Las Vegas Weekly

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Buffalo native Chris Conlon has cooked all over the country—New York, Florida, California, Boston—and spent time in Vegas kitchens for more than a decade. “Every time I thought the grass was greener, I missed Vegas,” he says. “It’s just saturated with great restaurants and a great food community.” Conlon has been with the Light Group for the past four years and departed from his post at Bellagio’s Fix to oversee the development of Light’s three upcoming Mandalay Bay restaurants.

Most memorable meal: French Laundry (Napa Valley) “It was my 25th birthday. I was working for Charlie Palmer at the time, and he made the reservation for us. We had a 16-course meal. The food was amazing, and the service just impeccable. I remember the foie gras torchon and the whole roasted squab with root vegetables best. And every detail of the service, even the way they cleared the salt and pepper when setting up for dessert, was just the best experience.”

Favorite Fix menu item: lollipop wings “Being from Buffalo, I just think we did a great rendition of the traditional Buffalo wing, and it’s something that fits into a more upscale atmosphere. They’re not messy, but you still get that great crunchiness—and great flavor from the sauce.”

Best brunch: DW Bistro (6115 S. Fort Apache Road, 527-5200) “The food is amazing, the portions are huge and the price is right. It’s really close for us, so we can walk down on a Saturday morning, have an amazing Bloody [Mary] and some Jamaican jerk pork hash with eggs and tortillas.”

Most necessary kitchen tool: Baby Bullet “I have an 8-month-old that just started eating, and we make all his food fresh with the Baby Bullet. It’s been getting quite a workout, pureeing everything.”