When it comes to seafood in Las Vegas, frozen food doesn’t quite cut it.
Wheeling out a cart full of fresh fish and crustaceans, general manager at Wynn’s Costa di Mare restaurant, Elion Prodani, says there’s never a single piece of fish on the trolley that has seen the inside of a freezer, though they have all been refrigerated along the way. Considering that all the fish was caught around 6,000 miles away in Italy, that’s quite impressive.
Chef Mark LoRusso has his dealer in Milan to credit, saying: “We kind of give him a wish list of what we want. When we send that email, they’ll be here two days later.”
Some of the most popular fish include the branzino, a sea bass, and the orzata, a sea bream. These are priced at $16 per 3.5 ounce serving. The langoustines; a member of the lobster family, are extra special though, because not only do they provide great flavor, but a little bit of mystery too.
“We’re not really told where they get them,” LoRusso says. “There’s always been like a secret because only a few people [in Italy] fish them.”
The restaurant’s langoustine supplier only services 11 restaurants worldwide, Prodani said, and it is served fresh in all of them.
“They’re not cheap,” LoRusso says. “But there aren’t many places you can get them.”
At Wynn, a langoustine adds an extra $30 to the $195 per person tasting from the menu. “I think they’re a little sweeter than a Maine lobster,” he continues. “We don’t even season them. We just throw them on the charcoal grill.”
Michael Vignola, corporate executive chef at the Strip House eatery, says “It’s really about showcasing the nuances of this fish.” Freshness is a common and important theme in restaurants in Vegas. “I don’t want to cover it in a heavy sauce. I don’t want to hide it,” Vignola added.
Earlier this spring, Vignola’s “dock to dick” menu began, featuring fish that would have not been out of the water for more than 18 hours by their time of arrival at the restaurant. The fish are line-caught in the waters off Oahu, Hawaii, including fish such as opah, ono and parrotfish, which may be new to many.
Chef Gino Bernardo said: “As the chef and a fisherman, and fishing being a passion from a young age, I am always trying to find the best and sustainable fish available from all over.”
“The freshest fish is so important,” he added. “You have to use companies that believe in your vision.”
For all your Las Vegas restaurant reservations, contact 702 ENT, one of the leading Las Vegas concierge companies.
