theonetime
TopChef
contestant is ready for
thechallenge.
“I’mverycompetitive,”hesays.“Youcan’tbe
achefandnothaveabitofanego.…This ismy
SuperBowl.This ismyopportunity tostepup
toahugemarketonanationalstageanddeliver
thebestofwhatIcando.”
Andwhathedoesisputallofhiseffortsinto
pleasing thepalatesofhiscustomers,moreso
thansatiatingtheirInstagramfeed.“WhenIgo
toaRobuchon[restaurant],I’mtakingpictures
ofthedishes,andit’slikethismasterpiece.But
it’sstill about the food—it’sreallyabout that,”
hesays.“I’mnotatweezerchef;I’maflavorchef.
So [Searsucker]will look reallynice, butwe
spenda lotofourenergyonmakingtheflavors
taste great rather thanmaking that piece of
arton theplate.”
Yet even as important as the food is,
Malarkeyinsistsit’sonlyapartoftheequation.
“Searsucker is about the communicationand
[appealing to] all of your senses— the laugh-
ter, theclankingof theglasses, thehustle, the
bustle, thevibe. Because Ifirmlybelieve that
thegreatestmealsyou’ll everhave inyour life
are the ones that you’ll remember the great
conversationyouhadacross the table.”
Moments later, Malarkey shifts gears as
hepaintsadetailedmental pictureofhowhis
new restaurantwill unfoldonce themassive
wall that currentlyhides construction comes
down:“Theopenkitchenwillbeoverthere,and
Searsucker, which is scheduled toopen in
CaesarsPalace in thespring, isacollaboration
betweenMalarkeyandhospitalityandnightlife
powerhouseHakkasanGroup.The7,500-square-
foot restaurant will abut Hakkasan’s new
75,000-square-footOmnianightclub—prime
real estate that ensuresMalarkey’sfirstVegas
venturewillgetahugeboostinfoottrafficonthe
fivenightsaweekOmnia isopen.
Standing proudly outsidehis still-under-
constructionrestaurant,Malarkeyrevealsthat
itwill have a similar look and ambiance that
internationally renowned designer Thomas
Schoos created for theSearsuckeroutposts in
SanDiego; DelMar, California; andAustin,
Texas.IaskMalarkeyifbeinginLasVegasrepre-
sentsanotherlevelof“arriving”ontheculinary
scene. “Yeah, I think so. Becauseyou’vegot to
bereally, reallygood toplayballhere inVegas.
There’ssuchadiverseclientelehere.Our[other]
restaurantsareobviouslyinsmallermarkets,so
it’sgoingtobefuntoexpandourmenuhereand
really stepourwholegameup. Youknow that
[tourists]aregoingtohaveallthesegreatmeals
whilethey’rehere.Youwanttomakesurethat
yours isonethattheyremember.”
Indeed, inCaesarsPalacealone,Malarkey
will be goingup against the culinary likes of
Flay (whoseMesaGrill is juststepsaway from
Searsucker), as well as Savoy (Restaurant
Guy Savoy), Matsuhisa (Nobu) andRamsay
(GordonRamsayPub&Grill).Needlesstosay,
Top:Malarkey in front of hisnewhome;
Bottom: Beet, radish, crème fraicheand
crispygoat cheese salad servedat Searsucker
TOPTOBOTTOM:HEATHERGILL;COURTESYSEARSUCKER
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
76
