A Vegas visitor sent us these stealth snaps of Lavo at the Palazzo, where former Bastide and L'Orangerie chef Ludovic Lefebvre is teaming up with the Tao group. From the tipster: "The place looked ready to go. The paper is off the windows outside and much to my surprise I just opened the door and walked in. I can't get over how pretty the space is." Well, that's Vegas for you---big, bold, sparkly, jaw-dropping. But look at the size. This is definitely not the little intimate spot Ludo dreamily talked about opening while serving us some foie gras and udon noodles at Breadbar last winter. These snaps are of the first floor restaurant which will be open for lunch and dinner seven days; like Tao, the nightclub is on the second floor. The chef sounds very excited for the Mediterranean menu and especially for the pizzas. (What is it with chefs and pizza ovens?) We don't have a hard date for Lavo's debut (reps say soon, Ludo suggested it would be this month), but we know there will be a big celeb grand opening party in mid-September.
· VegasWire: Lavo and Ludo Debut in August [~ELA~]
Another LA chef will take up digs at the Wynn's new Encore resort in Vegas: Jet Tila. Tila is a chef about town---his family owns LA's Bangkok Market, he teaches cooking classes and gives food tours, and appears on "Good Food" regularly---and this new, still unnamed 100-seat restaurant will focus on Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Singaporian and Thai cuisine and flavors. Tila joins fellow Angeleno, Patina's exec chef Theo Schoenegger, who will open Theo's, and chefs Mark LoRusso, Sam DeMarco and Marc Poidevin. The resort and all its restaurants will open later this year or early next. [Daily Dish; ELA]
Laurent Tourondel's BLT Burger just opened, why not Keller?
Vegas man about town John Curtas has an unconfirmed but pretty solid rumor on Eating LV that Thomas Keller is considering an outpost of his Burgers and Half-Bottles concept for the Venetian. Why it could be true: Supposedly it will take the place of Lutece, which closed in late 2006. Plus, there is a serious gourmet burger boom going on on the Strip right now. Why it might far-fetched: Keller's burger concept was approved in Yountville, but construction hasn't started yet. Could he already be thinking of Vegas?
Speaking of Encore at the Wynn: Theo Schoenegger'seponymous restuarant is one of five restaurants planned for the new resort tower. Few details have been released but we also know that Mark LoRusso, currently exec chef at Tableau in the Tower Suites, will open Botero; Sam DeMarco will open something similar to the Sam's American Grill that he opened in the Bellagio in the late 90's; and Marc Poidevin (former Le Cirque chef) will have a restaurant. With restaurants like Alex, Bartolotta, Daniel Boulud, SW Steakhouse and Wing Lei so successful at the Wynn, expectations for the next round are high. There's one spot left to fill and reps are being incredibly tight lipped. We hope it's big. [~ELA~]
More details were released today bout the Tao Group's new Lavo restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo. As mentioned before, former L'Orangerie and Bastide chef Ludovic Lefebvre will helm the kitchen, with a focus tastes from Spain, France and Italy. (Lefebvre's particularly proud of the pizzas.) The restaurant sits right on the front of the new resort, with a patio overlooking the Strip, and will be open daily for lunch and dinner, with the nightclub open six nights a week.
The name Lavo means "to bathe or cleanse," so the AvroKo designed space is meant to evoke Mediterranean bathhouses: Worn tile walls, stained plaster, 20-foot ceilings, carved stone walls, mosaics, Turkish water basins. Sound a little over the top for Ludo? It's certainly not the intimate, personal restaurant he talked about while serving us foie gras mislo soup last winter. Did he sell his soul? He doesn't think so: "This has been such an incredible experience so far and I can't wait to open." The restaurant and nightclub are supposed to debut in August.
