Billy Richardson of Block 16 Hospitality: One thing we have in common is enjoying great food
Editor’s Note: After a wine, boutique hotel and restaurant tour of Mexico’s burgeoning Valle de Guadalupe, Robin Leach is back working from the cooler climes of La Jolla near San Diego for the remainder of this hot month ahead of our newly designed website launching shortly. We’ll have his story this week of the 100 new restaurants and vineyards that have sprung up north of Ensenada, and we’ll continue with guest columnists until his return for Labor Day Weekend.
Today, it’s all about the culinary industry. One of our guest columns is by Billy Richardson, who runs Block 16 Hospitality with restaurants in San Diego and Orange counties and up and down the Strip. They include Holsteins Shakes and Buns at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Flour & Barley Brick Oven Pizza and Haute Doggery at The Linq Promenade, Public House at The Venetian, The Barrymore at Royal Resort and Pink’s Hot Dogs at Planet Hollywood.
Our other guest column is by executive chef Stephen Hopcraft. Here’s Billy:
By Billy Richardson
I’m one of those rare Las Vegas natives, so I’ve seen how Las Vegas has emerged, changed, grown, felt the effects of the recession and rebounded. There’s so much more to do here now. When I was a kid, all we had was Wet ’n’ Wild and the movies.
There were really great restaurants I went to with my parents. The Green Shack had great fried chicken. The Venetian was a restaurant, not a casino. The Leaning Tower of Pizza, in between The Stardust and The Frontier, was run by The Mob.
I grew up in casinos because of my dad. I worked at Gold Strike at the arcade and Pioneer Club when I was 14 years old as a short order cook at the snack bar, and that’s where I fell in love with food. Tony Roma’s and the old Monte Carlo Room at The Desert Inn were nice restaurants I loved for dining.
I landed in the nightclub business working at Ra at The Luxor, Lure and La Bete at Wynn Las Vegas and Pure at Caesars Palace when these nightlife spots were the big thing. Back then, nightclubs were fun. It was all about great groups of friends getting together and going out every night. Eventually, I got burned out and lost the passion.
Moving into restaurants was a natural progression. I like hospitality and design, and I enjoy the ideas that come along with them. In a restaurant, you create an experience by guiding people through a journey with food.
People may have different views, but one thing we all have in common is that we enjoy a good meal. Food brings people together, and, in a restaurant, you can be social, have a nice conversation and listen to one another while appreciating a satisfying meal.
Las Vegas’ tastes are changing as people are more price-conscious and fine dining is diminishing. The Strip is filled with restaurants with celebrity chefs and enormous dining rooms with too many seats to fill.
People are looking for more intimate places to eat with a fun atmosphere. Trends I’ve noticed in town: Sushi burritos, tapas and small plates to share and cauliflower. Our venues offer steaks, burgers, hot dogs and pizza. Those things don’t go out of style.
There are local restaurants I’ve seen that are doing really dynamic things off the Strip. Many of these don’t receive the recognition they deserve. Chinatown has some great spots for ramen, sushi and Vietnamese food.
Le Thai, Sen of Japan, Khoury’s Mediterranean Restaurant and Soul Food Cafe are a few of my favorites. Mastrioni’s in Summerlin is still one of my No. 1 places for Italian food. On the Strip, I love L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Just off the Strip, Nobu in The Hard Rock Hotel.
The future of Block 16 Hospitality is to expand and grow the brands in other cities. Transitioning into Southern California, one of the major feeder markets to Las Vegas, was an easy choice, and Hawaii and Portland are next on the list.
Waikiki has transformed itself into a luxury destination with its own Rodeo Drive featuring stores such as Harry Winston, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Portland is a great food city with a large food and beer scene, making it the perfect concept for Holsteins’ extensive beer program.
We’ll continue to offer Las Vegas and visitors value for their dollar. We try to find options the whole family can enjoy. This generation is focusing more on what they put in their mouths and making healthy choices, and our venues will continue to offer those options to our guests.
Follow us on Instagram at @block16hospitality.
Be sure to check out our other guest column today from Stephen Hopcraft, executive chef of STK at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas who is raising the steaks. Robin also wraps his interview with Jennifer Romas of SEXXY THE SHOW at Westgate Las Vegas about to celebrate its 400th show. The story is in today’s Sunday Life in the Las Vegas Review-Journal along with changes just unveiled at The Chandelier bar at The Cosmopolitan.