Culture has come to the Las Vegas strip this summer in the form of Carnevale at The Venetian® and The Palazzo®. Angelenos looking for a quick and easy getaway have been heading into droves to Sin City for a taste of Italian glamour.

Should you want to toast the opening ceremony tomorrow (and you will), here are the LA and OC-based haute spots that are offering specialty cocktails and nibbles in honor of America’s Olympic hopefuls.

It’s summer in SoCal, and Whist is taking advantage of that fact by bringing back its annual Sunday Fun-day party. Guests are invited to enjoy the sunshine, enjoy an All-American grill menu, weekly drink specials, listen to live music and play board games to their hearts content.

Sam Nazarian is bringing his Midas touch to a different market and plans to open a high-end luxury hotel in New York. The SBE Entertainment Group chairman and chief executive officer is spending a cool $85 million to bring the first SLS Hotel to Manhattan.

If the rumors are true, one of Hollywood’s most famous properties is on the market. Owlwood, which sits between Sunset Boulevard and the Los Angeles Country Club in Holmby Hills, is said to be up for sale for the sum of $150 million.

There’s going to be just one more reason to visit Santa Barbara in the very near future when Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s new restaurant comes to town. The owners of A.O.C. and Lucques have chosen stunning Montecito for their new, still-to-be-named eatery.

James Franco is now playing fashion photographer for 7 For All Mankind. His second shoot for the haute fashion label has been shot in Old Hollywood locations like the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and on the Sunset Strip.

Mark Wahlberg is still trying to sell his Beverly Hills mansion. The Oscar nominee was forced to pull his posh pad off the market when no one bit at the $15 million asking price.

It’s a universal truth that good things come in small packages, which is why we at Haute Living know that tapas can be the best kind of tiny, tasty nibbles. You’ll definitely be saying bon appetit to these petite eats!