Cote Korean Steakhouse continues to raise the stakes. This month, the world-class steak house and Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine destination opened its first location in the western United States at the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip. The restaurant debuted with a wine list of over 1,200 selections, specializing in magnums.
Cote Korean Steakhouse first launched in New York City’s Flatiron District in 2017. It was founded by restaurateur Simon Kim and combines the vibrant culture of Korean barbecue with the American steak-house format, with Korean banchan and grilling done at the table in front of guests. The Las Vegas location is a homecoming in a way for Kim in a way, who worked on the Las Vegas Strip while a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“Las Vegas is where it all started for me—studying at UNLV, managing restaurants and casino floors, and learning the fundamentals of hospitality from the ground up in a city that never sleeps,” Kim said in a statement. “The energy of the Strip, the spectacle of lights, and endless possibilities have always lived in the DNA of Cote, and now we’re bringing that full circle.”
The Las Vegas opening is just one step of a massive expansion kick for Kim’s Gracious Hospitality Management (GHM). That expansion began in January 2024 with the group’s first-ever concept outside of the Cote formula: Best of Award of Excellence winner Coqodaq in New York City, an upscale take on Korean fried chicken boasting the United States’ largest collection of Champagne. That same month, GHM opened its first Cote location overseas with Best of Award of Excellence winner Cote Singapore. In the near future, Kim will introduce three new concepts within the 550 Madison building in New York City, including a second Cote in the Big Apple and a sushi counter. (The group opened Best of Award of Excellence winner Cote Miami in 2021.)
When it opened: Oct. 4
The wine list: To executive beverage director Victoria James, working on a project like the cellar at the Venetian was a whole new world—and a whole new budget. “It was amazing to have a budget for the first time,” James told Wine Spectator. “As little grassroot restaurateurs, you’re constantly pinching pennies. As time goes on, the first thing to get cut is always the wine, because people are asking, ‘Do you really need hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of inventory?’ Yes, we do. We’ve never been able to open in this way before—I’ve had to get creative in many different ways in the past. It was a blessing to say, ‘Wow, I have millions of dollars to spend on booze.’”
This budget and the time to research allowed James to fill the list with blue-chip bottles and next-generation producers, and offer them at a comparative value. “Let’s say you win big in the casino and you have $10,000 to spend on a bottle of wine, you can kind of buy whatever you want,” says James. “We put together a list of dream bottles—if you could buy anything, what would it be? All of my dream bottles are on the list.”
[article-img-container][src=2025-10/restaurant-news-cote-korean-steak-house-las-vegas-101525_1600.jpg] [credit= (Gary He)] [alt= The Butcher’s Feast from Cote Korean Steakhouse][end: article-img-container]
Cote’s wine programs are known for their wide selections of magnums—often bottled exclusively with the winemaker—and in Las Vegas, James doubled down. To honor the Venetian, she expanded the Italian wines available in magnum, with a particular eye toward Veneto wines like Amarone and Soave. James was also able to tap into the Venetian’s cellar of exclusive bottles. “We got in our drop from them and everyone on the team ran to the cellar with their phones to take pictures of it all,” says James.
With an amped-up wine list also came a cellar outfitted to James’ preferences, designed with Rockwell Group to be a veritable library, complete with a Beauty and the Beast–style sliding ladder. (Guests can even enter the cellar to grab their own bottles of wine, rather than peruse the hefty wine book.) The day-to-day wine operations will be handled by wine manager Vivan Mehnert.
The menu: Fans of Cote Korean Steakhouse can expect to find many of the dishes and menus that make Cote stand out, including the signature “Butcher’s Feast,” which includes four cuts of premium beef grilled at the table and a suite of Korean-inspired sides ($88.88 per person). The à la carte offerings include U.S. Prime beef, Australian Wagyu and A5 Japanese cuts, with a wide variety of accompaniments, such as bibimbap, spicy kimchi stew and house-smoked Korean pork belly. Guests will also find executive chef David Shim’s spins on steak-house classics such as a Caesar salad, oysters and caviar service. (Cote also offers a “Steak Omakase” tasting menu for $255 per person, with wine pairings for $110.)
