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News for Restaurants in Las Vegas
November 2012 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

Chef Sammy DeMarco’s Rattlecan, an urban burger concept, has opened at The Venetian. Named for the slang for a spray paint can, the interior features street graffiti created by the country’s top street artists. The menu includes gourmet burgers, with options of Angus beef, pulled pork, turkey, veggie and ahi. Several menu items are devoted to the pickle, such as dill pickle pop corn, fried pickles, pickled potato chips and the Rattlecan "pickleback" --- a shot of Jameson with a pickle juice chaser. Purchase of the pickleback includes a ride on the mechanical pickle (a giant pickle similar to a bull ride). Rattlecan is open daily from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., with expanded services to the casino’s sports book and poker room. Rattlecan, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-414-1000, 877-883-6423.
 
Honey Salt, an independent venture from the husband and wife team of restaurant consultant Elizabeth Blau and Society Café executive chef Kim Canteenwalla, has opened at Rampart and Charleston in Summerlin. The décor, designed by Blau and Randy Apel, features whitewashed brick, a collection of mirrors, antique chandeliers, mismatched vintage chairs and artwork from food photographer Bill Milne and Elizabeth’s sister, Alex Blau. The farm-to-table menu is inspired by the couples’ own home recipes and spotlights ingredients sourced from local and regional farmers and fishermen, with specialties including big-eye tuna tartare, turkey meatballs and caramelized sea scallops. A children's menu was created and tested with the couple’s nine-year-old son Cole, and includes kids’ favorites such as mac and cheese and chicken wings. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Honey Salt, 1031 S. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89145, 702-445-6100.
 

News Bytes

Mandalay Bay Has Nevada’s First Female Certified Cicerone
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has made history by having the first and only female cicerone (beer sommelier) in the state of Nevada. Director of food and beverage Sarah Johnson, whose background is in the culinary arts, recently successfully completed the extensive three-hour exam, earning the title Certified Cicerone®, which designates someone who is proven to be an expert in all things beer. Johnson is now one of only two certified cicerones in Las Vegas and one of 611 in the world. Johnson is working with Mandalay Bay’s f&b team to develop a more expansive beer list throughout the property. Johnson said, “I’m looking forward to escalating Mandalay Bay’s beer program through expanded offerings and pairing dinners that will bring together chefs, brewers and lovers of great beer. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-7777, 877-632-7800.
 
Spago Brings Back Original Menu from 1992 for 20th Anniversary
Spago at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace will celebrate its 20th anniversary by offering its original menu with retro 1992 pricing. Offerings include house-smoked sturgeon with crisp potato galette and horseradish cream ($12); Cantonese-style roasted duck with wild huckleberries, ginger and stir-fried baby bok choy ($20); and Wolfgang’s kaiserschmarrn with strawberry sauce ($9). The menu will be available during dinner only from December 10 through December 14. On December 11, the date Spago opened in 1992, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be at the restaurant greeting guests, taking photos and cooking in the kitchen. Spago, Caesars Palace, Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-369-6300.
 
Picasso to Close December 10-20
Picasso at Bellagio will have its holiday closure from December 10-20, reopening December 21. Picasso, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-693-8105.
 
Rí Rá Irish Pub Offering Whiskey Sampler During November
Rí Rá Irish Pub at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place is offering a Whiskey Tour of Ireland whiskey sampler featuring four Irish whiskeys. For $14, guests can try half-ounce servings of Jameson Whiskey, Bushmills Whiskey, Redbreast and Michael Collins. The Irish pub will also offer a slow-roasted beef and Guinness stew served with salad for $13.95. Both specials are valid through the month of November. Rí Rá Irish Pub, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119, 702-632-7777, 877-632-7800.
 

Chef Shuffle

Todd Sugimoto has been promoted to chef de cuisine at Scott Conant's Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. restaurants at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Sugimoto replaces Dan Rossi, who has moved across the street to take the executive sous chef position at Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. Scarpetta, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 877-893-2001.
 
Chef Carla Pellegrino has announced that she has left her post as executive chef at Bacio at the Tropicana Las Vegas. Both the Tropicana and Pellegrino appeared to part on good terms, with both issuing statements expressing appreciation for their 19-month partnership. Pellegrino will soon open Meatball Spot, a new restaurant located in Town Square in the former space of Nu Sanctuary across from Rave Motion Pictures. Pellegrino is also the chef/owner of Bratalian Neapolitan Cantina in Henderson. Bacio, Tropicana Las Vegas, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-739-2222, 888-826-8767.
 

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.

Top of the World at the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino has closed temporarily for remodeling. It will reopen December 3. Top of the World, Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89104, 702-380-7777.
 
The Range Steakhouse at Harrah's Las Vegas closed November 11. The steakhouse will be replaced with another steakhouse, this one part of a national chain. Ruth’s Chris Steak House will take over the second-floor space, with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Strip, and will open during the first quarter of 2013. This will mark the return of Ruth’s Chris to Las Vegas. A location near Flamingo and Paradise closed in October 2011. The Range Steakhouse, Harrah's Las Vegas, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, no phone.
 
B.B. King's Blues Club at The Mirage will close its doors November 18. The restaurant has been in bankruptcy since February, but a ruling in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in September, allowing the Mirage to withhold charges that customers put on their room tabs to pay down unpaid bills, greatly affected the restaurant’s cash flow, prompting the Memphis-based company to pull the plug. B.B. King's Blues Club, The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-242-5464.
 

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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