Erik Kabik / Retna / ErikKabik.com

Giada De Laurentiis conducts a pink hard-hat tour of her new restaurant Giada on Friday, May 7, 2014, at the Cromwell in LasVegas.

By Robin Leach (contact)

Monday, May 12, 2014 | 1:03 p.m.

Italian star chef and Food Network darling Giada De Laurentiis has set her opening dates for her first-ever restaurant to debut at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.

Not only can I tell you that the new restaurant and Italian kitchen Giada at the Cromwell will be identical in quality and cost to the prestigious three-star Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, but I also can confirm now that preview service at Giada will begin May 28, with first official reservation seating starting 7:30 p.m. June 3.

Giada worked with her construction crew and the design team over the weekend to ensure that everything is in order as the restaurant moves into the final 17-day countdown. Our thanks to Erik Kabik of Retna for his photo gallery.

Unexpected construction snafus with the cantilevered windows that open out onto the Strip to become an open-air patio have now been resolved. They were tested satisfactorily on Friday, and the delays are finally over.

There is no doubt that this will be the most anticipated restaurant opening of the year and the most successful. Talk about a hit to change the look of the Strips dining scene and that photo of the all-male Caesars Entertainment chefs.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the worlds premier platinum playground.

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Photos: Giada De Laurentiis leads pink hard-hat tour of her Strip restaurant, sets opening dates

James Nathan Phenix

An alcohol-fueled fight at a Perkins Restaurant and Bakery in Hastings early Friday left one man in critical condition and another man in the Dakota County Jail.

The men, both from West Plains, Mo., are acquaintances and have been working on a construction project at the Flint Hills Resources oil refinery in Rosemount, said Bryan Schafer, Hastings police chief.

Officers were called to the restaurant at 1206 Vermillion St. just after 3 a.m. in response to a report of a disturbance. They found a 31-year-old man lying unresponsive on the ground outside.

Police and paramedics provided first aid, and the victim was transported to United Hospital in St. Paul, where he was listed in critical condition Friday afternoon, Schafer said.

The men stopped at the restaurant after a night of drinking, he said. They began to argue, and a manager told the men to leave. "It spilled outside, and punches were thrown," Schafer said.

It was unclear Friday what spurred the argument, he said.

"It sounds like it was just silliness, just drunken bantering going back and forth, and all of a sudden it was violent," he said. "It's unfortunate."

The suspect, 27-year-old James Nathan Phenix, was arrested at the scene. He was booked into Dakota County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault.

The case will be presented to the Dakota County attorney's office for review.

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Hastings: Fight leaves 1 man in hospital, another in jail

ZAUNER Construction is pressing ahead with plans to create a rooftop restaurant and function centre on Northpoint Tower in Lavington.

Garry Zauner is to ready to dine out on the rooftop of Northpoint, subject to Albury Councils approval. Picture: PETER MERKESTEYN

ZAUNER Construction is pressing ahead with plans to create a rooftop restaurant and function centre on Northpoint Tower in Lavington.

The top floor has spectacular 360-degree views over the city and surrounding ranges and across to the Victorian Alps.

The proposed $335,000 additions will be located directly above Zauners new corporate headquarters in the $10million building which opened in the middle of last year.

A development application for the restaurant and function centre is before Albury Council officers and, if approved, will provide another boost for Lavington.

The buildings height of 35 metres wont change because the internal lifts already go up to the rooftop level.

The function centre will be used mainly by Northpoint Towers occupants, including Zauner Construction, which will hold project meetings, seminars, audio visual presentations and staff training and development.

Other occupants include the Lavington Library, WAW Credit Union, UPA and a cafe.

Any food and drink requirements would be met by the existing Z Caf located on the ground floor of the building and delivered via lift trolley.

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Rooftop restaurant almost ready to roll

A proposed restaurant in Allentown's historic Schoen's building is one step closer to opening with the approval of a liquor license transfer Wednesday.

The restaurant, which was described as an upscale American bistro with European inspiration, would occupy the first floor of the former furniture store in the 600 block of Hamilton Street which is being redeveloped within Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone.

Allentown City Council heard about the proposed plans Wednesday before voting 6-0 to approve the transfer of a liquor license from Beef House, Inc. on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem. The license will now be held by the Brown Brothers Restaurant Group, a partnership of W. Jeffrey Brown and his father W. Douglas Brown, who are also majority owners of the building.

As proposed, the 6,500 square foot restaurant would have 225 booth and table seats inside the bistro and outdoor seating for an additional 40 people, said attorney Ted Zeller who represented the Browns during the meeting. A 14-seat bar would be available in the front of the restaurant and private dining space in the back.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. That schedule could be adjusted depending upon what kind of draw the city's new downtown hockey arena proves to be, Zeller said. There would be no live entertainment.

