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.
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.
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