Well, I guess it's going to open after all.For the first time in its tortured history, the $4 billion Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has some actual news of the kind that suggests there will, at long last, someday be tourists to be served in the place. It's that sinuous grey-black building wedged between CityCenter and Bellagio, in case you didn't know, and it's presently slated to open later this year. It's got 3,000 lodging units but it's unclear whether there will be a condo component anymore, as originally planned. (The resort's website refers to "hotel and condo-style accommodations.")
All that may be unclear, but I've got for y'all this morning a list of restaurants expected to take up residence at Cosmo:
* Scarpetta, an Italian place from chef Scott Conant, which was supposed to go into the bankrupt and stalled-out Fontainebleau up the street. This is clearly Cosmo's crown jewel as the New York version of Scarpetta got three stars from the New York Times and New York magazine, was named by Esquire as one of the best new restaurants in America in 2008. There's also one in Miami at the Fontainebleau there. Conant also is doing an as-yet unnamed wine bar at Cosmo.
* Blue Ribbon from Bruce & Eric Bromberg. It's hard to tell what the menu will be because the Brombergs own eight locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including two sushi places and two brasseries.
* Comme Ca, a French brasserie (so Blue Ribbon will be sushi?) from chef David Myers, left, who has one in Los Angeles, too.* Estiatorio Milos, a fish place with Greek influences from Costas Spiliadis, who has a place of the same name in New York, Montreal and Athens.
* STK, the requisite steakhouse, from the hospitality firm The One Group, which has STKs in New York, LA and Miami as well. [Note, The One Group's site also lists a restaurant called Yi for Vegas and something undefined called SHH!!. It's unclear if "SHH!!" is just a placeholder or an actual name of something. Those venues, whatever they are, are not to occupy Cosmo, I'm told.]
I'm impressed for one simple reason: They're all new to market. CityCenter has presented a terrific array of restaurants, but only a couple were from chefs who weren't already at Bellagio or aren't called Wolfgang Puck. That said, it also does not sound like the Wynn model of getting great chefs to move to Vegas and work full-time is being followed, but with sparse exceptions Wynn's the only one who's ever really been able to pull that off so I guess that's not fair.
So there you have it. There will be more and there will be a buffet as well. A good start.