Plans call for the restaurant to be upscale, Zeller said, but not as polished as Melt, an upscale Italian-inspired grill located at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

"It's going to be the type of place where a suit like me will be comfortable, or a guy in a Phantoms jersey is going to be comfortable," Zeller said.

W. Jeffrey Brown said no name has been picked for the restaurant. He and his father have been courting a operating partner to work with, but they will remain involved with the operation regardless of that decision, he said.

A tentative opening date for the restaurant has been set for Sept. 1, but that could be pushed back until spring to take advantage of warm weather, Brown said.

Construction at the Schoen's building is ongoing, and developers hope to receive occupancy permits by Aug. 1. Closed since 1990, the 103-year-old building will be largely used as office that will be leased by Trifecta Technologies and Shane Patrick Construction.

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Restaurant proposed for Allentown's Schoen's building gets OK for liquor license

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Plans for a new center city restaurant were shared with Allentown City Council Wednesday night, which helped the project along by unanimously approving an inter-municipal liquor license transfer for it.

The unnamed establishment will be at 612 Hamilton St., which is known as the Schoens building.

It was described as an upscale, American bistro restaurant ---American cuisine with some European inspirations by Atty. Theodore Zeller, who represented the owners before City Council.

But he also said it will not have that type of polish as the Cosmopolitan restaurant in center city or Melt in Upper Saucon Townships Promenade shopping complex.

Zeller said its going to be a place where a suit like me is going to be very comfortable or a guy wearing a Phantoms jersey also is going to be comfortable.

He promised the restaurant will be family friendly and one of the most attractive restaurant spaces we have downtown.

The owners were identified as Brown Brothers Restaurant Group, LLC, of Allentown.

Jeff Brown, co-owner of the business, told council: Were excited to be a part of the downtown revitalization. The restaurants an important part of this puzzle. Were looking forward to moving forward.

Brown told council he would love for the restaurant could be completed by Sept.1, but were not rushing it. Its more important that we get everything right.

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New Allentown restaurant gets liquor license transfer

COURTESY BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP Enlarge Image

The Browns Socialhouse in Red Deer, Alta. The Brandon location, to be built on the site of the former A&W on Queens Avenue, is expected to open by October.

A new watering hole will be setting up shop in Brandon, and its being touted as a hybrid between a neighbourhood pub and upscale casual dining.

Enlarge Image

The view of the Browns Socialhouse patio in Surrey, B.C. (BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP)

Enlarge Image

A look at the Browns Socialhouse patio at its New Westminster, B.C., location. (BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP)

"We have the mentality of Cheers, where everybody knows your name, so to speak," said Andrea Baxter, director of marketing with Browns Restaurant Group. "Its much more community, neighbourhood focused."

Browns Socialhouse will be built where the former A&W restaurant was located, at 1847 Queens Ave. Construction of the two-storey building is expected to take five to six months, and Baxter says if all goes well, the doors should be open by October.

"Were excited. I think just with the uniqueness that weve got in terms of the smaller footprint, weve really immersed ourselves in these smaller, tighter-knit communities," she said.

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Getting Socialhouse: 'Cheers'-style watering hole to open in Brandon

Services, the biggest chunk of the U.S. economy, picked up in April as gains in orders and sales signaled even faster growth ahead.

The Institute for Supply Managements nonmanufacturing index rose to 55.2, the highest level since August, from 53.1 in March, the report showed Monday. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

Retailers, restaurants and construction companies were among the 14 industries reporting growth last month as the worlds biggest economy rebounds from a weak first quarter. Increased hiring sets the stage for stronger consumer spending that will benefit companies such as United Parcel Service Inc.

Its a solid report, consistent with what we saw in the April employment numbers and in manufacturing, said Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, who projected a reading of 55. The economy is emerging nicely from the winter doldrums.

Confidence is building, Anthony Nieves, chairman of the survey, said on a conference call with reporters. Employment has to increase in this sector if business keeps growing.

The ISM nonmanufacturing survey covers an array of industries including utilities, retailing and health care. It also encompasses construction and agriculture.

It paints a better picture of the economy, said Kathleen Bostjancic, an economist at Oxford Economics USA in New York. We have a decent pace of job growth. It boosts confidence and will support consumer spending.

The figures show the U.S. expansion is strengthening, while China cools and Europe struggles to pick up. Chinese manufacturing contracted for a fourth month in April, according to figures from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit.

