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Balla Italian Soul opens today in Sahara Las Vegas

On Aug. 30, Sahara Las Vegas announced (via a lengthy news release) that Balla Italian Soul, its much-anticipated restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Shawn McClain, would open Sept. 30.

A few days later, in an unusual move, that definite date was changed to something indefinite: The restaurant would now launch sometime in October. Equipment delays were offered as the reason for the sudden push back.

But what was indefinite now becomes definite again as the Sahara announces Balla Italian Soul opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday for dinner service.

“Our guests can expect a regional menu with fresh plates that showcase the brighter and more seasonally driven aspects of Italian cuisine, in a beautiful environment right on the Las Vegas Strip,” McClain said.

Among the menu highlights are grazeable antipasti, housemade pastas, wood-fire pizzas, seafood and wood-fire meats. The beverage program encompasses domestic and Italian beers, Italian and other wines by the glass, and creative cocktails anchored by negronis and spritzes.

Along with bold flavors, Balla Italian Soul offers bright colors and a balmy Mediterranean feel, the announcement said. The dining room, for instance, includes an image after Arcimboldo, the 16th century Italian artist known for painting decorative heads composed of fruits, fish and other objects.

Dinner at Balla Italian Soul is served from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.

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