Chef James Trees to Take Helm of Voodoo Steak at Rio

By Scott Roeben, on May 30 2025
3 min read 6 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

The details are light, but wildly popular Las Vegas chef James Trees is set to rejuvenate a longtime restaurant fixture, Voodoo Steak at Rio.

Rio has been mum on the move, but we have it on good authority it’s happening and our taste buds are already on high alert.

Trees is the culinary wizard behind Esther’s Kitchen, Bar Boheme and Petite Boheme in the Arts District, as well as Al Solito Posto and Ada’s Food + Wine in Summerlin.

Chef Trees in his native habitat, making things with unforgettable flavors.

That’s pretty much all we’ve got at this point, we’re really just trying to remind Eater Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and all the YouTube and TikTok kids who’s boss.

We are a longtime fan of Chef James Trees, as he is responsible for what is possibly the best chicken parm in the world (Sgrizzi Ristorante edges it out, but that’s not in a part of town you’re every likely to visit, so Al Solito Posto wins by a nose for the purposes of this story).

His only “fail” was the sandwich and cookie shop at the Strat, 108 Eats.

Overall, though, Trees just keeps knocking them out of the park.

Here’s a recent interview with Chef James Trees. Host Mike Davis is a lot, but he recently said nice things about us on the Plaza Podcast, so we love him.

We chatted with the chef on our podcast back in 2018.

Voodoo Steak has one of the best views in Vegas, but hasn’t really gotten much attention recently.

The space is on the “50th floor” of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. We’re using quotation marks because hotel floor numbering in Las Vegas can be tricky.

Rio publicizes the hotel as having 51 floors because it makes the view sound better, but it’s actually 41. We’ve blown the lid off this “conspiracy” before, but nobody really cares but us, apparently.

The restaurant was originally VooDoo Cafe, but became Voodoo Steak in 2007, a fact we got from ChatGPT and do not have the time or interest in verifying.

Also, according to ChatGPT, “Despite its culinary appeal and breathtaking vistas, VooDoo Steak has faced critiques over the years regarding its aging decor and service quality. A 2025 review highlighted the restaurant’s need for modernization, noting worn furnishings and dim lighting, though it praised the quality of dishes like the Wagyu ribeye and blue cheese potato gratin.”

In other words, it’s time for some new blood, new resources and a new direction for a Las Vegas classic.

We trust the owners of Rio, Dreamscape, know they have a gem (money machine) in this restaurant space, they just need a guy with major chops to retool the concept and make Voodoo a destination dining experience again.

Hopefully, with a metric hell-ton of orgasmic bread, which is sort of the chef’s specialty.

As the Rio hasn’t announced bringing on the services of James Trees yet, we can’t say what the timeline is.

We reached out to Chef Trees, and he said he’ll be able to share more soon. Or as we like to call it, “confirmed.”

Updated (6/1/25): In our original story, we waxed whimsical that Voodoo Steak might become an Italian restaurant. We even had a name ready to go (see below). A well-placed source says nope, Voodoo Steak will stay a steakhouse.

That seemed a little long.

Update (6/2/25): Our scoop has been officially confirmed by Rio and Chef James Trees. Voodoo Steak will become High Steaks Vegas.