Columnist Jerry Fink: Joey Bistro & Bar puts the ‘whole package’ to good use

Friday, March 7, 2003 | 9:28 a.m.

Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at jerry@lasvegassun.com at (702) 259-4058.

The view at night of the Strip from the Joey Bistro & Bar on the ninth floor of the Carriage House is spectacular -- and romantic.

The small lounge -- with its deep, black leather couches -- is as comfortable as your living room.

The food from the restaurant by Chef Raymond Gallo is superb, and reasonably priced.

And, most important, there is live music.

"Music is part of the ambiance," General Manager Drew Baker says. "It's got to be here."

It's one of those amenities that provides a benefit that can't be measured in dollars and cents, only in the smiles of satisfied patrons. Not all restaurants in Las Vegas appreciate that fact.

"We want the whole package," Baker said. "Rather than just a little restaurant, we want a place where people can also come and hang out and listen to the music."

Joey Bistro & Bar was named Kiefer's until last year, when time-share entrepreneur Joe Martori of Phoenix took over and reopened it in December.

Martori, who owns Joeys in Sedona, Ariz., and in Mexico, has a Joey fixation.

The walls are covered with posters, paintings and photos of famous Joes, or of movies with the name "Joe" in the title: "Navajo Joe" (Burt Reynolds), "Joe Somebody" (Tim Allen), "Mighty Joe Young," "Chicago Joe" and dozens of others.

Patrons who can connect a list of 40 or so famous Joes with a line about why each is famous can win a bottle of wine -- a personal brand called "Joey."

The lounge and restaurant are bonuses for time-share owners at the Carriage House -- and for locals.

Located at 105 E. Harmon Ave. (across the street from the Aladdin), the venue is easy to access -- it's a half block east of the Strip, so you don't have to fight traffic to get there, and there is plenty of parking when you arrive.

Once inside the lounge, you can nestle into one of the sofas, enjoy the view and listen to some excellent music, seven nights a week.

Fridays and Saturdays, saxophonist Tommy Alvarado begins playing at 8 p.m.

Alvarado, who once toured with Joe Cocker, has made Las Vegas his home for the past few years. Until the Blue Note Las Vegas closed in January, Alvarado hosted Sunday night jam sessions at the venue (which he now holds at the Bootlegger).

Vocalist/keyboardist Lawrence Kubica provides the music Sundays through Thursdays. Kubica is only 21, but his repertoire of standards is amazing.

"He's so young for knowing all the classics," Baker said. "When I first saw him, when he auditioned, I wondered what the hell this kid was doing here."

Kubica and Alvarado will be at the lounge indefinitely, but Baker plans to expand his musical menu at some point, offering early and late-night entertainment.

The Syracuse, N.Y., native knows something about running a bistro.

After graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Baker became food and beverage manager of the now-defunct Hacienda, a position he held until lured away by Master Chef Gustav Mauler to help him open restaurants at the new Treasure Island in 1993.

Baker was the training manager for food and beverage employees at Treasure Island under Mauler (who eventually went on to open his own restaurants, including Sazio's at The Orleans, BullShrimp at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, and Spiedini and OXO at JW Marriott).

"I was only at the Treasure Island for eight months," Baker said. "Once it opened, I found myself dealing mostly with unions. It was not that challenging."

So he moved to San Jose, Calif., where he ran a restaurant for 10 years, until he decided to return to Las Vegas last year when the economy in San Jose went south.

Mauler introduced him to the owner of Joey Bistro & Bar, and Baker stepped into the management position soon after it opened.

"This is a comfortable setting, a great place for a party," he said.

And a place where the music and the view may lead to romance.

"A guy and his girl were in here on Valentine's Day," Baker said. "They had been sitting at a booth for hours, having dinner and looking at each other and at the view, when he looked at his watch. It was about 10:30 (p.m.), and he suddenly said to her, 'Let's go get married.' And they did."

Lounging around

Former showgirl Betty Petty, 70, is in critical condition in the UMC burn unit. Petty, whose real name is Mary Petitti, was injured last week when she accidentally ignited her clothing while at home. The popular fan of local jazz musicians (and a legend among Las Vegas old-timers), is in room 606. Cards, letters and telephone calls (383-2000) are welcome. Live plants are not allowed in her room, but friends may send artificial ones.

The Sagebrush Saloon, which opened on Lamb Boulevard north of Lake Mead Boulevard in 1964, has changed hands and names. The Lamb Video Poker Bar & Grill opens its doors tonight and will have a grand opening March 14. Friday nights will feature karaoke, Saturdays a variety of live music.

Grammy Award-winner Skip Martin, part-time vocalist and trumpeter for Kool & the Gang, has changed his weekly engagements at the Bootlegger Bistro from Mondays to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Martin also performs with United We Funk and the Dazz Band. He was with the Dazz Band in 1982 when the group won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for the song "Let it Whip."

Singer George Bugatti has performed in some pretty fancy lounges. He helped open Bellagio's Fontana Lounge in 1998 (now home to the ever-popular Jimmy Hopper), then performed in the venue's Allegro Lounge. Now he can be heard at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas through May 11. On May 14 the arranger and song stylist will be at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where he debuted last December.com