Even by the extravagant and theatrical requirements of each Main Meals Group and Bellagio, Carbone Riviera is an over-the-top restaurant.
Mario Carbone, Wealthy Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick’s seafood wonderland opened Friday, November 7, at some of the iconic places on the Las Vegas Strip. The backdrop, at what was previously house to Julian Serrano’s Picasso, is the Fountains of Bellagio. There’s now a Riva yacht on a floating deck and an ornate Martin Brudnizki-designed eating room the place artwork by Picasso, Miró and Renoir hangs on the partitions. However essentially the most vital improve at Carbone Riviera is how Mario Carbone and his group current top-tier seafood with their Italian-American ethos.
And in addition, the place else are you going to eat complete king crab, complete turbot and complete sea bream crudo on a patio subsequent to a water present? This looks like essentially the most vital seafood restaurant within the nation since Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, which closed at Wynn Las Vegas a decade in the past.
On Saturday, A-list Carbone Riviera friends, together with David Chang (who’s recognized Carbone and Torrisi since they labored collectively at Café Boulud greater than 20 years in the past and as soon as virtually opened a restaurant with Carbone), raved about dishes like crab AOP and shrimp Parm. Las Vegas Raiders proprietor Mark Davis had dinner whereas a core Main Meals Group group, together with govt chef Jonah Resnick, chief growth officer Will Nazar and vp of hospitality and visitor expertise Kyra Suki Burner, labored the room. Mario’s cousin, Louie, a front-of-the-house maestro you’ll see at each Main Meals Group debut, informed Observer that he has now opened 40 eating places with this firm.
Carbone Riviera is a brand new idea, however numerous the meals might be pleasantly acquainted to longtime followers of Main Meals Group. That is about riffing on the bangers. Behavior-forming shrimp Parm is, after all, a nod to the veal Parm that’s a giant a part of the rationale Carbone grew to become a worldwide sensation. Carbone Riviera’s wonderful crab AOP, which will get simply the correct amount of kick from jalapeños, would possibly remind you a little bit of the lobster capellini at New York’s Torrisi. And in case you’re craving lobster pasta since you’ve eaten it at Torrisi or Carbone Privato at ZZ’s Membership, Carbone Riviera has fettuccine with a two-pound lobster.
Lobster at Carbone Riviera additionally comes within the type of polpette fra diavolo, which Durango govt chef Danny Ye ate on Friday and mentioned reminded him of an Asian dumpling filling. This was excessive reward from a Korean-American chef who has run kitchens in all places from Nobu to Catch and is now curating eating places for Station Casinos. Many distinguished culinary gamers got here to take a look at Carbone Riviera on its opening weekend. Friday evening additionally noticed JKS Eating places co-founder Karam Sethi, who’s on the point of open Gymkhana at Aria subsequent month, eating at Carbone Riviera with Observer energy checklist alum Shu Chowdhury. Chowdhury returned for dinner the subsequent night.
The previous couple of months have been some form of whirlwind for Main Meals Group, which opened London’s Carbone in September and Dubai’s Carbone in October. Resnick, who lives in Miami, informed Observer that he hasn’t been house since August 10. For Mario Carbone, who posted an Instagram story of his Rigatoni World Tour hoodie on Saturday, this has been the run of a lifetime.
“It’s been a tremendous journey to do that factor, hundreds of miles aside with the identical group,” Carbone informed Observer. “The one factor I can examine it to is a live performance. You do town, you pack the group up and go to the subsequent one with these core individuals who have gotten extremely shut. It’s been fairly superior. I imply, clearly we’re drained, nevertheless it’s superb.”
And all of it ties again to the power and the “can’t cease, received’t cease” mentality of Las Vegas, the place Carbone opened at Aria in 2015. That restaurant and its success altered Main Meals Group’s trajectory, and this wild journey retains getting wilder.
At this time, Mario Carbone dropped an Instagram video about the latest leg of this journey. The video, which seems to be like a film trailer and is impressed by Ocean’s Eleven, is a tribute to the group behind the Rigatoni World Tour.
“We name-check the entire squad,” mentioned Carbone, who plans to be in Las Vegas via Method One weekend, when he’ll host a November 20 opening occasion.
And in case it wasn’t 100% apparent by now, Carbone Riviera serves Carbone’s well-known spicy rigatoni vodka. It is a Carbone restaurant, so that it’s enjoying the best hit.
Carbone Riviera at Bellagio is open seven days every week from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
