Details revealed for one of Las Vegas’ most anticipated restaurant openings
The Bellagio lagoon (poetically, Lago di Como) fronting the Las Vegas Strip enfolds but 8½ acres and descends, at its deepest point, to only 13 feet, but what the lagoon (with its tiara of surging fountains) might lack in expansive dimension it more than makes up for as a literal watery touch point, as a metaphor for oceanic abundance.
Consider Carbone Riviera, the latest Vegas restaurant from the Major Food Group imperium. Carbone Riviera (sibling to Carbone at Aria) opens Friday, replacing the legendary Picasso that closed in August 2024 after more than a quarter century on the shores of the lagoon.
This waterfront location didn’t completely determine what Carbone Riviera would be — a coastal Italian spot, something new in the MFG portfolio — but it certainly inspired the eventual restaurant that celebrates the bounty of the brine.
“It’s a heritage site for Bellagio. It sits directly on the lake with fountains. A grand seafood restaurant on this space that is so aquatic to begin with — that’s what the location wanted,” said Mario Carbone, one of the founders of MFG.
Neon this past summer on the arrival of Carbone Riviera. On Friday, the restaurant shared details of the menu, beverage program and design that have never been publicly shared before.
Seafood glamour
The menu at Carbone Riviera casts its nets across the fisheries of the world.
“Live Santa Barbara sea urchin, oysters from Montauk, langoustines from Scotland, branzino from Spain, red prawns from Sicily — a large collection of aquatic delicacies,” Carbone said. “It’s the finest fish in the world that we can get delivered to our doorstep daily. Given that importing is such a major trade here, we can get virtually anything we want any day of the week.”
This product receives the signature MFG glamour and glow-up in dishes like whole fish — sea bream, red snapper, Dover sole, branzino, turbot — that might be prepared over Japanese charcoal or roasted in the oven or enrobed in a salt crust for baking. Seafood high style continues: fatty chu-toro jabbed with balsamic vinegar, Scottish langoustines in a puddle of green acqua pazza, Nantucket Bay scallops in brown butter with flurry of shaved white truffle.
Pastas, not surprising given the Carbone pedigree, take a bow with new expressions like linguine vongole rosso, capellini crab AOP (garlic, olive oil, chilis), a brawny 2-pound lobster arrabbiata backed by housemade fettuccine, and ricotta gnudi with caviar (the parsley of Vegas). Rigatoni alla vodka, a Carbone classic, joins the new pastas.
Steaks from Snake River Farms also make an appearance.
Dolci like chocolate baci cake, Sicilian lemon cheese cake and tiramisù fashioned with straciatella, a Pugliese cheese made from mozzarella shreds mixed with cow or buffalo milk, round out the menu.
Design unveiled
Carbone Riviera gets wet with a beverage program showcasing Champagne, white Burgundy and racy coastal Italian whites, all seconded by a swath of reds: Tuscany, Piedmont, Burgundy, Rhône pours from southern France. Tradition links arms with the Italian coast in cocktails like a Pistachio Colada (absinthe, pineapple, pistachio, amaro) and a Strawberry pomodoro (rum, bergamot, strawberry, mint).
The design of Carbone Riviera has also been highly anticipated. How would the restaurant remake a space where the swagged opulence of Picasso had reigned for more than 25 years?
International designer Martin Brudnizki, MGM Resorts and MFG collaborated on the answer. Diners approach Carbone Riviera through an ocean-inspired mosaic portal; a path leads through an abstracted citrus grove surmounted by a plaster arcade with sculpted branches and lemon-shaped sconces.
The 240-seat dining room features terra cotta leather, mirrored banquettes, and custom Murano glass scones and chandeliers. Especially striking: columns and arches clad in mosaic swirls, with the pattern repeated on floors and ceiling. The dining room gives way to a pair of terraces, with the shooting fountains beyond, a mix of balmy coastal Italy and Vegas bravura.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
