Restaurants appealed to our love of casual dining in 2015

Like Las Vegas as a whole, the fortunes of the local restaurant industry continued to recover in 2015, with more openings across the valley.

An increase in the proportion of casual restaurants, which first surfaced during the recession, continued this year. That held true not only in the suburbs, where mom-and-pops that would have offered table service a decade ago opted instead for counter service, but also on the Strip.

Celebrity chefs who rushed to open fine-dining restaurants there in years past went more casual this year, with openings including Bardot Brasserie from Michael Mina at Aria in January and Searsucker from former "Top Chef" finalist Brian Malarkey at Caesars Palace in March. Miami Beach-based Yardbird, a Southern-cuisine restaurant whose specialties include chicken with waffles and watermelon, opened at The Venetian in January. (Disclosure: The family of Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of The Venetian owner Las Vegas Sands Corp., bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this month.)

Carbone, an offshoot of the Greenwich Village hotspot, opened at Aria in October, the same month Pete Rose launched an eponymous bar and grill in the Hawaiian Marketplace across the street. Mr. Chow, founded in London and known for its celebrity clientele and self-described "raucous" atmosphere, opened at Caesars Palace earlier this month.

The appeal of casual restaurants was reinforced in June when Eric and Bruce Bromberg, whose restaurants include Blue Ribbon Sushi at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, opened Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken at Downtown Summerlin, and when a second valley Shake Shack opened there in October.

Speaking of Downtown Summerlin: The suburban shopping complex came into its own as a restaurant destination this year with a flurry of openings. In addition to Shake Shack and Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, additions were Andiron Steak and Sea, Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, Public School 702, Earl of Sandwich, Trattoria Reggiano, Ribs & Burgers, Pancho's Mexican Restaurant and Fogo de Chao, which joins a sister restaurant in the Hughes Center.

Michelin-starred chef Alex Stratta, who had several restaurants at Strip resorts, moved to the suburbs with Alex Stratta Tapas at Tivoli Village, which opened in April. Stratta, who in an October interview cited increased competition from nearby Downtown Summerlin, changed concepts in November, with the tapas location being reborn as Salt 'n Pepper Southern Comfort Bar and Grill.

Downtown Las Vegas also saw a flurry of openings, with Itsy Bitsy Ramen and Whiskey, Glutton and VegeNation in April, Zydeco Po'Boys and Therapy in June and Flippin' Good Burgers and Shakes in August.

The Downtown Container Park, intended to serve as a business incubator, saw its first success in October when an offshoot of Big Ern's BBQ opened at the Fiesta Rancho.

Not far from downtown, Pawn Plaza opened adjacent to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop with a shipping-container configuration similar to the Downtown Container Park and food outlets that include Smoke's Poutinerie, Rick's Rollin' Smoke BBQ & Tavern, Inna Godda di Pizza, Rita's Italian Ice and Pawn Donut & Coffee.

Artisanal Foods, a gourmet's dream market, moved from Sunset Road to Pama Lane, where it also operates a 12-seat cafe.

Of course, not everything in the local industry was rosy in 2015. One of the darkest moments occurred in September, when rock 'n' roll chef Kerry Simon died of multiple system atrophy. Simon's restaurant at the Palms had been replaced by a new concept, although his Carson Kitchen in downtown Las Vegas lives on.

Paul Bartolotta, whose Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare opened with Wynn Las Vegas in 2005, moved on, with the resort giving the room (and terrace) to longtime Wynn chef Mark LoRusso and renaming it Costa di Mare.

Table 89, a new concept from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza owner Sami Ladeki, opened in the northern suburbs in February, only to close several months later. And downtown's O Face Doughnuts announced that it would close this month.

What's ahead for 2016? A continuation of the casual trend is almost certain; among the most anticipated openings are Wahlburger's at the Grand Bazaar Shops and Eggslut at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.