Stephen Hopcraft, executive chef of STK Las Vegas: Raising the steaks
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 the guest columns is by Stephen Hopcraft, executive chef of STK at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas who is about to celebrate his sixth anniversary there. Our other guest column is by Las Vegas’ Billy Richardson of Block 16 Hospitality. Here’s Stephen:
By Stephen Hopcraft
I joined The One Group and opened STK in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in December 2010. It’s crazy how 5 1/2 years have flown by. I remember opening night like it was yesterday. That first week, we expected to do around 300 covers a night, and in reality we were doing upward of 800 covers.
It’s been a whirlwind ever since. We can serve more than 700 steaks a night, so it’s definitely high volume and fast paced, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cooking in Las Vegas is like no other city: The competition, crowd and ingredients available are unparalleled.
We as locals sometimes forget or take for granted the world-class dining options we have at our fingertips. Where else could you go into one hotel and have dining options from chefs like Scott Conant, Bruce and Eric Bromberg, Jose Andres, Chris Santos and soon David Chang?
Being surrounded by such an impressive caliber of top chefs makes you step up your game. At STK, we are constantly evolving to keep up with consumer demand, staying on top of food-and-beverage trends and even factoring in how we approach social media, especially since it’s become a huge part of the culinary landscape.
A couple ways that we like to get our guests involved and interacting with us are through promotions like Sunday Brunch Club and Unlock Your Mondays. We recently launched Sunday Brunch Club, which has been such a fun way to start the week (or end it, depending on how you look at it).
During brunch, we feature unique takes on classics: A bottomless DIY Bloody Mary bar to make your drink exactly the way you want it and re-envisioned brunch favorites like the STK n’ L’eggs or the shrimp and grits. It’s the perfect way for tourists to wind down before heading back home or locals heading back to work.
Sunday Brunch Club has been a great time, and we are looking at how to make it even bigger and better. We also relaunched our popular Magnum Mondays with The Cosmopolitan’s Unlock Your Mondays promotion. We’ll have weekly specials, just for VIP key holders, which make for a delicious and interesting dining experience.
I think one of the coolest aspects for guests at STK is that you never know who might be sitting at the table next to you. We’ve seen some of the biggest celebrities come in for dinner: Halle Berry on New Year’s Eve, Kevin Hart and Drake and John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. You never know who is going to walk through the door here in Las Vegas.
In addition to serving culinary goodness, we also are experts at throwing a great party. I’m looking forward to our annual White Party, which we have every summer. A staple on The Strip, The White Party is our Hamptons-themed event and one of the biggest bashes we host.
Dress code for ladies and gents is all white, and I always love seeing everyone dressed to impress. I typically do an East Coast-inspired white-themed menu, which is fun to develop. In 2015, the menu included baked clams, truffle popcorn and lobster dumplings.
If you haven’t been yet, please come visit me at STK for a night out. We’re all about the energy, attitude and vibe from the minute you walk in the door to the last bite of dessert. With an in-house DJ and world-class service, you’ll get a full experience.
While you’re here, my must-haves are tuna tartare, Wagyu beef Lil’ BRGs, of course a New York steak, mushroom pot pie and sweet corn pudding. I guarantee that you’ll have a good time, and here’s to another six years and more!
Be sure to check out our other guest column today from Las Vegas’ Billy Richardson of Block 16 Hospitality who looks to Hawaii and Portland for the next expansion of his empire. 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.
