Buzzy, art-laden Italian restaurant to pop up in Las Vegas
Sofia, the buzzy Toronto and Miami restaurant where modern Italian food meets art-intensive design, is bringing the buzz to town as it pops up in November at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the restaurant said in a Tuesday announcement.
In Vegas, Sofia will exhibit art in collaboration with Tagliatella Galleries, which specializes in modern and contemporary art from its New York City flagship and spaces in Toronto, Paris and Palm Beach, Florida. Russell Young, known for his large-format screenprints and other images exploring celebrity, will be among the artists exhibited.
The pop-up, taking place Nov. 11 through 22 in the former Olives at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, is timed to align with the Kiss Kruise: Land-Locked in Las Vegas fan weekend running Nov. 14 through 16 at the property and with the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix set for Nov. 20 through 22.
On the menu
Corporate executive chef Patrick Ochs and Sofia Miami executive chef Abel Vuelens are leading the culinary program. They’re creating a menu, still being written, that brings together Sofia standards with dishes fashioned only for Vegas.
Six dishes we know now: carpaccio di Manzo wagyu sirloin with fig and pine nuts, bucatini cacio e pepe with telicherry peppers and truffles, a snarl of nero di seppia (cuttlefish ink) spaghetti with Maine lobster, more Maine lobster with scallion aïoli and blood orange, Ora King salmon with lemon beurre blanc and maitake mushrooms, and whole branzino served with dill oil and roasted yellow tomato or olive oil, lemon and capers.
A cocktail and wine program, including vintage labels, rounds out the food and drink offerings.
‘An exciting milestone’
“Las Vegas has always represented the pinnacle of dining and entertainment, and bringing Sofia here is an exciting milestone for us as founders of INK Entertainment,” said Charles Khabouth, its CEO, and Danny Soberano, its president. “Our vision has always been to create experiences that seamlessly blend cuisine, design, and culture, and this pop-up allows us to showcase Sofia’s spirit on one of the world’s most dynamic stages.”
Besides Sofia, the INK portfolio encompasses more than a dozen restaurant brands across Canada and South Florida. The pop-up will be open daily from 5 to 11 p.m. starting Nov. 11, excluding Nov. 17 and 18, when the restaurant will be dark. Reservations: sevenrooms.com/reservations/vilvsofia.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.