In a testament to the ever-evolving Las Vegas dining scene, COTE Las Vegas, the West Coast progeny of Manhattan’s critically-acclaimed COTE Korean Steakhouse, is slated to bring its Michelin-starred concept to the Waterfall Atrium at the renowned Venetian next year. COTE, courtesy of the visionary restaurateur Simon Kim, stands proud as America’s inaugural and only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse. Kim, through his company Gracious Hospitality, currently commands COTE outposts in New York, Miami, and Singapore.
For Kim, the new venture is a poignant homecoming. The UNLV graduate’s initial foray into the hospitality industry started in Las Vegas. “Opening COTE in this vibrant cradle of entertainment transcends the normal gratification of launching an establishment; it is a return to familiar ground marred with sentimental connections,” he expressed with palpable enthusiasm.
The forthcoming eatery’s design will be shaped by renowned architect David Rockwell and his team at Rockwell Group. Drawing inspiration from theatrical settings, the tiered dining area, skybox private dining rooms, central bar, and DJ booth will offer an eclectic and engaging experience topped off by immersive lighting. “The creation of the COTE Korean Steakhouse concept started in the bustling heart of NYC, but the vivacious energy, music, and charm of Las Vegas have always been entwined within our brand’s DNA. This opening will crank this blend up a notch,” Kim affirmed. In addition, the COTE Las Vegas will showcase the brand’s James Beard-nominated wine list.
Meanwhile, the former Margaritaville, a longstanding venture of the late Jimmy Buffett at the Flamingo since 2011, has retired its margarita glasses. The establishment is set to pave the way for a new dining option coursed by the repute of country superstar Garth Brooks in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. The country-line-dancing crowd can anticipate the Vegas incarnation of Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, an entertainment and culinary concept by Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, which they initially launched in Nashville earlier this year.
In other breaking culinary news, popular Chinatown spot ShangHai Taste, renowned for its xialongbao dumplings, is set to unfurl its second Vegas location this Saturday, a spacious 2,400 square foot dining locale at 8060 S. Rainbow Blvd, Suite 130. The venue boasts double the square footage of its original Chinatown sister restaurant.
Likewise, late June holds promise for Italian cuisine enthusiasts with the inception of Bramàre, an enterprise courtesy of Batch Hospitality, to arrive at 3900 Paradise Road. One of Batch’s leaders, Evan Glusman, descends from the family that owns the celebrated Piero’s Italian Cuisine.
Unfortunately, not all is booming on the local culinary front as Kitchen Table, a popular breakfast and lunch spot in Henderson, unexpectedly closed its doors after nearly a decade of serving the community. The proprietor, Chef Javier Chavez, shared his hopeful sentiments to reopen after a lease expiration prompted the closure. In like fashion, Kitchen Table’s Squared— the spinoff which launched in Southwest Las Vegas, December 2017—closed after three years in operation.
In brighter news, the food hall at Aria, known as Proper Eats, is to host a new salad merchant, Happy Leaf, beginning June 10, and La Cave at Wynn will undergo a significant $2 million refurbishment, with a grand reopening slated for late summer.
