Spiegelworld pairs Superfrico restaurant with ‘Opium’ relaunch

As Rick James would say, it’s Superfrico, now.

Well, at least in September. But that is the name of Spiegelworld’s new dining and cocktail concept being paired with the stage show “Opium.” The restaurant opens Sept. 24, same date the show is set to return.

“The Cosmopolitan has always been focused on bringing innovative, first-to-market concepts to our guests,” Cosmopolitan President and CEO Bill McBeath said Tuesday.

McBeath noted his company’s partnership with Spiegelworld founder and Impresario Extraordinaire Ross Mollison.

“We have spent the last year and a half alongside Ross and the Spiegelworld team developing an exciting new concept, and what we believe will be the first true, fully integrated ‘night out’ experience in Las Vegas, combining the best of food, beverage and entertainment,” McBeath said.

Superfrico arrives as such topline entertainment-dining concepts as Mayfair Supper Club at Bellagio and, more recently, Delilah at Wynn Las Vegas have arrived on the scene.

Mollison is certainly a fan of his own handiwork.

“People come to Vegas expecting the extraordinary,” the producer and civic leader said in a statement. “They want to be wowed; to see, do and taste things they’ve never seen, done or tasted before — and when they visit Superfrico, that’s exactly what they’ll get. Superfrico was born in Las Vegas, for Las Vegas, by people who truly love Vegas.”

Superfrico takes over the former Rose. Rabbit. Lie. space adjacent to the Opium Theater. Fittingly, Mollison helped design that restaurant concept, originally paired with Spiegelworld’s “Vegas Nocturne.”

The show ran from January through June 2014. Rose. Rabbit. Lie. continued operation until it shut down officially in January.

The Superfrico-“Opium” pairing is similar to the “Vegas Nocturne”-Rose. Rabbit. Lie. coupling in that the restaurant and show are meant to be complementary. It is very unlikely Superfrico would be developed in that space absent the existing production show.

Superfrico’s hours are Hours are 5 p.m.-“late night” Wednesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The groovy hospitality annex’s culinary program is led by the man dubbed “international pizza czar” Anthony Falco; Cosmopolitan Executive Chef Mitch Emge; and General Manager Greisy Pacton, late of Gordon Ramsay Steak.

The fancy pizza and related menu items are called “Italian American Psychedelic,” which, the company says “honors the recipes and traditions passed down by generations of Sicilian family cooks while taking fearless detours with ingredients and techniques.”

The description continues, “The result? An open-minded, all-senses-overloaded take on grandma’s favorites, sure to satisfy any craving, all night long — including Falco’s showcase selection of pizza perfection, fresh pasta dishes, steaks, seafood, small plates, signature desserts and late-night finales.”

The “principal pourer” and mixologist Leo Robitschek of Eleven Madison Park will specialize in blended and bottled cocktail flasks with small-batch beverages to consume in the restaurant, or for purchase at Superfrico’s Bottle-O retail store.

Spiegelworld plans a companion art program, too. “Curatorialpresario” Heather Harmon, most recently director of the Nevada Museum of Art’s Las Vegas location, leads this initiative (Harmon’s family is for whom Harmon Avenue is named).

The collection will pay homage to Spiegelworld’s circus underpinnings with handcrafted, repurposed and one-of-a-kind pieces.

According to the company’s release, the first to be commissioned is New York-based artist Adehla Lee’s Psycho Pop Party, a wild candy-colored acrylic painting. More than 20 original works in a variety of media, from illustration to neon, have been commissioned or acquired for the venue.

The display is to represent “internationally significant artists whose work has special resonance with the spirit of Superfrico.”

As Mollison proclaims, “Like the city itself, we’ve opened our doors to the world’s finest artists — each a master of their craft. It’s our ultimate, be-all, end-all, taste-all house party with questioning creatives everywhere you look — in the kitchen, behind the bars, inside the walls, under the bed — and you’re all invited.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.