Carnevino and B&B Burgers & Beer Dessert Tasting
La Colombe Caffee Nizza Americano
Coconut Panna Cotta – Seasonal Berries, Toasted Coconut, Kiwi Sorbetto
Bomboloni – Praline Cream, Rhubarb-Blackberry Conserva, Whipped Cream
S’more Tart – Housemade Marshmallow, Chocolate, Graham Cracker Crumble
Sfoglitella – Fresh Strawberries, Sweetened Ricotta, Strawberry Gelato
Cannoli – Creamy Ricotta, Cream Cheese, Orange, Vanilla, Chocolate Chips
Ice Cream Sandwich – Two Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Nutella Ice Cream / Cookie Plate – Nutella Brownie Cookie, Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter Cookie
Oreo Cookie Milkshake
Nutella Cake – Chocolate Cake, Nutella Mousse, Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting, Candied Hazelnuts, Whipped Cream
Salted Caramel Cheesecake – Seasonal Berry Compote, Whipped Cream, Amaretti Cookie Crumble
In charge of Pastries at Carnevino for some time, those with fond memories of the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Torte or a particularly splendid Bomboloni at the end of their meal owing thanks to her and the team, it was only recently that Ashley Costa was given the title of Pastry Chef at both the city’s premier source of Dry Aged Steaks and its sister B&B Burgers & Beer near the Venetian Sports Book, the dual role finally giving the latter more than just Shakes while late Spring/early Summer shows continued Seasonal inspiration infusing five new selections available at the Italian Steakhouse.
Recently feeling inspired to talk more about Chefs that exist outside the spotlight, particularly those doing work that might otherwise go unmentioned in places where other great Chefs and outstanding products are prone to dominate the conversation, it was as part of an interview with Ms. Costa that I sat down to taste the whole new collection from Batali and Bastianich’s skilled young Pastry Chef, a seat at the bar mine over the course of ninety minutes and a dozen creations while David “Coop” Cooper kept up the conversation as the restaurant prepared to once again do over six hundred covers.
Arranged by Ashley and Chef Nicole Brisson as a four course experience, La Colombe’s Nizza Espresso always a great way to cleanse the palate between bites whether salty or sweet, it was after a brief greeting from Ms. Costa that course one arrived featuring two familiar plates given a seasonal twist, the Coconut Panna Cotta a creamy round topped with Intuitive Forager’s Seasonal Berry selection, Toasted Coconut , and Kiwi Sorbet while the trio of Donuts were as lightly fried as ever, the inside stuffed to bursting with Praline Cream while the plate was garnished with poached Rhubarb and Blackberry Juice plus stiffly Whipped Cream and Hazelnuts.
Unaware of what would arrive next, the element of surprise only spoiled when a menu was requested after three courses to see what was yet to come, round two featured two completely new items that should feature prominently in any local or tourist’s dining agenda, the S’more Tart similar to Michel Bras famous Fondant with the thin walls crumbling and Dark Chocolate pouring forth to meet housemade bruleed Marshmallows and Graham Cracker crumbs while the Sfoglitella with Harry’s Strawberries, Sweetened Ricotta and Gelato was a flaky, delightful surprise rarely seen in Las Vegas in the days since the closure of Montesano’s.
Appropriately taking a more casual approach to new B&B Burgers & Beer menu, the outstanding Nutella and Bourbon Cherry Shakes assuredly still available in addition to an Oreo Cookie concoction that is lighter than most thanks to the combination of Whipped Cream and quality Gelato, additional offerings feature four Cookies including a perfect Snickerdoodle and Ice Cream Sandwich of Brown Butter Chocolate Chip rounds plus a made-to-order Cannoli with light Citrus Cream that makes the soggy pre-filled shells served at Buddy V’s or Carlo’s down the hall particularly disappointing.
Going one-and-one for the final round, another Americano ready and waiting, it was with two ‘cakes’ that the tasting would end, both originally formulated for B&B but only the moist Chocolate Cake with dueling Nutella frostings remaining on that menu, the Salted Caramel Cheesecake instead ported over to Carnevino where California’s best Berries are reduced down to serve over the velvety base with a golf-ball sized round of Whipped Cream and crumbled Amaretti Cookies.
FIVE STARS: Continuing to evolve the Carnevino menu seasonally even as she was tasked with creating several new selections for B&B Burgers & Beer there was not one unbalanced taste or unappealing texture amongst the late-Spring/early-Summer Dessert offerings at either of the spaces under the guidance of Chef Costa, planned changes at B&B Ristorante and the opening of Eataly hopefully seeing even more quality desserts from the B&B Hospitatliy Group, whether headed up by Ashley or another of Mario’s culinary team.
Recommended: Carnevino – Bomboloni, Sfoglitella, Coconut Panna Cotta. B&B Burgers & Beer – Cannoli, Snickerdoodle, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich.
AVOID: NA.
TIP: Both new menus launched in-full on May 17th, though online details are not yet 100% accurate. Additional offerings at B&B include all the classic Shakes while Carnevino still features the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Torte and Tiramisu.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
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