Former Light Group owner launching new restaurant group

The former owner of the Light Group is launching a new group of restaurants called Clique Hospitality and is building its first restaurant, at Red Rock Resort in western Las Vegas.

Andy Masi, with partners Brian Massie and Shane Monaco, is working with international chef Luciano Sautto on the new Italian restaurant called Salute along Red Rock Resort’s revamped restaurant row on West Charleston Boulevard. Sautto is a Naples, Italy, native and third-generation pizza maker.

The Light Group, a high-profile Las Vegas restaurant and nightclub group, was sold to Hakassan six months ago.

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant opens in the fall and will feature an antipasto bar, traditional Italian mainstays, seafood and vegetarian choices.

Sautto moved the United States in 1994 and became a chef in Miami’s Tutto Pasta Italian Cuisine. Masi plans to travel through Italy this month to check out restaurant concepts and even stay with Sautto’s family.

Masi’s Clique plans to open eight restaurants and venues in Nevada and California in the next year and a half.

“For the first offering from Clique, we really wanted to offer an incredible experience,” Masi said.

“Salute is going to be a special brand, and we couldn’t have gotten a better chef in Luciano to get us off the ground with our first restaurant concept as a group.”

Before Masi sold the Light Group and launched Clique Hospitality, he had opened Hearthstone restaurant along the same restaurant row at Red Rock this past year.

Massie is Hearthstone’s executive chef, with the restaurant featuring “rustic American” fare.

Station Casinos spent $35 million to renovate its signature Red Rock Resort property, which included an updated row of restaurants.

Station Casinos, owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, looks at Salute as rounding out the culinary selections along restaurant row, said Lori Nelson, a Station Casinos spokeswoman.

“It’s a fantastic addition for us. It’s important to have a great representation of variety and price points. It’s what drives the reinvestment. It’s important to bring new concepts into the mix. Andy and his team have infused new energy into our culinary lineup,” Nelson said this week.

The Fertittas are passionate about food, so it’s a good partnership with Clique, she said.

Lorenzo Fertitta is CEO of Zuffa LLC, parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts production and promotion organization.

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273.