Giada To Serve 'Italian Dim Sum Brunch' In Vegas Restaurant

Giada De Laurentiis, the petite Food Network star whose debut restaurant Giada will open on the Las Vegas Strip in late May, recently told Food & Wine that she's working on an Italian version of dim sum for the restaurant's brunch service.

The idea was inspired by Giada's grandfather, Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis, who she says had "a soft spot in his heart for Hong Kong-style dim sum. He would take the family out to experience the magic of silver carts being pushed around a restaurant, bringing little bite-size presents of food."

So far, the dim sum menu, to be served in custom-made carts in the dining room, will include panettone cinnamon rolls, silver dollar lemon-ricotta pancakes, pizzette con uova, and eggs Amatriciana.

It would seem that the trendiness of dim sum is on the rise lately, as Giada isn't the first to bring dim sum to American restaurants this year. Recently, David Chang and executive chef Paul Carmichael introduced a dim sum menu at Má Pêche, after Chang had seemingly toyed around with the idea for some time.

The upcoming cart service at Giada in The Cromwell hotel also indicates a return of tableside dining, a French-inspired service that was popular in fine dining restaurants during the 1950s and 60s. Restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, Porter House New York, and Restaurant Marc Forgione offer special tableside preparations. In February, she told People magazine that her restaurant would have "beautiful pink and gold carts to stroll through the restaurant" with "all sorts of flambés and fun stuff that people can see."

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.