Emphasis on presentation evident in Salute’s dishes

Perusing the pasta selections at the new Salute at Red Rock Resort, I paused at the Salute Signature Pasta ($24), “signature” or “house special” being the kind of words that restaurant critics tend to look for.

The notation that it was to be served tableside in a Parmesan wheel clinched the deal since, while that’s become commonplace in some locales, it certainly hasn’t been the case in the valley.

And so I ordered it, only to be told by our server that they didn’t have the Parmesan wheel. Was that OK, she asked, assuring me that she’d bring plenty of freshly grated cheese?

Definitely not the same thing, but I figured that, surely, the “signature” pasta must be inherently special, so sure, why not?

Except that special it wasn’t. Oh, don’t get me wrong; this was a perfectly acceptable dish of nicely al dente fettuccine in a creamy tomato, vodka-infused sauce. But in a bowl, it was just another dish of pasta.

I must have been in a presentation-conscious mood that evening, because I was easily tempted by a starter of crispy zucchini flowers ($14). These were perfect, three in number, filled with a citrus-tinged ricotta mixture and encased in an ultra-crisp breading, resting on smears of pesto for color, texture and flavor contrasts. They were excellent.

And really, Salute does a better job of presentation than most Italian restaurants that come readily to mind. Bread was served on a squarish tray, slices of bread and crisp grissini and an artfully shaped heel contoured like Pinocchio’s nose. With it was served a cup of tapenade, exceptional because the flavor of the olives rang clearly through.

Presentation reigned, too, with the Veal Milanese Saltimbocca ($42), although execution was equal to the task. We knew right from the get-go that this would be a little offbeat because it was a veal chop instead of scaloppine, but the reality was even more imaginative. The chop had been almost removed from the bone, butterflied, flattened and sauteed until it was ultra-crispy, layered with the customary Fontina and sage, and speck instead of prosciutto. With a sprinkling of capers on top and a little pitcher of a light lemony sauce, this was probably the best saltimbocca we’ve ever had.

And we had a side dish of sauteed spinach ($7), the “meh” element of which had nothing to do with presentation. The menu promised garlic, shallots and olive oil, but all we tasted was spinach, spinach and more spinach. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you appreciate the flavor of unadorned, lightly cooked fresh spinach, which clearly we do not.

Service throughout, both from our server, her assistant and the runners, was very good, and we liked the feel of the place, with comfortable seating at tables and curved booths and the sleek, streamlined decor that’s all the rage these days.

There’s outdoor seating, too, which will be tempting once the weather cools. That veal dish was just too good not to repeat. And maybe by next time they’ll have reinvented the wheel.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.