What some call best Italian-American classics in US are coming to Las Vegas Strip

With many restaurants, it has become common, nigh unto a cliché, to speak of “elevating” foods that are typically straightforward: elevated bar staples, elevated comfort classics, elevated street eats.

But elevating is a trickier lift than it might seem. When does elevating become erasing? Put another way: Is it still a Philly cheesesteak if it sports taleggio on brioche? Exactly.

For Parm Famous Italian, this school of query is famously beside the point.

Michelin-starred chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, and restaurateur Jeff Zalaznick, launched Parm Famous in 2011 in New York City. The restaurant has become renowned for showcasing (while also rethinking) the Italian-American standards the chefs ate growing up — an embrace of tradition that tastes better than tradition ever did.

This spring, the trio (and their Major Food Group) are bringing Parm Famous to Proper Eats Food Hall at Aria. The outlet will be the first Parm beyond the East Coast, joining Carbone restaurant — one of the toughest reservations to score on the Strip — at the property.

“Aria serves as our cornerstone, being the birthplace of Carbone in Las Vegas,” chef Carbone said. “It was only fitting for it to host the inaugural Parm location in the city.”

Italian soul food on the menu

At Proper Eats, Parm Famous will serve dishes found at the other shops. Such as: golden melty mozzarella sticks, pizza knots tossed in garlic butter, a cheese-draped cutlet stuffing a chicken Parm sandwich, a house roast beef sandwich with thinly sliced beef, a heap of rotini Genovese with basil pesto and burrata, and spaghetti and meatballs harnessing imported Neapolitan pasta.

And don’t forget the cannoli, three to an order, made from house dough.

A familiar look from the neighborhood

The first Parm Famous, on Mulberry Street in Manhattan, features red trim, a red and white striped awning, and a long railroad counter and bar (like many storefronts in the neighborhood). “The Parm in Las Vegas will evoke the familiar ambiance and aesthetics of our original Mulberry location,” Carbone said.

Parm Famous (parmitalian.com) will serve from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. With the outpost almost open, what’s next for Major Food Group in Vegas? Carbone offered a hint: “We are exploring a new Mediterranean concept that we are very excited about.”

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.