INTERVIEW: Alexandra Epstein

Alex Epstein is assistant general manager at the El Cortez Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas.


Downtown redevelopment is characterized by a mix of old and new, vintage Vegas and the thought that new Vegas is old Vegas. The El Cortez is so well positioned for that growth. Do you feel that way?
Yes. I think we embody that whole idea. We have been around for 70 years, this is our 70th anniversary, and we are experiencing a surge, a growth in our demographic. I think that says something, a testament that old Vegas is new again. I think people want to be around here and be part of the changes that are happening. The concept of what we want downtown to be is also not a new concept. Any city that's been around for a while has a cultural core that is their downtown, and now there is this demand for that here. We want Vegas to be an institutionalized city, an actual city that has some history and culture to it, and think there is a demand now to build that into this idea.


Is it difficult to celebrate the history of a place like the El Cortez and yet still appeal to a new, different audience?
I think a big part of looking forward is celebrating that culture and that past. I think it goes hand in hand. Any city's cultural core is forward thinking but celebrates its past, and Vegas just has a different past to celebrate. We have the Mob Museum coming in, we have the Neon Museum, we have Las Vegas' original casinos here, and those things just happen to be our past and our history, and the "cultural class" likes to celebrate that. They like it, and they get it, and they don't really want to escape from that. So I don't think those two concepts are warring with each other. I think it grows quite naturally together.


The El Cortez has been growing and renovating for a while now, huh?
It's a 70-year-old building so we have to do a lot to keep it up. But there really has been a big push in the past five years to renovate. Between our Jackie Gaughan Parkway, our porte cochere, and our Cabana Suites, there has been a lot going on, and quite a strong push in conjunction with the East Fremont development.


Have other organizations and businesses sought out El Cortez as a partner in these downtown developments are have you been more active?
It's been a mix of both. There have been people that have approached us, like the Cornthwaites with the idea of Emergency Arts in that building, and we worked together to make it happen. It's been a great collaboration and a great product we've been able to come out with. Other people have approached us, too, but it's just a very collaborative neighborhood in general. We work together with others like the Ogden across the street. We have welcome packets for their new tenants. We also go out and approach others, like we did with our design competition. We approached World Market Center to work together to do something for the Cabana Suites. So it's a give-and-take.


The restaurants at the El Cortez are pretty classic, your coffee shop and your steakhouse, The Flame.
It's pretty standard but the quality is definitely above standard. You don't really know until you come to the El Cortez what a gem it is. We could put more into marketing our food, and we are actually renovating our steakhouse now, but the food is actually outstanding. We have a great food and beverage director, and we are a family of foodies. This is a family business and we are all about food. We wouldn't want to not be able to eat here.


The coffee shop is really a Vegas institution that seems to be disappearing, and the El Cortez version is one spot that is kinda keeping that old school thing alive.
Our waiters and servers know all of our customers by name, there's that familiarity there. And the quality is there. I will stand by this: our matzoh ball soup is the best in Las Vegas. A lot of people say "Is it as good as Bagel Cafe?" I tell them it's better. And we have a Chinese kitchen, which is kind of a strange and random thing, but it's very popular. Everything at the steakhouse is fresh, never frozen, all of our fish and meat is flown in fresh. The steakhouse really is a gem, too. The service is great, we have a really great wine list with extremely reasonable prices, and that's something we've got a reputation for. Our specials do really well. The stone crab, when it's in season, we fly it in and serve it every week and we usually sell out. For our anniversary, we are putting together a vintage menu, with menu items you can't find anymore like oysters rockefeller. It's really old school stuff. You can ask for the vintage menu now even though we're not advertising it yet. And we're open to suggestions, too. We really researched it. We went to UNLV and looked at all these old menus and then went through all these rounds of tasting to see what we did and didn't want to do. It was pretty extensive.


On East Fremont, there are so many great bars now, and it's really a great crowd down there. But food-wise, there still isn't a lot right around the neighborhood that this group can find.
Not yet. We have great food at The Beat. And Le Thai is going to be a great Thai place when it opens across the street. But we definitely need some more variety. This is going to be a part of town where people come for a great night, for food and drinks, and it just makes sense.


So as someone who is here a lot, and has been to other cities, and as someone who is a foodie, what would you like to see down here?
All kinds of things. I lived in New York for four years and Los Angeles for a year and was very proactive in seeking out great food in those cities. There's a place in L.A. with all different kinds of bratwursts and all different kinds of beer, and really good fries, and that's all it is. In the back is picnic seating, kind of a like a beer garden, with a DJ in back. I thought something like that could work great in downtown Vegas. Any kind of gastropub would be great. But I think we should leave the real high-end stuff to the Strip. A great pizza place, like Settebello, I would love to have that down here. More outdoor cafe-type places would be great, since we have perfect walking areas down here. There are so many things that we could do.


I don't think anyone thinks of downtown as being a great food neighborhood in Las Vegas, and I think the reputation of the El Cortez is more about its history than its restaurants. But what you have done is pave the way for some very significant food and beverage developments downtown, specifically allowing one building your company owns to become Emergency Arts, which houses The Beat Coffeehouse, and also allowing your space to host the Vegas Streats festival every month.
It was a very lucky thing how that worked out. It just made perfect sense. There was no reason for us not to be doing it. We has the perfect space to let these food trucks do what they do. I think Vegas Streats is huge for downtown Vegas. In my mind, it goes beyond just food, because to me food is the most important part of culture. But it's really just about how people live, and food is such a big part of that, so it makes sense for downtown to be where people recognize that it doesn't have to be fancy food to be good. Vegas Streats has exposed thousands of people to really talented chefs and cooks, and if they associate they can come down here and have this great experience with food trucks and really cool old hotels and great bars, that's what we're trying to do -- change people's perspectives.


I'm sure you have a lot of ideas how to change and grow Vegas Streats, but do you think the following is already there?
Yes. The first one, we had so many people we just didn't know what to do with them. We didn't advertise anything and there was no press coverage, so it was all social media and word of mouth. And everybody was asking, when's the next one? The second time we had a lot of questions, a lot of press, a lot of emails after. And now different vendors and artists want to be involved, so we don't know what to expect looking ahead. But we plan on keeping it up, and this is something that downtown really needs. Everyone is working hard down here and really good food is the next direction.


You are a real Las Vegan and you know your way around town. Where else do you like to eat?
I love Sen of Japan and Raku and Monta for Japanese, those are all classics. For Italian, we're big fans of Cafe Chloe on Flamingo and Buffalo. It's been around for a while, and the chef has been here forever. It's Chef Piero, from the original Piero's. It's all homestyle cooking, the portions are huge, the pasta is piping hot when it comes out, there's a lot of garlic and it's just great. And the people are great. It's my favorite Italian place in Las Vegas. I do think the best pizza in the city is at Settebello. I also really like Nittaya's, which is a new place in Summerlin. Every time I've gone there I've had a good meal.


Are you one of the rare Vegas locals who actually eats on the Strip frequently?
I do. You can't hate it just because it's on the Strip. I definitely appreciate everything there is to enjoy on the Strip. We have the best restaurants in the world. To not take advantage of that would be insanity.


