When the Delilah Supper Club at Wynn Las Vegas opens in July, champagne nights, live entertainment and loads of celebrities await. This won’t come as a surprise, as the original West Hollywood Delilah was created by The H.wood Group, the creators of the hospitality scene, whose regulars include Drake, Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber.
What might surprise is the food at Delilah in Las Vegas. This is the first Sin City venue for H.wood Group founders John Terzian and Brian Toll, and yes, the popular chicken fingers and burgers from the West Hollywood Delilah will be available. But the entire evening menu at the sexy and opulent Vegas Delilah will be as ambitious and playful as any new restaurant on the Strip.
Seasoned Chef Josh Smith, who previously ran the kitchen at Michael Minas Seablue and Bardot Brasserie in Vegas, works on dishes like Wagyu Beef Wellington, Dover Sole Fish and Chips, Day-Boat Scallop Ceviche, inspired by Mexican seafood cocktels at Nikkei -Style tuna tiradito, a truffle and uni-laden reef on Chawanmushi, served in an egg, New England crab cakes and latkes with smoked salmon and “a forgiving amount” of Osetra caviar.
He’s having a bit of fun with the concept too. Smith remembers eating from TV trays as a kid, so he decided to do an upscale version of a TV dinner at the Delilah. He serves half of a New York upstate New York Bo Bo fried chicken on a wooden tray with some potatoes.
Epic seafood towers.
Photo: Courtesy Bill Milne
“It’s like going to a fine-dining restaurant in terms of sourcing and the steps we go through to get it on the plate,” says Smith of the crispy chicken that is tender and juicy inside. “But I just wanted it with french fries puree and a really rich chicken sauce made from bones and offal.”
If you want someone in the kitchen for a grand Vegas restaurant opening, it is probably 41 year old Smith. He started working in the city’s restaurants as a teenager and became head chef at Seablue when he was 25. There he delighted the guests with dishes such as wood-fired squid in tandoori spices with tabbouleh and turmeric-root sambal.
“I was very proud to have a well-rounded menu with influences from the South of France, North Africa, Spain and Italy,” says Smith. “I really wanted to encompass the entire Mediterranean.”
Between Seablue and Bardot, he has cooked in prestigious restaurants across the country such as Church & State in Los Angeles and L20 in Chicago. Over the years he has earned his fellow Vegas respect for his ability to serve great food while running huge casino restaurants.
“He’s just the best all-round chef in Vegas,” says James Trees, the prolific Vegas chef behind Esther’s Kitchen, Al Solito Posto, Ada’s Wine Bar, and Resorts World’s Mozz Bar. “He keeps pushing and he’s ready for the Endure corporate bullshit and he is coping really well with this environment. There is no upper limit to his talent level. “
Trees, who built an off-strip empire after working in Mina restaurants (but not in the same kitchens as Smith), remembers eating in Bardot and everything from homemade baguettes to Caesar salad with king crab endive to chicken, liver mousse to be overwhelmed.
“Everything was technically excellent,” says Trees. “When Bardot hand-ground beef tartare, the texture was just ridiculous. It’s all the little things he does as a chef that have a big impact on a dish. “
Chef Joshua Smith.
Photo: Courtesy Bill Milne
At Bardot, Smith served a beef Wellington that Trees says was “the archetype.” At Delilah, Smith Wagyu Beef Wellington is made with 12 oz. of filet mignon, a herb crpe, porcini mushroom duxelles and Madeira wine jus.
“I really think I make the best Beef Wellington in Vegas,” says Smith. “And we improved it at Delilah.”
One major change is the herb crpe in place of the ham he used at Bardot.
“You can really smell the dill and chervil and parsley and chives,” says Smith, who understands that Vegas food should be a feast for the senses.
In Bardot, Smith had retro desserts like baked Alaska. At Delilah, he serves strawberry cake with baked Alaska because he wants people unfamiliar with baked Alaska to order it. And who doesn’t like to see something lighted at the fire table?
That mindset is a big part of Smith’s longstanding success in Vegas. He loves classic tech and old-school glasses, but also knows how to build a modern scene in a city where dinner is often about partying.
“I wanted to put the menu in a place where everything is very familiar,” says Smith. “I want it to be pretty easy. But there will be some surprises hidden beneath the surface. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing, but I’ve presented everything in one package that I think is very user-friendly for the guests. “
Smith is a cook who respects the work of others, so he went to LA to try Delilah’s chicken tenders and burgers, and he is faithfully recreating them. He even works with LA supplier Rocker Bros. to make sure the burger mix is exactly the same.
At the same time, he realizes that Vegas is a place where things can and should be over the top. In LA, Delilah serves a “slutty brownie”. Smith chose “the same flavor profile with the chocolate chip and the oreo and the melted chocolate and vanilla ice cream” but developed a more sophisticated brownie presentation. Whether you think this version of Vegas is more elegant or sloppy may depend on who you’re with and how many drinks you’ve had. Incidentally, the cocktails at Vegas Delilah are the work of Wynn mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini. She was previously a real estate mixologist at The Cosmopolitan, so she’s another Vegas veteran who knows how to run the show in huge casinos.
Shortcake baked Alaska.
Photo: Courtesy Bill Milne
For those with the desire and the means for an ultra-VIP experience, Delilah offers a private dining room and an even more exclusive chef’s table between the kitchen and private dining room.
“You won’t believe it when you see it,” says Smith. “It’s this really nice niche with its own bar and a chandelier above an eight-part table, a really nice showcase table made of root wood. It has a small couch. It’s just a really cozy place for someone who wants privacy. Or for a group that wants to open the doors and be part of the kitchen experience and enjoy a tasting menu. But I am aware that there are a lot of celebrities who want this room and only want to eat chicken tenders. “
Smith is done with whatever happens.
“People are at Delilah to have a really good time,” he says. “Nobody will be afraid to let go of here.”
