Plaza Hotel steakhouse to carry Oscar Goodman name

As recently as last year, while still mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman recommended that the renovation of the Plaza include large batches of dynamite. Now, he will put his name on the hotel for all of Fremont Street to see.

On Wednesday, Goodman and Plaza management announced a deal to license his identity -- as Oscar's -- to the steakhouse that will go in the UFO-shaped dome at the front entrance that most recently housed the Firefly. Also, Goodman will lend his persona as the theme for an adjacent Italian restaurant, formerly Lombardi's, and a speakeasy that do not yet have names.

"Am I going to be doing any cooking? No," Goodman said. "Will I be drinking and bringing my friends? Yes."

He said the deal will also include memorabilia from his career as a criminal defense (read mob) attorney as well as a few recipes, such as the meatballs favored by reputed Chicago mob boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo.

Needless to say, he has changed his mind about imploding the Plaza. In the past, he considered it a threadbare barrier between downtown and Union Park. But the Plaza starts to reopen on Aug. 24 after a $35 million renovation, he noted.

"I stand by what I said then,'' he said Wednesday. "I stand by what I say now."

Oscar's will be operated in house by the Plaza, with the opening scheduled for mid-October.

While Goodman maintained consistently high approval ratings during his 12 years as mayor, would that be a tourist draw?

"He's been the spokesman for all of Las Vegas," said Tony Santo, CEO of PlayLV, which operates the Plaza. "People all over knew he was the happiest mayor in the U.S.," before correcting himself to "universe."

On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority directors are expected to approve a deal that effectively makes Goodman the group's chief promotion officer.

The Firefly leased the dome as a tapas bar for about one year, closing in September shortly before the rest of the Plaza followed suit. Firefly Owner John Simmons said he "lost a little bit of money" there primarily because he underestimated the cost of union labor and overestimated how much people would spend.

Patrons would buy the minimum just for the perch overlooking Fremont Street and the light show on the canopy. By putting a steakhouse in the dome, people would have to pay premium prices for the premium view, Santo said.

"I originally wanted to put a steakhouse in there," Simmons said. "What they are doing sounds like a good idea."

Oscar's also fits in with the growing use of Las Vegas' Mafia-soaked past to promote downtown, including the Mob Museum, the renaming of the nearby Side Bar as the Mob Bar and the El Cortez choosing the mob theme as the winner of its suite redesign contest.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.