It’s been one year since celebrity chef Fabio Viviani brought ai Pazzi to The Resort at Summerlin (formerly the Rampart Casino; continuing the partnership with JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa for all lodging, branding, and hospitality).
Reflecting on that milestone, he seems satisfied with how his cuisine is being received.
“We got a year under the belt,” Viviani told the Food and Loathing podcast during the restaurant’s anniversary celebration. “The community is happy. We’re very happy to be in this community.”
Since opening last summer, ai Pazzi has become one of the centerpieces of the resort’s restaurant overhaul. The restaurant recently expanded its offerings to include a Sunday Family Supper and continues to host a daily Aperitivo happy hour at the bar.
Viviani’s partnership with the property has also expanded and now includes Pearls Oyster & Crudo Bar and ai Pazzi Pizza in the hotel’s Neighborhood Food Hall, giving diners everything from oysters, crudos, lobster rolls, and Neapolitan-style pizza in a quick, casual setting.
The chef’s presence has provided Summerlin North residents with exciting new options in their own backyard. But Viviani said one of the biggest surprises has been how willing other Las Vegas residents are to travel across the valley for a restaurant they enjoy.
“I think Las Vegas ‘burbs embrace a hotel restaurant when the hotel restaurant embraces the Las Vegas ‘burbs,” he said. “We drive people from Henderson, we drive people from the Strip, so we are very, very surprised in a positive way with the impact that ai Pazzi has made in suburban Las Vegas.”
That regional draw has helped validate the resort’s broader dining strategy.
Over the past year, the casino resort has transformed much of its food-and-beverage program, adding Viviani’s concepts alongside several other high-profile restaurants. The Neighborhood Food Hall now combines casual concepts like ai Pazzi Pizza, Pearls Oyster & Crudo Bar, For The Win, Tacos 1986 and Nom Wah under one roof, while the adjacent full-service ai Pazzi restaurant anchors the property’s Italian offerings.
As for the menu, Viviani said there haven’t been any major surprises.
A handful of dishes disappeared because of inconsistent ingredients, but one simple classic became an unexpected social media star.
“Our tableside Caprese salad is probably the most Instagrammed dish in Las Vegas right now,” he said. “It’s a very easy Italian traditional dish that we do in a few of our restaurants. But I’m glad that Las Vegas went crazy for it.”
Looking ahead, Viviani expects ai Pazzi to continue evolving rather than reinventing itself.
“We’re going to read the menu. We’re going to read the habits. We see what you like and what you don’t,” he said. “If something doesn’t sell, we have an ego, but it’s not that big.”
He’s also open to bringing more concepts to Las Vegas, although he says he remains committed to growing alongside the Resort at Summerlin, rather than competing with it.
“I love the property here,” Viviani said. “But if there is any other opportunity, we can always add another restaurant.”
