Shaboo, chef Masa Takayama's restaurant-within-a-restaurant that sits alongside his 256-seat Bar Masa in Las Vegas, posed several design challenges for design firm Richard Bloch Architect. Masa wanted the 52-seat space to seem intimate and serene — no small trick when the restaurant is located just off the lobby of the Aria Resort & Casino in the new CityCenter complex in Las Vegas. Plus Bloch's design had to accommodate the chef's wish that each guest have his or her own induction cooking surface to perform the gentle “swish-swish” cooking technique required for many courses of Shaboo's omakase-style tasting menu. The result: a dining room that's a tranquil island of calm amidst a sea of Las Vegas glitz, one where guests paying $500 a head feel like they're getting their money's worth. At these prices, the design better enhance the experience. This one does.
