Michael Mina first came to Las Vegas to create a unique dining experience when he was just breaking through as an emerging star in the national culinary scene. He joined an all-star team opening fine dining destinations at the brand-new Bellagio in 1998, and his namesake eatery is still going strong at that iconic resort, all while Mina has evolved into one of the most influential culinary figures in Las Vegas. He also currently operates Bardot Brasserie at Aria, International Smoke at MGM Grand and Stripsteak at Mandalay Bay, and in a few short months, he will have expanded with two more concepts on the boulevard.

You helped Bellagio celebrate its 25th anniversary in October. That must have had you looking back at your first experiences on the Las Vegas Strip.

The event and the whole weekend were amazing, just being together with (chefs) Jean-Georges (Vongerichten) and Julian (Serrano). Bellagio didn’t just change Las Vegas, it changed the world and the whole face of gaming. The food and beverage had a lot to do with that, the way it elevated food in casinos. It’s been great for us as chefs and great for the industry. And then my restaurant, Michael Mina, which started as Aqua—to be able to walk your parents into Bellagio and have your name on the restaurant, that’s really special.

You’ve spent a lot of time here through the years, but had been living in the San Francisco Bay Area until recently, becoming a full-time Las Vegan. Why did you make the move?

I’ve been full-time a little over three years now. These are our two biggest markets and I spent a lot of time with my operations and development teams, and everybody wanted to come to Las Vegas. It just made a lot of sense, and I’ve always loved it here. And after you move here, you realize you can travel less because everyone you’re on the phone with knows you’re in Las Vegas and they say, “Oh, we’ll come to you.”

You’re getting ready to open Orla at Mandalay Bay, which is a concept you’ve been developing for a long time. Why was now the right time?

I’m Egyptian; my father is from Alexandria and my mother is from Cairo. Growing up, I ate a lot of food I thought was Middle Eastern that was actually Greek. There are a lot of crossover dishes that are almost identical. I have always been extremely passionate about Mediterranean food, but earlier in my career I never did it, because the timing wasn’t right and I didn’t want to be labeled. The first time I really was able to even put my toes in the water was at Seablue (formerly at MGM Grand) and we had a really fun time with that restaurant. After that, I started working more and more in creating this concept that takes from my roots and traditions, a little bit of my journey, and being able to modernize it and put my influence on certain dishes.

There’s a lot more Mediterranean on the Strip these days, which backs up your instincts that the time is right.

For us, it’s being able to say we’re really bringing this to life, putting approachability into the food but doing it with amazing product, amazing technique, spices from all around the world, a restaurant with high energy.

And you have another opening on the horizon, bringing your Bourbon Steak concept to Las Vegas at last, just next door at the Four Seasons.

We have Bourbon Steaks in other premier cities, and this will be the first Bourbon Steak supper club. I’ve always loved that space for its accessibility, coming off the Strip and pulling up to the Four Seasons, how it’s private, and it’s a restaurant that attracts locals. We’re creating a menu that moves Bourbon Steak forward and it’ll have great live music, a really good atmosphere with a lot of layers, and beautiful tableside presentations so we can do some fun, theatrical stuff.

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