Cosmo Confirms Amaya Mexican Restaurant Will Replace Holsteins

By Scott Roeben, on September 19 2024
3 min read 5 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

Cosmopolitan has confirmed the name of its new Mexican restaurant coming to the now-shuttered Holsteins space: Amaya Modern Mexican Restaurant.

The new restaurant opens at the popular resort in January 2025.

“The cutting-edge dining destination will fuse captivating energy with the coastal flavors and bold spices of Mexico, capturing the vibrant spirit of Tulum,” whatever that might actually be.

You can eat this or watch “My Octopus Teacher,” but you can’t do both.

Back in August, it was reported the new restaurant would be called Mariposa Rosa Mexican Restaurant, but that was apparently a placeholder name for permitting purposes.

This is typically the place in our story where we remind you we broke the news Holsteins would close months before it was announced, but we are experimenting with “modesty.”

Here’s more about the restaurant: “Created by acclaimed Michelin-starred chef Jason McLeod, the menu reimagines modern Mexican cuisine, featuring dishes such as the two-pound whole lobster paired with chili lobster cream sauce and drizzled with lime; Birria Short Rib, slow-cooked and served with corn puree, pickled onion and cotija cheese; and a show-stopping Fajita Board that captivates the senses from presentation to palate. Other signature dishes include citrusy ceviche, zesty aguachile, fiery tiradito and irresistible lobster enchiladas.”

We reached out to the lobster community, and received this statement, “Seriously? How about laying off lobsters for a change? How about squid? They’re assholes. Same with monkfish. And what is the deal with crawfish? We’re a crustacean and we barely know what those creepy things are. Scallops! Try scallops. They don’t have faces. We have faces. Not cute faces, but still.”

Lobsters just want cuddles like everyone else.

Here’s more food from Amaya, much of it without faces.

Whoever ordered all this is going to try and split the check evenly with everyone at the table, guaranteed.

Amaya hasn’t shared any renderings yet (the official Web site is more of a mood board), so we will once again rely on A.I. to whip up its best guess.

To help A.I. get the vibe of Amaya, we used this blurb from the news release as a prompt: “Amaya will welcome guests to an ambiance inspired by the rustic elegance and lush, tree-canopied tropics of the Yucatan Peninsula. The design artfully blends intimate alcoves with social spaces, creating a refined yet evocative setting that transports diners to a sophisticated beachside retreat.”

Here’s what A.I. whipped up for Amaya’s interior design.

Don’t laugh. This took two minutes and nobody would be mad if the restaurant looked like any of these.

Amaya was created by Clique Hospitality for Gen3 Hospitality, designed by Peter Max Bowden and Petermax Co. Petermax has done several Las Vegas venues, including Scarpetta at Cosmo and Javier’s at Aria.

One more announcement blurb to get a feel for the vibe: “Dinner at Amaya will be an electrifying celebration, with the pulsating beats of DJs and other mesmerizing performances and entertainment, inviting guests to dance in their seats and embrace the carefree spirit of the night.”

So, loud. Think STK, but with queso dip.

Amaya’s beverage program will include a “catador” (tequila expert) to “oversee the meticulously curated selection of smooth, aged tequilas and complex mezcals, taking guests on an immersive journey through the rich, multi-generational heritage of Jalisco.”

They had us at these.

Every Las Vegas-related news release has to include the word “immersive” now. It’s the law.

We saved the awkward part for last, of course. There’s sort of a Mexican restaurant at Cosmo already: China Poblano by Jose Andres. China Pablano isn’t a purely Mexican restaurant, as it attempts to meld Mexican and Chinese. We say attempts, because it’s the weakest offering from Jose Andres in Las Vegas.

There’s also é by Jose Andres at Cosmopolitan, but that’s Spanish food. Ditto Jaleo by Jose Andres.

So, yes, there are a lot of Mexican-adjacent restaurants at Cosmopolitan.

In the Vegas restaurant realm, only the strong survive.

“Amaya” can mean “goodness” or “mother city” or “the end.” Used in a sentence: “We couldn’t think of anything better, so this is the amaya of our story.”