it’llhaveachef’scounter; thebarwillberight
there.” Thenhe gestures toward the nearby
raceand sportsbook, andenvisions the scene
aroundSearsuckeronthefirstSaturdayinMay.
“TheKentuckyDerby—you’vegottabewearing
yourseersuckersuit!”With that,he’swhisked
away to the locationofhisnextphoto shoot: a
spectacularfour-bedroomCaesarsPalacevilla.
•••
asthedaywindsdown,malarkeyducks
intoCarsonKitchen—oneof LasVegas’ new
hidden dining gems— tucked in the back of
the former JohnE. CarsonHotel downtown.
Malarkeyravesaboutthemealwhilenoshingon
comfort-foodtreats;crispychickenskins,bacon
jam,“Devil’s”eggs(toppedwithcrispypancetta
andcaviar)andchilicheese-dogflatbread.
It’snot just the food thathe’senjoying; it’s
thewooddécor, the open kitchen, themenu
(including how it “feels”), the shared-plates
conceptandthecommunal-diningatmosphere
—all traits sharedbySearsucker. “When I go
into a restaurant now,” he says, “I don’t just
look at the food. I look at theplates, I look at
thechairs,Ilookattheservers’uniforms,Ilook
attheservicestaff, the lights, theceiling. It’sa
brand-newdayofdiscoveryeverytime.That’s
what’s fun [aboutLasVegas]. Because there’s
nota lotofmodestyhere.”
Malarkey takes another biteof a jalapeño
popper, shows off recent pictures of his kids
—4-year-old fraternal twinsMilesJamesand
SailorElizabethand their6-year-oldbrother
HunterJames—makingpizzawithhimathome
(“Theylovethrowingflourallovertheplace!”),
thenheads to theupstairspatio for stillmore
photos. A longday is slowlycoming toaclose,
andMalarkey’senergy levelremainsskyhigh.
Anotherthingthatremainshigh:hisconfidence
thatSearsuckerwill find itsniche inwhat isa
crowdeddiningsceneon theLasVegasStrip.
“Youknow, therearea lot of great parties
inVegas,” he says. “I justwant tobehosting
oneof them.”
SanDiego
Searsucker
restaurant;
interior
designedby
ThomasSchoos
TOP:HEATHERGILL; BOTTOM: COURTESYSEERSUCKER
MATT JACOBHASBEENALASVEGAS-BASED JOURNALIST
FORMORETHAN 20YEARSANDCURRENTLY ISTHE
EDITOROF
VEGASSEVEN
, ANAWARD-WINNINGWEEKLY
CITYMAGAZINE.
YOUCAN’T
BEACHEFAND
NOTHAVE
ABITOFANEGO.
...
THISISMY
SUPERBOWL.
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
78
