Pop star Tiffany to sing, share noshes off the Strip

She once sang her hits at shopping malls, next to food courts. But today, pop icon Tiffany is creating more refined culinary and musical experiences.

“An Evening With Tiffany” matches the late-’80s hitmaker with star chef Alicia Shevetone, creator of Dink Cuisine, on Feb. 4 at The Space (tickets start at $60, go to TheSpaceLV.com for information). Shevetone is creating a menu of tapas and light bites as part of Tiffany’s informal solo set.

“A lot of my friends have been doing gigs there, so I’ve gotten to see some livestreams out of The Space,” Tiffany said in a recent phone chat. “I’m really excited. I think it’s a perfect space for a food-and-music show.”

As a teenager, Tiffany scored No. 1 hits with “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Could’ve Been,” and also took on The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” as she toured the malls of America. She’s performing an acoustic set at The Space, reaching to her early days and covering her critically acclaimed later material, including the 2000 album “Color of Silence” and 2016’s “A Million Miles,” which she co-produced.

Just prior to COVID-19, Tiffany became passionate about cooking, mixing her recipes while creating music at her 6 1/2-acre estate outside Nashville. A mutual friend introduced her to Shevetone, whose Dink Cuisine organization promotes cooking experiences across all media.

Shevetone was impressed with Tiffany’s interest in cuisine, and online cooking demonstrations.

“We have had a great meeting of the minds,” said Tiffany, whose legal name is Tiffany Darwish. “She became my mentor, which is amazing.”

The dietary tedium of touring originally inspired Tiffany to develop her own recipes. “I can’t eat a lot of processed food, and I noticed the dietary needs of the band were different, and I thought, ‘I can do better, I can cook real food,’” Tiffany said. “It’s kind of cool to share those recipes with fans and have that time with the band with our dinner parties.”

Tiffany has toured with fellow pop icons Debbie Gibson, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature and New Kids on the Block on the the “MixTape Tour,” which performed in May 2019 at Mandalay Bay Events Center (today’s Michelob Ultra Arena).

At age 51 and still an adventurous songwriter, Tiffany is comfortable with recalling her teen era.

“It’s still a part of me, every day I hear from fans popping up with something on social media,” Tiffany said. “It’s always a celebration of my early career. Where I am now is just an extension of that. I’m still making music, still touring the world, and that experience has led to other passions.”

What Works in Vegas

The Righteous Brothers at South Point Showroom. The place was packed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The forever righteous Bill Medley and sidekick Bucky Heard (whose name is a full sentence) killed with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and even “Ko-Ko Jo,” one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll songs ever written about a monkey (written by Sonny Bono, it’s also Paul Shaffer’s favorite Righteous Brothers song).

Making it swing. @BuckyHeard @BillMedleyMusic #Righteousbrothers @southpointlv #RJNow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/ruQ62RKlEh

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) January 27, 2023

Heard took the stage, solo, for Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” and there were some tears in the crowd as Medley dedicated “Unchained Melody” to his late partner, Bobby Hatfield. A superb, authentic performance.

Behaving freelance

Amy Saunders has embarked on the Virgin Voyages cruise line lately, causing ripples on the high seas and also in a pair of Feb. 25 shows in Palm Springs, California. Saunders is the creator of “Miss Behave Game Show” and, more recently, the “Mavericks”adult variety show and all of the programming at Cheapshot on Fremont East.

“Mavericks” most recently performed in November at Cheapshot and has been on pause since. Saunders has moved to a freelance partnership with Cheapshot, operated by Ryan Doherty’s Corner Bar Management. The nightspot will continue regular hours of operation (Abbasolutely Fabulous: A Piano Tribute begins a weekly series 7 p.m. Thursday).

Saunders and Cheapshot announced the move jointly on social media. “Once a maverick, always a maverick. We’re proud of everything we did in 2022, and we’re both excited to bring you more downtown delights together in 2023.” As we say, see you on (re-)opening night.

Best fishes

The long-term future of the giant fish tank behind the registration desk at The Mirage remains uncertain as the hotel is renovated and rebranded as Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas.

The 20,000-gallon, 50-foot-long aquarium of exotic fish has been mesmerizing hotel guests since 1989.

“We have no immediate plans to make any changes to the aquarium behind the Front Desk,” Mirage/Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas President Joe Lupo said, through a hotel representative. “As previously stated, we are not prepared to discuss construction timelines, however we anticipate communicating more in the third quarter.”

That second phrase applies to all Mirage/Hard Rock Hotel amenities, shows and attractions entering the fall.

Cool Hang Alert

Column fave Jassen Allen plays the watery delight that is Mermaid Lounge Live at Silverton from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday. No cover, groove it up, but don’t swim with the fishes.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.