LAS VEGAS As some celebrity chefs turn away from recession-wounded Las Vegas, a new hotel-casino scheduled to open later this year will feature a number of lesser-known restaurant operators from other cities.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is projected to open late this year between The Bellagio and CityCenter on the Strip. The reportedly $3.9 billion property will include two 50-story towers that will house close to 3,000 hotel rooms and condominiums, more than 100,000 square feet of gaming space, three swimming pool areas and a nightclub.
The property also feature a floor devoted to a collection of restaurants. Concepts scheduled to open there include Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by New York multi-concept operators Bruce and Eric Bromberg; a second location of the Comme Ça French brasserie by Los Angeles chef David Myers; the high-end Greek concept Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis; the Italian restaurant Scarpetta by Scott Conant of New York; and STK, a steakhouse and lounge concept by Los Angeles-based The One Group.
Elsewhere across the Strip, renowned chefs are stepping away from namesake restaurants in Las Vegas, including Charlie Trotter, David Burke and Daniel Boulud, all of whom recently announced plans to close restaurants there or end partnerships, in part because of economic hardship in the city.
Other Vegas operators, however, say there are signs of hope that tourism and business travel may be returning slowly, despite the still soaring unemployment and foreclosure rates in the region.
The Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill at The Cosmopolitan will be Blue Ribbon Restaurants' first location outside of New York. Eric Bromberg said the company has had opportunities to come to Las Vegas before, but The Cosmopolitan “made sense to us, both with design and how they’re putting together their dining program.”
Rather than focusing on bringing in celebrity chefs, as many properties on the Strip have done, Bromberg said The Cosmopolitan appears to be more interested in solid brands.
“The post-recession Vegas will not be as focused on glitz and glamour and more focused on substance,” he said.
Blue Ribbon decided to go with their sushi concept in part because it fit with the space, but also because Bromberg felt the broader grill menu — which includes steaks and the company’s signature fried chicken — would be appealing in Las Vegas.
“There probably aren’t too many restaurants where your choices could include either sushi or fried chicken. Our price point is also based on any economic situation,” he said. “We’re not high end or low end. We fit in the middle, or at the bottom of the top. We’re accessible.”
Myers’ Comme Ça first opened in Los Angeles in 2007 as a modern version of a Parisian-style brasserie with a per-person ticket average of about $55.
The Las Vegas location at The Cosmopolitan will be the second Comme Ça for the Los Angeles-based David Myers Group, which also operates the soon-to-close fine-dining restaurant Sona, scheduled to be reincarnated in Los Angeles next year, as well as the more casual Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Myers is also opening two new concepts in Tokyo later this year.
The Mediterranean concept Estiatorio Milos has locations in Montreal, New York, and Athens. Officials did not return calls about plans for Las Vegas.
The Scarpetta location in Las Vegas will be Conant’s third. The Italian concept is in New York and Miami, and Conant is reportedly bringing it to Toronto. Conant also owns Faustina in New York.
In addition to Scarpetta, Conant will develop a casual wine bar for The Cosmopolitan, resort officials said.
The STK planned for The Cosmopolitan will be The One Group's fourth location of the steak concept. STK locations are currently open in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.
Cosmopolitan officials said more restaurants will be announced, but they declined to offer further details about what is planned.
The Cosmopolitan is reportedly controlled by Deutsche Bank, which acquired the property out of foreclosure while it was under construction. The original developer was Bruce Eichner of 3700 Associates LLC. According to various news accounts, Deutsche Bank is currently searching for a third-party operator to manage the property.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].