This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events and entertainment news.
Events
May 31
Internationally acclaimed chef Masaharu Morimoto, star of Iron Chef America, will present a six-course, one-night-only omakase dinner with optional wine and sake pairing at his Morimoto Las Vegas at MGM Grand. The dinner will feature a line-up of the finest seafood imported from Japan, individual sushi selections, and seasonal ingredients worldwide.
The courses are Sweet Shrimp Tartare with chives, guacamole, and house-made soy sauce paired with Morimoto Sparkling Wine; A5 Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Kumamoto A5 beef, sliced vegetables, and yuzu soy matched with Morimoto Junmai; Sautéed Live Scallops with shishito sauce paired with Morimoto Chardonnay; Morimoto Sushi Plate with O-Toro, Kinmedai, A5 Beef, and salmon ikura matched with Morimoto Junmai Ginjo; Domestic Filet Mignon with sauteed foie gras, potato puree, and truffle jus paired with Morimoto Cabernet Sauvignon; and Zen dessert with tofu sweet custard, sesame sponge, coffee kuromitsu cream, apricot sorbet, and chocolate rake matched with Far Niente Dolce.
The dinner will begin at 5 p.m. and costs $250 per person (plus tax and tip). The optional sake and wine pairing, many of which come from Chef Morimoto’s own vintages, is an additional $95. Seating is limited, and reservations are required by visiting MGM Grand online.
June 3
Esther’s Kitchen has been chosen to host an exclusive Signature Session during World’s 50 Best week. Chef Tomos Parry from London’s esteemed Brat and Mountain will partner with Esther’s Kitchen Owner, Chef James Trees, to present a luncheon.
The event will begin with a welcome reception from 11 a.m. to noon featuring light bites and a signature cocktail, followed by a five-course lunch from the hearth, stove, and larder from noon to 3 p.m. The cost is $250 per person (plus tax and tip), including beverage pairings. Seating is limited, and bookings can only be made in groups of 2, 3 or 4. To purchase tickets, click here.
June 3-14 – Las Vegas Restaurant Week
More than 100 of the city’s finest restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe menus at price points ranging from $20 to $120. A fixed portion of the meal’s cost will directly support Three Square, Las Vegas’s only food bank. Since 2007, millions of meals have been provided for those in need through funds raised during the yearly Restaurant Week. The mobile-friendly website restaurantweeklv.org provides a list of participating restaurants, menus, and special promotions with the ability to search by price point, type of cuisine, and location type. In addition, special promotions are taking place at several restaurants, which are detailed on the Restaurant Week website.
Restaurant owners and chefs interested in participating should contact Three Square’s Restaurant Week team at 702-909-5519 or email [email protected].
Pick of the Week
The view from the Top of the World restaurant is unequaled. The restaurant revolves a full circle every 80 minutes, offering a magnificent panorama of the Las Vegas Valley through floor-to-ceiling windows from its 106-story perch atop the resort’s soaring tower.
There are plenty of enticements for your stomach and your eyes, and Executive Chef Chad Castanino has introduced a new seasonal menu of signature dishes.
New appetizers include Fire & Ice Seafood Display loaded with oysters, king crab, shrimp, Australian lobster, clams, mussels, garlic butter, assorted sauces, and grilled bread; Lobster Tacos with caramelized pineapple salsa in a crispy wonton; Sticky Korean Short Ribs braised with ginger, allspice, honey-gochujang glaze, and fried garlic; Grilled Skull Island Prawns served in garlic butter and salsa verde; and Heirloom Panzanella Salad with toasted focaccia, heirloom tomatoes, shaved onion, burrata cheese, roasted tomato, and rosemary vinaigrette.
New entrees are Crab & Scallop Stuffed Sole with corn-habanero cream, acini di pepe pasta, and lemon beurre blanc; Linguini & Meatballs with lobster meatballs, roasted tomato and lobster sauce, and fresh linguini; plant-based Wild Mushroom Bolognese with rigatoni pasta, cashew cream, and fried basil; and Surf & Turf—16-ounce bone-in filet, 16-ounce Australian lobster tail, lemon-garlic drawn butter, and roasted asparagus.
The new menu is rounded out with Warm Butter Cake, with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries, and Key Lime Explosion, with a coconut graham cracker crust, key lime cheesecake, key lime curd, and Chantilly cream.
Complementing the new seasonal items are cocktails such as Money in the Bank with Aberfeldy 18-year Scotch, yuzu marmalade and Angostura Aromatic Bitters; and Summer Sparkler with Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass Vodka, Amaro Nonino, lemon, strawberry, and Fever Tree Sparkling Cucumber Tonic.
Dining News
Monzú Italian Oven + Bar has launched new seasonally inspired dishes by Chef G. Giovanni Mauro. The new menu items include Palermo Meatballs ($10) with traditional pork and beef, mint, tomato sauce, currents, pine nuts, and pecorino; Durelli & Melanzane Agro Dolce ($14) – chicken gizzard dish with in-season eggplant, Sicilian sweet and sour sauce, and mint; Risotto Verde ($28) with artichoke, peas, fava, wild fennel, and cured egg yolk; Busiati Gameri & Pistachio ($38) – a tradition of Trapani that combines housemade spiral pasta, shrimp, and a Bronte pistachio pesto; Orata ($34) with sea bream, leeks and potato stracotto, agretti, and EVOO.
Entertainment News
June 1
AREA15 will host the return of its Radiance Wellness & Music Festival. The all-day festival promises an exhilarating celebration of mind, body and soul with curated yoga classes, world-renowned musical artists, immersive workshops, inspirational speaker sessions, and vendors.
Held in AREA15’s projection-mapped Portal, outdoor A-Lot, Sanctuary and The Wall, several activities are planned, such as:
· Music: Headlining performance by MC YOGI and DJ Drez and supplemental performances by Sol Rising, DJ Taz Rashid and J. Handel.
· Yoga: Yoga sessions led by MC YOGI, Susan and Greg Holmes, Ally Ojeda, Paul Benedict, and Josie Sherwood.
· Speakers and Workshops: VIP speaker Sylvester McNutt III insights on healing, growth, and mindfulness. Additional speakers include Tori Gordon, Craig Goldberg, Dr. Sam Zand, Najib Saab, Dr. Joshua Sharpe, Jaden Rae, Jamee Treks, Hibs, Susana Webber, and Crystal Keith.
· Rhythm Ritual: Dana Kay will guide an embodied ritual of yoga, primal movement, sound healing, music, and dance.
· Ecstatic Dance Las Vegas: Marissa Romero will facilitate this space held specifically for people to express, move and dance freely in a safe, judge-free zone.
· Harmonic Ascension: Echoes of Sacred Sound with 963 Tribe: Experience a profound healing experience with sound masters and musicians echoing the sacred rhythms of the soul.
The event is open to all ages. Participants must bring their own yoga mats, and refillable water bottles are encouraged. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m., and the event will conclude at 8:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $49.95 per person; VIP admission, including speaker session offerings, networking hour, separate entry, and exclusive VIP lounge access with complimentary gifts, is $119.95 per person.
For the full programming lineup and to purchase tickets, click here.
