This Just In – HOLSTEIN (another burger bar) Coming to Cosmo
ELV has learned that local restaurateurs Block 16 — the folks behind LBS Burger Joint at the Red Rock Casino are bringing another ground beef concept to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, when it opens on December 15.
Called Holstein, Chef Anthony Meidenbauer promises us the concepts will be new, the ingredients all-natural, ultra-fresh and organic, and in his words, there will be an emphasis “…(on) better burgers and (bringing) a funky, homegrown attitude to The Strip.”
Expect lots of specialty burgers, house-made sausage (something ELV and his staff can really get behind), and riffs on traditional American snacks and appetizers. They tell us there will be a wide variety of shakes (not “fresh (fake) shakes” a la McDonald’s, but the real Magillicuddy), and all toppings, buns and condiments – will be custom crafted in-house. ELV hereby demands they make a decent malt, something sorely lacking in many of these burger and shake shacks, or he will personally throttle uber-food dude and Cosmo President John Unwin (if we can reach his throat – he’s a lot bigger than us).
In other words, it sounds a lot like Burger Bar and BLT Burger, and KGB, but we’re still excited at the prospect of seeing how the local boys stack up to the high bar already set by the competition, especially since the Cosmo is putting forth a murder’s row of prestigious chefs and restaurant brands that won’t truck a cheesy cheeseburger.
As of now the roster includes: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Comme Ça by Los Angeles Chef David Myers; Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis; Spanish tapas restaurant Jaleo and China Poblano (Chinese/Mexican(?) by José Andrés; Scarpetta and a winebar D.O.C.G. by Chef Scott Conant; and STK, a “sultry” (puh-leeeze…) steakhouse from The One Group and Chef Todd Miller.
We at ELV (like many in our food and wine industry) desperately wants Cosmo to be a game changer — like Bellagio, MGM, Caesars and Wynn before it — elevating everyone’s game whilst simultaneously stimulating the world’s appetite to come to the High Mojave and take a bite out of our humble burg.
We shall see and time will tell.
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
August 11th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
I’m looking forward to the restaurants coming to the Cosmo. I’ve had an ill feeling since the departures of Chefs Burke, Bouloud, and Trotter, and I’m hoping this might reverse that trend, though that probably depends on the economy more than anything.
That said, Jose Andres is the only one that I’m really familiar with, but I enjoy his TV appearnces, whether on ICA or “60 Minutes”, and the Bazaar was a must-visit last time I was in L.A., and I was quite impressed.
Now, excuse me while I pray that Masaharu Morimoto to set up shop here.
August 12th, 2010 at 7:45 am
As much as we love seeing options added on the local scene, is there any way to not file Cosmopolitan in the “What in the Hell are they thinking?” file. From last week’s news – “MGM Resorts International’s CityCenter, which was built at a cost of $8.5 billion, now has an equity value of $2.65 billion, company officials said Tuesday … MGM Resorts Chief Financial Officer Dan D’Arrigo said the equity value of CityCenter was $2.65 billion, down from October’s equity value of $4.88 billion.”
Here is the fear, from a knife and fork standpoint. We have far more high end tables than can be supported already on the Strip. One of our favorite past-times in recent years has been to take a stroll through the Venetian/Palazzo complex looking at the specials boards before making a choice for the evening. When we do that now we can not help but get a cold shiver from the number of empty tables. CityCenter is even worse. Las Vegas got quite a deal of fanfare from so many talented chefs having at least a footprint here over the past decade-plus, but when a series of dining establishments are being added in a market that can not support what is already here, do entirely different images get sent out? Will the inevitable failures begin to become “news” in a way that casts a dark cloud? Is there a genuine risk of this being a game changer in the wrong direction?
It goes beyond what is on the plate before us, but in how that plate is brought to the table. One of the genuine weaknesses of the Las Vegas high-end scene has been service, because we simply do not have a population base to match the number of restaurants in play (similar to a lot of resort areas). As such some excellent work by the kitchens loses a few points because the front of the house is Applebees/T.G.I.Fridays (not meaning to offend, but those examples were handy). The number of good servers that we know that have left over the past two years is disquieting, but easy to understand – the numbers were no longer adding up for them. So now a whole series of new restaurants gets added at a time when the population in the Las Vegas valley is declining, taking the ratio’s even more out of sync.
So we obviously hope for the best. Any kind of presence from Jose Andres is welcome. Getting Scarpetta in play is a nice plot twist, after the failed Fountainbleau project seemingly ended those wishes. But gosh this is excruciatingly awkward timing for all of these places to open.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:03 am
I am looking forward to Scarpetta. Jay: google “scarpetta pasta recipie” and check it out.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:23 am
ELV, you just tell me how you want your malt and I will make sure it is on the menu!! ‘The ELV Malt’ ????
August 12th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
This place better be better than LBS Burger at the Red Rock Casino…that place is not very good.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
So, basically a burger will cost a fortune. LBS. at Red Rock is doing poorly. Casinos should be high class. Get rid of the foodcourts. All you see are the lowlifes eating there!
August 12th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
LBS is run by nice guys, but most of their stuff doesn’t rate with the absolute best in town. KGB beats them handily, as does Serendipity 3 (yes!) and several others in the category/price range. I actually sent a Yelper looking to improve on LBS to Smashburger, and he preferred the latter enthusiastically.
Handcrafted shakes really aren’t that hard to find, even on the Strip these days. In fact, in the cases of StripBurger and BLT, both of them make better shakes than burgers. Top Notch! God help me, I know too much about this…
Oh and JC, I had a swell malted at Smashburger not long ago.
Lots of good burgers on the Strip now, several excellent ones, but you still can’t get that old school super smoky steakburger…as far as I know.
August 12th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Wow another trendy overpriced burger joint on the strip that won’t be half as good as Tiffany’s diner and cost twice as much.
Milos has the best chance at making a killing at Cosmo because incredibly, it is the ONLY Greek food on the strip.
August 13th, 2010 at 3:10 am
LBS isnt good at all and now they have another restaurant to serve below average burgers. If you are a restaurant and all you do is 1 thing then it better be great…these guys are not.
August 14th, 2010 at 9:08 am
LBS is ok, but neither good or great. Hopefully their place at Cosmo will be better, but I really doubt it. Instead of going for high-end/celeb chef backed restaurants I think in this economy that people would respond well to Sam Fox styled restaurants like North, Olive & Ivy, and Greenhouse. They do great food for reasonable prices. Bianco is another who can’t seem to miss. I can’t go to Pheonix anymore without heading to Pane Bianco and getting their sopresetta, roasted red pepper and aged provolone sandwich.. Amazing!! The times are changing, Vegas is evolving, but I’m not sure if anyone on the strip got the memo; they still think it’s 2005.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Excellent …. another shitty burger joint to add to the collection
November 14th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
who in the hell does Quincy think he is…. what a prick. Its his negative thinking that keeps in the recession we are in… Maybe you get horrible service because you suck at life and nobody likes you.
December 6th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
These guys are way off track. they have an opinopn on something no one has tried because its not open yet. what smucks! they think their vegas opinions rank with nyc standards. Most are probably out of work, welfare bums, that think mcdonalds is high end. they rave on the City Mission soup kitchen! you guys get off line and get a job!