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The Wow and How of TAO, hottest club in Vegas ... the country? ... the world?
"The other night, Magic Johnson was here, and it took him 20 minutes to get to his table -- not because of people wanting his autograph, but because he knew half the dining room!"
--co-owner Richard Wolf.
Overwhelming! The dictionary has 3 definitions: overpowering in strength, force or numbers; extremely large in amount or proportion; having a great emotional effect. All three suit TAO Las Vegas – the largest, most spectacular, exotic and dazzling entertainment complex in this city -- if not the world at this point. Its 40,000 sq. ft. of regal restaurant and narcissistic nightclub space at The Venetian is the newest Garden of Gastronomic gems and fabulous fun here. It became the hottest spot on the Strip the moment its doors opened just four months ago, and days ago, Vegas had to pay respect, naming it "Best Nightclub" in the annual Las Vegas Nightlife Awards. TAO, the nightclub, is all about gorgeous go-go dancers, pouty performance artists, bathing beauties in nine flower-floating tubs (including one right on the dance platform), decadent deejays and the ultimate in high energy atmospherics. 
"We're not about the grand slam every night, and then fizzling out after a year or two," says Richard. "We're about hitting singles every day... We look ahead and we have events going [every week] and I don't see that slowing down at all."
While we're talking definitions, 'Tao' itself means "pathway." "Taoism is not so much a religion as a philosophy," Richard tells me. "And the philosophy is follow your own path. Which ever path you decide to take, whichever way you decide to live, it's okay. So we just felt that was a beautiful name for a restaurant."
Expect the unexpected of ying and yang when you play at TAO. I love the place. I am an unabashed fan. I loved TAO New York when I lived in Manhattan and here I love it even more! I couldn’t be more thankful that my friends, owners Richard Wolf and Mark Packer brought it here.
"I've been coming to Vegas for 20 years," says Richard. "Mark's been coming probably longer than that. We both knew there was a definite niche for what we did." 
A hand-carved 20 ft. tall Buddha floating atop a koi-filled reflecting pool smiles down on the 400-seat richly decorated restaurant behind the main welcoming lounge area.
"Buddha is generally a serene, peaceful figure," says Richard, "and the religion is very much centered around peace and love, so it seems to really add an element to the dining experience that no other religious icon could come close to."
The soaring space with aged stone-brick walls could be described as a mind-blowing museum of exotic Asian antiques and art. Not one meticulous detail has been overlooked: premium velvets and silks, handcrafted bronze and polished teak tables, and VIP skybox luxury overloads of espresso 
"The mission when we built Tao in New York," says Richard, "was to give the guest a different experience at every single turn -- and that includes the table setting -- so that the guest would have a completely unique experience from beginning to end. Every plate on the table is different. You know, the bathrooms are not marked Men and Women, they’re marked Yin and Yang.
The magnificent menus are just as extraordinary. Executive Chef Sam Hazen and his chef de cuisine Josh Thomsen (below left and right with Mark Packer, center) create masterpieces both to the eye and the palate. Call it all modern-day interpretations of traditional Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes. Call it victorious Vegas with unique spins on steaks, including Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon or grilled Kobe rib-eye or Shabu Shabu premium cuts of meat. Call for the Peking Duck, which is the finest anywhere on Earth! Make certain to ask for the giant fortune cookie to end the evening! It’s the most divinely decadent dish you’ve ever experienced! There’s also an impressive 200+ global wine list to match -- including a 1945 Chateau Latour for $5,800 -- and 40 different bottles of sake.
"Every great restaurant in Vegas, and there are many, they’re very serious 'glasses tinkling...'" Richard tells me, "it's a very different atmosphere. I don’t want to do restaurants that are so serious. I want restaurants that are fun and lively and places that people come to celebrate."
This is the only restaurant among the thousands I’ve visited around the world in the past 30 years where its impossible to have a miserable meal ora nauseous night. And to say that about a restaurant that opens daily at 5 PM in tandem withanightclub that closes daily at 5 AM is well -- overwhelming!! Put it all together and it’s the ultimate recipe for super-success: fantastic food, wondrous wines, exotic erotic entertainment, and decadent dancing all overseen by a supreme service staff.
"There may be another that comes along and tries to knock us off of our number one spot," says Richard, "but that doesn't mean thta we're ever going to stop working, stop trying to keep things fresh and new. The nay-sayers, we'll prove them all wrong."
And just to give you another taste of TAO's non-stop naughtiness, here are a couple of bonus pics from a special La Perla lingerie show they hosted January 19.
"This industry is steeped in mediocrity and surrounded by people who are very transient -- there's a tremendous amount of 'incest' and drugs and drinking going on. We take itvery seriously. We pay attention every day. And I'm not satisfied yet, so it can only get better from here."
Tonight (Wed. Feb. 1) is the opening night of the Tony-Award winning musical 'Beauty and the Beast' at the Aladdin. The beloved animated Walt Disney movie comes to life for 7 performances through Sunday night. The show has played to over 17 million people worldwide and is the classic story of a doomed young prince trapped in a spell who must learn to love and be loved in order to break the curse.
Tomorrow, we'll give you advance sneek peeks as George Maloof and Jenny McCarthy open his new Mint highroller gaming salon at The Palms, plus the new Hooters casino gets ready to open with a 3-day celeb-filled bash -- all in time for the rocking raucous round-the-clock Superbowl platinum parties. Click here or on the 'Alert Me' uptop so we can magically mail you when each new Journal is posted. And drop us a line with your rants and raves to robinsvegas@aol.com
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