Demand is getting a boost as more Americans find work. Labor Department figures last week showed Americas job-creation machine kicked into higher gear in April. The 288,000 gain in payrolls exceeded the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey and followed a 203,000 advance in March. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent, the lowest level since September 2008.

The economy has started the quarter with a lot of momentum, said Markus Schomer, chief economist at PineBridge Investments LLC in New York. We have moderate but accelerating growth, inflation is no longer falling, and the Federal Reserve is expected to keep rates very low for a very long time.

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Orders lift U.S. service companies as sales improve

May 03, 2014

The construction sector has recovered with employment also returning to the industry. Reuters pic, May 3, 2014When the United States economy crashed in 2008, following the implosion of the housing market, Dave Klein's southern California construction company almost folded.

Overnight, he went from employing 40 construction workers to four. Some returned home to El Salvador, others to Mexico. Several left the state to find work in pork and chicken factories in the Midwest.

But in the past two months, Klein says, some of them have returned as he has started hiring again moves that reflect a recent trend in the US construction industry as the American economy continues to pick up steam.

"There is a little bit more money out there and there are a lot of apartments being built," Klein said. "So things are getting a little better. Some of these guys went into the restaurant industry, but they are coming back. Or friends of friends are."

The US construction industry saw its largest gain in jobs since the start of this year, and the highest number since 2009, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics yesterday.

The construction sector added 32,000 jobs in April, the fourth straight month of gains over which 124,000 building site jobs have been created. The gains were part of an unexpectedly bright jobs report which saw the overall unemployment rate drop from 6.7% to 6.3% as US employers added 288,000 jobs in April, well above estimates.

The construction industry was obliterated in the wake of the housing crash. Of the 8.2 million jobs lost during the Great Recession, 2.3 million were in construction, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In April 2006, there were over 7.7 million construction jobs. By April 2011, the number was under 5.4 million. Now it is back up to 6 million, still a long way below the pre-recession boom, but on an upward tick.

Yet the demand in construction jobs is not just being met by former workers returning to the fold, according to company bosses and industry analysts. Many of these former workers have been lost forever, forcing companies to hire and train new, inexperienced employees.

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BATTLE GROUND Construction crews this week began work on a planned widening of state Highway 502 between Interstate 5 and Battle Ground, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The $88 million project will expand the highway to four lanes and install a median barrier while rebuilding intersections at Northeast 29th, 50th, 72nd and 92nd avenues. The project will also add bicycle paths and sidewalks in Dollars Corner at Northeast 72nd Avenue, according to WSDOT.

Drivers should expect weekday lane closures and delays between about 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., the agency said. After clearing the corridor of trees and brush, crews will start excavation and utility work. The bulk of the widening work is planned for 2015 and 2016, with the project wrapping up in late 2016.

Construction on the project was supposed to begin in 2013, but was delayed due to a longer-than-expected property-acquisition process. WSDOT had to acquire at least a portion of 180 properties along the corridor to widen it.

Continue reading here:
Work begins on planned Highway 502 widening

Edward Gately, The Republic | azcentral.com 2:44 p.m. MST May 1, 2014

SkySong and its development team are now leasing a planned10,500-square-foot retail building to be built onthe northeast corner ofScottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard.(Photo: Skysong)

SkySong, the Arizona State University Scottsdale Innovation Center, will be bringing more retail and restaurant space to the McDowell Road corridor.

Leasing has started on a planned 10,500-square-foot restaurant and retail building to be built at Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard, just south of McDowell and east of Scottsdale Road.

"We plan on breaking ground in the fall," said SkySong spokesman Tom Evans. "We have to go through the (city's) Design Review board but do not have to go to City Council. The total cost of the building is approximately $5 million."

It's part of the overall mixed-use vision for SkySong, which will include 1.2 million square feet of development upon completion. A third office building, SkySong III, and parking garage are nearing completion, with a fourth office building expected to be under construction before the end of the year.

Also, the 325-unit SkySong Apartments complex was completed in April.

Plaza Cos. is the master developer of SkySong, in partnership with the ASU Foundation and Scottsdale. Tucson-based Holualoa Cos. also has partnered with Plaza Cos. for the project.

SRS Real Estate Partners is handling the leasing for the retail building, which will include adjacent surface parking for visitors to the restaurants and stores.

"We kept hearing from people that they wanted more restaurant and retail options to be a part of the future of SkySong, and this will help us accomplish that goal," said Sharon Harper, Plaza Cos.' president and CEO. "We have a wonderful caf on site and have had smaller retail presences in the past, but this will truly bring back strong, established retail to this property and provide some great services for the area."

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SkySong adding restaurant, retail to Scottsdale campus