Steve
09-28-2006, 07:37 PM
Penazzi takes diners across Italy in one restaurant.
By Ken White from The Las Vegas Review Journal
Proprietor-manager Gabriele Penazzi wants customers at Penazzi in Harrah's Las Vegas, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, to feel right at home.
The personable chef and Italian master sommelier says his goal is to give diners a culinary journey "all over Italy in one dish." He has taken traditional Penazzi family recipes and given them a contemporary twist, often mixing flavors from different regions of Italy.
Penazzi began working in the restaurant business in his family's restaurant in Imola, a northern Italian town. From there he worked in a Michelin two-star restaurant in Italy. After coming to the United States, Penazzi managed restaurants at the MGM Grand and the Aladdin, and was general manager of Andreotti, the Italian restaurant that previously occupied the Penazzi space. He also has worked with an organic wine company.
The Penazzi restaurant has booths on an upper level. Marble steps lead down to the main dining area with tables, booths and an exhibition kitchen where chef B. Effren Flores oversees food preparation.
Penazzi features three private label wines -- red, white and sparkling -- from the Veneto and Friuli regions of Italy. Penazzi himself selected two vineyards -- Sacchetto and Torros -- to produce the wines.
Some items come with tableside service.
The Penazzi grand opening menu is a collectible with its 16 full-color pages of photos, menu items and recipes.
Penazzi is open daily from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Reservations are accepted by calling 369-5084.
The adjacent Oyster Bar at Penazzi serves items such as Maryland crab cakes ($14), grilled Alaskan king crab ($15), Louisiana popcorn chicken salad ($10), Caribbean seafood chowder ($7), pan-roasted chicken scampi ($15), oyster shooters ($4), steamed little neck clams ($14), blackened mahi mahi ($16), and surf and turf ($29), plus tiramisu and New York-style cheesecake ($5 each).
The Oyster Bar at Penazzi is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Starters: Caterina's antipasto (serves two) featuring vine-ripened grapes with aged provolone cheese, fried mozzarella with teardrop tomato sauce and smoked shrimp, prosciutto ham and Gouda cheese wrapped in phyllo dough and baked until golden brown, with marinated eggplant and basil chiffonade and two seasonal specialties ($16); buffalo mozzarella fried and served with Napolitana tomato sauce ($8); lightly breaded baby squid flash fried and served with spicy pomodoro sauce and lemon aioli ($9); stuffed portabella mushroom with crab meat, shaved black truffle topped with provolone cheese ($10); and infused house-made mozzarella wrapped with romaine lettuce leaf, baked and served with balsamic basil reduction ($8).
Soups and salads: Traditional minestrone seasoned with Parmesan cheese and herbs ($7); creamy artichoke soup prepared with potatoes and artichokes and topped with fried artichoke leaves ($7); traditional Italian mixed green salad tossed with garbanzo beans, Roma tomatoes, provolone cheese, marinated mushrooms, black olives, salami and balsamic dressing ($8); and Penazzi salad (serves two) with Italian sausage and aged balsamic vinegar sauteed and prepared tableside with spinach and Gorgonzola cheese ($18).
Entrees: Pasta and risotto entrees include braised halibut, cod, squid, shrimp and green mussels in a light tomato saffron broth, served with linguine pasta ($29); capellini pasta tossed with slow-roasted tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and sweet basil ($19); risotto with crab meat, saffron and Parmesan cheese ($21); potato gnocchi stuffed with asiago cheese and sauteed with assorted vegetables, olive oil and garlic ($21); and stuffed jumbo tortelloni with wild mushrooms, ricotta and Italian seasoning, served tableside with shaved Italian white truffle in a creamy marsala sauce ($26).
Chicken entrees include thin-pounded chicken breast layered with fried eggplant, roasted peppers, provolone cheese, Marsala sauce, grilled polenta and asparagus ($24); sauteed chicken breast with olive oil, garlic, spinach, white wine and cream, garnished with farfalle pasta ($24); breaded breast of chicken topped with marinara sauce, basil, melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheese ($24); and sauteed chicken breast with lemon, capers, mushrooms, white wine, butter and wilted spinach ($24).
Fish and meat entrees include salmon fillet encrusted with herbs, bread crumbs, drizzled with green pepper corn sauce, baked and served with pencil asparagus, julienne of mixed peppers and soft polenta ($25); rolled fillet of sole stuffed with crab meat, poached in a tomato-caper sauce, and garnished with wilted spinach and risotto ortolano, served tableside ($27); 8-ounce lobster tail pounded paper thin, encrusted with Italian bread crumbs and lemon zest, pan-fried and drizzled with Sambuca lemon butter sauce, garnished with risotto ortolano and arugula ($35); marinated rack of lamb in rosemary-garlic marinade, broiled and drizzled with demi-glace, served with herb mashed potatoes and shaved vegetables ($32); and filet mignon encrusted with sun-dried porcini mushrooms, pan roasted and topped with garlic-grappa infused mozzarella and drizzled with port wine demi- glace, garnished with Yukon mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables ($35).
Desserts: Tiramisu ($7); panna cotta, light lemon cream custard served with raspberries, citrus tuille and a sweet red wine reduction ($6); chocolate cake layered with caramel br?lèe and espresso mousse, served with chocolate biscotti ($8); and white and dark chocolate gelato coated with meringue, flambéed tableside, and served with raspberries and chocolate shavings, serves two ($14).
