Editor's note: 138° Restaurant closed after we went to press with this issue. Matt Meyer reports he still has plans for a restaurant in the Las Vegas Valley.
Desert Companion 2023 Restaurant Awards: This year, it’s personal. Okay, so every year is, to a great extent, about the people behind the food — and the places where we enjoy it. But this year’s awards include a remarkable number of restaurants launched by people who seem to have projected their innermost desires onto their concepts and menus. From the maternal legacy of Penny Chutima’s Lotus of Siam, to James Trees’ indefatigable belief in downtown Las Vegas, to Windom Kimsey’s creating, literally, the restaurant he wanted to eat in, it’s a list of dreams realized.
We may not always think of chefs and restaurateurs as changing the world, but the extent to which these honorees are speaking (er — cooking) from the heart, reminds us that food, however high-end and aspirational, can be a language of love. And that’s certainly something the world needs now.
Restaurateur of the Year — Penny Chutima
Once named the best Thai restaurant in North America by food critic Jonathan Gold, Lotus of Siam is a pillar of the Las Vegas hospitality scene. After two decades of accumulating fans such as the late Anthony Bourdain and honors such as the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southwest, you might think, what else is there to accomplish? Well, in the past year, the Chutima family has opened a stunning new location at Red Rock Resort, and they’re planning another one in Henderson late 2024.
The eldest daughter of chef Saipin Chutima, Penny Chutima is now the main owner of the Flamingo location and managing partner at the Summerlin location. “We have been growing our brand organically through the right processes … taking care of our staff and guests,” Penny Chutima says. “We want to change the stigma of kitchen culture and restaurant culture.”
As a diner, you’d be hard pressed to get through the whole menu, which includes almost 100 Northern Thai dishes — passed down from multiple generations of the large close-knit family. Always order the khao soi; it’s a wonder that you will never forget. You can keep the creamy curry sauce after you devour the crispy duck and dip anything in it. It will taste wonderful.
Chutima says the original Sahara location will reopen “really soon.” In the meantime, the graduate of the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program knows her mother’s legacy is important to protect. She says the chef will probably work in the Lotus kitchen until her last day. “It’s her one true passion besides being a grandma.” — LBM
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year — Main St. Provisions
A true neighborhood spot is one that caters to locals, understands its customers, and represents its surroundings. From day one, Main St. Provisions felt like the Cheers of the Arts District in downtown Las Vegas. When owner Kim Owens greets guests, you get a quick taste of her Louisiana-born hospitality with a hug and a “y’all.” She’s a powerful force that attracts an eclectic crowd.
That’s because the food represents her style — warm, comforting, and unique. The fry bread is fluffy and addictive — offered with braised chickpea and artichoke purée. The MSP burger could make a rapper rhyme: thick and juicy, and served with melted gouda cheese and caramelized onions. The cocktails are strong and imaginative, such as the popular Harvey Dent with St. George Green Chile Vodka, Lillet, and a chef-made pickle juice.
It seems like Owens is working at her hot spot every day, but she’s also someone you’ll see supporting other restaurants in the area or checking out a musical across the street at Majestic Repertory Theatre. She’s on her third chef since opening during the pandemic in 2020 — all great chefs in different ways — but the neighborhood spirit Main St. Provisions exudes should keep locals coming no matter who’s at the helm in the kitchen. — LBM
World Cuisine of the Year — Izakaya Go
Critics laud Japanese dining for its diversity. Because while sushi might be the Valley’s most prevalent offering from the Land of the Rising Sun, choices extend well beyond sushi’s typical trappings, with restaurants specializing in tempura, curries, and yakitori (skewers). The easiest way to sample across styles might be at an Izakaya, which translates to a “stay-drink place,” or a drinking venue with food. Think of it as a tapas pub, and you’ve got the right idea.
Izakaya Go, a tiny spot on the eastern outskirts of Chinatown lined with sake bottles proving they’re serious about their drinking, is a good representative of the style. They also have a nice mix of Japanese beers, mostly easy-drinking lagers, of which I suggest Okinawan Orion. And then, of course, there’s the food.
Options are scattered across a multitude of menus, including specials, regular dishes, and, specifically, a kushiyaki (skewer) menu you order with pencil, in addition to the one written on the walls (if you can read Japanese kanji). Sample across the styles, intermixing dishes such as the addictive, nutty goma-ae — boiled spinach in a sesame sauce — and buttery enoki mushrooms with smoky grilled Wagyu nigiri or mackerel battera, a vinegary pressed sushi style rare to Vegas.
