Chef Gene Villiatora's Ai Pono Café in Durango, Las Vegas, is the third Hawaiian-owned restaurant in a Las Vegas casino, according to founder and self-proclaimed "culinary gangster" Gene Villiationa, who believes his Hawaiian street food is the most authentic in the Valley, aims to educate the public about what is commonly known as Hawaiian food as "what the general public knows as Hawaiian cuisine is not Hawaiian food." The restaurant's unique blend of traditional and innovative dishes include beef short ribs ($25), poke nachos ($16-$18), and combination plates ($18). Villiatori's use of quality ingredients like beef tallow and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil he sources directly from Lebanon. He also served as the personal chef for Station Casinos owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.