{"id":326466,"date":"2024-07-29T20:19:52","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T01:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=326466"},"modified":"2024-07-30T09:49:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T14:49:18","slug":"vegas-restaurant-roundup-fajitery-flamed-picassos-last-meal-despised-pizzeria-closes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/vegas-restaurant-roundup-fajitery-flamed-picassos-last-meal-despised-pizzeria-closes\/","title":{"rendered":"VEGAS RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: Fajitery Fined, Picasso\u2019s Last Meal, Despised Pizzeria Closes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US Department of Labor has collected more than $475K in back wages and damages on behalf of 32 employees of Juan\u2019s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina,<\/strong> which operates two locations in Las Vegas and one in adjacent Henderson, Nev.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Juan Vazquez, owner of Juan\u2019s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina. (Image: waterstreetdistrict.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, the federal agency fined the restaurant\u2019s owner, Juan Vazquez,<\/strong> $12,050 in civil penalties for the “willful nature of the violations.”<\/p>\n

\n

According to a press release from the Labor Department, Vazquez\u00a0failed to pay\u00a0the affected workers overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, and wrongly exempted two others from overtime eligibility, both of which are violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Vazquez told KVVU-TV\/Las Vegas<\/em>: \u201cWe did not deliberately deny anyone pay. We just did not know we were out of compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

MGM Announces Picasso Closing Date<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Julian Serrano, the Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef, has helmed Picasso at Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip since October 1998. (Image: MGM Resorts International)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Picasso<\/strong> will plate its final dish on August 16. James Beard Award-winning chef Julian Serrano <\/strong>presided over the Bellagio<\/strong>\u2019s French restaurant, which received two Michelin stars, since the casino resort opened nearly 26 years ago. It was named after the creator of 11 paintings displayed around the restaurant, which MGM Resorts<\/strong> auctioned for nearly $110 million in 2021.<\/p>\n

The gaming giant claims the restaurant is closing because Serrano, 74, is retiring. However, back in May, Casino.org<\/em>\u2019s Vital Vegas<\/em> brought up some intriguing inconsistencies<\/a> concerning that claim …<\/strong><\/p>\n

For instance, Serrano also oversees the kitchen at Bellagio\u2019s Lago. <\/strong>Though the chef is also stepping away from that restaurant, it will remain open. And, when you consider that Serrano will continue to run Julian Serrano Tapas<\/strong> at Aria,<\/strong> the retirement narrative crumbles.<\/p>\n

What seems to be happening here, as Vital Vegas<\/em> pointed out, is that Serrano is not retiring but merely slowing down, and that Picasso was underperforming while Lago and Julian Serrano Tapas continue to do well.<\/p>\n

There’s no word yet on what will replace Picasso, though Prime Steakhouse<\/strong> will temporarily occupy its space overlooking the Bellagio fountains from September through November, as Prime gets renovated.<\/p>\n

Dining Ins & Outs<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Di Fara out, man. (Image: X\/Twitter\/Caesars Palace)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In May, we told you that Buddy Valastro<\/strong> of \u201cCake Boss\u201d was turning his attention to pies — of the tomato and cheese variety.<\/a> We knew Buddy V\u2019s Pizzeria<\/strong> was destined for Caesars Palace,<\/strong> but what we didn\u2019t know at the time was that it would replace by far the most despised pizzeria on the Strip …<\/p>\n

Di Fara Pizza <\/strong>is now out at out at the Forum Food Hall<\/strong>,<\/strong> its home since 2014, and few are complaining about the development. Last summer, Di Fara got majorly flamed for charging $50.99 for a standard cheese pie — more than twice<\/em> what it charged back home in Brooklyn. Hundreds on social media gave the eatery a pizza their mind<\/a> for exemplifying the problem with modern Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> is close to announcing that Havana 1957<\/strong>, the Cuban eatery with three Florida locations, is coming to the Flamingo.<\/strong> It\u2019s headed to the vacated\u00a0Tropical Breeze Caf\u00e9\u00a0<\/strong>space across from the resort\u2019s vacated buffet space. By the way, this was an announcement made by Casino.org<\/em>\u2019s own Vital Vegas<\/em> blog\u00a0more than a year ago.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

888 BBQ<\/strong> at 4801 Spring Mountain Road was closed on July 23 by the Southern Nevada Health District<\/strong> for scoring 28 demerits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US Department of Labor has collected more than $475K in back wages and damages on behalf of 32 employees of Juan\u2019s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina, which operates two locations in Las Vegas and one in adjacent Henderson, Nev. In addition, the federal agency fined the restaurant\u2019s owner, Juan Vazquez, $12,050 in civil penalties for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":326468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81886,82353],"tags":[91852,82022,82083,87104,85834,87025,91851,90915,82012,90916,82166,82535,87516],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVEGAS RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: Fajitery Fined, Picasso\u2019s Last Meal, Despised Pizzeria Closes - Casino.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The US Department of Labor has collected more than $475K in back wages and damages on behalf of 32 employees of Juan\u2019s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/vegas-restaurant-roundup-fajitery-flamed-picassos-last-meal-despised-pizzeria-closes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VEGAS RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: Fajitery Fined, Picasso\u2019s Last Meal, Despised Pizzeria Closes - 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