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Venice is a unique place. No, not that one; the other one. Venice, California is a living study in contrasts. It\u2019s casual, yet sophisticated; youthful, yet seasoned; easygoing, yet industrious. Walk Abbot Kinney Boulevard on any given day and you\u2019ll encounter skaters, musicians, millionaires\u2014and it\u2019s not always readily evident who\u2019s what.<\/p>\n
Venice is the only place that could nurture a restaurant like Gjelina, whose chill LA vibes are ably backed by the serious, farm-to-table flavors on their plates. And now that Gjelina has come to the Venetian\u2014not that Venice; the other other one\u2014you, too, can vibe with it.<\/p>\n
Founded in 2008 by Fran Camaj, a former middle-school science teacher who\u2019s become something of a real estate giant\u2014his Gjelina Hospitality Group, named for his mother, also operates a restaurant in New York and a number of Venice businesses including a hotel, grocer and bakery\u2014the hospitality at Gjelina Las Vegas feels completely dialed-in even before you\u2019re seated. The front-of-house staff is warm, accommodating, and if you\u2019re feeling it, even chatty. They waste little time in guiding you through Gjelina\u2019s menu, which is drawn from seasonal ingredients and adheres to locally sourced, organic and sustainable practices \u201cwherever possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start in the raw bar and charcuterie section of the menu with the kampachi, with guajillo pepper aguachile, lemon, cilantro and cucumber, or the hamachi, with black garlic, sesame and lemon, both $29 and almost impossibly tender. You could also go with a charcuterie plate ($29), kitchen\u2019s choice and worth the surprise, or the anchovy and burrata toast with peporanata, parsley and olive oil ($22).<\/p>\n
Up next is the \u201cvegetable\u201d section of the menu, its biggest. It includes everything from an escarole salad with sunchoke, smoked almonds, parmesan and lemon preserved dressing ($26), to roasted oyster mushroom with tarragon butter and lemon ($16), to a plate of herby frites with aioli and harissa ketchup on the side ($15), to a grilled bok choy with a black garlic vinaigrette and a sprinkling of gomashio ($18). Food website The Infatuation<\/em> once wrote that \u201cthe Burning Man people\u201d are notorious for putting together meals just from Gjelina\u2019s veggie plates, adding, \u201cWe can\u2019t blame them.\u201d<\/p>\n Then you\u2019ll come to the mains, and some heavy choices to make. Gjelina\u2019s woodfired pizzas are celebrated from Venice to the Bowery, and you can enjoy them in a variety of mouthwatering variants including a Gruyere and caramelized onion pie with fromage blanc and arugula ($26), or a lamb sausage pie with confit tomatoes, rapini, pecorino and asiago ($25). Or you could go with one of their hearty plates: a buttery-smooth, dry aged ribeye ($89), a mildly tangy rapini pesto chitarra with lamb sausage and breadcrumb gremolata ($29), a crispy duck confit with cabbage, apple and Dijon ($46) and more.<\/p>\n The wine, beer and cocktail list is smartly curated, again with a focus on sustainability. The kitchen doesn\u2019t do substitutions, and a 20% service gratuity is automatically appended to the check. It all makes perfect sense when you visit Venice, a laidback place that works extraordinarily hard to help people to relax and be their authentic selves, whether they\u2019re ordering the food or serving it. Gjelina gives that unique contrast a flavor\u2014a winning one.<\/p>\n GJELINA\u00a0<\/strong>Venetian, 702-414-6333, gjelina.com\/las-vegas<\/em>. Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-10 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n