This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
F the Bar — January 10
F the Bar at Ferguson’s Downtown will help kick off 2025 with its New Year, New Cheers: A Health-Conscious Gin Cocktail Class offering a fresh perspective and a healthier twist on cocktail making.
The class is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. and is priced at $35 per person. Included are a welcome cocktail, a make-your-own gin-ger elixir for crafting your own zesty, ginger-infused cocktail, and a health-conscious craft cocktail.
To purchase tickets, click here.
Eataly — January 10
Eataly is continuing its Sip & Savor classes at the Chef’s Table, in which Eataly’s wine experts present a deep dive into Italy’s “micro-countries,” each with its own unique history, food, wine, and culture.
The Uncorked: Tour of Friuli-Venezia Giulia class will feature wines from the northeast Italian region bordering Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Sea, renowned for its aromatic white wines. The class will include the history, grape varieties, and traditions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia; tasting of a selection of five wines; traditional Italian aperitivo small bites; a discussion of the flavor profile of each wine with an Eataly Beverage Expert; and tasting notes from the class.
The 90-minute class will begin at 5 p.m., costing $75 plus fees.
For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.
Pick of the Week: Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar
Carver Road Hospitality’s Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar inside Mandalay Bay is situated just off the casino floor before the escalators to The Shoppes at Mandalay Place and steps from the walkway to Allegiant Stadium.
The sports bar’s aspects are pretty evident, with a shuffleboard table in the bar area, a massive 30-foot long by nine-foot-tall LED viewing screen, and numerous TVs throughout the bar and dining room airing sports programming. There are also comfortable couches and booths, three private dining suites, a private 20-seat karaoke room, a 24-seat dining patio and a takeout window offering grab-and-go food and drinks.
The menu is crafted by Carver Road Hospitality Corporate Executive Chef Daniel Ontiveros, the Cordon Bleu graduate known for his excellence at Carversteak in Resorts World. While the menu certainly has some sports bar comfort food items, the offerings have considerable upgrades in quality and ingredients and items you wouldn’t expect to see on a bar menu. Consider the Ahi Tuna Tartare Tacos with yuzu-guacamole and soy reduction, half-pound Creekstone Farms Wagyu Double Smash Burger with bacon-onion jam, NY Steak and Fries with garlic chimichurri, and Atlantic Salmon with butternut squash puree and roasted delicata squash, and you get the idea that this is not your ordinary sports bar fare. Of course, every sports bar will have wings, but Chef Daniel tells me the wings here—with choices of Spicy Korean Gochujang, Salt ‘n Lemon Pepper and Buffalo—are not the average variety, as they are first brined, then baked, and finally fried.
Desserts are upgraded as well. The German Chocolate Cake with layered coconut pecan filling served with coconut gelato is large enough to feed at least three. During the holiday season, a fun interactive offering is the Campfire S’Mores with graham crackers, peanut butter cups, chocolate, and marshmallows, which you toast over a small flame and compile yourself.
The beverage program also has an impressive resume, as it’s by legendary Master Mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, Carver Road Hospitality’s Vice President of Beverage and Hospitality Culture. Naturally, there are some offerings with a Carver-esque essence, and even a cocktail that’s also served at Carversteak: the Mr. Lee Manhattan with Japanese Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey, Angostura Orange Bitters and Lillet Blanc (instead of sweet vermouth). There is also a respectable whiskey selection (like Angel’s Envy and WhistlePig Six Year Rye) and more than 50 draft and bottled beers, including locals such as Able Baker Atomic Duck IPA, Beer Zombies Boomstick Blonde Ale, Big Dog’s Tailwagger Wheat, and CraftHaus UNLV Rebel Spirit Golden Ale.
To view the complete menus, click here.
Dining News
Jaleo Offering Paella Cooking Class
At The Cosmopolitan’s Jaleo by José Andrés, you can dive in and master the art of authentic paella-making. An interactive class led by Jaleo chefs is offered for groups of six to 12 as they learn the inner workings of creating an authentic Valencian paella from start to finish at the open-firewood grill.
Classes start at $225 and include tapas to enjoy throughout the class.
Participants choose one type of paella, including:
- Paella Valenciana ‘Rafael Vidal—a true classic of chicken, rabbit, and green bean
- Arroz de Verduras de Temporada —traditional arroz of seasonal vegetables
- Arroz a Banda com Gambas—literally meaning ‘rice apart from shrimp,’ made with U-8 Gulf shrimp
The paella classes are booked through The Cosmopolitan Restaurant Group Sales by emailing [email protected] or calling 702-698-6880.
Michael Mina Opens Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons
Acclaimed James Beard award-winning chef and restaurateur Michael Mina has opened a Las Vegas outpost of his Bourbon Steak, the eighth in the Mina Group and the sixth Las Vegas restaurant from the celebrated Las Vegas resident.
Located in the Four Seasons in the former Charlie Palmer Steak space just off the hotel lobby, the ambiance is enhanced by hues reminiscent of peacock feathers, ornate lighting fixtures, and hand-spray painted florals and a mural by local artist Cerissa Lopez.
A tasteful beginning unique to the Las Vegas location is the Shellfish & Caviar—wild shrimp cocktail with gin-spiked cocktail sauce, Little Neck Clams with cherry pepper granita, and Petrossian Caviar served with crispy potatoes, cast iron blinis, avocado mousse, apple butter, chive crème fraîche, and Jamon Ibérico. Another Vegas-only appetizer is the Caviar Twinkiee filled with yuzu crème fraîche and topped with caviar and Persimmon “Ravioli,” a play on pasta with thin sheets of persimmon filled with stracciatella cheese and garnished with pistachio and pomegranate. An interesting twist is that instead of bread service, all guests receive complimentary Duck Fat Fries with pastrami spice for the table.
Mina and his culinary team researched more than 50 cuts of steak before arriving at the final selection of high-quality meats, such as 14 oz NY Strip, 20 oz Bone-In Ribeye, and wagyu options of A5 Striploin from Japan, and Petit Filet Mignon from Australia prepared on a wood-fired grill. The Salt-Baked & Hay Smoked Dry-Aged Tomahawk finished tableside flambéed in bourbon is a highlight.
Non-steak mains include Pastrami Spiced Wagyu Short Rib with shallot jam and roasted bone marrow, Roasted Duck Breast with red beet cream and red wine jus, and Big Eye Tuna ‘Foie-Poivre’—peppercorn-crusted tuna steak with roasted foie and peppercorn sauce.
Desserts, by MINA Group’s Global Pastry Director Chef Veronica Arroya, include Banana Tarte Tatin with preserved citrus caramel and macadamia nut ice cream and Basque Bruléed Cheesecake with Meyer lemon curd, huckleberries, Grand Marnier, and Turbinado crunch.
Bourbon Steak is open daily for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. For more info and to view the complete menu, visit bourbonsteak.com/vegas.
Entertainment News
The Ice Rink at The Cosmopolitan
There’s still time to skate your way over to The Ice Rink at The Cosmopolitan, which will be open through January 12.
The Boulevard Pool has been transformed into 4,200 square feet of real ice. Entry is complimentary, and guests are welcome to bring their own skates. Locals and hotel guests can get 2-for-1 skate rentals daily before 6:00 p.m., and MGM Rewards Gold + members can enjoy the same offer anytime.
In addition to the skating, there are fire pits (where you can roast marshmallows to create s’mores); the Ski Lodge Waffle is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., offering warm cocktails, gourmet waffles and other curated bites; light snow showers every 30 minutes during select times; and great views of the Vegas Strip.
For more info, opening hours, and skate rental prices, click here.