Your Strip favorites?
I've enjoyed everything I've had at Cosmopolitan. They do a great job at Milos, Holsteins, STK, Scarpetta.  We go to Wynn a lot. We just had a really good meal at Lakeside Grill. We love SW Steakhouse. Bartolotta, obviously, is amazing. Those are all just really pricey ones, special nights out. There are so many great places.

INTERVIEW: Anthony Meidenbauer

Anthony Meidenbauer is executive chef and partner with Block 16, which operates Holsteins at The Cosmopolitan, LBS Burger at the Red Rock Resort and Pink's at Planet Hollywood.

Most recently you've opened Holsteins at The Cosmopolitan. Going through this menu, there is a ton of stuff beyond burgers and a lot of fun snacks.
A lot of stuff we do, there's a lot of work that goes into what you put on the table. With the pork belly bun, you think it's just pork in a bun, but it's so flavorful and it takes some time to do it right. It's a Niman Ranch all-natural pork belly and we cure it in Asian flavors, ginger and citrus zest, braise it for four hours, press it, chill it, cut it in pieces and fry it crispy and serve it in a little steamed bun. Super simple, great flavor. We always start the meal out with every table getting popcorn. For example, one has truffle oil and white truffle salt to season as it's popped, and it comes out to every table so you get a little snack. We're trying to be playful and fun.

We do a Philly cheesesteak in a spring roll. It's something everyone knows about, but we take eggroll wrappers, fill them with skirt steak that we char-grill, pepper jack cheese, and then the classic Philly is always served with ketchup - our house ketchup, which we call udder sauce. Another one is the lobster corndog. Again, something everyone knows, but we're using slipper tail lobsters from New Zealand, with a nice sweet flavor, and a roasted jalapeno dijonaise underneath. Who doesn't love fried stuff on a stick? One of our biggest selling appetizers is also something super simple. We call it artichoke guac. It looks like guacamole but it's basically a Middle Eastern version of tortillla chips and guacamole. So we take pita chips toasted with zatari spice, and then serve with hummus fortified with piquillo peppers, three kinds of olives, capers, and a whole bunch of artichokes, puree it and fold it so it looks like guacamole. When you cruise through the menu, you see a lot of familiar things that we've made fun.

You're doing so much more than burgers.
For us, the burger joint moniker doesn't fit. We're a burger joint on steroids. It really doesn't fit. It's more like a gastropub, a burger-centric gastropub. We make our own foie gras, we make our own pâté, and we do our vegetables special for that dish. For the duck tacos, we make confit. The idea is to come in with a group, four to six people, to order a few snacks and share, maybe get a burger, and we have desserts made for sharing, too. It's a fun atmosphere. No matter what you order, you have some ideas of stuff you want to order next time you come in. We want people to try everything.

Is Holsteins the natural progression from LBS Burger?
LBS, originally, we wanted to be more expansive with the menu, but where we are at dictated our menu and clientele. Out in the suburbs in Vegas people aren't as exploratory with food as they can be when they come to the Strip. So we stuck with what works best there. When people want to have fun and try different stuff, they come here. If you live here, you don't come to the Strip often. A lot of the stuff is similar, sauces and things like that, because we make them all fresh every day. It definitely was a progression moving forward here at Holsteins, and we are definitely able to explore and do some more fun stuff. The kitchen is three times the size, too, and that's great, so it makes our execution a little easier. An example of something different we're doing here is housemade sausage. We make five different sausages right here. The Greek is a lamb sausage with feta and a bunch of herbs and spices, served in a little hot dog bun with olive relish, some feta cheese and a little chickpea harissa on the side.

As a chef, is it rewarding to have that progression where you are a little more free to experiment?
I think any chef has a surplus of ideas. Every time you go out to eat or read a magazine or see something, you're always thinking how you can take that idea and spin it. Our company has been working on a lot of different little projects for the past three years, but the economy hasn't always allowed everything to happen. Plus we have a great group of chefs that we work with back there, and everything is very collaborative. Everyone comes up with ideas and plans to make things work so we can put great food on the table.

How has it been working at The Cosmopolitan so far, and working with the other restaurant partners?
We all work as partners throughout the property, we have meetings, discuss issues and even though obviously we're not involved in others' menus, we all work together and share constructive criticism to help each other out. It works really well. Everyone in the property has been great. We're all here for the success of the whole property, and everyone needs to be successful for it to work.

The Cosmopolitan has some terrific qualities that set it apart. It feels more intimate because it is small, the way it's laid out. They took a weird plot of land and got real creative with it. One of the most successful things is how the parking is subterranean. Some of these huge casino-resorts, you have to walk 10 or 15 minutes to get to the casino floor or get to anywhere. Here, you can come for the first time and be in the casino or at your restaurant in a minute, and I think that's huge, especially for locals. Locals don't like to walk through the entire casino. And the look and feel of the place is definitely different from anything else, and the technology is really cool.

It seems as if your company and staff have a heads-up on opening in this brand new property, since you already work on the Strip at Planet Hollywood and at a completely different resort company at Red Rock. Does that give you a different perspective on operating?
We definitely have a strategic advantage, hands down. During the opening, a lot of the restaurant partners here that are from out of state had no idea what to expect. We have done as much work as we can to help them out. When you're working in a resort with an odd size and a lot going on, there are a lot of issues, logistically, things like getting products here. But I can just get it from my other properties and bring it over. So that's definitely an advantage.

Where were you before you got together with Block 16?
We've been together for three years. I was at Wynn for three years in room service, and I'm still good friends with a lot of people over there. I've been in town almost 10 years now, and it's still a small town. You see the same people over and over again.

How did your team manage to bring the iconic Pink's hot dogs to Vegas?
Billy Richardson, one of our principals, has been here for many years and has a lot of great relationships with influential people. That gives us opportunities to meet with people and talk about projects. Planet Hollywood was trying to get to Pink's, because for its theme, what could be better than to have a 70-year-old, classic L.A. spot like Pink's right here in Vegas? We got involved, the Pink's family really liked us, and we got to learn all about their culture, where they came from and what they've done, and see their operation. And they wanted that badly. They weren't going to just hand over that brand to anybody. They are starting to expand now that they have a feel for it, but staying mainly in California. So they gave us the greenlight and it's been open for about a year and a half. It's such a great location, and it's the exact same stuff as in L.A. There are people who will say, "Awe, this isn't the same," but the Pink's people have been very, very serious about it so they could share that it's the exact same product. Of course, it's not 70 years old, it's not going to have the same charm and celebrity following as the original, but that's what we are shooting for. But it's absolutely the same food, even if the experience has a Vegas spin on it.

