Las Vegas Weekly

June 11, 2012 · 6 AM

Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro offer Nobu Caesars peek at NYC party

By Robin Leach

Robert De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Gary Selesner.

Photo: Caesars Entertainment

Restaurant partners actor Robert De Niro and chef Nobu Matsuhisa unveiled more plans for the culinary king’s first restaurant and hotel on the Strip at Caesars Palace on Sunday night in New York.

Caesars executives led by President Gary Selesner hosted a party at Nobu in Manhattan to provide a sneak preview of the hotel suites to VIPs, travel agents, convention bookers and media.

The party also celebrated the news that Nobu’s restaurant is on schedule to open in October, with the hotel in December in time for New Year’s. Bookings for both begin in October.

It will be Nobu’s largest of the 24 restaurants open around the world and debut in tandem with the first Nobu Hotel, a nongaming boutique tower in Caesars.

“This restaurant marks many first milestones,” Nobu told guests. “It is the first Nobu on the Strip. It’s the very first of my restaurants to offer an in-room dining menu and the first-ever Nobu to open alongside a Nobu Hotel.

“We pour our hearts into each new project and are passionate about crafting imaginative ideas with our guests in mind. We are thrilled to be revealing the new concepts and designs for Nobu Caesars Palace.”

It’s the third Caesars Palace restaurant for designer David Rockwell, who attended Sunday’s Big Apple celebrations. He says the ambiance will be as brilliant as the food in the 11,200-square-foot restaurant combining the East and West in a fun and often-whimsical setting.

Bowed columns of bamboo will line the exterior of the restaurant to resemble the structure of a traditional Japanese ikebana basket used in the art of flower arranging. Natural design elements of stone, wood and paper will create the dining scene.

The restaurant will feature colorful, patterned private dining pods, and leather upholstered screens will wrap the dining room. Oversized light fixtures inspired by Japanese tea whisks and vibrant kimonos will complement the atmosphere, with a 15-person bar the focal point of the lounge. An oversized bowl hand-carved from a giant wood block will highlight Nobu’s Japanese elegance.

The guest rooms will continue with a clean, natural look using wood, rice paper, grass cloth and stone tiles with artwork by Japanese artists selected by Nobu.

“All materials have been hand-crafted and curated to create a complete luxury experience. We are excited to continue telling the Nobu story through the design of the restaurant and its very first hotel,” said David, who has worked with Nobu the past 15 years.

Details of the restaurant and hotel also were unveiled by Nobu and Gary during Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit here last month. Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel will continue to remain open.

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.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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

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