A Meat-Centric Italian Restaurant Debuts Near Mountain’s Edge

Nicole Brisson, the former executive chef at Eataly at the Park MGM, departed her old job to open Locale Italian Kitchen, exploring the traditions of Italian cuisines with a meat-centric menu, with Andy Hooper, one of the partners in The Black Sheep. Red sauce Italian dishes mix with ingredients sourced from small American farms and others deliver straight from Italy.

The menu features house-made charcuterie, fresh pasta made daily along with specials ranging from those made with local produce to large-format dry-aged steak. A full bar and wine list is available, focusing on Italian and California wines and brown spirits.

Some highlighted menu items include pollo al forno, a baby chicken with polenta and peperonatta; parmigiano with eggplant, basil, and tomato; prosciutto arugula pizze with tomato and fiore di latte; pici carrietiera primi, an oven-roasted tomato with pepperoncino; and guancia fritti “alla amatriciana” with onion marmelatta, guanciale and pecorino. Antipasti include mussels al forno with Calabrian aioli. Starters range from $6 to $20 and entrees from $14 to $36.

On the drinks menu from mixologist Erin Hall, the Locale Old Fashioned with basil-infused Dickel rye, housemade citrus syrup, Angostura, and grapefruit bitters, and the barrel-aged white Negroni made with Citadelle gin, Lillet Blanc, and Italicus aged in a barrel.

The 75-seat restaurant features a modern interior with industrial lighting, a decorative mirrored wall, copper accents, and large slate-colored barn doors separating the patio from the main dining room.

Down the line, Locale will serve lunch and dinner daily with a weekend brunch.

Eugene Dela Cruz

Locale Italian Kitchen, 7995 Blue Diamond Road, 702-330-0404. Open daily from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

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