You Have One More Week to Visit the Wine Angels at Aureole Before Two ‘Top Chef’ Stars Take Over

Chef Charlie Palmer has landed on a closing date for Aureole, his eye-catching restaurant known for its gravity-defying Wine Angels, inside the Mandalay Bay. On April 13, Aureole will serve its last dinner service before closing for good so that the Voltaggio Brothers can move into the 9,000-square-foot space for a one-year culinary residency.

Mandalay Bay

Chef Charlie Palmer opened Aureole on the Las Vegas Strip in 1999 and will permanently close the restaurant in the coming months to focus on other projects, according to a statement by Mandalay Bay. The “Top Chef” stars and restaurateurs, Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, will introduce a new temporary restaurant in the 9,000-square-foot space called Retro by Voltaggio, in which they plan to take up residency for one year. The brothers plan for Retro to be family-style and high-energy, celebrating the tastes, sounds, and feelings of the ‘80s and ‘90s. “The ‘80s and ‘90s saw unforgettable moments in music, fashion, movies, TV shows, food, and countless trends that swept the nation,” said Michael Voltaggio. “With Retro, we will celebrate that nostalgia in every element of the experience while putting our spin on beloved dishes from the era.”

Mandalay Bay

The brothers plan to put their own takes on familiar snack foods, like pepperoni rolls that incorporate San Marzano marinara, basil, and stracciatella. They’re making chicken pot pie fritters with handmade buttery cracker crust and deviled eggs that come topped with sturgeon caviar. With a focus on dishes that are meant to be shared with the table, their menu will have wagyu beef pot roast with beef fat potatoes and sweet carrots, a smoked fish dip of smoked trout with a side of sea saltines, and Michael and Bryan’s signature “Voltaggi O’s,” a twist on SpaghettiOs, with anellini pasta, tomato gravy, and a giant meatball.

Amelinda B Lee

Retro by Voltaggio will open on May 3 at Mandalay Bay in the Aureole space, which closes on April 14. Retro will be open Monday through Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and reservations can be made by visiting Mandalay Bay online.