Lisa Vanderpump’s 3rd Strip restaurant a stylish art deco expanse — PHOTOS
Va-va-va-Vanderpump!
An image of Lisa Vanderpump riding side saddle on a giant pink flamingo, clad in a fringed and spangly purple cocktail frock, a cluster of feathers in her hair, a martini held aloft, with Puffy her Pomeranian in a tux at her side, hangs just beyond the glass-walled conservatory entrance to Pinky’s by Vanderpump, which opened Friday in the Flamingo.
Pinky’s, after the nickname of the restaurateur and reality TV star, is Vanderpump’s third restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip (and, with Wolf by Vanderpump at Lake Tahoe, her fourth spot with Caesars Entertainment).
The flirty flamingo image — “It is a nod to a pinup,” she acknowledged — joins a flock of flamingos elsewhere at Pinky’s: the restaurant logo, two lush images of the birds sporting flower-strewn top hats, a statue in the conservatory overlooking the Strip, beneath tasseled pink lampshades on the front bar, atop long cocktail skewers, and floating solo (careful — don’t swallow!) in the inventive sips for which Vanderpump is known.
The profusion of pink flamingos at Pinky’s adds whimsy to the elegance of the emerald green and gold space (with touches of the tropics) that feels like Emerald City meets art deco meets Miami supper club. Vanderpump and Nick Alain, her partner in the home line Vanderpump Alain, designed the restaurant.
Besides riding a flamingo, Vanderpump reclines on a satin couch set with brocade pillows in another image near the entrance. She wears a black evening gown. Puffy wears a bedazzled onesie. Both gaze toward the viewer. Are you coming in?
A twist on American classics
The night before opening, Vanderpump threw a party at Pinky’s to celebrate the launch. She had recently broken her foot, but she still gamely hoisted herself onto glittering silver open-toe shoes with an ankle strap and a high chunky heel.
The next day at a lunch to introduce some dishes and cocktails, Vanderpump wore sleek black boots — lower-heeled than the evening shoes but still substantially elevated. (When you have owned more than 30 restaurants, you learn the menu must go on.)
Vanderpump described the food as “very visual, and a playful take on American classics.”
In keeping with this approach, deviled eggs touched down. They were hollowed, plated upright (not in halves), and dabbed with lobster, caviar, blue cheese and bacon, and other toppings. Shrimp cocktail, an homage to a Vegas icon, arrived in a flurry of smoke, with kicky-spicy cocktail sauce. An open-face birdcage enrobed charcuterie selections.
A burger and fries? They were rendered as wagyu sliders and dill tots. Baked Alaska, found at every Vegas dinner house back in the day, is reimagined with layers of Neapolitan semifreddo.
Cotton candy and caviar
The Vanderpump restaurants in Vegas are known for their swanky cocktails, a draw in themselves. At Pinky’s, the Daddy Issues offers a Freudian sip, a white peach French 75 crowned by a fluff(y) of cotton candy. Flip the Bird, a green goddess margarita, is presented in a small golden birdcage. The icy Pump & Bump martini features a pearl spoon mounded with caviar set across the glass.
Pinky’s encompasses almost 7,000 square feet, with a 32-seat bar, a statue of a woman spinning amid crystal strands between back and front bar, and capacious booths enclosed by art deco trellises among the almost 200 seats in the dining areas.
Pinky’s is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Visit caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas for details.
Vanderpump said she was working on another Vegas project but didn’t provide details. What will she and Puffy ride next?
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