Before Pink's, you opened LBS, which as you said, is a little more of a straight-ahead burger concept. How is LBS different from so many other burger joints?
LBS was our first, our baby. What we do at Holsteins is different, but not any better or worse, just different. But there are a lot of burger places, and they're all the same. They have the same few appetizers, some sort of smothered fries or chips, and a bunch of burgers. We didn't want to be that. We called it a Burger Joint to give you the idea that we're concentrating on the burgers. I try not to say "gourmet" because that word is stuffy, and the place is anything but stuffy. Holsteins is the same way. We get people coming in a suit, and people coming in a jogging suit. Old, young, everybody. Yeah, "gourmet" is kind of a four-letter word to us.

How do you see Holsteins changing and evolving?
We're going to start moving into spring and summer, so some lighter fare. As it gets warmer, people want to eat fresher and lighter, so we're working on those changes. It won't be a complete change. We also plan to roll out a few large plates so people that don't want a burger and don't want just snacks can go with a steak or fried chicken, something like that, which will still fit our theme. I don't think anyone will think of this place as just a burger joint.

In March, there will be a new sportsbook opening in The Cosmopolitan, right next to the entrance to Marquee on the second level. We're going to be serving our food in the sportsbook, so it will continue to get busier and busier. Our lunch crowd keeps coming, it's doing well. The late night is doing well. We stay open until 2 a.m. in the lounge area, and that works well when the club is open. As the club grows, especially in the summertime when the poolclub and dayclub operation gets rolling, it's going to really contribute to what we're doing.

INTERVIEW: Scott Conant

Scott Conant is executive chef at Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

So you are days away from opening in Las Vegas...
I can't believe it. It's crazy. I've had my team on the ground and I've been in L.A. lately, because we just opened in Beverly Hills. But I can't believe it is here.

We know Scarpetta was originally slated to be in Fontainebleau, and now of course, it's at the Cosmopolitan. How long have you been looking at Las Vegas?
Yes, I had a deal with Fontainebleau, and when that fell by the wayside we had the opportunity to talk to Cosmopolitan. When I was talking with the CEO (John Unwin) it became clear that I would be crazy not to do business with this guy. He's a great partner and he's very passionate about his product and the brands he aligns himself with. He seemed really enthusiastic about having Scarpetta, and when we saw the size and space, we thought it was too big and we were worried about losing the soulful aspect of what Scarpetta is all about for me. This will be the fifth restaurant. We have a product we know works, and we really like to focus on the positive aspects of it moving into any new location. So we decided to cut it in half, and put the D.O.C.G. wine bar in there. Now we've got 150 seats, which is manageable, and we will have two brands there. And opening in Vegas, yeah, it's something we've been working with for a while now.

How do you feel about the buzz that's been building for this resort? Cosmopolitan talk is becoming something of a phenomenon since it's another big, new place on the Strip opening in these rough times for Vegas.
It feels like there has been a little buzz. Developing things has been a very exciting experience, getting ready for Vegas. Maybe the best part has been spending time with (the other Cosmopolitan) chefs and restaurateurs, picking each other's brains. It feels like a fluid concept. I think the customer experience will be a great one here. And among the different restaurants, there is a real sense of camaraderie and community. With everything that's been going on in Vegas, it is a little scary to open a new resort. There is a little fear attached. But we all feel like we're in this together, we want this resort to win.

What is the concept behind D.O.C.G.?
The name D.O.C.G. (Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) in Italian stands for the highest quality in wine, so that's the reason for the name. It's guaranteed quality. What will you eat there? Pizza, baked pastas, fun stuff. It's not meant to take itself too seriously. It is there to make people happy, and not everyone wants to go to a high-end restaurant every night. It's about creating something that has value for the customer, something that may be lacking in Vegas. I saw what Todd English did with his pub (at CityCenter) and that excited me.

Will Vegas' Scarpetta be different from New York's?
I always say there's really something that works about it, and I'd be crazy to change it. There will be plenty of things that will add some Vegas style, like the view of the Bellagio fountains, which is very cool. There will be a chef's table and two private dining rooms. It looks exciting, it looks Vegas, the colors are a little different, but the overall feel and soul of the space is the same. Each location of the restaurant has that, and it's all about the quality of the staff I surround myself with. It's not me, it's we. We have a great team, and the soul comes from the knowledge of the people around us. It works. So far we've been able to really capture it in different locations. A lot of the feel comes from the rustic elements in the design, woods and leathers. It's kind of urban Milan meets rustic.

Italian cuisine on the Strip is a very crowded field. How will these restaurants set themselves apart?
There's a lot of great Italian restaurants in Vegas. Our product is a little more unique. What we do is offer those modern components without sacrificing full flavor and approachability, and that balance kind of sets us apart. There's also a benevolence between Italian restaurateurs, which helps. But yes, there are dishes we are known for that set us apart, definitely the spaghetti with tomato and basil, which seems to follow me around quite a bit. Also the polenta. These sound like simple dishes. But that's what it means, what Scarpetta means is to grab a piece of bread and sop up what's on the plate. That's the kind of satisfying experience we want customers to have.

Is there a focus among the restaurants at Cosmopolitan to attract locals down to the Strip?
Our goal is to be inclusive. We don't want people to feel like this is a place you go to only once in a while. We have very approachable dishes on both menus. Scarpetta is fluid enough that it could be a special occasion dinner, but the food is not excessively rich, so you could go there once a week. I want to make the prices sensitive to the market, too, not just to tourists but also to people who are here and want to go out and enjoy themselves. I feel like that is another goal of the resort.

You are all over the place, on TV, doing cookbooks, opening restaurants left and right. What else is coming up?
Knock on wood, Bevery Hills is going great. Really our main goal is to always make these restaurants the best they can possibly be, to surround myself with the best team members and make sure everyone has the same goals in mind: to make people happy, make great food, and keep the ambience in line with the experience and the menu. That always requires effort, and to stay relevant on top of all that is pretty tough. I have had a good share of success but that doesn't mean we can't get better all the time. I do give a lot of effort and I love what I do, and I have so much fun teaching younger cooks and chefs as well as learning from all the people we work with, and implementing their experiences into what we do on a daily basis. Ultimately, a better customer experience is the goal.

INTERVIEW: Alex Stratta

Alex Stratta is was executive chef at Alex and Stratta in Wynn Las Vegas. He previously operated the former Renoir in the Mirage.

 What is new at Alex?

Alex Stratta: About two months ago we changed the menu format a little, bringing in the new market menus. So that makes our format into three different categories: the tasting menu, the prix fixe and then market menus, which are limited offerings. We made it so that instead of swinging between a whole bunch of stuff, we're really focusing specifically on the market, that's what's driving everything. And the cherry on top is that we change it every day or so depending on the markets in L.A. I met a lady who’s a forager. She's been working for 20 years hooking up small growers and farmer's markets up and down the California coast, really finding the best of the best. It's stuff you've never seen before. It's stuff I’ve never seen before, like fingerling limes, which are black on the outside, and the inside is like little pearls of caviar. It's a special citrus, and we're finding stuff like this, so exclusive it's basically grown in someone's backyard. So we're finding ways to feature things like those. We get a couple days advance to plan when we get the list of what's coming. It's really motivating my chefs and helping the development of this program, which is all about creating an exceptional and unique experience.

