LAS VEGAS (Sept. 16, 2025) — Chef/Partner James Trees has announced the opening of reservations for High Steaks Vegas, a modern steakhouse concept coming to the top of the Masquerade Tower at Rio Las Vegas. Reservations will be accepted beginning Oct. 14, 2025 for dining at the restaurant, which will be open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly.
To reserve a table at High Steaks Vegas, visit https://www.opentable.com/r/high-steaks-vegas. For parties of 12 or more, please contact events@highsteaks.vegas.
Along with incomparable 180-degree indoor and outdoor views of the Strip and Las Vegas Valley, High Steaks Vegas will emphasize a fresh approach to the classic Vegas steakhouse, offering unique beef ranch partnerships, game meats, market-driven fish and vegetables, show-stopping seafood towers and crisp classic cocktails. High Steaks Vegas will offer 240 seats, each with incomparable views.
With five acclaimed restaurants across the Las Vegas Valley, Chef James Trees is widely regarded as the city’s most celebrated native chef. A James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef Southwest and recipient of the Key to the City of Las Vegas, Trees is best known for Esther’s Kitchen – his flagship Italian restaurant in the Arts District that’s earned both local devotion and international praise. His portfolio also includes Al Solito Posto and Ada’s Food & Wine in Tivoli Village, as well as Bar Boheme and Petite Boheme. Trees brings decades of experience, having worked under culinary legends including Eric Ripert, Gordon Ramsay, Michael Mina and more.
“Our goal with High Steaks Vegas is to revive the classic steakhouse experience while modernizing it and showing off the incredible view,” said Trees. “We’ll have baller steaks for sure but also some value options for our local friends. We like to say: This is the Vegas you were promised.”
About Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Rio Hotel & Casino, part of the Destination by Hyatt brand, is located just one block off the Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Road. The resort features more than 2,500 suite-sized guestrooms, including 1,500 newly remodeled suites in the Ipanema Tower. Highlights include a reimagined 117,000-square-foot casino floor with 800 slot machines and 40 table games, a 3-acre pool paradise, and an evolving lineup of dining and nightlife options including Canteen Food Hall, Lapa Lounge, and Luckley Tavern & Grill. With 220,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, the property is also well-suited for conferences, trade shows, and large-scale events. The entertainment program features a standout roster of resident shows, including the long-running magic duo Penn & Teller, the visually stunning WOW – The Vegas Spectacular, The Empire Strips Back, a sci-fi burlesque parody with cult appeal, Comedy Cellar, the West Coast outpost of the iconic New York comedy club and Marriage Can Be Murder Dinner Show, an interactive murder-mystery experience. For more information, visit riolasvegas.com and follow Rio on Facebook, Instagramand X.
About Chef James Trees
A native of Las Vegas, Chef James Trees has cooked around the world under greats including Eric Ripert, Heston Blumenthal, Michael Mina and Gordon Ramsay before returning to bring acclaim to his hometown local scene with his first restaurant, Esther’s Kitchen.
His first independent restaurant, Esther’s Kitchen, offering seasonal Italian in the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District, has become a local and tourist must-visit since opening in 2018. Trees has followed that with Al Solito Posto, featuring refined East Coast Italian and Ada’s Food & Wine in Tivoli Village. Esther’s moved to a dramatically larger space just next door in 2024, which has been met with overwhelming demand. This year, he opened Bar Boheme and Petite Boheme bringing updated French Bistro dining and refined cocktails to the Las Vegas Arts District. His latest project, High Steaks Vegas, is set to transform the iconic penthouse floor of the Rio Hotel Casino in late 2025.
Chef Trees’ restaurants have been featured in media including The New York Times, TIME, Washington Post, Travel & Leisure, Robb Report, National Geographic, CNN, The Times of London, Thrillist, and Eater–In addition to a growing number of local accolades including Best Italian nods from multiple media outlets. In 2022, Esther’s Kitchen was listed at #15 on Trip Advisor’s “Hidden Gems” for the entire US.
Chef Trees himself was named a Finalist for the James Beard Award: Best Chef Southwest in 2020 and has received many variations of Best Chef from local media and other organizations. In 2024, Chef Trees was awarded with the Key To The City of Las Vegas by Mayor Carolyn Goodman for his service to the community and local charities.
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Media Contacts:
Alden Tseng | Sandra Esparza
Rio Las Vegas | Kirvin Doak Communications RioLasVegasPR@KirvinDoak.com
Eric Gladstone | Victoria Koelkebeck
High Steaks Vegas & Chef James Trees | The Feast of Friends Eric@thefeastoffriends.com