Chef Rossi bids Rose Rabbit goodbye

While valley foodies have been loudly buzzing about the ongoing reboot of The Cosmopolitan’s restaurant program and the big names it will bring to the resort, one top chef has quietly exited the building. Dan Rossi has left his position as chef de cuisine for Rose. Rabbit. Lie. He’s actually been gone for just over a month, having decided to take his leave when the restaurant closed briefly around Thanksgiving.

Rossi has a long and impressive local resume. Before taking over the kitchen at the quirky Cosmopolitan eatery, he worked under Alex Stratta at Renoir, Alex and Stratta, ran the kitchen of David Burke’s eponymous Venetian eatery, served as Scott Conant’s local executive chef at Scarpetta, and helmed The Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas.

When asked about the decision to leave Rose. Rabbit. Lie., Rossi explained management “wanted to go in a new direction and I wanted to go in another,” and said he simply decided he wanted “a little more creative freedom” than they were willing to provide. Nonetheless, he says he wishes everyone at his former place of employment well.

The chef says he’s currently speaking to a few people about his next move and expects to “decide in the new year which offer I want to take and which direction I want to go.”

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.