Steve
10-02-2005, 06:33 AM
Corsa Cucina & Bar serves 'accessible' Italian cuisine.
By Ken White
Corsa Cucina & Bar at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, appears to have a split personality.
There's the decor -- a Grand Prix racing theme with race photos and a red-dominated color scheme and an exhibition kitchen.
And then there's the cuisine -- upscale Italian-Mediterranean featuring some traditional dishes and others with a contemporary flair.
But all of that will be in synch later this year when the restaurant undergoes a face-lift, says executive chef Stephen Kalt. "It's a little too casual for what we're trying to do here. It will have a more organic feel with wood floors, mahogany."
In the meantime, Kalt will continue to serve what he calls "accessible" cuisine.
"Corsa, by intention, is casual fine dining," says Kalt, former owner of the acclaimed restaurant Spartina in New York City's TriBeCa area. "But don't expect an old red-sauce restaurant," even though there is pizza and pasta on the menu.
Kalt has worked with some of the best chefs in the business -- Daniel Boulud, Jean Louis Palladin, Thomas Keller, Dean Fearing, Robert Delgrande, Wolfgang Puck, Jean Georges Vongerichten -- and others who are less known, such as the cooks in Morocco and Spain he spent time with last year.
For Kalt, it's about "continually educating myself," he says.
Of the great chefs he has worked with, Kalt thinks they have some things in common that he tries to bring to his own work.
"Some people just have a special gift. They have an extraordinary passion, a vision, what I call a 'voice.' They see things in their own unique way. And they have craft."
Seating 108, Corsa Cucina is open from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily. Reservations are suggested (770-2040).
Starters: Bigeye tuna tartare with capers, mustard seeds, lemon confit and fennel oil ($17); drunken Santa Barbara prawns with mango, mint, lime and fish sauce ($21); barely poached lobster with avocado, grated French radish and tomato oil ($18); seared diver scallop and foie gras with sweet pea puree, extra virgin olive oil and chive ($15); wood-burning mussels with roasted plum tomatoes, saffron and extra virgin olive oil ($13); sesame veal sweetbreads with blood orange sauce, fig and olive salad ($12); and crispy Moroccan duck pastilla with almonds, Thai basil and tamarind-honey sauce ($12).
Soups and salads: Corsa pasta e fagiole with zucchini, tomato confit, barlotti beans and extra virgin olive oil ($11); chilled white gazpacho with shrimp, avocado, melon, spring onions and toasted almonds ($11); chopped salad with cucumber, tomato, feta, chickpeas, kalamata olives and mint ($12); wild mesclun greens with raspberries, Coach Farm triple cream and balsamic vinegar ($14); and Corsa salad featuring arugula, wild mushrooms, avocado, warm goat cheese, summer corn and balsamico ($14).
Entrees: Artisanal goat's cheese ricotta dumplings with brown butter and sage ($27); lobster ravioli with lobster-tomato cream sauce ($28); Dungeness crab-stuffed shells baked with brioche crumbs and parmigiano ($27); short rib of beef ragu tossed with rigatoni and pecorino Romano ($25); lasagne Bolognese with handmade pasta, veal and plum tomato sauce, and whole milk ricotta ($24).
From the wood-fired oven, eggplant parmigiano with roasted plum tomatoes and burrata ($24); roasted monkfish in parchment with artichokes Provencal, tomato and lemon confit, and lemon butter ($29); and free-range Sonoma chicken with preserved lemon and garlic, Gia's sticky spaghetti and spring vegetables ($24).
And poached Pacific halibut with celery hearts, Manila clams, tomato confit and brandade ($32); roasted Colorado lamb chops with golden potato gnocchi, black truffle and mango ($44); black pepper choice sirloin with roasted cippolini onions and oloroso sherry sauce ($36); and Australian kobe ($72).
Extras: Grilled pizza in a choice of Roma tomatoes ($14), wild mushrooms ($16), grilled shrimp ($17), Four Seasons featuring prosciutto, artichokes, mushrooms and Ni?oise olives ($17) and hand-rolled meatballs ($15).
Desserts: Apple tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream and caramel, cannoli filled with handmade ricotta and pastry cream with candied fruits and bitter chocolate gelato, Meyer lemon tart with wild berries and lemon dentelles, and churros and chocolate with hazelnut nougatine gelato ($9 each).
