Dining News: Delicious Bites Around Las Vegas August 1, 2023

In this weekly update, food and beverage reporter Bob Barnes fills us in on noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, special dining news and events and culinary news about delicious bites worth knowing about.

Upcoming Events

Ada’s Food + Wine

August 10

Ada’s Food + Wine in Tivoli Village will host a wine pairing dinner featuring Bordeaux wines prepared by chef de cuisine Jackson Stamper and sous chef Mick Skarda with wines hand-selected by Ada’s Lead Sommelier Kat Thomas. They will be joined by Las Vegas wine importer and distributor Bob Cranston of Vintex.

The pairings are melon & crab salad paired with NV Tentation par Maucaillou, Crémant de Bordeaux; poached Dover sole with summer squash and bouillabaisse matched with 2020 Château Cos D’Estournel, “Pagodes de Cos” Bordeaux Blanc; coriander-crusted lamb loin with corn purée and blueberry reduction paired with 2013 Château Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol; eye of ribeye with sweetbread bordelaise and Robuchon potatoes matched with 2012 Château Malartic-Lagravière, Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé; and peach tarte tatin with foie gras ice cream paired with 2016 La Fleur d’Or, Sauternes.

The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person (plus tax, fees and tip) and must be purchased in advance at adaslv.com.

Ahern Hotel

August 12

As a preview to the opening of Joel’s Chophouse at the end of this month, the Ahern Hotel is hosting Chef Joel’s Tasting Tour from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring several unique tasting stations to explore within Joel’s Chophouse, Vita Bella Wine Bar and the rest of Floor 2 of Ahern Hotel’s Convention Center.

The Mezzanine Bar will offer a Champagne Station serving Billecart Salmon Brut, Brut Rose, an oyster and shrimp cocktail and razor clams. Inside Vita Bella will be the Italy Station pouring five Italian wines and tastes of Ricotta Ravioli, Beef Carpaccio and Sliced Prosciutto di Parma with sliced Ubriaco cheese; and the France Station with five French wines, Lobster Bisque Shooters and Creole Crab Caesar. Situated within the new Joel’s Chophouse will be the California Station with five California wines and Oyster Mushroom, Little Gem “Wedge” with pork belly lardon and bleu cheese and Dry Aged Ribeye with Roasted Asparagus and Béarnaise siphon; and Cocktails Station with three cocktails.

The cost is $95 for general admission and VIP, for early entry at 4, specialty food (including caviar) and wine pairings and a celebratory champagne toast in a souvenir Joel’s Chophouse collectable glass, is $115. Purchase your tickets by August 8 and you can get 20% off by using the code “TASTE” at checkout.

For more info, the complete wine and cocktail list and to purchase tickets click here.

Lip Smacking Foodie Tours

August 14

Lip Smacking Foodie Tours will partner with Mandalay Bay for a one-night-only VIP experience that includes signature dishes at Retro by Voltaggio and Rivea and libations at 1923 Prohibition Bar and Minus5° ICEBAR.

The tour will begin 5 p.m. with three dishes each at Retro by Voltaggio (by celebrity chefs and brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio of Top Chef’ fame), followed by Rivea (on the 64^th floor of the Delano with breathtaking vistas of the city by internationally celebrated chef Alain Ducasse, who currently holds the most Michelin Stars in the world. Following dinner, guests will be transported to 1923 Prohibition Bar for champagne and caviar served from a towering custom ice sculpture.

The tour will conclude at Minus5° ICEBAR, where guests will snuggle up in parkas and gloves before entering the chilly lounge surrounded by more than 100 tons of ice and enjoy a final specialty cocktail served in an ice glass. The tour will last approximately three hours and includes immediate seating and VIP service at every venue, as well as a private tour guide to lead the way and entertain with facts and highlights about the sights.

Tickets are $325 per person and an optional beverage package is also available for an additional $50 per guest for one pre-selected signature cocktail at each of the two restaurants. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here. 

Las Vegas Pizza Festival

November 4

If pizza is your favorite food group, you’ll want to take note of the Las Vegas Pizza Festival. Although it’s months away, the VIP segment of this event sells out each year and ticket tier prices go up as sales increase, so it’s definitely time to get the word out.

Held at The Industrial Event Space at at 2330 Industrial Road from 1 to 4 p.m., the event offers unlimited samples of Detroit, Sicilian, New York and a dozen other unique styles of pizza from more than 20 of the city’s finest pizzaiolos, including Vincent Rotolo (Good Pie), Tony Gemignani (Pizza Rock), John Arena (Metro Pizza), Christopher Palmeri (Naked City) and Ricky Lewis and Ryan Perras (Rebellion).

The entire VIP experience will be presented exclusively by Chef James Trees, who will plan and produce all food and craft beverage experiences in the VIP lounge, collaborating with the teams from his current restaurants Esther’s Kitchen, Al Solito Posto and Ada’s Food + Wine, and previewing for the first time his upcoming project La Boheme bistro.

Each of the four venues will offer multiple dishes as well as cocktail and/or wine pairings as appropriate. VIP gets you one-hour early access at 12 p.m., complimentary cocktails, beer, wine and soda; and the culinary samples from Chef Trees’ restaurants in the VIP lounge.

Don’t delay in purchasing your tickets as lower priced tiers are already selling out. For current prices, the full line-up of participating chefs and to purchase tickets click here.

New Restaurant Opening

1228 Main

1228 Main, by Wolfgang Puck and local partners, named for its address in the Arts District, is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 6,000-square-foot space blends the original brick, rich brown banquettes, communal tables and original art by local artist David Ryan. Outdoor dining is available on either side of the main entrance. An expansion to the building houses a bakery that churns out bread for all of Wolfgang Puck restaurants as well as for the restaurant’s guests and outside accounts. 

The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Alexander Huizar, a CSN culinary graduate who has worked at Michael Mina’s renowned French Laundry in Napa and in Las Vegas at Delilah at Wynn and Michael Symon’s Sara’s at the Palms. The varied menu includes artisanal pastries, breads and smoked salmon potato latke with dill crème fraiche for breakfast; lunch dishes like sugar snap pea salad with mustard vinaigrette, wagyu burger and pastrami & melty gruyere with charred Fresno aioli; dinner plates such as truffled chicken pot pie and grilled SRF Zabuton steak with a mustard-peppercorn au poivre; and desserts including banana cake with caramelized banana ice cream and caramel sauce.

The menus are complemented by a collection of wines, craft beers, cocktails and an extensive whiskey selection. 1228 Main is open Tuesday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Culinary News and Delicious bites

Al Solito Posto

Al Solito Posto Offering Three-Course Prix Fixe Deal

Chef/Partner James Trees’ Al Solito Posto is now offering a three-course prix fixe menu. Priced at $50 (plus tax and tip), it includes choice of Caesar salad, arugula salad, meatballs or stuffed arancini; spaghetti & meatballs, rigatoni, chicken parmesan or any pizza; and tres latte cake. The prix fixe deal is available Monday-Thursday from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 4-11 p.m. 

Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House

Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House Wine Pairing Series