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Drive This Entertainment! Set to Open Contemporary, High-Energy Restaurant in August.
T&T (Tacos & Tequila), a highly stylized restaurant with a fun, high-energy vibe and flavorful menu, will open in late August at Luxor Hotel and Casino.
Utilizing their years of hospitality experience, creators and owners Michael Frey and Craig Gilbert announced T&T will be the first project under the formation of their new company, Drive This Entertainment!.
Embodying traditional and modern elements of Mexican style intermixed with rock'n'roll flair, T&T combines the talents of world-renowned restaurateur Chef Richard Sandoval with the innovative creations of New York-based design team Rafael Alvarez and Brannen Brock for an unparalleled concept.
"This is not your grandma's cantina – think Pink Taco meets Coyote Ugly interpreted by Quentin Tarantino," Frey said. "I am excited to bring our version of a sexy, energy-infused Mexican restaurant to life. Offering more than just a great place to grab an amazing taco or great tequila, it will be a dining experience that will tantalize the senses."
To bring their edgy vision to life, Frey and Gilbert worked closely with Alvarez + Brock Design on the 8,000 square-foot restaurant. Five icons of Mexican culture – the sombrero, the shot glass, the bullfight, skeletons and seductive women – inspired the design concept.
Translating the vibrancy of the design and flavor to the menu, Drive This Entertainment! enlisted the help of Sandoval, who will serve as consulting chef, and Saul Ortiz, former chef of Isla Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar at Treasure Island, as executive chef overseeing day-to-day kitchen operations. The menu will include Sandoval's unique presentation of modern and traditional Mexican cuisine and a drink program highlighted by an extensive list of tequila selections, specialty cocktails and infused tequilas.
Embracing Mexican culture through its design and cuisine, T&T will capture the attention of diners and onlookers with a massive brushed aluminum covering inspired by the sombrero. Two 20-foot laser cutouts depicting skeletons dancing and drinking tequila will adorn the "sombrero," which will be lined with lights that shoot down toward the ground, reflecting the images on the floor and peppering the space with jagged illuminations. Serving as additional eye candy and a second design focal point, the bar area will feature a striking 25-foot-by-40-foot mural illustrating the excitement and voracity of a bullfight and the sensuality of its main subject: a female matador. Three similar murals with provocative images of the matador and bull will appear in the restaurant's lounge area, El Salon, positioned off the main dining room to provide a more intimate experience. In keeping with the Mexican theme, the designers chose a bright color palette of yellows, reds, greens, oranges and blues throughout the restaurant in chair coverings, countertops and decorative lighting.
Complementing its bold style, T&T will pump rock 'n' roll music into the space and create a unique bar experience with trained Tequila Temptresses, who will sport T&T branded apparel and provide guests expert recommendations on tequila pairings or shots.
Offering guests a chance to take a little T&T with them, the concept also boasts a freestanding frozen daiquiri bar, which will offer drinks to guests on-the-go. Guests can also shop for men's and women's shirts and tanks, women's high-quality logo-embroidered jean shorts and capris, as well as an assortment of sexy accessories from the fashionable clothing and gift boutique.
T&T is scheduled to open in late August 2008. Located above hotel registration at Luxor, T&T will be open daily for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and offer late-night dining until 3 a.m.
Luxor Hotel and Casino
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