New Las Vegas nightclub has bite, but elegance
When Ryan Doherty was about 6-years-old, he took interest in a backyard chat his father, Billy, was having with a friend.
The kids didn’t usually pay attention to his dad’s grown-up conversations. But he took notice of how the gentlemen described Ryan’s dog, a doberman named Sheeba.
“They said, ‘They look sleek, elegant and dangerous, but they are incredibly loyal. They look fast standing still,’ ” Doherty says. “This was burned in my memory.”
Doherty started speaking differently to his friends at Cheverus Catholic School, an all-boys institution in the Boston suburb of Malden, Mass.
“I never heard these words before,” Doherty says. “I used ’sleek’ ‘elegant’ and ‘dangerous’ over and over, even for inanimate objects that had none of those qualities. I said, ‘It looks fast even standing still’ about a chalkboard.”
Doherty has held that memory of his doberman. When it was time to attach a name to his new nightspot in the Arts District, he used Doberman as a place-holding title. The name has stuck. Doberman Drawing Room opens to the public April 30.
“I started telling my team I wanted a bar that was sleek and elegant but didn’t lose the downtown edge,” says Doherty, whose Corner Bar Management owns a cadre of clubs on Fremont East. “It needed to still be a little seedy and dangerous. I realized I was just regurgitating the Doberman conversation from 40 years ago.”
Corner Bar is the predominant Fremont East hospitality company, operating Commonwealth, The Laundry Room, The Park on Fremont, Discopussy, Cheapshot, We All Scream and La Mona Rosa. His company also this month partnered with Wynn Nightlife for the “Feed The Block.”
A 25-year entertainment and hospitality pro, Doherty has picked up myriad management tips along the way. At Doberman, it’s making sure those who want to duck into Doberman don’t have to be members. Yes, membership has its perks, such as a a closed-off enclave with a plush sofa and an upstairs, attic-styled room with a window overlooking the main lounge. But a simple reservation gets you in the door.
Around the club you’ll note: Mounted heads of large-game animals. At least one portable typewriter from the ’40s. A chandelier built in 1918 that had been in a fixed position at Olde Good Things antique shop in L.A. for the past 40 years. A few rusty antique French horns and tubas. Model ships. And the smeared-effect paintings of hyper-realistic portrait artist Ben Ashton. Seven of those hang in the club.
A DJ booth is hidden behind a sliding portrait. This is to be a secret, but not for long.
The cocktail program is thoughtful and inventive, though not for yours truly. But there are four delicious zero-proof cocktails on the menu (try the Laughing Buddha).
The vibe is designed to evoke the estate of well-traveled dignitaries from the 19th century. Doherty says the atmosphere is “Forest Gump meets Indiana Jones.” I’d add “Death in the Afternoon”-era Hemingway, and a dash of the old Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World.”
He is a writer and adventurer, a gracious host and a nimble linguist. Sleek, elegant and dangerous is a good place to start.
Song, dance for the Hood
A righteous Sunday-after on option, “Ben Vereen & Friends” plays Pearl at the Palms at 5 p.m. The Tony and Emmy winner is joined by Earl Turner, Clint Holmes and Kelly Clinton-Holmes, Bubba Knight, Lilias Knight and Genevieve Dew.
The concert is a benefit for Broadway in the Hood, “Dare to Dream” is the theme. A tip of the fedora to BITH Founding Artistic Director Torrey Russell. This man once rushed up to me at The Writer’s Block in downtown Las Vegas to remind me of an upcoming event. Wham. Coffee all over the place. He cares, and so do we. Go to Palms.com for details and ducats.
Our art scene
Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum has enhanced its collection by introducing two large-scale paintings, “Ophelia” and “The Raven Flies.”
The pieces are among the vast, staggering collection of the late American artist and UNLV professor Rita Deanin Abbey (1930-2021). The new pieces mark the second change to the museum’s displayed works of art since it officially opened to the public in 2022.
“The latest additions at the Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum showcase remarkable works that truly highlight Rita’s unique vision and creativity,” Laura Sanders, Executive Director of the Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum, said in a statement. “Each piece tells a story, offering insights into Rita’s inspirations and techniques. We encourage guests to visit the museum and experience the captivating stories that ‘Ophelia’ and ‘The Raven Flies’ have to tell.”
The museum is still an under-appreciated Las Vegas destination, at 5850 N. Park Street in northwest Las Vegas, open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get there. You won’t be sorry.
Cool Hang Alert
A Four Tops revival is set for Sunday at Italian American Club. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Wednesday it’s Dueling Paisanos, Pauly & Pilly, doors at 6 p.m. and show at 7 p.m. It’s always an authentic experience at IAC. Check Nicolas Cole and Jerry Tiffe in the lounge, for good measure. Go to IACVegas.com.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.