Steve
09-25-2005, 08:09 AM
Sensi at Bellagio designed to appeal to all senses.
By Ken White.
Sensi in the new Spa Tower at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, may be the only restaurant in Las Vegas that features a lunch and dinner show.
The show stars executive chef Martin Heierling and his bustling kitchen assistants as they prepare Italian, Asian, grilled dishes and seafood cuisine behind walls of glass. There's nothing left to diners' imaginations at Sensi, a word based on the Italian word "senzi," which means "senses."
Aside from the sense of taste, the restaurant attempts to appeal to the eye as well through the work of the restaurant's design team, Super Potato. Diners are surrounded by water wall features, stone walls, wood and glass. Two chef's tables, one made of stone, the other of wood, are situated on opposite sides of the central kitchen.
Meanwhile, the cuisine is eclectic, reflecting the background of chef Heierling. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, Heierling emigrated to New Zealand and spent time as chef to the Saudi royal family.
The lunch menu "is more of a fast, bistro-style," Heierling says, "while dinner is more of a high-profile experience."
Everything is prepared in-house, Heierling says, down to the desserts created by pastry chef Kenny Magana.
Sensi is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily for lunch and 5 to 10:30 p.m. daily for dinner. Reservations are suggested (693-7223).
• Starters: Chilled seafood platter on ice with citrus-yuzu dip, mignonette and cocktail sauce ($38); cured beef carpaccio with Parmesan cheese, grissini and baby arugula ($14); Classic Ceviches, featuring rock shrimp, ahi tuna and Nantucket bay scallops, accompanied by sesame wafers and shrimp crackers ($12 each or $30 tasting combo); seared tuna tataki with spicy greens and citrus glaze ($19); green papaya salad with sweet wok-fried pork, snake beans, lime dressing and spicy soy dip ($16); seared foie gras with bing cherry compote and pistachio noisette ($18); and thin-crust pizza with basil pesto, shaved prosciutto di Parma, balsamic cippolini, artichokes and baby frisee ($15).
• Soups and salads: Spiced butternut squash soup with crabmeat, cr?me fr‰iche, chili oil and sage ($10); roasted duck and crab soup with sesame tapioca pearls and pea shoots ($12); Sensi garden greens salad with tomato, cucumber and roasted shallot vinaigrette ($12); buffalo mozzarella salad with pickled baby peaches and shaved prosciutto ($17); and baked beets salad with feta cheese, frisee, pine nuts and roasted shallot vinaigrette ($12).
• Entrees: Braised veal pansotti pasta with sauteed seasonal mushrooms, veal jus and shaved Parmesan cheese (small portion, $14; large portion, $22); creamy risotto with Camaroli short-grain rice, black truffles and pea shoots (small, $18; large, $27); goat cheese ricotta ravioli with butternut squash, spinach and burnt sage butter (small, $14; large, $22); pasta fresca, featuring handmade semolina pasta, clams, parsley and champagne (small, $14; large, $23); soy-marinated sterling salmon with wok-glazed spaghetti squash and black vinegar reduction ($31); miso-glazed sea bass with sauteed spinach and shrimp dumplings ($31); chargrilled marinated swordfish steak ($31); Kurobuta pork chop with spiced apple relish, crisp onion rings and glazed yams ($32); broiled bone-in New York steak ($37); and braised beef short rib with yellow corn grits, Swiss chard and creamed horseradish ($34).
• Extras: Seasonal roasted vegetables with vanilla salt, buttermilk mashed potatoes, tempura-fried asparagus with sweet chili dip, bacon mushroom in gravy, stir-fry pea shoots and roasted garlic, and Sensi fried rice ($6 each).
• Desserts: Caramelized lemon linzer Napoleon with raspberry compote and lemon oil; brownie sundae with a trio of ice creams; glazed chocolate hazelnut mousse with raspberry consomme and white chocolate espresso ice cream; mango-passion fruit souffle with banana-walnut compote; and vanilla-pear spice cake with pistachio ice cream ($10 each).
reviewjournal.com -- Living: APPETIZERS: Sensi at Bellagio
By Ken White.
