Guests come for the dynamite food, but they also come for Paulo Duran, director of operations for Brera Osteria and Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, both at The Venetian. “I’ve gone from creating relationships with guests to creating friends,” says the Mexico native. “It’s like a family that keeps growing and it all starts with creating a memorable experience for guests that dine with us.”
In fact, Las Vegas visitors have followed Duran since he started in the city’s food and beverage industry nearly two decades ago, working at celebrity chefs’ restaurants including Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali. Duran—coined by his coworkers as Mr. Wonderful—joined the two Venetian restaurants a couple of years ago and is loving his new homes. “What makes our two restaurants special is the food, and we take a lot of pride in the hospitality that we provide,” he says. “We perfect the things that define good service.”
Brera is in the beautiful St. Mark’s Square and Matteo’s is downstairs in Restaurant Row, and you can find Duran running back and forth between both, all day long. “I canceled my gym membership, ’cause I do plenty of cardio every day,” he jokes.
But Duran doesn’t mind the hard work because the rewards of running two successful restaurants and overseeing a staff of more than 200 is what drives him. “I try not to think about the stresses and go with the flow,” he says. “But I enjoy my accomplishments. I’ve done it for some many years. If I was to quit tomorrow, where would I go? I don’t have a talent for any other industry. This is my passion.”
Libation: Passion Me
New for the season, you can find the Passion Me cocktail on the menu at Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano. This perfect spring sip is a mix of Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, passionfruit purée and fresh lime and garnished with a candied kiwi. Both restaurants’ unique garnishes are made in-house.
Benefit: Make sure to end your meal at Brera Osteria with the amaro flight—choose three different amaro flavors.
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