The recent closure of Picasso at Bellagio signaled a new era in the life of founding chef Julian Serrano, one where his short-term focus will be only at Julian Serrano Tapas, the vibrant restaurant at Aria. The restaurant itself is a bright, open, colorful space, with tables and counters curving around a large bar. An open dining room welcomes even more guests, while open kitchens give you a peek at the chefs at work.
In this restaurant, as in many in the chef’s native Spain, you’ll find a multitude of small plates and shareable dishes combined with a lovely menu of sangrias and wines. Do try to have the whole crew gathered when you order the fruity sangria pitcher, which can serve up to six. Choose from three types, including the red sangria, with red wine and muscat, lemon, orange, apple and cinnamon; the berry sangria, with muscat, a mix of berries, orange and lemon; and a seasonal variety, which combines whatever is freshest with white wine. You can get those by the glass, too, plus a nonalcoholic sangria version, beer, wine and dry sherry.
When you order, don’t worry about whether or not it’s an appetizer (or any type of course), just choose what sounds good, and order plenty. Pica-picas make a perfect snack with piparras, Basque-style peppers preserved by hand; a piquant mix of marinated olives; and Marcona almonds, all perfect for munching on throughout between dishes.
Continue with a charcuterie board, with several possibilities in ham, such as acorn-fed “pata negra” Ibérico ham and 12-month aged dry-cured bone-in Serrano ham, plus sausages. Cheese and charcuterie come with nuts, jams, tomato and artisan bread.
It can be kind of difficult to narrow down the dishes you want, but some great choices include classics like brava potatoes with spicy tomato sauce (probably my favorite small dish of all time!) and pan con tomate on Cristal bread; garbanzo salad with cucumber and a citrus vinaigrette; beet gazpacho; shrimp ceviche; stuffed dates with goat cheese, apple purée and bacon; and tuna cones with wasabi aioli.
Get adventurous in the tins section of the menu, where imported Spanish preserved seafood in olive oil like anchoas (salted wild-caught anchovies) are presented with bread, tomato, salt and lemon.
Dishes like chicken croquetas, surf and turf with lobster and the Serrano tender, with foie gras and beef tenderloin, are just a few of the meat dishes offered.
One of the staples of Spanish cuisine is paella, and Julian Serrano Tapas presents six different types, from the mixta, stuffed with chicken, lobster, shrimp, mussels and veggies, to mariscos, with mussels, calamari, shrimp and squid ink. It takes 45 minutes to prepare. There are even larger-format dishes suitable for a group, like the whole suckling pig. That also takes up to an hour to prepare, so be patient.
Close out your meal with churros or Crema Catalana, an orange blossom crème brulée.
Aria. 702.590.8520. aria.mgmresorts.com
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