane curves of an F1 race track. A white-bulbed chandelier is behind the suspended \u201cS\u201d logo.<\/p>\n

Sartiano\u2019s is a sophisticated soiree with tableside presentations, shellfish towers with Maine lobster, and decadent dishes designed for sharing. There is a bountiful bevy of Barolo on the wine list. Guests can lift a glass to say \u201ccheers\u201d to the crisp Oscietra Caviar Cannoli with whipped mascarpone and chive to start the meal in style. I might then suggest the Heirloom Tomato Panzanella with pickled eggplant, grilled sourdough, and bufala mozzarella. The pasta course features Fusilli with Wagyu beef ragu and Agnolotti with sheep\u2019s milk ricotta, lamb pancetta, and English peas.<\/p>\n

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Caviar Cannoli starts the soiree at Sartiano\u2019s in the Wynn. Photo by Bobby Shiels<\/p><\/div>\n

Bistecca Florentina, carved tableside with peppercorn, roasted garlic, and salsa verda, is one of the steaks sourced from family farms and iconic ranches such as Double R, in Washington; Little Belt Cattle Company in Montana; and, speaking of Evel Knievel, Snake River Farms in Idaho. Supplement the steaks with Soft Polenta and king crab, saffron and fonduta; or add on Truffle Short Rib and Egg Yolk Ravioli.<\/p>\n

A savvy server will propose portions so you can enjoy the dolce desserts, such as Panettone bread pudding with amaro custard, sweet ricotta, and strawberry sorbet; or Lemon Fantasy Semifreddo: a chiffon sponge, lemon curd, and limoncello cream. A panorama of gelato and sorbetto flavors ranged from latte, watermelon, white peach and cantaloupe. Then say
\n\u201cbuona notte\u201d with a glass of Iannamaru \u2013 a Sicilian mandarin amaro liquor.<\/p>\n

I recommend you take home, or to your hotel room, a colorful biscotti tin of Sartiano\u2019s Italian Cookie Selection: Ricciarelli, rainbow, apricot butter, cherry pistachio, baci di allasio, and crostolli.<\/p>\n

Beyond the sugar, a different rush awaits where Mike Patterson and his family have created the Evel Knievel Experience, a thrilling, interactive homage to the death-defying daredevil who is forever part of Las Vegas lore. Knievel conned his way into Caesar\u2019s Palace management, allowing him to try to jump his motorcycle, ill-suited for soaring, over their front fountains. Television showed his shocking spill.<\/p>\n

\u201cFear had a lot to do with my fame,\u201d admitted Knievel, a complicated, showman superhero of his time whose first-ever human action figure (purposely bendable) outsold Barbie dolls in the 1970\u2019s. The sweetly nostalgic museum displays the branded toys and licensed lunchboxes, plus presents Knievel\u2019s actual star-spangled uniforms, helmets, traveling semi-trailer, and his motorbikes used in over 200 jumps, including the \u201cSky Cycle\u201d he attempted to rocket over the Snake River Canyon. That, infamously, was one of the 20 times Knievel crashed \u2013 all of which are detailed and visible in videos voiced over by the likes of ABC\u2019s Howard Cosell.<\/p>\n

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Enter Evel\u2019s Experience with excitement. Bobby Shiels<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAnytime Evel wiped out jumping buses or even a tank of sharks, since he was always trying to outdo himself, he\u2019d hit the pavement at 70 miles an hour. There are no seatbelts on a motorcycle,\u201d said Patterson, himself a professional racer, who created a digital display of Knievel\u2019s bevy of broken bones, for which he is in the Guinness Book of Records.<\/p>\n

Visitors can experience an amazingly realistic, 360-degree virtual reality motorcycle jump themselves. It took my breath away as it felt like I was flying off the ramp and over 15 police cars in a true street scene staged in front of a real crowd. \u201cThe bike rumbles, the wind blows on you, and you hear people screaming,\u201d said Patterson. I screamed, too\u2026and smiled.<\/p>\n

Patterson vividly remembers being four years old and seeing Knievel jump at the Hutchinson Fairgrounds in Kansas. That very motorcycle is now displayed in his own museum.<\/p>\n

Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at\u00a0<\/em>MShiels@aol.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0His new book: Travel Tattler \u2013 Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via\u00a0Amazon.com\u00a0Hear his radio talk show on 730\u00a0AM 1240\u00a0in Lansing weekdays\u00a0from 3 pm \u2013 6 pm.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adrenaline is released into the body of a person feeling the emotion of excitement or even fear. Legendary daredevil Evel… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":2868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-courses-and-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2026\/09\/unnamed-file.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2867"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2878,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867\/revisions\/2878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}