Fontainebleau Las Vegas It will open in December 2023 on a 25-acre site at the north end of the Strip, and it wants to be nothing less than a dining juggernaut. The massive 67-story, 3,644-room hotel and casino will feature 36 food and beverage concepts, all new to Vegas. Several high-profile chefs are set to make their Las Vegas debut, including international stars Gabriela Camara and Alan Yao, as well as… Los Angeles Pasta King Ivan Funke.
Cámara will open Contramar Cantina, a sister restaurant to beloved Mexico City seafood restaurant Contramar. The prolific Yao, who founded Wagamama and Hakkasan, will continue to put his stamp on modern Asian food at two restaurants in Fontainebleau; Chyna Club (a Chinese place with a busy atmosphere) and Washing Potato (an “eccentric” dim sum-focused restaurant). Funke will unveil a Vegas location for Mother Wolf, his famous Hollywood celebrity-studded Roman restaurant. Other notable Fontainebleau restaurants include David Grutman’s Papi Steak and Komodo, Masa Ito and Kevin Kim’s Ito Omakase. Josh Capon will open Capon’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the first expansion of the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach brand, was initially conceived in 2004 and brought to life when developer Jeffrey Soffer reacquired the property in 2021.
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The Observer spoke to Cámara and Funke about their plans for Fontainebleau, and it’s clear that Vegas aims to give top-tier chefs a chance to expand their repertoire in a large, premium environment.
In Mexico City, Contramar focuses on seafood (including its signature red and green snapper) and vegetables, and doesn’t serve meat. And in Las Vegas, Contramar Cantina will serve meat taco options alongside raw seafood and gourmet dishes that may include caviar-topped soups.
“We worked to source a wide variety of ingredients from the ocean on the West Coast,” Kamara told the Observer. “And we’re very happy with what we’ve found as well in terms of meat, poultry and pork options, and we’ve just expanded the menu a little bit so that it has something for everyone. I think we’ll make it more appealing to larger crowds and to families that have people who don’t necessarily like to eat just fish. And with the term cantina, I want to Adding a more relaxing environment.”
You can expect Tequila-fueled evenings At the Contramar Cantina, where Cámara has partnered with Casa Dragones founder Bertha González Nieves. Camara finds Mexico full of celebrations every day, so the Las Vegas vibe suits her perfectly.
“What I want to do is celebrate Mexican culture, Mexican food, Mexican ingredients, and the Mexican way of eating,” Camara said. “One of the great things about Contramar is that we have a lively atmosphere. It’s loud, crowded and full of people who want a great meal, but also want to have a good time and great drinks. I think Vegas is the perfect environment to replicate that aspect of Contramar.”
Meanwhile, Funke sees similarities between Vegas and the original Mother Wolf in Hollywood.
“Vegas is obviously an extravagant, big, luxurious city and people come to party, but I don’t think that’s too much of an extension of what we’re already doing in L.A.,” Funke told the Observer. “When we opened Mother Wolf in Los Angeles, we provided a big, luxurious, luxurious, luxurious place for people to have a really good time, and we really hit the mark. So, in a sense, I think Mother Wolf was always built for Vegas because of its prestige and grandeur.”
But Mother Wolf isn’t just about extravagance.
“I want to make sure the restaurant we open is accessible to local customers, not just casino patrons, convention goers and gamers,” Funke said. “I really want this to be a neighborhood restaurant, just like in L.A. So, will there be caviar? Absolutely. Will there be lobster and big steaks? Absolutely. But for the most part, I think ‘Mother Wolf’ as a concept And the spirit and atmosphere plays very well in Vegas.
As always, Funke will focus on Romanian food and will have a dedicated area for making pasta. As at Mother Wolf in Hollywood, it will serve the four famous Roman pasta dishes (Cacio e Pepe, Amatriciana, Carbonara and Alla Gricia) and also serve pizza and focaccia.
“Mother Wolf is a very Roman restaurant,” Funke said. “Our goal is to make every night the most authentic version as possible, the most respectful version, of the Roman dining experience, minus the bacchanalia, the lying down, the vomiting, etc. The consistency, the almost dogmatic approach to Roman cuisine, speaks to the consistency you need in restaurants.
Funke will use flour and cheese from Italy, but he also clearly understands that the soul of Italian food is cooked using what’s nearby, so he created a network of vendors who can supply his Las Vegas restaurant with the same vegetables he uses in Los Angeles.
“And like I said, there will be caviar, which is not Roman, but Vegas,” Funke said. “It will be presented in a tasteful way, making sure we have a firm foundation of tradition, but also not allowing tradition to get in the way of respectful progress.”
For Funke and the other chefs at Fontainebleau, opening in Vegas is about amplifying what they already do well. If you’re already known for being big and great, it makes perfect sense to come to Las Vegas and go somewhere bigger and greater.
