Your newest Vegas restaurant is Carnevino at the recently opened Palazzo resort. Why did you decide to open your first steakhouse, and how did you settle on this approach?
Mario Batali: I love the simplicity of the steakhouse experience but always felt short of options eating at one. We combined perfect American beef with the magnificence of the Italian table and came up with Carnevino.
Your other Vegas eateries are B&B and the more casual Enoteca San Marco, both in the Venetian resort. How do those menus and dining experiences play off each other?
Each has its own feel, menu, chef and style. The most casual is Enoteca, which is open all day for anything from an elaborate four-course meal to a simple pizza and a gelato. B&B is the full magilla for dinner only and is a bit more formal and ambitious, along the lines of our flagship Babbo in New York City.
You chose to expand your empire into Las Vegas after the celebrity chef wave had been in full swing for several years. Was that intentional, or what influenced the timing of Mario Batali in Vegas?
It took us a long time to find the right place and deal ... Rob Goldstein and Lou Silvestri had a lot to do with it. We do not like the idea of a licensing agreement so we actually own the restaurants with the Venetian and really enjoy the collaboration.
Do you spend much time in Las Vegas? Do you get to try other restaurants?
I am there every six weeks and almost never leave the Venetian and Palazzo, except to play golf.
How would you describe the culinary reputation of Las Vegas versus a more established dining city like New York?
Vegas is in the top three gastrodestinations in the country due to the incredible variety of options and the serious nature of the competition.
You've been popping up lately on a lot of episodes of "Iron Chef America." If you could battle one chef, who would it be?
Tetsuya (Wakuda, Japanese-born chef based in Australia).
What is your newest project, or what is keeping you busy right now?
Right now I am chilling for the bulk of the summer with my wife and kids. In the last 16 months we have opened five restaurants, I shot my new TV show for PBS in Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow and I wrote two books. I am gonna work on my short game for a month or two.
