I
s the idea of a “vegan vegas” in the land of
gambling, martinis, cigars and the $4.99 prime-rib
special an oxymoron? In 2007, the
Las Vegas
Review-Journal
memorablynoted that, “Beingavegan
inLasVegas is likebeing coconut-intolerant onGilligan’s
Island.” A vegandiet is one free of animal products, such
asmeat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy, honey and gelatin.Millions
ofpeopleadheretosuchdiets, includingagrowingnumberof
LasVegas’41millionannualvisitors.
But like an agingmovie star, Las Vegas has shown an
uncannyability tocontinuallyre-engineer itself tomeet the
world’s changing tastes. Today, thebillion-dollar casinoho-
telsoftheLasVegasStripbarelybataneyeatthe ideaofpro-
vidingtastyvegandiningtotheircustomers.As
EatingVegan
inVegas
,ane-bookbyPaulGraham,puts it, “If itcanhappen
here, it canhappen anywhere.”EvenPrimeSteakhouse at
Bellagionowboasts avegan risotto,madewithpureed tofu
rather thanbutterandcheese.
CrushatMGMGrandHotel&Casinoalsooffersavegan
menu, as well as vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free and
shellfish-freeoptions. “Wehavebeen really excited at the
menu’s reception. Peoplearehappyandoften surprisedwe
offer it.Theydon’thavetosearchtofindasuitabledishorsay,
‘I’ll justhave… ,’”saysCrushExecutiveChefBillyDeMarco.
“Wewant our vegan guests tohave the sameexperienceas
anyotherguest,but itfeelsgoodwhentheythankusfordoing
it.”Atravelerdoesn’tneedtobeafull-timevegantoenjoythe
food. “Vegandoesn’thave tobeboring,”DeMarcosays.
COURTESYOFTHECOSMOPOLITANOFLASVEGAS
VEGANVEGAS
SinCitymakes iteasy for thoseon
ananimal-anddairy-freediet–and
foranyonewho likesgood food
BYMICHAELGOLDSTEIN
CRUSH
RESTAURANT
MGMGRANDHOTEL
&CASINO
Veganchoices include roasted
cauliflowerwithgarlic, chili
andmint; a risottomadewith
tomato fondueandarugula;
a tempura tofumadewith
oystermushroomsandcarrot
misobroth; andGardein
“chicken”—whosemeaty
texturecomes fromsoy,
wheat andpeaproteins, and
vegetablesandancient grains
—madewithbroccoli and
lemon-garlicsauce. At Crush,
thecheeseless flatbreadpizza
withdatesand jalapeños isa
great choice.
Crushmgm.com
JULIANSERRANO
ARIARESORT
&CASINO
Theelegant, crystal-filled
restaurant named for chef
JulianSerrano inAria is
famous for itsSpanish tapas.
Veganswill findaselectionof
tapas that includessautéed
babyspinachwithpinenuts,
raisins, appleandshallots;
asparagusa laplancha, with
greenasparagus, almondsand
romesco (anut-and-red-
pepper-basedsauceoriginally
fromCatalonia); savory
sautéedpadronpepperswith
orange zest, seasalt and
orangeglaze; andgrilled
Japaneseeggplantwith
1
2
MAPS
&
LEGENDS
Vegansaladplateat
TheCosmopolitan
AMERICANWAY
JUNE2015
43
IllustrationbySTEVESTANKIEWICZ
