“Organic” seems like the right word to describe Azzurra Cucina Italiana, which opened last month on the south end of Water Street in Downtown Henderson. This charming and cozy eatery with twinkling blue oceanic accents feels like the perfect elevated option among the blossoming developments in this part of town, and the way it came together was similarly natural.
“Some things just sort of happen and grow,” says owner Windom Kimsey, the Downtown-based architect who also operates Public Works Coffee Bar. “We knew we wanted to do something and be part of this phase of development, but the restaurant was sort of serendipitous.”
He explains how he was lunching with friends and reminiscing about one of their favorite local Italian restaurants, the former Bratalian Neapolitan Cantina on Eastern Avenue. Kimsey jokingly texted the general manager of that spot, Walter Ciccone, asking if he was ready “to move down to Water Street. I thought, he’s going to tell me to go take a hike. Instead, he said, ‘We should talk,’” Kimsey says. “The more we talked about it, the more sense it made and the more excited we got.”
Ciccone’s wife and fellow Bratalian grad Alessandra Madeira naturally joined the team to focus on the menu, Kimsey got to work on the design and Azzurra was born. Inspired by Kimsey and his wife Annelisa Polk’s travels to northern Italy, the 30-seat restaurant and bar has been booked solid, with its intimate space and different vibes in high demand.
“One of my pet peeves is large, noisy restaurants, where there’s a lot of space but you can’t talk to people sitting across from you,” Kimsey says. “When we were in Italy and Europe last summer, we found a lot of cool, smaller restaurants, [especially] in Milan, which is a high design city, very clean and sleek. That was sort of the inspiration for the design.”
Olive trees, geometric tiles and felt panel ceilings are some of the elements that subtly convey those Milan vibes, while the seats at the marble bar—if you can snag one—offer a soothing home for a glass of wine and a snack.
Madeira was given free rein when it came to the food. Her veal, beef and pork meatballs ($16) with basil ricotta and marinara and grilled Spanish octopus ($18) with cannellini beans are but two of the familiar appetizers diners loved at Bratalian, given new life—and sometimes bright tweaks—at Azzurra. On the cold side, Caesar ($12) and Caprese ($16) salads are popular starters, and beef carpaccio ($22) is decorated with lots of olive oil, shaved Parmesan, arugula and hearts of palm.
The pork chop Agrodolce ($33) a pan-seared, double-cut chop finished with cherry peppers in a white wine sauce, “is a simple dish to make, but not too many people do it that way,” Kimsey says. “There have been a lot of people who couldn’t wait for her to be cooking again [in a restaurant] so they could eat that.”
Squid ink linguine frutti di mare ($36) is a new dish, laden with clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels and calamari. Other popular pasta options include penne vodka ($20) and spaghetti with meatballs ($24), and light eaters have been devouring zucchini noodles ($22) with shrimp and cherry tomatoes.
The stylish experience makes Azzurra a significant step for dining on Water Street, a risk that’s already paying off. “We’ve been drawing from all over Henderson and beyond, and that’s kind of the idea,” Kimsey says. “More people are coming down here wanting to try something new. I see my projects as planting seeds for redevelopment, trying to make Downtown more of a destination. That’s the ultimate goal, and this is a good stepping stone toward the long-term vision.”
AZZURRA CUCINA ITALIANA 322 S. Water St., 702-268-7867, azzurracucina.com. Monday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m.
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