Bartolotta's in Las Vegas: A Wynn-ing Dinner

People go to Las Vegas for many things, among them volcanoes that erupt on schedule, gondoliers that speak your language, pirate ships with friendly pirates, shopping malls the size of Texas and casinos that never, ever close, even at the airport.  Me?  I think I might have come to this desert town for the fish.  More specifically, the fish at Bartolotta’s, Paul Bartolotta’s very Italian fisheria built around a huge koi pond in the Wynn Hotel. 

I hadn’t had Paul’s food for years – I’d last had a Bartolotta morsel too, too many years ago when Spiaggia opened in Chicago – so I made a reservation at his restaurant as soon as I booked my flight.  Trained in Italy and France, Paul is a master technician with the soul of a small-town papa who just wants his family to eat well and be happy.

Of course, in Las Vegas, there’s a steep price to be paid for eating well and being happy, but you leave Paul’s make-believe corner of Italy thinking it was worth it.  Bartolotta’s is single-mindedly fishcentric and single-handedly responsible for bringing in a variety of swimmers usually seen only in the markets of Venice and Portofino.

At Bartolotta’s, the tasting menu, which is what we had, is served family style.  First there’s a cart with all the fish laid out like a still life and you get to see what the day’s catch is and can choose what you’d like, then you settle in and the surprises start coming.  I didn’t take pictures – sorry – and my notes are pretty bad (sometimes dinner is just dinner and I thought this was one of those times, but when it turned out to be so great, I wanted to tell you all about it), but here’s some of what we had.

Antipasti – each fish was prepared very simply; some, like the incredible slipper lobster, were just cooked and cut into pieces; all were outstanding

• Mantis shrimp
• Langoustines
• Slipper lobster (what a treat – not at all like Maine lobsters; small – they take 3 years to grow to 1 pound, very sweet and beautifully tender)
• Silver fish (teensy, snackable, whole fish, fried and served with lemon wedges)
• Octopus
• Clams

Pasta

• Risotto nero (made with squid ink)
• Ravioli (with ricotta, pecorino, butter and tomatoes – so simple, so amazingly good)
• Lasagnette con crostacei (shreds of lasagna with shrimp, lobster, langoustines, crabs and white wine – my favorite of the pastas)
• Penne with spiny lobster

The Main Event

• Turbot with shrimp, langoustines and fat asparagus

Dessert

• Gelato and Sorbetto in many flavors

It was truly a memorable meal – and a really long one too.  We had a late reservation, but by the time we finished dinner and had some good catch-up time with Paul, it was past 2 am – a late finish even in a town that’s 24/7!  But you’d never know it looking at this picture of the chef.  Proof again that while it takes talent to be a great chef, it also takes more energy than most of us ordinary humans can muster!

Comments

[Colleen]

Wow Dorie who needs a camera when we have you to write about the food?? A feast indeed. Its lovely to follow your travels....

[ParisBreakfasts]

I was lucky to taste Bartolotto's terrific food at the Beard House..
But I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes you want to forget the camera and the note-taking and just be a regular person enjoy yourself.
What a feast you had!