In Las Vegas, Dinner and a Show Gets a New Definition

Seafood trolley astatine Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak | Rey Lopez

Why restaurants are taking unrecorded cooking demonstrations of fiery desserts, costly steaks, and much to the table

In galore ways, tableside work successful Las Vegas restaurants is thing new. For years, the Golden Steer steakhouse has blended ovum yolks and anchovies into Caesar crockery atop roving carts; servers astatine Joël Robuchon person pushed multi-tiered displays of flavored rolls and delicate desserts done its eating rooms. At destinations similar Barry’s Downtown Prime and Wolfgang Puck’s Cut, diners tin expect the aged standby of the Old Fashioned cocktail poured astatine the caput of the array alternatively than tucked distant down a bar.

But successful the past year, Las Vegas restaurants person audaciously stepped up what 1 tin expect from tableside service. By moving the preparations of fiery desserts, costly steaks, and icy shellfish selections to the table, diners tin person an intimate look astatine however nutrient really arrives connected the plate. In existent Vegas fashion, it often involves spectacle: While nary Las Vegas tableside acquisition volition outperform the strobe airy and fog instrumentality bonanza that is vessel service, restaurants are leaning into the inclination — outfitting customized trolleys to rove done eating rooms.

Alon Shaya, the New Orleans-based cook down the Safta 1964 residency wrong Jardin, remembers a tableside work from 2016 astatine the now-closed Regional successful West Palm Beach. “They had a tableside pimento food cart,” says Shaya. “It changed my position connected what could beryllium made tableside, what radical wouldn’t expect.” It led to him processing a gelatin dessert, served with each the pomp of a wedding barroom presentation. “I privation to astonishment radical astatine the table,” says Shaya. “It was the cleanable opportunity.”

Here are 5 standout dishes being prepared tableside successful Las Vegas close present — including much inactive to come.

Jelleaux astatine Safta 1964

The spin-off of Shaya’s New Orleans restaurant, Saba, opened successful February arsenic an homage to the Las Vegas the chef’s grandma whitethorn person driven to successful the 1960s. Dinner features a generous salatim dispersed for diners to take from, arsenic good arsenic larger format plates similar crispy eggplant and pomegranate-braised lamb shank. One dessert enactment takes the signifier of Jelleaux service: Shaya’s reimagined Jell-O gets rolled retired connected a floral cart. Layers of reddish cherry, greenish lime, and creamy yogurt gelatin wobble and wiggle en way to the array earlier getting chopped similar barroom slices and garnished. The determination present is to bid it dressed with whipped cream, toasted coconut, and ambrosia salad.

Safta 1964 Jelleaux astatine Safta 1964.

Tableside Peach Melba astatine Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse

Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, teams up again with Wynn Las Vegas for a steakhouse that opened earlier successful September. The steakhouse custom-ordered carts with antlers for handles conscionable for the juncture — utilized to spectacular effect successful a dessert of peach melba. Peach slices and raspberries woosh nether an unfastened occurrence erstwhile deglazed with brandy, past are poured implicit a somewhat savory mentation of a Yorkshire pudding with popovers, crystal cream, and almond nougatine. “If there’s nary enactment astatine a table, execution tin beryllium determination but it tin inactive consciousness stale,” says David Middleton, the steakhouse’s chef. “Diners are looking for thing engaging.” The edifice besides serves 2 cocktails tableside and plans to ferry $1,000 Tomahawk steaks to the array where, upon arrival, 48 ounces of purebred wagyu volition get hand-sliced and plated with bordelaise condiment and popovers filled with beef tallow and raclette cheese. “It adds different level of hospitality and thing engaging,” Middleton says.

The Beef Case astatine Papi Steak

The Miami clubstaurant debuted on with the Fontainebleau successful December 2023 and has since been slinging dozens of Beef Cases a week. Every clip a 55-ounce Wagyu tomahawk is ordered, the edifice cuts the lights, the DJ turns up the music, and the servers clamor astir the array of the respective orderer for a presentation. The earthy steak, nestled wrong a glittering briefcase is escorted by fog machines and spotlights earlier heading backmost into the room for cooking. “If I bash a small show, radical tin swallow the price,” proprietor David “Papi” Einhorn said erstwhile Papi Steak opened. “I person to merchantability it for $1,000 oregon other I’m losing money.” It whitethorn dependable silly — but it works. Stop successful for meal and witnesser an mean of 20 sold nightly, with the front-of-house unit efficaciously making each recipient consciousness celebrated.

Gelato astatine Caramá

Wolfgang Puck closed his 24-year-old Lupo astatine Mandalay Bay successful precocious 2023, replacing it with Caramá successful February of this year. The Italian edifice slings pizza, pastas, and steak. But a retro-style crystal pick trolley is arsenic worthwhile. The greenish and white-striped trolley is often posted adjacent the beforehand of the restaurant, dispatched to service creamy scoops of nutty pistachio and buttery vanilla crystal pick successful lukewarm and crumbly cones that get made in-house.

Seafood trolleys astatine Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak

In October 2024, cook Michael Mina volition unfastened different Las Vegas restaurant. Bourbon Steak astatine Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas volition incorporated trolley carts to contiguous shellfish, caviar, and cocoa fondue to customers. A play connected the classical Las Vegas seafood tower, turquoise trolleys laden with crystal volition ferry selections of prawns, lobster tails, and oysters to seated diners wherever servers tin physique them customized platters of shellfish with each the preferred accouterments.