fine dining Wynn Archives - Small Barrels Magazine

Costa di Mare – a gorgeous, elegant, but also friendly and vibrant Italian restaurant in the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. Our experience from start to finish tops the list of our dining adventures in my books. From the coastal Mediterranean cuisine, to the stylish decor, and to the excellent – even exuberant – service, our evening at Costa di Mare was one to remember. First of all – what an entrance!

Curving lines, domed ceiling, and a circular balcony overlooking the main dining area give the restaurant an open feel and make it particularly inviting. The wall of windows overlooking the lagoon adds to the restaurant’s sense of glamour and beauty.

Starting with a terrific vodka martini, it was time to peruse the menu. At first glance, it was somewhat overwhelming: the sheer number of dishes to choose from, the parade of dishes offered even in the curated tasting menus….I was hoping for expert guidance, and everyone delivered. All or our servers were attentive and extremely knowledgeable, demystifying the process but more than that, setting the tone that made us feel like welcomed guests for a refined family feast. This is exactly how I would characterize our dinner – elegant enough for a couples evening, but with the warmth of being taken care of like family members.

In the end, we went for it all – the Gran Menu di Mare tasting menu. An example of the sort of guidance we received from our wonderful servers: we had a discussion right at the outset about what sort of wine could (possibly) pair with the variety of foods we were about to sample. The sommelier was immediately dispatched to our table, selecting gorgeous Italian wines – white and red – that we are likely never to find again, but that we enjoyed immensely. To ensure seamless blending of food and wine, the sommelier arranged to have certain dishes from the tasting menu modified or altered once we’d made our selections to keep things on point. This attention to detail was characteristic of everything that happened during our meal.

Fresh from the sea

Everything on the tasting menu is served family style and it all sounded – and was – delectable. Seafood was at the heart of nearly every dish, and yet the preparation in the fine Italian coastal style was not something we’ve experienced often. Not only was there fish flown in fresh from the Mediterranean that we had never tasted before, the combination with San Marzano tomatoes, olives, and pasta made for bright and surprising combinations.

The ricciola cruda con limone was a simple dish, but utterly delicate and sumptuous. We were off to a marvelous start.

Saute di vongole, Cappesante dorate con mostarda di rabarbaro e gremolata di noci, Polipo Ligure alla grigilia

The festival of food continued with a trio of dishes: clams with tomato sauce, seared sea-scallops with a fennel and endive salad (refreshing!), and a heartier dish of grilled octopus with olives, potatoes and pepper sauce.

We added the grigliata, grabbing the chance to enjoy the fresh shrimp, spiny lobster, and langoustine. The preparation was simple so that the beautiful flavor of the grilled seafood took centre stage.

Griiled shellfish - grigliata mista di gamberi, scampi, aragosta — Griiled shellfish – grigliata mista di gamberi,
scampi, aragosta

Primi - including: Calamarata pasta rings, scopion fish, and risotto with seafood — Primi – including: Calamarata pasta rings, scopion fish, and risotto with seafood

The main course consisted of a number of seafood dishes – a beautiful, velvety risotto with scallops, cuttlefish, lobster, and more (above right). The center dish in the photo above was a rich seafood, pasta and tomato sauce concoction, a substitution to pair with the red wine we were enjoying at this stage of the meal. On the left was a flavor party: calamarata pasta rings, scorpion fish, eggplant and San Marzano tomato sauce – of all the dishes we enjoyed that night, this is the one that stands out in my memory, summing up the spirit and style of this exciting cuisine.

Closer look at the velvety seafood risotto

Tagliatelle di seppia with cuttlefish and shellfish

Shown above was the fourth dish in this course – an incredibly tasty combination of cuttlefish ink ribbon pasta, shrimp, and lobster.

Seafood feast assembled on the plate - lobster with pasta and San Marzano sauce — Seafood feast assembled on the plate – lobster with pasta and San Marzano sauce

Calamarata con scorfano, melanzane e pomodoro

Unfortunately, we neglected to snap a photo of the impressive next course, pescato d’amo al forno – a whole-roasted Mediterranean fish. It was brought out to the table gleaming and whole, then expertly filleted and presented on our plates. The fish was paired with tomato and olive sauce absolutely bursting with flavor – another dish that stands out in my memory as emblematic of our Costa di Mare experience.

Whole roasted fish - Pescato d'amo al forno — Whole roasted fish – Pescato d’amo al forno

Here is where things began to drift into the unbelievable. We had already enjoyed copious flavors and textures. But dessert was still to come. And not just a small slice of tiramisu as you will see below.

The course is called sinfonia di dolci – symphony of desserts – and it was most certainly that. Sugared ‘fritters’ on apples and caramel with gelato, tiramisu, and a flight of half a dozen sorbets, all looking too pretty to eat. It was all incredible even though at this point we were reduced to a bite of this and a bite of that.

