Chef James Trees reveals what is replacing the original Esther’s Kitchen
Ada’s Food + Wine always seemed out of place at Tivoli Village, the lovely but bland Italianate scramble near Summerlin. Chef Jackson Stamper’s idiosyncratic food always defied easy description; chief sommelier Kat Thomas, while offering an admirably ecumenical wine list, also paid no heed to bachelorette whites and juice-box reds.
And so it is that Ada’s, part of chef James Trees’ Las Vegas fiefdom, is moving into the space once occupied by his original Esther’s Kitchen on South Casino Boulevard downtown, before Trees and his merry band of culinarians moved around the corner in March 2024 onto South Main Street, to a new 7,000-square-foot, $7 million space.
Trees and team are combining the old Esther’s, at 1130 S. Casino Blvd., Suite 110, and two adjacent suites that previously housed a barbershop and a caviar purveyor, to create a 4,500-square-foot restaurant (plus 925-square-foot terrace), according to city of Las Vegas planning documents.
“It was time to go somewhere there are people walking around,” Trees said of the move by Ada’s, which now lies in a quiet corner of Tivoli Village, down the walk (but a world away) from its sibling, Al Solito Posto.
And downtown tends to attract more adventurous diners and drinkers.
“I always said I opened Al Solito Posto for the neighborhood and Ada’s in spite of the neighborhood,” Trees continued. “We’re excited to put Ada’s in Las Vegas where it belongs.”
New alcohol sales
Ada’s, which debuted in Tivoli Village in summer 2022, is set to open on South Casino Boulevard in December, and its renovation plans include a burnt orange and navy blue color scheme, a new bar area, a wine room, a new prep kitchen and a private dining room.
Along with a customary application for full on-premise alcohol service, Ada’s is applying for permission to sell alcohol for off-premise consumption.
“We have a ton of people over at Esther’s ask to purchase bottles of amaro, and before this, we’ve always had to tell them no,” Trees said.
The chef also cited new residential units planned for the Arts District, with a host of potential customers, and the ability to recommend a sister restaurant next door when Esther’s has long wait times, as two more factors that recommend the Ada’s move.
Neighborhood spot
At one time, Trees had planned to launch a tasting menu restaurant called Vignette in the original Esther’s, but the numbers didn’t make sense, he said.
“The amount of money you have to be willing to lose to establish a tasting menu restaurant — I’m not in a position to lose a million dollars a year on restaurant. I also think in our current economic climate, what we’re doing is a smart thing.”
And a good thing for the neighborhood.
“We think it will mesh with it,” Trees said. “We want the Arts District to continue to grow, so we need strong concepts here.”
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
