VEGAS DINING NEWS: Wynn’s Pisces Story, Nevada Ranks as No. 3 Eating State

Posted on: February 20, 2025, 02:20h. 

Last updated on: February 20, 2025, 02:34h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

A month after Michelin-starred chef Fabbio Trabocchi confirmed that he would no longer open his Fiola Mare in the former Lakeside restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas, the resort announced its replacement, Pisces Bar and Seafare, which will open this spring.

Unlike Fiola Mare, the new seafood restaurant sees Wynn return to its practice of creating new concepts in-house. Pisces will be helmed by executive chef Martin Heierling, who has 30 years experience cheffing for restaurant groups including STARR, Urban Purveyor, Noble 33 and former SLS Las Vegas owner Sam Nazarian’s SBE.

His SBE experience is interesting, because thanks to Vital Vegas, we now know that Wynn torpedoed Trabocchi’s deal after the esteemed DC-based chef signed a bigger one to franchise his Iola Mare across America and, basically, destroy the brand’s exclusivity.

And he signed that deal with SBE.

According to the Wynn press release, Pisces will feature “a menu that includes caviar and crudo, dry-aged fish, bountiful seafood platters and fresh pasta,” a cocktail program designed by Wynn mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini (creator of the signature off-menu Verbena cocktail at the Cosmopolitan’s Chandelier Bar) and desserts by executive pastry chef Jennifer Yee.

“Chef Martin Heierling’s expertise and vision, combined with the energy of the space, will usher in this new concept that reflects the essence of Wynn,” said Christopher Lee, the Wynn’s VP of culinary operations and restaurant development, in a Wynn press release.

Heierling has a 2005 Rising Star Chef nomination from StarChefs culinary organization and a 2015 Chef Hat Award from Australia’s Good Food Guide, neither of which is even close to Trabocchi’s Michelin star, but that’s now lakewater under the bridge.

Eata Las Vegas

According to Escoffier, the top-ranked culinary school in the US, Nevada (basically, Las Vegas) ranks as the third-best food destination among the 50 states. It scored 82.57% out of 100% overall, taking first in restaurant spending as a percentage of food spending (44%) and restaurant jobs as a percentage of total jobs (15%).

Nevada also took second place in tourist-to-restaurant ratio (316 visitors per restaurant, compared to number-one Hawaii’s 376). It placed third for the densest restaurant scene, behind Hawaii and New York.

Hawaii came in first overall, with a perfect 100 score. According to the report, the state excels “for its exceptional capacity to serve visitors, with 376 tourists per restaurant — the highest among all states analyzed.” Additionally, 77.17% of Hawaii’s restaurants are independently owned, and 14% of jobs in the state are tied to the restaurant industry.

New York State placed second (83.23%) overall, for its high restaurant density and 68 Michelin-starred establishments.

Dining Ins & Outs

Park MGM’s Eataly has opened its first significant addition since becoming one of the first food halls to debut on the Strip in 2018. The new 3,000-square-foot space, on the lower level, includes a new pizzeria and a separate bar. Pizza al Padellino takes its name from the “palledino” style of personal pan pizzas popular in Turin, the Italian city where Eataly was founded in 2007. Eataly Bar shares the space.

When Doberman Drawing Room — Corner Bar Management’s next downtown Las Vegas Arts District bar – opens in April, its biggest draw will be Juyoung Kang. She’s the renowned mixologist who recently split with Fontainebleau, after getting its Collins Bar onto Esquire’s “Best Bars of America” list.