Tao Group to Open Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace

Caesars Entertainment and Tao Group Hospitality will collaborate on a new restaurant at Caesars Palace, Stanton Social Prime.

Heading up the culinary team will be Chef Chris Santos.

Stanton Social Prime will be located next to Omnia Nightclub, in the former Searsucker space.

French. Onion. Soup. Dumplings. Sound tasty AF. Source: Stanton Social Facebook page.

Little information was provided about the new restaurant, but a news release said, “This new concept will feature iconic menu items from the original Stanton Social restaurant in New York’s Lower East Side, which marked Santos’ first restaurant project and was known for its spectacular shareable dishes featuring prime meats.”

The original Stanton Social restaurant in New York closed in 2018 after a decade of operation.

The original Stanton Social is described as having “helped launch the shared plates, tapas-style communal dining trend.”

The “Stanton” in “Stanton Social” comes from the fact the original restaurant was located on 99 Stanton Street in New York’s Lower East Side.

The Stanton Social Web site now redirects to the site for Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace.

The New York location of Stanton Social drew celebrities like Matt Damon and Sofia Vergara, and comedian Amy Schumer once worked there as a bartender before inventing the labia joke.

Santos is also responsible for Beauty & Essex. The restaurant originally opened in New York City in 2010. Beauty & Essex opened at Cosmopolitan in 2016 and gets great reviews.

Santos has appeared as a judge on the Food Network’s competition series, “Chopped.”

Chef Santos once wanted to be a rock drummer. Now, he has a music label, Blacklight Media.

Tao Group, of course, is the nightlife powerhouse that recently acquired Hakkasan Group (another nightlife powerhouse). We broke the story, of course we’re going to mention that.

The previous restaurant in the space, Searsucker, was a partnership with Hakkasan. The restaurant closed and reopened and closed again (August 2020) during the pandemic. We are not just mentioning that because we had that story first, too, probably.

Great name, many struggles. Farewell, Searsucker.

We trust Stanton Social Prime will bring back many of the menu items for which the original restaurant was known. Two words: Red Velvet Twinkies.

Reviews for the original were mostly raves, and the menu was all over the place, with items like Chicken and Waffles, French Onion Soup Dumplings, Potato and Goat Cheese Pierogis, Kobe Beef Burgers and the Stanton Social Beef Wellington.

The Stanton Social menu also had Cast Iron Shrimp, Wasabi Pea Crusted Salmon, Pan Seared Scallops and Sarah’s Big Sexy Burger.

Want more? That’s why there’s an Internet. Wok Charred Edamame, Cobb Salad Bites, Coconut Curry Samosa, Nori Spiced Tuna Poke Wonton and Red Snapper Tacos.

The sound you just heard is the eyes of a thousand foodies and Instagram influencers rolling back into their heads.

The menu sounds fun and nuanced, and let’s go!

The “Prime” in Stanton Social Prime makes us think there will be a new emphasis on meat, which is interesting, because Caesars Palace already has Old Homestead and will soon have Peter Luger Steak (in the former Rao’s space). There have been rumors Caesars might even get Bazaar Meat, but no announcement has been made yet.

Stanton Social Prime opens at Caesars Palace in winter 2022.