Forte Tapas Lands a New Chef Ahead of 10th Anniversary

WESTSIDE — Tylor Urias took over the kitchen at Forte Tapas. The chef worked at Spencer’s for Steaks & Chops at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Jose and the British Bankers Club in San Mateo, California. The Eastern European restaurant from Nina Manchev celebrates 10 years in Vegas this summer with new dishes from Urias such as pulpo de vino rojo with chickpea panzanella and citrus supremes, manchego fundido, and truffle and root vegetable agnolotti in fennel sauce. Tylor uses a Spanish Josper broiler, one of only a handful in Las Vegas, to cook grilled bistec with patatas bravas; Australian lamb rack with pommes puree; and a roasted catch with winter vegetables. [EaterWire]

Amelinda B Lee

Feb. 14

THE PLAZA — Nicholas Sharpe came on board as the property’s new executive chef, overseeing the resort’s restaurants. The former executive chef at Michael Mina at the Bellagio worked with James Beard Award winners Jeffrey Buben and Fabio Trabocchi in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Sharpe opened Mina’s RN74 in Seattle and Wit & Wisdom and Pabu in Baltimore. At the Plaza, Sharpe plans to redo the menu at the pool’s food truck and bring table-side preparations, diverse cuts of beef, classic seafood options, and traditional side dishes to Oscar’s Steakhouse. [EaterWire]

Downtown Grand [Official Site]

DOWNTOWN GRAND — Triple George Grill brings on Rhori Kow as executive chef. The Atlanta native came to Las Vegas in 2011 to work at Wynn Las Vegas. Most recently, he was the chef de cuisine at Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Former Triple George executive chef Brearley Hernandez was promoted to executive chef of the Downtown Grand, overseeing culinary operations within the hotel. [EaterWire]

DOWNTOWN — Jackson Stamper takes over the Kitchen at Atomic as the new executive chef. For the past five years, he was the executive chef at Employees Only in New York City. He’s worked at Harvey’s Bistro in Orlando; Hoof & Fin, Federal Donuts, and Vintage Bistro in Philadelphia; Quahogs in Stone Harbor, New Jersey; and La Pulperia in New York City. He replaces Justin Kingsley Hall, who departed to open a restaurant with Kim Owens, formerly part of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse chain, in the Arts District, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. [EaterWire/LVRJ]

STRAT — Parent company Golden Entertainment parted ways with corporate executive chef Johnny Church, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The gaming company has no plans to fill the position. [LVRJ]

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