Friday, February 07, 2003 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Southern Comfort

Ventano brings top-notch neighborhood eatery to Henderson

Ventano Italian Corner & Oyster Bar is on a hillside; after dark, the view is spectacular. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

There's a new restaurant with a peaceful, serene atmosphere, a sweeping view of the bowl-full-of-jewels lights of Las Vegas and fine food prepared by a chef who's presided over some of the city's best kitchens.

Sounds like old news, these days. But Ventano's not on the Strip or anywhere near it, but in a neighborhood in the far reaches of Henderson.

Southern Nevada foodies have been celebrating the effects of the celebrity-chef invasion, which has raised the bar for the rest of the restaurants in the valley to the extent that we now can use "excellent" and "buffet" in the same sentence. Their influence has extended to neighborhood restaurants as well, but with a few notable exceptions, the top-notch neighborhood spots have settled in Summerlin and other areas in the west and northwest sections of the city, while Henderson and other points south and east have been saddled with an ever-lengthening succession of chains and video-poker joints.

But among the bright spots in the south is Ventano Italian Corner & Oyster Bar, which sprung up (almost instantaneously, it seemed) out of the desert dust near the intersection of Horizon Ridge Parkway and Arroyo Grande Boulevard. At the helm is Arnauld Briand, late of the Desert Inn and a few other fabled spots.

A French chef in an Italian restaurant may seem like a mixed metaphor, but if a chef can cook, a chef can cook, and sometimes a cross-cultural element is liberating; we're guessing Briand doesn't feel compelled to present a faithful reproduction of his mama's marinara.

If you've never seen Briand in action, let me say first that the man is a stitch. Sit at the oyster bar and you can see him come out of the kitchen to crack wise with a couple of his young servers or maybe to introduce his architect and complain comically about the cost of the artful pendant light fixtures above. (For the record, the servers seemed somewhat intimidated, the architect decidedly not.)

But Briand is of course serious when it comes to food. From the dining room customers can see the brick oven where the pizzas are made, and the bread tastes brick-oven-fresh, too -- nice crisp-crusted little Italianate loaves served in a paper bag alongside a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple and lovely, in both presentation and execution.

Simple, as well, was the grilled shrimp on a stone ($8.50), which owed more to the oyster bar than to the Italian corner part of the proposition. It's a half-pound of shrimp, marinated, playfully spiced and lightly cooked; what you do with it after it's served depends on you, as the stone is hot enough to sear a bit, if you like.

Strongly in the Italian corner was the Osso Buco Agnello ($22.95), a lamb shank braised with wine and tomato until it was tender. Actually, this particular shank could have been braised just a bit longer, as it wasn't quite as tender as it could or should have been, but the braising liquid was so perfectly balanced that the flavor was exquisite. It was served with a pile of mashed potatoes, which went nicely with all of the pulpy wine-laced tomato sauce.

Veal Marsala ($18.95) didn't deviate much from the classic but that was fine, because it was a sterling rendition: lovely and delicate, with the slight sweetness that the wine provides. A side of spinach sautéed with garlic and butter ($4.25) had a sprightly flavor and texture but was canted for those who aren't garlic lovers; next time we'd ask for a double dose.

While the warm chocolate cake ($5.50) wasn't the molten wonder we've grown to expect from all those celebrity chefs, it was dense and rich and satisfying with cups of black coffee.

And as we sipped, we looked around at the families and couples and reflected that Ventano is indeed a fine neighborhood restaurant. And for that ever-growing number, we should all be grateful.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are unannounced and done anonymously at Review-Journal expense.