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It’s the type of (high-end item) that people buy in casinos,” Goldstein says. In fact, chef Ralph Scamardella, who is also a TAO Group Hospitality partner, created a dish just for Mohegan Sun, a Surf & Turf that boasts a two-pound lobster and a 32-ounce Tomahawk steak that costs $175. “We wanted to give the Mohegan Sun and the Connecticut market a taste of what we do and what has gotten us here, but we also wanted to put a little twist and (have) a couple of unique items,” he says. The menu at the Sun features TAO’s “greatest hits,” Paul Goldstein, managing partner of TAO Group, says, mentioning the Satay of Chilean Sea Bass, Peking Duck, and homemade dumplings. “So you get that same TAO experience but in a more intimate setting.” “Most of the other TAO properties are very, very large, and they’re awesome they are jaw-dropping when you walk in because they’re very elaborate and they’re very similar to ours - but ours is a little bit more intimate,” Hamilton says. The one at Mohegan Sun is among the smallest, at about 10,000 square feet and with seating for 300. And TAO usually operates in major cities - Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago. TAO is known for being a hip venue and for attracting plenty of celebrities as just an example, stars ranging from Mariah Carey to Jamie Foxx to Kim Kardashian have been seen at the TAO Asian Bistro in Las Vegas. It’s a reason for people to come to Mohegan Sun, outside of all the other great amenities and things we provide.”įor Mohegan Sun to have a TAO is a big deal. The food is great, the restaurant is beautiful, but it’s so experiential that it becomes a destination. You find yourself enjoying the food and the atmosphere, and it’s a situation where you go home and you tell your friends and family and you want to get back … For us, that’s what really drove us (to want it at the Sun). It’s almost like a show within the restaurant, where there’s music and you just kind of lose yourself. Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun, says, “You go in there and you’re immersed. One word that comes up when most people discuss TAO is “experience” - as in, it’s not just a place to eat, it’s an experience. This is TAO, which opened in late March at Mohegan Sun, becoming the sixth site of this patron (and celebrity) magnet. You walk through tables filled with customers nibbling on artfully arranged food - sushi or noodles, satay or wontons. You stroll into the dining room, where light is dramatically low, and the music is an upbeat mix of older R&B and funk. You see, straight ahead of you, the 16-foot-tall statue of Quan Yin, the Buddhist goddess revered by the Chinese, with her multitudinous arms extending around her. As you step up and over a little bridge, you are surrounded by walls with water running down them. If you have dinner reservations, you are greeted at the reception desk and then led through a bar/lounge, where stylish lights hang above low-slung couches. You leave the bright lights and hustle-bustle of the Sun behind as you step from the Sky Tower hotel lobby into TAO. Walking into the new TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge in Mohegan Sun is like entering a different, very cool realm. Other than that one time.TAO restaurant at Mohegan Sun: hip design, delectable food, tough-to-get reservations Not that we’d ever walk into the wrong restroom. Hopefully this simple tip will help avoid bringing your yang into the wrong restroom. The restroom near the boy statue is for boys, and the restroom near the girl is for girls.
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Here’s the vital information: Let the statues guide you. The signs say “Yin” and “Yang.” Which can lead to confusion, especially when you’ve had a half dozen cocktails, and you didn’t really know which gender “Yin” and “Yang” were assigned to in the first place. No, the vital information relates to Tao’s restrooms.īecause, you see, the restaurant foregoes signs saying “Men” or “Women,” preferring to keep with the restaurant’s theme. Not vital information, per se, but certainly worth noting. Tao nightclub features bathtub models in rose petal baths. The vital information doesn’t relate to the menu, or the signature cocktails or the impressive interior design of Tao Asian Bistro’s dining area. So, yeah, completely out of place in Las Vegas. Tao is a principle of behavior in harmony with the natural order.
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There’s some information you simply must know for your next visit to Tao Asian Bistro and Nightclub at The Venetian.
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