Wynn Las Vegas has appointed James Beard-recognized pastry chef Jennifer Yee as the resort’s new executive pastry chef, overseeing the programs at more than 20 venues across Wynn and Encore. Originally from San Francisco, Yee graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in London and trained at Gordon Ramsay’s Menu before winning the Rising Star Pastry Chef award in 2010 while working at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in New York City. Most recently, Yee served as executive pastry chef for Hopkins & Company in Atlanta, where she garnered a fourth Beard Award nomination.
Bobby Flay will partner with Caesars Palace once again on Brasserie B, serving French-inspired dishes for brunch, lunch and dinner, set to open in late 2023 in the space currently occupied by Old Homestead Steakhouse, which is expected to close in late May.
Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicago-based group that has operated some of the Strip’s most popular restaurants for years, including Mon Ami Gabi, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, recently announced two new-to-Vegas concepts coming this fall. Summer House, a California-inspired eatery serving tacos, salads, pastas, pizzas and more, will be the company’s first Las Vegas project off the Strip when it opens at the new Durango Casino & Resort. And LEY is also partnering with Chicago’s Happy Hospitality to bring Happy Camper Pizza, an energetic social gathering spot serving lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and late-night drinks, to the Strip-side Fashion Show Mall location formerly occupied by Stripburger.
Arizona Charlie’s Decatur will introduce new Italian spot River Rock Pizza & Pasta this summer, a 2,250-square-foot restaurant and bar seating 158 guests and serving salads, pastas, signature pizzas and entrees including red wine-braised short ribs and grilled New York steak marsala. It will be open Sunday through Thursday from 4 until 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until midnight. More info can be found at arizonacharliesdecatur.com.
Almond & Oat Coffee House, a non-dairy coffee concept from the Coffee Class founder Kyle Cunningham, is set for a grand opening celebration on May 27 at 7 a.m. at 10445 Spencer Street #110, in the southeast Valley. The party will include gift card giveaways and special merchandise, along with one buy-one-get-one drinks from the menu available all day. Oat milk is the standard choice instead of whole milk, frozen drinks are entirely non-dairy and signature lattes will also offer oat or almond alternatives. For more info, visit almondandoat.com.
Beloved Strip cocktail bar the Dorsey will close on June 25 to make way for a new venue, Juliet Cocktail Room. The transition will be the first step in the recently announced 81/82 Group management and operation of the Venetian and Palazzo’s Cocktail Collective. The new space will feature Victorian-inspired decor and “expert mixologists” creating “signature one-of-a-kind cocktails featuring unique and innovative flavors, and every weekend, dueling pianists will play through genres of the ages on baby grand pianos,” according to a release. Juliet Cocktail Room is set to open at Venetian this summer.
Epic candy shop I Love Sugar at the Linq Promenade will celebrate its 10th anniversary on June 1, featuring appearances from an Elvis Presley impersonator and some Las Vegas showgirls, a performance from DJ Brandon Grandorff, games, giveaways, tastings and more. For more info, visit ilovesugar.com.
Keep Memory Alive and Resorts World will host an elevated dine-around experience on June 1 at 6 p.m. with cuisine from Crossroads Kitchen, Brezza and Carversteak, paired with wines and spirits, including an exclusive presentation from Louis XIII by Remy Martin. Tickets cost $1,000, and proceeds will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. For more info, visit keepmemoryalive.org/event/rwlvdinearound2023.
Houston TX Hot Chicken will open its third Las Vegas location on June 2 at 1201 S. Main Street. A grand opening event from 6 until 10 p.m. will offer free food , a car show, raffles and a $1,000 Spice Challenge contest. The new store will be open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until midnight.
Available from May 26 through September 7, Ferraro’s Ristorante’s new Summer in Italy special offers locals with a valid Nevada ID a four-course dinner for $65 including classic signatures such as osso buco, house-made pastas and more. Diners will get to choose from five different options in the antipasti, primi (pasta) and secondi courses, and there are four desserts to select from, too. Only one Nevada ID per table is required, and the special is available during dinner hours of Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until 1:30 a.m.
Locale Italian Kitchen will host a four-course wine dinner on June 7, with reservations available between 5 and 8 p.m. featuring Northern Italian wines. Dish options include truffled gnocchi with morel mushrooms, beef cheek agnolotti and chicken Scarpariello. The price is $130 per person, and reservations are available at localelv.com.
Limoncello Fresh Italian Kitchen on West Sahara has revealed new dishes created by chef Carla Pellegrino, including some of her best-loved favorites. Highlights include a jumbo lump crabmeat cocktail, linguine with jumbo shrimp in white wine and garlic cherry tomato sauce, house-made squid ink spaghetti with seafood, pear and arugula salad, grilled Spanish octopus with fava bean puree, and a 16-ounce pork chop with hot and sweet peppers and mashed potatoes.
The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay has added new items to the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including: the chicken biscuit sandwich with sawmill gravy and chamoy pineapple and watermelon; dulce de leche French toast; the smoked brisket sandwich; loaded fries with jalapeño bacon, picked red onion and four-cheese sauce; New York steak and fries with Cajun butter; and the mac and cheese skillet.
