ON AND OFF THE STRIP

Giada

Star Power

Explore the cuisine of Vegas’ as-seen-on-TV chefs

Many of us are familiar with watching our favorite chefs and food personalities on TV and then experiencing their cuisine first-hand in Las Vegas. The dynamic restaurant landscape along the Strip has long been a magnetic attraction for celebrity chefs and food media moguls. But this phenomenon has expanded along with the ongoing development of the local dining scene, and now you can catch a different sort of TV chef in various regions of the Vegas valley, always pushing forward with innovative flavors and concepts.

In the Summerlin neighborhood, La Strega (702.722.2099) is not only one of the city’s hottest Italian restaurants, it’s also the home of talented chef Gina Marinelli, who was part of the competitive cast of the first season of The Globe on the Discovery Plus streaming network. Celeb chef Robert Irvine hosts the show that challenges contestants to re-create beloved regional dishes from around the world using authentic ingredients, and Marinelli has been doing that for years with her soulful cooking style. When you visit La Strega, be sure to sample signature

pasta plates like rigatoni with wild boar Bolognese and orecchiette with chilies, truffles and maitake mushrooms.

Another star of the local scene, Jamie Tran is the chef and owner at the Black Sheep (702.954.3998), a southwest area dining room showcasing her imaginative take on Vietnamese and other Asian flavors and ingredients. She just wrapped an impressive run on the 18th season of hit competition show Top Chef, filmed in Portland, Ore. Now Tran is back in Vegas and ready to welcome a new group of curious diners for memorable bites like salmon skin tacos, glass noodles with vegetables and spicy gochujang sauce and whole fried rainbow trout with ginger and rice wine vinegar sauce.

Guy Fieri is a prominent and recognizable force on the Strip with his popular restaurant at The Linq Hotel, but he’s brought his Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives to town for some culinary exploration several times. Veteran chef Sheridan Su blew Fieri away with the deliciously legendary pork belly bao at Fat Choy (702.794.0829), an Asian-American take on the classic ’60s diner experience located in the off-Strip Eureka Casino. Su serves up other dishes locals love at Fat Choy, including chicken teriyaki rice bowls and a kimchi bacon cheeseburger, continuing to build on his reputation as one the city’s top chefs.

Back on the Strip, the iconic duo of Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger established themselves as award-winning restaurateurs before they broke through to the mainstream during the early days of the Food Network with their smash show Too Hot Tamales. It’s always the right time to revisit their cuisine at Border Grill (702.632.7403) at Mandalay Bay. And while Giada De Laurentiis continues to be one of the network’s all-time most popular personalities, you might not know that she began her career as a restaurateur in Las Vegas with Giada (855.442.3271) at The Cromwell. Sample her unique, lighter take on Italian cuisine for dinner or weekend brunch and enjoy unparalleled views of the Strip along the way. –Brock Radke

La Strega

Black Sheep Border Grill