All stories about "Luxor"

Here again, an update from Sin City from our Vegas man on the street, John Curtas. Got some LV goss or news to share? The door is open.

Photo courtesy Luxor/MGM Mirage

Celeb-backed Company American Bistro opened five months ago at the Luxor in Las Vegas with a top shelf pedigree in the kitchen: Adam Sobel, the former executive sous chef at Guy Savoy, was appointed top toque; David Varley, former exec sous at Bradley Ogden, was his number one; Top Chef's Marcel Vigneron was brought on board to foam his way to further fame; and Ralph "Ralphie" Perrazzo was put in charge of desserts. Despite this talent pool, and the heretofore Midas Touch of the Pure Management Group, the whole thing has fallen apart faster than an under-baked souffle. Varley said sayonara over a month ago, Vigneron and Perrazzo, bolted soon thereafter, and Sobel resigned last week. Was their food too hip for the decidedly middle-brow audience of the Luxor? Or is PMG scaling back on its "creativity" now that its finances are being investigated by the IRS? Yet to be seen.

We don't know where the other chefs are headed yet, but we did get an update on Vigneron...because he now has his own publicist. Marcel will visit and cook alongside his old pal Hung Huynh in New York (there's an event at Solo on April 3), then it's back to Las Vegas to christen the new Town Square Border’s and promote the Top Chef cookbook on April 6. See, TC brings all the fame.
· VegasWire: IRS Raids Pure Management Group [~ELA~]
· Top Chef Reunion: Marcel and Hung in Vegas [~ELA~]
· VegasWire: Ago, CatHouse, Simon at Palms Place, Company, Rao's [~ELA~]

A recent night at Pure

Something big is going down with Pure Management Group in Vegas right now. PMG is one of the major nightlife and restaurant players in town---they own Pure at Caesars, of course, but also partnered with LAX and several new restaurants and lounges at the Luxor, Social House at Treasure Island, Dick's Last Resort at Excalibur, Lucky Strike at the Rio, and Coyote Ugly at New York-New York. And last week, the IRS raided the their offices and confiscated computers. It's rumored to be about how much money the doormen clear and where it goes, with estimates up to $10,000 a night. If you've never been to one of these clubs, it's chaotic: The lines are out of hand and it takes a lot money to get inside. And we're not talking the $20 you might slip Craig for a quick table at Dan Tana's. The whole Vegas nightlife industry, and we imagine the host properties (Caesars and MGM-Mirage) included, are on edge. No one has been accused of or charged with a crime, and in an official statement PMG said they are fully cooperating with the IRS investigation. On the plus side, this might mean the usually tight velvet ropes will be a little bit looser on your next visit.
· Feds take a look at LV cash flow [LVRJ]
· Was Pure Unpure? [Moveable Buffet]