You’ll note that the title puts the word Comedy before Magic and this is at once important and deceptive. It’s important because King puts humor at the forefront, drawing his audiences in with a genial, good-natured comedic style that delivers out-loud laughs. It’s deceptive because it can make you not notice how brilliant of an illusionist he is.

Mac King eschews the grandiose smoke and mirrors type of magic that most of the acts in this town have beaten into a virtual parody of the genre. Really, is anyone impressed by the levitating showgirl or whirling blades of death anymore? I’m always looking for the wires and the hydraulics and the sleight of hand with the big spectacle illusions instead of being impressed by the overall affect. Watching Mac King make a goldfish appear in a brandy snifter or making a supposedly burned $100 bill reappear in a surprising place is more entertaining than whatever gigantic thing David Copperfield is making disappear this week.

Of course the tricks that King performs are nothing ground breaking – the mysterious rope that regenerates itself, a host of card tricks and other sleight of hand - but this style of up close magic will make you look at the art form with a fresh appreciation.

For example, King got a pair of hapless audience members on stage for an extended bit that involved playing cards and rain poncho that provided him with “powers of invisibility.” It sounds silly and it is but it had the audience rolling in the proverbial aisles and surprised everyone – perhaps as much because of the fact that magic could still be surprising.

And that, more than anything, is what makes Mac King’s show so terrific. By infusing a healthy dose of laughter into the proceedings, King takes away your inhibitions and lets you enjoy the entertainment of magic again. After all, it’s hard to be suspicious when you’re laughing that much.

So, even before we start talking about the price, King’s show is a winner. But add to the mix that it only costs $24.95 plus tax to get an hour’s worth of this much fun and it’s a no-brainer. Plus, discount coupons are often available in magazines or in front of the hotel that will get two-for-one admission or even free with the purchase of a cocktail.

The bottom line is this: There is a new King in Las Vegas.

You knew you weren’t going to get out of this without an Elvis joke, didn’t you?

Mac King
Harrah's
3475 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
800-427-7247
Price:

The so-called “Shame o’ The Strip,” Dick’s gimmick is it’s boisterous atmosphere and rowdy wait staff. The place is loud and so are the people who work there, yelling, hooting, hollering, throwing napkins, and outright insulting the diners. For instance, each person gets a giant paper hat that the server writes, um, comments on – most of which are not things I should probably print here.

Sufficed to say this is not the kind of joint to go to with your quiet, church-going Aunt Edna and her quilting circle.

If you’re in the right mind-set at the time or in general, Dick’s is the kind of frat boy party place that is sorely lacking on the Las Vegas Strip, replaced by all of the upscale, expensive restaurants and nightclubs that frown on things like paper bibs and bartenders who recreate the Bellagio fountains with the soda guns. It’s obnoxious but a lot of people like obnoxious – a lot of people ARE obnoxious – and if you fit into either of those categories, you’re going to love this place.

The room is fairly small, with a dining area with about 15 or 20 tables in the center facing a big stage flanked by two bar areas. Alcohol and alcohol fueled excesses seem to be the emphasis here with live bands at night and enough frozen blended drink machines to power a small city, but the restaurant portion of the program is definitely worth knowing about.

The menu is heavy on things that are either fried or drenched in some sort of sauce or both. Appetizers include things like giant fried crab cakes with chipotle dipping sauce; a bucket of chicken wings; fried cheese sticks; and thick-cut onion rings. We sampled the latter and they were perfectly golden brown, tender and flavorful with a spicy dip accompanying.

There are a couple of super-sized salads on the menu but I got the feeling you’d get made fun of for ordering them, so we moved on.

Their big specialty is things that come in buckets and for your main course you can get BBQ pork ribs, honey-glazed chicken, jumbo shrimp, catfish, and king crabs all with fries and slaw on the side.

More “traditional” entrees include things like bourbon glazed salmon, chicken fried steak, fried chicken, pasta in a creamy Alfredo style sauce that can be accompanied by chicken or shrimp and smothered in mushrooms and onions if you so choose, and the Dolly Parton – two plump chicken breasts. If that surprises you at all at this point, you haven’t been paying attention.

We visited at lunch so we went to the sandwich section. The “Big Pig” is a giant pulled pork sandwich, slathered in sweet barbeque sauce and topped with coleslaw. It was a messy delight and was served with a giant side of crispy fries.

The wrap was less of a success. It certainly seemed like a winner with turkey, bacon, cheese, and dressing rolled into a tender tortilla but it was served cold (intentionally) and that robbed the selection of a lot of the flavor you get when wraps come to the table warm.

The true victory at the table though was the burger – a massive half-pound monster with bacon, cheddar, and all the fixing. It was one of the best hamburgers I’ve had in Vegas – smoky as if done on an outdoor barbecue, with the juices practically running off the sides – and at $10 including fries on the side it was a bargain to boot.

Speaking of prices, I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a budget restaurant but it’s sure a heck of a lot cheaper than most of the places on The Strip. Appetizers will set you back $8-13 but are enough to feed three people fairly easily, sandwiches and burgers are $9-11, entrees run $13-20 (the latter for a giant rib eye), and the big buckets of grub are $14-$25 but will probably satisfy the hunger of 2-3 people.

I really enjoyed the food, the prices, and the energy of the place but I worked in bars and nightclubs for too long to be truly enamored of obnoxious anymore so it began to wear on my nerves by the end of the meal. But that’s my fault, not theirs, so if you can handle the attitude Dick’s is the place for you.

Excalibur
3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
702-597-7991
Hours: