If you’ve driven down Sunset Road recently, you may have noticed a new sign that’s difficult to miss.
“SIGNIFICANT OTHER” stretches across the side of a building that’s still under construction, directly across from Harry Reid International Airport. And if chef/restaurateur Matthew Silverman gets his way, plenty of arriving airline passengers will also notice it.
“Every airplane that lands, my goal is to have them Google ‘What the hell is Significant Other?’” Silverman says.
Significant Other Kitchen & Cocktails is targeting an October opening at 1725 E. Sunset Road. The all-day restaurant is a collaboration between longtime Las Vegans Mike and Kristi Austin, Silverman and Chef Matthew Piekarski.
The collaboration began when Mike and Kristi Austin set out to build a new headquarters for their company, Austin General Contracting. The company has helped build numerous local restaurants, and Mike wanted to finally build one of his own. So he reached out to Silverman, with whom he’d worked on several Las Vegas projects, including Alexxa’s, Beer Park and Big Chicken. Silverman agreed to take on the project, with the help of his longtime friend and collaborator, Piekarski.
Food & Loathing toured the restaurant last week, while the space was still very much a construction site. But the bones of an ambitious neighborhood restaurant were already beginning to emerge.
Silverman, one of the original creators of Vintner Grill, sees some parallels between that longtime locals’ favorite and Significant Other. Both are located in office buildings, but Significant Other is being designed to change personalities throughout the day.
Mornings will begin with coffee, fresh-baked pastries and breakfast, with the space accommodating everything from laptops to business meetings. Lunch will follow, before lighting, sound and atmosphere shift again for dinner.
Piekarski says the evening menu will lean into a “local kind of steakhouse vibe,” while remaining approachable and affordable.
“We want everyone to feel welcomed and invited into the space,” the chef says.
The menu is expected to include handmade pastas, sourdough pizzas, steaks, prime rib, seafood and vegetable dishes. Lunch offerings will include salads, nori rolls and a signature burger with fries cooked in beef tallow.
The location will also play a significant role in the experience. A 100-seat private dining room will overlook a pet-friendly patio, with both offering fantastic views of planes arriving across Sunset Road. A smaller wine room will provide another option for private gatherings.
For Silverman, the name reflects what they ultimately hope the restaurant becomes.
“A significant other is something that is near and dear to your heart,” he says. “The hope is that this restaurant becomes that way to everyone who comes to patron it.”
And until the doors open, there’s always that 80-foot sign. Hear more from Silverman and Piekarski on the August 14 episode of the Food and Loathing podcast.