Heavenly 'fritters' and rich gelato — Heavenly ‘fritters’ and rich gelato

One final but important note – as someone who suffers from severe food allergies (tree nuts/peanuts) it can be a challenge (to say the least) to dine outside the home; for a dinner where there is this much food, with so many ingredients, and where a foreign language (to me) is used to describe the dishes, the challenge becomes even greater. But every single one of the many servers who attended to our table knew my concerns, and intimately knew every ingredient in each dish. Modifications were made for me as necessary. I felt perfectly comfortable, once again like an honored guest in someone’s home who had bothered to prepare the finest dishes with me in mind.

This was a delicious meal in beautiful surroundings with genuinely friendly and attentive service. I recommend it to you and am counting the days until my next visit.

For more information on Costa di Mare or to make reservations, visit www.wynnlasvegas.com/dining

We dined at the brand new Cipriani this past December, a fine dining establishment at Wynn Las Vegas. Open just a few weeks in the new Wynn Plaza Shops area of the resort, the experience was a treat from start to finish. If there were any complaints to register, it was that there may have been too many good things, namely too many attentive servers checking in on us, too many rich dishes to sample together on the recommendation of our server. But if these are the sorts of kinks Cipriani shows in its opening weeks, we believe things will only get better from here on out…

On to cocktails:

Bellini - The Original! — Bellini – The Original!

So let’s start with the Bellini. Cipriani has a great origin story to boast – Giuseppe Cipriani Sr. was the inventor of this famous bevvy. Made with white peach pureé and prosecco, it was absolutely refreshing way for me to begin the meal. For him – a dry and bracing Frozen Martini served in a shot glass that lives in the freezer.

Cipriani Menu - Ask for Guidance — Cipriani Menu – Ask for Guidance

As you can see above, the menu is very full. It presented a bit of a puzzle when it came to assembling a meal. Our server was very knowledgeable and helped us navigate, making some great recommendations. Although in the end, we found the particular combination of dishes to be too much and too heavy and rich. (This may be in part due to the fact that it was the final evening of our holiday, capping several nights of dining indulgence- but something to keep in mind.)

Carpaccio "alla Cipriani" — Carpaccio “alla Cipriani”

With a plan to share everything, we began with the delectable beef carpaccio, another legendary Cipriani original, named after Vittore Carpaccio, the Italian painter who apparently used the striking red colour in his art that is characteristic of the dish.

Salad - Burrata "alla Mediterranea" — Salad – Burrata “alla Mediterranea”

The salad was decadent and delicious – and huge, as pictured above. Split in two, it was still a very generous portion. The tomatoes were gem-like, ruby-red, and delicious – a treat at this time of year.

We indulged in the 2014 Gaja Barbaresco, knowing the elegant nebbiolo would be a beautiful match for the luscious flavours in the rich Italian dishes. It was everything we had hoped for – big, rich and spicy, full of flavor, and yet silky.

Cipriani's Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Cipriani’s own Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Risotto with Mushrooms and White Truffle from Alba

There was a bit of delay in the preparation of the risotto dish, due to a break down of communication between wait staff and the kitchen. We love to linger over a great dinner, but this delay did stretch out the time between courses a little beyond the comfortable zone, with no fewer than six difference servers checking in on us to see if we were ‘okay’. A bit much perhaps, but once again due to those ‘opening weeks jitters’ of this very new restaurant. I’d fully expect that by now these kinks have been ironed out. And the risotto was delicious.

Being in season, we added the white truffle from alba to the risotto and the following dish, the Uovo in Ravioli (Egg in Ravioli). Every paper-thin slice was well worth it.

The Uovo in Raviolo was deliciousness itself, but I recall that it was here that I hit my wall in terms of the richness of the dishes. Burrata, risotto, and then this decadent dish while all outstanding felt very heavy at this point. They were all so good, it was hard to practice restraint knowing what was coming next (such problems, I know…). On a return visit, I’d take out at least one of these three opening numbers, and insert a greener salad. Having said this, if the menu contained any missteps, they were certainly tasty.

We ended our meal with another rich, delicious dish, but this time in beef form, a melt-in-your-mouth sliced Wagyu steak to share. I would have enjoyed it more had I not so thoroughly enjoyed the previous dishes. We both ended up leaving more than a bit behind, which felt like a shame. There was certainly no room for dessert.

Overall, this is a place we’d return to. The food was decadent and delicious, the service was attentive, and the decor comfortable and interesting (designed with a glamorous nautical theme in mind, meant to evoke a yacht.) Any detractions here were due to the newness of the establishment, our own unfamiliarity with the dishes on the menu (now cured!), and perhaps that we chose Cipriani to cap an already full week of food and wine. Do certainly consider making a reservation when you’re next in Vegas.

For more information on Cipriani at Wynn Las Vegas, visit www.wynnlasvegas.com

Review of Costa di Mare – Wynn, Las Vegas

Review of Cipriani – Wynn Las Vegas