Chef shows reverence for ingredients through dishes at Stratta

You can't dine at Alex at Wynn Las Vegas.

You can dine at Stratta at Wynn Las Vegas.

And if the name Alex Stratta is one with which you're familiar, any attendant confusion is understandable.

Alex Stratta, to use both names, is a local celebrity chef (though pretty low-key by celebrity chef standards) who at one time had two restaurants at Wynn Las Vegas, Alex and Stratta. Yes, it was confusing, unless you could remember that Alex with its haute cuisine and Stratta with its rustic Italian represented two ends (not opposite, really, but at least contrasting) of the culinary spectrum of the chef Stratta, whose training included time in Italy but who specialized in Franco-Italian at Alex and before that at Renoir, at The Mirage. (And before that in Phoenix, but we'll skip the ancient history as we try to figure out who's on first.)

At any rate. Alex closed its doors early this year, whether the victim of changing habits or the economy or a combination of a bunch of factors, all depending on whom you talk to. Stratta the restaurant, however, remains open, and it is an opportunity to taste Stratta the chef's food, and in a way that's more approachable than it was at Alex.

At Stratta, Stratta continues to showcase the reverence for ingredients that has brought him multiple awards. There was, for example, the mascarpone risotto ($28) with chicken and wild mushrooms, which didn't sound all that spectacular but was, indeed, on a lick-the-plate level. That God is in the details was proven with this dish. The chicken breast had been carefully roasted to produce a crisp skin and moist meat, then sliced thinly so as not to overwhelm the delicate risotto. The risotto had the perfect texture -- creamy, with just a little bit for the teeth -- and with the pile of sauteed wild mushrooms (which have both more flavor and more texture than their domestic counterparts) and large shavings of Parmesan cheese, it was very satisfying.

As, indeed, was a starter of summer melon ($28) and prosciutto. The melon wasn't specified but turned out to be cantaloupe, which had been compressed slightly so that it retained plenty of juice but wasn't drippy, the flavor concentrated in the process. The prosciutto di Parma served with it is an age-old partner because of the affinity one has for the other. But we also liked the interplay of the pleasingly bitter baby arugula leaves (called rocket arugula on the menu, to serve those California sensibilities) and the sharp, earthy cubes of Parmesan. Completing the picture: a large cracker that tasted both of butter and black pepper, and steaks of vincotto, a grape reduction.

We ordered the crab-crusted halibut ($38) as much for the heirloom tomato gazpacho as the crab or the halibut (I'll resist saying we ordered it just for the halibut -- whoops) but were rewarded on all fronts, with tender, mild fish, sweet crabmeat in great profusion, creamy fava beans and salty bits of pancetta and the tomatoes, which actually tasted like tomatoes thanks to the heirloom factor.

Service wasn't what we would have expected at Alex, but then this isn't Alex, and it was just fine. Our waiter was patient while we studied the menu, and frequently refilled our glasses, despite the fact that he had a number of active tables. Our food was served promptly, but we wouldn't have much minded if it hadn't been, since we'd been brought a generous basket of rustic Italian bread, lavosh and a lovely pesto and would've happily kept munching on that.

Make no mistake, Stratta is very easy on the eyes, all warm reds and browns and interesting art elements; it's no rustic Italian hideaway. But that's just apropos, because Alex Stratta's food reflects the best of simple Italian cookery, while at the same time elevating it.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or email her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com.