JULIAN SERRANO REVISITS HIS ROOTS WITH A TRIBUTE TO SPAIN BOTH TRADITIONAL AND QUIXOTIC

Julian Serrano Restaurant at ARIA Resort & Casino Now Open in CityCenter

LAS VEGAS – The opening of Julian Serrano at ARIA Resort & Casino marks an exciting culinary debut – award-winning Chef Serrano’s first professional exploration of his native Spanish cuisine. Having saved his eponym for this long-held vision, Serrano challenges the boundaries of classic Spanish fare with both traditional and innovative tapas, seafood, paella and more.

Designed around multiple menus, the 217-seat restaurant in ARIA will please both fast-paced Las Vegas travelers and lingering diners with its fun and flexible choices. The first restaurant in the United States to be designed by famed Spanish design group Gente de Valor, Julian Serrano captures the convivial social energy of Spain’s tapas bars with its inventive food and imaginative patio setting.

A native of Madrid, Serrano developed an early affinity for French cuisine in some of Europe’s most celebrated kitchens, including Lucas-Carton in Paris and L'Aubergine in Munich. He brought his memorable French cooking to Bellagio as Executive Chef of Picasso, a nine-time recipient of the AAA Five Diamond Award, and has earned the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award twice, as Best Chef California in 1998 and Best Chef Southwest in 2002. Julian Serrano at ARIA reveres and reinvents Spanish cuisine, as traditional renditions sit side by side quixotic creations sprung from the mind of Serrano and, occasionally, the local molecular lab. The restaurant’s multiple-menu format and range of price points accommodates just as many dining styles, from passing pop-ins to late-night rotations of small plates and platters.

The heart of the restaurant’s culinary magic is its line-up of seasonal tapas, those small but potent bites designed to satisfy a variety of tastes. For winter, earthy comfort flavors headline, such as Pork Feet Confit with seared foie gras and a traditional vizcaina sauce of dried salted cod, tomatoes and peppers; and Beef Tripe Stew made with the spicy bite of chorizo sausage, bacon, chick peas and tomato-based sofrito. Guests craving a taste of post-modern adventure can put their faith in Tierra Negra, where “black earth” chocolate’s pleasing bitters find balance in the buttery silk of a foie gras cream, all served over duck breast with, yes, Oreo cookie.

As a restaurant focal point, a visually arresting seafood display offers fresh ceviches and tiraditos: Sardines in an escabeche marinade of cognac, aged vinegar and spices alongside homemade potatoes; or Scallops freshly sliced with soy sauce, mango, pineapple and a ginger rocoto-pepper sauce.

Emerging from hot and cold open kitchens, a multitude of other savory options deepen Serrano’s homage to his homeland. Soups & Salads lead the way, with the likes of Almond Garlic Soup with grapes and Scottish salmon; or Lobster Tail Salad with heirloom tomatoes, raison vinaigrette and carrot “air.” Paella dishes, including classic pasta fideuàs, feature myriad combinations of fresh seafoods, meats and veggies prepared in an intense sofrito and wine base. From the Fish & Shellfish menu comes Salmon with a creamy truffle béchamel, and from Meat & Poultry, Pork Confit with thyme sauce. A Vegetarian menu easily holds its own, with Grilled Green Asparagus and mango mayonnaise foam; or brick-oven Spanish Pizza with caramelized onion, piquillo pepper confit and Manchego. Platter options include raciones such as Imported White Anchovies with garlic, parsley and olive oil; as well as assorted Charcuterie of the
finest Ibérico ham and sausages; and Cheese Plates of La Serena, caña de cabra and more served with fig puree.

The tempting dessert selection takes cues from classic Iberian preparations, then ups the ante with unexpected additions, like Flan with raspberry foam and tulip; San Marcos cake of chocolate hazelnuts, crème anglaise, sugar hazelnuts and mango puree; and torrija, Spanish “French toast” made of bread dipped in wine or milk, served with citrus and pineapple puree.

Wines of Spain provide the focus for Julian Serrano’s 500-bottle strong wine list. From Sherry in the south – which complements so well the tapas tradition – to Cava, Rias Baixas, Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat in the north, the list encompasses the best wines from the best producers, with 40 wines by the glass available each night.

A Sangria-focused cocktail list enjoys the fruits of California’s blessedly Mediterranean climate, with concoctions of pomegranate, citrus, Cherimoya (custard apple), peach, plum, strawberry – the list goes on. Such dewy produce also finds favor in a provocative selection of hand-muddled drinks, alongside a presentation of the best cognacs and brandies for which Spain is famous.

Julian Serrano’s whimsical interior
is the creation of famed Spanish design group Gente de Valor. Channeling the casual ethos and classic design elements of Spain’s original tapas bars, the décor then takes a decidedly contemporary turn through several artistic abstractions, arriving at an effect both reminiscent and vanguard.

Set along ARIA’s main promenade, the restaurant’s open bar-lounge presents a clever twist on Spain’s airy patio lifestyle. A classic leaf motif, migrated from glassware to façade, welcomes guests with its over-scaled renditions in traditional gold against deep black. Inside, spiky sculptural “trees” of glossy black rise between tables to fashion a modern “garden” courtyard.

Bold tile in reds, purples, yellows and greens harness the lively, people-watching spirit of the tapas experience and find abundant, yet atypical expression – such as tinted glass flooring in a modern mosaic of undulating waves and mosaic columns with sparkling hues that seem to shift with perspective.

Interconnecting the restaurant’s open floor plan, a serpentine bar of European walnut stretches from the seafood lounge, through the central bar area, to the tapas bar. Here, two open kitchens framed in back-lit glass display anterior shelves fully stocked with market goods and sundries.

Beyond the tapas bar, a formal dining room breaks with the patio décor, but continues the design scheme with an abstract play on the palatial rooms characteristic of Spanish architecture. A grand mirror fills one wall, while the gold black leaf pattern is revisited on carpeting and tableware. Fine antiques line another wall via a traditional glassware display, updated by sleek glass shelves and lighting for a stunning decorative focal point.

With its accessible location along the promenade that connects ARIA with Crystals, the stunning retail and entertainment district, Julian Serrano represents a keystone in CityCenter’s nexus of world-class dining venues. And as Chef Serrano’s culinary triumph, guests will enjoy his signature creativity in every meal, be it abbreviated haiku or all-night epic.

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Media Contact:
Andrea Brown
MGM Resorts International
(702) 650-7534
abrown@mgmresorts.com