All kinds of good things are happening at Town Square Las Vegas, located just south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd. Here are a couple of spots to check out:

BLUE MARTINI – Impressive in size, design and ability to draw huge, enthusiastic crowds, Blue Martini is the newest locals’ hot spot. Choose from all different kinds of custom martinis and enjoy the live bands that sit directly behind the bartender, like choices on the liquor shelf.

A few steps into this newly opened ultra-lounge and you’ll realize you’ve walked (or stumbled) into something hot. The bar stays open until “4 a.m.”, with waitresses doing the little quote marks thing with their hands when they say “4 a.m.”. It sometimes stays open as late as 7 a.m.

Locals wanting to avoid tourists at all costs are strongly encouraged to check out Blue Martini.

YARD HOUSE – Directly below Blue Martini is the different but equally impressive Yard House, a restaurant and bar that serves up surprisingly good food and more beers on tap than you can imagine. If it wasn’t for the Freakin’ Frog and it’s mind-boggling selection of more than 900 beers, Yard House might very well boast the best beer menu in Vegas. It definitely carries the most beers on tap hands down, hundreds to choose from. Beer enthusiasts never had it so good.

If that’s not motivation enough, it’s tourist-free just like Blue Martini. There’s no way anyone outside of Las Vegas knows about these places yet. Take advantage! The crowds are still Vegas-size, just without the annoyance of super-drunk visitors. If super-drunk locals are more your speed, check out Yard House.

Town Square Las Vegas gets the stamp of approval from this blog.