The trend of extremely talented chefs from the Vegas Strip venturing out to the suburbs to launch their own restaurants is one that is most welcome and has blossomed exponentially in the past five years. Case in point is the farm-to-table coastal Italian Summerlin favorite La Strega, helmed by Executive Chef Partner Gina Marinelli.
The gifted chef is a two-time James Beard Foundation Award Semifinalist and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Orlando graduate. Chef Gina came to Las Vegas in 2006 and worked at stellar restaurants on the Vegas Strip alongside iconic chefs including Michael Mina at Nobhill Tavern at MGM Grand, Shawn McClain at Sage at Aria and Scott Conant at D.O.C.G. at The Cosmopolitan. After years in Las Vegas kitchens, Chef Gina traveled to Italy, worked in local kitchens and immersed herself in authentic Italian cuisine, experiences that prepared her well for the opening of La Strega in 2019.
The interior of La Strega exudes a décor reflecting the feminine side of Italian design. Highlights include a hand-painted wall mural evoking the Amalfi Coast, clean looking white tile wall, globe chandeliers, hardwood floor and an open kitchen.
Chef Gina believes a key to Italian cuisine is to keep it simple: “Simplicity is our biggest goal, letting the ingredients shine, sourcing locally, obtaining the best proteins in the world, and seasonality is huge.”
All of the pastas except for the dry linguini are made fresh inhouse. The Vongole is dressed with Manila clams, preserved lemon and chives. The Spaghetti Pomodoro is a simple but outstanding dish with blistered tomatoes and basil. Two dishes with proteins not often found on menus are the Rigatoni Bolognese with wild boar, ‘nduja and Grana Padano; and Rabbit Pappardelle with thyme butter and parsnip.
Six unique pizzas are offered, some with nontraditional ingredients like the Proscuitto with figs and saba (concentrated syrup of grapes) and Truffle Pesto with fontina and arugula.
While the seasonal menu is a mix of Northern and Southern Italian fare, there’s also evidence of a fusion of cuisines, with items such as Hiramasa Tartare with jalapeno sumac aioli and rice puffs, Peruvian Bay Scallops with truffle aioli and smoked trout roe and Grilled Spanish Branzino with caper salmoriglio and crispy herbs.
Dessert options also contain some fun ingredients not often seen in sweets, like the Basil Panna Cotta with stone fruit chutney, Chianti Affogato with wine syrup and Amarena cherries, Tiramisu Alla Betty with mascarpone mousse and coffee gelato and Olive Oil Cake with Sicilian olive oil and pistachios.
The name of the restaurant is fitting, as La Strega is Italian for The Witch and the Italian folktale about a witch named Strega Nona who lived in a small Calabrian village and used magic to help her neighbors. In this case, the witch in the kitchen is a very good witch, creating magic and casting a spell of deliciousness through stellar renditions of the freshest flavors of Italy and beyond.
La Strega
3555 S. Town Center Dr. #105
702-722-2099
https://lastregalv.com
