Roy Choi Teases New Dishes For Upcoming Las Vegas Project

Going to Vegas this weekend? Planning a trip in the near future? Eater is here for you, with a quick, handy guide to the best in Sin City, from restaurants and bars to nightlife.

The Essentials

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July 27, 2018

— Roy Choi is working diligently to get his first non-LA restaurant up and running at the Park MGM in November. The Kogi taco truck boss has been previewing his R&D for the upcoming restaurant that will probably be called “Best Friend.” Choi hopes that the new establishment “will feel like KTown when you walk in,” and with Korean spicy octopus, lots of banchan, and even shaking beef lomo saltado, the acclaimed chef may be able to bring a taste of LA to Sin City, and even New York in the future.

— Las Vegas doesn’t have to be exorbitantly expensive, with plenty of cheap eats for those looking to dine on a dime. With everything from slurpable noodles in Chinatown to tacos in the heart of The Cosmopolitan, here are the the very best affordable bites in the city.

— A dedicated yogurt bar is opening in The Palazzo in mid-August. Go Greek Yogurt, a California chain, will sling fresh and frozen yogurt from 8 a.m. to midnight for those looking for a healthy meal to balance out a weekend of gluttony. Jazz up the probiotic-laden bowls with toppings like goji berries, shaved dark chocolate, hemp seed, and cacao nibs.

— One of the very first restaurants to transform LA’s Arts District into the culinary epicenter it is today, The Factory Kitchen, is coming to Las Vegas, taking over the very publicly booted B&B Ristorante from The Venetian. Despite an estimated $3.4 million revamp, restaurateur Matteo Ferdinandi and chef Angelo Auriana are predicting a five-month turn-around time, slating the LA export at a December debut.

May 1, 2018

— In absolutely massive Las Vegas restaurant news, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas dropped an extraordinary roster of new eateries that will become what was once referred to on project paperwork as Blvd Market. Headlining the lineup is Nashville’s legendary Hattie B’s, a specialist of the city’s most well-known culinary export, hot chicken. It will be the westernmost location yet for the ultra spicy fried chicken, which currently only has locations scattered in the deep South.

The ghost pepper-laced bird won’t be the only addition to The Cosmo, with today’s announcement confirming the rumors that Porland’s Lardo will bring its pork sandwiches to the Sin City locale. Other additions to the second-level marketplace include a spin-off of Andy Ricker’s family of restaurants dubbed Pok Pok Wing; New Orleans’ Donuts. Sliders. Brew.; New York mezcal bar Ghost Donkey; and original concept Tekka Bar: Handroll & Sake.

— The Cosmopolitan has more news up its sleeve, with the shuttered D.O.C.G. space finally landing a new name: Red Plate. The work of Chef Yip Cheung, who previously helmed the resort’s Talon Club, will be manning the stoves with a menu of hot pots, barbecue meats, and dim sum.

March 29, 2018

— The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas already has one of the strongest lineups of restaurants and nightlife ventures within its glitzy confines. However, rumor is that the upcoming Blvd Market that will revamp of the second level former Race & Sports will include Portland’s pork sandwich specialist Lardo.

— That’s not it for The Cosmo, as Scott Conant’s shuttered D.O.C.G. on the third floor will soon become a currently unnamed Chinese restaurant slated to open this year. The upcoming eatery will join the likes of the resort’s newly debuted Momofuku, Zuma, Beauty & Essex, Milk Bar, and Eggslut.

— The struggling SLS hotel is under the process of changing ownership, as the Nevada Gaming Commission approved billionaire businessman Alex Meruelo, who also owns the Grand Sierra in Reno, to take over the property from Stockbridge Capital for an undisclosed amount. While Meruelo plans to keep the name while he evaluates whether the SLS has worthwhile brand recognition, there’s no word on if the SBE family of restaurants that debuted with the hotel; Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, Cleo, Katsuya, Umami Burger, and 800 Degrees; will stick around in the future.

— What is perhaps the most anticipated opening of the year, the combination Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas resort that will replace the Monte Carlo, is not done releasing the heavy-hitting roster of restaurant and nightlife concepts that will open in the $500 million revamped space. The massive news broke at the beginning of the year that Roy Choi would drop a Koreatown-influenced restaurant in the resort, and now there are hints of a mystery, multi-million dollar project within in NoMad section of the property. Little details are known at this point, other than the term “nightclub” being used in all recent paperwork.

Restaurant Pick of the Week: Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

Rose. Rabbit. Lie. [official photo]

While Sin City is driven by the ethos of excess, there may be no restaurant that embodies this concept more than The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Kick off an evening at the supper club with whimsical cocktails served in outrageous vessels while enjoying live entertainment by fantastical crooners and tap dancers. Dinner is pretty impressive too, where expense accounts can be put to the test with lavish tableside beef wellington carving stations adorned with Hudson Valley foie gras. Does one order the caviar tacos with a Yukon gold potato shell to start? The question doesn’t need to be asked. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Level 2, The Chelsea Tower, 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas

• Las Vegas Weekend Guide for Angelenos, August 2017 [ELA]