Ambitious Vegas Steakhouse Nicco’s Will Open At The New Durango Casino
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In Las Vegas, a city that celebrates indulgence like no other, steak is often the most important meal of the day. So of course the new off-Strip Durango resort (a $780 million Station Casinos property) will open with a lavish modern steakhouse to anchor its dining collection on November 20.
Here’s an exclusive first look at Nicco’s Prime Cuts & Fresh Fish:
The steakhouse will showcase dishes like dry-aged prime rib, tomahawks and luxurious Japanese-beef flights that will be grilled tableside and include Hokkaido snow beef, true Kobe beef and A5 olive-fed wagyu. Hokkaido snow beef will also be used to make beef-shank agnolotti.
The meaty menu will also feature an over-the-top riff on a country-fried steak in the form of a split-bone Rosewood Farms cowboy rib eye with creamy, peppery gravy. The steak will be pounded and battered so it has the look and feel of a country-fried steak. But instead of using a big fryer, each rib eye will be pan-fried to order.
For a double-patty smashburger, Nicco’s will put a house-made wagyu blend, American cheese and special sauce on a brioche bun.
Nicco’s executive chef Frank Gorriceta (who was executive chef at Nobu restaurants in the United States, Europe and Asia) and Durango executive chef Daniel Ye (who spent five years as corporate executive chef for Catch Hospitality Group and also was a globetrotting Nobu executive chef) will go deep with seafood, too. Nicco’s will offer langoustines, chilled shellfish plateaus and caviar service.
Notably, this restaurant will be the Vegas debut for famed Los Angeles dry-aged fish purveyor Liwei Liao of The Joint. Liao, who’s supplied seafood to high-profile chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Michael Cimarusti, Enrique Olvera and Dominique Crenn in California, will feature fish including dry-aged branzino on the Nicco’s menu. The restaurant will grill the Mediterranean branzino over almond wood in a custom Mibrasa oven. Fish from Liao will also be used for crudos.
Everything at Nicco’s starts with finding top-tier ingredients.
“The steakhouse is the capstone, the crown jewel of any Vegas property,” Ye says during an interview. “And the same goes for us at Durango. I think what sets us apart, particularly with sourcing, is that it truly is our mantra to live the idea of getting the best products.”
Nicco’s is working directly with Melissa’s Produce to source California ingredients, like leafy greens and Weiser Family Farms potatoes, at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
Beyond Japanese beef and Texas wagyu from Rosewood Farms, the restaurant will serve steaks from Chicago’s Allen Brothers and lamb chops from Colorado’s Mosner Family Brands.
“We’re trying to drill down on who’s doing their niche really well and who has a good story to be told,” Ye says. “We’re trying to demonstrate that the world is a much smaller place now, and through relationships we can capitalize on getting the best and bringing it here to Las Vegas.”
When guests walk into the 250-seat Nicco’s, they’ll see a “fish market” seafood display (with selections like Florida gulf snapper and Faroe Islands salmon), similar to the setup at high-end fish restaurants like Milos and Avra.
Visitors can expect an array of crudos with global influences. Ye says that crudos are a “labor of love” at Nicco’s, and he’s excited to work with Goricetta, who knows a lot about fish after more than a decade of experience at Nobu around the world.
“We’re taking a sort of sushi touch to handling and cutting fish, and then adding flavors, sauces and garnishes that are interesting,” Ye says.
Nicco’s wants to be a total-package steakhouse. Visitors will be able to peek into the open kitchen with a wood-burning grill. Nicco’s will also have a bar and lounge, with a live pianist and DJ sets, separated from the dining room by a 4,000-bottle wine cellar. A glass-enclosed veranda will open up on nice days, and there will also be al fresco dining on the patio.
Nicco’s will be part of a stacked Durango dining lineup alongside Lettuce Entertain You’s California-inspired Summer House, Clique Hospitality’s new-school Mexican restaurant Mijo and the Eat Your Heart Out food hall with crowd-pleasers like an outpost of Palace Station’s legendary Oyster Bar, Prince Street Pizza, Irv’s Burgers, Uncle Paulie’s, Fiorella, Shang Artisan Noodle and more. All of Durango’s restaurants should be up and running when the casino opens on November 20.
