Fall Flavors: 4 All-Star Chefs at Aria Serve Up Autumn’s Bounty in October

With fall finally arriving in Las Vegas, that means the flavors of the autumn harvest jump from the farms to the tables. At Aria, the delicate tastes behind cranberries, lobster and white truffles find themselves the center of attention on menus from chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Sirio Maccioni and Shawn McClain.

Start off with Piedmontese white truffles making their fall debut. This yearly treasure makes a star-studded appearance at Sirio Ristorante, where executive chef Vincenzo Scarmiglia’s homemade tagliatelle pasta gets shavings of this delicacy. The Maccioni family restaurant, named for its patriarch, hand rolls the pasta daily. The dish is part of a seven-course meal featuring roasted squab breast as a warm appetizer, Mediterranean sea bream in a potato crust and braised venison short ribs with white polenta for $125.

National Seafood Month in October brings out the seasonal flavors from the sea. At American Fish, lobster takes center stage prepared five different ways including the heirloom tomato soup served with a lobster grilled cheese and a Cedar wood-grilled Maine lobster tail served with a filet of beef and Pinot Noir reduction, all for $95.

Over at Jean Georges Steakhouse with its Holstein touches throughout, it’s time for raw Nantucket Bay scallops with a dash of cranberries and wasabi for a kick. Those cranberries have a menu to call their own in October. Creamy Burrata mozzarella finds a home with cranberry compote and peppered venison loin stands out with a cranberry-quince condiment. The final touch of the five-course menu is a cranberry ricotta cheese tart with a ginger ice cream and orange compote, all for $95.

The term seasonal menu takes on a new tone at Sage, Shawn McClain’s star restaurant, where the season’s best flavors get new outfits. Choose the Taylor gold pears paired with Brussel sprouts and a macadamia nut and bacon mustard vinaigrette for a starter, then move on to Kabocha squash angliotti with a creminelli pancetta and Tuscan kale. A 48-hour beef belly with a chestnut puree and fig glaze rounds out the main dish on this four-course menu. Finish it off with maple cremeux crepes with warm bourbon apples and chicory ice cream or the butterscotch custard topped with chocolate flakes, pecan sable and sour cherry syrup, all for $79.

You’ll be thrilled the cooler weather is here to stay.

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