Locale, a new Italian restaurant in Mountain’s Edge, aims to be that neighborhood joint you can pop into for supper any night of the week. Though it has only been open two months, it has already earned some serious buzz, especially for the chef at its helm. Nicole Brisson, who has spent the majority of her career running massive operations like Carnevino at Palazzo and Eataly at Park MGM, has distilled that knowledge into a menu of rustic Italian dishes that hew to seasonality and carefully sourced ingredients from specialty purveyors.
The antipasti comprises salads and appetizers, along with house-made and imported Italian meats and cheeses. Don’t miss the heirloom tomato salad ($15) while it’s available—gorgeous red, yellow and green tomatoes atop a bed of Genovese pesto, accompanied by Di Stefano burrata and finished with Aceto Manodori, a balsamic that appears in other pasta dishes throughout the menu. The fritto misto ($15)—lightly battered calamari, pesciolini and shrimp—also benefits from seasonality: It’s accompanied by an aioli made from ramps the chef pickled while abundant.
On to the pasta. The house-made garganelli with oxtail, celery leaf and orange ($13) is a meal to tuck into, the ragu serving as the perfect foil for the pasta tubes. The beef cheek ravioli ($19) is more delicate but no less hearty: Sweet, tender beef cheeks in pillowy envelopes are finished with balsamic and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The Roman-style pizzas ($14-$17) are stuffed with Fiore de Latte—pulling off a piece and watching the seemingly endless cheese stretch straight into your mouth is immensely satisfying.
Brisson, known for the meat program at Carnevino, displays that acumen here, offering brisket meatballs ($19); saltimbocca ($19) made with Heritage Foods pork; filet mignon ($39); lamb chops ($36) and more. And though dessert only numbers two, both selections—a flourless chocolate torta made with almond flour and a budino with Plantation Rum—put the perfect cap on a meal you’ll want again next week. Or at least until brunch, which Locale just rolled out. How lucky are those southwest Valley denizens?
LOCALE 7995 Blue Diamond Road #106, 702-330-0404. Daily, 4:30-10 p.m. Brunch served Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
