Rockstar Chef Chris Santos Just Celebrated A New Restaurant Opening In Vegas
Chris Santos is a world-renowned chef with a lot on his plate (ha, ha?). He holds down the fort as executive chef and owner of New York City’s Stanton Social, appears on Chopped, and also co-runs a label called Blacklight Media. So how does Chris manage to juggle all of that, and still manage to open a flagship Beauty & Essex restaurant in Las Vegas? Get to know the rockstar chef, Chris Santos, through our 8 questions below.
1. So will there be a difference between your Las Vegas menus and your NYC menus?
The restaurant really is a perfect fit with The Cosmopolitan—we’ll have many of our signatures from New York, but are adding some exclusive items for Vegas and will update the menu constantly all year round.
2. What’s the worst thing someone’s ever cooked for you? Is a woman who can’t cook, unattractive to you?
I remember going to a BBQ in Brooklyn last summer and being served a really, really, REALLY overcooked burger. I mean like so far gone, on a really, really, REALLY burnt bun and kind of had to fib and say it was great. And I definitely don’t base attraction on whether someone can cook or not. Case in point, the woman who cooked me that burger was super cute!
3. Your food has been consumed by some of the biggest celebs in the world, who would be your ideal dinner party guest dead or alive ?
I’m a huge boxing fan, so I would love to have had the chance to cook for, and dine with the greatest, Muhammad Ali.
4. What’s an easy dinner recipe that a Galore girl who isn’t kitchen savvy (like myself) could do in 30 min?
Always keep an excellent quality olive oil on hand, along with some vine ripened tomatoes, garlic and good grating cheese, and you can always throw together a simple but elegant pasta or crostini with just these ingredients. A little butter and some black pepper to finish, and you are good to go.
6. Shake Shack or In N Out?
FIVE GUYS all day, over Shake Shack and In N Out! The secret is to eat your cajun fries while letting the burger rest in the wrapper, creating a cheesy, gooey, melty bacon cheeseburger with mayo, mustard and ketchup.
7. We read you’re planning to release tattoo-inspired chef apparel, and that sounds fun. What’s happening with that?
It is in the works, but my focus right now is the restaurants, Chopped, and a cookbook that is coming out early next year. I also just started Blacklight Media, a hard rock and heavy metal music label.
8. What do you guess the next trendy food will be? And how much do you love/hate kale?
It’s hard to say, but I do think that kale should be allowed to just be kale now. It had its 15 minutes! And kale just being kale is still pretty good. I do love the stuff!
9. Favorite item on the Beauty & Essex Vegas menu?
The Bone Marrow with Rioja Shallot Marmalade is still my number one Beauty & Essex crush.
