Almost forgot to interview John Arakaki. Talk to him and you’ll understand why.
The owner of rock-and-roll gastropub St. Felix Sin City—a southwest Valley sister establishment to St. Felix Hollywood, which he still operates—is such a great hang that we drift off topic early and often. We talk about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the erstwhile Clevelander attended the 2022 induction ceremony, taking selfies with Lionel Richie and The Edge. He’s on the board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and he shares photos of Def Leppard and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige receiving their sidewalk stars. We riff on roller skating, Italian disco, the 1979 cult classic The Warriors. He gets legit excited about a lot of fun stuff, so you get excited talking about it, and the next thing you know you’re like, “Dammit, should press record, shouldn’t I.”
So, this conversation is just a taste, like the ones we sampled from St. Felix’s menu while we talked. (I’m partial to the risotto balls, Thai deviled eggs and the LA-style churro waffle. But it’s all great.) It scarcely covers his time in LA nightlife, his stints touring with bands, his abiding love of film, or even his nickname, “Johnny 99.” (It’s from a Springsteen song one of his punk bands used to cover.) I’d suggest going to St. Felix to strike up your own conversation with him, while relishing the feel of a place that reminds me of the 1990s-era Hard Rock Hotel in the best way.
What brought you from Cleveland to LA?
Delusions of rock and roll grandeur. I was passionate about music. I wanted to be in bands. LA was home to so many of the bands I was influenced by from watching too much MTV. I heard stories about Taime Downe and Riki Rachtman at (1980s rock club) the Cathouse, watched too many LA Guns videos, saw the emergence of Guns N’ Roses and Ratt. … It was the largest big city that you could afford. A lot of people from New York, where a lot of my film and music influences came from, were moving to LA, and I got to meet a lot of great artists and good friends.
One of my best friends is Pauley Perette, who became a famous actress on NCIS. But when I met her, she was in a punk glam band, Lo-Ball. We used to go to Club Makeup and Club Cherry, where it was like this neo-glam movement where the cool street rockers would hang out with all the hot model girls and actresses, and the LGBTQIA community was there … I never wanted to go to sleep because I felt like I was missing something. It was a special time of positive energy.
How did you jump from playing in bands to running bars and restaurants?
I got recruited by this new energy drink called Monster, which at the time was like the 18th most popular energy drink in the city. … I’m like, I’ll be at this company for six months. Five years later, I’d helped to build the brand. Vegas was my market, as well as Los Angeles. And once I realized there was a ceiling to where I could go, I wanted to do my own thing and become an entrepreneur.
I never understood why you had to have a restaurant with just okay drinks, or a great bar with just okay food. Let’s have it all. That’s my musician experience talking, because I’m always just like, let’s fix it. Do it again. Make it great. … I try to do that when we create our food and drinks. They’re crafty, with great ingredients and great technique, but still accessible. I work with people to make it the best quality we can. There’s an authenticity in that process. I think that’s why we’re still around, surviving the pandemic, surviving the LA fires, coming to Vegas.
Why Vegas for a second St. Felix?
Its civic mindedness is inspiring ... When my band played here, we’d be at the Double Down Saloon at one in the morning. When I came to work out here with Monster, I was already in with the locals. I have friends who have lived here for a long time, so when I went out, I’d go to where the locals go. But I will say the Strip has great things. The dayclub scene is amazing. You get a Steve Aoki, or one of these great DJs, and it’s like an arena rock concert during the day.
Where’s St. Felix’s spot in that Vegas nightlife mix?
We’re not truly defined. I like the customer to define it. I want to create a vibe. Is it your date night vibe? Is it your music release party, your corporate party, holiday party? Is it friends just drinking, a couple meeting for the first time? We do film releases, wrap parties, launch parties. We’re doing podcasts here [in Vegas]. We do a little bit of everything.
What do you hope St. Felix could be?
One of my friends here in Vegas is an influencer. He gave me a huge compliment: “This could be the Herbs & Rye of this area, where you can have a quality meal, a quality cocktail, late-night in a fun, hip environment.” I would like to do that. I want to be that space where we bring a lot of cool, unique people together, and you never know what you’re gonna get.
ST. FELIX SIN CITY 8730 W. Sunset Road #G130, 725-735-7723, saintfelix.net. Wednesday & Thursday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Friday & Saturday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
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