An expanded patio and revamped menu are among the recent changes at Wolfgang Puck's Postrio restaurant inside The Venetian. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Dishes at Postrio include, from top left, pomegranate-glazed salmon and steamed black mussels, and from front left, trio baby beets, 12-layer chocolate cake and American Kobe flat iron steak. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

An expanded, more open patio in the cafe and revamped menus mark recent changes at Postrio, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

"Design is a huge element of restaurants these days," says Postrio general manager Matt Dickerson of the restaurant, modeled on Puck's Postrio in San Francisco, that opened in 1999. "After seven years, you become a dinosaur."

The obscuring trees and umbrella tables were removed from the patio, and the seating was expanded by 14 seats to 125. The dining room seats 200, and there are two private dining rooms of 60 and 100 seats.

As for the menus, executive chef John LaGrone, who has been with the restaurant since it opened, says the cafe menu has changed, but "we're keeping alive some of the classics," such as the popular lobster club sandwich.

Following a directive by Puck, the menu moved toward more organic ingredients. "It's surprisingly hard to do that program," LaGrone says, because of the hit-and-miss availability of some produce. "We really never did use trans fats, but we're getting rid of them entirely."

Each day, four to five items are changed on the menus.

Postrio cafe lunch menu items include the popular lobster club on grilled nine-grain bread with applewood-smoked bacon and arugula ($25); a choice of seven wood-oven-baked pizzas ($10-14); braised veal ravioli with caramelized winter vegetables, spinach and natural jus ($17); pomegranate-glazed salmon, butternut gnocchi, brussels leaves and brown butter ($22); and Wolfgang's "pork" Wiener schnitzel, Austrian potato salad and whole-grain mustard sauce ($26).

Postrio's cafe is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. The dining room is open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily.

Reservations are available by calling 796-1110.

Following are selections from the dining room menu.

Starters: Oysters on the half shell ($19); shellfish platter including iced Maine lobster, Florida stone crab claws, Pacific oysters, poached shrimp and four sauces ($65); Maine peeky toe crab cake with celery root remoulade, arugula, watercress oil and Fuji apple puree ($15); and truffle risotto (with black truffles from Perigord, $35; with white truffles from Alba, Italy, $55).

Soups and salads: Thai coconut soup with sweet shrimp, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms and crisp ginger ($14); Bartlett pear and arugula salad with crisp bacon lardons, Stilton cheese and orange-nutmeg vinaigrette ($13); and roasted beet Napoleon with goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts, petite greens and citrus vinaigrette ($15).

Entrees: Hawaiian yellowfin tuna, seared rare, with sesame-ginger crust, wok-charred vegetables, jasmine rice and miso-soy glaze ($35); wild black bass with peeky toe crab risotto, heirloom beets, white asparagus and Meyer lemon gremolata ($34); pan-roasted Vermont farm quail with crisp sweet potato gnocchi, wilted winter salad and rosemary jus ($33); Peking style roasted duck, warm sesame crepes, Asian vegetable salad and spiced pear sauce ($35); and mesquite-grilled cote de boeuf with rosemary potato puree, roasted vegetables and cabernet glaze ($63).

Desserts: Chocolate souffle with espresso ice cream and vanilla bean creme Anglaise ($12); Meyer lemon semi-freddo with tangerines, blood orange sorbet and pomegranate coulis ($11); organic berry shortcake with buttermilk shortcake, farmer's market berries and sweet whipped cream ($11); creme brulee with vanilla custard, caramelized bananas and huckleberry compote ($10); and 12-layer chocolate cake featuring flourless chocolate cake, chocolate hazelnut mousse and chocolate sorbet ($11).

Appetizers is a weekly informational column about new developments on the Las Vegas dining scene. Items should not be considered reviews or recommendations and none is a paid advertisement. Contact Ken White at 383-0256.