Columnist Muriel Stevens: Maccionis’ Tre hits comfort zone at Boca Park

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:09 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

Neighborhood dining reached a new level when Tre opened in the Boca Park center at Rampart and Charleston boulevards. Owned by the Maccioni family, which owns Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo restaurants in New York and at Bellagio in Las Vegas, Tre is named for the three Maccioni offspring: Mario, Marco and Mauro.

Tre's menu reflects the culinary philosophy of Mama Egi (Egidiana) and her Tuscan heritage. Le Cirque founder Sirio Maccioni is a superb front-of-the-house personality who is known internationally for his hospitality and management skills.

He guides the restaurants and his family from his lofty perch in New York and is in every sense the patriarch.

Tre is in all aspects a fine restaurant with elegant design, decor and appointments, yet at the same time it is upscale casual.

Dining there recently with friends I noted how comfortable we all were, although a few of us had dressed down and the others were in business attire.

We're all proponents of sharing, and our server was happy to make it easy to do by bringing us extra plates and arranging our dishes around the table so they were easy to pass.

Tre's dinner carte includes soups and salads ($6 to $13), appetizers so appealing some diners order a few as a meal ($8 to market price), thin-crusted pizzas ($11 to $14), a selection of pastas that are available in full orders ($14 to $18) or half ($10 to $13) and a terrific variety of main courses ($17 to $26).

Seasonal specials are added daily and there are a number of excellent side dishes ($5) including an earthy wild mushroom melange, Israeli couscous, polenta gratine, hearty greens, apple noodle cake and more.

Tre's salads are savory originals. We shared a salad of beans, haricot vert, cannellini, yellow and Barlotti beans and walnuts lightly dressed with a zesty mustard vinaigrette, seared marinated tuna Nicoise with field greens, French green beans, hard-cooked egg, Nicoise olives, artichokes, red onion and basil, an updated version of the classic; and the delightful arugula, goat cheese, potato and pine nut salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

Tre's portions are generous and we had each ordered a main course, so we resisted such appetizers as pan-seared rabbit loin, salmon carpaccio, bufala mozzarella Caprese, steamed mussels in white wine, pan-fried crispy chicken livers with polenta and seasonal oysters, but we were seriously tempted.

Our entree choices: grilled Mediterranean striped bass: braised Corsican chicken; Tre's signature braised beef short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes and a Brunello sauce; and another signature dish, a double pork chop, roasted and grilled served with housemade apple-date chutney were wonderful.

We shared and tasted, dissecting the flavors and seasoning of each dish. The Corsican chicken had a sauce with pleasing bite; the succulent pork chop was perfectly cooked and enriched by the interesting chutney; the delicate striped bass was arranged around a mix of artichoke, celery root and curly frisee lightly touched with black truffle vinaigrette -- such delicate flavors and yet it held its own against the robust, assertive flavor of the top notch short rib.

We toasted our choices with a bottle of Antinori Chianti Classico, a fine value at $40.

Dessert selection posed a problem. What should we choose? We opted to let manager Noel Alarcon, who had influenced our wine choice, again assist us.

In addition to being one of the managers, Alarcon is also a sommelier, working with Tre wine director, Kyran O'Dwyer.

Wickedly wonderful desserts (five of them) were passed around and shared until they were gone. Indulgent? Certainly, but worth every bite.

Made-to-order chocolate fondant, a flawless warm chocolate cake with a melting heart; a classic creme brulee; an exquisite poached pear with caramel sauce and a perfect oval of salted caramel ice cream; chocolate bomba with vanilla flan atop a hazelnut sponge; and a coffee-sauced blow-away tiramisu inspired much comparison, but nary a dissenting word.

Tre offers dinner and lunch. Dinner hours are 5:30 to 10:30, nightly. Lunch hours are 11:30 to 2:30, daily.

The lunch menu is a smaller version of the dinner carte and includes panini, Italian sandwiches. Lunch and dinner are offered in the inviting lounge and bar, it's already a hangout.

Tre General Manager Greg Jarmolowich, has had a longtime relationship with the Maccioni family and it shows in his gracious manner and never-ending kindness to food writers, such as me, who ask so many questions, and sometimes forget what they ate because they were having such a good time.

Reservations are suggested for dinner. Call 946-6200.

Short orders

Michael Mina and partner Charles Condy part: Michael Mina and Charles Condy's long, successful restaurant partnership has ended amicably. After realizing they each had a different point of view, they settled their differences and remain friends. Mina will open more restaurants at MGM Grand; Condy will expand the Aqua concept nationally.

Dinner reservations a click away: Dinner reservations at Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island and MGM Grand can be made 24/7 on a friendly new web site system designed by MGM Mirage Internet Marketing. It is the only one of its kind in Las Vegas says the company. To learn more about restaurant reservations and MGM Mirage resorts access mgmmirage.com.

Chef Frank Panich: Longtime Las Vegas Chef Frank Panich has died. Panich, a dear man who loved to cook, was most recently the executive chef at Las Vegas Country Club. He passed away Saturday after suffering a massive heart attack. The family is planning a funeral Mass on Monday. For more information, colleagues and friends can call Michael Ty at 604-7294.