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Beauty & Essex
Address: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Phone: 702-737-0707
Status: Now open
Hours: Open Monday, Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. ad Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight
Think of a restaurant wrapped in jewels with a pawn shop entrance and you get the idea of what Beauty & Essex is all about. Chef Chris Santos, who sometimes appears on Chopped, helms the kitchen of this 10,000-square-foot restaurant designed by the Rockwell Group that features more than 230 seats for dining, and another 90 seats in the bar and lounge, and pearls, gemstones, vintage jewelry boxes, antique and heirloom pieces decorating the space.
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Beauty & Essex. Photo: Bradley Martin
Get inside through a "gritty" pawn shop-inspired space before entering the Pearl Lounge with a custom chandelier made from thousands of draped pearls hanging from ceiling and down the walls to tufted purple banquettes.
You’re not inside yet. Next comes the Mirror Bar, where a deejay will spin from a gold deejay booth. Another passage through a corridor with a 40-foot-long screened wall made of framed vintage lockets takes guests to three ornate dining rooms with metallic and jewel-toned hues and "glamorous" lighting.
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Tuna poke wonton tacos
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Tomato tartare
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Spaghettini
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Grilled cheese, smoked bacon and tomato soup dumplings
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Emerald gimlet
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Beauty Elixir
Santos plans to serve some of his New York dishes along with new items only found in Las Vegas. Look for tuna poke wonton tacos, Thai-style crispy shrimp and tomato tartare from New York as well as new dishes such as roasted bone marrow and oven-braised chicken meatballs, all meant to share.
Santos also plans to serve dishes from his first New York restaurant, including French onion soup dumplings. Pastas, prime dry-aged meats, burgers and desserts round out the menu.
On the drinks menu, expect to imbibe on the Emerald Gimlet and Beauty Elixir as well as an extensive wine list.
Also on the agenda, brunch, starting in late summer.
Beauty & Essex also plans to open in Los Angeles later this year.
Tao Group already has Tao at the Venetian with its nightclub and Asian bistro, Lavo with its casino club and restaurant at the Palazzo, and Marquee at Cosmopolitan.
