Bruce Kalman has opened the permanent location of his highly anticipated Soulbelly BBQ in the Downtown Arts District at 1327 S. Main St. Kalman and partner Richard Camarota are serving their unique take on regional American barbecue, including salt and pepper brisket, Carolina pulled pork, chipotle cider glazed drumsticks and Hatch chile hot links daily, starting at 11 a.m.
Two familiar restaurant brands recently opened at Neonopolis on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Dick’s Last Resort, which has maintained a presence at Excalibur on the Strip for years, marked the grand opening of its 10,000-square-foot, first-floor restaurant on May 13, and the third local spot for Dirt Dog also opened at Neonopolis earlier this month near the Slotzilla attraction. Dirt Dog also serves its over-the-top hot dog creations on Rainbow south of the Beltway and at the Grand Bazaar Shops at Bally’s.
As previously reported in the Sun, the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace will reopen this week on May 20 after being shut down and renovated for more than a year. The seafood, carving, American and Latin kitchens as well as the entrance and dining room have received major upgrades and improvements and more than 30 new dishes have been added to the menu. For the first time, the buffet is introducing reservations at OpenTable.com. Bacchanal will serve dinner Thursday through Monday from 4 to 10 p.m.
Green Valley Ranch Resort is teaming with Finger Licking Foodie Tours to bring a new self-guided culinary experience to the Henderson hotel and casino. Starting on May 19, guests can enjoy a private experience progressing through Bottiglia Cucina & Enoteca, Borracha Mexican Cantina and Hank’s Fine Steaks, with Tides Oyster Bar subbing in for Borracha on Tuesdays. The 2½-hour journey starts at 4:30 p.m. and features three signature dishes from each restaurant for $125. Book your tour at fingerlickingfoodietours.com.
The Dine Out for Life series to benefit Golden Rainbow continues at Trattoria Reggiano at Downtown Summerlin on May 24. Italian specialties like eggplant parm and brick-oven pizza can be enjoyed with proceeds from dine-in and takeout going to help Southern Nevadans living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Reservations can be made at trattoria-reggiano.com.
The local Saffron Restaurant Group is set to open Saffron Vegetarian Eatery on May 28, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for June 5, in the Chinatown area at 3545 S. Decatur Blvd. The menu will feature a fusion of traditional East Asian cuisine and approachable western vegetarian fare, serving dishes such as yam starch Singapore curry noodles, fried banana flowers with tamarind sauce and umami eggplant with tofu. The 90-seat restaurant will also offer Asian beer and sake varieties and natural wines, spirits and cocktails.
There’s new food and drinks up in the air at the Strat. Top of the World has introduced a new menu for spring and summer from chef Chad Castanino, including spring pea ravioli with preserved lemon, beef tartare surf and turf with shrimp and avocado, seared sea bass with brown butter, and a smoked pork chop with brined apple and bacon chutney. And 108 Drinks and Eats, also high above the valley at the Strat’s SkyPod, has launched a new happy hour available from 3 until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Beverages include the Big Shot with Patron, triple sec and a Grand Marnier float, and the Jump with Absolut vodka, Sammy’s Beach Bar rum and Bombay gin. Happy hour bites include house-made hummus with taro root and sweet potato chips and bacon-wrapped dates with Boursin cheese.
Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas also has new spring dishes on the menu, including seared Hudson Valley foie gras with smoked almond granola and strawberry white balsamic, pan-seared salmon with more cream and fire-roasted artichokes and fava beans and Colorado rack of lamb with manchego polenta cakes and trumpet mushrooms.
And Ferraro’s just east of the Strip is offering new spring dinner and happy hour menus with dishes from executive chef Mimmo Ferraro including vitello tonnato, fagottini bresaoloa with filet mignon and ricotta cheese, spring pea risotto, rigatoni toscani with homemade Calabrese sausage and rapini, and cannellini bean hummus.
The Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool will host a special event from WhiskyX on October 23 featuring elevated whisky tastings, live musical performances from St. Paul & The Broken Bones and Fitz & The Tantrums, a live podcast from Adam Carolla, and an array of dishes served by the resort’s restaurant collection. Whisky brands such as Teeling, Aberlour and Clyde May’s will offer tastings to go along with food from Momofuku, Báng Bar, Jaleo, Lardo and others, with tickets on sale May 21 at Ticketmaster.
