Mario Carbone has been feeling a bit like Danny Ocean recently.
The chef and Major Food Group cofounder (alongside Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick) has been spending quite a lot of time in Las Vegas as of late. That’s because the next outpost of his Carbone empire is opening on Friday, a place that blends Italian nostalgic elegance with the restaurant’s typical modern flair for fun. Carbone Riviera builds a new narrative with its menu, one focused on whole fish, fresh ingredients flown in daily, and flashes of the restaurant’s signature creations. And the project, done in partnership with MGM Resorts International, is all housed within a Sin City icon: the Bellagio.
“It’s really quite difficult to put into words,” Carbone says in an exclusive interview with Robb Report. “I’ve been living in the space for a couple of weeks now, and I stand out there at night, and Andrea Bocelli plays, and this crazy water show happens, and the whole thing is very much like I’m living inside Ocean’s 11 . . . Bellagio is coming up on almost 30 years old now. And to think that we’re part of its next generation is really exciting and incredibly humbling.”
The interiors are touched with blue, gold, and terra-cotta hues.
Nico Schinco
That next generation is full of Lake Como-style grandeur, something you experience from the moment you step into Carbone Riviera. The sentiment is brought to life by renowned designer Martin Brudnizki, in the creative’s first project with Carbone and his team; they were on the hunt for someone with a fresh set of eyes that could channel that signature MFG maximalism, a design style that certainly fit the bill for a Las Vegas outpost. As you enter the space, you’ll be surrounded by a sea-inspired mosaic, accented by testa di moros (Sicilian head sculptures) overflowing with lemons, tunes like Bobby Darin’s Beyond the Sea, and a massive seafood display. Brudnizki took design cues from the Mediterranean, as well as Picasso’s time spent in Vallauris (see if you can spot paintings from the famed artist, along with works from Renoir and Miró, throughout the restaurant). Mosaic archways loom overhead, and the 240-seat dining room is awash with terra-cotta banquettes, sea-blue touches, and clay-toned neutral hues. All of this is accented by custom Murano glass chandeliers and scones.
As with any MFG spot, Carbone has thought of everything, down to the very last detail. The staff, for one, will don uniforms with a double-breasted peak lapel and dripping in blues and white piping. He also worked with Object Luxe, a London-based brand, to make a custom series of miniature lobsters and other aquatic designs—all made from silver and mother of pearl—that live around the restaurant. “Hopefully no one steals them,” Carbone quips. The same company made punch bowls, too, each crafted especially for Carbone Riviera.
The yellowtail cinse.
Nico Schinco
Creating the menu for the new restaurant took that same attentiveness. Carbone and company started working on the dishes about a year ago, wanted to keep the same Carbone essence intact while serving new plates to their guests. So you’ll see the famed spicy rigatoni vodka and Caesar alla ZZ up for grabs, but everything else is making a grand debut. Things kick off with offerings like Nantucket Bay scallops with brown butter and shaved white truffles, Scottish langoustines in a green acqua pazza, or grilled chu toro with aceto balsamic and crispy leeks (these tidbits are ever-changing, depending on what fish gets delivered). Antipasti, insalata, and fritti follows, with dishes like lobster polpette fra diavolo, capellini crab AOP, and the new Mario’s Famous di Mare Salad.
The star, though, is Carbone Riviera’s whole-fish menu. You can expect a nightly rotation of sea bream, red snapper, branzino, and other varieties, all of varying sizes and weights for a custom experience, whether the fish is baked in a salt crust or grilled over Japanese charcoals. “Each fish [is] taking on its slightly different preparation,” Carbone says. “You kind of listen to the fish, like ‘what is it? What does it want? How does this fish want to be cooked?’” And then it’s that classic Carbone service’s time to shine. “There’s the theatrical sort of component of it,” the chef explains. “This whole fish goes out and needs to be presented and carved table side, and all of that that is very much in the Carbone vernacular.” Each dish can be paired with Carbone Riviera’s impressive wine list, focused in on Champagne, white Burgundy, and coastal Italian vino accompanied by reds from Tuscany, Burgundy and Piedmont. Cocktails include classics like an Old Fashioned and new entrants, such as the Riviera cocktail.
Left: burrata and caviar are on the offer. Right: Wild branzino al sale verde.
Nico Schinco
The la dolce vita vibe even extends to Carbone Riviera’s deck. There, VIP visitors will be able to hop aboard the Bellagio’s custom 33-foot yacht from Riva in an invite-only experience. Fortuna, one of just 18 vessels crafted by the Italian masterminds as part of its Anniversario collection, will give those lucky few the chance to cruise out onto Lago Di Como for around 45 minutes, taking in the Las Vegas sights and the famed Bellagio fountain from a completely new vantage point.
“This is the first of its kind,” Ari Kastrati, chief content, hospitality and development officer at MGM Resorts International, tells Robb Report. “It’s an experience that we believe is going to be uniquely positioned to be one of one.” To Kastrati, the Fortuna is all about providing those guests with the type of luxe venture that can only happen in Sin City—and that can only happen at the Bellagio.
Amid all the Italian excellence poured into Carbone Rivera, the chef Carbone, too, knows just how singular this project is.
“When something so special like this comes along, you know, we feel almost obligated to tackle it, regardless of what else we have going on in our lives,” Carbone says. “But I think it’s going to be hard to top this one.”
Authors
Nicole Hoey
Nicole Hoey is Robb Report’s digital editor. While studying at Boston University, she read, wrote and read some more as an English and journalism major. A class taught by a Boston Globe copy editor…
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