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