This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events and entertainment news.
Events
June 6
In celebration of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in Las Vegas, Brezza Executive Chef Nicole Brisson of and ¡Viva! Executive Chef Ray Garcia will team up for a six-course dining experience celebrating the rich culinary traditions of Mexico at Brezza at Resorts World.
Chef Garcia will open the feast by highlighting Mexico’s coastal fare with Osetra Caviar Tamal with Korean sweet potato, brown butter, and crème fraiche; Diver Scallop Aguachile combining serrano, apple, pichuberry, and ice plant; and Caracoles—burgundy snails topped with mole verde, chochoyotes, stinging nettles, and salsa seca.
Chef Brisson will add her creative touch to classic Mexican soul food with Pozole Verde served with pickled radish, cabbage, and tostadas, and Heritage Farms Goat Birria with fresh-pressed tortillas, lime, and cilantro.
Brezza Pastry Chef Yanet Morales will finish the dinner with Dulce de Leche Panna Cotta with almond tuille, vanilla, and caramel.
The dinner will begin at 7 p.m. and cost $215 per person (plus tax and tip). A sommelier-curated wine pairing will be available for an additional $60 per person.
This is a 21+ event. Reservations are limited and can be made via opentable.com/brezza or by calling 702-676-7000.
New Restaurant
Major Food Group, the same hospitality company that heads CARBONE at ARIA and Sadelle’s at Bellagio, has opened Parm Famous Italian at Proper Eats Food Hall inside ARIA Resort & Casino.
The new location is the first outside of the East Coast. The original was founded by Michelin-starred chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi. Restaurateur Jeff Zalaznick opened it in NYC’s Little Italy in 2011. The restaurant is known for its take on Italian-American classics inspired by the cooking Carbone and Torrisi ate growing up.
On the menu are classic pasta dishes, including Fusilli Genovese—corkscrew-shaped pasta, basil pesto, and creamy burrata; stacked sandwiches on freshly baked Italian bread such as the Chicken Parm with tender chicken cutlet piled with parmesan and mozzarella; appetizers like Pizza Knots tossed in garlic butter and pizza spice; The Sunday Salad with olives, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Italian dressing; and a signature dessert: Mario’s Cannolis—house-made dough fried to a golden crisp, stuffed with freshly-made cream cheese filling, and dusted with powdered sugar. The full menu is linked here.
Parm Famous Italian is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Dining News
Naxos Taverna at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa now serves a weekend Mediterranean Brunch featuring traditional Greek and Israeli breakfast staples. Served every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Mediterranean Brunch includes: Strapatsada—lightly scrambled eggs, fresh herbs, and tomato over grilled toast served with Loukaniko sausage ($19); Shakshuka—three eggs poached with tomato and eggplant sauce topped with feta crumbles and served with fresh pita ($23); Steak & Eggs—6 oz. grilled skirt steak, two bespoke Greek seasoned eggs, and smashed harissa fingerlings ($28); Lemon Tiganites—lemon poppy seed pancakes, yogurt-whipped cream, seasonal fruit, and lemon zest ($16; Melomakarona Waffle, a spin on the Greek dessert, served with orange butter and candied walnuts ($18); and Bougatsa—traditional Greek semolina custard with citrus notes, flaky phyllo, and crunchy crust ($14). Bottomless sangria is available for $28 per person. For more information and to make reservations, visit naxosredrock.com.
Restaurant and Hotel Closures
Picasso Closing
Chef Julian Serrano’s Picasso at the Bellagio will be closing in August. The acclaimed restaurant named for the authentic Picasso artwork displayed on its walls, opened in 1998 when the Bellagio resort debuted and ushered in a new era of fine dining on the Las Vegas Strip.
During its 25-year tenure, the lakeside restaurant with a stellar view of the Bellagio Fountains garnered much notoriety for its fine dining opulence. It was the first Las Vegas restaurant to receive a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant, one of the first two Nevada restaurants to receive the Forbes Five-Star Award and one of only two in the city to receive two Michelin stars.
Serrano will also step away from his involvement at Bellagio’s Lago but remain at the helm of Julian Serrano Tapas at ARIA Resort & Casino. MGM Resorts International has not announced the final day of service, nor has the company indicated what will replace Picasso.
Mirage Hotel and Casino Closing
The Mirage opened in 1989 and has been an iconic property known for its outdoor erupting volcano show, Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, and the Beatles LOVE show (which will close after an 18-year run).
After Hard Rock International acquired the property in 2022, the Secret Garden closed permanently. As of July 17, the entire property will be shut down as the resort transitions into the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas.
The final performance of the Cirque Beatles LOVE show will be on July 6. Tickets are still available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/beatles-love for shows Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
As Beatles LOVE is one of the most successful Cirque du Soleil productions and has been seen by more than 11.5 million guests since opening in 2006, it should not be a surprise if the show pops up at another resort in the coming months.
As for the hotel, the rebranded resort will feature a 600-foot guitar-shaped hotel tower. The opening is targeted for Spring 2027, and the renovation will generate 2,500 construction jobs. Hard Rock is paying about $80 million in severance packages for employees.
