Few Top Chef contestants have charmed the judges and TV audience the way Fabio Viviani did in 2008 and 2010. Plenty more have been able to parlay that exposure into sustained success in the hospitality biz, but Viviani had already operated restaurants and nightclubs in his native Italy and a few eateries in the Los Angeles area by the time we met him on the small screen.
After growing his company to more than a dozen concepts across the country (including casino partnerships in California and Chicago), the prolific restaurateur has finally expanded to Las Vegas in a big way. Viviani has signed up to redefine the food and beverage offerings at the recently renovated JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort at Summerlin, and the first breakthrough is the recently opened Italian restaurant Ai Pazzi.
“We’re excited to be in Vegas and it’s a market that’s been missing from our portfolio for a while. But it was all about finding the right partners, the right place, the right scenario, and we found it,” Viviani says. “It’s a great property and they’ve spent a ton of money and time remodeling the whole thing, and it’s such a gorgeous destination resort.”
He’s especially excited to be off the Strip, saying the suburban diners in the Summerlin area are similar to the regulars at his big-city restaurants in other locations.
“We are creating a place that will have the features and quality craftsmanship of some of the best venues on the Strip, but we’re nestled in this comfortable luxury resort in the suburbs, so it’s the best of both worlds.”
Ai Pazzi (which roughly translates to “the crazy ones,” explained by Viviani as a friendly tribute to the fact that “we’re all f**king crazy for hospitality”) offers classic Italian dishes and flavors from a refined but approachable perspective. And it’s custom-built for Vegas, a new concept created by Fabio Viviani Hospitality.
“We don’t care about extra toppings for the sake of luxury. If it doesn’t belong to the dish, it’s not going to be there,” he says. “This is a local restaurant, made for locals, and we’re trying to keep it traditional. You’re gonna find a few dishes I grew up with that everybody’s gotta have, but this restaurant doesn’t remind you of anything we already have.”
Among Ai Pazzi’s opening dishes: a Wagyu meatball starter with tomato sugo, whipped ricotta, basil and grilled bread; Maine lobster linguini with cherry tomato, garlic, white wine and lobster butter; and the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a grilled 32-ounce Linz Heritage Reserve Porterhouse with roasted garlic, Tuscan olive oil and Mediterranean salt.
Taking the space of the former Spiedini Fiamma restaurant swept away from the casino floor, Ai Pazzi’s full operations will eventually include a pizza counter and Mediterranean oyster bar along the main promenade leading into the new dining room. And this unique three-in-one venue is hopefully just the beginning of his partnership with the resort, Viviani says. JW Marriott also recently announced New York City’s esteemed Nom Wah dim sum restaurant is set to open there in September.
AI PAZZI JW Marriott, 702-869-7790, aipazzi.com. Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-10 p.m.
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