INYO (as we knew it) is Out

http://nebula.wsimg.com/7d99267076e8e3fa308e1f8a8be63be5?AccessKeyId=B20557D5B4BB285831F0&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Inyo Asian Variety Restaurant — that nondescript delicious darling of local foodies — has been sold.

The restaurant will transfer to new ownership on the 19th of this month.

This is not a good thing.

Changing owners, especially in Chinatown, rarely signals an upgrade in food or service.

Eating Las Vegas has learned that the sale closed last Friday, and that owner Peter Chen will be leaving town. (sigh)

Several regulars at the restaurant have told us that changes are already afoot….and our prescient, omniscient, error-free, prognosticatory nose tells us that Gregg Fortunato’s ethereal menu of Korean, Chinese, Japanese fusion food is soon to go the way of chop suey and egg foo yung.

‘Tis a pity. The food was exquisite. The beers and sake top drawer, and the service always excellent.

But that’s not enough to make it in this town, apparently.

Expect a new concept…and a new name. (Fortunato has agreed to stay with the restaurant for another 90 days.)

We at ELV are hoping for something upscale and Korean to take its place (since it’s a lead pipe cinch the new owners will be “taking it in a different direction”), and since Korean food seems to be having a moment right now.

All we can hope for is something besides the same old, same old budae jigae.

Hope springs eternal. Just like our eternal sadness at losing an inventive restaurant that never seemed to miss a beat. Only customers.

(Sigh #2.)

4 thoughts on “INYO (as we knew it) is Out

  1. This is truly a sad day for food lovers in Las Vegas. This place was consistently outstanding, and unfortunately, always empty. Maybe if the Vegas blogosphere helped push authentic, locally owned spots like Inyo instead of corporate subpar copycats like *cough* Yusho or downtown nightmares like Chow and our food scene might be in a better state.

  2. ….so…while you are singing the blues you might explain why INYO made your top 50 but Japaneiro didnt..hey DABIX dont look now but 9 of the top 10 of ELV are ALL CORPORATE….LOL….and the corporate hack of all time- mr lagasse wrote the intro…in honor of our next president corporate cronyism is now de rigueur…

  3. Hector – I haven’t seen the list and am too cheap to purchase the book when I can vulture content online for free (Thanks John!). I’m surprised Japaneiro didn’t make the list because a. it’s outstanding and b. EatingLV seems to be as seemingly regular a patron as I am.

    I’m sure I can guess the residents of the Top 10 and in John’s defense the corporate casino ecosystem allows restaurants with fancy foreign sounding names to survive without having to actually make money. It’s a blessing and a curse because it happens to be the exact reason Vegas restaurants get so quickly dismissed on the national radar. Why excel when mediocrity works just fine (see: Serrano, Julian – Lago).

Comments are closed.