1. It’s really happening. Yes, there was a false start. Back in December, Tapas by Stratta was slated for a different Tivoli Village storefront, and just before the doors opened former Wynn chef Alex Stratta and his partners parted ways, leaving the Michelin-starred cook to rebuild from scratch. “We had to start from zero,” he says—new lease, new liquor license, new everything. Two and a half months later, Tapas by Stratta will soft-open April 8 in the space that formerly housed Petra and Poppy Den.
2. It’s a tapas joint. While there are some larger daily specials, the vast majority of the menu is dedicated to small, shareable tapas plates that run from $7 for warm marinated olives with kumquat preserves to $25 for foie gras conserva served with fig-almond bread and spiced apricot jam. Most land squarely in the $8-$16 range, with plenty of vegetarian options served alongside meatier fare like oxtail stew with red wine and mushrooms and grilled octopus with garbanzos and celery hearts. “Ingredient-wise, it’s Spanish,” says Stratta, but there are some modern interpretations among the classics. Think black kale fritters with pine nuts, sour cherries and green apple and standards like patatas bravas.
3. There will be paella. It’s hard to open a Spanish restaurant without the country’s most famous dish, and Tapas by Stratta will serve four varieties ($24-$34) of the hearty rice stew, including a vegetarian artichoke paella with roasted peppers and aged Manchego; mixta with chicken, shellfish and chorizo; and a lobster and seafood version. For those who want a more authentic experience, there’s also the paella Valenciana with rabbit and snails.
A sneak peek inside Tapas by Stratta.
4. See the art on the walls … Stratta painted them himself. Ditto for the white framed mirrors that line one side of the narrow, 48-seat dining room. The place feels personal, and for good reason. “This is the first place that’s mine mine,” says Stratta. “I can barely sleep I’ve gotten so excited.”
5. It’s not Alex. Longtime Las Vegas food fans know Stratta best as the man in the kitchen at acclaimed restaurant Alex, a French fine-dining jewel at the Wynn that scored two Michelin stars in 2008 and 2009 before closing down in 2011 in the reverberations of the recession. “This isn’t Alex,” the chef says, dipping a spoon into a luscious flan in his Tivoli dining room. “I want to evoke that sense of community and conviviality.” For those who crave the super-high end, however, Stratta is planning on doing a fine-dining pop-up once a month inside Tapas with dishes from Alex and limited seating.
6. The chef has big plans. 2015 is shaping up to be a busy year for Stratta, who is also working on two concepts for the Gramercy in southwest Vegas. A casual eatery should be coming first, while a fancier Italian restaurant is also in the works. Which means by this time next year, there could be three Alex Stratta restaurants in Las Vegas.
