Salute brings authentic Italian flavors to Red Rock Resort

The moment you enter Salute Trattoria Italiana at Red Rock Resort — whether from the casino or directly from the restaurant's front entrance — you'll see upscale decor that sets the stage for your dining experience.

There are blonde accents against wood, marble-top dining with tall leather seats and half-circle booths. The open-view kitchen, set off by a marble wall, allows one to see the chef fire up the brick oven.

At one end of the restaurant is the long bar with plenty of TVs for sports-minded patrons and glass walls that retract, giving an indoor-outdoor feeling. The 92-seat patio enjoys the nearby waterfall features on the hotel property at 11011 W. Charleston Blvd.

Chef Luciano Sautto, a native of Naples, Italy, puts his own signature on the restaurant's Italian cuisine. Antipasto misto comes in three sizes and takes advantage of the seasonal harvest. Zucchini flowers wrap around ricotta cheese, the crispy arancini features Fontinella cheese with ricotta and Bolognese sauce. The pizza uses San Marzano tomatoes for full flavor. There are four types of salad served: Caesar, with a creamy Parmesan dressing; Caprese with buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes; arugula with shaved Parmesan; and chopped with roasted red peppers, salami and Provolone in a red wine vinaigrette.

Pasta takes up much of the menu: spaghetti and meatballs in a San Marzano gravy; baked rigatoni with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses; lasagna made with spinach pasta and tomato bechamel sauce; truffle tagliatelle with shaved black truffles and truffle cream; and capellini all Ortolana made with angel hair pasta, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and broccoli.

Entrees get to the meat of the matter with: chicken piccata; seafood misto risotto with shrimp, clams and sea bass; Parmesan chicken or Parmesan veal; lemon chicken; veal Milanese, lemon chicken; grilled snapper; and roasted branzino with Mediterranean sea bass.

Hours are from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Call 702-478-5118 or visit redrock.sclv.com/dining/salute.aspx.