Working with farmer's markets is not necessarily new to Vegas restaurants, although it seems to be catching on quickly on the Strip. It sounds like these market menus are a little more exclusive.

It's definitely ultra-specific. We are one of her few accounts. It gives us the flexibility of doing whatever we want and changing whatever we want to. We can take ingredients like these and either keep it simple or put them in an unusual combination, maybe with a rare type of seafood. We can find incredible cherries from one farm, endive from another, and maybe you'll have them with grouse from Scotland. Whatever we are working with, we are keeping it within the scope of the cuisine. We don’t veer too much from basic French and Italian tradition. I will introduce Asian product but it's always executed with classical technique and the same thought process. Every chef says "I put my own spin on it," but really what we're talking about is getting back to basics, getting the best ingredients in their season done as simply as possible.

Has that thought process or mission changed over the years, or did you change your mission when you came from Renoir to create Alex at Wynn Las Vegas?

That's an interesting question. I think the mission has become even more solidified. When I first came to Vegas to work with Mr. Wynn at the Mirage, what I wanted to do was the finest, high-end, European-style fine dining. I was talking about five stars, and he wasn’t very aware of that stuff. He was introduced quickly when his hotel got five stars. But I told him that’s what I wanted to do, and through the years we went through everything and really accomplished the goals we wanted to achieve. When I heard he was opening this hotel, I made a phone call and said, "If you are doing fine dining there, I’m your guy, I want to take this to the next level." And of course, we were speaking the same language. We both wanted to outdo ourselves. We needed a bigger, grander stage than Renoir. Alex provided that. We were off and running as soon as we opened in May, We got our five stars in September or October, just knocked it out of the park. I give the credit to the staff but also to Mr. Wynn’s commitment to what we were doing. It's just getting better and more refined now. Business is starting to pick up again. Everybody took a beating last year, especially in high end. It was a challenge. But luckily, we have the Wynn brand and that gives us opportunities. And I have a tremendous crew. Devin (Hashimoto, chef de cuisine at Alex) has been working with me for many years now, and he has developed his own style within what we do. The repertoire has grown to full, we work on ideas together, and the process unfolds naturally. It's great. It's so important to have other ideas, and when you have guys like this working with you, you can’t say no. The enthusiasm we have is just getting better. 

Is it difficult to maintain a balance between fine dining at Alex and the more casual Italian restaurant Stratta when both are on the same property? 

At first I tried the balance but I soon realized they are two different animals and have to be approached in completely different ways. My involvement, the basics of quality food and service, genuine hospitality and efficiency, all that is the exact same language. But as far as what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, what Alex means to the hotel and what Stratta means, there are two different dynamics. For me as restaurateur, as chef, it teaches me a lot. I'm still sticking to my basic fundamentals, focusing on ingredients and consistency. But as an entrepreneur, you're talking about a restaurant that does 12 million a year and 600 covers a day versus one that does 5 million at 70 or 80 covers a day. We have had times when we've done 70 covers at Alex and made as much as doing 500 at Stratta. But it's always about hospitality. For me, it’s the same passion.

Were you concerned with the transition from fine dining to the lower price point and different dynamic at the Italian restaurant?

I’ve worked in fine dining my whole career, and that’s what people are expecting when they come to my restaurants. For me, it was just showing flexibility, maybe a lighter side, and not taking myself too seriously as a chef. Not everything has to be this whole process of "let’s see what I can do to push myself to the fullest." What is it that people want to eat? What if I could create that place that would be the place go to with family if you just want a pizza? I think a chef has to have room for that in his repertoire. A lot of chefs are doing casual now, but I didn’t do it because of everybody else. It was an opportunity to show it's not all about foie gras and truffles all the time. Whether it's a coffee shop or fine dining, you have to have the basics in order to diversify and grow. I was executive chef at a hotel that ran nine restaurants, so I had that diversity in my background. I kinda wanted an Italian version of Alex at a little more casual level, but as we understand the guest, people like stuff they are familiar with, so let's do the best representation of that familiar food we can do. We came to a happy medium, and the place is incredibly successful.

Some Vegas chefs have a hard time finding that happy medium, being able to do what they need to do while still addressing the taste level of the guests. 

I certainly didn't think I'd ever be doing chicken alfredo pasta, but you know, I have no problem giving people what they want. Just do it well. I think it comes with maturity as a chef. And I get to have it both ways. I can get my kicks at Alex. They are two different worlds, and I'm proud of what we accomplish at both. I'm very proud of the service at Alex.

You've been in Las Vegas for 12 years now. What do you think is coming next?

On a micro level, I’d say more late night dining availability. A lot of places can look to the success and formula at the hotels that have that energy between nightclub and restaurant, like we have here at Wynn and Encore. Stratta is open late and does very well with the late-night crowd.

You probably have not had the time to explore restaurants at CityCenter, and now we've got the Cosmopolitan opening soon.

Citycenter, I have not been focused on at all. But I have twin 3-year-olds, so anything outside of work is, you know, headed that way. But I do know the food and beverage director at Cosmopolitan, who came up through ranks with me. I know what they’re trying to do over there, and I think that team is going to be very strong. They have a very organic approach to the whole thing. They're bringing in Jose Andres and Scott Conant. They are both the real deal and they will put out great restaurants. They’ll do well. I don’t know about the hotel, traffic, flow, all those things I couldn’t predict. I'm sure they’re on pins and needles. It's a good time to open and a bad time to open. Without a lot of people coming through, you can really get your wheels going, but you're not going to hit your numbers. The short term thinking would freak you out, but long term, it’s a good thing. You can pace yourself, and you can change things quickly. But I think Cosmopolitan will be a nice addition, a complement.

So where's the dining hot spot for twin 3-year-olds?

You would think we wouldn't be able to go eat at a lot of places, but they’re very adventurous. They eat sushi, and we go to Mexican restaurants.

You're kinda the Mexican food guru now. Since Las Vegas Weekly did a feature on your love for Los Antojos, you've got every foodie and critic loving that place.

Isn't that funny? I went to talk to that lady shortly after that happened, and I told her, "I wish I got that much press for my restaurant!" I feel like the pope when I go in there. I’m so happy for them, though. I suppose it is still a hole in the wall, but their food is just done really well. Actually it was introduced to me by a busser. I haven’t gone in a while.

So now you are in charge of finding the next great Vegas hole in the wall. Give me a good pick.

There are so many great ones in Chinatown, Raku, Monta. I'll tell you, I think I might have been to Pho So 1 five times in a week. It's great, very consistent. It's always good, and the service is great. And you know, you can’t even cook a meal for yourself for six bucks. It's amazing how low the prices are. I get the number 14. Just go and tell them you want the one Chef Alex likes. It's got the tripe and the tendon and all the good stuff chefs like to eat.

INTERVIEW: Jet Tila

Jet Tila is was executive chef at Encore's Wazuzu.

