Las Vegas Weekly

January 13, 2010 · 2:45 PM

Counter Intelligence: CUT, Daniel Boulud Brasserie win top awards

By Robin Leach

Wolfgang Puck's CUT Steakhouse at the Palazzo.

Photo: Kirvin Doak Communications

Hot off the grill! Two of our new restaurants have surfaced on the highly coveted AAA Four Diamond list. The additions give Nevada 31 AAA Four Diamond Award winners, ranking The Silver State sixth in North America among states and provinces with the most AAA Four Diamond-rated restaurants. The new restaurant winners are CUT by Wolfgang Puck in the Palazzo and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn (although there are reports that Daniel is moving out).

All of the hotel recipients are repeat winners, including The Mirage, which has now won for the 20th time, a state record. There are now 16 Four Diamond-rated lodging properties in Nevada. This year marks the 10th consecutive year for four Las Vegas properties on the AAA Four Diamond List. Restaurants Aureole and Eiffel Tower Restaurant are joined by their respective hotels Mandalay Bay and the Paris.

*Executive chef Nico Chessa has moved from Giorgio cafe and bistro on the skywalk between Luxor and Mandalay Bay to its flagship Valentino in Los Angeles. Nico, originally from Sardinia, has been part of the Valentino Restaurant Group in Las Vegas for most of the past decade, most recently as the executive chef at Giorgio and prior to that at Valentino in The Venetian.

Nico’s already working alongside my friend legendary restaurateur Piero Selvaggio at the iconic restaurant hailed as being largely responsible for the birth of Italian fine dining in the U.S. Said Nico: “From the start, I was born with a passion for food. I’m thrilled with the opportunity presented before me and the ability to have a hand in what’s being served at Valentino, one of the most respected Italian restaurants in the United States.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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