A fire on the roof of the Monte Carlo forced the evacuation of 5,000 guests and the closing of the hotel and casino last week. The blaze from a still-unknown source looked much worse than it was, as flammable decorative material on the outside of the building ignited quickly. But there was minimal penetration inside the building and no serious injuries were sustained. Only rooms near the top of the structure were damaged, and that was caused by water from sprinkler systems. The sprinklers and a fast five-minute response from firefighters, led to the fire being contained in less than two hours. The resort is expected to reopen any day.

FIRST FIVE: Though the new Venetian will eventually open 14 restaurants, only five are currently operating. They are Carnevino, Morels, Jade and the Grand Luxe Cafe coffee shop, plus the 40/40 Club serves food in the evenings. Several big-name chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali and Charlie Trotter, will open eateries over the next few months.

FREE SHOW: Sign up for a players card at Hooters and get a package of Hooters coupons, some free-play on a promotional slot machine, and a ticket to the Bobby Slayton show. It's that free ticket that's most valuable, as they normally go for $37. It's free to join the club and Slayton puts on a great show, though the "Pit Bull of Comedy's" material tends to be a bit blue.

Monorail: Ridership of the Las Vegas Monorail was up by nearly a million passengers in 2007; 7.9 million people rode the east-Strip transportation system last year. But numbers are down from the monorail's peak ridership of 10.2 million in 2005. Also, an average of 22,000 people passed through the turnstiles in the fourth quarter; the system needs 34,000 riders to break even.

Q. What is a representative cost for "bottle service" in the nightclubs?

A. Bottle service — which is simply ordering a bottle of high-price liquor with mixers to drink at a reserved table, as opposed to buying drinks by the glass — usually starts at about $400. For prime tables, the minimum purchase rises well above that.

For information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and deals, see www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.