BECKHAM
07-06-2013, 01:16 AM
Guy Fieri is no stranger to Las Vegas (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/). A University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), alum, Fieri spent some formidable years here before graduating from UNLV's hospitality management program in 1990. He was awarded an honorary doctorate last year. But between then and now, Fieri's opened up a slew of restaurants, hosted his own cooking show, a game show and has traveled across the country in search of the best independent restaurants on Food Network's popular Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. And this December, he'll be setting up shop smack dab on the Las Vegas Strip.
"This whole thing's coming round full circle," Fieri says. "When you get your wish list of things you want to do in your career…it's awesome." The still-unnamed restaurant will be at the new Quad, where the Imperial Palace once stood, and with giant windows looking onto Las Vegas Boulevard, where it can't be missed.
"The concept is not just Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," he explains. " that's kind of my style. I'm an all-American kind of guy, and like great food, fun environments and fun places with a lot of energy… I want to be in the thick of things. And it just couldn't be any cooler, right in front of The Quad (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/the-quad-resort-casino/2030805/), adjacent to the Linq, the big Ferris wheel, right on the Strip, across the street from Caesars (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/caesars-palace/2030657/), I mean we're ready to launch." As a prolific author, restaurateur and television host, Fieri has likely been ticking things off his wish list for some time now. He's been toying around with opening up shop in Vegas, waiting for the right time.
"We'd been trying for the last couple of years, to find out where we wanted to go. I don't like to rush into things," he admits. And now that there's been a major evolution in the dining scene from the time he was here, this was his opportunity.
[B]FOODIES: Build your Vegas experience (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/build-your-experience/foodie/?id=2054003)
"When I went to college in Las Vegas, we still had the Dunes; the Mirage (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/mirage/2030847/) had just been built… There's been quite a transformation and quite frankly, the whole food culture in Vegas has changed dramatically. So my interest was to make sure I did the right thing at the right time. And I don't have to do it; I'm not hinging everything on it, so why not just take my time and do it exactly the way I want to do it with the people I want to do it with. I don't want to be cookie cutter-end, I don't want be stuffed in the back, I want to have a spot where I love going to in Vegas."
Whenever Fieri does return to town, he likes to keep it true to his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives format: he tries to keep it local. He's a fan of the Stromboli, essentially a pizza folded over onto itself, at the Four Kegs, a holdover from his college days at UNLV. When his show came to Vegas, one spot left a lasting impression.
"We shot quite a few places, so we try to come back, because it's not just about all the business on the Strip," he says. "There's a lot of surrounding communities and businesses that need love and support. One of my favorites is a place called Forte, and its Eastern European/Russian/Bulgarian. I don't think people can sit there and rattle off all the different…sausages or cured meats from those regions, but the authenticity and the appreciation for the food is great."
To the task at hand of opening up a restaurant in Vegas, Fieri feels that he's ready, and his connection to and knowledge of the city will undoubtedly help him. He has an ingrained understanding of what people want to do while they're here.
"I think there's only one Las Vegas and the consumer that's down there is down there to have fun, down there with less inhibitions, for the experience, just all of it, so when you come and put food into that environment, that's what makes it so exciting. You really have an audience that's excited and looking for a good time. That's their purpose."
"This whole thing's coming round full circle," Fieri says. "When you get your wish list of things you want to do in your career…it's awesome." The still-unnamed restaurant will be at the new Quad, where the Imperial Palace once stood, and with giant windows looking onto Las Vegas Boulevard, where it can't be missed.
"The concept is not just Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," he explains. " that's kind of my style. I'm an all-American kind of guy, and like great food, fun environments and fun places with a lot of energy… I want to be in the thick of things. And it just couldn't be any cooler, right in front of The Quad (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/the-quad-resort-casino/2030805/), adjacent to the Linq, the big Ferris wheel, right on the Strip, across the street from Caesars (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/caesars-palace/2030657/), I mean we're ready to launch." As a prolific author, restaurateur and television host, Fieri has likely been ticking things off his wish list for some time now. He's been toying around with opening up shop in Vegas, waiting for the right time.
"We'd been trying for the last couple of years, to find out where we wanted to go. I don't like to rush into things," he admits. And now that there's been a major evolution in the dining scene from the time he was here, this was his opportunity.
[B]FOODIES: Build your Vegas experience (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/build-your-experience/foodie/?id=2054003)
"When I went to college in Las Vegas, we still had the Dunes; the Mirage (http://www.usatoday.com/experience/experience/las-vegas/hotels/mirage/2030847/) had just been built… There's been quite a transformation and quite frankly, the whole food culture in Vegas has changed dramatically. So my interest was to make sure I did the right thing at the right time. And I don't have to do it; I'm not hinging everything on it, so why not just take my time and do it exactly the way I want to do it with the people I want to do it with. I don't want to be cookie cutter-end, I don't want be stuffed in the back, I want to have a spot where I love going to in Vegas."
Whenever Fieri does return to town, he likes to keep it true to his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives format: he tries to keep it local. He's a fan of the Stromboli, essentially a pizza folded over onto itself, at the Four Kegs, a holdover from his college days at UNLV. When his show came to Vegas, one spot left a lasting impression.
"We shot quite a few places, so we try to come back, because it's not just about all the business on the Strip," he says. "There's a lot of surrounding communities and businesses that need love and support. One of my favorites is a place called Forte, and its Eastern European/Russian/Bulgarian. I don't think people can sit there and rattle off all the different…sausages or cured meats from those regions, but the authenticity and the appreciation for the food is great."
To the task at hand of opening up a restaurant in Vegas, Fieri feels that he's ready, and his connection to and knowledge of the city will undoubtedly help him. He has an ingrained understanding of what people want to do while they're here.
"I think there's only one Las Vegas and the consumer that's down there is down there to have fun, down there with less inhibitions, for the experience, just all of it, so when you come and put food into that environment, that's what makes it so exciting. You really have an audience that's excited and looking for a good time. That's their purpose."