Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill at The Cosmopolitan closes

Sunday will be the last day for Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. After renovations, it’ll be replaced this spring by Blue Ribbon Restaurant, also from the Bromberg brothers and modeled after their Blue Ribbon Brasserie in New York’s Soho area.

Las Vegas will be in the spotlight at the James Beard Foundation’s Beard House in New York during the next couple of months, at three scheduled events. Four chefs from the Westgate Las Vegas will serve “Valentine’s Day with a Vegas Kiss” on, you guessed it, Valentine’s Day; more on that to come. Additionally, Mark LoRusso of Costa di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas will prepare a seafood dinner March 21, and Timon Balloo of Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill at The Venetian will tackle global cuisine March 28.

Openings and closings: Lots of comings and goings downtown these days, including at the Promenade at Juhl, where Le Pho has been joined by the valley’s fifth Greens and Proteins, offering healthy choices at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meanwhile, Daniel Schneider, former executive chef of The Owl, has taken over the kitchen of the venerable Hard Hat Lounge at 1675 S. Industrial Road, bringing the dive bar a menu of sandwiches and burgers, some of them offbeat. Schneider said the Bulgogi Burger has been pretty popular, as has the Jamaican Jerk Burger, with pineapple-orange chipotle mayo. Sandwiches include the Hawaiian Grilled Cheese. The sandwiches are $5, most burgers $6. And we have to love the name of Schneider’s company: Dish Function All Chefs.

Hawthorn Grill, the first new restaurant in recent years at the J.W. Marriott, will open Sunday.

Kitchen Table, one of the new crop of top-notch breakfast-and-lunch places in the valley, plans to expand from Henderson to the other side of the valley sometime this spring, and it’s an ambitious project for chef Javiar Chavez. Kitchen Table Squared will serve dinner as well as breakfast, lunch and brunch when it opens at The Grammercy. Roasted rack of lamb is to be among the signature dinner entrees.

Sightings: Ross Lynch of pop-rock R5 at Yardbird and Tao at The Venetian. Singer/rapper Ty Dolla Sign, rapper G-Eazy, singer Halsey and rapper Chanel West Coast (not together) at Tao. Singer Kelly Rowland and actor/model Terrence J at Lavo at the Palazzo. UFC octagon girl Brittney Palmer at Beauty & Essex at The Cosmopolitan. Boxer Canelo Alvarez at La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway at Wynn Las Vegas.

Have an item for Kitchen Confidante? Email hrinella@reviewjournal.com.