Standard sashimi, nigiri, and roll options are also available, but don’t forego the aforementioned kushiyaki, which includes a swath of chicken innards alongside sizeable vegetable choices. Order the kawa (skin) — it’s the best part of the chicken by far — and the fatty heart if you’re into the minerality typical of offal.
For a truly traditional experience, try dining on Izakaya Go’s central elevated platform, where you sit cross-legged sans shoes. While it may be a tad-bit uncomfortable, there’s simply something welcoming in the camaraderie of sitting on the floor around the table with friends, passing practically limitless amounts of food and drink. And that’s the best way to go to Izakaya Go. — JB
Rising Star — Matt Meyer
Matt Meyer already was pushing parameters in 2016 at Served, his smallish breakfast/lunch café that dished out the likes of corned beef eggs Benedict with marble rye bread pudding.
After COVID-19 and its attendant challenges brought the local restaurant industry to its knees in 2020, Meyer was one of the few who emerged at an advantage, having used relief funds to turn his heavily leveraged spot in an obscure strip center behind a strip center into the larger, more visually prominent and much more ambitious Served Global Dining, which opened the following year. It was maybe a little too ambitious, which often indicates a lack of focus.
Meyer eliminated that problem with the opening this year of 138°, in the Served Global location at 1450 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson, near the intersection with Stephanie Street. This one is laser-focused, and still pushing the envelope.
At 138° — the name refers to the optimal temperature at which steak is served — Meyer concentrates on meats, and the aging of them.
Big deal, you say; beef is aged by chefs all over town. But Meyer also ages fish, duck, and pork, concentrating and enhancing their flavors and refining the textures. A big display near the restaurant’s entrance literally showcases the dry-aging process. Meyer uses regional producers whenever possible, such as beef from Perigo Hay & Cattle in Lund, near Ely.
He uses his aged products in dishes (which change seasonally) such as salmon with citrus supremes and “everything” bagel chips; Corvus Farm’s duck breast with roasted butternut squash, plantains, chocolate mole, and mezcal beurre blanc; and certified Angus steaks.
And 138° continues to evolve. As Meyer told Eater Vegas a few months ago, “We want to be the only ones who have what we have in Las Vegas.” — HKR
Hall of Fame — Sen of Japan
For almost two decades, Sen of Japan has been a west-end stalwart. Opening at a time when Japanese options were primarily limited to AYCE sushi joints and chain teppanyaki — long before the local Japanese restaurant invasion heralded by the James Beard-nominated Raku and the subsequent advent of edomae-style sushi places and kaiseki venues — Sen has been a consistent purveyor of both sushi and other Japanese dishes.
Shinji Shinchiri and Hiro Nakano founded Sen after stints with Strip and Strip-adjacent venues: Shinji-san at Shintaro — Bellagio’s opening sushi restaurant, which has since transformed to Yellowtail — and Hiro-san as head chef of Nobu Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel. Nobu’s influence on the menu was clear in dishes such as buttery black cod soy lettuce wraps, a must-order to this day.
But Sen has progressed well beyond the shadow of Nobu. Garlic yellowtail with yuzu soy delivers sweet and heat, while Japanese eggplant with miso sauce explodes with umami. Airy tempura selections are served from the kitchen alongside smoky kushiyaki. And then there’s the star, a meticulous sushi selection conducted masterfully by Shinji-san himself.
To experience Sen’s sushi bar, omakase — Japanese for “I’ll leave it up to you” — is best, leaving the choices in the hands of their capable chefs. You’ll likely (hopefully!) receive Japanese snapper two-way — an ethereal edition with lemon juice, shiso, and a dash of salt alongside a more-savory rendition in a red wine reduction — and seared ocean trout with spicy ponzu, melding fattiness and smokiness, among others. And for regulars, there are off-menu options galore, some of which I dare not speak of for fear of getting expelled from the fraternity. Regardless of what you get, Shinji-san’s mixture of flavors and textures, complementing the myriad fresh fish without overwhelming them, is a study in subtlety.
My strongly held sentiment is the depth and diversity of our Japanese culinary scene is unparalleled outside Japan itself. Sen of Japan remains at the forefront of this scene, a must-visit even as its peers proliferate. — JB
Strip Restaurant of the Year — Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano
Even with Matteo’s impeccable pedigree, its success was hardly assured. When it first opened on New Year’s Eve 2018, it was called The Factory Kitchen — after its namesake in Southern California — a name compelling but confusing to anyone who didn’t live within a mile of downtown Los Angeles. Then co-owner Matteo Ferdinandi lent his name to the proceedings, and it came storming back as a contender for the best Italian in town, with a menu as bold and ambitious as any on the Strip. Four years on, it now thrives on Restaurant Row in the Venetian/Palazzo, offering a culinary tour of Italy that will open your eyes to the possibilities of real Italian food.
