Former Glutton chef opens Hard Rock Oyster Bar

The Hard Rock Hotel has opened its eagerly anticipated Oyster Bar in the HRH Tower. The 16-seat spot soft-opened on Sunday and has been quietly operating all week.

The big news for fans of the downtown dining scene is that Bradley Manchester, the founder and chef of the now-closed Glutton, is serving as executive chef.

The restaurant, adjacent to the high-limit gaming Dragon Salon, will offer a rotating selection of three East Coast and three West Coast oysters. When it comes to cooked dishes, Manchester says he’s mixing the old and the new.

“I wanted to keep true with what an oyster bar is,” the chef explains. “But I also wanted to jazz it up a little bit and put that Hard Rock cool twist on it.”

“We have pan roasts,” he continues, running down some menu highlights. “We have gumbos. We have a really cool classic San Francisco-style cioppino. But we’re also doing things that are, hopefully, a little different and can attract some different people here, such as our yellow Thai curried coconut seafood stew and fresh ahi tuna tacos.”

Pasta for dishes such as shrimp scampi and linguine with clam sauce is being made in-house.

Manchester assures his fans, however, that his commitment to The Hard Rock does not mean he’s given up plans to open restaurants of his own on West Sahara Avenue and in Centennial Hills.

“I’m still working on them,” he explains. “It’s all a timing thing.”

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.