By Brian Hurlburt, Las Vegas Golf Insider
Piero’s managing partner Evan Glusman and his good friend, Bryan O’ Reilly, were starving one summer about seven years ago and craved something new and refreshing on that particular beautiful day.
The duo—buoyed by Glusman’s knowledge and experience gleaned by growing up watching and learning from his Dad, Freddie, and the top chefs at Piero’s—opted for a salad of some sort, but a typical romaine Caesar or other light appetizer serving just wouldn’t do.
“We just were hungry that day and were enjoying some wine, and before we knew it, we had created this delicious salad,” Evan remembers. “It’s a different take on a Caesar, and it takes the salad experience to another level of enjoyment and satisfaction. Our Garbage salad includes the heart of Romaine and also tomato, avocado, shrimp and hearts of palms. It wasn’t long before our friends and family were ordering it as part of our secret menu at Piero’s. It became so popular that one of our servers at the time, Linda, suggested we put it on the menu. Now it is our most popular salad and is a legend in its own right.”
Piero’s Italian Cuisine has been serving Las Vegas locals and tourists since 1982 and is known for its delicacies—the Osso Bucco is a house special that deserves its own book because it is so good—and a deep menu of terrific food and drink. Combine all of that with Piero’s reputation and ambiance, and you get the mesmerizing experience that is dining at this Vegas legend.
And that’s no “garbage” mumbo jumbo …
“What I love is the old saying is ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’, and I have seen our Garbage Salad copied on other menus including in San Diego,” Glusman says. “Even though it’s a little bothersome they are ‘sharing’ our idea, it’s pretty cool people think of it so highly. But, and this is a huge but, the Piero’s Garbage Salad may often be imitated, but it has never been duplicated. The Piero’s original can never be copied precisely because we do things a little bit differently at Piero’s and that’s one of the reasons why we have been so successful.”
The list of notables who have visited Piero’s is long and impressive. Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton are customers, along with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Las Vegas regulars include Jerry Lewis, Mike Tyson, Phyllis McGuire, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Plus, members of the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights and Oakland Raiders (soon to be Las Vegas Raiders) owner Mark Davis is a regular.
Check out much more about Piero’s at www.PierosCuisine.com. Mention the Las Vegas Golf Insider sent you when you visit a meal and receive 10% off your meal.