SHAWN McCLAIN’S NEWEST MEDITATION ON FRESHNESS – SAGE LAS VEGAS

Sage Restaurant at ARIA Resort & Casino Opens With Fresh New American Dishes

LAS VEGAS – Sage restaurant at ARIA Resort & Casino brings celebrated Chicagoan Shawn McClain’s distinctive style to an all-new audience within the striking vertical metropolis of CityCenter. McClain’s spirited New American menu laced with strong Mediterranean subtexts showcases the chef’s culinary verve as it embraces the seasonal plentitude of neighboring California and the Pacific coast. Just-picked produce, artisanal meats and sustainable seafood converge in a sophisticated space designed by Jacques Garcia Decoration.

McClain built his reputation for innovative flavor juxtapositions through an impressive string of Chicagoland success stories and a full plate of national accolades. Trio earned four stars under his leadership; Spring, his first start-up, earned a James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant nomination and Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year title; Green Zebra reinvented the vegetable with a vanguard vegetarian-focused menu that received three stars from critics; and Custom House, his modern interpretation of the classic steakhouse, quickly claimed its own three-star rating. In 2006, McClain was recognized by the James Beard Foundation as Best Chef Midwest.
At Sage, his contemporary menu proffers a meditation on freshness.

Taking the seasons as his departure point and local partnerships as his directive, McClain taps the superior quality and environmental benefits of California fare. Preparation techniques intrigue and challenge, yet allow food’s un-tempered flavors to speak for themselves. “Interesting and great-tasting is the key,” says McClain. “Sage offers refinement without fussiness, through dishes that are delicious, exciting and understandable all at once.”

Intriguing inversions on traditional style characterize the menu from starters to finish. Beef Tartare adds the unexpected, such as slow-poached egg, crushed caper aioli, pickled mustard seeds and crispy chocolate. Foie Gras Custard Brulee pairs sweet with savory for an inviting tête-à-tête of flavors, its top crusted with caramelized citrus and cocoa nibs. For entrees, Roasted Scallops tempt this taste-bud dichotomy again with braised oxtail and wild mushrooms, all under a rich salted-caramel reduction. Short Ribs are braised in Belgian ale, then nestled on winter greens with a preserved orange gremolata and fondant potatoes.

Sage’s Roast Loin of Ibérico Pork, sure to become a menu classic, features meat only recently available from Spain and believed to be the most flavorful in the world. McClain lets its superiority lead with a mellow accompaniment of pork shoulder canneloni, braised baby romaine and violet mustard. Not surprisingly, the menu also offers vegetarian options that are every bit as succulent as the meat-lover’s fare. An alternate menu in the lounge serves easy, fun food ideal for pairing with drinks and sharing, such as raw fish preparations and charcuterie plates.

A tempting dessert line-up echoes the depth of McClain’s savory creations, leading with the warming, seasonal flavors of winter: Warm “Sugared” Beignets ideal for dipping in confit heirloom apples, cinnamon chiboust cream and hot jasmine-tea cider; the creamy-crunchy yin-yang of Canelles des Bourdeaux with winter spices, aged rum sabayon and white chocolate sorbet; and house-made ice creams in exotic flavors – perhaps licorice-fennel or brown-butter, even Roquefort served alongside a roasted Winter Pear Tarte Tatin drizzled with red wine caramel.

The wine list by Wine Director Rob Bigelow spans an impressive range, encompassing selections both delicate and bold; domestic and international; boutique and widely established. In keeping with the restaurant’s dedication to sustainability, special attention is given to organic, biodynamic wines and the profusion of small start-up vineyards sprinkled throughout California. With an eye to affordability, a wide range of price points are offered and a significant number of labels are available by the glass each night.

Sage’s cocktail program revisits America’s classic libations, with their preference for smoky, bitter undertones, and rewrites them with a contemporary edge through natural ingredients and limited-production boutique liquors.

America’s first homegrown cocktail, the Sazerac, is mixed as Sazerac rye whiskey, Peychaud bitters and Marilyn Manson absinthe. The restaurant’s namesake makes an appearance in The Desert Shrub, which features prosecco, pink grapefruit, purple sage and reposado tequila. And unconventional in every way is the Tea Rose, made of tea-infused Death’s Door vodka, St. Germain, rose water and pine nuts.

The interiors of Sage’s 112-seat dining room and 49-seat lounge display an elegance at once seductive and comfortable. Designer Jacques Garcia, known as much for his opulent French style as his pure-form minimalism, echoes McClain’s culinary sensibility with a refined, modern aesthetic brimming with character and whimsy. Muted gold on pillars and tiled walls subtly reflect the soft, seductive lighting, the glow of back-lit walls and the twinkle of mirrored panels. Rich plum tones on drapery, walls and furniture, along with deep-stained wood flooring, soften the sleek modern lines of pendant lights and stainless-steel chandeliers, while eye-catching details like porcelain white plates and floor-to-ceiling wine towers are allowed to pop.

Hand-painted murals by Paulin Pâris offer reinterpretations of famous early modernist paintings, with Manet’s “The Lunch on the Grass” gracing the walls around the mirror in the bar, and Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” overlooking the main dining room.

Ever raising the bar, Sage combines a brilliant culinary team, an ideal location near ARIA’s main entrance and a scintillating design into a knock-out experience that carries comfort to a new level of chic.

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