Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Simon off to smashing start at Hard Rock

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or [email protected].

The opening of Chef Kerry Simon's new restaurant, Simon Kitchen & Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, was a kick. Lavish buffets featured most of the menu items. Simon has a lovely view of the pool and beach area from both the patio and dining room. The buffet tables faced both.

And though the stream of guests was constant, the food continued to appear as if by magic.

The source of the magic was the battery of chefs cooking nonstop at the open kitchen where we could all watch. In the kitchen with Kerry were Chefs Josh Tomsen and Kim Canteenwalla and the line chefs. Simon's partner, Elizabeth Blau, and General Manager Michael McGraw (formerly with Chinois) were overseeing the front of the house.

This team of experts made it all look easy. For the guests it was easy. They filled their plates at the lavish raw and cooked seafood table overflowing with tasty denizens of the deep -- freshly shucked oysters and clams, lobster, Alaskan king crab legs and more. It was a splendid display.

Among the many dishes I tasted were wonderful crab cakes with Asian papaya slaw; crispy calamari with a spicy tomato sauce; chilled and grilled shrimp cocktail (a winning combination); a super mac and cheese; roasted sea bass with quinoa, pine nuts and currants; and lamb chops so tender and beautiful they were devoured in minutes.

Pastry Chef Justin Nilson adds a delectable touch of whimsy to his homespun desserts. Twice-baked banana bread is an inspiration with tempura bananas, brown sugar ice cream and rum caramel sauce. Don't miss the luscious brown butter lemon tart with glazed red currants and lemon ice milk.

I was in the pastry kitchen one day when the seldom-seen fresh red currants arrived. Justin wasn't going to settle for canned or frozen currants. He wanted only the real thing.

Order cookies and milk and the cookies will arrive warm from the oven with the chocolate bits still soft and gooey. Or have a mountain of cotton candy, made in the kitchen on the cotton-candy machine. Simon's diners love this sticky stuff. All desserts cost $8.

Appetizers and salads are priced from $9. The two pizzas -- buffalo mozzarella with vine-ripened tomato sauce ($12) or sushi grade ahi tuna with julienned carrots and wasabi ($15) -- are terrific. Two pastas -- penne with rock shrimp, artichokes, asparagus and pesto ($20) and pappardelle, wide pasta ribbons with a ragout of veal and chicken ($18) -- can be shared.

Included among the entrees ($18 to $36) are tandoori salmon, Maine lobster with a lobster stuffing, meatloaf served with garlic mashed potatoes, spit-roasted organic chicken with Tuscan fries and New York strip steak with wilted pea shoots.

Simon Kitchen is a delicious, new casual-dining option.

The bar opens at 5:30 p.m.; the dining room at 6 p.m. The full menu is offered at the bar. Wine and food service is excellent.

Open just a few weeks, Simon Kitchen is already a local hangout.

Fashion Show openings

Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's Home store offered more than fashions and furniture at their pre-opening events. Some of our town's leading caterers were hired to wow guests at each party.

Bellagio's culinary team was out in full force at Nordstrom. Executive Chef Grant McPherson joined with the catering department to present a beautiful array of foods on two floors. Desserts were on the third floor. Bellagio's award-winning pastry chef, Jean-Philippe Maury, featured a glorious display of petits fours, cookies and tarts. Central to the display was a towering faux layer cake surrounded with tiny shoe-shaped petits fours.

There were more desserts throughout the floor.

I stopped by the Nordstrom Cafe just to check it out. It wasn't open, but a charming young woman took me through and described the menu. It's a comfortable, attractive place with a moderately priced menu. Featured are soups and salads, sandwiches, including the Italian panini, pastas and pizzas and a few entrees.

Kids have their own section on the carte. All kids meals ($3.95 to $4.50) include a choice of beverage in a complimentary Nordstrom kids cup and a place mat for coloring.

Saks Fifth Avenue's pre-opening party was a friendly affair catered by Spago. Tables were set close by the many food stations throughout the store. Guests shopped, sat and dined and shopped some more.

One Spago station featured potatoes of every description. Of course, the famous Spago pizzas, including the smoked salmon with creme fraiche were offered. Spago corporate chef and partner David Robins was on the scene and so was Spago properties managing partner Tom Kaplan. The variety of foods was wonderful.

Spago corporate pastry chef Christophe Itthuritz was kept busy refilling the platters of small cakes, cookies and tarts. A coffee station was grinding beans and brewing whipped cream-topped concoctions almost as fast as they were snatched up.

Bloomingdale's Home store invited guests for breakfast and shopping. Catering by Wild Sage was so delicious guests returned after shopping for more. I missed this one, but friends raved about it. After a week of daily events I was hard pressed for time, but I did attend a smashing lunch sponsored by Bloomingdale's at the Stirling Club (more about this later).

So much excitement has been generated by this first phase opening of the Fashion Show mall, and there's much more to come.

Nov. 14 is the date set for a rare event at Marcel Taylor's Ruth's Chris Steak House at 3900 Paradise Road. A classic Louisiana-style dinner will be prepared by noted Louisiana Chef John Folse, owner of LaFitte's Landing restaurant.

Taylor was a close friend of Ruth Fertel, founder of the the Ruth's Chris chain; Folse was her favorite Louisiana chef.

"This dinner will honor her memory and benefit her foundation for culinary and cultural heritage," said Taylor, who's hoping to make this an annual event.

Dinner will include one of Folse's most famous creations, "Death by Gumbo," a most intriguing dish. Wine pairings have been chosen by the experts at Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada.

Tickets are priced at $300 per person. Included are a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:15. Space is limited. For reservations or additional information call 791-7011.

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