The Desert Wine Guy - A review of Salute Trattoria Italiana

Front Entrance to Salute

  Today I sit here in front of my computer to write another restaurant review. Yes, I said restaurant review. How did The Desert Wine Guy get to be  known for doing restaurant reviews you may ask? To be honest with you guys I must say that I don't really know. The only thing that I can think of is that one of you readers saw my one and only (at the time) restaurant review that I did on the FireRock Steakhouse ( http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2015/07/today-i-am-going-to-take-break-from-my.html) here in Las Vegas and loved it so much that they forwarded my information to some food industry public relations company's because lately I have been getting invites to interview owners of restaurants (and Vineyards) and to receive free products to try . I must say that I am certainly flattered for the referrals and the trust that you guys have in the honesty of my reviews. I promise that I will always remember that I have you guys to thank for this blog being so successful. It is getting to the point that I am going to POSSIBLY be starting a restaurant review blog in order to keep this blog strictly wine related. I do kind of find it funny how little old me could start this wine blog and the word spreads so widely.

  Before we actually get into this article / review I want to keep a promise that I made when I first started this wine blog. I promised that if I was ever paid to review a product I would disclose that to you, my readers. Today I come before you to disclose that about three weeks ago I was contacted by Sydney Peizer of Fingerprint Communications (http://fingerprintcom.net/) and asked if I would like to review a new Southern Italian restaurant opening here in Las Vegas that they were promoting named Salute by Chef Luciano Sautto. The entire meal would be "comped" (paid for) by Fingerprint Communications as well. I would like to take this time to publicly thank Mrs. peizer of Fingerprint Communications for the opportunity to review the Salute Trattoria Italiana. This is actually my first review that I have been payed to do but like always I want you guys to know that what I write is my true feelings and you don't have to worry about ANY of my reviews being biased or influenced in any way. As I have previously stated I actually have a full time job that I have had for 23 years and I am comfortable with the life that I am currently living. Having said all this let me move onto my review of Salute restaurant.
  Let's start off by learning a little bit about the man who will be doing the cooking for Salute. That man is Chef Luciano Sautto. Chef Sautto was raised in Southern Italy and became a third generation Pizzaiola (which means meat in pizza style) while working in his families restaurant. Chef Sautto loved cooking so much that he decided to go to El Cavaltanti culinary school and when he graduated he led various kitchens throughout Europe. In 1994 Chef Sautto moved to the United States working as the Chef in a Miami restaurant named Tutto Pasta Italian Cuisine. After working there about five years he was offered the opportunity to become Executive Chef at Vita Restaurant & Bar in South Beach. Chef Sautto worked in Beverly Hills California for a short time and then went back to Italy before moving again to Miami to be Executive chef at Bianca Restaurant which is located inside the Delano Hotel.

Salute Kitchen

 
  Salute Trattoria Italiana (http://salutevegas.com/) is located at The Red Rock Hotel, Casino & Resort (https://redrock.sclv.com/) in Summerlin, Las Vegas. The restaurant itself is on one hand a locals place where the residents of Summerlin can go and relax and on the other hand is an establishment that comes across with having the intent of catering to an upper class clientele.
Salute restaurant is accessible thru either the Casino or directly from the parking lot. Being a hater of Casinos myself I appreciate the fact that neither I nor my family are forced to smell like cigarettes or walk past drunks in order to eat at a nice restaurant. My Wife and I entered thru the front entrance directly off the parking lot. Slightly to the left of the main entrance is their outside seating area which was well lit and had lot's of activity due to the wonderful weather Las Vegas was experiencing at the time. The people seemed to be having a wonderful time and there appeared to be plenty of attentive serving staff to go around. The outside seating is partially walled off by a rail extending up to slightly past a persons elbow. There were also a nice amount of large Televisions so if you chose to watch the game while having some drinks or Dinner you would not have any issues. Hanging from the ceiling were a good amount of speakers to comprise a nice sound system as well. 

Outside Patio

  The outside seating area is also directly accessible from the inside of the restaurant as is the bar area that seemed to be again well lit, busy and well stocked. The outside dinning area is also facing the parking lot but don't let that disturb because who ever designed the hotel did a wonderful job of landscaping and brought the outside patio area itself far enough from the parking lot that you simply see it as something wonderful to look at. The fact that there are trees, plants as well as nice lighting adds to what feels like a nice separation from the parking lot traffic. Trust me this is NOT an issue.

