It’s a quiet day in Las Vegas and that means we can relax and do a roundup of restaurant news from the Venetian and Palazzo.
Getting constant breaking news is exhausting. News recaps are like a day off. Of course, in the world of social media, “taking a day off” is always in quotes because social media never ends.
Yes, summaries are incredibly boring, but they require introductory paragraphs (sometimes several), and all those words mean is that we’re closer to the casino losing our mortgage payment at Double Double Bonus video poker. Which is a strange loss, since we no longer have a mortgage. And no car payments, either. Thanks, Casino.org. Let’s move on.
Anyway, when it comes to restaurants, the Venetian and the Palazzo are pretty busy, especially since the Venetian, the Palazzo and the Grand Canal Shoppes are home to a total of 4,600 restaurants and are about the size of Djibouti. This might make you ask, “How big is Djibouti?” First of all, you should never ask a woman that question if you value your life. Second, it’s about 9,000 square miles.
We just like to say Djibouti.
Let’s start with some very exciting restaurant announcements about famous restaurants we’ve never heard of before.
Gjelina is opening later this year on Venetian’s Restaurant Row. We’re a bit annoyed by the whole “produce-oriented” thing, but other people seem to really appreciate this restaurant.
Gjelina is sitting in the spot where a nice photo op used to take place at the Venetian. We have a vague memory that there was once a sign that said “Celebrate You,” but it has changed from time to time.
The Cote Korean Steakhouse is also planned for the Venetian.
Cote, annoyingly written entirely in capital letters in the press release, is coming in 2025. “Cote” is a Korean word meaning “flower” or “blossom.” Capitalized, COTE can also mean “prone to occasional episodes of Tourette syndrome.”
Cote is billed as “America’s first and only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse.” It’s also described as “a blend of Korean barbecue and the features of a classic American steakhouse.” Any restaurant that serves its dishes in a blend of conviviality is right up our alley.
Cote Vegas will be located in the Waterfall Atrium of the Venetian. They had considered converting the venue into an indoor/outdoor restaurant, but Las Vegas gets cold in the winter, so that plan was scrapped because they decided it was just too cold outside.
Let’s get on with some renovation work, shall we?
The Palazzo’s Italian restaurant Lavo recently closed for renovation. Lavo has been around since 2008, so it was time for a refresh. Lavo will reopen in fall 2024.
Sugarcane Las Vegas has also closed for renovation. Sugarcane is also located on the Venetian’s Restaurant Row. We have had some very pleasant experiences at Sugarcane and hope that the renovation helps it retain its magic.
According to other restaurant news from the Venetian and Palazzo, once Bazaar Meat closes at its current location on the north Strip, it will move into the shuttered space of Dal Toro Ristorante at the Palazzo.
According to the latest rumors, Bazaar Meat may have renewed its lease at its current crappy location. Too many pots on the stove for Jose Andres and his team? If they do move, there’s a good chance they’ll be moving to the Dal Toro Ristorante space in the Palazzo.
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) 7 August 2024
Grand Canal Shoppes is technically a whole different area of openings and closings at the Venetian. Keeping track of all of that would require “research” or “effort,” so good luck with that.
However, as we recently reported on another day with little news, the Royal Britannia Gastro Pub has recently closed and Fogo de Chao is rumoured to be taking over the premises.
To keep track of all these restaurant changes, Venetian has a “recently opened restaurants” page on its website. But “recently” is a very broad definition. Chica opened in May 2017. Wakuda opened two years ago. Hey, it’s a search engine optimization thing.
All of these restaurant changes (openings, closings, and renovations) come at an interesting time for the Venetian and Palazzo. Las Vegas Sands sold the resort to Apollo Global Management and Vici Properties in 2022.
In honor of the resort’s 25th anniversary, the new owners have embarked on a $1.5 billion renovation. The renovation will touch nearly every part of the resort. As the kids who write press releases say, “a complete redesign from top to bottom.”
The list of changes is long, so just read the press release.
We heard that the construction walls of the renovated Venetian Convention Center were demolished. This part of the project cost about $188 million and was done by Tre Builders. Tre is involved in many projects in Vegas, but we know Tre primarily because one of the partners runs the Project BBQ Truck at Circa and they put our name on their menu because we love their BBQ Chicken Pizza. Hey, that’s some kind of restaurant update! Not that everything has to be about us.
The Venetian has also opened its new poker room. Fun fact: The Venetian’s poker room is no longer the Venetian. It’s located in the Grand Canal Shoppes. Park in the Palazzo’s self-parking garage and head to the second floor of the Grand Canal Shoppes, 35 feet from the elevator. Unlike most things in Las Vegas right now, it’s open 24 hours a day. Let’s not get carried away. Here’s more.
Las Vegas always offers something new, different and delicious. Only the strong survive, and new temptations lurk around every corner.
Oh, hell, let’s give ChatGPT a try: “Las Vegas presents an unprecedented symposium of culinary delights, where an extravaganza of magnificent dining establishments showcases an exquisite melange of gastronomic masterpieces, each dish carefully crafted to evoke a transcendent synthesis of sensory delight and culinary virtuosity, elevating the art of haute cuisine to an unprecedented height of lavish splendor.” Reminder: you’re about to be replaced, casino PR people.
We are dying.
