bartolotta

I'd been looking forward to a return trip to Bartolotta since my first visit in November, so last night we headed to the Wynn. Bartolotta specializes in coastal Italian cuisine and they focus on fresh, simple flavors.

At the first meal, Claudio Villani, a Bartolotta sommelier and previously at Incanto, ordered all of the food and wine for our table. Claudio was not in Thursday night, but happily the other sommelier took excellent care of us and guided us through the menu. For dinner we enjoyed:

• cappesante dorate con porciniseared (sea scallops with porcini mushrooms)
• polipo con insalata di fave (octopus salad with fava beans, olive oil, and lemon)
• insalata mista alla'italiana (traditional italian mixed salad)
• insalatina di carciofi, porcini, ruchetta e pecorino sardo (artichoke salad with porcini mushrooms, arugula, and pecorino cheese)
• risotto ai frutti di mare (risotto with clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, langoustines, and calamari)
• ravioli di ricotta con caciotta Toscana (sheep's milk ricotta ravioli with Tuscan pecorino cheese and Marsala wine glaze)
• gnocchi di patate con fonduta di pomodoro (potato gnocchi in a creamy tomato sauce with butter and parmigiano-reggiano)
• rombo (turbot cooked whole, filleted off the bone at the table, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and served halved mini-tomatoes and herbs)
• zucchine (zucchini thinly sliced and sauteed in olive oil)
• costata di manzo al sangiovese (pan seared 18 oz. ribeye in a sangiovese wine sauce)
  

These were paired with a crisp Tocai Friulano to start, a wonderful Pignolo from Friuli for the pastas and a majestic '97 Sangiovese from Tuscani for the fish and steak.

To end this perfect meal, the staff brought us every dessert - 10 different flavors of gelati (including rosemary) and a series of others that I was too busy eating to be able to carefully describe. I think that there was a semifreddo, a chocolate torte, a pear custard tart and a lemon spongecake, and they were accompanied by a lovely pink, sparkling Italian dessert wine.

Bartolotta is not an inexpensive restaurant, but the pastas and whole fish (flown in daily from Italy) are marvelous and worth splurging on. Next time you are in Vegas, visit Claudio and enjoy some of the best Italian food in the country.

Bartolotta at the Wynn, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV (702) 770-7000