Inside Salute

  When my Wife and I first entered the restaurant we were immediately greeted with a smile by a nicely dressed young Lady and I informed her that I had a reservation for two and gave her my name. I immediately noticed the superb Marble inside the entrance which I later found out was imported Italian marble. Looking into the 4,000 square foot restaurant was impressive to say the least.
  We were immediately taken to our seat and greeted by our Waiter, Mike who approached our table, introduced himself and presented my "press packet" to me. The packet was colorful and printed on glossy, quality, folder. The press packet talked a little about the Chef Sautto and his background. There was also a layout of the restaurant and a little about the restaurant including hours of operation and how to go about making reservations. The last two layout and restaurant information pieces were made on nice card stock like material and were also glossy and very appealing. There was also a menu in the packet that listed all of the food that was to be presented to my Wife and I. Mike told us that the food would come out quickly and in the order presented on the menu 
  My immediate impression of the clientele was mostly of a slightly older, middle to upper middle class people out for a night on the town all the way to the middle age business executive having a business dinner. There was a fair amount of younger but still upper middle class people at the bar. Everyone was dressed very nicely with Dockers type pants and a nice button down or Polo type shirt for the men with the Women being in nice dresses with some slacks and shirt. There were also the fair share of Men in suits. I did not see any shorts being worn and I would have felt out of place if I had worn a pair. Bottom line here is dress to impress.

Bar Area - Note Tight Walkway Between Bar & Tables

  The inside of the restaurant itself was decorated with very modern decor. The one thing I was surprised about was that there were no tablecloths on the tables. I feel that some nice, quality tablecloths would have complimented the decor of the restaurant nicely. There were nicely upholstered leather type chairs. The interior was bright with candles at the tables. The booths were very large with high backs allowing for a sense of

The Bar At Salute

privacy which I think is lacking in other higher end restaurants. Both the booths and the chairs were both adorned with the same Leather type material and both were very comfortable. Getting back to the privacy issue for a minute I have to say that the way the seating was arraigned there was almost no place you would sit that you would feel as if you were sitting on top of someone so to speak. All seating whether at a table or booth allowed for the sense of privacy if you were at a business dinner or for intimacy if you were out with that special someone. This feeling of privacy was shattered in one area however and that area was the bar area. The bar area is set up in the following way. Across from the bar is seating and that leaves a very small path for those going to and from the outside dinning area which happens to border the outside from the inside dinning area. If the bar was busy like it was the night my Wife and I were there people are pretty much right on top of you and at times squeezing by you. This in my opinion is too close for comfort, I don't like people being in my personal space especially when I am trying to relax or have an important or romantic dinner. I would highly recommend avoiding seating by the bar area if making reservations or being seated early because when the bar and patio area get busy (and it does) you will be uncomfortable. There is nothing that can be done to alleviate this either, it is simply the design of the restaurant.

Mike, Our Waiter

2011 Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon

  Let's talk about service first. Mike was our server and even though he is originally from Boston and does not love the Yankees I have to say that he did an awesome job. He was attentive and presented each meal along with an in depth description of each. He was very professional and took command over the Jr. servers under him. The empty plates did not sit long on our table and our drinks were filled promptly. Both Mike and his assistants checked in frequently to ensure everything was in order. There was one issue I had with the drinks however and that was when I ordered a bottle of wine. I ordered a bottle of the 2011 Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon (review coming) and I felt it took a little bit to long to get to my table. Yes, on one hand the bar was busy but on the other I was a table that was supposed to be impressed by the service and the food with knowledge that a review was coming. In my opinion the table you want to impress, the table that is reviewing your business would be a priority. In this case and in this case only I felt it wasn't the priority it should have been. When Mike arrived back at the table with the bottle I was impressed with his knowledge of proper pour (see the Video) Mike was able to take the foil off in two cuts and when he pulled the cork out it did not end up on my table. The wine label was always facing me and he did pour a small amount for me to taste rather than simply pour a glass and be done with it. Mike was a little bit more business than I like at first but I can only imagine the type of people he must deal with at these types of restaurant. Once I broke the ice with him and told him I was from Brooklyn and showed him that my Wife and I were just average everyday people he loosened up a lot and it was very enjoyable to have him as our waiter the rest of the night. Mike was professional, entertaining, as well as personable and efficient.

Antipasto Bar

  O.K let's get to the food now. As you can see from the menu below there was a lot of food presented to my Wife and I. Because of lack of space I can't go into each individual item but I will delve into a few of them.
  For part of our selection of Antipasti we had the Pizza All' Acqua and the Eggplant Parmesan. Let me start with the Pizza first. Every ingredient on this Pizza was fresh and the pizza was cooked perfectly. If you love basil you will be happy here. Looking at the menu you will see that the Pizza has Chili on it. Don't be put off by that as there was no spice to the Chili just a hint of the flavor of it. The Basil and other spices were very fresh and the Pizza was wonderful. The pizza was served on a dark wooden platter that was nice and the Pizza sitting on it was appetizing to the eye.
  My wife and I were treated to some pretty serious Eggplant Parmesan at Salute. Nice, fairly thick slices of Eggplant roasted with the skin on. I thought this dish was roasted perfectly and the Eggplant was wonderfully tender and flavored nicely. The Eggplant was cooked nicely and complimented with a San Marzano sauce. Though the sauce was very flavorful it did not cover the taste of the Eggplant and both were able to be enjoyed. The dish came to out table hot and fresh.
  Next section on the menu was "Crudo which means "raw". Crudo is the hottest new raw fish dish around by the way and is a common way for Italians to eat their fish which is thinly sliced and raw. In this case the Crudo was some serious Albacore Tuna. This was for all intents and purpose basically Sushi and came with Avocado and Calabrian Chili which has it's origins in Calabria Italy. The fact that Calabrian chili naturally has a fruity taste and bouquet to it went nicely here combined with the Tuna. I guess because the idea is Italian the dish fit in but I always think of Sushi as Japanese and not what I expect from an Italian restaurant.

