“And it was one of those things that I felt I was responsible for everyone’s life.” The Red Rock Lotus opens while its other locations are in flux.

Even right now, I probably have about 106 left,” says Chutima. While excited by the new restaurant, Chutima is still recovering from the impacts the pandemic had on Lotus. Lotus of Siam Eugene DeLa Cruz, OneSeven Agency Inside a smaller dining room is a display of squat richly colored pots that loom over teal banquettes and rattan chandeliers. There’s also the bamboo canopy that extends over the bar - Chutima emphasizes the abundance of bamboo in Thailand - and several traditional statues of protectors tucked away on decorative shelving throughout the 8,000-square-foot restaurant. The Chutima family Eugene DeLa Cruz, OneSeven Agency If you had no money, that was how your home looked.” By contrast, the red brick walls are meant to evoke those of temple walls. “A long time ago, that’s where my mother started. “The ugly in Thailand is also beautiful,” says Chutima of the rustic-looking aluminum. Suspended above the lanterns are corrugated aluminum panels.

The grandeur of the entryway immediately gives way to a warmly lit dining room, where paper lanterns trail all the way to the back of the restaurant. Visitors to the new location will enter the restaurant through a south-facing 11-foot-tall wooden door.

Thai culture is so much more than that.”ĭancers perform inside Lotus of Siam Eugene DeLa Cruz, OneSeven Agency “It has literally a copy-and-paste style of decor. “We’re so used to seeing cliched Thai restaurants, where it’s super bright red or gold foil on the walls,” says Chutima.

“We’re very proud,” says Penny Chutima, the 34-year-old managing partner of Lotus of Siam, “and here, we want people to be able to see something different.” The new restaurant opens on Friday, November 11, and while the menu remains the same at all locations, the decor is anything but. Since then, the family and its restaurant have braved changes such as expansions to new locations, a pandemic, and temporary closures. The Chutima family opened the original Lotus on East Sahara Avenue in 1999. Between the 200 lanterns that soar overhead, the gorgeously knobbed tree boughs that bend down from the ceiling, and the hand-placed bricks that cover the walls, the new Lotus of Siam restaurant at Red Rock Resort and Casino marks a stunning evolution for the beloved Las Vegas Thai restaurant.

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