Chef Shaun King heads to Phan’s Slanted Door at Forum Shops

Chef Shaun King is making a habit of using food festivals to announce his big career moves. King, who revealed he was exiting David Chang’s Momofuku when he appeared in a different restaurant’s booth at Whiskey in the Wilderness in early March, surprised attendees of UNLVino’s Grand Tasting on Saturday by appearing alongside San Francisco Chef Charles Phan to serve samples from the upcoming Forum Shops outpost of Phan’s Slanted Door. King confirmed he’ll be running the local kitchen for Phan when the restaurant opens in late summer.

Another Golden exit

The culinary dominoes continue to fall at Golden Entertainment. Scott Green has exited his position running culinary operations for the company’s taverns, which include all of the PT’s variations. This follows Golden’s decision to eliminate the corporate executive chef position of veteran chef John Church in February and Pawan Pinisetti’s announcement last week that he was departing the Strat’s Top of the World for a position in Florida. There’s no word yet on what Green has planned next.

Bad-mouthed birds

The Golden Tiki has finally gotten its foul-mouthed fowl. Partner Branden Powers has been trying to secure himself a pair of performing animatronic birds similar to those at Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room for a while now, even holding an ill-fated crowd-funding campaign to finance them. He finally got his wish, installing two potty-mouthed birds named Al and Bud in the bar’s rafters this week. The pair heckle customers and joke about inappropriate topics such as drug use and prostitutes “when they damn well please,” according to the bar.

Doing good

Tickets are on sale for the Epicurean Affair, which is 6-10 p.m. May 16 at Red Rock Resort. The event benefits the Nevada Restaurant Association’s educational and scholarship programs including the nationally based ProStart, in which more than 2,600 Nevada students from 33 schools learn the skills and knowledge to succeed in food service. For tickets, at $100, $120 for VIP (with early admission), go to nevadarestaurants.com.

Openings

An offshoot of West Hollywood restaurant/supper club Delilah is scheduled to open next spring at Wynn Las Vegas, through a partnership with the H. Wood Group.

Sightings

Bachelor Nation alums Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick at Tao at The Venetian. Eden Sher of “The Middle” at Lavo at Palazzo. Comedian/actor Cheech Marin at Nacho Daddy at Miracle Mile Shops, promoting his new Tres Papalote Mezcal, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.

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