Plus other nuggets of dining news
PALMS — Apparently twin brothers Cy and Jesse Waits are taking over the former Rain Nightclub at the Palms. The duo, who once ran XS Nightclub at Encore Las Vegas, were going to open a nightclub at Alon, which planned to open across from Wynn Las Vegas and north of Fashion Show. Gossip columnist Robin Leach reports that the two will revamp the pool party for a spring debut before taking over Rain, the ground-floor nightclub that opens to the pool area at the resort. [LVRJ]
DOWNTOWN— Smoke’s Poutinerie, the Canadian outlet that served 30 varieties of poutine at Pawn Plaza before shuttering last fall, plans to open three locations in the Las Vegas area. [LVRJ]
LAS VEGAS — Vegas Seven checks in with Max Jacobson, their former food critic who was hit by a car right before Christmas in 2013. “When family members show him articles that he wrote for Vegas Seven, Max smiles and says, ‘I remember eating there and writing about it.’” One of the huge milestones he reached was driving to Starbucks, something the family never thought he would do again. [VS]
CHINATOWN — Travel + Leisure ranks the strip malls in the Asian neighborhood, dubbing Seoul Plaza, home to Raku, Sweets Raku, Monta Ramen, Kabuto, Italian-Japanese fusion mashup Trattoria Nakamura-Ya and the katsu retaurant Curry Zen as tops in the neighborhood. [T+L]
DOWNTOWN — Dougie J’s Cafe, named after SPC Douglas J. Green, opened in 2014 as a tribute to the soldier killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Veteran Ralph Salazar bought the lunch and dinner restaurant and decided to keep the tribute to the fallen soldier alive. [KTNV]
Jan. 20
NAPA VALLEY — Thomas Keller plans to open a hotel at his Yountsville, California-based French Laundry. First comes a $10 million remodel of the lauded restaurant, which is almost complete. Keller also has Bouchon at the Venetian. [ESF]
CENTENNIAL — North End Pizza responded to a Yelp review of a sandwich with nasty words. According to KTNV, customer Kara Levy left a one-star review for restaurant, "saying the sandwich was ‘inedible,’ and she received a response that said ‘Make sure I don't see your fat a** in this shop or I personally will give a big kick from behind, b****.’ The news station reports that customers are divided on that response. Right now, Yelp reports the restaurant is under "active cleanup for content related to a media report." [KTNV]
CHINATOWN — Perhaps the third time’s a charm for Brian Howard. After trying to open Harvest & Larder and Grazing Pig Charcuterie on the first floor of 1130 S. Casino Center and then The Huntsmen (a name then switched to Sparrow & Wolf) in the Arts District on the ground floor of former vintage clothing store The Attic, he now signed a lease in the former Jennie Pho space at 4480 Spring Mountain Road. This location plans to be called Sparrow + Wolf. The former chef behind the now-defunct Comme Ca at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas tells the Review-Journal that more details are on the way. [LVRJ]
LAS VEGAS — In the meantime, former Glutton owner Bradley Manchester has plans to open two restaurants in the next year. One is planned on Sahara Avenue just east of Fort Apache Road while the other is in a new Centennial Hills development. Glutton suddenly shuttered in December. [LVRJ]
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY — After opening Naked City Pizza Expres inside the Blue Diamond Saloon, owner Christopher Palmeri says Naked City is the official pizza concessionaire at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That means NASCAR fans will dig into the pizza in March. [KTNV]
LOS ANGELES — Chris Santos’ Beauty & Essex, with locations in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and New York City, and a location of Tao restaurant and nightclub both plan to open in Hollywood later this winter. The two are part of the new Dream Hollywood development by the Dream Hotel Group. [LAT]
Gordon Ramsay and Guy Savoy
Jan. 13
THE LINQ — Two interesting tidbits from the world of Gordon Ramsay. The shouty chef was in Vegas back in November to meet fans at Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips and tells Las Vegas Weekly that he’s considering a "scripted, food-related show here in Vegas." He also recalled his early days as a chef when he worked for Guy Savoy. "…I’ve been scared to go back, to think back to that moment [as a young cook] in Paris in that sh*tty little studio 20 meters square, stinking of damp, begging Guy Savoy for the empty truffle boxes to perfume my room to make it smell less sh*tty. It brought a lump in my throat." [LVW]
