L.A. Chef Ray Garcia, Las Vegas’s Own Nicole Brisson Plan Restaurants at Resorts World

The Californication of Las Vegas continues when Resorts World brings chef Ray Garcia to the resort’s new collection of restaurants opening on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip this summer. Garcia joins Las Vegas’s own chef Nicole Brisson, who is opening two of her own new eateries at the resort.

Garcia, who operated Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria with Mexican American fare, plans to debut ¡Viva! with regional Mexican cuisine. Resorts World calls the project a “collaboration with Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year in 2015, set in a contemporary space with a colorful design. Garcia’s Broken Spanish closed last summer, and Eater LA called it “one of the city’s biggest dining losses as the ongoing coronavirus [pandemic] continues to rip through the industry at large.” Garcia closed B.S. Taqueria in 2019 after a lengthy lease negotiation with the landlord.

Brisson, who was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest in 2020, opens two new outlets at the resort this summer with former Mina Group vice president Jason Rocheleau. Brezza plans to serve coastal Italian fare such as handmade pastas, seafood, Brisson’s “hand-selected heritage breeds,” and Creekstone Farms beef, paired wines from Italy and the Italian digestif amari.

Resorts World

Bar Zazu from Brisson and Rocheleau brings a European café serving hot and cold tapas, cheese and charcuterie, and sweet and savory pastries, along with wines by the glass, bottle, and flights. Beers and cocktails spotlighting different regions of Europe round out the restaurant’s menu.

Brisson previously worked as the executive chef of Locale Italian Kitchen, the restaurant she opened with restaurateur Andy Hooper in June 2019 near Mountain’s Edge. Brisson was one of four local semifinalists for a James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef Southwest in 2020. Before heading up Locale, she worked as Eataly’s executive chef at the Park MGM. The former executive chef at Carnevino at the Palazzo and chef di cucina at Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria at Grand Canal Shoppes helped open Wynn Las Vegas with chefs Steven Kalt and Paul Bartolotta.

Resorts World [Official Site]

The resort also plans to open Genting Palace with Cantonese cuisine, seafood, and dim sum from parent company Genting Group. The restaurant, which originally opened in 1965, specializes in marble goby and braised traditional pork spare rib cutlet.

Resorts World also debuts Kusa Nori, a sushi bar with teppanyaki grills. The Japanese restaurant plans to serve yakitori and teppanyaki dishes and stock a large menu of sake.

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