PING PANG PONG – Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV 

This restaurant takes its name from characters in Turandot, an opera by Giacomo Puccini. Its façade offers a nod to the opera and is a modern interpretation of a Chinese imperial palace. A wooden pergola establishes arrival. Wooden screens provide privacy, while allowing for views into-and-out of the restaurant. Fu dogs mark the entry, where guests are greeted by an apothecary cabinet-style dressed, hostess station. The main dining-hall is visible beyond a screen wall, upon which the first of several artworks from the owners’ private collection is prominently displayed. A Chinese coffee bar features over-scaled abacus screens. Twelve-foot-tall screens separate seating groups and establish the rhythm that defines the space. Traditional lantern Clusters hang from coves, and at the back is a grand portal into a large exhibition kitchen. A formal private-dining room that is entered through a pair of eleven-foot-high wooden screen doors doubles as an 80-seat banquet room.