Designer integrates Las Vegas into Cosmopolitan’s French restaurant

Adam Tihany is standing on a terrace overlooking the Strip, enjoying his success after completing the interior design of Comme Ca, one of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' 13 restaurants, a place that devotees of French cuisine are expected to crowd in to well beyond Wednesday's opening.

Since 1978, Tihany Design has been the leader in restaurant and hospitality design worldwide. The company namesake, he has been the creative force behind Aureole New York and Las Vegas, Le Cirque and other upscale restaurants. His design work in hotels includes Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter, One & Only Cape Town and Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Landmark.

"I began designing night clubs," he said. "What I learned was make the women look good, then men will spend money."

But Comme Ca was different. It was a chance for Tihany to put his own contemporary bent on a classic French brasserie for chef David Myers' new restaurant.

"It's a contemporary take on a French bistro, but it's site specific to Las Vegas," Tihany said. "The materials we used are quite different."

On their way to the main dining room, guests will see a custom mosaic marble tile floor and hand-scripted chalkboard walls.

"Fish to taste right, must swim three times -- in water, in butter and in wine," and "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," a quote from Virginia Woolf, are just a few of the messages posted on the chalkboard walls.

"The walls are a signature piece of Comme Ca in Los Angeles," said Tihany, who described the chalkboards as a "communal billboard" or an "old-fashioned Facebook." In the small hallway leading to the restrooms, employees and visitors to the restaurant before it opened have left messages for future guests.

The room's classic wainscoting and wall moldings are finished in distressed oak, while 11-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the Strip and neighboring properties.

"I still feel the beauty of Vegas is something that should be celebrated," he said.

The bar lounge boasts custom details such as a French pewter bar counter that seats 15, red leather banquettes with tufted accents, amber and russet stripped velvet chairs and espresso-stained wood cocktail tables. A temperature-controlled wine room behind the bar stores more than 1,800 bottles, and a communal table on the far side of the lounge seats 10 people.

"I think the magic of Las Vegas is everything that is happening on the Strip. That's what people come here for," Tihany said. "So for me the integration of the Strip into the design is of paramount importance."

The terrace offers guests a unique ceiling feature composed of red disks of varying sizes, some of which contain built-in lights, that helps define the patio dining space. Additionally, a crimson canopy covers the terrace lounge and TV area, creating the feeling of an intimate cabana.

"It's perfect. His design fits the space perfectly," Myers said shortly before Comme Ca was scheduled to open on Wednesday.

Tihany said it was crucial to get to know Myers, his brand and what he wants to bring to Las Vegas before he started the project.

"I believe we've captured the spice of Vegas itself while reflecting the vision of the chef in the kitchen," he said. "If I've done that than (Myers) can be the best operator he can be."

Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.