Food & Drink: Italian, burgers and, yes, a Vegas buffet

OSTERIA FIORELLA Red Rock Resort, 702-797-7777. Wednesday-Sunday, 4:30-9:30 p.m.

TASTE THE TRADITION Marc Vetri’s Osteria Fiorella brings iconic Italian food to Red Rock Resort

BY GENEVIE DURANO

When the Palms unveiled its makeover in late 2018, the crown jewel of its culinary offerings sat 56 floors up, in an intimate space that relegated the bright lights of the Strip to the background. The food took center stage, created by a chef with accolades to spare. James Beard Award winner and cookbook author Marc Vetri, a legend in his native Philadelphia, was an exciting addition to the Las Vegas scene.

The Palms has yet to reopen amid the pandemic, but Vetri has found a new spot for his rustic Italian cooking at another Station Casinos property. After helming a successful July pop-up dinner series in the former Terra Rosa location at Red Rock Resort, Vetri has now taken permanent residence with Osteria Fiorella. It’s a bright spot on a dining scene battered by COVID-19.

The restaurant’s concept is an extension of a pasta bar Vetri opened in Philadelphia’s Italian Market in February. The name Fiorella dates back to a butcher shop founded by Luigi Fiorella in the 1890s, which was then passed down through the family for more than a century before it recently went up for sale. Vetri saw a chance to carry forth its legacy by keeping not just the name but also its famous fennel sausage recipe, along with many of the shop’s design features, including a cash register that’s more than a hundred years old. The Philly Fiorella turned out to be so popular, Stations brought the concept to Vegas.

“When Red Rock announced they’re were reopening, we got a

Ricotta gnocchi (Steve Legato/Courtesy)

phone call, like, ‘We’ve been watching your Instagram over at Fiorella, and we love the vibe of it. We would love to be able to re-create a version of that here,’” Vetri says. He reassembled his team from Vetri and created a new menu—and in a few short weeks, Osteria Fiorella opened its doors.

Though the space will be familiar to locals as an anchor for Italian cuisine—past tenants include Salute Trattoria Italiana, Scott Conant’s Masso Osteria and most recently Terra Rosa—Vetri brings his unmistakable style, one rooted in simplicity and authenticity. “I don’t like to mess it up with too many ingredients,” he says. “You know, just have a couple flavors on a plate and let them be the star of the show.”

Consider starting with the assaggi board ($22), a plate with Manchego, pecorino and gorgonzola dolce paired with prosciutto, black pepper salumi and ’nduja, and accompanied with sott’olio to perk up the palate. While it’s still in season, take advantage of the heirloom tomato salad ($16), served with buffalo mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil, or the panzanella ($14), with grilled summer corn, peaches, crispy sourdough. It’s summer abundance on a plate.

The homemade pastas are Vetri’s calling card. Rigatoni ($22), with Fiorella sausage ragu and Parmigiano, is the kind of meal that sticks to your ribs, but pace yourself, because you’re only halfway through the menu. There’s pizza on the board— Vetri recommends the meatball ($18), but you can’t go wrong with the classic margherita ($14).

There are many standouts among meats and fishes, including a deboned whole branzino ($35) prepared with fennel, arugula and olive oil and cooked on the wood-fired Josper grill, which you can see from the main dining room. The massive veal chop parm ($58), smothered in San Marzano tomato sauce, isn’t for the faint of heart; it begs to be shared, or taken home for several meals later.

If you somehow save room for dessert, don’t skip the peach and blueberry tart ($10) paired with honey gelato. It’ll help you hold on to the taste of summer just a little bit longer.

START YOUR ENGINES Sickies Garage serves up 50 burgers and lots more

BY GENEVIE DURANO

There’s a lot to take in a Sickies Garage at Town Square, from the car hanging from the ceiling to the menu boasting 50 burgers and 50 brews, along with appetiz- ers galore and chicken wings that come in more than two dozen sauces.

Sickies’ origin story is as freewheeling as its food. It started as an informal gathering of friends at a garage in the Midwest, where they tinkered on cars and motorcycles. Grilling burgers got thrown into the mix, and it became a creative outlet for the DIYers, with each com- ing up with their signature toppings. Soon, the garage became a place to play hooky, and they would call in “sick” so they could work on their projects and make burgers.

By 2012, the friends opened their first Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews in Fargo, North Dakota. Since then, they’ve expanded to South Dakota and Nebraska, with plans to open in Florida next.

The best way to approach the menu at the Ve- gas version—fittingly outfitted like a sleek DIY garage—is simply to dive in, starting with apps. With choices ranging from pretzel bites to fried pickles to nachos, you could simply idle there. But rev up your appetite, because the chicken wing section goes way past Buffalo. Hell’s Fury, loaded with ghost peppers, could very well be your final stop, if you can get there.

As for the burgers, it’ll take some time to read all the descriptions, but pay special atten- tion to the only-in-Vegas creations. The High Roller ($20) is as ballin’ as they come—one pound of Angus beef stacked with pepper jack cheese, fried jalapeños, fried pickles and pep- pered bacon, on three layers of Texas toast.

There are also specialty sandwiches, salads and baskets (fish and chips, chicken strips, shrimp and rib tip). And when you get to the end of the menu, you’ll find shakes, malts and root beer floats. Best to pace yourself for a long ride.

SICKIES GARAGE 6629 Las Vegas Blvd. S. #120, 725-735-5400. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-midnight.

CARRYING THE TORCH The Cosmo’s retooled Wicked Spoon helps the Vegas bu et  ght o extinction

BY GENEVIE DURANO

The restaurant industry as a Spoon at the Cosmopolitan has whole is hurting from the revamped the concept a bit for its pandemic, but there’s someBottomless Brunch. Now, attendants thing especially poignant about serve individually plated items to the disappearance of the buffet, guests from behind a velvet rope, and that most iconic Las Vegas culinary diners take the plates back to the tainstitution. It’s as much a part of this ble to eat to their hearts’ content—or city’s identity as blackjack tables or at least within a two-hour time limit. production shows, a symbol of the The global food stations remain, city’s abundance and, yes, excess. including south-of-the-border favorBuffets exist elsewhere, of course, ites like ceviche and tacos; an Asian but Vegas made them famous. station featuring Korean short ribs,

The appeal of the buffet lies in its noodles, salt and pepper shrimp, and unbridled celebration of food and bone marrow with kimchi glaze; a flavors from all corners of the world, carving station with prime rib and laid out in all-you-can-take pork shoulder; and breakarrays. But these days, WICKED SPOON fast stations with fresh that has been its undoing. The Cosmopolitan, pancakes, eggs, bacon and Caesars Palace’s beloved 877-893-2001. Thursday-Sunday, potatoes. There are salad Bacchanal Buffet, which 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and juice bars for those served hundreds of dishes seeking healthier fare, but from its nine kitchens, good luck trying to resist remains shuttered. Wynn Buffet the dozens of artful desserts laid opened briefly with a retooled orderout in the middle aisle. From small from-the-table format before closing tarts to single-serve bourbon bread down again. pudding and pies, they’re all wicked

Yet the Vegas buffet hasn’t been ly good. extinguished completely. Wicked The Cosmopolitan has put a lot

of thought into making its new-look bu et run smoothly, with the brunt of the work falling to servers clearing plates double time and all the folks behind the scenes, plating and cooking

Single-serving desserts (Courtesy) (Courtesy)

the food. For our part as diners, let’s remember to keep six feet apart and to tip extra-generously. Those are small sacri ces to keep this Las Vegas tradition alive.