Mere cell phones are other people’s gizmos. This man has what we’ll call a celebraphone.

Swiping through photos, the pure volume of Chef Barry S. Dakake’s collection could give Instagram an i-stroke. …There’s Michael Phelps. Russell Crowe. Floyd Mayweather. … Swiping … There’s Esteban. Toni Braxton. LL Cool J. … Swiping … There’s Barry Bonds. Carmelo Anthony … CeeLo ... Swiping. … There’s—nearly everyone in the celebrity stratosphere.

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry

Some Vegas-visiting rules are as simple as jack-queen-king: You want to star-gaze? You come to the ace spot. You come to Chef Barry’s joint. You come to N9NE Steakhouse.

“As 16 years have gone by, one would only dream to meet a handful of celebrities,” says Dakake, who oversees the swanky Palms eatery and has compiled multiple doors—yes, doors—full of celebrity autographs. “Where we came from with the Maloof family (The Palms’ original owner), owning the Sacramento Kings, with their celebrity status, this was the place to be. Stars would always be seen eating here—and stars, and stars. I could give you stories.” And he will.

First though, the rundown continues. While sipping your cocktail, cast your peepers on Matthew Perry, Holly Madison and Robin Thicke. Before sipping your lobster bisque, ogle Eminem, John Mayer and Hugh Hefner. After downing your filet mignon sliders, stare at Michael Jordan, Pauly Shore and Ben Stiller. As you prepare to dig into your prime Delmonico ribeye, gape at Bruno Mars, Ne-Yo and Joe Montana. And before smacking your lips over your Brooklyn chocolate blackout cake, gaze at Vince Neil, Harry Reid and Britney Spears. As for the stories …

U.S. Women's Olympic Water Polo Team

U.S. Women's Olympic Water Polo Team

There was the ring-thing scare. “Paris Hilton went to the back to wash her hand and her four-carat pink diamond falls off in the sink—it was a big fiasco, but we found it,” Dakake says. And the time ex-President Bill Clinton arrived and Dakake—a diehard Boston Red Sox fan—wanted a twofer: Clinton signatures on Dakake’s 2004 World Series baseballs. So he engineered a trade with the Secret Service chief: Clinton provided his John Hancocks in exchange for his protector scoring a picture with another patron he admired—Vince Neil.

However, what’s a prez, a rocker and a ring-less heiress compared to the U.S. Women’s Olympic Water Polo Team? “They came in with the gold all around their necks,” said Dakake, who’d requested they tote along their hardware. “Everyone gave them a standing ovation. All the girls went to every single table and shook hands, taking pictures, letting people wear the medals, really graceful. I had to stop production of the food because they were doing it for an hour.”

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps

Several celebrities have morphed into more than just high-wattage diners to Dakake, such as actor Adrien Brody (“I sit and have dinner with him at the table”) and New York Yankee icon Don Larsen (“When I was sick, Don and his wife were in town and came to my house to visit me”).

One story, however, is a bittersweet memory of a star who preferred to dine in the restaurant’s private area. “Prince came in through the emergency escape,” Dakake recalls. “He treated the wait staff with the utmost respect, but he was on a date and wanted privacy.”

Don’t take Dakake’s word for any of this. Just borrow his celebraphone.

Palms, 5:30-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 5:30-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 702.933.9900