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-24-Wed-2006/living/7486512.html
By Ken White from The Las Vegas Review Journal
Proprietor-manager Gabriele Penazzi wants customers at Penazzi in Harrah's Las Vegas, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, to feel right at home.
The personable chef and Italian master sommelier says his goal is to give diners a culinary journey "all over Italy in one dish." He has taken traditional Penazzi family recipes and given them a contemporary twist, often mixing flavors from different regions of Italy.
Penazzi began working in the restaurant business in his family's restaurant in Imola, a northern Italian town. From there he worked in a Michelin two-star restaurant in Italy. After coming to the United States, Penazzi managed restaurants at the MGM Grand and the Aladdin, and was general manager of Andreotti, the Italian restaurant that previously occupied the Penazzi space. He also has worked with an organic wine company.
The Penazzi restaurant has booths on an upper level. Marble steps lead down to the main dining area with tables, booths and an exhibition kitchen where chef B. Effren Flores oversees food preparation.
Penazzi features three private label wines -- red, white and sparkling -- from the Veneto and Friuli regions of Italy. Penazzi himself selected two vineyards -- Sacchetto and Torros -- to produce the wines.
Some items come with tableside service.
The Penazzi grand opening menu is a collectible with its 16 full-color pages of photos, menu items and recipes.
Penazzi is open daily from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Reservations are accepted by calling 369-5084.
The adjacent Oyster Bar at Penazzi serves items such as Maryland crab cakes ($14), grilled Alaskan king crab ($15), Louisiana popcorn chicken salad ($10), Caribbean seafood chowder ($7), pan-roasted chicken scampi ($15), oyster shooters ($4), steamed little neck clams ($14), blackened mahi mahi ($16), and surf and turf ($29), plus tiramisu and New York-style cheesecake ($5 each).
The Oyster Bar at Penazzi is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Starters: Caterina's antipasto (serves two) featuring vine-ripened grapes with aged provolone cheese, fried mozzarella with teardrop tomato sauce and smoked shrimp, prosciutto ham and Gouda cheese wrapped in phyllo dough and baked until golden brown, with marinated eggplant and basil chiffonade and two seasonal specialties ($16); buffalo mozzarella fried and served with Napolitana tomato sauce ($8); lightly breaded baby squid flash fried and served with spicy pomodoro sauce and lemon aioli ($9); stuffed portabella mushroom with crab meat, shaved black truffle topped with provolone cheese ($10); and infused house-made mozzarella wrapped with romaine lettuce leaf, baked and served with balsamic basil reduction ($8).
Soups and salads: Traditional minestrone seasoned with Parmesan cheese and herbs ($7); creamy artichoke soup prepared with potatoes and artichokes and topped with fried artichoke leaves ($7); traditional Italian mixed green salad tossed with garbanzo beans, Roma tomatoes, provolone cheese, marinated mushrooms, black olives, salami and balsamic dressing ($8); and Penazzi salad (serves two) with Italian sausage and aged balsamic vinegar sauteed and prepared tableside with spinach and Gorgonzola cheese ($18).
Entrees: Pasta and risotto entrees include braised halibut, cod, squid, shrimp and green mussels in a light tomato saffron broth, served with linguine pasta ($29); capellini pasta tossed with slow-roasted tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and sweet basil ($19); risotto with crab meat, saffron and Parmesan cheese ($21); potato gnocchi stuffed with asiago cheese and sauteed with assorted vegetables, olive oil and garlic ($21); and stuffed jumbo tortelloni with wild mushrooms, ricotta and Italian seasoning, served tableside with shaved Italian white truffle in a creamy marsala sauce ($26).
Chicken entrees include thin-pounded chicken breast layered with fried eggplant, roasted peppers, provolone cheese, Marsala sauce, grilled polenta and asparagus ($24); sauteed chicken breast with olive oil, garlic, spinach, white wine and cream, garnished with farfalle pasta ($24); breaded breast of chicken topped with marinara sauce, basil, melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheese ($24); and sauteed chicken breast with lemon, capers, mushrooms, white wine, butter and wilted spinach ($24).
Fish and meat entrees include salmon fillet encrusted with herbs, bread crumbs, drizzled with green pepper corn sauce, baked and served with pencil asparagus, julienne of mixed peppers and soft polenta ($25); rolled fillet of sole stuffed with crab meat, poached in a tomato-caper sauce, and garnished with wilted spinach and risotto ortolano, served tableside ($27); 8-ounce lobster tail pounded paper thin, encrusted with Italian bread crumbs and lemon zest, pan-fried and drizzled with Sambuca lemon butter sauce, garnished with risotto ortolano and arugula ($35); marinated rack of lamb in rosemary-garlic marinade, broiled and drizzled with demi-glace, served with herb mashed potatoes and shaved vegetables ($32); and filet mignon encrusted with sun-dried porcini mushrooms, pan roasted and topped with garlic-grappa infused mozzarella and drizzled with port wine demi- glace, garnished with Yukon mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables ($35).
Desserts: Tiramisu ($7); panna cotta, light lemon cream custard served with raspberries, citrus tuille and a sweet red wine reduction ($6); chocolate cake layered with caramel br?lèe and espresso mousse, served with chocolate biscotti ($8); and white and dark chocolate gelato coated with meringue, flambéed tableside, and served with raspberries and chocolate shavings, serves two ($14).
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-24-Wed-2006/living/7486512.html