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News for Restaurants in Las Vegas
May 2011 Archive

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If you haven't picked a place to eat tonight, you're in luck. Gayot has all the restaurant news for your area right here. Learn which new restaurants have opened in Las Vegas and which restaurants in Las Vegas have recently closed. Find out where your favorite chefs are cooking and locate special events. 

RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

The Hotel California Restaurant & Cantina has opened at 1050 S. Rampart Blvd. in the Boca Park Fashion Village. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant is serving traditional Baja California cuisine with a modern twist. Chef Martin San Roman incorporates fresh ingredients in signature dishes including lime-marinated ceviche, slow-roasted duck, achiote-marinated grilled chicken breast grilled and Baja tuna salad with grilled ahi and cucumbers. Design touches include seashells, a smooth sea glass mosaic, candles, beach sand, driftwood and a cascading water feature. Guests can partake of cigars in the "Man Cave" Cigar Lounge, which is accessed through a separate door connected to the restaurant. The Man Cave features flat-screen TVs, an audio system, a self-serve humidor and an air ventilation system. Hotel California Restaurant & Cantina, Boca Park Fashion Village, 1050 S. Rampart Blvd. , Las Vegas, NV 89145, 702-463-5200.
 
Brio Tuscan Grille has opened its second Las Vegas location at the new Tivoli Village. The restaurant offers generous portions of seafood, Prime steaks and chops; made-from-scratch pastas; flatbreads and a wide assortment of desserts. The new 8,000-square-foot location features indoor seating for 240 guests and al fresco dining for 100 on its outdoor terraces, which feature a full-service bar. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. A $5 martini night occurs every Thursday from 4 p.m.-close, and a brunch is offered on weekends until 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.BrioItalian.com. Brio Tuscan Grille, Tivoli Village, 420 South Rampart Ste. 180, Las Vegas, NV 89145, 702-433-1233.
 

News Bytes

Rick Moonen Honored by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
Rick Moonen, executive chef of RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, has been recognized for his commitment to buying, serving and promoting seafood sustainability. He was named Chef of the Year by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. Moonen received the honor at the Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions event held May 20-21. RM Seafood, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Mandalay Place, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-9300.
 
Ceasars Entertainment Adds Village Seafood Buffet to 24-hour Buffet Pass
Ceasars Entertainment has added the Rio’s Village Seafood Buffet as an option to its 24-hour buffet pass for an additional $15. The pass has a base price of $44.99, which includes seven buffets at as many different properties. Village Seafood Buffet, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, 3700 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89103, 702-252-7777.
 
Quinn’s Irish Pub at Green Valley Ranch Launches its First Pub Menu
Quinn’s Irish Pub at Green Valley Ranch has launched its first pub menu, serving lunch and dinner daily. The menu is a combination of traditional Irish and English pub dishes and not-so-traditional unique offerings. All items are $8 or less, and include bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie. On the non-traditional side are Irish egg rolls---corned beef, sautéed cabbage and spicy brown mustard dipping sauce; and Irish pizza skins---homemade pizza dough filled with mashed potatoes, leeks and cabbage and topped with corned beef. Quinn’s Irish Pub, 2300 Paseo Verde Pkwy., Henderson, NV 89052, 702-617-7777, 866-782-9487.
 
FIRST Food & Bar at The Palazzo Now Serving Sunday Brunch
FIRST Food & Bar at The Palazzo is now serving a Sunday brunch featuring an unlimited champagne fountain, an Absolut bloody mary cart and live DJs. Brunch selections include cinnamon bun French toast, lemon poppy flapjacks, warm goat cheese soufflé, blackened mahi fish wrap, and eggs Benny served traditional or with smoked salmon. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. First Food & Bar, The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, The Shoppes at Palazzo, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-607-3478.
 

Chef Shuffle

Gregory Pugin has taken over as the executive chef at Le Cirque at the Bellagio. Pugin was brought in from L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris, France. Le Cirque, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-693-8100.
 
Joe Elevado has left his position as executive chef at Social House at Crystals in CityCenter to take a position as executive chef at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills. Taking over as executive chef is Benjamin Dayag, who has been working alongside Elevado since 2006. Dayag opened the original location of Social House at Treasure Island as executive sous chef and was promoted to chef de cuisine after a year. Social House, Crystals, 3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89158, 702-736-1122.
 
Marché Bacchus brought in chef and restaurateur Alex Stratta as a consultant for kitchen and front-of-house changes. Stratta’s first move was to recommend Joe Swan as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, who most recently worked with Stratta at Alex (now closed) at Wynn Las Vegas. Swan will take over the restaurant’s day-to-day kitchen duties, working closely with Stratta to update the restaurant’s menu to include new dishes while tweaking others. Marché Bacchus, Lakeside Center, 2620 Regatta Dr., Ste. 106, Las Vegas, NV 89128, 702-804-8008.
 
Anthony Fusco is the new chef de cuisine at Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Fusco’s resume includes work at Gramercy Tavern and Harbour in New York; and at Mesa Grill and Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, and DJT at Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. RM Seafood, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Mandalay Place, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-9300.
 
Massimiliano Campanari has left Osteria del Circo at the Bellagio and is now the executive chef at LAVO at The Palazzo. Osteria del Circo, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-693-8150.
 
Steve Wolf is no longer executive chef at Fleur by Hubert Keller in Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, and has been replaced by former executive sous chef Paul Meesawat. Fleur by Hubert Keller, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-7777.
 
Chris Horning has been appointed executive chef at the newly opened Brio Tuscan Grille at Tivoli Village. Horning previously served as a sous chef at the Brio location at Town Square, and was a sous chef at Maggiano’s Little Italy for more than two years.
 
Antonio Minichiello is now executive chef of Verandah at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. The restaurant's concept is also changing to focus more on modern Italian cuisine. The new menu features wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, steaks and signature dishes such as striped sea bass with citrus crust and fennel sauce. Verandah, Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, 3960 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-5000.
 

Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for Las Vegas to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from yesteryear. Aristocrat, R.I.P.

Once dubbed "the jewel of the desert," the Sahara closed its doors May 16. Along with the closing is the end of the reign of the House of Lords steakhouse, an historic Vegas mainstay since 1954, which was a favorite haunt of the Rat Pack when they performed in Vegas in the 50s and 60s. House of Lords, 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, no phone.
 

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.

View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Las Vegas

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