Vibrant downtown Las Vegas scene attracts celebrity chef Kerry Simon

Nearly 20 years after chef Kerry Simon moved to Las Vegas to open Prime, a steakhouse at the Bellagio, he’s gearing up for the early June opening of his fifth restaurant, Carson Kitchen, in downtown Las Vegas.

“It’s a different energy than anything I’ve ever done before,” Simon said. “Downtown is exploding and I decided it would be a great place to open a restaurant.”

The location at 124 S. Sixth St. will have a homey feel, said Executive Chef Matt Andrews, who has worked for for the past three years at Simon’s restaurant at The Palms.

“You’ll feel like you’re having dinner at Kerry’s house because you’ll be able to sit at the counter and watch them cook in the kitchen,” Andrews said. “We also will offer a lot of great dishes that people aren’t doing here in Vegas.”

Andrews said the cuisine at Carson Kitchen, which is priced at less than $20, will be share-able social plates of American comfort food, with a twist.

“We’ll offer Beef Wellington in an empanada, oxtail with a black rice risotto and a rabbit Ragu with spaghetti squash,” he said. “We want to create simple, downhome cooking that tastes really good.”

The dessert menu, according to Andrews, is comprised of the culinary team’s spin on Simon’s idea of junk food.

“We have a bourbon French brownie with brown-butter bacon ice cream, glazed donut bread pudding and a beer-based version of a Twinkie called, ‘not your father’s Twinkie,’” he said. “Our goal is to put out a great plate of food for people to enjoy.”

Carson Kitchen co-owner and operator Cory Harwell first met Simon in 2009 at his restaurant, Caña, a Latin eatery and bar, which was open in Town Square until 2011. The pair currently operates the license of Simon’s recipes at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana and Chicago.

“This will be our third venture together,” Harwell said. “And I know this is something Kerry has dreamed of for a long time and I think my greatest goal and the thing I look forward to the most is being able to breathe life into this with him.”

Harwell called Carson Kitchen unique.

“It’s different than anything I’ve ever seen anywhere, especially in Las Vegas,” he said. “We’re doing fun and creative things with our menu that haven’t been done in that neighborhood and I think we’ll fill a niche that people are looking for – a traditional Vegas Strip experience complete with quality food and service.”

Harwell said he hopes Carson Kitchen becomes a destination.

“There’s a good population that has experienced what downtown has to offer, but a lot of Las Vegas residents still haven’t been and I look forward to the food we’ll be offering and opening the restaurant that Kerry and I have built together,” he said. “Our business has only gotten busier and I’ve learned more from him and I’m more inspired by him now than the day I met him.”

Simon said he looks forward to being a part of life downtown.

“I want the restaurant to be a vital part of the community,” he said. “It’s the downtown dream.”

Contact reporter Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0391. Follow @AnnFriedmanRJ on Twitter.