Cherry’s Memorial Day Weekend comeback

The entrance to Cherry hasn’t changed, and there’s still lots of fun inside.

By Brock Radke (contact)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 | 5:30 p.m.

Do you remember when Cherry opened? It was April 2006. Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford were there, which was a little weird because this is Summerlin we’re talking about. That’s why it was so exciting. Finally, there was a real club on the West Side. No longer would we have to hit the Strip or ride across town to attack Green Valley Ranch Resort’s Whisky Sky. We had our own swanky suburban retreat.

That was six years ago. Gerber gave up the club a couple years in, turning over the keys to Station Casinos. Despite a consistent following, Cherry has been mostly closed for the last three years, only seeing action for special events. Now it’s back. After a soft opening May 18, it was all-out for Memorial Day Weekend. There were long lines to get in Friday night, when DJ Loczi was at the helm and anybody who reserved a table had a chance at taking home a new Fiat.

Was it exciting again? Sort of. It’s still a small but beautiful space, with booths and a VIP area hugging its curves. The dancefloor was a tight mess of the same wildly varying crowd this place has always attracted—equal amounts over- and underdressed, young and old, pretty people and, uh, the rest of us. Strong winds hampered the use of its finest asset Friday, the patio-cabana space overlooking the “backyard” pool.

If you were expecting a new and improved Cherry, think again. It’s the same, at least for the summer. After that, word is Red Rock Resort will renovate the entire space and create something totally new. I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’ll definitely be back this summer for more Cherry and drinks out by the cabanas.