By Rachel Feinblatt By Rachel Feinblatt | March 24, 2022 | Food & Drink, Food and Drink Feature, Food & Drink Feature, Migration, Food & Drink,
An off-the-Strip staple, Piero’s Italian Cuisine is toasting 40 years of living large in Las Vegas.
Piero’s linguine and clams features middleneck clams, white wine, garlic and a red or white broth. PHOTO BY TONY TRAN
Founder Freddie Glusman opened Piero’s Italian Cuisine (pieroscuisine.com) in 1982, unaware of the tremendous impact that the Italian staple would have on Las Vegas. Four decades later, the now-institution is still serving beloved Italian dishes, including bone-in veal parmigiana, homemade agnolotti and Piero’s signature Garbage Caesar Salad. While his son, Evan Glusman, is now at the helm, Freddie—who turned 85 in February—is as proud as ever of the dining destination he and his family have created. Here, Freddie reflects on the Las Vegas icon and shares what’s to come.
The timeless dining room at Piero’s includes classic white tablecloths PHOTO BY: ANTHONY MAIR
Congratulations on your 40th anniversary. How does it feel?
Any restaurant that can make it for 40 years has a lot of stories to go with it. Piero’s has seen all sorts of different time periods, and with that comes so many different people from all walks of life. I was young when I started and now I’m an old man with a lot of incredible accomplishments and friends.
Why do you believe that Piero’s has remained a Las Vegas staple?
Everything is No. 1 here. Our continued quality and consistency of food and service is what has made Piero’s a Las Vegas staple. We have had an outstanding name for 40 years and will continue to uphold our reputation for incredible food and service—we give the customers what they want. When the customers come in, we make sure we are on top of the Piero’s experience, from the valet to the bread to the wine-pairing recommendations. You must improve daily to get to the top and stay there.
Founder Freddie Glusman with his son Evan, who has now taken the reins at the restaurant. PHOTO BY: TONYA HARVEY
What’s your go-to order?
One of my favorites is the dish that we’re known for: the osso buco. It’s been on our menu since the beginning and it’s a family recipe we’ve had for 40 years. My second favorite is the veal chop Parmesan, butterflied. My son Evan also invented the Garbage Caesar Salad, which takes a modern twist on the classic salad, made with tomatoes, avocado, grilled shrimp and hearts of palm. It’s another example of how we’re bringing modernity into Piero’s, and it’s a proven favorite by how many new restaurants want to replicate it.
What have been some of your most exciting milestones?
I can’t begin to tell you how many celebrities have been here—at least 500. We have hosted presidents, like George Bush and Bill Clinton, plus incredible celebrities, like Magic Johnson, Mick Jagger, Michael Jordan, Randy Gerber and so many more. Having Martin Scorsese’s Casino filmed inside of Piero’s in 1995 was a huge accomplishment for us and something we’re proud of to this day.
Piero’s famous osso buco PHOTO BY: TONY TRAN
What’s next?
Piero’s is already an institution in Vegas and we will continue to be great at what we do best. We see so many great family-owned steakhouses in New York, and restaurants like those haven’t existed in Vegas because it’s an ever-changing and evolving city. We want Piero’s to be that one institutional restaurant in Vegas that has outlasted it all. I look forward to having my kids oversee Piero’s for another 40 years, then their kids and their grandkids’ grandkids.
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