On the north end of the Strip you’ll find Balla Italian Soul, a sweet joint with a patio that looks out to Las Vegas Boulevard. It’s chef Shawn McClain’s newest venture, with a menu that captures some of the most celebrated flavors and ingredients of Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
Once you’re seated inside the bright restaurant, ask for a beverage menu, and it’s a beaut here, 26 pages of cocktails, beer and a great variety of wine from all over Italy, with sommelier recommendations, large-format wines and wines from other domestic and global sources. Plus, there are plenty of spirits offered as well. You’ll even find a couple of mocktails for those who don’t imbibe the heavier stuff.
While you are contemplating your dinner choices, a little snacking will help whet the appetite—start with focaccia and taralli crackers (you may be familiar with the crunchy Italian rings). Other shareable treats include speck ham and summer melon; beets agrodolce, delivering a sweet-and-sour experience; margherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella and Genovese basil; and meatballs with Parmesan and fennel pollen.
Italian meals are traditionally served in multiple courses, so you’ll want to choose both pasta and a main. Balla Italian Soul serves several options for your pasta course. Plus, inventive choices of pasta will give you a great experience. For instance, you can get cannelloni Alfredo, featuring rotisserie chicken, or trottole presented with shrimp fra diavolo, ’nduja sausage, roasted peppers and mint. Garganelli is ribbed, giving the fennel sausage ragú sauce good purchase on the pasta. That comes with stracciatella cheese for the finishing touch. For a toothy, flavorful bite, the casarecce combines tomatoes, Calabrian peppers, basil and garlic. Classic spaghetti, elevated here with Dungeness crab, delivers seasonal squash blossoms, zucchini and lemon.
Once you travel on to the mains portion of the menu, executive chef Michael Vargas has a variety of choices for you. Seafood dishes range from light grilled prawns with white bean ragu to sea bream, a white fish with a more meaty taste than other white fish. Chicken Parm is a staple at Italian restaurants, and there’s a reason for that—those crispy cutlets smothered in red sauce and buffalo mozzarella keep the taste buds excited long after you’re done. Steak lovers can choose between a 16-ounce New York strip or a 20-ounce ribeye. Stuffed mushrooms with cheese and marsala are sure to make a nice accompaniment.
And desserts span Italian classics as well, with panna cotta, gelato and tiramisu making good choices. If you prefer to drink your dessert, Balla Italian Soul has a carajillo with Licor 43 and espresso, plus amaros, limoncellos and grappa.
Tasting Menu
Take advantage of the family-style, three-course tasting menu, where for $75 per person you’ll enjoy some of Balla’s best dishes, including heirloom tomatoes with stracciatella, rigatoni or casarecce, sea bream and Mary’s half chicken. Add a wine pairing for $45 per person. Some restrictions apply.
SAHARA Las Vegas. 702.761.7619. saharalasvegas.com
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