Francesco Lafranconi has shared some details on the menu of his new ultra-luxury cocktail lounge at the Palms, Mr. Coco. Tentatively set to open Jan. 25, it will feature a spirits collection of over 1,000 bottles, focusing on single-malt whiskeys from around the world and grape-based spirits such as cognac, Armagnac, pisco and grappa. But it will also spotlight a handful of rare super-anejo tequilas. The cocktail offerings will lean heavily on Italian aperitivi. The dining menu, created by former L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon chef Steve Benjamin, will consist of tapas-style dishes including ham and gruyere toast, torchon of foie gras and a caviar cart that will include the bar’s personal label roe, served on Bernardaud china.
Cooking for a cause
Some of Las Vegas’ top chefs will provide the food at the 2019 Knight to Remember benefit for the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation on Jan. 17 at the Pavilions at World Market Center. They include Susan Feniger and Mike Minor (Border Grill), Carlos Buscaglia (Hexx Kitchen + Bar), Geno Bernardo (the Summit Club), Haruhiko Takeshita (Sushi Roku), Jamaal Taherzadeh (Libertine Social), Johnny Church (Golden Entertainment), Josh Crain (Bouchon), Justin Kingsley Hall (The Kitchen at Atomic), Mark Andelbradt and Romain Cornu (Spago) and Stephen Hopcraft (STK), as well as Shane McAnelly of the Bay Area’s Chalkboard and the Brass Rabbit.
Bodega-style market opens
“Hell’s Kitchen” alum Scott Commings will be on hand Thursday for the grand opening of the UrbanEats market inside the Allure condo tower at 200 W. Sahara Ave. The show’s Season 12 winner will serve dishes created with ingredients available at the bodega-style market, starting at 10 a.m. The store, the first of three planned for the valley, will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., followed by a day of giveaways and other special events scheduled to run through 5 p.m.
Vegan pies join the family
Naked City Pizza has added four vegan styles to the menu of its Paradise Road location. The Bee’s Knees (garlic oil, vegan mozzarella, spinach, fennel, mushroom, fennel pollen, radish), Green Italian (red sauce, vegan mozzarella, onion, sweet peppers, vegan sausage), Run It Through the Garden (red sauce, vegan mozzarella, spinach, tomato, onions, artichoke, sweet peppers, green olive) and No Place Like Home (red sauce mixed with vegan mozzarella, vegan sausage, sweet balsamic) were originally developed at the pizza chain’s location at PT’s Pub on Eastern Avenue. Owner Chris Palmeri will be adding them to the menus at all PT’s Pub locations.
And speaking of pizza
Hunrgy Howie’s Flavor Crust Pizza will celebrate Wednesday’s opening of its first local franchise with a special offer. For a limited time, one-topping pizzas will be $6.99, with a portion of all sales during the first week of operation going to a local school to be announced later. Hungry Howie’s Las Vegas is located at 4045 S. Buffalo Road.
Joe Beef chefs in town
Chefs Frederic Morin and David McMillan of the Montreal restaurant Joe Beef will host a tasting dinner on Jan. 23 at Vetri Cucina at the Palms to celebrate their new cookbook, “Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts.” The six-course menu will run from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and includes signature Joe Beef dishes such as chicken “oyster” and morel veloute, microwaved foie gras, and trout “gateau chad” with crayfish sauce and smoked eel carbonara. Tickets are $150 and include a copy of the cookbook. Reserve a spot by calling 702-944-5900 or via OpenTable.
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