How did you become part of the Wynn-Encore stable of restaurants? Were you recruited, or how did it happen?
Jet Tila: I think it was 2007 and I was just doing my thing in L.A., teaching, moonlighting at different restaurants there, and I was doing a lot of consulting in those days. I got a cold call from Elizabeth Blau, and she was telling me I was on their radar. They wanted to do Pan-Asian at Encore. It was such a cold call that I really thought someone was messing with me. But I played it cool, I was going along with it. I wrote a menu concept and sent my resume and they called back and said, "Let's do a tasting." So now I know this is for real, so let's do it. The whole time I knew in my bones they were not going to hire me. I don't have the normal pedigree. I didn't spend 20 years at any restaurant. I've had a varied career so far: I was at the L.A. Times, I've been in management, I was at Bon Appetit. I've really kinda tailored my career to have fun and do these different things. I'm not a restaurant dog. So we did the tasting. It was like nine courses in 45 minutes, and everybody was there. I came in for two days with one day for prep, and I cooked my ass off. I was working out of Richard Chen's kitchen at Wing Lei and he was just an amazing resource and inspiration. So they told me to stay a little longer and I thought this might be for real. And I flew back to L.A. with a contract in hand. In my opinion, I think coming into it, I was not necessarily what they were looking for. It was more a matter of just leaving it all here. This was my one shot, and I wasn't really nervous because I didn't think they would hire me. I was able to just relax and cook.


Before that, what was your previous Vegas experience like?
It was from being a child and coming here with my family. I was one of the arcade kids who would get dropped off while the parents go to the casino. My dad was a big player in the '80s. Later on, like everyone else, I came out a couple times a year to party my ass off. As far as restaurants go, like most people, I think you see a lot of big names but never really felt like it was the exact same experience you'd get from those names in other cities, like in New York. Very few people really cook their asses off all the time, and now I understand more why. The numbers here are just crushing. Sometimes you have to tailor your approach in fine dining, and this is one of those places. You can be working in a great Michelin restaurant doing 80 a night, and then here you're doing 200 to 300. It's crazy. And you don't really understand it, the different approach, until you see it.


Traditionally, Asian restaurants on the Strip have been Chinese or sushi, and then more recently we've seen this all-encompassing Pan-Asian label a lot. With that in mind, how did you develop the menu and concept for Wazuzu?
I cook like what I lived in L.A. I'm a Chinese kid by blood, growing up in Thai restaurants, and I'm a total blend of the San Gabriel valley where I was born. There you've got Chinatown in the west, Thai-town, where I really grew up, and Little Tokyo. All of them are inspirations and part of my life experience. My angle on Pan-Asian is a little different. I've got these three cores that I'm super comfortable doing, and that has translated into some dishes you're not going to see anywhere on the Strip. Where are you going to see Nasi Goreng (a Malaysian fried rice dish) on the Strip? At the end of the day, I feel like I know Asian people and they want it hot and dirty, and they want it authentic and clean. This is not the place for fusion. I think that approach is dead or dying.


You've blogged about restaurant critics and would-be critics, and one of the reactions to Wazuzu and other ethnic restaurants on the Strip is that there is a certain amount of watering down that has to be done to the cuisine in order to appeal to the masses. Yet you seem like a purist. Do you feel like you have to compromise your cooking?
I think my heart is pure. But you really have to respect guys like Mr. Wynn who are going to give a kid a few million dollars to play with in terms of restaurants. It's a bigger problem I have with reviewers sometimes. At the end of the day, our bosses know their market. If I cook the first menu I wrote for this restaurant, 40 percent of the dishes are going to get returned. It's a little too foreign, a little too weird. I think I'm one of the few white coats who has seen it from both sides, and I sympathize with both sides of this ballgame. Chefs need to understand that writers need something to write about. Writers need to understand it's not easy to build a restaurant. We spend all that money, and we have to recoup that. Now, we see it's coming to a point in time where we, the chefs and restaurants, have a voice, and that's on the internet. Back in the day, critics would throw something out there, and the restaurants would never have the chance to respond.  But going back to the food, I think I'm as authentic as I can be for my property. I'm definitely somebody who fights for my food. There is integrity in my food, and if you're an honest and traveled diner, you can pick apart my menu and say, "I get it." If you're just going to do a snapshot review, you can pick apart anybody. And as far as working with managers, there's always this line where you're going to push and pull with each other. They're giving me a voice so even when they reign me in, I can understand why. I wanted to do stuff like little suckling pigs here. Everyone raves about Momofuku, and I naively wanted to create something like that. But that doesn't work here. That can't work when you have more of a captive audience instead of regulars. 

You still write, you blog, you pop up in a lot of articles and at events, and you have become pretty active in the restaurant community in Las Vegas in a short time. How important is that to developing your restaurant and your brand?
There is some calculation there. I feel like anyone who is good at what they do understands that it's important in this day and age to embrace technology and good marketing and public relations. It is genuine, for me, but I'm not going to lie and say I'm cool like that. I'll take advantage of any outlet possible to get my food out there, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it. I want to know who's who in my community and I try to stay plugged in to what's going on.


You've written a little about local places you like. Do you get to eat out a lot? And what are your Vegas favorites so far?
I'm like you. Most writers are genuine adventurers. Unfortunately I live in the culinary wasteland of Las Vegas known as Henderson. I mean, I love it where I live, but outside of Grimaldi's, Settebello and a few others, there's not a lot. Chinatown is amazing. In some ways it's bigger than the area I grew up in. It's vast, and it's going to take a long time to really get through it. My short list is Krung Thai, Raku is another one, KJ Kitchen for Cantonese, HK Harbor is another one. For Indian, I do Origin India. The naan bread there is some of the best I've had. It's always such a personal thing, what's good or bad. Pho So 1 is dope. I really don't get to eat on the Strip so much. Like so many in the corporate chef world, I'm taking a cut and eating on the Strip is so expensive. So that's my short list for now.

INTERVIEW: Jean Paul Labadie

Jean Paul Labadie iswas executive chef at Marche Bacchus in Summerlin.

You were born and raised in Puerto Rico. You have a Spanish and Italian background, but you're known for cooking French food. How does that diversity influence your style?

Jean Paul Labadie: I was born in Puerto Rico and spent my first 19 years there on the island. My grandparents on my mom's side are Spanish, and then my great grandparents, one is French and one is Italian. They all cooked a lot, but especially the French side of the family, and that's how I got stuck with a French name. But of course I studied French technique in school, and then when you're in America, nothing is sacred. You take it and turn it and put your own twist on it. But there is a lot of diversity in my background and even though we are a French bistro, we offer these different things. There are some Asian items on the menu, because those tend to be a little lighter. Sometimes the French menu can get a little heavy, especially these days when so many are trying to eat healthy. But all the chefs here grew up differently, and we have those influences on the menu.

You spent many years working for Emeril Lagasse's company, under him in New Orleans and then here in Las Vegas at Emeril's in MGM Grand and Table 10 at Palazzo. What was it like working with such a big name?

