Las Vegas has its share of on-trend restaurants, but one of the newest and hottest is Cathédrale at Aria. Tucked next to Catch near the hotel lobby, Cathédrale’s blue, curtain-lined entry beckons you down a short corridor to the restaurant. Inside, find a long bar to one side with plenty of seating for diners and a taste of the architecture that prevails in the main dining room opposite. Filled with dark woods and plush seating, it looks as you’d imagine a Renaissance church might, hence the name. That name channels the original Cathédrale in New York, where soaring ceilings and wooden tables abound.
Drinks here are fun and tasty, with such offerings as the Quintessentia, a sweet concoction of Maker’s Mark bourbon, Nonino amaro, lemon and blood orange. It’s topped by egg white accented with an orange “C” that provides a nice finish. And La Bohème is a light mix of Bacardi Superior rum, watermelon and lime, with raspberry caviar. I admit to nursing mine throughout my meal; the fresh, popping boba are delightful. For a nonalcoholic option, try the Blackberry Buck with blackberry, lemon and Fever-Tree ginger beer.
King crab and avocado salad
Start your foray into the French-Mediterranean cuisine here with grilled hen of the woods mushrooms and basil pesto. The chef’s oyster selection comes with a mignonette and fresh lemon. A classic item, the caprese, gets an update with grilled marinated peppers standing in for the typical tomatoes. Dip into the burrata with wedges of chickpea pancakes.
A signature dish imported from Cathédrale’s New York location, The Omelette comes with house-made potato chips, crème fraîche and the vaunted kaluga caviar. Even salad gets an upgrade—the king crab and avocado salad adds in lobster and a celery root remoulade to a bed of butter lettuce.
For entrées, take your pick of such items as a 22-ounce prime aged ribeye or the huge Pané Diable, schnitzel-like breaded chicken breast with mustard endive and Asian pear. The fragrance of black truffle fettucine will waft across the table. Yum, yum and yum. Round out those dishes with sides like a French fry bouquet, with perfectly cooked spuds, neither too crisp nor heartbreakingly limp. A steamed cauliflower is accented with mint and is way better than you’d imagine (and it’s healthy!!!!!—I’d add another exclamation point, but you get the point).
Sorrento Lemon
For dessert, you have a plethora of dishes to choose from, including the gorgeous Sorrento Lemon. This is a doppelgänger for a real lemon, with bright yellow dappled “skin.” Crack it open, and the flavors of yuzu and calamansi come bursting through. The Paris-brest layers hazelnut cream between pieces of Pâte à Choux and drizzles with chocolate sauce. You’ll want to share with your dining companion, if you are gracious. I am not, so I snatched it away to enjoy solo.
Aria, cathedralerestaurant.com
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