STACK’D IN THEIR FAVOR

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

FUN DINING COMES TO THE MIRAGE COURTESY OF BRIAN MASSIE AND OLIVER WHARTON
(944 – Vol 4.12)
By Matt Kelemen

Brian Massie is already busy on a Friday afternoon at FIX, but he still has to deal with things like associates requesting last-minute comps. I wait while he politely deals with a distracting phone call, feeling sympathy at the audacity of the would-be compee.

But maybe the request comes from someone who doesn’t know Massie is gearing up to be executive chef at two restaurants for the Light Group. In December, Massie and the Light Group Director of Restaurant Operations, Oliver Wharton, opened the doors to STACK at The Mirage, a “scene and cuisine” cousin to FIX and a significant piece of the puzzle in the modernization of the groundbreaking hotel/casino.

“I’m going to continue to do both,” says the former N9NE Group and Aureole chef when asked when his last day is at FIX. “I’ll be over there more in the beginning, but I’ll continue to work in both places.”

Anyone familiar with the progressive dining fare at FIX will welcome the menu at The Mirage. What will STACK come up with to replace the signature roasted tomato soup and lobster tacos, the we-aged 10-ounce filet mignon, and especially the warm, delicious, banana-cream doughnuts?

“We went back and forth,” says Massie when asked how the concept of STACK took shape. “What style of restaurant would fit The Mirage? What’s at The Mirage? What’s the clientele of The Mirage? What’s the clientele going to be in a year from now, or two years from now when we’re trying to jump ahead of ourselves?”

What Massie, Wharton and company didn’t want to give up was the fun, casual atmosphere provided by FIX. They tapped Germany’s Graft, which created the design for FIX, to create a new look that evoked the “scene and cuisine” feel without Xeroxing their past success. The walls are “stacked” with layered mahogany, which along with the high ceilings resembles a Southwestern canyon formation and evokes the contoured ceilings at FIX.