It is now time — drumroll, please — to announce the winners of the 2016 Eater Awards in Las Vegas. These winners comprise a diverse group of the finest and most interesting chefs, restaurants and bars in the city. They’ve defined this year in dining, and we applaud them.
First, a quick recap: Eater’s local editors in 23 cities nominated candidates for five major categories: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Bar of the Year, Off-Strip Restaurant and Prettiest Restaurant. These awards are geared toward places that have opened in about the past year, or people who have become involved in new ventures or otherwise changed the game in that time, which is why many renowned veterans don’t appear.
Eater readers then voted on winners, while Eater editors made their own choices. The national winners can be viewed here, but now, without further ado, here's who came out on top in Las Vegas. For winners across the Eater universe, head here.
Chef of the Year: Daniel Krohmer, Other Mama
Since opening in April 2015, Daniel Krohmer's Other Mama has become the off-Strip darling of Las Vegas. But the restaurant really hit its stride in 2016. GQ profiled Other Mama in August, calling it "one of the best restaurants you’ll find anywhere in America." In November, Krohmer introduced a seven-course meal, with a menu that will change monthly, available every Friday and Saturday evening in limited numbers. The tasting menu features a rotating selection of uncommon and sustainable products for adventurous Las Vegas diners discovered in his travels to Japan, for $75 per person. Read more about Daniel Krohmer here.
Chef of the Year Readers’ Choice Winner: Roy Ellamar of Harvest at the Bellagio
Restaurant of the Year: Costa di Mare
It's never easy to take over a beloved restaurant from a legend, but Mark LoRusso did just that when he converted Paul Bartolotta's restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas into Costa di Mare last year. One year later, he's introduced a wide range of uncommon seafood options off the coast of Italy to diners, as well as new pastas and even a cordials cart. Read more about Costa di Mare here.
Restaurant of the Year Readers’ Choice: Beauty & Essex at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Design of the Year: Libertine Social
Design of the Year Readers’ Choice Winner: Beauty & Essex at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Off-Strip Restaurant of the Year: Yui Edomae Sushi
Off-Strip Restaurant of the Year Readers’ Choice Winner: Other Mama
Bar of the Year: Herbs & Rye
Bar of the Year Readers’ Choice: Libertine Social at Mandalay Bay
Comeback of the Year: Bratalian