· Get Thee to Ludobites [~ELA~]
· VegasWrie: Ludovic Lefebvre and Lavo [~ELA~]
Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Sam Nazarian and then some: 32 years old, amassed his fortune (with family seed millions) when he was 22; his hot spots attract Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan; he lives next to Leo DiCaprio; has the occasional Hills and Entourage cameo; hates being called "nightclub king." City Councilman Eric Garcetti says Sammy Boy set the tone for Hollywood redevelopment (he "led the way and now everybody is lining up to get in"), and now he'll attempt the same with the North Las Vegas Strip by SBEizing the aging Sahara hotel and resort. Some detractors think he's overreaching, but he's not pressed: "I know what they say about me, 'He's a rich kid from Beverly Hills. What does he know?' But they don't see the whole picture." The great big Sam Nazarian picture. [WSJ]
Here, more news from The Strip for the VegasWire. Have something to share? The tip jar is all yours. SushiSamba
PALAZZO: After a few delays, SushiSamba finally debuts in the Shoppes at the Palazzo (open now, but "official" date is July 21). The New York import is completely Vegasized: 14,000 square feet, dining room, 16-foot ceilings, colorful "ribbons" winding around the rooms, sushi bar, robata grills; the Sugarcane Lounge will open in mid-August and stay open until 4am on weekends. (3327 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702.607.0700) [EaterWire]
BELLAGIO: The Light Group's new Yellowtail opens this weekend in the former Shintaro space (previously). Designed by the ubiquitous Rockwell Group, expect lots of wood and stone, bronze metal sculptures and views of the dancing fountains out front. Nobu Matsuhisa and Morimoto protégé Akira Back heads up the kitchen. (3600 S. Las Vegas, Blvd, 702.693.8300) [EaterWire]
PALAZZO: Nothing says "economic downturn" like eating linguini around $245k Lamborghinis---Dal Toro Ristorante and its Lamborghini store are now open, according to Eating LV. (3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702.437.9800) [ELV]
It might be blazing hot out there in the desert, but there's still much happening on the Vegas scene. (And have you seen some of the deals the hotels have going? Crazy.) Once again, we have the VegasWire because it's just like dining in our own back yard. Got a tip? Drop it here.
MIRAGE: Laurent Tourdondel's next big venture, BLT Burger, soft opens on Sunday. Former Eater correspondent John Curtas got a preview of the 200-seat, $8 million restaurant, complete with Tourondel sightings: "The burgers will take you straight back to the classic California Googie diner burgers of the 1950’s, albeit with substantially better beef." [Eating L.V.]
PALAZZO: The final restaurants are finally debuting over at the Venetian's sister property. The latest is Mainland in the Shoppes at Palazzo, Jonathan Morr's (BondST NY and LA) new Asian noodle concept. Once again, from Curtas: "Mixing in a groovy decor and channeling a Mao-meets-Elvis vibe is also a real plus...What really caps this place though, is the fact that it's the only restaurant in the Palazzo that mere mortals can afford." Also, Sushisamba opened at the Shoppes a couple weeks ago. [ELV]
We haven't checked in with the VegasWire for awhile, so expect a report about some of the haps from The Strip tomorrow. Until then, have you ever been in the bowels of one of those giant resorts? When we were at the Bon Appetit Uncork'd event last month, we tagged along on a special, quite possibly one-time-only VIP tour of the Wynn Resort to see behind the scenes, meet the chefs, ooh and aah and maybe even eat a fresh langoustine or two. Some facts: The Wynn staff cafeteria is nicer than most resort buffets; we could die happy bloggers in the bread bakery; and although it just seems so, so wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating oysters and drinking Champagne with Daniel Boulud overlooking the golf course. One might think it's difficult to impress BA editor in chief Barbara Fairchild, but not really (see final photo). They know what they're doing, what can we say.
· Final Observations From Vegas Uncork'd [~ELA~]
The Tao Group's space at the Palazzo overlooks the Strip
LA Mag has a few new details about that Ludovic Lefebvre project at the Palazzo in Vegas we told you about a few months ago. Backed by the Tao group, Lavo is a small plates concept in a giant space---20,000 square feet that seats around 300 or so---with a Mediterranean theme (think: Spain, northern Africa, Greece, Italy.) “When people see what I am doing, they’re going to be in shock,” he tells the mag. "The most exciting thing is to come up with my pizza dough." So from L'Orangerie to Bastide to fantastically intimate guest cheffing at Breadbar to Vegas strippers and casino hordes. Live the dream, man. Lavo is expected to open later this summer.
· Ludo Bite [Digest Blog]
· Where Art Thou Ludo? [~ELA~]
· VegasWire: Ludo's Next Move [~ELA~]
It's a holiday weekend and we're thinking "getaway," so a natural fit is another installment of VegasWire. Know of something new on or off the Strip? Lay it on us.
