The Friedmutter Group designed Hachi in Red Rock Resort to look just like one of the fancy-dancy fusion food Strip restaurants that overcharge tourists to a fare thee well. So if you feel comfortable in that milieu (Tao, Sushi Samba et al), you’ll feel right right at home. But if you want better food at lower prices (12 miles due west of The Strip), Chef Linda Rodriguez has got a deal for you.
Rodriguez (along with her chef/husband Martin Swift), is yet another Nobu alum (she opened Nobu in both London and New York) who has broken ranks to seek fame and fortune in the neighborhoods of Vegas (c.f. Hiro Nakano, www.senofjapan.com/). She told Eating Las Vegas that the last thing she wanted in moving here from New York was to work in a giant Strip restaurant. Once Station Casinos convinced her Red Rock was all about locals, she was in. And what she’s done is design food that competes with those gargantuan joints (and blends with Hachi’s uber-hip design), but with a more purist bent and at prices befitting a local’s sensibilities.
Two things that aren’t exactly purist, but that keep locals pouring in are her exotic sushi “rolls” named after drugs rather than sexual escapades. Meaning: you won’t find any “screaming orgasms” here (or perhaps you will after a night of clubbing….), but can score an “8-ball” (soft shell crab, bell pepper, yellowtail avocado and garlic ponzu), or some “LSD” (spicy shrimp and crab, tempura flakes, avocado and ginger mayonnaise).
Even better are 38 items for under $8; ranging from a spicy kabocha coconut soup ($5) to steamed chicken dumplings ($7) to fifteen different sushi and sashimi offerings. In case you were wondering, eight (“hachi”) is a lucky number in Japan…and not just an affordable amount of blow. If you meet Rodriguez (wife, mother, and Las Vegas’s only female executive chef of a major restaurant), you’ll see that the references are just a silly joke. What’s not funny is how seriously good her food is.
HACHI
In the Red Rock Station Hotel and Casino
11011 West Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89135
702.797.7576
I love Hachi! Since moving here and trying many culinary delights (not mentioning the weight I’ve gained) Hachi leads the pack. It was so wonderful while staying at Red Rock for a long weekend we ate there every chance we could. I can’t even say what was my favorite dish but the short ribe cube was amazing. Gotta love it when the saki sommolier stops by to say hello like we’re old friends, as well as the rest of their very friendly and attentive staff!