For the hospitality heavyweights who build empires on power lists, Michelin stars and moody lighting, Formula 1 week isn’t just an event—it’s an arms race. Simon Kim, the mastermind behind Cote, understood the assignment. On Friday night, he was perched on the Venetian’s VIP viewing platform, flanked by a curated cast of the effortlessly influential: tennis ace Reilly Opelka, model Soo Joo Park, and Michelin-minted luminaries like Tetsuya Wakuda. Naturally, Kim was holding court with the kind of charm that pairs well with A5 truffle sandos.
“I’m actually from Vegas,” Kim told the crowd after Venetian CEO Patrick Nichols introduced him. “Vegas is imprinted in my DNA.” For Kim, DNA apparently tastes like galbi jjim and caviar-topped tartare, both in chef David Shim’s heavy rotation as F1 cars screamed down the Strip below. But this wasn’t just a party. It was the soft launch of Cote Las Vegas, the next installment of Kim’s Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse empire, destined to land in 2025 like a perfectly seared wagyu filet. Cote, which opened in Singapore this past January, also had a strong presence at 2024’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Never one to shy from spectacle, Kim isn’t alone in his culinary conquest. The Venetian is rolling out a high-stakes dining overhaul, roping in crowd favorites like Scarr’s Pizza and Howlin’ Ray’s. Across town, the who’s who of hospitality were busy monetizing indulgence.
Liwei Liao, the dry-aged fish czar who’s brought branzino to the Strip’s most exclusive tables, was crafting over-the-top temaki at Resorts World and Zouk Group’s Ayu Dayclub “Indulge” food festival. On Saturday (about 12 hours before Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver George Russell cruised to victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix), Liao and his Joint Seafood/Uoichiba team showcased Ōra King salmon while Erewhon—the wellness-minded cult favorite L.A. grocery store/smoothie-slinger—chimed in with juice for those who think cold-pressed kale makes up for midnight champagne. The event was also a celebration for inKind co-founders Johann Moonesinghe and Andrew Harris, who have now funded nearly 3,000 restaurants—including all of the dining brands at Ayu, on Saturday—and were the presenting sponsors of the food festival.
My events firm, Industry Only, curated the festival’s chef-studded lineup. Michelin-starred Camphor mingled with buzzed-about upstarts like Holy Basil (run by 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chef Deau Arpapornnopparat), Bites & Bashes and Chimmelier, feeding Vegas’ endless appetite for edible exclusivity. All of this, of course, was lubricated by Dorasti caviar bumps and Big Noise beer—a pairing that screams “only in Vegas.” The 700-plus guests at the event included many chefs, entertainers and deal-makers. Yellowtail’s Akira Back, Momofuku’s Jude Parra-Sickels, Playback Prodigy’s Jonathan Shecter, Bowery Engine’s Shu Chowdhury, Resy’s Aaron Ginsberg, 50 Eggs Hospitality Group’s John Kunkel, DJ Spider, Resorts World CMO Ronn Nicolli, New York Giants’ Darren Waller and Sushi By Scratch’s Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee all made the rounds. By the afternoon’s end, Liao’s team had churned out 1,100 hand rolls.
Indulge was a quick break for Parra-Sickels, who was busy rolling out a Momofuku brunch menu over at the Cosmopolitan. Think kimchi waffles under fried chicken and Bennie buns with Benton’s country ham—proof that nothing is safe from Vegas’ need to elevate everything into a pageant. Parra-Sickels and Momofuku founder David Chang were also part of the culinary lineup at Bellagio’s Fountain Club, alongside Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Mario Carbone, Bricia Lopez, Back and many others. On top of all that, Chang headlined a Chase Sapphire event at Aria, reminding everyone that Vegas is where chefs come to print money.
By Sunday morning, the cars had stopped, but Kim wasn’t slowing down. As he strolled through the Venetian, he gave Observer an exclusive tour of the soon-to-be Cote Las Vegas, a cavernous space that will be complete with karaoke rooms and 300 seats. The most clubby Michelin-starred restaurant on the planet? Sure, why not?
“This is a real fucking homecoming,” Kim tells Observer. Of course, in Vegas, a homecoming looks more like a headliner residency—flashy, audacious and just a little exhausting. And if Kim has his way, every week in Vegas will feel like Formula 1, minus the pit stops. “It just makes sense,” he says.