Most of my family has been in New Orleans for forty years, so I was always in and out of the city. After I went to school and started cooking, I figured, my family is there, I've got a spare bedroom there and it would be a great place to work. I was lucky to get hired at Emeril's right away. This was before he was on TV. He was still in the restaurant, in the kitchen all the time, and I learned a lot from him. Then when it was time to open in Vegas, because I am bilingual in English and Spanish, they took me. But yes, I was with Emeril before he became what he is now, and that was a cool thing for us. We saw this chef that was so great, to come from Commander's (Palace) and opening his own places, and then doing all this other stuff, TV and more. We saw it all happen before our eyes. He went to just this awesome chef to an owner of an empire he created all on his own. Him and his partners, they did it from the ground up, and he's still one of the hardest working people ever. He always led by example. He was always in the kitchen, always telling us what he was doing. He was a great teacher.

What made you want to leave the big restaurant scene on the Strip to come to Marche Bacchus?
When you work with someone like Emeril, you have to agree, it's the Emeril show. No matter how good you are, it's still his show. And I agreed with it. I enjoyed running his restaurant. That was great at that point and I was able to develop my own system under his. After 14 years -- and I'm not comparing myself to Emeril in any way -- I thought I have the skills now and it's time to do something myself, to market my own name. It was just time for me to do my own thing. This allows me that focus, to focus on Jean Paul.


What are the differences between running a restaurant on the Strip and doing it in the neighborhood?
People tell me all the time, "Oh you must be so relaxed now than on the Strip, it must be so much easier." But really, it's not. On the Strip you have so much volume, and you are just taking care of your name, but there you don't see the same people every week or even every month. At a local restaurant, you really have to bring your A game every single day. On the Strip, a high roller might come in and spend a bunch of money and you'll never see him again. You don't have that luxury in a neighborhood restaurant. The kitchen is much larger there and it's easier to work, and you're staff is much larger. Here, it's just you and your sous chef, really. You can't delegate too much. The buck stops with you. And you don't have the luxuries of the Strip, you don't have an office. You're doing your paperwork on the kitchen counter. There are just a lot of things you have to do on the fly and be more hands on. Sometimes on the strip, as an executive chef, you become more of a manager and you're not on the line so often. Here I'm on the line four or five nights a week, on top of doing all that other cool stuff.


Marche Bacchus always has been known for its lakeside views and wine program, and now in the last year since you've been there, the cuisine is earning a reputation of its own. What was your strategy in enhancing this restaurant?
It was a challenge, especially with the lunch menu. It has been very popular over the years and everyone knows it. They said, the regulars just want to come in and have a lobster croissant. People said don't touch that sandwich. It was just, let's have a bottle of Riesling by the lake with a lobster croissant. But on the other hand, you have to give something new a chance, be patient with me. Some things we kept, and others not. But the main thing was going back to the basics. Now we are roasting our own bones, makeing our own stocks, soups and sauces. That wasn't done here before, and it's a tough challenge to take on. Sometimes you don't want to mess with the equation. If it worked well, why change it, right? But why would I want to come in and do the same thing that was done before? Everyone here understood that, and now the menu is more complicated. You know, our tuna dish takes four pans to complete it. Our salmon, before it took three and now it takes six different spacs on the line to work on. These are the little details, but that's what we are doing: coming in and breaking it down, the traditional French style, and rebuilding it. One thing we completely re-did was the onion soup. We're just taking more time with it, really caramelizing the onions, cooking it down 45 minutes to an hour. I guess, with things like that, we really complicated our lives a lot. But it's definitely better for our guests.


You've been cooking in Las Vegas for quite some time now. How have you seen the restaurant scene change over the years?
It's funny because when I first came here, it was just Emeril and Wolfgang (Puck). We were the only two celebrity restaurants in the city so we were always busy. Now you have all the Food Network names here and the competition on the Strip went nuts in just two or three years. We really had to re-invent the wheel every year just to compete. And that translated into the neighborhoods. In Summerlin, it used to be just Rosemary's. When that place opened, people went crazy because now you have a Strip-quality restaurant in the neighborhood, and then other places started popping up. Now we have places like Vintner Grill, Nora's and others and the competition in our neighborhood is almost as strong as it is on the Strip. And we've got that locals factor so you have to do all you can because when people have extra money to spend, they want to know they're spending it well when they go out to eat. They want to know the food will come well prepared and it's not going to be a crapshoot. We are still a little off the beaten path, and I think people still think of chains first when they decide to go out. But there are a lot of people coming back to us now because they forgot about Marche for a while and they are curious about visiting again.


You have lived in the area for a few years. Where do you and your family like to eat?
It varies a lot. If I'm not cooking for or taking care of the family, or eating at home after work, we like to go to the late night places. You know, you are tasting all through work, all night, but you never sit down to have dinner or a glass of wine. We eat sushi often after hours. Sushi Mon is one of my favorites. For something different we might go to Sedona. They have a nice bar area and a nice menu. And then of course you have places like Kona Grill with its crazy happy hours.


What is coming up at Marche Bacchus?
Well we are about to change a lot in the next week or so, the first week of March, for spring. We won't change the whole menu, but we'll do about three items in each category, appetizers, salads and entrees. The weather is going to nice very soon and of course we have that great view of the lake. Those tables are going to fill up fast so it's definitely time to start making reservations.

INTERVIEW: Carlos Guia

Carlos Guia is executive chef at The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas, and also known as the chef of the former Commander's Palace restaurant in the former Aladdin.

How did your path lead to Wynn Las Vegas in 2008?
Carlos Guia: I ran Commander’s Palace for seven years, opened it and closed it, and then I had the opportunity to open Louis’ Las Vegas and Louis’ Fish Camp (at Town Square). We had issues with the economy then, with opening on time. We paid a lot of money for overtime construction to make sure Louis’ would open on time, and it did, and then we sat there for five or six months until the mall picked up business. We had good reviews, good feedback from locals, but it was just time to move on. With everything going on, I knew I wanted to find a great property that appreciates food, backs their people, and just a good culinary environment where everyone appreciates what we do for a living. I was lucky to land a spot at SW Steakhouse with David Walzog, where I was chef de cuisine for eight months, and then I was very happy to move on to the Country Club.

How do the two steakhouses, Country Club and SW, coexist or work together within the same resort?
They offer very different environments, even if the cuisine is similar. David Walzog has his own style and I have my own style. The steaks may be similar and the method of cooking them, but when it comes down to appetizers, seafood and the rest of the menu, we both kind of put our own spin on things. SW is a little hipper, a little more upbeat, while we are more relaxed. Country Club has a very serene environment overlooking the golf course and the waterfall. When you walk into the room, you don’t feel like you’re in Las Vegas. It feels like some other place, just a different feeling. To have that on the Strip is something new. It’s completely relaxed.

How do you go about setting Country Club apart from so many other steakhouses on and off the Strip?
I just try to take all my past experiences, growing up in Venezuela, living in New Orleans, traveling in Europe and working in New York City, and let those experiences shine through. I have a pretty diverse background in cuisine. I have classical French training but I like to do my Southern American and Caribbean flavors. Of course, those Southern roots come through, and there are people who expect to see shrimp and grits or gumbo, so I like to work that stuff in when I can. In the summer we put a watermelon gazpacho on the menu to cool off, with the jumbo lump crab. And I think the foie gras gumbo is pretty special.