Wynn Encore Tower expected to open later this year
WYNN: Occasional Eater tipster John Curtas---who at the same time flatters and slams Eater LA and Angelenos---has some scoopage on the restaurants planned for the Wynn's new Encore tower, which up until now, has been kept under wraps. All unconfirmed from the powers that be but supposedly coming from deep within the operation, Tableau (in the Tower Suites wing) will close to make room an outpost of Larry Forgione's An American Place, which means Tableau's chef Mark LoRusso will get his own place at Encore called Botero. There will be a high-end Italian place "like Del Posto…without Batali." And last, Sam DeMarco, who had Sam's American Grill at the Bellagio when it opened in the late 90s, will possibly reopen a similar concept. Since we're on the topic of the Wynn, Alex Stratta, chef of Alex, has taken over Corsa Cucina near the theaters. Last we heard it will close for a short time for some adjustments, and reemerge with a new name and menu. [Eating LV/ELA]
Someone's gotta fuel the SBE private jet and Bentley! Indulge us here. We're just catching up on our Hills (sure we watch, you dont'?), and in this ep before the finale, Heidi flies off to Vegas with CEO Sam Nazarian and Brent Bolthouse to do some "project managing" for the new SBE hotel (the company plans to Los Angelesize the aging Sahara). Why this really is faux-reality TV: Like gazillionaire Nazarian would express any real interest in some random assistant's personal life, i.e. asking about boyfriend troubles. More believable: The slightly creeply laugh he and Bolthouse share over how the BF will "lose his mind" because she's in Vegas. Kinda ew. For the interested, in the finale, Nazarian walks around the Sahara and talks up the plans. Think: St. Tropez, "Club Cinq Cinq," lots, and lots of work.
· SBE Taking on Vegas [~ELA~]
There's a good chance we really are still hungover from this past weekend's festivities. Here's the thing: You have Vegas, which is already the land of excess, go-go-go, non-stop everything, and then you have Bon Appetit's Uncork'd, a multi-day, multi-resort, multi-chef, food, drink and party extravaganza. Mix them together and *boom* excess on steroids. We blazed in the sun at the cooking competitions, we noshed at the Grand Tasting, we watched chefs win a couple thou at blackjack. Here, then, a final round up of gossip, quips and observations.
We made it back safe and sound after a whirlwind eating and drinking extravaganza at Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd weekend. Now in its second year, the organizers are still tweaking things with the event---it's more of a living, breathing organism than a static template---but one of the largest parties is always the Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace. It's also one of the few that doesn't sell out, at least not yet, and with restaurants like Guy Savoy, Payard Patisserie, Joe's Stone Crab, Spago, Mesa Grill, Joel Robuchon, Batali's B&B Ristorante and Carnevino, Fleur de Lys, Bouchon, Alex, Bartolotta, RM Seafood and Michael Mina all represented, the $150-$175 ticket pretty much pays for itself. We liked last year's poolside location, but it's a windy time in Vegas, and with so much construction at Caesars and around town, the crunch of dirt and dust in your foie gras isn't so appetizing. And, oh yes, will there be foie. Some highlights from the tent, next.
Here we are at day 2 of the Bon Appetit Uncork'd event in Las Vegas, a rolicking weekend of some seriously good food, lots of celeb chefs, and loads and loads of gossip. This here is the Masters vs. Rookies Culinary Pro-Am outside of Caesars, which takes place today and tomorrow. We made it to the second showdown: Our buddy Todd English and actress Lorraine Bracco vs. Hard Rock Hotel chef John Church and Amaeteur Gourmet blogger/author Adam Roberts. It's a mini Iron Chef, with celebrity hosts (for a tiny woman, that Cat Cora is a raucous one) and guest judges (Alan Richman, BA's Barbara Fairchild and Andrew Knowlton, Food Network's Bruce Seidel) secret ingredients, timed cooking, the works. Let's just say this, hearing that you'll be eating these four ingredients together---foie gras, pineapple, rabbit and cactus---is terrifying. Unless, of course, you're Todd English. We'll have the full story and more this weekend and Monday.
· All Uncork'd Coverage [~ELA~]
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More details were released today bout the Tao Group's new Lavo restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo. As 
BELLAGIO: The Light Group's new 
