VEGAS DINING NEWS: James Beard Awards Names 3 Vegas Finalists, Health Dept. Closes a Bar Inside Spearmint Rhino

When the James Beard Awards, considered the Oscars of the dining world, announced its finalists Wednesday, the Las Vegas Strip was well represented.

Sarah Thompson of the Encore’s Casa Playa and Eleazar Villanueva of the MGM Grand’s Joël Robuchon both made finalist for Best Chef, Southwest, while Cristie Norman, head sommelier of the Wynn’s Delilah, was named a finalist in the national category of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service.

Cut from the list of Beard semifinalists announced in January were Chef DJ Flores of Milpa and Michael Vakneen of Double Zero Pie & Pub.

The winners will announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 16.

In the 2024 James Beards, only Steve Kestler of Aroma Latin American Cocina in Henderson made it to the finals, and he didn’t win.

Health to Pay

A side bar at the Spearmint Rhino, the famous gentleman’s club at 3340 S. Highland Drive, was closed following a routine inspection by the Southern Nevada Health District on March 29.

The bar garnered 3 demerits, including negative marks for “gross unsanitary occurrences or conditions including pest infestation.”

Dining Ins & Outs

Le Café Central is slated to open this spring at 3616 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 101, in Las Vegas’ Chinatown. Offering French and European-inspired dishes — including pastries, breakfast and lunch staples — it follows the co-owners’ establishments in Le Café du Val in Henderson and Le Café du Sud in Las Vegas’ Southern Highlands suburb.

DW Bistro, the Southwest Las Vegas brunch staple known for its Jamaican and New Mexican cuisine, will plate its final meal on Sunday, April 6. DW opened at 6115 S. Fort Apache Road back in 2010, moving to The Gramercy lofts at 9275 W. Russell Road in 2020. It briefly operated a second location at the World Market Center in 2016. No specific reason was cited for the closure.