“I like Las Vegas, it’s exciting. I could people-watch all day. I’m not a gambler though, except in restaurants,” says Chef Charlie Trotter about the location of his latest addition, Restaurant Charlie.

He’s accustomed himself to cultural/dress differences between business-like Chicago and careless-anything-goes Las Vegas. “They walk in with shorts and I’d like to tell them to change and come back. But I’ve learned to button my lip. They’re here to spend money,” he admits.

Recently opened Restaurant Charlie at the new Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas differs in several ways from the iconic Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

Jackets and reservations are not required. An à la carte menu, along with tasting menus, allow many options in the main dining room, with seating for 85. The menu is new all the time depending on what is the season’s best. “That’s the easiest. We’ve been doing that forever. I’m here every 2 weeks and on the phone every day with Executive Chef Matthias Merges. We reinvent and do different things. But we still use little butter and cream,” Trotter explains. Instead, vegetables, reduced stocks, infusions and lighter components create flavors and sensual textures. “Even after a multi-course dinner, you’ll still feel good when you walk away.”

A menu focusing on seafood was an obvious choice. “Way too many steak houses already,” Trotter said about the Palazzo and Las Vegas in general. Although guests can select from a menu that includes meats such as lamb and rib eye, vegetarians and even raw foodists are never slighted. Quite the opposite, the ever-inquisitive chef discovered raw food and began researching. He met and eventually wrote a book with Chef Roxanne Klein on raw food, Raw, complete with the stunning photography, recipes and presentations.

The restaurant is right off the noisy casino floor, but once inside the atmosphere is miles away – serene, timeless and welcoming.

Bar Charlie is unique, something of a blend between a sushi bar and a lesser-known Japanese concept, Kaiseki. At special occasion restaurants in Japan, Kaiseki consists of a number of small dishes, hot and cold, which take time and skill to prepare. Chef Trotter blends an authentic and creative interpretation of an 8- or 14-course menu of Asian-accented items such as Egg Drop Soup with Dungeness Crab & Santa Barbara Sea Urchin or Blue Fine Chu-Toro with Yuzu & Daikon.

“The hotel has a lot of high-end Asian gamblers. They step away from baccarat and want a plate of toro, crab and some Dom Perignon. They’re done in a half hour,” Trotter explained. Diners who put themselves in the chefs’ hands by ordering one of the special menus will have memorable dining experiences.

A handsome bar to the left of the entrance leads to the dining room. Cocktails, inevitable in Las Vegas, make an appearance here in classic and modern mixologist-created versions. By themselves or as an alternate pairing with dishes instead of wine.

And Restaurant Charlie even offers non-       alcoholic beverages with dishes for those who choose not to consume alcohol for any reason. “Guests that prefer not to drink alcohol as well     as ‘seasoned foodies,’ all seem to love the non-     alcoholic pairings,” says Sommelier Desmond Echavarrie. No-more-forgotten is the person who savors a fine dining experience with nothing but cola, juice or iced tea to choose from. Interesting and not-too-sweet alternatives are mixed or selected. A Sekthaus Raumland Sparkling Grape Juice pairs with scallop and fuji apple and chervil, lemongrass soda with Japanese Snapper, and freshly-made watermelon shiso sets off tuna with mango and mizuna.

The wine program is as extensive and focused as Chicago. Choices are limitless: paired on the menu by course, by the bottle or by glass.

The Skyloft perches above the kitchen with a view of the choreographed moves of the cooks and a side view overlooking the dining room. A tasting menu is available. Tours are given to everyone interested.

Cocktail and non-alcoholic pairings are created daily by Mixologist Jeremy Merritt collaborating with the chefs. Coconut Conundrum – tequila, coconut juice, almond milk and gingerroot ginger ale – is matched with a butter-poached lobster, curry sauce, lotus root and kaffir lime emulsion. Another adventure in mixology, the Bugs Bunny, mixes gin, sage, freshly-squeezed Meyer lemon juice, lemongrass syrup and just-pressed organic carrot juice. It matched playfully with Carbonated Carrot with Ginger and Sultana Raisins. Merritt’s modern creations sell better than the classic cocktails with every age group.

Restaurant Charlie is the latest extension of the Trotter group. In addition to the original Chicago location, there is “C”, a fine-dining seafood restaurant at The One & Only Palmilla Resort in Cabo San Lucas, and Trotter’s to Go in Chicago. For those with a  desire to experience a celebrity chef ’s cuisine, these are the real deal. Far different from the meals found at so many celebrity-chef driven establishments where the food is not the same as it would be if the chef were actually present, the dishes at Restaurant Charlie reflect the fact that Trotter challenges his Las Vegas staff to actually be better than Chicago.  

Guest service, excellence and leadership are synonymous with Charlie Trotter whose focus and drive are intense. Through his leadership and example, many of his former chefs now successfully and famously run or own restaurants themselves. A short list includes Chefs Homaru Cantu of Moto, Chicago; David Meyers, Sona, Los Angeles; Bryan Ogden, Bradley Ogden in Las Vegas; and Pastry Chef Michelle Geyer, The Salty Tart, Minneapolis.

In his second go-round in Las Vegas, Trotter shared how his first restaurant fared — opened in 1994 at the then newly redone MGM. “It was before everyone had celebrity chefs in their hotels. They looked around and chose us specifically for high rollers. A generous signing bonus, a free hand for the build-out and other perks made it very easy to say yes.

Soon they asked if they could open to the public and we said yes.” MGM fell into financial difficulties. “The new people kept pushing more and more to offer things like spaghetti and meatballs,” he concluded. This was all a bit too much for the Trotter team and the hotel was forced to buy out the remaining 8 1/2 years of the original contract.

Fast forward and Chef Trotter is still pushing the envelope. Judging by guest counts, a broad audience and gratifying responses, Restaurant Charlie is in the right place at the right time.

Restaurant Charlie
The Palazzo Hotel and Resort
3325 South Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-607-6336
www.charlietrotters.com