Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/90248
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICK GERSHON/GETTY IMAGES (CLINTON) SO MANY DINNERS... SO LITTLE TIME Verandah is designed to evoke a Mediterranean mansion. Lombardian classic osso buco is on the menu for fall, starting mid-November. A LITTLE TASTE OF LOMBARDIA continued from page 64 porcini-crusted rectangle—the effect being added creaminess and a meltingly tender mouthfeel in a fish that is too often served dry and stringy. It is something of a tiny triumph in fish cookery, and one that speaks volumes about the ingenuity this kitchen now displays. La Pasta Cotta Nel Vaso, or artichoke pasta in a jar. This serious-but- fun food is also being put out at a serious steal. His facility with meat and pasta is on full display (as is his sense of humor) in the pansotti Genovese, with white Bolognese, red pepper mousseline, and cacio cheese— a dish Minichiello says was inspired by the Philly cheesesteak. To make it, he folds pansotti, a ravioli-like pasta, into triangles rather than stuffing them, and smothers them with a Bolognese sauce that eschews tomato in favor of meaty bits of finely-cut filet mignon. The whole enchilada is given a cheesy kick by the tangy, meltingly smooth sheep's-milk cacio di Roma. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the sounds of Eagles fans moaning and swearing after a loss. By the time you read this, the Ligurian cow's-milk fritters might be off the menu, but they shouldn't be. These crispy squares of deep-fried, sweet, milky lusciousness are a custard lover's dream—so good you'd be fighting everyone at the table for them. Speaking as one of those custard lovers, we think Minichiello and Four Seasons Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Luc Daul should have a statue created in their honor (made out of deep-fried, crunchy milk chunks, of course). All of this serious-but-fun food is also being put out at a serious steal—$45 for three courses—making Verandah one of the best deals for serious Italian eats on the Strip. Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, 702-632-5121; fourseasons.com V 66 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM Las Vegas's searing summer heat practically screams for light Ligurian seafood dishes, but in this cooler weather, nothing beats Lombardia's famous meat-and-rice dishes, which will hit the menu mid-November. As chef Minichiello takes us on his seasonal tour of Italian cuisine, get ready for his next stop: a saffron risotto or two on his killer $45 menu. This northwestern area of Italy boasts Milan as its capital and osso buco as its regional pride and joy, so dig into the hearty meats and game, served over creamy polenta—just the right rib-sticking stuff for a brisk fall day and a bottle of Barolo. THE BEST TABLES IN THE HOUSE When you're a world-famous luxury hotel, you don't like to brag about the famous figures who allow you to cosset and feed them. But check out table 21 on the patio any day or night to find anyone from Hillary Clinton to Carlos Santana enjoying a superb meal amidst all that sun, shade, and discretion. The poolside dining here has always been a power-lunch favorite, precisely because the tables blend alfresco breeziness with a certain sense of privacy. If it's power couples you're after, tables 55 and 74 indoors is where you're likely to find Penn & Teller or Faith Hill and Tim McGraw performing their magic or canoodling away (in that order, we hope). Hillary Clinton has been sighted on Verandah's verandah.