With outposts in key cities across the U.S and Canada, Scarpetta is taking the restaurant world by storm, one zip code at a time. With award-winning chef, Scott Conant at the helm, one is rewarded with a dining experience that is nothing short of perfection.  The Las Vegas branch of Scarpetta is located in The Cosmopolitan, one of the newest and chicest hotel additions to the strip. By Vegas standards, The Cosmopolitan is considered to be a boutique-type hotel, with all of the attention to detail expected in a more exclusive property. Similarly, it is the attention to detail at Scarpetta that sets it apart from many of the endless dining options one has to choose from in Sin City.

Scarpetta’s breadbasket is one of the menus calling card or perhaps even the piece de resistance, which comes as no surprise as the translation of the name itself means “little shoe”, representing the shape bread takes when used to soak up a dish. The implication being that dining is an experience, meant to be savored down to the very last bite.  The breadbasket is a cornucopia of mouthwatering assortments, including ciabatta, focaccia, sourdough and an addictive Stromboli stuffed with salami and mozzarella. If not for the indulgent Signature Tasting menu at hand, seconds and thirds rounds of the bread would be on par for the course.

If you are of indecisive nature, you will struggle with the task of choosing merely one of the many standout offerings on the menu. The Signature Tasting Menu is the solution to this culinary conundrum. Add the wine pairing to the equation and your taste buds will be in nirvana.  The tasting starts off with a yellowtail and tuna susci, which quite literally melts in your mouth, paired with a crisp Adami proseco, it becomes a divine union of tantalizing tastes. Roasted sea scallops with porcini mushrooms and sunchokes are a stellar follow-up to the preceding dish, and leaves you in eager anticipation of what is to come next.

The meal progresses with heartier fare such as the Spaghetti tomato basil, a dish so simple, yet so sublime, with a perfect al dente pasta, basil and a slightly fiery kick to the sauce, leaving you wondering how something so basic can be elevated to such iconic status.

Beautiful red wines are paired with black cod, caramelized fennel and concentrated tomatoes, as well as with the final dish in the tasting, a spiced duck breast with endive, preserved orange and cippolini.  Dessert is an Amadei chocolate cake served with a luxurious and creamy almond gelato and a de rigueur salted caramel sauce.

Request a table with a view of the Bellagio water fountains. This visual pairing of the view, in addition to the journey taken by your palate, results in a sensory dining experience, bordering on transcendental.

-Jen O’Neil

Scarpetta The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.698.7960