With Public House, Robert Irvine strives for laid-back, local vibe

A good name can go a long way in Las Vegas. Famous names grace many restaurant doorways and menu headers: Guy Savoy, Michael Mina, Gordon Ramsay, Joel Robuchon. There are eponymous eateries named for Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Masaharu Morimoto and Nobu Matsuhisa. Victor Drai has the legendary Drai's Nightclub. Steve Wynn stuck his name at the top of an entire casino.

So winning the name game on the Strip isn't as easy as smacking your brand on something and calling it a day. At least, not according to Robert Irvine, who opened the long-awaited Robert Irvine's Public House at the Tropicana last month.

Irvine, is a British celebrity chef and television personality known for Food Network shows "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible." In May 2016, Irvine announced his first Vegas restaurant by rappelling 22 stories down the side of the Tropicana. Now, more than a year later, that restaurant has opened its doors as a 275-seat pub serving international comfort food that draws from the chef's many travels.

Irvine describes the restaurant as a "public meeting place," a spot where locals and tourists alike can come for a good meal in a warm atmosphere without getting ripped off. Inspired by the pubs Irvine visited with his dad in England years ago, Public House stands in contrast to its casino environs with white brick walls, geometric wood floors and an open kitchen, where the chef hopes to hold live demos during restaurant hours.Robert Irvine's Public House has been designed to accommodate filming for the celebrity chef's variou s Food Network shows. Photo Credit: Erik Kabik

"It's about having fun," he said of the restaurant. "I don't want you looking at which knife or fork to use. I want to make sure that the restaurant is for the community. I want to be a place where people meet and exchange ideas and have fun."

Part of that fun will come from the menu, which features classic pub grub like shepherd's pie with lamb and fish and chips, alongside more original dishes like the fondue burger doused in cheese sauce table side or the chicken-fried duck confit served with maple and sherry vinegar, braised kale and buttery Sriracha sauce. There's a roasted vegetable salad for healthy eaters, a 5-pound spatchcocked chicken for crowds, a daily shepherd's pie special and 32 beers on tap to wash it all down. For cocktail drinkers, the bar boasts its own line of liquors under the brand Boardroom Spirits.

"The food's got to be great; the spirits have got to be great," Irvine said.

Still, the Food Network celebrity has a few other tricks up hi s signature short sleeves, like Humm Systems tablets, which let guests give feedback during their meal, so a manager can intervene if something's not right. Servers hand out special coins good for a drink on a future visit and are expected to walk diners to the door at the end of their meal and even offer a business card on the way out. Irvine hopes to start the cooking demos soon, and the restaurant has been designed to accommodate TV shoots with a portable stage that moves in and out.

For Public House's grand opening, Irvine arrived in a helicopter and welcomed veteran and active duty military members as special guests of honor. Over the course of the first weekend, he says he touched every table, 1,000 people a night, shaking hands and posing for photos.

"A lot of people come to these restaurants because they see you on TV," Irvine acknowledged. But he wants them to come back because they enjoy the experience. "It's great that we have travelers, but I also want the lo cal community."

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