Sensi in the new Spa Tower at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, may be the only restaurant in Las Vegas that features a lunch and dinner show.
The show stars executive chef Martin Heierling and his bustling kitchen assistants as they prepare Italian, Asian, grilled dishes and seafood cuisine behind walls of glass. There's nothing left to diners' imaginations at Sensi, a word based on the Italian word "senzi," which means "senses."
Aside from the sense of taste, the restaurant attempts to appeal to the eye as well through the work of the restaurant's design team, Super Potato. Diners are surrounded by water wall features, stone walls, wood and glass. Two chef's tables, one made of stone, the other of wood, are situated on opposite sides of the central kitchen.
Meanwhile, the cuisine is eclectic, reflecting the background of chef Heierling. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, Heierling emigrated to New Zealand and spent time as chef to the Saudi royal family.
The lunch menu "is more of a fast, bistro-style," Heierling says, "while dinner is more of a high-profile experience."
Everything is prepared in-house, Heierling says, down to the desserts created by pastry chef Kenny Magana.
Sensi is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily for lunch and 5 to 10:30 p.m. daily for dinner. Reservations are suggested (693-7223).
• Starters: Chilled seafood platter on ice with citrus-yuzu dip, mignonette and cocktail sauce ($38); cured beef carpaccio with Parmesan cheese, grissini and baby arugula ($14); Classic Ceviches, featuring rock shrimp, ahi tuna and Nantucket bay scallops, accompanied by sesame wafers and shrimp crackers ($12 each or $30 tasting combo); seared tuna tataki with spicy greens and citrus glaze ($19); green papaya salad with sweet wok-fried pork, snake beans, lime dressing and spicy soy dip ($16); seared foie gras with bing cherry compote and pistachio noisette ($18); and thin-crust pizza with basil pesto, shaved prosciutto di Parma, balsamic cippolini, artichokes and baby frisee ($15).
• Soups and salads: Spiced butternut squash soup with crabmeat, cr?me fr‰iche, chili oil and sage ($10); roasted duck and crab soup with sesame tapioca pearls and pea shoots ($12); Sensi garden greens salad with tomato, cucumber and roasted shallot vinaigrette ($12); buffalo mozzarella salad with pickled baby peaches and shaved prosciutto ($17); and baked beets salad with feta cheese, frisee, pine nuts and roasted shallot vinaigrette ($12).
• Entrees: Braised veal pansotti pasta with sauteed seasonal mushrooms, veal jus and shaved Parmesan cheese (small portion, $14; large portion, $22); creamy risotto with Camaroli short-grain rice, black truffles and pea shoots (small, $18; large, $27); goat cheese ricotta ravioli with butternut squash, spinach and burnt sage butter (small, $14; large, $22); pasta fresca, featuring handmade semolina pasta, clams, parsley and champagne (small, $14; large, $23); soy-marinated sterling salmon with wok-glazed spaghetti squash and black vinegar reduction ($31); miso-glazed sea bass with sauteed spinach and shrimp dumplings ($31); chargrilled marinated swordfish steak ($31); Kurobuta pork chop with spiced apple relish, crisp onion rings and glazed yams ($32); broiled bone-in New York steak ($37); and braised beef short rib with yellow corn grits, Swiss chard and creamed horseradish ($34).
• Extras: Seasonal roasted vegetables with vanilla salt, buttermilk mashed potatoes, tempura-fried asparagus with sweet chili dip, bacon mushroom in gravy, stir-fry pea shoots and roasted garlic, and Sensi fried rice ($6 each).
• Desserts: Caramelized lemon linzer Napoleon with raspberry compote and lemon oil; brownie sundae with a trio of ice creams; glazed chocolate hazelnut mousse with raspberry consomme and white chocolate espresso ice cream; mango-passion fruit souffle with banana-walnut compote; and vanilla-pear spice cake with pistachio ice cream ($10 each).
reviewjournal.com -- Living: APPETIZERS: Sensi at Bellagio