How does your experience working at Wynn compare to New York, New Orleans and other places in your background?
We all really care about what we do, and there is a good amount of freedom here to express ourselves through food. It's kind of like, here is the restaurant, what can we do with it? The mold was already here: it's a new American steakhouse. Luckily I have a diverse American cuisine background, and it's so varied and such a great palate to work with. I just came in and -- I don't want to say, did my greatest hits -- but looked at the menu to see how I could really make it my own, being nice and diverse, offering a great variety.

Commander's Palace was truly a great restaurant and a lot of people were sad to see it close. What happened, and was there a plan to re-open in Las Vegas?
I was in New Orleans working with the Brennans for about three years, I left for two, and they asked me back to open Commander's Las Vegas. This was in 1999, and I thought, I'm not sure about Las Vegas. The second or third time they asked, I looked into it more seriously. It was still very up-and-coming then. Bellagio had opened, and the Venetian was on the way in. It was developing a lot more. So how could I say no to a world class restaurant with so much trust in me? I took the opportunity. Then the whole situation with (closing) and the Aladdin's bankruptcy ... there were a lot changes in management, and it was pretty early on, about three years in, that we decided as a group to see if there was a better place to be. But it took too long, about four years, to get out of the lease. There was a plan to re-open in early 2007, but at the time a lot of the rents were astronomical. We're talking $130 per square foot. It's really hard to make money at those levels. So I have to give it to the Brennans for knowing what they could do. They eventually opened Commander's in Destin, Florida. But they had been looking for a management contract, a hotel or restaurant group that wanted to use them as a flagship restaurant and let them run it. It didn't happen. But I still talk to Brad Brennan all the time, he still lives in Las Vegas, and he's still looking. Things are not the same as when we first opened. We had a great following, but it was a 350-seat restaurant and the plans were to scale that back so we'd be packed every night. It's hard to say now. But you never know.

How has the restaurant landscape changed in your time in Vegas? Do you think the poor economy will leave a lasting effect on Vegas' dining reputation?
It's definitely a place that’s growing every day, and there are still a lot of great chefs coming in. I've always enjoyed Las Vegas. After living in New York City for eight years, there are things I miss about that. But when I came here I learned there is a lot to do if you want to do it. But if you want to live in the suburbs, that's good here, too. I probably do a little bit of both. I like to do charity events, throw some support to local students and schools. I try to get out sometimes, but I also like my peace and quiet. As for the economy, that's a topic my friends and I have talked about a lot. There are a lot of different issues and expectations. But what we've decided is to keep pushing ourselves and make sure that when our guests come in, they are fully satisfied. People may not be spending as much but we still need to make them happy and make them want to come back. I don't know if the economy can ruin the city's reputation.

What do you think Las Vegas needs to continue to grow into a great restaurant city?
It's actually been growing a lot throughout the years, and I don't want to say it has slowed with the economy. I like the way neighborhood restaurants are coming up more, and it's a little more spread out instead of being concentrated just on the Strip. It's great to have different ethnic cuisines popping up instead of just French, Italian, and the steakhouse. Honestly, I don't get out to try restaurants as much as I should. When I get some time I like to spend it at home and do a little cooking with the kids. But the way I feel about food is definitely a passion, and I like to show that on a menu. I was just doing an interview the other day and talking about signature dishes, and I was saying you can call it a signature dish if you like but if it doesn't sell, it's not truly a signature. At Country Club, we'll bend over backwards to make a guest happy. If people are in the mood for something new, this is the place to be because we'll do whatever we can. As long as we have the capability, anything's possible.

INTERVIEW: Guy Fieri

Guy Fieri is a UNLV graduate, chef and owner of Johnny Garlic's and Tex Wasabi's restaurants in California, and best known for hosting several popular shows on TV's Food Network.

When you won the second season of The Next Food Network Star, did you ever think it would lead to this?
Guy Fieri: Man, the spectrum is about as wide as it is between the Wright brothers flying for the first time to landing on the moon. That's how crazy this has been. I thought I'd go on this show, have some fun, get to meet Bobby Flay and Emeril and Mario Batali, get to cook in the cool network kitchens, but I won't win. There are a lot of great chefs out there. But you know, I've been cooking all my life, I went to UNLV and got my degree, and I thought it would be a great opportunity. It has really blossomed and flourished.


Is it difficult to balance your own restaurants with the TV gigs?
Oh yeah. That's the thing I say to everybody, is that it always appears greener to someone else. I've really started taking into consideration all these big mega-stars and all the things they have going on, and then I look at my situation and I think, wow, mine's wild, but I can't even fathom what they're going through. But it's just a great opportunity. And hey, you gotta play while the sun's shining.


Have your experiences on television and traveling around influenced the direction you want to take with your own restaurants?
Yeah, it has made some impact. Everything makes an impact, especially in food. An artist may go through a transition and paint different styles of paintings, and cooking is the same way. New York has blown my mind. Vegas has blown my mind. I went to college in Vegas when it was known for buffets. Now it's recognized for fantastic restaurants in every casino and the surrounding areas, too. There is some pretty unique food around Vegas. I’m in a realm now where if I ever get a chance to do more concepts -- and the ones we're doing now have a lot of life in them, a lot of ability to grow in different areas -- but if it ever slows down and I get a chance to jump in, I got some ideas. There have been influences from around the country. I mean, we've shot at over 300 locations, and that doesn’t count the ones I've been to personally. I'm always thinking, I could bring this to this area. Real dynamite Mexican food has an opening across the country. Southern food, too.


On that note, do you think there's something Vegas is lacking? Or something you'd like to bring?
It's not really lacking anything. But do I think I have a spot in Vegas? Without question. Without question! I’m a big fan of Wynn. I was just in Vegas last week staying at Wynn and I got a chance to interact with few people there. I just got an award from UNLV a while back with George Maloof, and got to interact with him. I'm in Vegas every other month. I would love to bring a concept in that falls in line with my style. It could be Johnny Garlic's, which is California Italian. I'm not a real high end kind of guy. I don’t like stuffiness, I don’t like quiet, no communication, no smile. It's just not my style. Those restaurants are great and they have their place. Man, I had dinner at Guy Savoy there and had a fantastic time. But my style is loud, fun, and eclectic, in my way. Like a Southern barbecue and sushi joint. That's wild. We're working on another concept called Guy’s Big Bite and Bar, with food that's larger than life, but not portion-wise. Yeah, I love Vegas, and I'd love to be there.


How did you end up at UNLV?
I wanted to own restaurants. Being a chef was not enough for me. I didn’t want to just do that. I wanted to have a business and be in charge of my entire space shuttle. I knew I had to have a real strong business foundation, and UNLV is the premier place for that. When you have that many hotels surrounding you, supporting you, just harvesting students, there's no question where to go. I had some fantastic mentors, I was a proud ATO frat member, I had all that stuff going for me. When I graduated, I was going to take two yeas and go to culinary school, but my dad said to get out there and "see if you need it." In hindsight, sometimes there are a lot of things I wish I had gone to school and learned. I didn’t get classically trained, which is a good and bad thing. But in the end, bro, there is nothing I would really change. I am completely satisfied with who I am.


