Dining

Chef’s table: Roy Ellamar readies a new Harvest at Bellagio

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Harvest by Roy Ellamar is set to open at Bellagio in December.

Vegas resorts don’t typically develop new restaurant concepts around their own chefs. It just doesn’t happen. And they certainly don’t stamp a non-celebrity name on the door. And yet, that’s what’s happening at Bellagio.

Sensi, which closed in mid-September, is being transformed into Harvest by Roy Ellamar, set to open in December. Ellamar, a Hawaiian native who grew up in a family of farmers and fishermen, has been at Sensi since 2008, following a gig as chef de partie at MGM Grand’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. He’s been calling the culinary shots at Sensi for years, and now Harvest will be built around his cooking philosophy.

“I’m pretty sure this is the first time in the company that one of its own chefs has been given this opportunity,” Ellamar said. “It’s crazy and humbling. But it’s a very cool direction for the company to go in, too. We have so many talented chefs. Why not use what we have?”

The Harvest concept has been in development for a couple of years as Sensi has been open for almost a decade. “That’s a good run,” Ellamar said. “It was time to freshen it up and do something new.”

Sensi was known for its stunning, stone-accented décor and an eclectic menu that darted around the globe. Harvest will be very different. “It’s more focused on the ingredients, where at Sensi we focused a lot on technique,” said the chef. “We really want to tell the story of why we’re using each ingredient. That’s what’s most important to me.”

Harvest will offer plenty of small plates to allow diners to sample those different ingredients, and Ellamar has plenty of exciting flavors he’s been working on, “a lot of interesting things you don’t normally see.” Expect everything from charcuterie and artisanal American cheeses to ancient grain risotto, seafood cooked in a stone oven and lamb cooked on a special rotisserie.

The new restaurant is designed by Gensler & Associates, and the well-known water feature at the front of Sensi will be replaced by an open atmosphere with an exhibition kitchen and a lounge with wood flooring.

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