The Venetian Goes Plant-Based for World Vegan Month

The Venetian is going plant-based for World Vegan Month, introducing more than 50 plant-based dishes across all of the resort’s upscale restaurants. The world-famous hotel and casino announced that its restaurants – Mott 32, Majordomo Meat & Fish, and Bouchon –will begin offering elevated plant-based dishes starting on November 1 for the entire month. The resort’s acclaimed chefs – including the Two-Michelin Star Chef David Chang – have developed innovative vegan dishes that will satisfy any guest.

David Chang, who is best known as the founder and creator of Momofuku restaurants, has consistently supported the plant-based movement and was one of the first to feature Impossible meats in his dishes. Chang’s Majordomo Meat & Fish establishment within The Venetian will feature several new plant-based dishes starting November 1st, including a “Macaroni with hozon,” a remake of the traditional macaroni and cheese using fermented chickpea miso instead of dairy cheese.

“It sounds a little bit crazy—but it’s a play on macaroni and cheese,” Chef Chang said in a statement. “We make our own proprietary fermented chickpea—we basically make miso out of it. When you ferment it, it has a lot of notes of parmesan—that natural umami is developed. It’s the same flavors that I find in Pecorino Romano and really good-aged parmesan. I was like ‘why don’t we turn that into a pasta dish?’ Believe it or not, there is no cheese in it. But when you taste it, it tastes so familiar, like the best version of mac and cheese you’ve ever had.”

Another restaurant in the Venetian, Mott 32, is offering more than a dozen vegan variations of its signature dishes. Its chefs will remake the highly popular dishes Shanghainese Soup Dumplings, Signature Smoked Cod, and Stir-Fried Beef with a variety of plant-based proteins. The Hong Kong import will showcase the potential of plant-based alternatives, working with complicated dishes like its staple Peking duck. The redesigned plant-based Peking duck will source tofu skins while its Salt & Pepper Squid dish will use coconut meat stands instead of conventional squid.

For the fine dining experience, chef Angelo Auriana of The Venetian’s BRERA osteria has developed a fully vegan four-course tasting menu. Auriana developed eight carefully-designed, Italian-inspired dishes for the tasting menu, giving Venetian visitors a chance to explore the vegan fine-dining world.

The upscale Italian restaurant will offer guests a choice between two Insalatas; a pasta course of either a garganelli pasta with san Marzano tomatoes, Romanesco, and garlic breadcrumbs or a farro risotto with roasted eggplant crema, garbanzo beans, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. The main course features eggplant, gremolata topped cauliflower or a spiced polenta; and the dessert will be coconut tapioca pudding with fresh berries and passion fruit sauce.

Chef Auriana’s other restaurant within The Venetian, Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, will also receive a vegan makeover. The chef announced that he will introduce a freshly created garganelli pasta with nardello peppers, basil, zucchini, and a spicy tomato crema that he claims is so creamy and rich that “guests won’t notice we don’t use cheese.

“Vegans are often forgotten, so we created a new menu that is plant-based—and full of flavor— using the freshest seasonal ingredients with an artistic presentation,” Chef Auriana said in a statement. “We have even gotten positive reviews from our regular meat-eating clientele.”

Alongside Aurelio and Chang’s restaurants, several other Venetian staples will begin introducing vegan dishes for World Vegan Month. One of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite French restaurants Bouchon will launch the “Vegan Chop,” consisting of a blend of grains and mushrooms shaped into a pork chop. The vegan pork chop will be accompanied by seasonal vegetables.

New York City-based Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer’s remote location will unveil a Vegan Nashville Hot portobello burger with signature hot sauce. For dessert, the establishment will debut a Vegan Black ‘n White CakeShake containing vegan cake, a dairy-free whipped cream, vanilla frosting, chocolate chips, and a chocolate drizzle.

The Venetian’s World Vegan Month celebration is not the resort’s first foray into plant-based food and beverage. Located at the resort, Truth & Tonic became the Las Vegas strip’s first vegan restaurant last January. The vegan restaurant opened inside of the resort’s spa, pushing a shift to plant-based eating for customers and the entire report.

With Chef Pete Ghione at the helm, the kitchen offers JUST Egg scrambles, soyrizo, and vegan frittatas topped by a plant-based vegan cheddar. The lunch menu provides customers with a variety of plant-based foods, showcasing vegan chorizo and a plant-based chimichurri vegan chicken. Ghione, along with the other chefs, is helping turn Las Vegas plant-based for at least November.