The design: For the Las Vegas space, GHM teamed up with the architecture firm Rockwell Group, with whom they also collaborated on Coqodaq. For Las Vegas, the design is a bit more “cinematic,” with an unfurling flower-inspired dining room, a dedicated DJ booth and skyboxes overlooking the dining room on the second floor.—Julia Larson
Che Fico Crew Opens Tuscan-Inspired Via Aurelia in San Francisco
Since the pandemic, restaurants in San Francisco’s once-bustling downtown have been in sharp decline, including closures from former Restaurant Award winners Aphotic, Luce, Mourad and, most recently, One Market. Yet Chef David Nayfeld and business partner Matt Brewer—the duo behind Che Fico, which includes a Best of Award of Excellence–winning location in Menlo Park and an Award of Excellence–winning restaurant in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley—believe the city is poised for a resurgence. Nayfeld and Brewer set their sights on the budding Mission Rock area for their latest restaurant, Via Aurelia, a fine-dining concept inspired by Tuscany.
Situated along the waterfront just south of downtown (between Oracle Park, where the Giants play, and Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors), the Mission Rock area has been in development for 15 years. Today, it offers green spaces, mixed-use buildings, retailers, restaurants and more, including a flourishing residential neighborhood.
Last year, Nayfeld and Brewer opened Che Fico Pizzeria at Chase Center’s Thrive City. According to Jason Alexander, the director of wine for the restaurant group, they felt like they had an early finger on the pulse of possibility in the area.
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“When we opened the pizzeria, my question was, ‘Where are the residents?’ But it was amazing, once we opened, how many people came in with their dogs, which meant they had walked from their residences,” said Alexander. “But the restaurants haven’t kept up with the building growth of residents. Seeing this area evolve, we knew there was an opportunity here.”
When it opened: Sept. 30
The menu: Via Aurelia, or “Aurelian Way,” was once an ancient Roman road connecting Rome to Pisa in the 3rd century. Today, the Strada Statale 1 Aurelia follows the same route and remains colloquially referred to as la Via Aurelia. The restaurant’s menu is a study of regional Tuscan cuisine through the lens of seasonal California produce and draws inspiration from the diverse regional flavors that stretch along the route, which extends over 400 miles.
“Tuscany is a region with a long and diverse culinary history that encapsulates both interior hillside and coastline and offers a diversity of flavors,” said Alexander, pointing to an opening menu with dishes like bluefin tuna belly tartare and maltagliati pasta with wild hare ragù.
Chef Nayfeld leans into his former life in fine dining, having spent time at San Francisco’s Aqua, as well as Grand Award winners Joël Robuchon Restaurant in Las Vegas and Eleven Madison Park in New York City. There are elevated takes on traditional Tuscan classics, such as panzanella with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, Cerignola olives and olive oil-fried levain, served with a Sungold tomato gazpacho, or the bistecca Fiorentina—a massive, 30-ounce American Wagyu porterhouse served with Sangiovese jus and Tuscan butter.
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Housemade pastas have long been the star of the Che Fico restaurants, and another Tuscan exploration at Via Aurelia is the tortelli mugellani, a pasta traditionally filled with potato and cheese, then served in a ragù. Nayfeld fills this dish with Yukon gold potatoes and mascarpone, serving them atop a “Tuscan grandmother” ragù, finished with a Parmigiano espuma. In addition to ordering à la carte, diners can opt for a five- to seven-course tasting menu, accompanied by optional wine pairings.
The wine list: Alexander is no stranger to Italian classics, having curated wine menus that are almost exclusively Italian-focused at the Che Fico locations. With the 650-bottle opening list at Via Aurelia, it will be much of the same, while also leaning a bit more into other regions, including California for the first time.
“My rubric, when I think of Italy, is creating a Venn diagram where indigenous varieties mix with unique terroir and small producers, offering wines that speak of place. I’m applying that to California as well,” he said, highlighting producers such as Hirsch and Peay on California’s Sonoma Coast.
Unsurprisingly, Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino are well represented, with bottlings from Fontodi, Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, Altesino, Canalicchio di Sopra and more. However, Alexander notes that the list will evolve to feature even more Tuscan wines. “The future lies in growth from there,” he explained, while also highlighting a deep collection of Piedmont bottlings, including from the likes of Oddero, Roagna and G.D. Vajra.
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A concise collection from other notable Italian regions is also covered. Alexander aims to continue collecting key producers while searching for new and emerging wineries and showcasing a diverse range of wines from Champagne, Burgundy and beyond. “Looking at the past but also looking to the future speaks to what we want to achieve as a restaurant.”
