Praise Jebus: Stanton Social Prime Rebrands to Stanton Social Italian
The floundering (yeah, we said it) Stanton Social at Caesars Palace has rebranded to Stanton Social Italian. There is a God after all.
This is a genius move, largely because while we have never been to Stanton Social, we will definitely be going to Stanton Social Italian.
Four words: Extra Crispy Chicken Parmigiana.
The official reason for the overnight rebrand: None, officially. (It’s awkward.)
Here’s what the news release says: “Caesars Entertainment and Tao Group Hospitality introduce Stanton Social Italian at Caesars Palace, a reimagined dining experience from acclaimed chef and restaurateur Chris Santos. This evolution of the celebrated Stanton Social brand delivers modern twists to classic Italian dishes and an energetic vibe to the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.”
Translation: They weren’t hitting their numbers and Italian is a reliable go-to in the restaurant business. Stanton Social Prime was an upscale steakhouse, but The Strip is replete with great steakhouses. Caesars Palace has Peter Luger Steak House, which you will note we didn’t call “great.” It’s a steakhouse, though. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, probably the best steakhouse on The Strip, is a few feet away at Forum Shops. Hell’s Kitchen prints money and serves steak. There’s also Brasserie B Parisian Steakhouse by Bobby Flay. Again, not a great offering, but there’s a lot of meat being served at Caesars Palace.
Stanton Social already has to overcome having “social” in its name (the potential for human interaction is a huge downside in any restaurant, or any venue, in a post-pandemic world), along with a challenging location inside Caesars Palace (Searsucker tanked in the same spot), so a move to Italian is genius (as opposed to closing, which nobody wants to see).
Stanton Social is undeniably gorgeous and we trust they didn’t spend a lot tweaking the interior design to give it Italian flair.
The biggest change in the rebrand to Stanton Social Italian is obviously the menu, and possibly more hand gestures and sanitation strikes.
But mostly the menu!
Caesars Entertainment touts “acclaimed chef and restaurateur Chris Santos,” despite the fact we have no idea who that is.
Who is in charge of acclaiming if it is not us, a noted blog? Michelin? They make tires! AAA? Roadside assistance experts! Forbes? More stars, how original. James Beard? He died in 1985. Can we trust the acclaiming of someone who died when “The Breakfast Club” was still in theatrical release?
We have literally heard zero acclaims for Stanton Social Prime.
Therefore, we will decide if Chris Santos should be acclaimed after we try his chicken parm.
Here are more details about the menu: “The new menu features a curated selection of modern Italian dishes designed for sharing, including Fritto Misto with calamari, shrimp, squash, cherry peppers, arrabbiata sauce and preserved lemon aioli. Guests can enjoy the Heirloom Tomato Salad with whipped burrata, balsamic vinegar and basil pesto or the Hamachi Crostata with yellowtail, confit cherry tomato, red onion, basil and lavash. Pasta lovers can indulge in the house-made Cavatelli Wagyu Bolognese, served with fresh herbs and parmesan.”
Fine, whatever, your date has to eat, too. Let’s get to the real food.
Per the release, “In addition, guests can expect tableside experiences, such as the Extra Crispy Chicken Parmigiana with San Marzano tomato sauce and mozzarella fondue, as well as the showstopping Choice Super Tomahawk featuring Barolo-braised short ribs and bone marrow flambeed to perfection. For dessert, visitors can indulge in the Limoncello Tiramisu layered in lemon curd and citrus mascarpone mousse, or Spumoni ‘Milkshake’ with pistachio mousse, cherry compote, brownie bites, mascarpone Chantilly and an edible chocolate cup.”
As our aforementioned fellow youths are fond of saying, “LFG.”
Props to Caesars Entertainment for making the restaurant’s menu available online, with prices.
The prices aren’t crazy for The Strip, although that Tomahawk will run you $425 (but serves 3-4 people). The pasta dishes are in the $25-30 range.
The Extra Crispy Chicken Parmigiana is $49, which is pushing the upper limit for this dish, but did we mention how pretty the restaurant is?
And the desserts!
Fun fact: There’s a section of the menu titled, “Andiamo.” Today, we learned that means “Let’s go!,” our least favorite phrase in a casino or on a reality competition TV series (looking at you “Amazing Race,” mostly because everyone’s saying it now. Now you know why the restaurant at The D is named Andiamo. They want you the hell out so they can turn some tables! “Let’s go!”
Oh, and if your friend says, “Let’s go to Andiamo,” you are free to ridicule them for being redundant.
We can’t wait to try the rechristened Stanton Social Italian at Caesars Palace. We typically dine at the restaurant bar, but if they’re doing tableside chicken parm, we may have to get an actual table.
Whenever a new Italian restaurant opens on The Strip, an angel gets its wings. A rebrand qualifies. “Voliamo!”
Which is Italian for “Let’s fly.” Please keep up.
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