Brian's Experience at The Bedford in Las Vegas

While in Las Vegas recently to celebrate a milestone birthday, Brian Utz (a longtime Martha Moments contributor) visited Martha's restaurant, The Bedford, located at the Paris Hotel. He dined here twice during his stay with his mom and he shares his experience with us here. Below are his review and his photographs. Thank you so much for sharing this, Brian!

The Bedford by Martha Stewart - A Love Letter To a Legacy

By Brian Utz

From the moment I began perusing the menu at The Bedford by Martha Stewart in Las Vegas, I felt transported back through decades of watching Martha teaching the masses how to live well. Each dish read like a page from memory. I could vividly recall watching Martha demonstrate many of these recipes on television, or stumbling upon them while flipping through one of her many cookbooks, including her milestone 100th book, where several of the restaurant’s dishes appear as mainstays.

 Seeing them brought to life at the table felt surreal. I even remembered watching Julie Williamson, “Junebug” to longtime viewers, prepare the famous garden flatbread on Martha’s show. When it arrived at our table, beautifully arranged like an edible bouquet, it felt like watching television history step directly onto the plate. 

Walking into The Bedford itself is an immersive experience. The restaurant is modeled after Martha’s own Bedford, New York home, and the attention to detail is meticulous. Faux-bois inlays, mirrored sconces, and elegant design touches create the sense that you’ve stepped inside Martha’s perfectly curated world. The details reveal themselves slowly. Faux-bois planters hold potted orchids — identical to those Martha sells through QVC. Cocktails arrive with linen napkins printed with a stately tree, the emblem of her Cantitoe Corners farm. 

At the entrance, trailing wisteria climbs up onto replicas of the Chinese granite posts from her property. Everywhere you look are subtle nods to Martha’s extraordinary career: copper pots lining the kitchen, photographs from her early modeling and stockbroker days, and shelves filled with the books that helped shape her empire. The Bedford feels both like a love letter to longtime fans and a reminder to newcomers of exactly who Martha Stewart is: a cultural force. 

No detail is overlooked. Even the music reflects her personality. The playlist — curated by Martha herself — blends timeless classics with songs from guests who have appeared on her show. At precisely 6:20 p.m., the unmistakable opening beats of “Still D.R.E.” filled the room. Martha’s a gangster. Well, not exactly — but she does famously work out to hip-hop. The service matched the polish of the environment. Our bartender, George, was exceptional, serving cocktails that felt like they belonged on the set of Martha’s television kitchen. 

The first party I ever hosted was a New Year’s Eve gathering inspired by the recipes I found on a Martha Stewart DVD, where I served White Cosmopolitans to my guests. Seeing that very cocktail on the menu felt like a full-circle moment. When it arrived, it looked identical to the photograph on MarthaStewart.com — complete with the delicate white orchid garnish. After drinks, we were escorted into the restaurant’s Brown Room, where LED panels display sweeping panoramic views of Martha’s Bedford farm. 

Our waiter, TJ, explained that this is the space where Martha personally entertains guests when she visits the restaurant. Diners can reserve Martha’s personal table, available for parties of two or four, and enjoy the evening from the same vantage point. The wingback chairs were so comfortable. They immediately reminded me of pieces from Martha’s Bernhardt furniture collection, upholstered here in an elegant green damask. Immersive experiences are often attempted but rarely executed well. The Bedford is a rare exception. 

The restaurant truly feels like stepping into a space Martha herself curated for guests spending an evening on her farm, transported to Las Vegas. We opted for the prix fixe menu, beginning with a generous bread basket featuring herbed cherry focaccia, Parker House rolls finished with flaky sea salt, and the celebrated garden flatbread — a stunning arrangement of onions, sage leaves, tomatillos, and tomatoes designed to resemble a blooming garden. The second course, a Caesar salad, was presented like sculpture with each leaf of lettuce meticulously stacked and dressed. 

My main course was the short rib ragù, deeply comforting and rich featuring homemade trecce pasta and grana Padano. For dessert, we enjoyed the Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie, another recipe featured in Martha’s 100th book. Beneath the meringue crust was a vibrant Meyer lemon curd, hidden under whipped cream, a delightful surprise revealed with the first bite. That moment reminded me of the first Martha recipe I ever made from the October 2005 Martha Stewart Living Magazine: her “Surprise Pasta,” a dish where roasted butternut squash and ricotta are hidden beneath buttery herbed bucatini. Martha has always loved an element of surprise in her cooking, and this dessert felt like a playful nod to tradition.

On the final evening of our trip, and just one day before my 40th birthday, we returned once more and ordered the seafood tower. Maine lobster, oysters, clams, scallops, shrimp and Martha's signature peekytoe crab cakes. 

For dessert we experienced Snow in the Dessert, presented tableside: a towering mount of delicate cotton cady dusted with gold leaf is hollowed out before a vibrant raspberry puree is poured into the center, cascading over a scoop of raspberry sorbet hidden inside. The dessert may not have appeared on Martha's television show or any of her books, but its theatricality evokes the whimsical spirit of grand New York dining rooms like The Four Seasons, the kind of place that undoubtedly helped inspire Martha's own hospitality philosophy. 

Whimsy and ambition have always been central to Martha’s brand. Whether it’s constructing a five-foot replica of her Turkey Hill estate out of gingerbread, building a haunted mansion with caramel windows, or spinning croquembouche towers taller than cars, Martha approaches the impossible with calm authority, and then invites viewers to follow along. That’s part of the magic. While her projects can seem intimidating, Martha always reminds us that every masterpiece starts with the basics, and a willingness to try. My advice? The next time Martha begins one of her iconic projects, join in. And the next time you’re in Las Vegas, make a reservation at The Bedford. It’s a Good Thing!