What do you think about how the Vegas restaurant landscape has changed since your college years?
I am more than happy with what I’ve seen. People on vacation want to enjoy all the luxuries of that vacation, from the pool to the spa to the shopping, and the restaurants didn’t always seem to get there. But you have to remember, my perception from back then was as a college student. The restaurants I’ve visited have been just off the charts now. At Wynn, I was thrilled. I mean, the seafood house? Bartolotta? Come on! They have a program where they're bringing fish to the table? I expect that in New England. It was awesome! Vegas has got a good thing going. People need to continue to support these restaurants, of course. It doesn’t all work off gaming anymore. But I talk to Bobby all the time, and he really enjoys it in Vegas. We’ve had a couple talks (about projects), but then the recession hit and everybody is just watching. When it's the right time, and the right deal, absolutely we're coming. Vegas is ever changing and ever growing, and when you got that kinda money and events going on, everybody's always looking for what's next. Any place where they'll tear down a perfectly good building and start over is my kinda place.


Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is one the most popular shows on cable. Why do people love it so much?
I don’t know, bro, but it is the number one show and I don’t take credit for it. I look at it as I’m the quarterback of the team and you can’t throw a touchdown pass to yourself. It takes about 50 great people to make that show happen. Why do people dig it? I think people just get the impression or feel a connection with me, that I'm just some dude who lives across the street from them, he's a little crazy, and he takes them on this tour. I'm just like you. I’m a food junkie. I’m having as much fun as anybody on this show. I mean, really, I get to eat all this stuff, then we're gonna talk about it, and I'm going to drive a Camaro. Tell me what part of that sucks. I think people watch it and think, "I wanna go, too!"


And how do you survive sampling all those burgers and bar food?
I’m very aware of what’s going on and how much I can eat. You wouldn't believe it, man, but I’m a very light eater. I love to eat and have small portions of a lot of things. I take two bites of this and that. You know, you never want to go into a food coma. And that wouldn't be being a very good host, huh? That’s about it. I mean, everybody has their French fry indulgence. But except for being on the show, I probably haven’t had an onion ring in two years. Then again, it's not like I'm a complete organics guy. I’m a man of all foods. It's funny, though ... sometimes people see me say I’m not as fat as I am on tv. I'm like, what are you saying?

INTERVIEW: Kerry Simon

Kerry Simon is executive chef at Simon at Palms Place. He previously operated Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Las Vegas.

You've made some serious moves lately. How do new developments keep things fresh for you as a chef and restaurateur?
Kerry Simon: Change is always good, and finding home is also good. It's nice to be moving around a bit, finding the right people to do things with. There have been really big changes in Vegas in general. It’s a breath of fresh air to be working with the Maloofs (at the Palms). George really built me out a great restaurant, and to be so involved in it is spectacular.

How different did you want the Palms restaurant to be from Simon at the Hard Rock?
I just thought it was the next stop. I spent a lot of time looking at plans over and over. I really wanted a green restaurant, but also something that if you look at it, you can see it’s a Kerry Simon restaurant. It has a sushi bar, a fireplace, the pool area, and a lot of stone behind the bar. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

When you're starting over, do you feel pressure to please the following you've built at other restaurants?
I am in a business that is already very challenging. Working with the Maloofs and with all the promotion they do, it’s pretty incredible. But I'm always challenging myself. I can take nothing for granted, and that goes for the client as well. With this restaurant, we wanted to do what Simon was but make it new and improved. In a way, it was like growing up.

As far as the menu, is it tough to pull off the balance of presenting what your audience is calling for while bringing in something new?
Yes. As soon as I pull something off the menu that’s been around for a while, they order it. They complain. But we're ready to do anything. If I take the sea trout tandoori off, I’m still prepared to make it. We have this California pizza with tuna, crab, a wasabi base on it, and it's not on the menu now but people order it so we’re ready for it. At the end of the day, it's not how the menu is. The food has to be great, and we have to be ready to please people.

Your Sunday brunch is developing quite a following and has an attitude all its own. What is the genesis of bringing back such an old tradition?
Well I really thought Vegas needed a brunch, I felt like in all major cities there’s places that do brunch, and what a place for it: in front of the beautiful pool. But it had to be reinvented. We had to figure out how to do it in a unique and interesting way. So we get everybody together and have meetings, really intense meetings, trying to figure out the whole thing. What are the stations? What’s the marketing going to be? We get it perfect and then it's unleashed. People are coming in pajamas, there are nurse's outfit, girls in lingerie, and the bloody mary bar. Now everybody is doing a bloody mary bar. Every time I pick up the paper I see an ad for a new brunch with bloody marys, mimosas. I didn’t invent it. But what we did do is create something fun, an escape for you and your friends. It just clicked. But we didn't just do it. It's busy now, but that's a process, a long process to figure it out and then do all the hard work.

CatHouse is an entirely different experience. How would you describe that scene?
Cathouse started out as more European and it's gone through zillions of changes. It's really just a constant growth there. It's just different, a different kind of mindset. We fooled around with different stuff to see what works and what doesn’t, and at the end of the day it's a lot of steak and potatoes.

You've had multiple experiences on and just off the Strip. Is there a big difference running a restaurant from a place like Luxor to a place like the Palms?
Who is the operator? That's really the question you’re asking. When you work with Steve Wynn, he has this thing in his head already. He has visualized it differently than other people and he knows what he wants. It's much different than what you step into when you're doing your own thing. You have to create a vision for a restaurant that, really, it could be anywhere, but it has to say this is us. What’s the feeling of that? It's me ripping things out of magazines for a bunch of years, gathering all this info then trying to decipher what we’re gonna do with it.

You've been in Vegas long enough to appreciate the unique problems the city and restaurants here are facing today. How do you think the economy will affect the development of Vegas as a great dining destination?
I think it's gonna be pretty solid. First off, it feels like things are springing back a little bit. Casinos can withstand certain things. Certain restaurants will never have a hard time. There are so many talented chefs to continue. Restaurants which are not taken seriously may fall to the wayside. I think people are looking for ... not a deal, but what they’re getting for their money. It seems what they eat and drink tends to be a little more average priced.

Can you predict what the restaurant scene will look like in the next few years?
It's a tricky question. Pricing has changed. Two weeks ago the Palms had one of highest room prices in Vegas. It's hard to predict what will happen next. I'm open to going back to what Vegas was, more approachable for everybody, because it seemed like it was getting up there. Vegas should be more approachable. That’s where I’m at already. I want to be able to have people come and enjoy themselves. That's what it's all about. I never wanted to be in any way in that (higher) price range. But if you buy prime meat in my restaurant, you're still paying for it. Meat is expensive. But I think it's bouncing back. This is going to turn into a positive. Eventually it will stabilize and all move forward. Vegas is the same attraction it always was.