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New Cosmopolitan Chinese restaurant Red Plate seats you at the head table

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Lots of good things are served on these red plates.
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

There’s a certain kind of allure that only exclusivity can offer. The Talon Club, inside the Cosmopolitan, is one of those places—a distinguished, high-rollers-only gaming lounge famous for its VIP food and beverage program, previously led by executive chef Yip Cheung.

You no longer have to be a high roller to experience Cheung’s genius. The skilled chef helms the Cosmopolitan’s new gourmet multi-regional Chinese restaurant, Red Plate, which opened at the resort in October. But while the restaurant is open to the general public, the vibe remains exclusive. The space is small, luxurious and modern, decked out in black, gold and deep and distinguished red.

Red Plate’s name has cultural significance. Throughout the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the ruling family, along with as princes and dukes, was served food only on red plates. The concept at Red Plate is to make you feel like royalty. Hospitality is essential; most of the staff were former butlers inside the Cosmopolitan’s penthouse suites (yes, the Cosmo offers 24-hour butler service on its top four floors, in case you were wondering).

Red Plate also separates itself from other high-end Chinese restaurants with its food. The caviar taro puffs with quail egg ($20) are textural bliss. You’ll be thinking about these gold-flake speckled nests—savory yet mildly sweet while simultaneously crunchy, creamy and delicate—for days to come. Black truffle xiao long bao ($13), or soup dumplings, are umami incarnate. Stir-fried lobster with lemongrass and Thai sauce ($99), served with the entire shell, is an Instagrammer’s delight, and whole Peking duck ($118; pre-order) is carved tableside. There’s also room for playful dishes, like braised sweet and sour spareribs ($29) atop a bed of French fries.

It’s the sort of menu that one would expect from an esteemed chef like Cheung. His cuisine might be fit for royalty, but it’s sure to be a hit with us regular folks, too.

RED PLATE Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7000. Daily, 5:30-11 p.m.

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