Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/221505
MEET THE BEVERAGE DIRECTOR A relatively new addition to venerable Las Vegas Boulevard South (extreme South), there wasn't even an exit to take you directly to the property originally called the South Coast when it opened in 2005. Michael Gaughan, an old-school hotelier and restaurateur of serious pedigree, owns the successful resort and equestrian center. But at the customer level, the South Point and its 13 food and beverage outlets is largely operated by a new generation. Before arriving at the South Point in 2012, Kennedy was the Executive Director of Food and Beverage at New York-New York, an MGM Resorts International-owned revolving door of tourists on the Strip. Compared with its big brothers and sisters on the flashier end of the Strip, some might call the South Point a "value" property. But Kennedy prefers "affordable luxury," and has made it his personal mission to exceed the category's typical expectations. "Affordable luxury is not going to hurt your pocket too much, but boy are you going to have an amazing time. It has all the amenities of a high-end establishment, so when you come into our steakhouse, you're having Prime beef, beautiful wine in crystal glassware and getting out of here for less than $50 per person—that's affordable luxury. This restaurant could be at other, more affluent properties here in town and it wouldn't skip a beat." At the other end of the spectrum is Michael's, an old-school Las Vegas gourmet room relocated to South Point after Barbary Coast closed in 2007. It's a throwback, the last vestige of Continental cuisine in the city with those large red crushed-velvet banquets, waiters in tuxedos, tableside Caesars and Chateaubriand for two—the works. "Every whim will be catered to," Kennedy explains. "'No' is not in the vocabulary." The chef, maître d' and much of the team that runs Michael's has been there since the beginning, relocating right along with the restaurant. "I've been here a year and a half and I will be the new guy for a very, very long time!" Kennedy says, laughing. Even as he maintains Gaughan's oldschool, family-friendly mandate, like any good visionary, Kennedy invests in the future. "I'm not sitting still. I go out, I dine, I drink at other places—I try to bring the outside in. While we have a great program here now, I think it's very important to continue to move forward. It's easy to sit still and pat yourself on the back for the good things that are happening at your property. But we have to continually evolve." Walking the talk, as they say, Kennedy is also the Secretary of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation, through which he mentors three high school students preparing for college scholarships and careers as the next generation of hospitality professionals. On the Aer With Vinturi At the South Point, Vinturi is a verb. "I'll never forget: I went home one night, opened up a nice bottle of wine and Vinturi'd it. I was like, 'Wow, this is pretty amazing.' But I didn't think too much of it just yet. My wife walks in a few minutes later, tastes the wine I'm drinking and says it's great. She pours herself a glass. Now, there are two open bottles of wine on the counter, and she goes, 'Oh my gosh, I must have poured myself the other one.' And I said, 'No, we're drinking the same wine. I've just Vinturi'd it!" In the three months since his at-home social experiment, Kennedy's bought more than a dozen of Vinturi wine aeration systems for three of his venues, two of them Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence winners. "We're not decanting a lot of wines here; when our guests come in, they're enjoying wines that are couple years old. But the Vinturi opens wine up that much quicker, Kennedy says. " It's an old-school interactive element that fits nicely into the property's wine program, which is also under Kennedy's charge. Order a full bottle and it arrives tableside, like all the best things in Vegas. And single glasses can be Vinturi'd, too, by request. " Anytime the server can do something tableside, it's a show, and it gets people talking. And he's not had any dif" ficulty introducing it to his mature clientele. "Generally, if you get someone who is wine-savvy and they start talking that language with the server, we'll ask if we can Vinturi their wine. It's almost a code at this point. " For more information on the benefits of Vinturi's On-Premise program, contact Todd Kunesh, todd@vinturi.com/702-375-8100. For general information, visit www.vinturi.com or call 1-877-VINTURI (846-8874). december 2013 / the tasting panel / 1 13 TP1213_104-148.indd 113 11/23/13 8:36 PM