Guiding you from Sicily to the Cinque Terre is a team of restaurant veterans who have been setting the standard for this cuisine for decades. Chef Angelo Auriana spent years helming the kitchen at Valentino in Santa Monica. He and Ferdinandi had the good sense to tap two Las Vegas virtuosos — Eduardo Pérez and Paulo Duran — to manage the back and front of the house. Guatemalan Perez is a pasta master who had worked his way up from dishwasher to running the kitchens of Spago. (You might recognize him from a national Modelo beer commercial.) Duran has been charming Las Vegas customers since his days at B&B Ristorante.
Put all four of them in the same room, and you have a powerhouse of talent presenting authentic, highly refined cooking in a casual space, which is as far from chicken parm as Naples is from Nashville. That they do so at a reasonable price point, in a comfortable space (that feels cozier than its size belies), with a nice bar, and thoughtful, gently priced wine list, is incredible. At a time when the Strip feels ever more corporate and unfeeling, Matteo’s represents something in short supply: a restaurant where Italian aficionados can feel right at home. — JC
Pastry Chef of the Year — Sébastien Polycarpe
Celebrity chefs may abound, but those laminating puff pastry or kneading dough in the wee hours largely go unnoticed by customers swooning over crispy baguettes, butter-rich croissants, and impeccably decorated fruit tarts. Sébastien Polycarpe is no stranger to both worlds — having worked below decks as assistant executive pastry chef for Caesars Palace, as well as in the spotlight of such luminaries as Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy. A native of southwest France, he spent almost 10 years at Caesars before joining the Wolfgang Puck galaxy of pastry and savory superstars. He doesn’t think of himself as a revolutionary, but with the opening of 1228 Main earlier this year in downtown Las Vegas, he and his pastry team have transformed the Arts District into a mecca for lovers of all things buttered, caked, and baked.
Having someone with Polycarpe’s résumé pushing out world-class pain au chocolat, cheese Danish, and cherry-walnut bread daily is one thing; having him and Puck executive pastry chef Kamel Guechida (a former Pastry Chef of the Year) patrolling the ovens is like having your lemon-olive oil cake and eating it, too. Between them, they’ve raised the pastry bar Downtown, and there’s no going back.
“We couldn’t have done something like this 10 years ago,” he says, “but the local food scene has really changed for the best.” A decade ago, one couldn’t imagine a veteran of the world’s greatest French restaurants rolling out mille-feuille and spackling sumptuous cakes on Main Street, but there Polycarpe is every morning, plying his tradecraft in full view of appreciative, salivating customers, anonymous no more. — JC
Excellence in Service and Management — Barry’s Downtown Prime
Vintage Vegas glamour ranges from wild to whimsical. It’s part of what makes our town special. At Barry’s Downtown Prime, you get both. You can gulp down a madeira poured through a bone marrow luge, or you can toast a marshmallow on a mini flame offered with tableside campfire s’mores. Although the massive space greets the diner with glitzy gold accents and red velvet opulence, the service is unpretentious. From entrance to exit, you’ll feel like a VIP next to some serious VIPs. On any night, you might see an ex-president or a heavyweight fighter, even a recent Stanley Cup champion. And although you might not be an Oscar winner, a manager or even one of the four owners will touch your table at some point, say hello, and hand you a glass of bubbly.
Two of the owners, chef Barry Dakake and Yassine Lyoubi, were a key part of the original Palms’ N9NE Steakhouse, a superstar restaurant that feted the biggest celebrities and most beautiful people of the time. They’ve re-created that “see and be seen” space at their Circa spot, but in this version, the hospitality is also hyperlocal. They get frequent repeat guests and host industry people regularly because they remember you and what you like.
“Our sequence of service is written and followed in a way to anticipate our guests’ every need,” Lyoubi says. “All while making them feel at home.”
The servers and food runners are always scanning the tables, looking for any signal that you may need another pour of wine or another side of their decadent lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. It’s service with a sense of urgency, but not oversolicitous. And that’s the kind of nuance that only seasoned hospitality professionals understand.
There are probably too many steakhouses in Las Vegas, but crave-worthy meat, OG elegance, and a welcoming local vibe only converge at this one. – LBM
New Restaurant of the Year — Naxos Taverna
This strip of desert we call our home may be worlds away from a Greek island on the Aegean Sea, but luckily for us, chef Mark Andelbradt has chosen to dock Naxos Taverna at Red Rock Resort, giving us an ocean’s bounty of fresh seafood and more. The restaurant, set off a bit from the casino floor, has a cool coastal vibe, with soft blue lighting, exposed beams with greenery, and a counter where you can watch all the chef action.
