VEGAS DINING NEWS: Lotus of Siam Leaving Red Rock, Eatery Hosted Viral O.J. Simpson Prank

Lotus of Siam, the James Beard Award-winning Thai restaurant is ending its tenancy at Red Rock Resort in Summerlin on Oct. 29 — along with Greek restaurant Naxos Taverna and the Red Rock Oyster Bar — Station Casinos announced Tuesday (Sept. 1).

The company will take over the Oyster Bar the very next day, keeping its long‑running menu, though what becomes of the other two spaces is still under wraps.

The departure of Lotus caps a turbulent chapter. The Red Rock outpost opened in November 2022 under a new operator, the Bua Group, which was later sued by the Thai restaurant’s founders for trademark infringement, trade-secret theft, and breach of the  license that allowed Bua to run the Red Rock outpost.

It is unclear whether the closure is related to the legal battle, which remains ongoing.

The original Lotus in the Commercial Center reopened May 8, 2026 after closing in June 2021 due to staffing shortages following earlier shutdowns from 2017 storm damage and the pandemic. Lotus opened a second location in December 2017, at 620 E. Flamingo Road, which remains open.

The Juice Got Punk’d

Jing, an upscale restaurant in Downtown Summerlin, was recently revealed to be the site of one of the sickest pranks in Las Vegas history. And its victim was none other than the late O.J. Simpson.

In the years following the late former football hero’s 2017 release from prison for committing an armed robbery and kidnapping in a Palace Station hotel room 10 years earlier, Simpson became a fixture in the social scene of Summerlin, the wealthy Vegas suburb where he resided.

It seems that Simpson ran into someone he knew at Jing one night but didn’t recognize without her black robe on: Jackie Glass, the Nevada judge who sentenced him to his 9-to-33-year term. (He was paroled after 9 years.)

On Aug. 30 — two days after Judge Glass died at the age of 70 — her daughter posted the photo at right to her Facebook page with the following explanation:

“OJ loved beautiful blonde women, so my mom’s friend baited him into taking a picture. He had no idea he was taking a photo with the judge who sent him to prison. Just like me, she loved a good prank.

“Sorry Mom, but it had to be posted.”

Dining Ins & Outs

No official announcement has been made, but among the restaurants that could get evicted in the years-long phase-out of the Grand Bazaar Shops in front of Horseshoe Las Vegas are Giordano’s, Wahlburgers, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Dirt Dog, Istanbul Mediterranean, Ramen-Ya, Pisa Pizza and Subway.

Finney’s Crafthouse is set to open its first restaurant outside California at the Downtown Summerlin mall, in the space formerly occupied by Wolfgang Puck’s Players Locker. A second Finney’s is under construction in the Town Square shopping plaza.