ML - Vegas Magazine

2014 - Issue 2 - Spring

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES (PUCK); JOHN ORMOND (PIZZA) the world," Silvestri says. "I go to Hong Kong and order his extraordinary beef-cheek rav- ioli, and it is consistently executed with the same excellent ingredients every where you go." That reliabilit y is just pa r t of a globa l branding effort by Batali, who owns four res- t au ra nt s at Venet ia n a nd Pa la zzo w it h Joe Ba st ia nich. "E ssent ia lly," Bat a li says, "we have a ser ies of one - of fs, each of wh ich ha s a dif ferent persona lit y. Each ha s a n edge that's distinctly our own, which allows tour- ist s a nd fa ns of my T V show The Chew to recognize our brand." If anyone knows about building a brand, it 's Wolfga ng P uck, t he chef who took a chance 21 years ago by opening Spago in a city accustomed to buffets and $6 prime-rib dinners. Since t hen, t he world's f irst t r ue celebr it y chef ha s created a globa l empire. Fans can see him on television, eat his food at the airport, or buy it from the grocery store freezer section. While this culinary jugger- naut recog nizes t he impor t a nce of bra nd identity, he also acknowledges that he had to hire the right people to replicate the impec- cable standards behind the Puck name. Of course, in a city whose population changes each week by 765,000, one key to not becoming a f lash in the pan is appealing to repeat visitors (aka the people who live here). According to Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, best known for their Food Network cooking show and companion cookbook, Too Hot Tamales, locals are the Vegas holy grail. The two are expanding their incredibly suc- cessful Border Grill concept—the restaurant has been operating in Mandalay Bay for 15 years now—with a second Vegas location this summer, at the Forum Shops. "Locals are always the people we want to blow away," says Feniger. "We want them coming to our tequila dinners, our cooking classes. We always want people to know our team and feel like it's a home away from home." Ten m iles —but a world away—f rom t he cutthroat competition of the Strip, Elizabeth Bl a u a nd her hu sba nd , c hef K i m Canteenwalla, have lived in their Summerlin neighborhood for 16 years, developing con- cept s for client s f rom Le Cirque to L ight Group a nd operat ing Buddy V 's at Gra nd Canal Shoppes and Simon at Palms Place. They opened their own popular local spot, continued from page 80 Las Vegas's first It chef, Wolfgang Puck, and his famous smoked salmon pizza at Spago. barMASA Aria Resort & Casino, 877-230- 2742; arialasvegas.com Freshness and simplicity reign at barMASA, where chef Masa Takayama will not allow your bluefin tuna to be out of its Japanese coastal waters for more than 24 hours before it reaches your plate. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3305; wynnlasvegas.com Two-time James Beard Award–winning chef Paul Bartolotta specializes in fresh Mediterranean seafood, often serving up to 60 different species at any given time. Border Grill Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7403; bordergrill.com Overlooking the Lazy River just off Mandalay Beach, this casual Mexican eatery serves traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern American twist. Carnevino Palazzo, 702-789-4141; carnevino.com Indulge in plenty of meat and wine (as the name suggests) at this Batali/Bastianich restaurant, where the $150 five-course beef tasting menu is the highlight. 82 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM FOOD FOR THOUGHT continued on page 84 080-084_V_ST_FoodForThought2_Spring14.indd 82 2/11/14 12:08 PM

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