Gnocchi  "Alla Sorentina"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Under the "Pasta" section I completely enjoyed the Gnocchi " Alla Sorentina (Gnocchi Sorrento Style). which had San Martzano Tomatoes, aged Parmesan and blistered Tomatoes. Those Blistered Tomatoes were totally incredible. When the dish arrived the Tomatoes simply screamed to be eaten. In my mouth they exploded with flavor. The pasta, Gnocchi which is thick, dough dumplings was cooked nicely and had a perfect consistency. The Parmesan cheese was really fresh and full of flavor.
  Now for the Entrees. To me the dish that stood out was the Chicken Piccata. I'll start with the Chicken which was sprinkled with a little Lemon Juice. I don't believe I have ever had chicken cook so nicely. No under cooked spots or overdone spots. The edges of the Chicken were edible without there being any fat or tough pieces that had to be cut away. The only thing I did not like is the Capers but that had nothing to do with the restaurant since I absolutely hate capers anyway. To me this dish stood out and if I were going back (which I will) I will be ordering this dish. The presentation was very appetizing.
  I must also mention the Antipasto Bar that was on display. Stocked with Cheeses and breads and Desserts, it looked outstanding and the cleanliness was superb. Elegant White serving dishes held the food and added to it's appetizing and fresh appearence. By the way the Antipasta Bar also features Seafood and Vegetarian dishes as well.

Veal Meatball in Tomato Gravy With Ricotta  & Basil

Lucianos Signature Gelato & Amaretti Cones

  It is Dessert time now, yum. For dessert my wife and I had Chef Lucianos Signature Gelato & Amaretti Cones. The desert is homemade by the way and presented in a stand that allows it to be shared. The Gelato was very smooth and rich in taste. There was no small ice particles as can sometimes be found in a cheap quality Ice cream or Gelato. The Cone was simply delicious and had a great flavor. This was a wonderful way I thought to serve a wonderful Gelato. For those of you who are unaware Amaretti are Italian Biscuits that are similar to Macaroons so seeing Gelato presented in this way was a pleasant, unique surprise. I would have to say this was another example of the attention to detail in their food, decor and service that I witnessed throughout the night.

Our Menu

 

Pizza All' Acqua

Before ending this review I would like to throw in one item that my Wife and I found strange. That one thing is that Salute has a children's menu.  Having experienced the clientele that visit the restaurant I find it hard to believe that they would like screaming children in the restaurant during a business dinner with future or present clients  or while they are out for a romantic evening with that special someone. The only reason that I can think the restaurant felt compelled to have a children's menu in  this level of establishment is because they are connected to a Casino. I guess there really is one more reason to dislike casinos after all.
  O.K then folks here is my wrap up of this review. The restaurant was impressive with not only it's food but it's overall operation. Salute seems to set out to provide the middle to upper middle class (and higher) professional a distinctly higher end Dinner experience, an experience that I think fills a need in the Las Vegas area. No longer do you have to go to the Las Vegas "Strip" or Downtown to enjoy a semi-fancy Dinner. I can see this being a restaurant that businesses send their clients to have comped meals as a thank you or as a way to break the ice and have an opportunity for  "meet up". Since the Red Rock has guest rooms as well as Las Vegas gambling and night life this would also be a perfect way for someone to meet their clients and possibly still be near their home since there are neighborhoods in the immediate area. Not having to deal with "Strip" traffic, be near your home AND impress your customer, that is a win win in my book. Food wise I couldn't ask for anymore. Sauces were not to powerful as to cover the taste of the actual food. The range of food offered was sufficient to please a diverse group of people. The Kitchen was clean and had a modern appearance and seemed well run while I was watching. The bar was well stocked and inviting. The atmosphere was inviting and full of energy. I recommend you check out Salute and tell your local friends about it. For those of you who have company coming to town that is tired of the same old places on the "strip" or Downtown you can now change it up on them and head to Salute Trattoria Italiana.

Chef  Luciano Sautto

   
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