New Las Vegas Valley restaurants: Italian, Greek, soul food

In the latest Las Vegas restaurant reconnaissance:

■ Ciao Vino Ristorante, offering regional Italian dishes, is set to open Monday at 740 S. Rampart Blvd., in Boca Park. The opening ranks among the new restaurant projects announced this year by HUKL Hospitality. Chef Joel Myers, previously of Vetri Cucina at the Palms and Osteria Fiorella in Red Rock Resort, is helming the kitchen.

The menu features dishes such as farro risotto (farrotto) with prawns, beef tartare with seasonal truffles, rotolo pasta rolls with taleggio, squid ink fettuccine with ’nduja and Dungeness crab, a diavolo pizza topped by San Marzano tomatoes and Calabrian chilis, and bistecca alla Fiorentina with grilled lemon.

Juan Martinez, HUKL’s vice president of beverage, designed a wine program that ranges from daily drinking pours to special releases.

The 185-seat Ciao Vino encompasses an airy dining room, an open kitchen and a covered terrace with shade and misting systems. Ciao Vino will be open daily from 3 to 4 p.m. for drinks, from 4 to 6 p.m. for aperitivo light bites and drinks, and from 4 to 10 p.m. for dinner. Visit ciaovino.com.

■ In November, Anastacios Theologitis took over Hellas Bakery Cafe at 72 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 120, in Henderson. He recently changed the restaurant name to Theo’s It’s All Greek to Me, and a new sign is up. Theologitis said he debuted Theo’s to honor his late father, Nikos Theologitis, who owned restaurants in Northern Nevada.

The menu features dishes such as a Greek salad, tigania (fried pork), keftedakia (meatballs), a Hades gyro with braised chicken and smoked habanero tzatziki, and Zeus fries souvlaki with chicken, lamb or beef. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Fridays, with $8 wines and bites such as pita and tzatziki and tiropita cheese pie.

The menu also features baked goods such as baklava, galaktoboureko (custard in phyllo), and black and white cakes.

Theo’s offers free lunch for children and adults with special needs from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays. Children eat free from 5 p.m. to close Wednesdays. Visit itsallgreektomevegas.com.

■ The Naked City Pizza Shop is now providing the menu (for dine-in or takeout) at PKWY Tavern Decatur, 4930 W. Flamingo Road, at South Decatur Boulevard. Look for some of Naked City Pizza’s Buffalo, New York-style pies, along with wings and other appetizers, tacos, sandwiches and more.

Happy hour, from 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for dine-in only, features Naked City dishes for $6 to $10, among them a Naked salad, roasted garlic buns and a quarter-sheet pizza with one topping. Naked City also has a stand-alone location on Paradise Road. Visit nakedcitylv.com and pkwytavern.com.

■ Treehaus, the loft bar overlooking the dining room at Esther’s Kitchen, 1131 S. Main St., is now pouring from 5 p.m. nightly. The space features a circular wooden bar, classic leather Chesterfield couches and a moody vibe.

■ Fin & Feathers is now serving at 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd. The restaurant, an outpost of the Fin & Feathers group with locations in and around Atlanta, offers “Nu American Soul.” The menu features dishes such as catfish nuggets, jerk chicken egg rolls, blackened catfish, chicken and waffles, and salmon grits. Visit finandfeathersrestaurants.com.

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From 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 7, Crab Corner Maryland Seafood House, 6485 S. Rainbow Blvd., is presenting its Brews & Blues Festival featuring all-you-can-enjoy Maryland-style pit beef, hard-shell blue crabs, steamed shrimp and pasta Alfredo, as well as more than 40 all-you-can-drink beers. Tickets: $71.21 from eventbrite.com.

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Through Sept. 8, Basilico Ristorante Italiano, 6111 S. Buffalo Drive, Suite 100, in Evora, is presenting its Best of Italy tasting menu showcasing regional flavors.

Chef Francesco Di Caudo is sending out seven courses, including eggplant Parmigiana with mozzarella mousse (Sicily), saffron and sausage risotto (Lombardy), and veal scaloppine with tomato and spinach (Campania). Cost: $65. Reservations: basilicolv.com or call 702-534-7716.

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Jaleo by José Andrés at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is celebrating La Tomatina, the famed annual festival (Aug. 28 this year) in Spain where folks throw tomatoes at each other.

Through Sept. 8, the restaurant is sending out a menu of six tomato-inclusive dishes, including a Spanish omelet with confit tomatoes, Ibérico meatballs with tomato sauce and manchego, and a 10-ounce Prime striploin with heirloom tomatoes. Pricing: $14 to $58.

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Tickets are now on sale for Picnic in the Alley, which returns for a third year on Sept. 21 to celebrate women in food, mixology, hospitality and entertainment. Jolene Mannina, a celebrated Vegas culinarian, created Picnic in the Alley.

The Arts District event features bites, beverages, entertainment and education while benefiting the Women’s Hospitality Initiative, which provides training and advocacy for women in the food and drink industry. VIP tickets with 6 p.m. admission are $150. General admission tickets with 7 p.m. admission are $125.

Tickets/details: picnicinthealley.com. The exact Arts District location for Picnic in the Alley will be announced closer to the event. Must be at least 21 years old to attend.

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