The biggest restaurant opening this spring in Las Vegas:  Lago by Julian Serrano

Las Vegas has a habit of reinventing itself time and again to toss out the old and bring in the flashy and new. For the Bellagio, that means a new Italian restaurant from Julian Serrano, the Michelin-starred chef who already serves French fare at the resort’s Picasso and tapas at Aria.
Serrano opens Lago, his spin on small plates with a Milanese twist, overlooking the Fountains at Bellagio in April.

Based on the renderings, the space takes on an Italian Futurism look with an entrance wrapped in a 100-foot mosaic with an aerial map of Milan. Colored backlit glass panels symbolize Milan’s roadways.

The bar area features a glass-and-chrome counter for the bartenders and a white marble-top bar. The back bar mimics Emilio Pucci designs.

In the dining room, arched windows look out on the fountains. The hottest seats will be on the patio framed by a glass-enclosed green wall sitting on the 50-yard line of the resort.

Already the restaurant teases its menu of sashimi, seafood such as shrimp-stuffed calamari and octopus, a one-pound bone-in rib eye, whole roasted suckling pig, baked cannelloni with pulled short ribs, mushroom risotto with tripe and pizzas.

Lago takes over the former Osteria del Circo space from New York restaurateur Sirio Maccioni. The now-shuttered restaurant featured a European carnival tent designed by Adam Tihany.

Serrano has two James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef Southwest in 2002 and Best Chef California in 1998. His restaurant Picasso opened 15 years ago at the resort with original pieces of the master’s art and pottery decorating the space.

Info: Lago, (702) 693-7111