Can’t quite get to Italy this year? Well, dining at Brezza on your desert vacation will make you feel like you’ve slipped in a detour to a restaurant there. A large part of that is due to chef Nicole Brisson’s cooking experiences in the kitchens of Italy, which she has showcased during her career in Vegas.
Brezza sits near one end of the wide-open promenade of the District. The elegant, comfortable dining area is accented with stone walls and wood. It features a lovely little bar adjacent to the dining room, and an olive-tree lined patio, looking out on the Strip, is perfect for casual lunches and romantic dinners of coastal Italian cuisine.
Cappellacci oreganata
Lunch, a relatively recent addition to Brezza, has a smaller menu that includes a few favorites from dinner and some special treats only available there. Go ahead and order wine; there’s a very good list available (or save that experience for dinner—you’re sure to want to return after your delicious lunch). Indulge in the heirloom tomato caprese with buffalo mozzarella—the tomatoes are delightful and the cheese so silky. Tuscan carne crudo will keep you snacking until your entrée appears on the table.
Some of those entrées include the Brezza burger and the mortadella melt. The burger combines wagyu, chuck and brisket for a tender patty that sits on a potato bun, with your choice of cheddar, Gorgonzola or mascarpone. The mortadella melt is anointed with pistachio pesto, robiola cheese and a bit of arugula. Margherita pizza feels so fresh, simply prepared with tomato, mozzarella and basil.
You’ll find pan-seared skate with artichokes and fennel on lunch and dinner menus, as well as the meaty lumache Bolognese and bucatini alla amatriciana, with flavors deepened by Fresno chile and guanciale. And if you want a lighter option, the Brezza “Caesar” salad and a chopped salad fill the bill.
Tiramisu
If you are in for dinner, order the salumi and cheese board to begin with—the cheeses are well-balanced and sourced from next-door tapas joint Bar Zazu. You’ll find several types of seafood in a variety of preparations—charred octopus, fried calamari, oysters on the half shell, abalone, tuna carpaccio, lobster campanelle and pan-seared scallops; it’s certainly easy to see the coastal influence here. Pasta is also a hallmark of Brisson’s training, and in addition to the lobster campanelle, you’ll find rigatoni arrabiata, mint pappardelle with wild boar ragu, gnocchi with fennel sausage and a nice cappellacci oreganata, among others. Meat choices range from chicken cacciatore and braised short ribs to grilled items like Cape Grim New York strip, veal Parmesan and filet mignon. You can also get dry-aged steaks, a specialty of Brisson’s. We personally recommend the dry-aged bone-in New York strip.
For dessert, try the frutti di bosco panna cotta with mixed berries and shortbread cookies or the luscious tiramisu. And in the signature lemon olio verde tart, the lemon curd and olive oil meringue make for a sweet that’s not overly cloying, and it’s topped with a large letter “B”—surely that stands for beautiful!
Resorts World Las Vegas, 702.676.6014
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