Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, best known as the “Fan Favorite” from season five of Top Chef, has officially opened Ai Pazzi, his latest Italian restaurant concept, in Summerlin, Las Vegas. The grand opening took place on July 3, as part of a sweeping $75 million renovation project at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa and adjacent Rampart Casino.
Ai Pazzi leads the establishment’s new culinary direction as part of a revamped dining offering that will also include a pizza counter and an Italian-themed Oyster Bar. Viviani’s new kitchen will deliver an elevated yet accessible perspective on Italian cuisine, featuring such things as wagyu meatballs, orecchiette with spiced duck sausage, and squid ink pasta in a lobster broth.
Dessert lovers will find plenty to savor, including espresso-soaked tiramisu and lemon ricotta cake. The cocktail menu also reflects Viviani’s creative flair, featuring drinks like Montenegro Nights that fuse Italian spirits with fresh, modern ingredients.
“I love to work with resorts,” Viviani says. “And this is about the food and building something in the community to feed the Las Vegas clientele.”
Viviani, who rose to national prominence through Top Chef, has since built a successful culinary empire that includes cookbooks, restaurants across the country, and the popular dessert-in-a-jar chain Jars. Ai Pazzi continues that trajectory, combining his passion for tradition with a drive to innovate.
It’s an obsession he comes by honestly. “I want it to be the best Italian food not in Italy,” Viviani says.
The JW Marriott and Rampart Casino’s extensive revamp aims to transform the property into a premier destination for dining and entertainment in west Las Vegas, and Viviani’s Ai Pazzi is set to be a cornerstone of that vision.