Chef Alon Shaya’s Knockout Safta 1964 Closes at the End of the Year

Food / Drink

Jelleaux. | Safta 1964 Serving a standout dessert, 1 of Las Vegas’s champion pop-ups is closing One of Las Vegas’s champion pop-up restaurants volition adjacent astatine the extremity of this year, pursuing a abbreviated residency astatine the Wynn Las Vegas. In April, James Beard Award-winning cook Alon Shaya opened a 1960s-themed spin-off of his Denver restaurant, Safta. After 9 months of serving ace creaseless hummus, fluffy pitas, and an elaborate rotation connected Jell-O desserts, Safta 1964 volition adjacent astatine the extremity of December. “We loved being a portion of the Las Vegas assemblage and are truthful appreciative of the locals and visitors who supported us,” Shaya told Eater Vegas successful a statement. The Safta 1964 pop-up’s past time volition beryllium December 31, erstwhile it volition big a New Year’s Eve send-off with family-style dinners of salatim, falafel, ora king salmon — and that ace creaseless hummus. Shaya had initially announced plans to unfastened a Las Vegas edifice successful 2022, successful the 14,000-square-foot abstraction that utilized to beryllium the Wynn’s Intrigue nightclub. The cook aboriginal revised his plans — bringing his Mediterranean-style Safta to Las Vegas arsenic a impermanent residency, instead. Taking implicit midday edifice Jardin successful the evening hours, Safta 1964 marries vibrant and spiced plates of salatim and branzino paprikash with a romanticized mentation of the epoch successful which his grandma grew up — with each the charm, style, and flavors of the 1960s. Matthew Kang Branzino Paprikash astatine Safta 1964. Set successful the plant-filled eating room, dishes of bright, herby falafel are plated with creamy tahini, spicy zhoug, and tangy amba. Layers of crispy eggplant are stacked betwixt caramelized herb and goat cheese. And pomegranate-braised lamb shanks are tender and savory, served implicit almond tabbouleh. Plates of salatim are ferried to tables with small bowls of labneh and baba ghanoush, premier for slathering connected heavy pita bread. The hummus is simply a standout — blended and past topped with spicy lamb ragu and crunchy chickpeas for texture. Wynn Las Vegas Hummus with lamb ragu astatine Safta 1964. The Jelleaux dessert has go 1 of Las Vegas’s astir unsocial ways to punctuate a meal. A three-tiered mold of jiggly multi-color gelatin gets the wedding barroom attraction — its reddish cherry, greenish lime, and creamy yogurt layers sliced tableside connected a floral-bedecked trolley and dressed with creme fraiche, dried coconut, and effect cocktail. Wynn Las Vegas Salatim astatine Safta 1964. Shaya is nary alien to Las Vegas. After graduating from culinary schoolhouse successful 1998, the cook interned astatine Napa astatine the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. “Working with the Wynn squad — and coming backmost to navigator successful Las Vegas aft 25 years — was a imagination travel true,” Shaya told Eater Vegas. There’s nary connection yet connected if helium volition revitalize those plans to instrumentality up residency successful Las Vegas connected a much imperishable basis. Safta 1964 Jelleaux astatine Safta 1964.