This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
Echo and Rig — August 4
Chef Sam Marvin’s Echo & Rig Henderson will host Eat This Comedy!, a three-course dinner and comedy show performed in the dining room.
The dinner includes a welcome cocktail and passed appetizers: choice of Classic Caesar Salad or Bibb Lettuce Salad; Creekstone Farms NY Steak Frites or Ora King Salmon Frites with Kennebec fries and béarnaise sauce; and Stone Fruit Cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
The standup comedy lineup consists of Jason Harris (Netflix is a Joke Fest, Bleacher Report, and C-Span), Matt Donnelly (Penn & Teller’s Fool Us), Gabe Nolasco (Laugh After Dark), and Mary Upchurch (Dry Bar Comedy).
The evening will begin with a welcome cocktail and passed appetizers at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the show at 8:15 p.m.
Tickets are $100 per person plus $8.55 delivery fee and can be purchased here.
Gaetano’s — August 4
Gaetano’s owners, Nick & Sarah Palmeri, will share the joy of Italian day drinking at their Art of the Aperitivo brunch. The brunch will highlight why low-ABV cocktails and alcohol are such a staple of Italian culture, with small bites and cocktails that have been around for over 150 years. The four-course menu will include:
- Cicchetti with Castelvetrano olives & house-made potato chips paired with Aperol Spritz & Italicus Spritz
- Crostinis with anchovy, Sicilian olive tapenade, goat cheese, fig, and honey matched with Cocchi di Torino Extra Dry Vermouth, extra chilled with lemon peel
- Caprese Salad and Focaccia paired with Italian Pink Lemonade
- Variety of Pizzas matched with Campari Shakerato.
The brunch will begin at 1 p.m., costing $80 per person (all-inclusive). Reservations can be made here.
Picasso — August 9
Chef Julian Serrano will host a celebratory dinner honoring the 25-year legacy of his award-winning restaurant Picasso at Bellagio Resort & Casino on the eve of the restaurant’s permanent closing.
The epicurean event featuring Serrano’s revered classics will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a pre-dinner cocktail reception on the Picasso patio overlooking the Bellagio Fountains, with a special toast with Chef Serrano and guests, photo opportunities and live entertainment.
The following four-course dinner will include dishes such as Maine Lobster Salad, Tart of Foie Gras, Sweet Corn Potage with langoustine, Tuna Tartare, Braised Australian Wagyu Short Rib and Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop.
The evening will conclude with a special toast to Chef Serrano on the Picasso patio as guests are provided a special gift to commemorate the evening.
The cost is $195 per person, with two optional wine pairings for $50 per person and $100 per person. To view the complete menu, click here. Reservations are required and are available exclusively online.
Pick of the Week: Slow Food Vegas
I recently was introduced to Slow Food, an organization committed to supporting access to good, clean, and fair food and beverage by collaborating with our diverse communities and advocating for local farmers and restaurants to support an equitable, inclusive, and just food system for all.
There are currently more than 80 Slow Food chapters across the US, and the Las Vegas chapter, which was founded last year, is comprised of passionate volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, such as home gardeners, teachers, retirees, chefs, coffee and wine professionals, students, and local business owners.
The group’s main focus areas are good, clean, and fair. Good refers to promoting delicious, healthy, and culturally appropriate food for everyone. Clean asserts that food should be seasonal and sustainably grown and produced without causing harm to ecosystems or living species. Fair support ensures fair pay and working conditions for farmers, fish harvesters, and food producers and that animals in food systems are treated fairly and respected as sentient beings.
The group awards the Snail of Approval to businesses that meet the aforementioned goals and is based on evaluations focused on sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and business values. So far, ten local restaurants and businesses have received the honor: Brezza, Yukon Pizza, The Tinned Fishionado, Nevada Plants Community Forestry, Desert Moon Mushrooms, Sparrow + Wolf, Vesta Coffee Roasters, Monzu Italian Oven + Bar, Vetri Cucina, Alt Imports.
For more info on the group and Snail of Approval awardees, to support or join Slow Food Vegas, or to apply to receive the Snail of Approval, click here.
Dining News
Mott 32 Introduces Dim Sum Brunch
Mott 32 at The Palazzo has launched its “Brunch 32” dim sum brunch offered Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Highlights include 42-Day Applewood Roasted Peking Duck, Szechuan Style Dumplings with minced pork and chili oil, Crabmeat and Corn Soup, Stir-Fried Lo Mein Noodles, Hot & Sour Seafood Soup Dumplings, Scallop Seafood Dumplings topped with caviar, and BBQ Pork Cheung Fun.
Several unique cocktails have also been created to complement the brunch items, such as Kowloon Coffee made with vodka, single cup extraction coffee, cream, and soy sauce; Tang-Tang, a margarita variant with tequila, mandarin, condensed milk, lime agave, and house-made Szechuan coconut crunch; and Treasure Cloud, served tableside in a dim sum basket with champagne and exotic fruits like lychee, passionfruit, dragon fruit, and mandarins.
The brunch also features weekly DJs and live entertainment.
To view the full menu, click here.
Harlø Steakhouse & Bar Tasting Menu
Harlø Steakhouse & Bar in Downtown Summerlin is presenting its latest tasting menu, showcasing Executive Chef Partner Gina Marinelli’s take on authentic French cuisine.
Available through the end of August and priced at $95 per person, the four-course tasting includes a choice of Ratatouille and Poached Egg with summer zucchini and tomato vinaigrette or Brie en Croute with tart cherry jam and fines herbs, Escargot Spaghetti made with parsley butter and garlic breadcrumbs; Moules Frites with PEI mussels and shallot broth or Steak Diane with bavette and raclette whipped potatoes; and Souffle made with Grand Marnier, vanilla gelato, and orange.
RPM Italian Prix Fixe Lunch Menu
RPM Italian at the Forum Shops at Caesars has launched a new lunch prix fixe menu, available Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Priced at $35 per person (plus tax and tip), included are choice of Prime Beef Meatballs with roasted garlic and Parmesan, Giuliana’s Italian Salad with salumi and pepperoncini, or Truffled Garlic Bread; Rigatoni alla Vodka with imported burrata or Carbonara Spaghetti with black pepper pancetta; and Tiramisu or Dark Chocolate or Caramel Gelato.
Entertainment News
Great Gatsby Party at Legacy Club on August 3
Circa Resort & Casino will bring back its 1920s-inspired soiree at the Legacy Club cocktail lounge, which is perched on the resort’s 60th floor.
All flappers and fellas are encouraged to dress to the nines and foxtrot the night away from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. as the sophisticated and chic lounge will shift to a speakeasy in the sky featuring live music, an open bar with craft cocktails, 1920s-inspired bites, and unrivaled views.
Details on the party include:
- 1920s Costume Contest – Guests are asked to don their most fanciful 1920s-era attire to win a $250 Legacy Club credit during a contest with special guest judges.
- Swingin’ Bites & Cocktails – Partygoers can enjoy an open bar with specialty cocktails crafted to complement the era and treats and unlimited beer, wine, and spirits.
- Live Jazz Music – Be transported back to a time of exuberant optimism as sweet jazz sounds fill the room.
The event is open to guests 21 and over. Standing-room-only general admission tickets are $150 per person (plus LET tax), including access to Great Gatsby and all event inclusions. To purchase tickets, click here.
