Din Tai Fung makes its long-awaited Las Vegas debut today at Aria, opening in the former Aria Café space on the casino floor and operating nightly from 4 to 11 p.m. The original space designed by Bentel & Bentel remains mostly intact for the global restaurant brand born in Taiwan, serving its signature menu of appetizers and vegetables, dumplings and noodle dishes, desserts and cocktails.
What do NBA champions eat? The Los Angeles Lakers dined at Lavo at Palazzo Saturday night (with the NBA championship trophy on the center of the table, of course) and shared signature dishes such as the one-pound meatball, tuna tartare, filet mignon and garlic bread.
The Goodwich has reopened at the Soho Lofts building Downtown, now owned and operated by DTP Companies with a menu created by executive chef Dave Simmons, formerly of Gallagher’s Steakhouse and Lawry’s Prime Rib. The sandwich shop is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with weekend brunch hours coming soon.
The new tomahawk for two at Top of the World.
Neighborhood fave Honey Salt is celebrating eight years this month by bringing back some of its all-time great menu items for a limited time, October 26-30. Special dishes include the Farmer’s Toast with whipped ricotta and garden vegetables, the New England Fry with Ipswitch clams and calamari, turkey Bolognese, and roasted swordfish with slow-cooked sweet peppers, artichokes and basil oil.
Top of the World at the STRAT has introduced new dishes created by Golden Entertainment corporate executive chef Bradley Manchester. Additions include a 12-ounce Tajima Wagyu ribeye from Australia, a tomahawk for two with assorted sauces, shellfish linguini, pan-roasted sea scallops, raviolo stuffed with ricotta creamed spinach in brown butter balsamic sauce, lobster mac and cheese and butter-braised wild mushrooms. Top of the World has added new cocktail selections as well.
Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan has launched its new Chef’s Table program, an immersive, private dining experience available for parties of up to six for $200 per person. The private seating area with views of Bellagio’s fountains and Scarpetta’s kitchen is the home for this new culinary offering spearheaded by Las Vegas native chef de cuisine Michael Vitangeli focuses on age-old recipes that include storytelling and tableside preparation. Dishes include homemade burrata with prosciutto, roasted peppers and fresh crisini; smother jumbo prawn scampi with homemade pasta and heirloom tomatoes; and porchetta with apple mostarda and horseradish cream. For reservations, visit cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.
Smith & Wollensky at the Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian is turning its annual Whole Cow Event, a 10-course nose-to-tail dining experience, into a playful series called Cow vs. Pig aligning with the debates this election season. Rotating specialty menu items feature one beef and one pork appetizer and entrée available for three weeks at a time with guests casting ballots online for which creation is superior, leading up to the inaugural tasting event set for December 1-3. The current dishes, available through November 3, feature taco appetizers of pulled beef with charred tomatilla salsa and cotija on corn tortillas vs. char su pork and kimchi on flour tortillas, and entrees of filet mignon with ras el hanout, chermoula and harissa roasted butternut squash vs. crispy pork belly cassoulet with white bean sausage ragout. For more info on the Cow vs. Pig ticket, visit smithandwollensky.com.
Lanny Chin will return to DW Bistro for the Dining With Guest Chef series on November 7 with a “fast food mash-up” pop-up dinner experience. The menu will include dishes like tater tots, smoked onion rings, Chin’s take on the filet-o-fish and Big Mac sandwiches, apple pie baklava and more. Tickets are $65 and available at dwbistro.com.
