Las Vegas Weekly

July 16, 2008 · 3:26 PM

Two new restaurant openings and a hit moves westward

By Robin Leach

Alex Stratta serves up big plans at Wynn Las Vegas.

Photo: Wynn Las Vegas

Star Chef Alessandro Stratta who already runs the top-ranked, 5-star fine-dining Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, has now opened a sleek casual Italian trattoria there. Corsa Cucina has been transformed into the new Stratta, serving the best of regional Italian cooking, and opens its doors this week.

Said the celebrated chef: “Alex is uptown and Stratta is downtown -- a bustling restaurant with a totally different vibe of fun and good food. Its very soulful and very representative of what I consider to be the best of regional cooking. We apply the same spirit and cooking techniques that we use at Alex but in a very approachable way focusing on flavor and tradition.”

Ten years ago, when he cooked at the Palace Court at Caesars Palace, Food and Wine Magazine tapped him as Best New Chef. Last year in New York, after creating several successful restaurants around the country, he was honored by Bon Appetit magazine as 2007 Restaurateur of the Year. Now, acclaimed chef Laurent Tourondel has returned full-circle and has just opened his new award-winning BLT Burger at the Mirage! Burgers, you sniff? Oh yes -- but the best burgers in the world, apparently if his famed restaurant in Manhattan is the standard. It is the biggest and most successful burger joint ever opened in Gotham -- and diners line up for blocks for their bite!

Says Laurent: “I’m excited to bring it to the Mirage. It’s exciting to come full circle. We’ve got a variety of burgers including beef, American Kobe lamb and Atlantic salmon all served on soft buns with tomato, red onion, iceberg lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. The beef patties are a combination of certified Black Angus sirloin, short rib, chuck and brisket. Our specialty burgers include the Tex-Mex, a 7-ounce burger with jalapenos, chili, avocado, salsa, jack cheese onions and sour cream.”

Venetian star chef Thomas Keller is regarded as being at the top of America’s best chef rankings. His Per Se restaurant in New York and his French Laundry in the Napa Valley have been hailed as brilliant masterpieces by worldwide food critics. In fact, he’s the only American chef with two 3-star restaurants. Ever since he opened his casual French dining bistro Bouchon at the Venetian, its also been applauded.

Now as a result of its Vegas success he’s opening his first Bouchon restaurant in Beverly Hills -- and none other than the city commissioners themselves made the deal. They’re housing Thomas’ restaurant in the city-owned Garden Building alongside the new Montage hotel. It will be an 11,000-square-foot, two–story wonder that includes both the Bouchon restaurant and the Bouchon bakery. Our good friend and regular Vegas visitor Adam Tihany will design the building.

Share This