Robert Irvine hosts pop-up preview of Public House restaurant

Robert Irvine pulled double-duty at The Tropicana last week with a pair of culinary events on Thursday and Friday, serving Las Vegans in attempts to both whet the city’s appetite and ease its hunger. The first was a pop-up dinner previewing plans for his upcoming restaurant, Robert Irvine’s Public House, due this summer.

The meal was an assortment of dishes, including an heirloom tomato and burrata salad, two styles of chicken wings, a “knife-and-fork” slider that featured wagyu beef, fried bacon and a cheese sauce poured on top of the bun, fried chicken with kale, ramen, tomahawk steak, cherry milkshakes and other desserts. The next night, Irvine hosted a cookout to celebrate the launch of Restaurant Week 2017 to benefit Three Square food bank.

Direct from New York

Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich will stage a pop-up dinner in their own restaurant Friday night, when B&B Ristorante in The Venetian turns over its kitchen to the chef from the duo’s Big Apple flagship Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. Babbo executive chef Frank Langello will offer guests an assortment of family-style appetizers, a choice of two pastas, one of three main courses and a dessert duo. It’s $150 per person and includes a wine pairing, gratuity and a take-home pastry creation. Another $35 will score you a copy of Mario Batali’s “The Babbo Cookbook.”

Five chefs at this party

The Westgate also hosted a Restaurant Week kickoff party, this one Sunday at Fresco Italiano. It featured a five-course meal, with a different resort chef creating each dish.

New Santos venture?

Chris Santos hosted a first anniversary party Monday for his Beauty and Essex at The Cosmopolitan. The bash, which kicked off well past dinner hour at 10 p.m., felt more like a lounge party than a restaurant celebration, with a DJ spinning in the plush darkened space. Speaking at the event, Santos nearly revealed his next projects, which include a restaurant in New York City, he said, and could include a Las Vegas venture next year. But he cut his revelation short after receiving a cautionary head shake from a team member.

Guest barkeep at DW Bistro

Email hrinella@reviewjournal.com or amancini@reviewjournal.com.