Friday, July 20, 2001 | 9:12 a.m.
Muriel Stevens' dining columns appear Friday. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at 259-4080 or [email protected].
It was a night right out of Old Las Vegas: the opening of the Robert Goulet show, "A Man and His Music," on Saturday at the Showroom at the Venetian, followed by dinner at Zeffirino, hosted by the star and his wife, Vera, who also is an integral part of his professional life.
Goulet was in good form, belting out his signature songs and sharing jokes and anecdotes. There was much to share. The handsome baritone has had a long run on the star track. He is a Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner, and a longtime Las Vegas resident. I've been a fan ever since seeing his Broadway performance as Sir Galahad in "Camelot," and much later his performance as King Arthur in the same musical, and, of course, his many star turns in Las Vegas. Good memories.
Dinner at Zeffirino, a favorite of the Goulets, was a delight. Among the many friends who attended were Phyllis McGuire, Blake Timms, Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels, Jill and Tony Curtis, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Rossi, Jill Williams (Mrs. Joe Williams), Joel Douglas and JoAnn Savitt, John Shigley and many more. There was much table hopping between courses and some serious food.
Vera had designed an ideal menu for a late-night repast: an antipasto plate with jumbo shrimp, grilled peppers, zucchini, eggplant, portobello mushrooms and fresh mozzarella and yellow and red tomatoes; two pastas, fat homemade penne with sauce pomodoro and ricotta-filled paffutelli in a light pesto sauce; a marvelous field-green salad laced with slices of mellow Parmigiana; and for dessert, an assortment of Zeffirino's delectable desserts.
Wonderful entertainment, a terrific dinner, gracious hosts Vera and Robert Goulet -- as the song says, "Who could ask for anything more?"
More Zeffirino: Zeffirino at the Venetian is a beautiful restaurant on the Grand Canal Shoppes level. The original Zeffirino in Genoa, Italy, was founded in 1939, the Venetian Zeffirino in 1999. Lunch, dinner and a lavish Sunday brunch are offered.
Lunch prices are moderate -- hot and cold appetizers are $8-$12, salads $6.50-$13, pasta and risotti $14-$20 and seafood or meat entrees $19-$22. Menu choices expand at dinner and so do the prices, but portions are generous and the selections extensive. There are many house specialties, all prepared by Chef de Cuisine Francesco Schintu who grew up on the island of Sardinia (I adore Sardinian food).
Sunday brunch ($45 per person) includes a number of seafood choices, Italian breakfast specialties, house-made pasta, a selection of 24 desserts, champagne, Kir Royale, mimosas and Bloody Marys. Full table service is available upon request. Reservations are suggested for dinner and Sunday brunch. Call 414-3500.
Neighborhood comfort a la Michael Mina: Get ready for an exciting new restaurant concept when Michael Mina and Charles Condy's NOBHILL eatery at MGM Grand opens Thursday. In the midst of all our dazzling restaurants comes NOBHILL, a sophisticated, understated down-to-earth concept that will please all ages, including youngsters.
Designed by Tony Chi to offer "the comfort of a tavern (an inn) or salon" NOBHILL succeeds on all counts. It was my good fortune to find Chi at NOBHILL when I visited this week. The former restaurateur-turned-restaurant designer has created at NOBHILL an environment so inviting it captivates and embraces. Chi was deep in conversation with lighting maven David Singer (the lighting softly glows, making everyone look terrific) who is part of a team of artisans Chi knows can produce the quality he demands. "We don't do a job just to get paid, Chi said, we create a moment for the user."
Those moments are reflected in Chi's design philosophy starting with the bar where semi-enclosed booths afford privacy and visibility and as Chi reiterated, "To capture the moment, whatever that moment may be." I could see the possibilities.
In making NOBHILL "a place to congregate," Chi has achieved another of his goals, "To create a true neighborhood restaurant without a neighborhood."
Sound hokey? I actually experienced what he was saying. It was muttering time when I came from the frenetic valet parking through the equally frenetic lobby and casino, until I walked into NOBHILL. In an instant my mood changed, peace descended, I didn't want to leave. And this was without eating!
How does Chi create such inviting designs? "All of my projects have that little bit of quirkiness that I'm seeking. A neighborhood restaurant is about comfort, but it doesn't have to be dull. I do it with composition and color -- it's called magic."
There's more magic in what Mina has created -- elements not before seen in Las Vegas. Practice sessions have been ongoing and will continue until the opening, so we had limited kitchen access, but I did get a peek. Michael explained that he wanted to have a restaurant that was all things to all people. A place you could go for a meal at any time of day, or just come in for a snack or dessert if that's all you wanted.
As a devoted family man, he also wanted a sharing concept, so there are dishes such as cheese fondue, a charcuterie board, an hors d'oeuvre sampler and a Tomales Bay shellfish platter that are priced per person ($9-$11). There are soups and appetizers, entrees and fabulous breads and desserts. The high-tech oven where the breads and desserts are baked is visible throughout the dining room. Every 15 minutes freshly baked breads will come from the showpiece oven.
Dessert orders will be taken when a meal is ordered. Available for the table are souffles, Tart Tatin or the famous San Francisco "Blum's" Coffee Crunch Cake (I used to carry these home). NOBHILL has the original coffee crunch recipe. Michael tells me that the table-size souffle dish is amazing. A tasting of Ghiardelli chocolate desserts includes chocolate cream pie, crispy chocolate wafer and a chocolate malt.
There are so many innovations here: Mina has designed copper baking pans segmented so that each portion of Tart Tatin is perfect. The Coffee Crunch portioned pans are silver. Baker's-size copper and silver bread baskets hold the breads when they come out of the oven for a brief cooling period. A plate-size warmer is on each table so that each hot item remains that way. Sourdough bread that tastes of San Francisco -- four to five varieties of bread will be offered each day. A complimentary whipped potato cart is included with all entrees -- there are five kinds each day. Service is from an elegant silver cart that's rolled to the table. Even the serving dishes were designed by Mina.
Welcome to the new neighborhood, NOBHILL at MGM Grand. And welcome to NOBHILL General Manager Oliver Wharton, who comes to us from Aqua San Francisco.
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