by Mira Duriman
After a thrilling Las Vegas Golden Knights game, the fun doesn’t have to stop at the T-Mobile Arena. A brief stroll across the plaza transforms the city lights into an extravagant Japanese restaurant experience.
In 2016, Albert Mack, the founder of Sake Rok, combined “Japan’s pop culture and fashion scene with over-the-top theatrics for an experience part culinary, part performances, and completely unique,” says Megan Fazio, president of Neon PR. “The menu boasts a variety of playful Japanese favorites with unique twists to the flavor profiles. Accompanying the menu, is a beverage program that includes sake cocktails, shareable punch bowls and the signature Sake Bomb with private-label sake. As the sun goes down, the party gets pumped up and sushi is served with a side of spontaneous dance battles, lip-sync serenades and restaurant-wide revelry.”
The multi-purpose restaurant has more than 13,000 square feet to host memorable events. Fazio says, “Sake Rok’s third floor terrace provides a unique, fully private area, showcasing customizable state-of-the-art audio and visual components, a 30 ft. high skylight, full service bar, and a 13 ft.-high sliding glass wall that opens to the outside balcony leaving a view that is unparalleled in the city.” The terrace, which can hold 10-500 guests, regularly accommodates large conferences and teams like the Golden Knights. The mezzanine on the second floor (10-100 guests) offers a semi-private dining experience that overlooks the main dining floor. This allows guests to partake in the full restaurant energy, live DJ, evening emcee and spectacle experience in a semi-secluded area. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., every 30-40 minutes Sake Rok’s staff performs lip-synched, choreographed dance routines sure to delight all.
The executive team of skilled chefs include Sung Park, the executive chef and master sushi chef, along with Bill Lee, the executive sous chef. Park’s father introduced him to sushi’s complexities of texture and flavors which led to his successful career in sushi craftmanship. In 2008, Park moved from New Jersey to Las Vegas to become the lead sushi chef at SushiSamba. After holding managing position for five consecutive years, he was honored to open the award-winning Chef Akira Back’s Kumi at Mandalay Bay in 2013 and moved to Sake Rok in TK.
Sake Rok is also available for private parties, corporate and charity events. Recently, Gaetano Brand suit jacket designs transformed Las Vegas’ ultimate sushi experience and social dining extravaganza into a runway soiree bidding jacket designs off the Vegas Golden Knights’ backs. Fazio says, “All event proceeds benefitted the Route91Strong Organization, raising funds to support those who live through firearm-related tragedies.” The invitation-only event kicked off with a celeb-filled red carpet, including VGK players Alex Tuch, Deryk Engelland, Erik Haula, Jonathan Marchessault, Oscar Lindberg, Ryan Reaves and William Karlsson. Dressed to impress, party revelers were transported into the Sake Rok fashion spectacle complete with a VIP runway. Live entertainment between fashion sets added to the evening’s pizzazz as cameras flashed and attendees partied away in honor of Route 91 victims.
This story originally appeared in the January/February issue of Exhibit City News, p. 72. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_flipbook_janfeb2019web?e=16962537/66750078