SHANGHAI — Julian Serrano, the chef behind Lago and Picasso at the Bellagio as well as his eponymous restaurant at Aria — plans to head to China to open is set to open Suzhou Creek at the 190-room MGM Bellagio debuting this summer. This marks his first overseas restaurant. [LVRJ]
COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS — The resort now has Rose, a sassy virtual concierge. As Travel + Leisure says, "When guests check in to the hotel, a front desk representative gives them a card that reads: ‘Know my secrets. Text me,’ and ‘I am the answer to the question that you never asked.’ The card also bears Rose’s phone number, which you can text for nearly anything you might need during your stay." Rose tends to steer guests to restaurants and bars at the resort, and gives guests choices about what they would like to experience at Cosmopolitan. [T+L]
LAS VEGAS — The Killers called out Panda Express for using lyrics from their song "Smile Like You Mean It" in a fortune cookie. The Review-Journal reports that the band tweeted a photo of of the fortune to the Panda Express Twitter account and offered compensation in the form of free orange chicken for life. Later, The Killers Twitter account suggested "Put your money where your tweets are and help feed hungry people with some of that Panda love?" Panda Express asked which charity the band had in mind, and The Killers responded @saveourkids. [LVRJ]
Dec. 30
MIAMI — Thomas Keller, who has Bouchon at the Venetian, is getting set to expand his empire to Florida. The chef behind The French Laundry and Per Se plans to open a new, unnamed restaurant inside the Surf Club Four Seasons hotel, projected to open in early 2018. [Eater]
WESTSIDE — Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on the verge of opening a strip club. His Girl Collection plans to debut "soon" in the former Sheri’s Cabaret at 2580 S. Highland Drive, near Sahara Avenue and Interstate 15. Instead of the totally nude dancers, Mayweather, who’s known for spending lavishly at strip clubs, is opting for topless strippers instead so he can serve alcohol. Guests should expect VIP rooms with personal TV monitors, as well as a private space upstairs. [Las Vegas Sun and ToplessVegas.com]
FOUR SEASONS — Thomas Griese, the executive chef who joined Charlie Palmer Steak back in September, already left the restaurant. The Review-Journal reports that Griese — who worked at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon at the Venetian and Le Cirque at the Bellagio, then worked under Michael Mina at Michael Mina 74 and at San Francisco’s new Mina Test Kitchen — has "some really exciting stuff on the horizon." [LVRJ]
THE PARK — Sake Rok executive chef Bobby Silva left the restaurant that opened last April at the new Park between New York-New York and the Monte Carlo. The former chef at SushiSamba at the Grand Canal Shoppes, with Michael Mina and RM Seafood hasn’t reported a new gig yet. Joseph Mosconi was named executive chef at Sake Rok, and Sung Park became the executive sushi chef. [LVRJ]
HENDERSON — The Pasta Shop Ristorante & Art Gallery is trying to stay open after the death of the restaurant’s founder, David Alenik, 58, in September. [View]
Oct. 6 update
DOWNTOWN — Businessman and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump stopped at El Sombrero Mexican Bistro on Wednesday to speak to a group of Hispanic business leaders. Owner Irma Aguirre visited with Trump with the group for about 20 minutes. She reports a group of protestors formed across the street from the business. "A BIG thank you to metro police who protected my business yesterday. So professional and I deeply appreciate every brave officer who stood in between my business and the menacing group across the street who were yelling threatening statements. Thank you for protecting my first amendment right and even those that tried to cause chaos." [Facebook/Vital Vegas]
UPDATE: Fox 5 reports that people are calling for a boycott of the business owners who met Donald Trump. El Sombrero owner Irma Aguirre says she has been receiving death threats and harassing phone calls since the meeting.
