Restaurant News

        Located towards the casino end of restaurant walk in the beautiful MGM Grand Hotel, Fiamma Trattoria prides itself on serving regional Italian dishes with a new world flair.  The restaurant lies open to the walkway adjacent to it, permitting customers to enjoy ample people watching as they dine.  From the walkway, the restaurant appears as a sleek, modern open space embraced by warm colors that highlight an almost fantasy-like swirl design that adorns the walls. The restaurant features a nice size bar beside a very lovely lounge area, complete with a fireplace. The fireplace, wall design and subdued orange-hued colors that light the restaurant create a dichotomy of sorts:  an ultra-modern decor that feels both cozy and romantic. 

    Fiamma also showcases a stylish, fully equipped bar.  The bar faces the glass encased wine locker which makes for a nice background.  The bartenders come across as spirited, friendly and efficient.  It makes for an excellent rendezvous point when waiting for friends to arrive for dinner.  Should you prefer, you may order any item from the food menu and dine at the bar.


    Specialties of the house include freshly made pasta dishes of raviolini, gnocchi, linguini, spaghetti, agnolotti and rigatoni.  I’ve tried the agnolotti (similar to small ravioli) and the gnocchi, and found both delicious.  Pasta dishes range in price from $24.00-30.00.  The menu also includes a wide selection of primary course dishes, such as salmon, sea bass, scallops, organic chicken, bone in ribeye steak, veal loin and beef short ribs, most prepared with some regional Italian influence, such as Porcini mushrooms or Gorgonzola cheese for flavoring.  The menu lists most entrees between $30.00-40.00.  Although most entrees come with some type of accompaniment, Fiamma offers several nice side dish options, as well as a full range of antipasti dishes as a prelude to the main meal.


    The restaurant features a nice wine list that appropriately emphasizes Italian wines.  They have some real beauties, including many prized Brunellos, Super Tuscans, Barolos and Barbarescos.  To placate everyone’s palate, Fiamma also carries a decent selection of white and red new world wines.  They have some very hard to find bottles of new world reds, including wines from Screaming Eagle, Araujo, Cliff Lede Poetry, Hundred Acres and ZD Abacus.


    Nicolas, the general manager, informed me that the wine list changes frequently, and this would not surprise me, as some of the wines listed would prove difficult to reacquire. I would only make one suggestion regarding the wine list; they need to offer a few more bottles in the price range under $100.00. As a consideration to their clientele, Fiamma allows carry-in bottles for a corkage fee of $35.00.  This charge seems pretty much standard fare for a first class restaurant located on the Las Vegas Strip, and Fiamma certainly qualifies as a first class establishment.  



    Located at 8751 W. Charleston, in Las Vegas, the Bleu Gourmet fuses a nice restaurant, a wine shop and a small deli all into one charming destination.  Not easily seen from the street, the Bleu Gourmet sits in a row of stores behind two larger restaurants, Fleming’s and Roy’s, fronting Charleston.


    Soaring ceilings and large windows give a wide-open feeling to the interior.  The stained concrete floors and modern décor adds to the slick and hip style of the establishment.  A small curved bar will serve full course meals or serve as a great place to sample wine.  Blue Gourmet also has a small selection of books for reading or sale, most having to do with wine-related subjects.  It also features a wireless internet connection if you should choose to bring your notebook computer and do some work while sipping some wine.

Dining, wine and books blend well together at the Bleu Gourmet...

    The menu has an eclectic choice of entrees, including chicken, shrimp, salmon, halibut, filet mignon, venison and several pasta dishes.  These entrees range in price from $15.00 to $35.00 for the filet.  All entrees come with nicely prepared side dishes which complement the main course.  Bleu Gourmet also prepares some very tasty individual size pizzas, most for about $12.00.  They also have a comprehensive list of sandwiches and salads available for light eaters, all for $12.00 or less.  So despite the upscale ambience, the prices remain quite reasonable by local standards.  

     As a wine shop, one would expect a large and varied wine list, and Bleu Gourmet does not disappoint.  The shop showcases a fairly good selection of wines from around the world.  The inventory seems to focus mostly on California and French wines.  The restaurant encourages customers to purchase wine by the bottle and enjoy it with a meal in the restaurant without a corkage fee.  Most bottles range between $25.00-$45.00, but the store has some more elegant wines available at higher prices.  The restaurant also features a good selection of red and white wines by the glass.   Should you choose to buy wine to take home, Bleu Gourmet offers an immediate 25% discount off the listed store price.


    Bleu Gourmet hosts a wine tasting event every Wednesday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for anyone who purchases a food entree.  All wines featured in the tasting are discounted beyond the normal 25% discount should the customer choose to buy wine to take home.    The wine tasting events are often well attended, so it provides an opportunity to socialize a bit during the middle of the week.   Best to arrive early at these tasting events.


    Should you need more information, contact Bleu Gourmet by telephone at (702)363-2538 or visit their website at www.bluegourmet.com.    

The wine bar at Bleu Gourmet...

Bleu Gourmet...

    The executive chef, Carlos Buscaglia, takes special pride in his culinary creations.  On a recent night when I dined at Fiamma, the chef had prepared some items not on the menu that truly showcased his skills in the  art of food preparation.  Should you dine at Fiamma, I suggest you inquire if he has prepared any specialties for the evening.  His creativity just might enhance your dining experience.

  

The patterned walls at Fiamma...

The lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel, the location of the Fiamma Trattoria...

Fiamma Trattoria...