The design: The 216-seat restaurant features 68 seats in the main dining room, as well as lounge and bar seating and two private dining rooms. It will soon include 30 outdoor seats. “It’s a beautiful space looking out to the Bay Bridge and at [the San Francisco Giants’] McCovey Cove,” said Alexander.
Jon de la Cruz, who designed both Che Fico locations, evokes a timeless, elegant Italian style at Via Aurelia. Natural light and yellow tones brighten the space, complemented by weathered, earthy shades of olive, terracotta and gray-ish blues. Elliptical arches frame semi-private white oak banquettes, and at one end of the dining room, there’s a mural inspired by a Renaissance painting of a cloudy sky, and additional artwork from Windy Chien and Isabella Cuglievan. “This is the first time we’ve invested in a collection of art, with these local women artists, which feels like the driving force of the space,” said Alexander, suggesting a sophisticated, Tuscan feel mixed with a Bay Area aesthetic.—Aaron Romano
José Andrés Debuts Txula Steak in New York City
This month, celebrated Spanish chef and philanthropist José Andrés debuted a new concept in New York City, Txula Steak, the latest in a string of high-profile steak house openings. Heavily influenced by Basque asadors, Andrés’ latest project is located inside Mercado Little Spain, his Hudson Yards food hall that opened in 2019. Txula Steak takes over the space that held Leña, an Iberian grill and a former Award of Excellence winner.
“The food of Basque Country, or País Vasco, has such an amazing story to tell! The Basque Country of Spain has some of the best ingredients on the planet, both from the sea and the land,” Andrés said in a statement. “Culturally, the Basque people live around the table, and food is everything—flavorful meat and game, fresh seafood, amazing produce and more cheeses and wine than you could even eat and drink in your dreams.”
[article-img-container][src=2025-10/restaurant-news-txula-steak-house-101625b_1600.jpg] [credit= (Nitzan Keynan)] [alt= A steak cooking on a live-fire grill at Txula Steak][end: article-img-container]
When it opened: Oct. 1
The menu: Txula Steak gets its moniker from the txuletón steak, a massive bone-in cut from older cattle that’s beloved in the Basque region. Many different cuts of beef are available—sourced from the United States, Australia and across Spain—in addition to the txuletón. Beyond beef, Andrés and his team are putting on the grill Basque pleasures such as suckling pig and lechal (baby lamb).
The meats dominate the menu, but it also features a varied assortment of appetizers and side dishes—including Basque takes on American steak-house classics such as oyster “gildas” with anchovies and piparra peppers or a Caesar salad with Idiazabal cheese. Other accompaniments are pure Basque, from the tightly wound txistorra sausages to the Manila clams doused in Txakoli to the Basque salad with peppers, peeled tomatoes and tuna belly. Tapas classics such as croquetas and pan con tomate are also mainstays. For dessert, look to the Basque cheesecake cart that glides around the dining room. The torta is topped with a heap of Spanish cheese, olive oil, Spanish honey and flaky salt.
[article-img-container][src=2025-10/restaurant-news-txula-steak-house-101625_1600.jpg] [credit= (Nitzan Keynan)] [alt= Basque cheesecake from Txula Steak][end: article-img-container]
The wine list: Much of the cellar from Leña carried over to Txula Steak, with 350 meat-friendly selections from across Spain. Much of what has changed is on the by-the-glass list, according to Jordi Paronella, wine director for José Andrés Restaurant Group, who put more emphasis on wines from the Basque region, including white, rosé and red Txakoli. “I think the diversity these wines have is appealing, and also there is more influence from Rioja,” says Paronella.
On the bottle list, wine lovers can expect to find a section devoted to the fortified wines from Andalusia, an entire category of “green wines” and major names in Rioja and Ribera del Duero, including Dominio de Pingus, Bodegas Vega Sicilia and Álvaro Palacios.
What’s next? Later this month, Andrés is expected to bring his Bazaar Meat steak house concept to New York City, at the Ritz-Carlton in the NoMad neighborhood. Bazaar Meat specializes in blending Spanish wood-fired grilling with Japanese culinary traditions, with selections including American and Japanese Wagyu and Kobe beef.—Julia Larson
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