Hillary Clinton supporter Jose Macias called for a boycott of the businesses that met with Trump. He posted on Facebook. Note, this was translated into English.
"The restaurant of Mexican food El Sombero today opened its doors to the presidential candidate Donald Trump. It's a shame that this business support people and candidates who attacked and discriminates against our community. Trump met today in this restaurant with a groups of Latino of the Vegas that support it. In attendance was Irma Aguirre the owner of the hat and Jesus Marquez who has a radio show the voice 1460 am that support it and agree with this candidate. He was also the owner of Roberto Tacos Shop Reynaldo Robledo and the lady of Guadalupe Medical Center Cecilia Aldana supporting trump. Don't eat more in Roberto tacos shop and in El Sombrero and use services of Guadalupe Medical Center. That sadness and disappointment. Share share share share #traitor #dumptrump #boycotttrump #donaldtrump #trump #lovetrumpshate"
Nearly 2,000 people have shared the post. [Fox 5]
LAS VEGAS — Apparently Andre Rochat has plans for two new restaurants in the next year. His Andre’s at the Monte Carlo shuttered on Wednesday night, and his staff already said he would move into the DW Bistro space in the southwest once that restaurant closes to move to the Gramercy on Oct. 8. That location should be open by the end of the year, according to Joe Marsco, managing partner of Rochat’s operations. A second "quick-serve" space is slated to open in Downtown Las Vegas, the area of town where the original Andre’s started in 1980 and closed in 1998. Neither new restaurant plans to feature fine dining. Rochat still has Alizé at the Palms, but keep in mind, Station Casinos bought that property for $312.5 million, so anything goes there. [LVRJ]
Nobu Matsuhisa. Photo: Caesars Entertainment
CAESARS PALACE — Nobu Matsuhisa relates a story about opening his first U.S. restaurant that burned down to the ground after 50 days. "It is my worst memory, my worst experience because it was my last chance. …My restaurant burned out 100 percent, nothing was left except I find my knife in the rubble. I still have it — my lucky charm." He says he was so upset that "My brain was thinking how can I kill myself because my dream is gone, money’s gone, no insurance. I lost everything. My life is over. I have no energy anymore." But his family "gave me life again." Ten years later he met actor Robert De Niro in Hollywood at Matsuhisa, and he offers to help him open his own place in TriBeCa near his home. [LVRJ]
LAS VEGAS — Gilmore Girls fans, your dreams of drinking coffee at Luke’s Diner are coming true on Wednesday. Netflix is sponsoring 200 coffee shops that will convert into Luke’s Diner ahead of the four-episode revival in November. The online streaming service will be providing the shops with "all the Luke’s Diner essentials" including branded aprons and T-shirts. The event coincides with the 16th anniversary of the series’ original pilot air date, ahead of the Nov. 25 release of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. The pop-ups run from 7 a.m. to noon, but supplies are limited. In Las Vegas, head to the Bronze Café at The Market (611 Fremont St.), Holley's Cuppa (9265 S. Cimarron Road), Sambalatte Torrefazione (6555 S. Jones Blvd.) and Sambalatte Torrefazione at Boca Park. [Eater]
LAS VEGAS — Hospitality group Fifth Avenue Restaurant Group — which runs restaurants such as Johnny Rockets and Trattoria Reggiano in 11 hotels on the Strip — settled a discrimination complaint by a former employee to the tune of $50,000 after she said that she was suspended and discharged after she complained of being sexually harassed by her supervisor and restaurant management retaliated against her. [LVRJ]
LAS VEGAS — Turns out, Gordon Ramsay started scouting Las Vegas for potential restaurants in the early 2000s. "I went low-key, cap-on and started having a look at the food scene. Wolfgang was prominent, [Alain] Ducasse was just on the verge of opening Mix… I put it on a slow burner. It was fascinating to see and so I kept an eye on it." [Vegas Magazine]
NEW YORK CITY — Come Dec. 31, Carnegie Deli at the Mirage will be one of two remaining. The original 79-year-old Jewish deli with sky-high sandwiches shuts down. The Mirage version went through a renovation in 2014. [Eater NY]
