When Bobby Flay opened his Amalfi by Bobby Flay at Caesars Palace in 2021, a whole host of Las Vegas movers, shakers and lowly media couldn’t wait to get a taste. After all, they were used to the high standards that Flay had set for his previous entry at Caesars Palace, his Southwest restaurant Mesa Grill, a longtime tenant of the resort.
Suffice it to say, they weren’t disappointed. Flay was concentrating on a whole different area of the globe with Amalfi, and the coastal Italian influence was welcomed. Inside Amalfi, you’ll find welcoming ocean blues and warm tones throughout the intimate restaurant, from the booths to the petite fishmongers’ stall, with ice-filled, tiled containers showcasing that day’s offerings, which you can choose in person.
As you peruse the menu, you’ll find a classic cocktail list with such items as the Negroni, a layered sip with PiùCinque gin, Cocchi Dopo Teatro vermouth and Cappelletti aperitivo, all Italian spirits. For something lighter, try a spritz, with the Amalfi spritz featuring Selim spumante, a sparkling wine from Campania, Cappelletti aperitivo and soda. Other varieties are concocted with Drusian prosecco, a sparkling wine made from hand-harvested grapes in Italy. There are also several good beers, plus wine by the glass.
After you’ve decided on a cocktail, order an appetizer like the burrata with red pepper, Calabrian chili and hazelnut pesto. Calabrian chilis are versatile, adding a spicy little something wherever they are used, and have become a favorite ingredient in both restaurant menus and home kitchens over the last few years. Other tidbits to whet your appetite include fried artichokes, salmon carpaccio with pistachio breadcrumbs, and blue crab and eggplant with a fra diavolo vodka sauce. Salads include fava bean and asparagus, chopped and baby romaine and kale.
On the pasta menu, you’ll find a variety of shapes and preparations, from the squid ink fettucine with lobster, shrimp and squid in fra diavolo sauce to pasta rags arrabiata. The flat pieces of pasta are accented with a tomato sauce with the aforementioned chili and bufala mozzarella. Agnolotti, trofie, cavatelli, rigatoni and scialatielli, an Amalfi coast staple that is traditionally served with seafood (here it comes shrimp scampi-style) are a few of the other choices.
That fish choice that you nailed down earlier is either roasted whole of filleted with choices of accompaniments including Meyer lemon and capers; Calabrian chili pesto; or salsa verde. From experience, I can tell you that the presentation of the fish is thrilling for seafood lovers.
Amalfi also features chicken Parmigiana, a spice-charred veal rib chop and steak choices including N.Y. strip, bone-in ribeye and filet mignon. Order sides like asparagus gratin, green beans with Calabrian chili and cremini mushroom polenta with mascarpone, Parmigiano and white truffle oil.
Bring dinner to a delicious close with desserts like the triple lemon cake (my favorite) or the dark chocolate hazelnut cake, so rich and served with hazelnut gelato as well.
Caesars Palace. 702.650.5965 or caesars.com
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