LAS VEGAS --
Significant changes are in the works at the Mirage Hotel and
Casino. From restaurants to gaming and entertainment, it will be
out with the old and in with the new in a refurbishment process
that will continue through next summer.
Here is whats on
the Mirages multimillion-dollar to-do list:
East
meets West
A trio of new
restaurants will up the culinary ante at Mirage. The first, Fin,
opened Nov. 23 in the space formerly occupied by Renoir, offering
high-end, contemporary Chinese cuisine from Chef Chi Choi and his
Hong Kong-style wok creations.
In December, a
familiar presence in the Mirage properties will open yet another
establishment. The Light Group -- already enjoying major successes
with its Mist club at TI and the Light nightclub, Caramel Bar and
Lounge, and Fix restaurant at Bellagio -- will replace the Mirages
Moongate eatery with a new restaurant, Stack.
The Mirage is
importing Fixs executive chef, Brian Massie, to reprise his role as
executive chef at Stack, so-called because of its high ceilings and
mahogany walls stacked to create a canyon-like setting.
Massie -- known
for adding fun, quirky twists to American classics -- will be
joined by another Fix fixture, Oliver Wharton, who will serve as
director of restaurant operations. The Massie-Wharton team won Fix
plaudits from restaurant reviewers and turned it into a celebrity
magnet.
Next summer, East
will meet West when Chicago restaurateurs Miae Lim and Rick
Wahlstedt bring their acclaimed Japonais to the Mirage, in the area
that previously housed Mikado and the Ava Lounge.
The
8,000-square-foot restaurant, designed by Jeffrey Beers, will
feature a traditional Red Room with formal tables and banquettes;
an L-shaped sushi bar; a lounge designed as a tropical haven; and
an exclusive island for VIP events.
The menu will
feature dishes such as sliced, marinated New York strip steak
presented on a hot rock; osso bucco braised in plum sake sauce with
fried bamboo and grilled plum; and maple- leaf smoked duck with
hoisin sauce, mango chutney and moo shu wraps.
Japonais --
unlike many of its Asian restaurant kin -- will fill its beverage
roster with not only wines and sake but also cognacs, single-malt
scotches, small-batch and blended bourbon and a colorful selection
of liqueurs.
After the
lights go down
While the Mirage
still targets older adults, some of the newer offerings are geared
to attract a younger demographic.
The Mirage will
get its first-ever nightclub when the Light Group checks in again
with Jet, which was scheduled to open in December.
A
15,000-square-foot area will be turned into a multilevel nightclub
with three rooms. Each will have its own dance floor, DJ booth and
sound system, so club-goers can choose from rock/hip-hop/dance,
house music or an eclectic mix.
Meanwhile, Cirque
du Soleil, Apple Corps. and the Mirage are partnering to craft a
live theater production celebrating the legacy of the
Beatles.
The production,
to open next summer, will be Cirque du Soleils fifth show in Las
Vegas, replacing Siegfried & Roy.
Gaming also comes
into the transformation equation with a new high-limit baccarat
lounge with three separate semiprivate gaming areas, private buffet
and dining rooms. This area is open now.
Even the
volcano gets a makeover
By mid-2006, the
Mirages trademark volcano will be bigger, brighter and boomier as
the hotel pumps up the pyrotechnic effects.
Meanwhile,
steakhouse Kokomos will emerge from its heretofore hidden confines
in the jungle into the light of day by the end of the year, with a
new bar lounge overlooking the hotel lobby.
Still, some
things never change -- or at least they wont in this go-round. The
Mirages island theme remains intact, and most of the main public
areas will stay as they are.
To contact
the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to [email protected].