Sept. 13
Chicago restaurateur Tony Hu may have quietly shuttered his Lao Sze Chuan at the Palms, but now the chef who was indicted earlier this year on wire fraud and money laundering charges plans to open his ninth iteration of the restaurant in Mesa in September. The Palms version converted into China House in June with a smaller Cantonese menu. Hu pled guilty to multiple charges including wire fraud and not reporting $9.8 million in taxable revenue and is now facing a possible 41 to 51 month prison sentence as part of his plea deal. Once known as "Mayor of Chicago's Chinatown" for his ubiquitous presence, portfolio of restaurants and earned respect for promoting the neighborhood, Hu arrived at the Palms in September 2014, serving a vast menu offering more than 110 dishes. Hu is scheduled to be sentenced in November. [Arizona Republic and Eater Chicago]
Scott Conant, who has Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. Enoteca at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, also heads to Phoenix to open Mora Italian in December with Pomo Pizzeria owner and chef Stefano Fabbri. The duo plan to serve Neapolitan-style pizzas and wood-fired fare along with small plates, handmade pastas and "dynamic craft cocktails." Conant, who frequently appears on Chopped, also runs The Centurion Lounges, including the version at McCarran International Airport in the D concourse opposite Gate 1. [Phoenix New Times]
Jose Andres. Photo: Blair Getz Mezibov
Aug. 25
THE STRIP — By all accounts, Las Vegas is home to as many as 41 celebrity chefs ranging from Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck to Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Thrillist ranks 15 of them, giving the top three posts to Joël Robuchon in third, Michael Mina in second and José Andrés in first. "Variety, quality, and inventiveness from this influential Spanish chef places him at the top of our list," Thrillist writes. [Thrillist]
NORTH LAS VEGAS — Cracker Barrel plans to open its second Las Vegas location in mid- to late-October, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 10,000-square-foot restaurant mirrors the first that opened in July next to the Silverton. [LVRJ]
WESTSIDE — Hemant Kishore, dubbed the 6-Pack Chef, plans to open Toddy Shop, an ode to Indian food, inside the Inn Zone at Rainbow Boulevard and Westcliff Drive. The restaurant, an ode to the toddy shops in south India’s Kerala that serve a "fermented coconut spirit known as toddy," plans to serve dishes such as karimeen pollichathu with pan-seared fish rubbed in spices and a banana leaf, Kerala beef fry and parotta bread. Look for an opening around Sept. 15. [Vegas Seven]
NORTHWEST — FireRock Steakhouse closed on Sunday after a grease fire in the kitchen. Sprinklers extinguished the fire on the stove at 10:30 a.m. FireRock reports on Facebook that the restaurant should be open on Monday "after we complete some minor repairs and clean & sanitize our kitchen to recover from the sprinkler activation." [Las Vegas Sun and Facebook]
WESTSIDE — Who has the best bar in America? Las Vegas. Vegas Seven reports that Herbs & Rye was named the Best American High-Volume Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail. Owner Nectaly Mendoza told the weekly: "To be the first [Las Vegas bar] to ever make it to the Top 4 was enough for us. To actually win — it was surreal." [Vegas Seven]
WESTGATE — Chef Grant MacPherson, who opened the food and beverage locations at Wynn Las Vegas and before that the Bellagio, has left his corporate position at Westgate. Vegas Seven reports that the chef is now opening Wynn Palace in Macau. Rumors point to him returning to Las Vegas, but the weekly reports, "…it could be something very, very good for the chef’s local fans." [VS]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Clique Hospitality heads east to open two cocktail lounges at MGM National Harbor. Felt Bar & Lounge with an outdoor terrace and views of the nation’s capital, and Blossom Cocktail Lounge, dubbed a "sexy space at the heart of the casino floor," Felt Bar & Lounge plans to have three different areas for guests while Blossom, named for the district’s blooming cherry blossom tree, features a 24-hour gaming lounge. [Eater DC]