‘Top Chef’ Stars Serve Up Nostalgia And Elevated Childhood Classics At New Las Vegas Restaurant
Ah, memories. Hindsight can be a cozy blanket giving us all the warm and fuzzies. The dopamine hit from nostalgia is potent. It’s why reunion tours make millions, movie reboots fill theater seats, people still line up for Jordans, and comfort food is delicious security.
Now what if I told you that famed chef siblings, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio opened up a restaurant that channeled the juiciest parts of the 80s and 90s and injected it straight into a dining space in the Mandalay Bay resort and casino in Las Vegas? It’s a prospect that turns nostalgia into a delectable affair.
Make way for Retro, an ambitious new restaurant pop-up from the Voltaggio brothers that has a one-year residency at the Mandalay Bay. “Repackaging familiar flavors from our past and doing it in a new and fun way has made this concept so fun,” shared Bryan Voltaggio. But of course, with either ‘Top Chef’ behind it all, diners will be treated to next level iterations of their childhood favorites. Think a glowed up can of SpagghetiO’s in the form of housemade anellini pasta, arrabbiata butter, and a giant meatball. Or how about a crispy, savory octopus corn dog served on a lunch tray? Tongue, meet cheek.
The creativity at Retro flourishes, led by the Voltaggio brothers’ fearless cooking ethos, eschewing trends that shackle the imagination of the menu. Michael backs this up with scathing honesty, “Who cares if it’s a dish from x amount of years ago? Why do we get caught up in the fact that that’s not on trend right now? I think that we all creatively box ourselves into this situation where we have to create the newest thing. Sometimes we just gotta go back and take shit that’s worked for years and years and years.” He continues on the same wavelength, “Limp Bizkit’s cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ would be the best song to describe my cooking [here]. I think that speaks to the creative process for what we do. You can cover something, but you can make it a heavy metal, rock, or a hip hop version of a classical thing and turn it into something modern.”
Though the food plucks all the right heartstrings to keep our taste buds singing, Retro’s atmosphere and ambience capture the 80s and 90s with expertly curated artwork and memorabilia. Throwbacks permeate the restaurant’s playlist, coaxing delighted head nods from diners as they listen to Sum 41 and Snoop Dogg while scarfing down Wagyu Beef Pot Roast.
“I feel like this concept could live and breathe anywhere because it’s timeless and our goal is to keep the idea of this restaurant alive for as long as possible,” declared Michael. And what’s more timeless than a dining experience that takes us back to some of the best times of our lives?
