Columnist Muriel Stevens: Flay shows flair for Southwest with Mesa Grill

Friday, Sept. 17, 2004 | 8:50 a.m.

Cool, calm and focused, Mesa Grill owner/Chef Bobby Flay was in the kitchen of his new restaurant at Caesars Palace when I found him. Mesa Grill will open shortly and will begin accepting reservations Oct. 4, yet all the chefs were at their stations prepping and cooking.

For some months Chef Bobby has been commuting between his Bolo and Mesa Grill restaurants in New York and Mesa Grill at Caesars.

"What's the most exciting element of the new restaurant?" I asked. He didn't hesitate. "My new kitchen," he responded. "This is my first-ever new kitchen. Mesa Grill Las Vegas is my own design."

And he's loving it -- not only the kitchen, but the overall spaciousness, the signature rotisserie that dominates the dining room, the relaxed elegant decor and the wonderful redwood accents.

Although the training of the staff has been intense, it's more than mere coincidence that the chefs seem right at home in the kitchen. All of the chefs are seasoned veterans who have been with Flay for years. They've moved to Las Vegas with their families and have settled into homes. Their contentment shows.

Chefs de cuisine Lary Manheim and Paul del Favera, sous chefs Anthony Fusco, Renee Folsberg and Giovanni Bonilla, and pastry chef Amanda Longo already love Las Vegas. So do Chef Bobby and Executive Pastry Chef Vicky Wells, but they will continue to commute.

I'm intrigued by Mesa Grill's menu. Flay calls it contemporary Southwest. That it is, but it's unlike any Southwest menu I've encountered. The ingredients are familiar, but the spin is new and appealing. Heat levels are temperate, a rarity in these days of palate-searing excess.

We discussed the chef's food philosophy. "It's not about heat, it's about flavor," Flay said. "It's really important for people to recognize the food when it's put down. Presentation is very important."

While Flay expounded I was eyeing the activity around me. Super-sized grill-roasted peppers in shades of orange, yellow and red were being carefully peeled. Picture perfect, they would be used in myriad dishes.

Menus are are still being tweaked. Among the appetizers ($10-$16) are a smoked chicken and black bean quesadilla; cornmeal-crusted oysters with mango-Scotch Bonnet hot sauce and American caviar; lobster and cod griddle cakes with red cabbage slaw; American Indian fry bread taco with smoked lamb, goat cheese and an almond mole, Sophie's chopped salad and more.

Sixteen-spice rubbed rotisserie chicken, fire-roasted veal chop, coffee spice rubbed rotisserie filet mignon, a crispy whole fried (farm-raised) striped bass with five-pepper ginger sauce and coconut-cashew rice and yellow corn-crusted chiles rellenos are but a few of the many entrees ($23-$44). Menus will change seasonally.

One thing that won't change is the Cuban burger. This Flay original burger is sandwiched between slices of roast pork, cheese, ham and pickles, placed on a traditional hamburger bun and finished on a sandwich press. The result is, according to Flay, "a major hit."

Dinner service is nightly and lunch is daily. Also in the works is brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Service will commence shortly after the Mesa Grill opening.

For reservations call 731-7731.

Wild Sage makes way for Table 34: The popular Wild Sage Cafe on Warm Springs Road in Henderson will reopen at the end of October as Table 34. Table 34 will open with a new look and the food that Wild Sage fans (including me) missed so much. Table 34 Chef Wes Kendrick tells me that the menu will include most of the former menu favorites and some new ones.

The new look includes a bar, wood floors and other decorative touches. There's no phone yet, but installation is expected soon. According to Wes, he's ready to go back into the kitchen. His sister, Laurie Kendrick, will be the restaurant manager.

Meanwhile, Wes and his wife, Patricia, have not been idle. Their recently born son, Raleigh Wade Kendrick, is the light of their lives.

Gustav Mauler's Spiedini celebrates: It had always been Gustav Mauler's dream to open his own restaurant. The Austrian-born certified master chef realized his dream when he opened Spiedini Ristorante in Summerlin.

Mauler was no novice. With many years spent as the top food and beverage executive for Mirage Resorts, he was ready for the challenge. And a challenge it was.

Spiedini was a success, but its hotel was having problems. Through sheer grit and determination, Mauler and Spiedini survived ownership and hotel name changes, renegotiation of leases and changing letterheads, business cards and such.

There was little signage to direct restaurant patrons. "People had trouble finding the hotel, much less our restaurant," recalls Mauler. He persevered and now five years later this gracious, charming entrepreneur continues to please diners at the popular off-Strip restaurant. Mauler and his wife, Denise, along with partners Paul and Maryanne Steelman and Executive Chef Emilio La Scala (his homemade pastas are exceptional), are deeply involved in the Las Vegas community. Mauler can be seen regularly doing cooking segments on the KVBC Channel 3 and KVVU Channel 5 morning news, and contributes to many charity events.

In addition to Spiedini, Mauler also operates Sazio Italian restaurant in The Orleans, Gustav's Cigar Bar in the JW Marriott and Gustav's Master Chef Catering.

Spiedini Ristorante is a casual, comfortable eatery at JW Marriott, featuring well-priced Italian regional fare. Dine inside or out among lush foliage and waterfalls (weather permitting). Dinner service nightly. Call 869-8500.

Short orders

Dine CCSN: Russell's Restaurant at Community College of Southern Nevada will open to the public Sept. 30 to Nov. 22, offering lunch and dinner. One of the best of its kind dining values, Russell's is a training and development center for people studying culinary arts, food and beverage management and related subjects in CCSN's Resorts and Gaming Department. Russell's seats 90.

Culinary students prepare five-course meals and restaurant management students wait tables.

Lunch is served Monday through Thursday with a one-hour seating 11:45 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. Dinner is offered on Thursdays only from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. All meals are $5.95. No reservations, but special groups or parties should call Russell's Restaurant instructor Joseph Quagliano -- 651-4701.

AFAN fund-raiser: Those attending the AFAN (Aid for AIDS of Nevada) 18th Annual Black & White Party at Skin Pool Lounge at the Palms on Saturday will help members of our community living with HIV/AIDS.

Tickets, $40 cash or a $40 grocery gift card, include two free drinks and appetizers from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, PF Chang's China Bistro, McCormick & Schmick and other restaurants. Wear your wildest black-and-white attire or costume. For more information, call 382-AFAN or visit afanlv.org.

archive