He wears a pinky ring. Dresses real sharp. Hails from the East Coast. Is an Italian running an Italian restaurant. So is Chris Zadie a made man? “Everyone assumes,” says the general manager of Portofino at The Mirage.
While Zadie’s look and background lend Portofino a certain authenticity, that’s where the similarities stop. Zadie is not a made man, but he’s made quite the man of himself all on his own. The 30-year-old started out running a family-owned pizzeria in his hometown of Howell, N.J., when he was only 16. By the time he was 22, he had opened his own sports bar in Las Vegas.
“The very first time I came to Las Vegas I stayed at The Mirage. Can you believe that? And now here I am running one of the finest restaurants on the property,” Zadie said.
That restaurant began life as Onda, which opened with the hotel way back in 1989, but became Portofino earlier this year. Along with the name change came a revamped wine list, updated décor and a new chef, Michael LaPlaca, who Zadie handpicked to run the kitchen.
“At that point he brought the finishing touch to specialty Italian food,” Zadie said.
Impatient Wino
Zadie has worked hard to transform the old restaurant into the vibrant place it is, home to some of the best Italian cuisine on the Strip. “Once people are in here—they’re in my house now, and I want to welcome them and make sure they have a good time.”
Impatient Wino
For a different experience, sit at the main bar in the restaurant’s newly redesigned lounge. The lounge is a more laid back, modern space where Zadie and his team serve up some of the best Italian wines and inventive cocktails, including Portofino’s signature drink, the Impatient Wino. “I designed a cocktail that has all different grape items in it that isn’t actually wine,” Zadie said. The martini-style cocktail mixes fresh muddled grapes, grappa, moscato d’Asti, simple syrup and fresh lemon juice.