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Sep-07-Wed-2005/living/3140895.html (http://)
By Ken White
Corsa Cucina & Bar at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, appears to have a split personality.
There's the decor -- a Grand Prix racing theme with race photos and a red-dominated color scheme and an exhibition kitchen.
And then there's the cuisine -- upscale Italian-Mediterranean featuring some traditional dishes and others with a contemporary flair.
But all of that will be in synch later this year when the restaurant undergoes a face-lift, says executive chef Stephen Kalt. "It's a little too casual for what we're trying to do here. It will have a more organic feel with wood floors, mahogany."
In the meantime, Kalt will continue to serve what he calls "accessible" cuisine.
"Corsa, by intention, is casual fine dining," says Kalt, former owner of the acclaimed restaurant Spartina in New York City's TriBeCa area. "But don't expect an old red-sauce restaurant," even though there is pizza and pasta on the menu.
Kalt has worked with some of the best chefs in the business -- Daniel Boulud, Jean Louis Palladin, Thomas Keller, Dean Fearing, Robert Delgrande, Wolfgang Puck, Jean Georges Vongerichten -- and others who are less known, such as the cooks in Morocco and Spain he spent time with last year.
For Kalt, it's about "continually educating myself," he says.
Of the great chefs he has worked with, Kalt thinks they have some things in common that he tries to bring to his own work.
"Some people just have a special gift. They have an extraordinary passion, a vision, what I call a 'voice.' They see things in their own unique way. And they have craft."
Seating 108, Corsa Cucina is open from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily. Reservations are suggested (770-2040).
Starters: Bigeye tuna tartare with capers, mustard seeds, lemon confit and fennel oil ($17); drunken Santa Barbara prawns with mango, mint, lime and fish sauce ($21); barely poached lobster with avocado, grated French radish and tomato oil ($18); seared diver scallop and foie gras with sweet pea puree, extra virgin olive oil and chive ($15); wood-burning mussels with roasted plum tomatoes, saffron and extra virgin olive oil ($13); sesame veal sweetbreads with blood orange sauce, fig and olive salad ($12); and crispy Moroccan duck pastilla with almonds, Thai basil and tamarind-honey sauce ($12).
Soups and salads: Corsa pasta e fagiole with zucchini, tomato confit, barlotti beans and extra virgin olive oil ($11); chilled white gazpacho with shrimp, avocado, melon, spring onions and toasted almonds ($11); chopped salad with cucumber, tomato, feta, chickpeas, kalamata olives and mint ($12); wild mesclun greens with raspberries, Coach Farm triple cream and balsamic vinegar ($14); and Corsa salad featuring arugula, wild mushrooms, avocado, warm goat cheese, summer corn and balsamico ($14).
Entrees: Artisanal goat's cheese ricotta dumplings with brown butter and sage ($27); lobster ravioli with lobster-tomato cream sauce ($28); Dungeness crab-stuffed shells baked with brioche crumbs and parmigiano ($27); short rib of beef ragu tossed with rigatoni and pecorino Romano ($25); lasagne Bolognese with handmade pasta, veal and plum tomato sauce, and whole milk ricotta ($24).
From the wood-fired oven, eggplant parmigiano with roasted plum tomatoes and burrata ($24); roasted monkfish in parchment with artichokes Provencal, tomato and lemon confit, and lemon butter ($29); and free-range Sonoma chicken with preserved lemon and garlic, Gia's sticky spaghetti and spring vegetables ($24).
And poached Pacific halibut with celery hearts, Manila clams, tomato confit and brandade ($32); roasted Colorado lamb chops with golden potato gnocchi, black truffle and mango ($44); black pepper choice sirloin with roasted cippolini onions and oloroso sherry sauce ($36); and Australian kobe ($72).
Extras: Grilled pizza in a choice of Roma tomatoes ($14), wild mushrooms ($16), grilled shrimp ($17), Four Seasons featuring prosciutto, artichokes, mushrooms and Ni?oise olives ($17) and hand-rolled meatballs ($15).
Desserts: Apple tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream and caramel, cannoli filled with handmade ricotta and pastry cream with candied fruits and bitter chocolate gelato, Meyer lemon tart with wild berries and lemon dentelles, and churros and chocolate with hazelnut nougatine gelato ($9 each).
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Sep-07-Wed-2005/living/3140895.html (http://)