🏁 Zoom out! Our F1 postmortem

🏁 F1 in the Rearview Mirror, Sorta

• Our own podcast team gets you up to speed with their big-race postmortem: the experience (co-host Dayvid Figler was there), the upshot, the dizzying fiscal pronouncements — and what this event says about the Strip and its relationship to the city around it. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
• The honchos of the Strip agree: For Las Vegas, Formula One weekend was the “best week financially in its history.” What previously best week did it surmount, and by how much? Who knows! [Review-Journal]
• Best week ever for local small businesses? Not according to some. [KSNV]
• This account of race night gets a little farther away from the hype machine. [Nevada Independent]
• Someone compiled all the images on Sphere during the Grand Prix weekend. [X]
• Remember the manhole-halted practice session last Thursday night? Fans are suing over it. [KVVU]
• How long will it take to disassemble the whole shebang? Six to eight weeks, they say. [KLAS]

🪩🚫 London Is No Vegas

Recklessly considering the welfare of his citizenry, London’s mayor has scotched a proposed Sphere in that city, saying its light pollution, energy demands, and “bulky, unduly dominant, and incongruous form” would have “an unacceptable negative impact on local residents.” [Guardian]

🧪 An Old Toxic Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Henderson officials are set to vote on a controversial housing development planned atop the site of an old mine, one that contains hazardous chemicals. Some local experts say the site needs more study to ensure safety. [Review-Journal]

Thanksgiving has us thinking about eating, so here are a few excerpts from City Cast Las Vegas’ conversation about “hidden food gems” with street foodie Brent Holmes. Interview conducted by former co-host Vogue Robinson.

What makes a place a hidden food gem?

“Authenticity is really up there. When I’m going for a hidden gem, I’m really going for the real deal. I want an abuela in the kitchen, you know what I mean? I want to be standing in the parking lot of a tire shop, going, ‘These are the best tacos (imitates chewing sounds).’ I think that’s a big part of it. I think price is a big part of it.”

Can we talk about Chinatown? Pick a place.

“Fellow food critic Jason Harris pointed me to this place, Yen Viet Kitchen (3575 S. Decatur Blvd). My goodness, is that some incredible Vietnamese food, with some really off-the-wall dishes. And it’s got that classic — I don’t know what the Vietnamese term for grandma is — but it’s got the abuela in the kitchen, making the food, and the dishes are absolutely stellar.”

Do we have a hidden gem soul food spot in Vegas?

“My favorite soul food spot is Soul Foo Young.”

Yes!

“Dude! Dude! The ‘Bruce Leroy’ itself is a miracle! Soul Foo Young is a soul food joint-slash-Chinese restaurant in the best Wu-Tang Clan, kung-fu-movie remix sense of the word. It is egg foo young with pork neck-bone gravy. It is the ‘Bruce Leroy,’ which is two chicken wings and fried rice. It’s got that blending of flavors. It is wonderful, wonderful food, and a hilarious concept; they do not take themselves seriously, and you’re going to be satisfied on both ends.”

(Edited for length and clarity.)

Today

• 🤣 An Evening With David Sedaris | 7:30 p.m. | $54-$69 | The Smith Center
• 🎤 Black Swan Open Mic Night and Night Market | 7:30-10 p.m. | North Las Vegas

Wednesday, Nov. 22

• 🩸 Red Cross Blood Drive | 12:30-5:30 p.m. | Free | Centennial Hills
• 🎸 ‘Drunksgiving’ With the Delta Bombers | 7-11:59 p.m. | $15-$20 | Fremont East

Thursday, Nov. 23

• 🦃 You’re on your own! Gobble, gobble!

Friday, Nov. 24

• 🛍️ Indigimart | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free | Huntridge neighborhood
• ❄️ ‘Mystic Falls Winter Wonderland’ (opens) | 4-8 p.m. | Free | Sam’s Town

The Billion Dollar Question

Everyone seems to have a wildly different opinion on whether the inaugural F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas was a success. In today’s episode, executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson picks the brain of co-host Dayvid Figler, who got a grandstand view of the race, its sometimes strange pageantry, and who has some thoughts about how the event's success should be measured.