While the interiors are lovely, it’s truly the food that transports you to the Greek isle of your dreams and where Andelbradt was inspired by the simplicity of the cuisine. “It’s your mom’s cooking, it’s your grandmother’s cooking, with ingredients that come locally in their own backyard,” he says. Here, you’ll find that in the presentation of the fish, the freshest catch flown in daily from around the world, simply grilled over charcoal and served with lemon and sea salt or steamed in a salt bake. Undergirding everything is top-quality olive oil, which the chef sources himself from Greece.
Even before you get to that showstopping head-on, bone-in whole-fish presentation, Naxos’ menu is built around the conviviality of the Sunday supper. Everything is made to share, from the dips to the outstanding small plates such as the kataifi-wrapped prawns, charred Spanish octopus, and those irresistible zucchini and eggplant chips. The salads — from beet and fennel to the classic Greek — are a showcase on their own, or as an accompaniment to seafood- and meat-forward mains.
For us desert denizens parched for the coolness of an ocean breeze, Naxos Taverna is a refreshing addition to our culinary scene. Let’s raise a glass of Greek wine or a tsipouro cocktail to that. — GD
Chef of the Year — James Trees
There have been years when this category was hotly contested, but this time it was a no-brainer. No single chef has made a bigger impact on the local dining scene than James Trees. And no one is continuing to push the envelope like Las Vegas’ own prodigal chef, who returned to the fold, after decades of working in the world’s greatest kitchens, to kick-start Downtown’s restaurant revolution. Not content with resting on his laurels after the success of the white-hot Esther’s Kitchen, he has continued to look for additional mountains to climb and, against all odds, conquered multiple challenges in the past few years, setting a new standard for excellence in the process.
Coming on the heels of Esther’s triumph (surviving, even thriving through COVID), many thought Trees foolish for taking his talents to Tivoli Village. But Al Solito Posto single-handedly resuscitated the dining scene in a shopping center previously known more for restaurant roulette than a proper cacio e pepe. Neck and neck with Al Solito Posto’s accomplishments has been the resurgence of Ada’s Food + Wine — mere steps away, and an underrated restaurant in its own right — one oenophiles have taken to like a fat cat to a California cab. If these weren’t enough to keep him busy, Trees’ plate also holds plans to open two new places in the Arts District (one a French bistro, the other concept still on the drawing board, but certain to reset the paradigm for what it means to dine Downtown). And did we mention all of this is taking place as Esther’s gets ready to move into bigger/better digs just a few feet from its current location?
Taken together, you have not only Las Vegas’ busiest but also its most influential chef. Not bad for a kid who started out as a teenager working in the Mirage before heading to the Culinary Institute of America, and then honing his craft under the tutelage of everyone from Heston Blumenthal to Michael Mina. In an industry fraught with failure, Trees stands as a testament to moving through the ranks until you have the chance to do things your way, and then making the most of it. — JC
Restaurant of the Year — Azzurra Cucina Italiana
Windom Kimsey had a pretty straightforward — and eminently relatable — reason for opening Azzurra Cucina Italiana this year at 322 S. Water St. in Henderson. An early adopter of downtown Henderson redevelopment, Kimsey had moved to Water Street and was looking for a place to eat.
And Kimsey knew what he was looking for. As he developed plans for the restaurant, he brought in husband-and-wife team Alessandra Madeira, executive chef, and Walter Ciccone, general manager. They were behind the immensely successful Bratalian, which had been a local favorite on Eastern Avenue in Henderson, and before that the New York legend Rao’s.
“We didn’t start from zero,” Kimsey told Desert Companion a few months ago. “The menu is 90 percent the same as Bratalian. I’m most proud of the food.”
That would include dishes such as Chef Alessandra’s Meatballs, made with veal, beef, pork, basil, and ricotta, topped with marinara sauce and basil oil; squid ink linguine frutti di mare, with clams, shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels in tomato sauce; and pork chop agrodolce, a double-cut frenched pork chop with mild cherry peppers in a white wine sauce.
The interior is charming, with accents of blue and white and whimsical portraits painted by an artist in Italy and depicting Kimsey’s three dogs in Renaissance attire.
Kimsey, who also owns Public Works Coffee Bar on Water Street, had originally conceived the space as a wine bar. But Azzurra has turned out to be the toughest table in the area, with people routinely lining up well before the 4 p.m. opening, Monday through Saturday.
As for Kimsey, he may be just a little biased. “We need more places like this,” he says. — HKR